Junk to Jewels
Table of Contents - Synopsis
Section 1 - Overcoming - Introductory chapters designed to lay a foundation.
Introduction
Broken dreams? Past failures? Present trials? Future fears? Various losses experienced in life? Turning life's "junk" into jewels through the blood covenant and Cross of Jesus Christ. A lifestyle path to overcoming.
Chapter 1 - Dead people need life not the law.
The goal of this chapter is to empathize with hurting people and allow the Holy Spirit to capture their heart through mercy and grace.
Chapter 2 - Who is Jesus now?
This chapter takes a look at who Jesus is today through John's eyes in the Book of Revelation. John, on the Isle of Patmos, was hurting and most likely experiencing disappointment, like many of us. It is too easy to misunderstand the character of God when we are going through afflictions. The goal of this chapter is to set the stage for the "overcoming process" by showing that Jesus is actively looking for overcomers, and that it is ok if one is hurting.
Chapter 3 - The Scroll of Revelation.
Jesus is the centerpiece of Revelation, His unveiling. The unrolled Scroll shows what He is actively doing right now.
The points emphasized in this chapter are:
1. The Scroll is your freedom, and Satan's demise.
2. No matter how bad things look, you can trust God.
Chapter 4 - Jesus' Mission Statement.
Jesus' mission statement, Isaiah 61, infers a lot about overcoming and the benefits beyond overcoming. However, He shows us that the path may be difficult, but that He will finally overcome and give the victory to our account so that we may be considered overcomers and receive the rewards thereof. There are great rewards!
Chapter 5 - Overcoming brings rest.
This chapter addresses the radical views of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, with the suggestion that the "overcoming lifestyle" will balance both extremes and provide the reader with the rest of God
Chapter 6 - Blessed are the poor.
This goal of this chapter is to give the reader, who is in difficult circumstances or afflictions, God's view that he/she is actually in a more advantageous position than the self-sufficient.
Section 2 - The Blood of the Lamb. These chapters focus on the centrality of the Cross and its finished work.
This section focuses on "the blood of the Lamb."
The book covers all three ingredients of overcoming as listed in Revelatin 12:11. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Revelation 12:11).
Chapter 7 - The Blood Covenant.
This chapter shows the reader how to "drink His blood and eat His flesh", as in John chapter 6. It shows how Jesus' solution for us is a life exchange through a blood covenant.
Chapter 8 - The Cross - the power of God!
The apostle Paul determined to preach only the Cross of Jesus, as it is the power of God! This chapter lays the foundation for the power of blood covenants in general, and the Cross of Jesus as the centerpiece of our faith. Chapter 8 previews the next several chapters, which examine the various works accomplished by the Cross.
Chapter 9 - The Cross - Redemption-purchased from slavery.
This chapter helps the reader examine his/her life for remnants of slavery in his/her personality.
Chapter 10 - The Cross - Righteousness. This chapter emphasizes our right standing with God as a gift. It simplifies righteousness and its definition as simply belonging to the family of God and being related by blood.
Chapter 11 - The Cross - Propitiation.
This chapter unveils the personality of God and reconciles His wrath and His love. It emphasizes forgiveness.
Chapter 12 - The Cross - Blessings and Curses.
This chapter examines generational curses and blessings, and gives the reader a practical process for becoming free, and for freeing his/her offspring.
Chapter 13 - The Cross - Reconciliation.Chapter 13 covers the fact that we were made friends with God through the Cross. A great exchange took place; His life for ours. We became New Creatures in Christ; He became sin for us.
Chapter 14 - The Cross - Intimacy.
The result of reconciliation and exchange is intimacy. We are now the same race as God; therefore, we can experience intimacy at the level God originally designed for us.
Chapter 15 - The Cross - The Reconciliation of Evil.
Not only were we reconciled to God, but all "things" have been reconciled as well. This chapter shows that no matter how many bad "things" are in your life, they have been
Chapter 16 - The power of His resurrection.
In case the reader is overwhelmed by the awesome promises set forth so far, this chapter discusses the power of Jesus' resurrection. If Jesus could be raised from the dead, even so, their afflictions can be turned to jewels.
Chapter 17 - The Cross - Justification.
This chapter shows that justification is a legal courtroom process that is not only designed to bring favorable judgement to us, but also fatal judgement to Satan. The scene is a cosmic courtroom as described in Revelation and Daniel.
Section 3 - The word of your testimony.
This section focuses on "the word of your testimony."
Chapter 18 - Standing on the Word of God.
This chapter teaches about our offensive responsibility for overcoming and putting final defeat on Satan. It shows how speaking the Word of God as the word of our testimony, as in Revelation 12:11, is a large part of our overcoming.
Section 4 - "Loved not their lives to the death" - Taking up your cross.
This section focuses on, "they loved not their lives unto the death."
Chapter 19 - Repentance.
This chapter emphasizes the power of godly repentance for ourselves, our children, our communities and nations.
Chapter 20 - Our cross - Faith without works is dead!
A blood covenant is not valid unless both parties accept it. We are to take up our cross in order to appropriate all that Jesus did for us. As in Revelation 12:11, this is "not loving our lives to the death."
Chapter 21 - Coming into the Presence of God - The Tabernacle - Part 1.
This series of chapters on the Tabernacle are a pattern for taking up our cross. The reader is led through the Old Testament Tabernacle into the Holy of Holies to commune with God. On the way to His presence, we honor His protocol of taking up our cross with each piece of furniture we encounter.
Chapter 22 - The Bronze Altar - The Tabernacle - Part 2.
The Bronze Altar is where we honor His Cross by searching our hearts for sin that can be recognized and confessed.
Chapter 23 - The Laver - The Tabernacle - Part 3.
This chapter emphasizes the Word of God.
Chapter 24 - Thanksgiving - The Tabernacle - Part 4.
This chapter emphasizes having an attitude of thanksgiving and praise.
Chapter 25 - The Table of Shewbread - The Tabernacle - Part 5.
The Table of Shewbread, in this example, represents the human will. Chapter 27 leads the reader through the process of exchanging his/her will for God's will.
Chapter 26 - The Golden Lampstand - The Tabernacle - Part 6.
The Golden Lampstand stands for our mind and reasoning. This chapter leads the reader to be set free from reasonings and strongholds in the mind and to accept the mind of Christ.
Chapter 27 - Strongholds - The Tabernacle - Part 7.
This chapter goes deeper into the issue of strongholds.
Chapter 28 - The Altar of Incense - The Tabernacle - Part 8.
The Altar of Incense stands for our emotions and our worship as we prepare to have God pull us into the Holy of Holies.
Chapter 29 - Inside the Holy of Holies - The Tabernacle - Part 9.
This chapter sees the reader inside of the Holy of Holies, in His presence. Also, it shows the Ark of the Covenant inside of the reader's heart, not just as an exterior article to be worshipped. It shows the reader the magnificent provisions that are resident in him/her.
Section 5 - More than an overcomer.
Chapter 30 - You are a conqueror.
Chapter 31 - Hupernikao.
During the overcoming process, we have become "nikao," or conquerors. This chapter climaxes with a divine revelation of what it means to be "more than conquerors" as in Romans chapter 8.
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"Junk to Jewels"
Introduction
# "Why are we sitting here until we die? This is what the four lepers said in 1 Kings chapter 7 when they felt that their life was hopeless. The resided in Samaria, which was not only besieged by the Syrians, but also the people were suffering starvation. They were boiling their own children for food.
"Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 'If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die'" (2 Kings 7:3,4)
The four walked out to the Syrian army's camp and found that the Lord had caused the Syrians to run for their lives based upon a "noise" that they had heard. The lepers had all they wanted to eat, and eventually called the people of Samaria out to share in the abundance of food left behind by the Syrian army.
You may be in oppressed circumstances. But you need to know that there is something you can do. First you need to know that the spiritual army that has besieged you is already defeated. Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross. Next you need to know that if you enter into the overcoming lifestyle that you will enter into the abundant life. As you walk and live this lifestyle, you will bring others into it just as the four lepers did.
The overcoming lifestyle is summarized in Revelation 12:11, which says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).
If you want to do something, read on!
"O you afflicted one, Tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones" (Isaiah 54:11,12).
Life has enough suffering to go around for everyone. If you are reading this book and are a believer in God through Jesus Christ, you are not exempt. You may be an atheist, an agnostic, or a strictly secular person. You may be an animist, worshipping ancestral spirits, or perhaps a practitioner of Voodoo, or one of the many New Age or Eastern religions. Perhaps you are a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a Hindu believer. None of us are exempt. Some of these belief systems have developed their own way to reconcile suffering.
Many of the ways we humans attempt to compensate for an imperfect life full of unmet expectations, broken marriages, failed business, unexpected tragedies and terminal diseases seem to work for a season. However, they are really just different degrees of bandages that cover a deep wound.
My wife and I have both faced horrible circumstances in life. In them we sought Jesus, the God of the Bible, through the Holy Spirit with intensity, total commitment and passion.
We noticed several things over the years.
1. The "junk" in our lives has always turned into "jewels." God show us that the eternal value in our overcoming process was far more valuable than our own personal victory.
2. With each trial we found ourselves becoming more intimate with the Living God.
3. God has given us eyes to look back and notice a path that became a familiar one. He has shown this path to us in the Scriptures as something that He calls "overcoming."
4. God considers our afflictions, sicknesses, poverty, etc. as a gateway to abundance, not as our final judgement, or our designated lot in life.
5. God has used the Book of Revelation to help us see things from His point of view. God told the apostle John in Revelation chapter 4 to "Come up here." When we allow God to lift us above circumstances and see things from His viewpoint, our circumstances can be used as seeds.
6. This path is based upon the principle of death and resurrection. Jesus, the perfect lamb sacrifice for your sins, suffered perfectly and completely for every evil in your life. Jesus took the ultimate evil that confronts you; therefore, by law, that evil must turn out to be a blessing (if you are on the overcoming path).
Resurrection always requires a death!
When the Bible talks about "death," it does not always refer to just the death of our body, as we commonly define the word. There are degrees of death; there are the sub-works of death. There is a death of the spirit and the soul. There are deaths of dreams, expectations, hopes, and deaths of our good health. There are deaths of relationships. We will call these "shades of death." It really does not matter whether or not you are responsible for your suffering. Sometimes we just are victims of living in an imperfect world.
Quite often people are born into a generational curse that comes down the family line from many generations, which makes them victims from the womb. You may not even know that you are a victim. You may feel that your afflictions are just the result of your own actions. It could be that your afflictions are the result of a spiritual curse passed down from your family. Maybe you are the victim of parents who did not show you love and perhaps have even rejected you. Perhaps you have tried hard at making life work, but everything just seems like you are "wrestling against a shadow."
Perhaps you are in a different category. Perhaps your overcoming has to do with your character, something from the old nature that still attempts to "hang on." Perhaps it is something like Paul experienced and described in Romans chapter 7, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I" (Romans 7:15).
You may have been born into some kind of shade of death. Perhaps you are living in a third world country where just existing is a difficult daily task. You may be facing starvation, unemployment, civil wars, filthy water, and homelessness. These are all shades of death and are all the result of thousands of years of Satan's work, and of man's work who is disconnected from his Creator. You did not choose where you would be born. You had no choice to be born the son of a queen or the son of a slave. But you do have a choice to do something positive with your circumstance, rather than to just sit and feel like a victim. I am not talking about positive thinking or some kind of self-improvement scheme. I am inviting you to tap into the power of the God who created the universe!
There is yet another way you may be experiencing afflictions. If you truly decide to live by faith in the Word of Jesus Christ, with no compromise, you will suffer persecutions and afflictions.
I challenge you with this question. Why should you be afraid to die, or experience some shade of death, if it is the first step to resurrection? "Resurrection," you might say, "I thought that was for Jesus and perhaps for me in the afterlife, after my body dies?" It is, but Jesus always taught that the Kingdom of God could be experienced here on Earth, in this life. So many people miss God's best because they refuse to embrace their afflictions as seeds. They insist on hanging on to their lower life. "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?'" (Luke 9:23-25).
Afflictions are seeds!
God set up several laws when He created the material universe, as we know it. A law is something that always works. He set up gravity, and it always works unless another law interferes. He set up the principle of seed, time, and harvest as stated in Genesis chapter 8:22, "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease." In the seed principle, He established that a seed must die in the ground before it produces much fruit. The fruit contains more seed, which, when planted also must die. So the process is, death first, life, or resurrection next. Jesus, referring to His crucifixion and resurrection said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:24). If we look at our shades of death as seeds, then we can rejoice as the farmer who just planted a crop of corn and is anticipating life, or fruit, from the death of his seeds.
Looking deeper into this law, we see how God pre-planned a super abundant gift for mankind. He knew that Satan would bring death in all its forms. He knew that Satan would convince Adam and Eve, and you and me, to become disconnected from our Creator. Satan convinced the first couple, and billions of others, that they could live independent of God, His Word and obedience to it. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
God, however, saw this in advance. He established the law of life from the dead and put it into operation before He ever created anything material. "…The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). God, in the form of His Son, had offered His very self as a blood covenant sacrificial offering in exchange for our sin, or to put it in simpler terms, for our independence from Him. He paid the price and absorbed each and every result of man's independence and/or sin. Romans 5:20 says, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). The literal meaning of the words "abounded" and "abound" are, "before sin even was, grace was present waiting for it." God has prepared a landing pad for each of our infirmities.
Each result of our separation from God is some form of death, some shade of death. It can be called a curse instead of a blessing. However God did not stop there. Thousands of years after Adam, Jesus was born of a woman with God's Word acting as the male sperm. God was actually crucified in the material world. But He did not stay dead! Three days later he rose from the dead. God resurrected Jesus His son, thus defeating death, and every shade of death, including yours. What looked like the greatest tragedy turned out to be the greatest blessing! If Satan had known the end result, he would not have convinced the people to crucify Jesus.
If you feel or think that your affliction is not a candidate for this process, if you feel that somehow your situation is beyond God's ability or even His desire to work out for you, think about the resurrection and the miracle of it. Jesus was beaten to a point of being unrecognizable, His body was torn apart on the Cross, He died, He was wrapped in hundreds of pounds of cloth and ointment, He actually suffered in Hell. He was dead and in Hell. It looked hopeless. However when God spoke to Him, "…You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again: 'I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son?" (Hebrews 1:5b), He was miraculously resurrected. Resurrected does not mean just brought back to life as was the case with Lazurus in John chapter 11. When Jesus was raised from the dead He was born all over again, a new species of being, a new creation the Bible calls it. Jesus died a man of our race, the race of Adam, and He was resurrected a new race, which you and I now partake of. So it is with our afflictions. We bury them as something corruptible, but they are resurrected into blessings and jewels for the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God.
God did not violate man's free will to rebel and not serve his creator, but He did provide a way to turn the disastrous results into a blessing! Jesus, as a perfect sinless man, suffered every kind of death and shade of death deserved by you and me, the most imperfect and rebellious men and women. If we accept this free gift, the divine exchange, then our "deaths" turn into resurrections of super-abundant proportions. Even our final death, the deaths of our bodies, propels us into the presence of God in Heaven, if we accept the exchange. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV).
Jesus took the very essence of your pain and suffering. He absorbed the cause and the result of it. Therefore, if you believe and cooperate with Him, He will transfer the benefits of His resurrection power to your present circumstances. He will deem your curse a seed. He will walk you through planting that seed, nurturing it, and with faith and patience hold your hand until that seed of death resurrects from the dead into a blessing that you cannot contain.
The seeds of afflictions will bear fruit.
The fruit will be luscious, and it will contain more seed for forming a new crop with which to bless others. "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness" (2 Corinthians 9:10).
This process I just described is called overcoming, also called "turning junk into jewels." That is the subject of this book. We will go into more detail to help you step on to and stay on the overcoming path and lifestyle.
So why are you cursing your seed of pain, your disadvantage, your lack of opportunity, your sickness, loss of relationship, etc? Rejoice! Sure it came from Satan, but Satan has just provided your seed for a blessing. "…which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8). Praising God for the victory and rejoicing while we are still in pain will give God more to work with.
Daniel.
One of the finest Scriptural examples I know of this kind of overcoming is contained in the Bible story of Daniel in the lion's den in Daniel chapter 6. Daniel was wholly following God and became persecuted by his enemies and God's enemies. Rather than being delivered from the lion's den, he overcame in the lion's den. The result was his enemies were totally defeated.
"At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: 'May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures for ever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.' So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian" (Daniel 6:24-28). I doubt that Daniel would have prospered, and that his enemies would have been defeated if he had not gone through the lion's den. Daniel turned his junk into jewels for God's Kingdom.
Overcoming is more than just making it.
I believe that overcoming is more than just making it through something difficult, although it includes that. I believe that overcoming is a vital process about which God wants His people educated. I believe a great deal of Scripture is about overcoming. I believe that only a Scriptural guided overcoming process can accomplish the work that is closest to God's heart. I believe that God wants His people to be intelligent about this process and not just achieve its benefits by accident.
I believe that God's main purpose for this book is to educate and encourage His people so that His purposes may be accomplished in Heaven and Earth. Secondly, I believe that God wishes to relieve much pain and suffering for the future generations, our children, and their children. I believe that God has rewards for overcomers both now and in eternity. I also believe that God may have drawn you to this book as a means of getting to know Him, perhaps for the very first time!
Overcoming accomplishes evangelism. It is a historic fact that the First Century church knew that for each martyr approximately 300 people were saved for Jesus. It is much the same today. When a person overcomes affliction he is a successful martyr for the Kingdom of God. A person does not need to be a martyr unto death, just a living sacrifice as Paul talked about in Romans chapter 12.
My wife and I believe that Jesus has been revealing to us the spiritual truth behind pain and suffering and it is our desire to share that with as many people as possible. Notice I said "truth." Truth is what will stand against all assaults. Truth will stand just as a scientific law will stand. I am not writing this in an arrogant attitude that only I have the truth, or that I have received some special revelation knowledge that no one else ever has. I am not saying that! My desire is to see others find the overcoming path that we have found and to walk it out in their lives.
I will attempt to write here only what is based upon Scripture. Even then, honest people will disagree. However, I will not write just about theory, but I will back up our personal experiences and encounters with God and circumstances with Scripture.
Perhaps you have never looked at Scripture the way you will read about it in this book. Perhaps it is because you have either not overcome as much as my wife and I have, or perhaps you have overcome much more than we have. Perhaps you have a much greater understanding about many things. However this I know. The same voice that spoke to me when I saw Jesus for the first time and was born from above on August 26th, 1979, is the same voice that has walked my wife and I through our overcoming. That is what I will write about here. I may not include all of the personal details of each situation and overcoming season, but I promise that everything that is written herein is based upon actual experience.
In 1979 I had a radical encounter with Jesus. Prior to that time my remedy for problems was to work hard, scrape, scramble, fight, manipulate and try as hard as I could to rise above them, and even to avoid them. What I could not conquer, I just buried deep down in my soul. I became a master of deceiving myself.
When God revealed Himself to me, I knew I had encountered the Living God. My son, who at that time was 18 years old, led me to believe in the Lord through a book by author Hal Lindsey titled, There is a New World Coming . It was an exposition of the book of Revelation showing it to be God's clock and prophetic picture of the end of human history. We read this book along with the Book of Revelation for four hours, after which I said, "Patrick, Jesus is alive, He is God, and this Bible is His Word!" I saw Jesus as the victorious one, I saw the Word of God as something I could depend upon, and I saw God as my father who would take over the rest of my life. The Holy Spirit came to dwell in me in a mighty radical way as I read, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7).
I will always be grateful to my son and Hal Lindsey. I studied Revelation and most commentaries and books about it for almost two years. I thought I knew exactly how things would end. What it ended up showing me is that the Word of God can be trusted no matter what circumstances would come into my life. The Bible prophecies fulfilled to their exact descriptions and in many cases to their exact dates proved to me that the Bible was the trusted Word of God. I would need this for the trials that were on their way. Then God turned my interest to character change, and I studied the Word from that point of view.
Since that time God has ordained many afflictions in my life. Notice, I did not say that God has afflicted me, but He has allowed me to go through many things that were either the result of my own former lifestyle, my former generational curses, and even attacks from Satan and demonic forces. God does not afflict us, He is the one who delivers us. However, as I will expand in this book, He is not surprised by these afflictions and He turns them into blessings.
Sometime around 1986 as my wife and I were going through some very difficult circumstances, the Lord began to open the Book of Revelation up to me again, but this time in a current day devotional basis. He began to show me the Book as a script for what was happening in my current life. As I saw that, deliverance would come for our circumstances and overwhelming trials. Some of the most miraculous healings and deliverances for my family have been based upon "end time" Scriptures such as, "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation (meaning my generational curse) will by no means pass away till all things (meaning the tribulation in my life) take place" (Luke 21:32). Some of the afflictions had to do with life and death issues, others were business and financial.
As we discuss Revelation in this way, I am in no way saying that is it is not about end time history, I am just saying that it is not limited to that. Just to set the record straight, I do believe that much of the coming end time history is stored up in many Old and New Testament books and the Book of Revelation.
Because of the marvelous outcome for these very severe trials I began to discover the pattern and path of overcoming as emphasized in the work of the Cross of Jesus and in the Book of Revelation. Many times since then, 20 years as of the writing of this book, my wife and I have experienced overcoming in many others areas of our lives, and it has always been on the same path. That is the path we will write about in this book. We invite you to take your junk, step onto God's path, grab His hand and watch the jewels appear!
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).
A devotion quoted from Streams in the Desert says it well.
"'I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel' (Isaiah 45:3).
Years ago, before the city of London had modern paved streets, the story is told of an incident in Ruskin's life. He was known during his lifetime for never having missed an opportunity to relate the goodness of his God. While walking down one of the streets of London with a friend, the friend turned and disgustingly commented to Ruskin, 'What dirty, dreadful loathsome stuff!' He was referring to the peculiarly unpleasant compound, the mud of London streets. 'Hold my friend,' said Ruskin. 'Not so dreadful after all. What are the elements of this revolting substance? First there is sand, but when its particles are crystallized according to the law of its nature, what is nicer than clean white sand? And when that which enters into it is arranged according to a still higher law, we have the matchless opal. What else have we in this mire? Clay. And the materials of clay, when the particles are arranged according to their higher laws, make the brilliant sapphire. What other ingredients enter into the London muck? Soot. And soot in its crystallized perfection forms the diamond. There is but one other, water. And water when distilled according to the higher law of its nature, forms the dewdrop resting in the exquisite perfection in the heart of the rose. So in the muddy, lost soul of man is hidden the image of his Creator, and God will do His best to find His opals, His sapphires, His diamonds and dewdrops.'" T.L Cuyler.
Help Wanted
Construction Workers
Limited number of positions open for the construction of New Jerusalem, a City designed by Jehovah God and being built by Jesus of Nazareth. Exceptional pay. The Master has a habit of paying for a full day in compensation for one hour of work. Fringe benefits include health insurance, retirement with full pay, protection in all forms of evil, need and want; free emotional and psychological counseling.
Job consists of using The Master's own tools and property to add several finishing sections to The City, called New Jerusalem.
Qualifications: Applicants must be willing to submit to being changed (during a probation period) from a foolish to a wise virgin in the context of Matthew chapter 25.
Warning-Disclosure: Many former applicants have been disappointed and quit during the probation period when they discovered that the Master's tools were their problems, perplexities, infirmities and handicaps which have been strained through The Master's Cross, washed and coated in His Blood disarmed and defused of all evil and their ability to harm, and converted to a highly valuable construction material known as jewels through an amazing but time proven process known as "overcoming." Many preferred to stay as foolish virgins and see these "tools" as enemies. When their Master returned at the end of the probation period, they did not even recognize Him.
After the conversion process from foolish to wise the few that made it discovered that they had been carrying around the most valuable raw material in the universe. When they plunged these problems into the Cross the very nature of these former problems had actually been changed from bitter to sweet, from enemy to friend, and their reward was beyond explanation. Some actually reported that they saw wolfs fellowshipping with lambs.
Interested parties should contact:
The Holy Spirit
larry chkoreff June 13, 1991
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"Junk to Jewels"
Introduction
# "Why are we sitting here until we die? This is what the four lepers said in 1 Kings chapter 7 when they felt that their life was hopeless. The resided in Samaria, which was not only besieged by the Syrians, but also the people were suffering starvation. They were boiling their own children for food.
"Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 'If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die'" (2 Kings 7:3,4)
The four walked out to the Syrian army's camp and found that the Lord had caused the Syrians to run for their lives based upon a "noise" that they had heard. The lepers had all they wanted to eat, and eventually called the people of Samaria out to share in the abundance of food left behind by the Syrian army.
You may be in oppressed circumstances. But you need to know that there is something you can do. First you need to know that the spiritual army that has besieged you is already defeated. Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross. Next you need to know that if you enter into the overcoming lifestyle that you will enter into the abundant life. As you walk and live this lifestyle, you will bring others into it just as the four lepers did.
The overcoming lifestyle is summarized in Revelation 12:11, which says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).
If you want to do something, read on!
"O you afflicted one, Tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones" (Isaiah 54:11,12).
Life has enough suffering to go around for everyone. If you are reading this book and are a believer in God through Jesus Christ, you are not exempt. You may be an atheist, an agnostic, or a strictly secular person. You may be an animist, worshipping ancestral spirits, or perhaps a practitioner of Voodoo, or one of the many New Age or Eastern religions. Perhaps you are a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a Hindu believer. None of us are exempt. Some of these belief systems have developed their own way to reconcile suffering.
Many of the ways we humans attempt to compensate for an imperfect life full of unmet expectations, broken marriages, failed business, unexpected tragedies and terminal diseases seem to work for a season. However, they are really just different degrees of bandages that cover a deep wound.
My wife and I have both faced horrible circumstances in life. In them we sought Jesus, the God of the Bible, through the Holy Spirit with intensity, total commitment and passion.
We noticed several things over the years.
1. The "junk" in our lives has always turned into "jewels." God show us that the eternal value in our overcoming process was far more valuable than our own personal victory.
2. With each trial we found ourselves becoming more intimate with the Living God.
3. God has given us eyes to look back and notice a path that became a familiar one. He has shown this path to us in the Scriptures as something that He calls "overcoming."
4. God considers our afflictions, sicknesses, poverty, etc. as a gateway to abundance, not as our final judgement, or our designated lot in life.
5. God has used the Book of Revelation to help us see things from His point of view. God told the apostle John in Revelation chapter 4 to "Come up here." When we allow God to lift us above circumstances and see things from His viewpoint, our circumstances can be used as seeds.
6. This path is based upon the principle of death and resurrection. Jesus, the perfect lamb sacrifice for your sins, suffered perfectly and completely for every evil in your life. Jesus took the ultimate evil that confronts you; therefore, by law, that evil must turn out to be a blessing (if you are on the overcoming path).
Resurrection always requires a death!
When the Bible talks about "death," it does not always refer to just the death of our body, as we commonly define the word. There are degrees of death; there are the sub-works of death. There is a death of the spirit and the soul. There are deaths of dreams, expectations, hopes, and deaths of our good health. There are deaths of relationships. We will call these "shades of death." It really does not matter whether or not you are responsible for your suffering. Sometimes we just are victims of living in an imperfect world.
Quite often people are born into a generational curse that comes down the family line from many generations, which makes them victims from the womb. You may not even know that you are a victim. You may feel that your afflictions are just the result of your own actions. It could be that your afflictions are the result of a spiritual curse passed down from your family. Maybe you are the victim of parents who did not show you love and perhaps have even rejected you. Perhaps you have tried hard at making life work, but everything just seems like you are "wrestling against a shadow."
Perhaps you are in a different category. Perhaps your overcoming has to do with your character, something from the old nature that still attempts to "hang on." Perhaps it is something like Paul experienced and described in Romans chapter 7, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I" (Romans 7:15).
You may have been born into some kind of shade of death. Perhaps you are living in a third world country where just existing is a difficult daily task. You may be facing starvation, unemployment, civil wars, filthy water, and homelessness. These are all shades of death and are all the result of thousands of years of Satan's work, and of man's work who is disconnected from his Creator. You did not choose where you would be born. You had no choice to be born the son of a queen or the son of a slave. But you do have a choice to do something positive with your circumstance, rather than to just sit and feel like a victim. I am not talking about positive thinking or some kind of self-improvement scheme. I am inviting you to tap into the power of the God who created the universe!
There is yet another way you may be experiencing afflictions. If you truly decide to live by faith in the Word of Jesus Christ, with no compromise, you will suffer persecutions and afflictions.
I challenge you with this question. Why should you be afraid to die, or experience some shade of death, if it is the first step to resurrection? "Resurrection," you might say, "I thought that was for Jesus and perhaps for me in the afterlife, after my body dies?" It is, but Jesus always taught that the Kingdom of God could be experienced here on Earth, in this life. So many people miss God's best because they refuse to embrace their afflictions as seeds. They insist on hanging on to their lower life. "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?'" (Luke 9:23-25).
Afflictions are seeds!
God set up several laws when He created the material universe, as we know it. A law is something that always works. He set up gravity, and it always works unless another law interferes. He set up the principle of seed, time, and harvest as stated in Genesis chapter 8:22, "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease." In the seed principle, He established that a seed must die in the ground before it produces much fruit. The fruit contains more seed, which, when planted also must die. So the process is, death first, life, or resurrection next. Jesus, referring to His crucifixion and resurrection said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:24). If we look at our shades of death as seeds, then we can rejoice as the farmer who just planted a crop of corn and is anticipating life, or fruit, from the death of his seeds.
Looking deeper into this law, we see how God pre-planned a super abundant gift for mankind. He knew that Satan would bring death in all its forms. He knew that Satan would convince Adam and Eve, and you and me, to become disconnected from our Creator. Satan convinced the first couple, and billions of others, that they could live independent of God, His Word and obedience to it. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
God, however, saw this in advance. He established the law of life from the dead and put it into operation before He ever created anything material. "…The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). God, in the form of His Son, had offered His very self as a blood covenant sacrificial offering in exchange for our sin, or to put it in simpler terms, for our independence from Him. He paid the price and absorbed each and every result of man's independence and/or sin. Romans 5:20 says, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). The literal meaning of the words "abounded" and "abound" are, "before sin even was, grace was present waiting for it." God has prepared a landing pad for each of our infirmities.
Each result of our separation from God is some form of death, some shade of death. It can be called a curse instead of a blessing. However God did not stop there. Thousands of years after Adam, Jesus was born of a woman with God's Word acting as the male sperm. God was actually crucified in the material world. But He did not stay dead! Three days later he rose from the dead. God resurrected Jesus His son, thus defeating death, and every shade of death, including yours. What looked like the greatest tragedy turned out to be the greatest blessing! If Satan had known the end result, he would not have convinced the people to crucify Jesus.
If you feel or think that your affliction is not a candidate for this process, if you feel that somehow your situation is beyond God's ability or even His desire to work out for you, think about the resurrection and the miracle of it. Jesus was beaten to a point of being unrecognizable, His body was torn apart on the Cross, He died, He was wrapped in hundreds of pounds of cloth and ointment, He actually suffered in Hell. He was dead and in Hell. It looked hopeless. However when God spoke to Him, "…You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again: 'I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son?" (Hebrews 1:5b), He was miraculously resurrected. Resurrected does not mean just brought back to life as was the case with Lazurus in John chapter 11. When Jesus was raised from the dead He was born all over again, a new species of being, a new creation the Bible calls it. Jesus died a man of our race, the race of Adam, and He was resurrected a new race, which you and I now partake of. So it is with our afflictions. We bury them as something corruptible, but they are resurrected into blessings and jewels for the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God.
God did not violate man's free will to rebel and not serve his creator, but He did provide a way to turn the disastrous results into a blessing! Jesus, as a perfect sinless man, suffered every kind of death and shade of death deserved by you and me, the most imperfect and rebellious men and women. If we accept this free gift, the divine exchange, then our "deaths" turn into resurrections of super-abundant proportions. Even our final death, the deaths of our bodies, propels us into the presence of God in Heaven, if we accept the exchange. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV).
Jesus took the very essence of your pain and suffering. He absorbed the cause and the result of it. Therefore, if you believe and cooperate with Him, He will transfer the benefits of His resurrection power to your present circumstances. He will deem your curse a seed. He will walk you through planting that seed, nurturing it, and with faith and patience hold your hand until that seed of death resurrects from the dead into a blessing that you cannot contain.
The seeds of afflictions will bear fruit.
The fruit will be luscious, and it will contain more seed for forming a new crop with which to bless others. "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness" (2 Corinthians 9:10).
This process I just described is called overcoming, also called "turning junk into jewels." That is the subject of this book. We will go into more detail to help you step on to and stay on the overcoming path and lifestyle.
So why are you cursing your seed of pain, your disadvantage, your lack of opportunity, your sickness, loss of relationship, etc? Rejoice! Sure it came from Satan, but Satan has just provided your seed for a blessing. "…which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8). Praising God for the victory and rejoicing while we are still in pain will give God more to work with.
Daniel.
One of the finest Scriptural examples I know of this kind of overcoming is contained in the Bible story of Daniel in the lion's den in Daniel chapter 6. Daniel was wholly following God and became persecuted by his enemies and God's enemies. Rather than being delivered from the lion's den, he overcame in the lion's den. The result was his enemies were totally defeated.
"At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: 'May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures for ever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.' So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian" (Daniel 6:24-28). I doubt that Daniel would have prospered, and that his enemies would have been defeated if he had not gone through the lion's den. Daniel turned his junk into jewels for God's Kingdom.
Overcoming is more than just making it.
I believe that overcoming is more than just making it through something difficult, although it includes that. I believe that overcoming is a vital process about which God wants His people educated. I believe a great deal of Scripture is about overcoming. I believe that only a Scriptural guided overcoming process can accomplish the work that is closest to God's heart. I believe that God wants His people to be intelligent about this process and not just achieve its benefits by accident.
I believe that God's main purpose for this book is to educate and encourage His people so that His purposes may be accomplished in Heaven and Earth. Secondly, I believe that God wishes to relieve much pain and suffering for the future generations, our children, and their children. I believe that God has rewards for overcomers both now and in eternity. I also believe that God may have drawn you to this book as a means of getting to know Him, perhaps for the very first time!
Overcoming accomplishes evangelism. It is a historic fact that the First Century church knew that for each martyr approximately 300 people were saved for Jesus. It is much the same today. When a person overcomes affliction he is a successful martyr for the Kingdom of God. A person does not need to be a martyr unto death, just a living sacrifice as Paul talked about in Romans chapter 12.
My wife and I believe that Jesus has been revealing to us the spiritual truth behind pain and suffering and it is our desire to share that with as many people as possible. Notice I said "truth." Truth is what will stand against all assaults. Truth will stand just as a scientific law will stand. I am not writing this in an arrogant attitude that only I have the truth, or that I have received some special revelation knowledge that no one else ever has. I am not saying that! My desire is to see others find the overcoming path that we have found and to walk it out in their lives.
I will attempt to write here only what is based upon Scripture. Even then, honest people will disagree. However, I will not write just about theory, but I will back up our personal experiences and encounters with God and circumstances with Scripture.
Perhaps you have never looked at Scripture the way you will read about it in this book. Perhaps it is because you have either not overcome as much as my wife and I have, or perhaps you have overcome much more than we have. Perhaps you have a much greater understanding about many things. However this I know. The same voice that spoke to me when I saw Jesus for the first time and was born from above on August 26th, 1979, is the same voice that has walked my wife and I through our overcoming. That is what I will write about here. I may not include all of the personal details of each situation and overcoming season, but I promise that everything that is written herein is based upon actual experience.
In 1979 I had a radical encounter with Jesus. Prior to that time my remedy for problems was to work hard, scrape, scramble, fight, manipulate and try as hard as I could to rise above them, and even to avoid them. What I could not conquer, I just buried deep down in my soul. I became a master of deceiving myself.
When God revealed Himself to me, I knew I had encountered the Living God. My son, who at that time was 18 years old, led me to believe in the Lord through a book by author Hal Lindsey titled, There is a New World Coming . It was an exposition of the book of Revelation showing it to be God's clock and prophetic picture of the end of human history. We read this book along with the Book of Revelation for four hours, after which I said, "Patrick, Jesus is alive, He is God, and this Bible is His Word!" I saw Jesus as the victorious one, I saw the Word of God as something I could depend upon, and I saw God as my father who would take over the rest of my life. The Holy Spirit came to dwell in me in a mighty radical way as I read, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7).
I will always be grateful to my son and Hal Lindsey. I studied Revelation and most commentaries and books about it for almost two years. I thought I knew exactly how things would end. What it ended up showing me is that the Word of God can be trusted no matter what circumstances would come into my life. The Bible prophecies fulfilled to their exact descriptions and in many cases to their exact dates proved to me that the Bible was the trusted Word of God. I would need this for the trials that were on their way. Then God turned my interest to character change, and I studied the Word from that point of view.
Since that time God has ordained many afflictions in my life. Notice, I did not say that God has afflicted me, but He has allowed me to go through many things that were either the result of my own former lifestyle, my former generational curses, and even attacks from Satan and demonic forces. God does not afflict us, He is the one who delivers us. However, as I will expand in this book, He is not surprised by these afflictions and He turns them into blessings.
Sometime around 1986 as my wife and I were going through some very difficult circumstances, the Lord began to open the Book of Revelation up to me again, but this time in a current day devotional basis. He began to show me the Book as a script for what was happening in my current life. As I saw that, deliverance would come for our circumstances and overwhelming trials. Some of the most miraculous healings and deliverances for my family have been based upon "end time" Scriptures such as, "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation (meaning my generational curse) will by no means pass away till all things (meaning the tribulation in my life) take place" (Luke 21:32). Some of the afflictions had to do with life and death issues, others were business and financial.
As we discuss Revelation in this way, I am in no way saying that is it is not about end time history, I am just saying that it is not limited to that. Just to set the record straight, I do believe that much of the coming end time history is stored up in many Old and New Testament books and the Book of Revelation.
Because of the marvelous outcome for these very severe trials I began to discover the pattern and path of overcoming as emphasized in the work of the Cross of Jesus and in the Book of Revelation. Many times since then, 20 years as of the writing of this book, my wife and I have experienced overcoming in many others areas of our lives, and it has always been on the same path. That is the path we will write about in this book. We invite you to take your junk, step onto God's path, grab His hand and watch the jewels appear!
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).
A devotion quoted from Streams in the Desert says it well.
"'I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel' (Isaiah 45:3).
Years ago, before the city of London had modern paved streets, the story is told of an incident in Ruskin's life. He was known during his lifetime for never having missed an opportunity to relate the goodness of his God. While walking down one of the streets of London with a friend, the friend turned and disgustingly commented to Ruskin, 'What dirty, dreadful loathsome stuff!' He was referring to the peculiarly unpleasant compound, the mud of London streets. 'Hold my friend,' said Ruskin. 'Not so dreadful after all. What are the elements of this revolting substance? First there is sand, but when its particles are crystallized according to the law of its nature, what is nicer than clean white sand? And when that which enters into it is arranged according to a still higher law, we have the matchless opal. What else have we in this mire? Clay. And the materials of clay, when the particles are arranged according to their higher laws, make the brilliant sapphire. What other ingredients enter into the London muck? Soot. And soot in its crystallized perfection forms the diamond. There is but one other, water. And water when distilled according to the higher law of its nature, forms the dewdrop resting in the exquisite perfection in the heart of the rose. So in the muddy, lost soul of man is hidden the image of his Creator, and God will do His best to find His opals, His sapphires, His diamonds and dewdrops.'" T.L Cuyler.
Help Wanted
Construction Workers
Limited number of positions open for the construction of New Jerusalem, a City designed by Jehovah God and being built by Jesus of Nazareth. Exceptional pay. The Master has a habit of paying for a full day in compensation for one hour of work. Fringe benefits include health insurance, retirement with full pay, protection in all forms of evil, need and want; free emotional and psychological counseling.
Job consists of using The Master's own tools and property to add several finishing sections to The City, called New Jerusalem.
Qualifications: Applicants must be willing to submit to being changed (during a probation period) from a foolish to a wise virgin in the context of Matthew chapter 25.
Warning-Disclosure: Many former applicants have been disappointed and quit during the probation period when they discovered that the Master's tools were their problems, perplexities, infirmities and handicaps which have been strained through The Master's Cross, washed and coated in His Blood disarmed and defused of all evil and their ability to harm, and converted to a highly valuable construction material known as jewels through an amazing but time proven process known as "overcoming." Many preferred to stay as foolish virgins and see these "tools" as enemies. When their Master returned at the end of the probation period, they did not even recognize Him.
After the conversion process from foolish to wise the few that made it discovered that they had been carrying around the most valuable raw material in the universe. When they plunged these problems into the Cross the very nature of these former problems had actually been changed from bitter to sweet, from enemy to friend, and their reward was beyond explanation. Some actually reported that they saw wolfs fellowshipping with lambs.
Interested parties should contact:
The Holy Spirit
larry chkoreff June 13, 1991
back to Overcomers page
Outline for Junk to Jewels Introduction
1 Life has shades of death; afflictions, sickness, 3rd world, social, financial, etc.
2. Afflictions are seeds.
a. Principle of a seed, Genesis 8.
b. Resurrection of seed, John 12:24.
c. Principle of New Creation, resurrection, now! He gave us that power to exercise in our lives.
d. Death first, life second.
#
3. Overcoming is more than just making it.
a. It turns your junk into eternal jewels for the Kingdom of God.
b. It arrests demons for eternity.
4. Overcoming is a lifestyle, not an emergency procedure.
It requires great discipline to continually study what the blood of Jesus did for you, who it made you and what the promises are for your situation. It requires great humility for character development, taking up your cross. It requires great perseverance for spiritual warfare pounding the Word of God at the enemy. It is a multi-vitamin to be used daily. Bible overcomers have always been a minority, probably because most people do not enjoy discipline, humility, and perseverance. Overcoming may be for the weak, but it is not for the lazy!
Larry Chkoreff October, 2001
#
back to Overcomers page
Outline for Junk to Jewels Introduction
1 Life has shades of death; afflictions, sickness, 3rd world, social, financial, etc.
2. Afflictions are seeds.
a. Principle of a seed, Genesis 8.
b. Resurrection of seed, John 12:24.
c. Principle of New Creation, resurrection, now! He gave us that power to exercise in our lives.
d. Death first, life second.
#
3. Overcoming is more than just making it.
a. It turns your junk into eternal jewels for the Kingdom of God.
b. It arrests demons for eternity.
4. Overcoming is a lifestyle, not an emergency procedure.
It requires great discipline to continually study what the blood of Jesus did for you, who it made you and what the promises are for your situation. It requires great humility for character development, taking up your cross. It requires great perseverance for spiritual warfare pounding the Word of God at the enemy. It is a multi-vitamin to be used daily. Bible overcomers have always been a minority, probably because most people do not enjoy discipline, humility, and perseverance. Overcoming may be for the weak, but it is not for the lazy!
Larry Chkoreff October, 2001
#
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 1
Dead people need life not the law.
Jesus' message to hurting people.
Have you ever felt condemned because someone else did not have any problems, and you were hurting? You know, they say, "Oh, God is really blessing me for my obedience and is really answering my prayers. I just got a raise, my kid just got a scholarship to a Christian University and they want to be a missionary, etc., etc. My wife just got healed instantly when the pastor prayed for her."
Then you look at your life and you think that God must not think very much of you. All you are experiencing is trouble, grief, sickness, lack, and you blame yourself. You sense your life is barren, that you have no purpose. You begin to justify your situation by thinking this is your ordained suffering, that God is punishing you for being the low down creature you are. You know you lack faith, but you hate hearing those people tell you that all you need is more faith. Sure you should be happy for that person who is being blessed, but it can make you feel like something is wrong with you.
You know you are going to Heaven when you die, but you are living in Hell before you get there. You try to study the Bible, but it seems distant and cold. All you can do is look up those Scriptures that justify your pitiful situation.
Perhaps you have attempted to believe God for blessings but it has not worked. Or perhaps you are a new believer and really don't know where to start.
God has a message for you!
He has a message that will encourage you where you are, has compassion for your present situation without condemnation, and at the same time pick you up and put you on the path to blessings, purpose and fruitfulness. The message consists of mercy for the present, for the future, vision, faith, hope, and love. It begins with God's initiatives to bring you into His presence from which all healing and victory will spring forth. It includes the promise of purpose for your life.
1. Hope and vision. "The woe and waste and tears of life belong to the interlude and not to the finale." F.B.Meyer.
2. Hope and mercy. Your problems carry in them the very raw materials God needs for your success. If you had your life together, you would not have the materials God needs to bless you, use you, and make you fruitful for His Kingdom. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).
3. Faith. "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live" (John 5:25). "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
The Lord will perform those things that you are unable to perform. He is your performer. He is your advocate. He is interested in you. Abraham needed to make no new beginnings of his own. God took the initiative with him. Abraham never thought of Canaan as his goal, he just followed and responded to the call of God to go somewhere, not knowing where. Abraham was not worthy, he simply heard God when he was as good as dead, and responded in obedience (Genesis 12).
4. Love. God's love is what draws you, and His awesome presence is what keeps you. "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4).
In the book of Hosea God compared His people to adulterers because they had turned from Him, their husband. Then He shows us the cause and effect of their restoration. First, God freely forgives them (Israel) and the result is that they turn to Him.
Read God's heart in this passage. "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror" (Hosea 11:8,9).
5. Purpose. There is purpose in your afflictions. We will see how your overcoming afflictions will defeat demons and will set other people free. Just by overcoming your afflictions you will be able to sweep other people into God's Kingdom.
We also see our generation curses eradicated and our junk turned into jewels for the Kingdom of God.
God must cleanse your conscience in order to give you His abiding presence.
Jesus always meets us where we are located. He never asks us to "measure up to Him," but rather He finds ways of "coming down to us." If we are in some sort of pit, or are in someway experiencing a "shadow of death," He wants to come to our pit. If you are really hurting, then Jesus wants to start out with you at "square one." He wants you to know that you are pardoned and forgiven. You may feel like you have failed the Lord, perhaps time and time again. This feeling probably makes you feel guilty and condemned. Hebrews 10:22 states that we cannot draw near to God with a guilty conscience. Satan knows that. He knows that drawing near to God will heal you. God knows that your only chance to make it is to draw near to Him with a clean conscience. "…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:22).
However, if you have failed and failed again, how can you draw near to God? You may be thinking, "God must really be tired of me by now. I just cannot measure up to Him. I keep failing Him."
You are in a vicious cycle! The more you sin and fail, the worse your conscience becomes, and the further away from God you become. The solution is to draw near to God, but you think that you just cannot. The more you feel condemned, the more you sin and continue to do things that are not pleasing to God.
Jesus' love and your experience of that love is the answer.
Jesus is waiting for you, not to condemn you, but happy to have you come to the Cross to give Him your sin. So many Christians run from God in shame and guilt when they discover sin.
God's remedy for sin is to come to the Cross, and then come to the Holy of Holies into His presence and let His character flood your character. His holiness will replace your sin. This is the only remedy. You cannot do it yourself. It is the displacement method. You cannot just empty out your sin, rather God floods you with His holiness and love and the sin must leave. Do not be discouraged if you have to do this time and time again. God is not the one who condemns, Satan is. God will take you back as many times as you come. When you stop coming is when He is grieved.
Walk out into the light of reality. Drop your self-deceit and face this sin for what it really is. Take sides with God against it. Purpose in your heart never to go back into that sin again.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"(I John. 1:9). Forgive means to remove. God will remove your sin like a surgeon removes a cancer, and He will put it on Jesus at the Cross.
"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalms 103:8-12).
Dead men need life not the law!
If you were to find a dead person on the street you would not tell him what he did wrong, or that he could get his life back together if he would just obey some laws you had on a sheet of paper. No. He does not need condemnation or laws he needs life! That is what Jesus does for us.
We must understand that Jesus starts out with a pardon and not with an order to "shape up." We must allow Jesus to forgive us so that we may draw near to Him. His presence is the only thing that can deliver us! He wants us to be close to Him, even if we feel unworthy. God has a path of victory for you, it is the overcoming path, but there is no way you can walk it out until you and God settle the issue of the conscience. You must have a clear conscience. God passionately desires you to have that, and only He can make that possible through His wonderful forgiveness and cleansing.
God does not want to be misrepresented.
While Israel was wandering in the desert and complaining about not having water, God did not respond with anger, but Moses did. "And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, 'Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?' Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them'" (Numbers 20:10-12).
God wanted to give them mercy, but Moses, as God's representative gave them anger, judgment, and condemnation. God was so displeased with being misrepresented that He forbade Moses to go into the Promise Land. That penalty is exemplary of how God feels about this subject.
So often when we are hurting, people around us who are supposed to be representing God treat us like Moses treated the Israelites.
The Apostle Paul discovered God's mercy and grace.
Paul discovered this attribute in Jesus' personality when he could not overcome his old nature, his flesh. "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do" (Romans 7:15).
We all need a good strong dose of the fear of God and we need to come to Him with the truth rather than with excuses. "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24). There was a custom during Paul's days in Rome where the penalty for a murderer would be to strap the dead corpse to his back until they would both be dead. Paul felt this way about himself, unable to escape the penalty of death.
Then Paul discovered the grace and mercy of God. "I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin" (Romans 7:25).
Amazing grace can be realized when we see our helpless condition and the wonderful love of God who set us free and gave us His holiness. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1,2).
The woman taken in adultery was given the power to change.
"When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more'" (John 8:10,11).
Notice that Jesus did not tell this woman that she had broken the Law; she knew that. She was unable to break out of her cycle of adultery. Once she was forgiven, she could draw near to God in the flesh, the love of God in the person of Jesus, and she obtained the power to "go and sin no more." But without the pardon, she would have remained in the endless cycle.
Make no mistake about it, however, Jesus does not just forgive us so that we may go our own way. Forgiveness is not something He put in the cafeteria line so that we could just pick and chose as we desire. Forgiveness cost Jesus His life. He died with your sin. He cannot just pardon your sin. He must take your sin on Himself and suffer the consequences of it. When He suffers your sin, attached to that package is that fact that He purchased you with His blood. You no longer belong to yourself, but to Him.
You have been purchased with the highest price that could be paid, the very life and blood of Jesus. "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20). If you wish to participate in the wonderful blessings of God, especially in the power of His resurrection that turns your junk into jewels, you must settle the ownership issue now. You are not expected to be perfect, but you should be perfectly submitted.
Here is a warning!
Overcoming is a lifestyle, not an emergency procedure. It requires great discipline to continually study what the blood of Jesus did for you, who you are in Christ, and what the promises are for your situation. Satan will go to great lengths to steal this message of grace from you. You must press in to the Word to keep it fresh in your heart and mind. It requires great humility for character development, taking up your cross. It requires great perseverance for spiritual warfare, pounding the Word of God at the enemy. It is a multi-vitamin to be used daily. Bible overcomers have always been a minority, probably because most people do not enjoy discipline, humility, and perseverance. Overcoming may be for the weak, but it is not for the lazy! You will learn more about this path in later chapters.
Jesus invites you to turn from your independence and sin with a reward attached to it. "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
Now is the time to be honest with God and give Him those areas of your life that are not under His Lordship. He will love you freely and you will once again sense His love.
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Chapter 2
Who is Jesus Now?
If we are going to cooperate with Jesus in our overcoming process, we must have an accurate view of who He is now and what He is doing. In the Gospels, we see who Jesus was when He walked on earth. He showed us the personality of God, His Father. Jesus showed us He was the Lamb of God who took your sin and mine, and who humbled Himself to suffer the criminal’s death on the cross you and I deserved.
The Apostle Paul had a revelation of what Jesus did for us, even though Paul never met Jesus in the flesh. We see those revelations in Paul’s epistles. Paul revealed to us the mysteries of the New Creation, of Christ in us, of our co-death and resurrection with Him, and of our position with Him, seated in heavenly places with Christ. In the Book of Revelation Jesus is looking for hurting people in order to turn them into overcomers and to complete His work accomplished at the Cross.
We are also going to explore the Book of Revelation during the course of this book to dig out some very important principles and perhaps even hidden messages therein. I believe that Revelation opens the curtain on the present activities of Jesus. I believe that as these chapters unfold you will begin to see that God left a trail in Revelation showing us the path we can walk on for the overcoming lifestyle. If you look carefully at this trail, you may see yourself on it in Revelation. Seeing yourself in God’s script of life can take away some of the fears associated with going through difficult times. Jesus wants you to know that you can trust Him through the difficulties. He wants you to know that He is working behind the scenes when things look impossible.
Jesus chose to reveal Himself in a very special way to John.
Notice in Revelation 1:1 it says, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." I believe that God gave us this view of Jesus because we cannot see Him as He really is in any other way. Many walked with Him, many saw Him die, some saw Him resurrected, but no one has really seen Him as He is right now. He is a Warrior, a Judge, the Lamb, Almighty God, He is on the Throne, no being can stand up to Him, He is the Victor, a "terrifying sight" to His enemies, and He is active on your behalf. He is the soon coming King! John needed to know all this.
The vision that John was given of Jesus, as we will see in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, shows what Jesus was active in doing right after His resurrection and His ascension back to Heaven. As we will see, He was busy completing the removal of our curses and those of the entire world.
I believe that Jesus showed this vision to John to comfort him by bringing him faith and hope, to make sense of his crazy circumstances and to do the same for the churches to which he wrote this letter almost 2,000 years ago. He wants to do the same for you and me in our lives today when we see all the crazy things going on around us. It is a handbook for obtaining victory in our lives.
John’s condition may be similar to yours. The world, for John, was turned upside down as it may be for you. Just imagine, he had been living with Jesus for at least three years, he saw Him perform mighty miracles, he saw Him crucified, he saw Him resurrected. Certainly, after the resurrection he thought, "Now there is victory." He saw the Holy Spirit fall on mankind and the start of the church. He established churches and he saw people getting saved. All of a sudden, all of the original disciples were gone and some were crucified; Peter upside down, some were beheaded, others done away with by other means. He saw the world going into a wild spin.
Some historians say that John himself was almost killed by being boiled in oil, but that he survived. Now at this time he was taken prisoner and banished forever to the Isle of Patmos (definition: my killing- a rugged and bare island in the Aegean Sea). His daily chore included working a rock quarry and hauling rock up and down hills on his back. He must have thought, "Has the world gone crazy? Did I really know Jesus? Was He really God in the flesh like I wrote about in my Gospel book? Is the church doomed? Is my life wasted?" Then all of a sudden, BAM! Something appeared to him that he had never seen before.
"I came to be in the Spirit in the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Also, What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands I saw One like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and tied around the breast with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like a flame of fire. And His feet were like burnished brass having been fired in a furnace. And His voice was like the sound of many waters. And He had seven stars in His right hand, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. And His face was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, ‘Do not fear, I am the First and the Last, and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death’" (Revelation 1:10-18). This is the Jesus that John saw, and is the way Satan sees Him, especially when we proclaim the Word against him.
Everyone needs to overcome.
In Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, Jesus is examining His church looking for overcomers, not only in history but right now. The seven churches in Asia mentioned in those chapters represent each type of condition that a believer can be in right now. Five of those churches, or types of believers, need to overcome lifestyle and attitude issues. Two of them need to overcome by resting in Jesus and trusting in the overcoming path. To each of the seven Jesus makes a wonderful promise to those who overcome. Notice Jesus spoke to seven churches, the perfect and complete number. I believe this means that we all have overcoming challenges, especially those that do not think that they do. "Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ --and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--" (Revelation 3:17). There is a spiritual picture of every believer embedded somewhere in Jesus’ message to these seven churches. You qualify! We will go into more detail about this in a later chapter.
Jesus is looking for overcomers.
Overcoming is the bottom line message to each of these seven churches. Jesus was showing each one of the churches back then, and each one of us right now, that there are certain things in our lives that we need to line up with God’s plan, so that we may become overcomers. We need to clean up our ways because before we overcome we will be in intense war. As soldiers, we need "clean rifles, shinny boots," and obedient spirits. The message in Revelation continues and shows us that things will get bad, then they will get worse, and then they will seem intolerable. It will look like evil is winning. We don’t know if we can hang on any longer, then suddenly, Jesus comes on the scene and delivers us. We overcome! The rewards of overcoming include a closer relationship with God, more of His character in our lives, more of His provisions for temporal needs, and spiritual authority to go rescue others who need to overcome.
We will be accessing the Book of Revelation quite a bit in future chapters because I feel that it has a path embedding in it for overcoming afflictions and curses in our lives and in our families lives. I believe that its companion book Daniel also has the same hidden message.
I would like to make one comment here about some of the ways we will be looking at the Book of Revelation. I believe that the Book of Revelation is the sum total of human history and not limited to end time history. I did not say it was not end time history. I just said it was not limited to that. I believe that God never intended for us to make date lines on exactly how this world will end and exactly how Jesus will return. I believe we can learn a lot in the Book of Revelation about those things, but I don’t think it is only about those things. Is it about end times, is it about your life, or is it about history? Is it about church history or world history? Yes! We will go into more detail about this in later chapters. When we explore Revelation we need to appreciate the fact that it is written in a language that is from a culture far different than most cultures in the world today, especially the Western culture.
Some references you may want to investigate regarding this line of thinking are:
E Quake, author Jack Hayford, Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville, 1999, and The Revelation of John, (tape series), Mark Rutland, Global Servants - Orange City, Fl.
I believe that when God inspired His Word He inserted much more than is on the surface. Take for example the fractal concept. A fractal is a geometric pattern that is repeated at ever-smaller scales to produce irregular shapes and surfaces. A good example of fractal is a fern. The branch of a fern when viewed is made up of a multitude of miniature fern branches, and when one of those miniature branches is viewed you will see that it is also made up of smaller miniature fern branches, and so on, until the capabilities of the naked eye are exhausted. I believe that the fractal concept is a good example of the multifaceted nature of Scripture, especially the Book of Revelation.
One more example to demonstrate what I mean is the mosaic concept. I viewed a picture once that from a distance was a picture of Jesus. As I drew closer it started to become obvious that this picture was made up of a series of little dots. As I drew even closer I observed that the dots were indeed photos of human faces. Was is a picture of Jesus? Was it a picture of millions of people? Yes!
I believe that Revelation represents your human history, or a script on how Jesus expects you to handle the difficult and "end time events" in your life. I also believe it represents all of human history, the history of the Church and some insights and prophesies about end times history. I believe it majors on eliminating the curse from your life and from this world. Jesus became a curse for you at the Cross, however in order to appropriate all of those benefits, we must go through overcoming. I believe that God gives us the opportunity to fast forward into Kingdom living right now. His time dimensions are not limited by our realm of time. I am not however proposing that applying Revelation to your life today in any way replaces the traditional way of looking at its end times prophecies.
So much of Scripture is like a multi-faceted jewel.
If you continue to examine Scripture just from one angle, its full beauty will escape your eye. I submit that the Book of Revelation is written so that we may see that past, present and future, depending upon how God wants to reveal it to us at a specific moment in time. It is prophetic interpretation, prophetic application, and prophetic revelation. (Reference from the Mark Rutland tapes series mentioned on the previous page.)
Does the Book of Revelation talk about financial disasters in future tribulation? Do those same prophecies refer to what is going on all over the world right now? Yes to both. Do those same prophecies refer to what is going on in your life right now? Perhaps they do. There are multiple disasters described in the Book of Revelation, some having to do with sickness, some with finances, some with persecution, and many others. Perhaps you can find your self in one or many of those right now. I believe that is a valid way to apply those Scriptures without violating the idea of applying those Scriptures to future cataclysmic events.
The word overcome is used eleven times in Revelation. The first seven times it is for the churches, and you and me. The next two times, Chapter 11:7 and 13:7, the bad guys overcome the good guys. The next time, Chapter 17:14, Jesus, The Lamb, overcomes the bad guys. The last time is in Chapter 21:7 when Jesus tells us, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7).
Overview.
Right now Jesus is alive and active as our great High Priest as shown in the Book of Revelation. We will cover bits and pieces of Revelation as this book progresses. Here is a broad overview.
First Jesus reveals to John (chapter 1) who He is. Then he lets John and you and me know who we are. In chapters 2-3 He is looking for overcomers. He is asking all kinds of believers to get serious with their relationship with Him so that they may overcome the horrific terror that is coming into their lives. In chapters 4-5 Jesus says "Come up here and see circumstances from my point of view." As we come up we see the Throne, the Lamb and the Scroll. The Scroll is the curse of the entire human race and for you and for me personally (Zechariah 5:3). Jesus unrolls the Scroll one seal at a time confirming the price paid for our bondage to sin and curses. We will go into more detail about the Scroll in the next chapter.
From chapter 6 on as the seals (and then the trumpets and bowls) are loosed, horrible things happen. They happen because Jesus is removing our curse and the curse of the world. We are told to hang on, take His seal and not to be conformed to the world. Before they take place we see how Jesus puts a seal on us so that we will not be harmed.
We see that even though horrible things may look like they are coming into our lives, in reality Jesus, the Lamb has absorbed their true evil, and we get the privilege of converting them into blessings. In chapters 17-19 we see the world system defeated and Jesus returning. While we are in the overcoming process, the world system diminishes in our personal lives and the Kingdom of God and its reality is magnified. In chapter 19 Jesus comes on His white horse. He will return to earth, but He will also return for your personal deliverance.
Moving into chapters 20-22 we see the picture of spiritual authority given to those who have stood the overcoming process, standing in the face of affliction and adversity. We are given the picture of demons being disengaged from the earthly tasks just because we went through the overcoming process. In the last chapters we see how that authority manifests itself in ministry and intimacy with God. We will see how our overcoming brings the Kingdom of God to earth. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).
This sounds like our receiving blessings are part of a process of removing our curses. Perhaps in a way we are under both a curse and a blessing and there is the tension of converting the curse to a blessing. We are under curses because of our own sin and the sin of our forefathers, all the way back to Adam. We are under a blessing because Jesus took our curse on Himself and gave us blessings. That was finished at the Cross, and we cannot add to that work. I submit however that we must choose, and in choosing we begin to walk through a process called overcoming. I have seen and heard of people coming out from the results of a curse in an instant, instant deliverance. That is great! I have also witnessed people, including myself, that have had to walk through the process that is prescribed in the Book of Revelation, with all of the bombs going off in my life.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" Deuteronomy 30:19). It is your choice.
Having said that about Revelation, we would do well to understand the seasons of human history and that we are indeed nearing some period of the end. Israel became a nation in 1948 after almost 2,000 years of being without a country. They experienced key wars in 1967 and 1973. At the present time, the entire world, with the exception of America (I hope we will maintain this) is against Israel, including the majority in the United Nations. I believe that God is going to do something very special with and in Israel, and that it is the world’s time clock.
I believe that the terrorism that started in Israel in September 2000 was also a key date. I have believed for many years that we are in some kind of "near the end of history" season. I began writing this book in February 2001. At the time of this writing it is now September 2001. On September 11th, airliners filled with passengers and hijacked by terrorists bombed and destroyed the New York World Trade Center. I believe that world history will never be the same again. I believe that this horrible event ticked off one more minute in the time clock of this world, as we know it before Jesus returns. I do not believe that we will enjoy world peace unless there is an interlude often spoken of in end time prophecy, an interlude of false peace.
Who is Jesus now?
"The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’" Revelation 4:8). One of the definitions of the word holy I have heard is that is means nothing lacking nothing missing. Jesus is at the Throne of God having achieved a perfect triumph over your enemies and His. He is perfectly empowered to transfer that triumph to you and to me through the overcoming process. He lacks nothing. He is not only the eternal God, the creator, but He is the judge who loves you, longing to judge you free from your generational curses, bondages and afflictions.
Who is Jesus now? He has the Scroll of world history and your history in His hand. As He unseals it inevitably bad things happen, both to the world and in your life. However it is all about turning your curse, and the curse of the world, the curse of the entire Adamic race into a New Creation. You are invited to participate.
Here are Jesus’ seven promises for the seven types of overcomers.
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death’" (Revelation 2:11).
"And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations-- ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ --as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:26-29).
"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5).
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name" (Revelation 3:12).
"To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21).
Larry Chkoreff October 2001
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Chapter 3
The Scroll of Revelation.
"And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll (the curse, our junk) written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals" (Revelation 5:1).
"The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones:…" (our jewels) (Revelation 21:19).
"And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him" (Revelation 22:3).
Notice Revelation chapter 5 begins with "junk" that is the Scroll upon which our curse is written, and ends with "jewels" when our curse is turned into a blessing. The events in between are exemplary of our overcoming process.
The points I want to emphasize in this chapter are:
1. The Scroll is your freedom, and Satan’s demise.
2. No matter how bad things look, you can trust God.
Our Lord and God chose to communicate to us in stories, parables, and pictures. The language of the Holy Spirit is like an alphabet consisting of a picture book. Even one of the most intellectual Christian authors of our day, C.S. Lewis, was used by God to speak to us in some of the strangest stories I can think of. He had a way of writing theology that a scholar could grasp, and with another stroke could write a story appealing to children that many scholars could not grasp, yet the theology of the "weird story" would be deeper than the intellectual work.
God communicates to me both ways, but primarily through the picture and story media. The Old Testament stories become personal to me. God puts me into the roles of the various characters in order to speak a message into my life. I believe that our Western mindset can sometimes erect a blockade that God has to tunnel through in order to reach us. God supernaturally and sovereignty saved me in August of 1979 reading the Book of Revelation and taking it literally, perhaps a little too literal. However God used it to show me several important things.
1. Jesus is God.
2. He "wrote" the Bible.
3. He is the victor over all evil.
4. Heaven and Hell were real, and Heaven was my destiny, thanks to Jesus.
5. God was a father who would care for me as His child.
6. Jesus is returning to this earth.
7. Jesus is worthy to be my Lord and I would follow Him the rest of my life.
8. The Holy Spirit manifested Himself in me.
Eight is the number for new beginnings, and God manifested Himself to me all three ways, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I am not sure how many people could come away with the same eight things reading the Book of Revelation. The result in my life was that I was filled with "Rivers of Living Water," I dropped all of my agenda to follow Him, and my life would never be the same. He has had abundant mercy on me and has delivered me from much. Sometime around 1986 the Lord began to construct new pictures for me from the Book of Revelation of a type and color which were very different from what I had ever heard before. He spoke to me very clear during that time and told me that He was giving me the ability to understand the Eastern mindset so that I could crawl into the mind of the writers of the Bible, especially John who wrote Revelation. This was not for some theological education but rather was to deliver my family from disasters.
I would like share with you many of the pictures that the Lord has given to me from the Book of Revelation. This is in no way intended to be an exposition of the Book, or some kind of different interpretation of it. I cannot give a chapter by chapter explanation of what each and every image means. My goal is to encourage you to open your mind to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to speak His language to you directly into your life.
What is Revelation all about? What is the Scroll all about?
I am going to attempt to go through part of the Book of Revelation having to do with the Scroll and its affects as Jesus opens it. I will describe in these next few paragraphs the way God has spoken to me. Not only has He spoken to me through this Book, but also He has delivered my family and me through this Book and related "end time" Scriptures. I admit that I have many "blank spaces," things that I cannot get my arms around and explain in a nice tidy and neat package.
The definition of Revelation according to Strongs Concordance is: "apokalupsis Apocalypse - be revealed, to lighten, manifestation, coming, appearing; laying bear, making naked, a disclosure of truth, instruction, concerning things before unknown, used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn from view are made visible to all, manifestation, appearance." It is not only a revelation or apocalypse of hidden events, but it is also an unveiling of an aspect of the character and work of Jesus Christ previously hidden.
I believe that the overriding theme of the Book of Revelation has to do with the curse that Adam and Eve’s rebellion brought to this planet. "Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life" (Genesis 3:17). It shows us how God finally deals with cleansing the earth and us individually of this curse. "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him" (Revelation 22:3).
The curse was brought on by rebellion towards God, and man’s choice to follow his/her own intellect instead of God’s Word and His presence. The curse included not only death and separation from God eternally, but also being separated from God while still living on this earth, thus suffering the Hell on Earth that so many people now experience.
Jesus came to earth as God incarnate for the primary purpose of becoming the sacrifice needed to free mankind from the curse. Jesus did that. He went to the Cross and became a curse for us. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13,14).
You might say, "Oh that’s great, I am redeemed from the curse, now I can live a happy life." Yes and no. While it is true that what Jesus did at the Cross and the subsequent resurrection was absolutely sufficient, it is not the end of the story. The story continues in Revelation. Adam was not God incarnate, and Adam was the one who sinned. He was the one who gave authority to Satan to rule this world, and to create a world system and culture.
I submit that God’s preference is to include mere man in the remedy final, one who is not God incarnate. I believe that God wants us to be instrumental in the final defeat of Satan and his kingdom, at least for those things in our individual lives. I am in no way suggesting that man has the power in himself to do that. Satan has much more power than mere man does. However when someone from the human race allows God to fill his/her life with the Holy Spirit, then that person becomes a co-laborer in the finished work of Jesus and actually extends it to a final conclusion, at least for his/her life. "to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 3:10).
God never intended for us to simply mentally believe in His all-sufficient work of defeating Satan and reversing the curse. He intends for us to cooperate with Him to be the final extinguisher of the entire remnant of the curse. How? By allowing God to overcome our own individual curse, the generational curse that has come down our family line. We extinguish Satan’s rule one person at a time. God gives us promises, but we must own those promises by going through the trial and testing of faith. We cannot truly own the promises of God without making them real in our lives through the trial of faith and testing. Do we trust what God has said about what He has done enough to believe it and base our lives upon it even if all circumstances scream against the promise? Going through that trial and testing to make the promise manifested in our lives is overcoming.
Abraham was an overcomer.
We are called to follow the faith of Abraham. He received the supernatural birth of Isaac after a long path of thinking the promise would not come to pass. Then suddenly, God told him to take Isaac up the hill and sacrifice him. Why? There may be many answers, but I submit that big one is that God wanted Abraham to cooperate with Him to remove his curse. Abraham was under the curse of being without child. That was the greatest curse of that day, it brought the greatest shame. Even after Isaac was born the curse was still due to Abraham, Satan still had license to keep Abraham childless. That would mean of course that Satan had license to take Isaac’s life. During that time some people would sacrifice their children to various gods. They still do in many cultures today. My wife and I have visited some of the cultures and know it to be true.
Here is a case of God giving the promise, fulfilling the promise, yet there still remained a work to be accomplished. The work would not be a one sided affair. God would perform the supernatural and impossible part, but Abraham would have to suffer and walk out the final removal of the curse. Abraham would have to go through the overcoming process. Abraham would have to live out Revelation 12:11, which says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).
One time when someone close to us overcame a potentially fatal physical infirmity, I asked God, "Why did you just not heal this person instantly?" He answered, "Abraham had to walk all the way up the hill. The lamb was at the top of the hill, not at the bottom, not half way up. If I had healed half way up, then that curse would have still been active in that family and in the earth. As it worked out, not only was the curse put away, but so were the demonic beings that were operating with that curse as the center of operation."
1. Abraham did not love his life to the death. Actually in those days, the life of one’s son was more precious than one’s own life. It would have been easier for Abraham to commit suicide than to kill Isaac. He obeyed God with his own life, his precious son. However he had previously partaken of a very sacred blood covenant with God, and he knew that God could not lie (Genesis 15).
2. Abraham gave the word of his testimony. He trusted in God so much that he said to his servants who were accompanying him to the hill of sacrifice, "And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you’" (Genesis 22:5). Now that is really faith talking! We need to have the militant faith that Abraham had. We need to believe and stand upon the Word of God no matter what the circumstances! "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God" (Romans 4:20).
3. Abraham received the blood of the Lamb. "And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son" (Genesis 22:12,13). Abraham received the blood of the Lamb, the substitutionary sacrifice.
Abraham had to face his curse head on as if it were going to destroy him before the Lamb of God showed up. He had to walk all the way up the hill. The Lamb was over the top of the hill, not at the bottom, not half way up, but all the way and then some. Abraham was an overcomer! God calls us to press on beyond hope. This principle is embedded in the Book of Daniel "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days" (Daniel 12:11,12). To receive the blessing we must press on past the top of the hill!
Abraham believed that God would turn his "junk" into "jewels." "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense" (Hebrews 11:17-19).
The overcoming process is based upon death and resurrection.
Actually I believe that we put the resurrection process into action as we enter the overcoming process. I believe that is why so many Christians do not partake in the process. It is very difficult to believe that whatever is dead in our lives due to the curse, or perhaps our own sin, can be resurrected by God into something so valuable as a jewel for His Kingdom!
Abraham received another sometimes overlooked blessing. By overcoming, not only did he receive Isaac free from the curse, but also he received spiritual authority to free future generations. Certain spiritual principalities, powers, and wickedness in high places, generals of Satan, were cast down from their thrones of authority. Through Abraham came the entire Jewish race, the Messiah Jesus, and finally yours and my salvation. His obedience to sacrifice his son paved the way for God’s son to be sacrificed. When we overcome our individual curses, we send high-ranking Satanic rulers into an early retirement. They have nothing more to hang onto on this earth, so they must retire into the Pit, or whatever it is called, some sort of permanent prison of fire.
Abraham’s path is the path of Revelation.
Abraham went through a time of learning who God is. He went through a time of learning who he was in God via the blood covenant relationship. He went through a time of failure. He went through a time of character development and discipline. He went through a time of seeing things from God’s perspective. He went through a time of great suffering, and finally he witnessed a supernatural overcoming, the removal of his curse by the power of resurrection, and the authority to help others remove their curse. I submit that what Abraham went through is what the Book of Revelation is all about, both for our own individual lives and for the entire planet and world system.
Outline of the Book of Revelation.
I am going to present this in outline form following Abraham’s path.
1. Learning who God is.
2. Learning who we are in Him.
3. Our failure.
4. Character development and discipline.
5. Seeing things from God’s perspective.
6. Great suffering.
7. Supernatural overcoming through patient endurance while standing on the Word of God.
8. The world culture becomes less significant and the Kingdom of God becomes more significant.
9. Authority for freeing others, sometimes referred to as fruit or spiritual capital.
Before God can trust us with the Scroll He must cover first things first.
Revelation chapter 1.
God first had to let Abraham know who he was in the blood covenant prior to Abraham’s extreme trial.
After Jesus shows us who He is in chapter 1, then He shows us who we are in that same chapter. It is easy to develop a negative mentality when afflictions strike. Being knocked down does not make you feel victorious and it may be difficult to remember who we are in Christ.
Jesus said to John and to you and me, "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen" (Revelation 1:5-7).
You were washed from your sins by the blood of Jesus, and He made you a spiritual king and priest One of the enemy’s primary tactics in overcoming you is to have you forget who you really are. You are a New Creation in Christ, you have been dead and have been reborn. You are out of the reach of Satan provided he does not deceive you. Christ the overcomer lives in you!
Revelation chapters 2-3. Character development, discipline, and repentance.
In the chapter titled "The Tabernacle Part 2 - The Bronze Altar" I write about how Jesus wants to prepare you and me and the Church in general for the coming warfare having to do with overcoming, personal, corporate, and historic. This is written in the form of letters to the seven churches of Asia during that period of time, but actually speaks to all of us who call ourselves believers in Jesus Christ. We need to clean up our act if we are going to overcome!
Revelation chapter 4. "Come up here."
In the chapter in titled "Laying a Foundation" I wrote about how Jesus opened a door in Heaven so that John in his sufferings could begin to see truth and reality in the spiritual world from God’s perspective. We can do the same. Walking through the Tabernacle, taking up our cross and staying in right relationship with Jesus will take us up into the heavenlies and we will see things from God’s throne and about God’s throne. We will also see an unveiling of who Jesus is now and what He is doing now. We will see the purpose of our afflictions and how to overcome.
Revelation chapter 5 - The Scroll.
"And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals" (Revelation 5:1). In the chapter titled "Justification- The Cosmic Courtroom in action" you will read about the Scroll that John saw Jesus holding in His hand. I submit that the scene of Jesus at the Throne of God taking the Scroll into His hand to unroll it shows what Jesus was doing right after His ascension into Heaven, and is still doing. He is the Judge!
At the throne, John saw the Lamb who was the only one worthy to take the Scroll, which Zechariah describes as the curse. "Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll. And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.’ Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: Every thief shall be expelled, according to this side of the scroll; and, Every perjurer [liar ] shall be expelled, according to that side of it. I will send out the curse, says the LORD of hosts; It shall enter the house of the thief And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house And consume it, with its timber and stones’" (Zechariah 5:1-4).
Notice when Zechariah asked the Lord, "What is the scroll" he was told that it was a curse and that there were two things that would be accomplished by it. It would expel the thief and perjurer, the liar. We know the thief and the liar to be none other than Satan, and all of his assistants.
Pastor Jack Hayford in his book E Quake wonderfully describes this scroll. (1)
"Some scrolls were used as books, but a distinct kind of scroll was sealed in the same way that this one was sealed. A scroll with those kinds of seals was probably a will. In Roman times - and Revelation was written in Roman times - when a person prepared his will, seven witnesses attested to the will, and each on sealed it. Wax was poured on the place where it was sealed, and they signed the place where they had sealed or attested to the will. When the person died and the will was to be executed, the seals could be broken only by each witness or legal representative of each witness, who was present for the unsealing of the scroll and its reading. This is one of those scrolls."
"God has ultimately ordained the recovery on this earth of what has been lost in the past, by reason of human failure or Satan’s furies. It is to begin now in the lives of people who enter into the will of God through Jesus Christ. He wants for people to come to know, as it were, the personal scrolls of their lives beginning to be unsealed, for the Savior to come and open up what they were intended to be and what God wanted them to know. They don’t have to wait until heaven someday to know much of the good God has for them. He wants to begin unfolding His will right now. That was what Jesus meant when He said He came to bring life more abundantly now. He wasn’t only pointing to a someday in the sweet by-and-by. There is meant to be present-moment manifestations of the rule of the Lamb of God as He overthrows the work of the thief, stealing from people; the Law of God overthrows the work of the liar who would like to perpetuate confusion in the human mind."
Pastor Hayford goes on to say, "Retaliation occurs when someone says, "I am going to get even." Retribution occurs when something has taken place and a consequence of that action follows - and nothing can change it. It is a natural by-product of a violation of essential order."
"The release of judgement is not from God’s throwing a tantrum in heaven and the vibrations rattling our cages on earth. It is the by-product of a self-invoked judgment. In other words, God is not in heaven passing out curses; rather He is say, "I want to see the back of the curse broken." Thus He sets about driving out the systems and the spirit that administer the curse - the world, the thief, and the liar. The scales of cosmic justice will be balanced, and the earth must reap that horrible harvest it has sown unto itself."
Another comment about the Scroll that I like is taken from "W.A. Criswell Expository Sermons on Revelation." (2) He points out that when a Jewish family was required to forfeit its land and possessions through some distress, the property could not be permanently taken from them. Their losses were listed in a scroll and sealed seven times, then the conditions necessary to purchase back the land and possessions were written on the outside of the scroll. When a qualified redeemer could be found to meet the requirements of reclamation, the one to whom the property had been forfeited was obligated to return the possessions to the original owner.
Opening the seven seals of Revelation.
As the Seals are opened and the Scroll unrolled judgement is released that will expel the liar thief. Unfortunately, it will also hit those who aligned with him. These Seals are opened together with the resulting judgements represented by the Trumpets and Bowls between chapters 6 and 16.
One of the overriding themes of Revelation is the horrible events that take place every time one of the seven Seals is broken open. Remember the Kingdom of God is taken by violence. "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12).
The Seals open a view of horror of human history. If someone had cracked the seals without the price to be paid for the curse, the disasters would have destroyed us, but with the price they produce jewels. When these things happen, we are to see them from God’s perspective, revelation, and apocalyptic view.
"For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:27). Explosions happen when a cold front hits a warm air mass. If you do not have cover, you will be hit by lighting. As the lighting comes from the east to the west, so will the Son of Man. It is Satan bringing it? Is it God bringing it? Yes! If they are both active, then which one do you think controls and will prevail? When storms occur, it is most likely the clap of thunder and lightning coming from the fringe of His robe as He is nearing the scene. His holiness is approaching the centuries of human degradation causes lightnings and storms. It cannot be helped. The storms ultimately take vengeance on His enemies.
The price for the removal of our curse has been paid legally, now it has to be worked out experientially. Each Seal is a step to the final removal of the curse. Seals represent everything that can go wrong in your life, the life of the world, past, and present and is a view of the intensity of those things coming in the future with greater rapidity and strength.
The explosions pierce the Lamb.
"Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4,5). Notice these six words, borne, carried, stricken, smitten, wounded, and bruised. These all carry the connotation of our "junk" going into Him.
As the Scroll unrolls the explosions take place (the catastrophes in the Book of Revelation). As our personal scroll is unrolled, we feel the shadow of our curses, the explosions, and they feel like the real thing. But the Lamb is holding the Scroll and the explosions hit Him. This takes faith because we feel the shock waves! If we take this view of the Scroll and the curse, then we have to conclude that the curse that Satan put on mankind and on this earth actually backfired on him. Satan’s curse is actually performing his destruction.
Notice that the Scroll has always been in the hand of God. He is in ultimate control. However God needed the Lamb, Jesus, in order to open the seals and execute the will.
"So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it" (Revelation 5:4). John wept.
The Scroll was in God’s hand, yet he wept. John must have realized that until the Scroll was unsealed, that Satan would continue to have his way with mankind and this earth. Unsealing the Scroll would unlock God’s purposes. But he thought, "Who is worthy?" The praise and worship in Revelation often uses the term "Thou art worthy!"
"But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals’" (Revelation 5:5).
"Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation’" (Revelation 5:7-9).
Remember that in spite of catastrophic events that take place in your lives while the curse is being overcome, that you are only feeling the shadow of the affliction. Jesus actually bore the affliction, the curse. When we shine the light into the shadow, we see the Lamb bleeding for our curse. If this were not true, the afflictions would destroy us. But since this is true, the afflictions only turn into jewels! Jesus was the only being who was worthy to take the Scroll. Why? He was the only perfect Lamb who could absorb your curse. If this were not true, you would be destroyed, as many that do not believe in Jesus are being destroyed.
Why all the suffering?
We are looking at suffering from two points of view, but they both accomplish God’s purpose. The purpose is to remove the curse and to give final judgment and defeat to Satan and his company. The two points of view are, first the suffering in these chapters represent many of the things we go through as God is removing our individual curses and unrolling our Scrolls, and second, they represent the removing of the overall and corporate curse in the earth. They are "end times" for both you and me and the world. This includes the Adamic nature and the generational curses for us individually and also the Adamic race for the entire earth.
Why does God allow or ordain suffering in order to accomplish His purpose? He unrolls the Scroll in order to complete the removal of our curses and the curse in the world. One might think, "Is there any other way God can accomplish this? Why does there need to be so much suffering, both for believers and unbelievers?" I do not feel qualified to give a concrete answer to these questions, but I have some ideas to offer.
God is swinging His menacing Arm against His enemies therefore everything they control is shaken. All who hang on to God’s enemies will also be shaken.
Hebrews 12:26-29 says, "whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire."
His Arm is swinging kind of automatically because His hand is unrolling the Scroll that is our judgment. It also becomes the judgment for demons and people who have taken on their dominion and who have put themselves under the control of the world culture. God is cleansing the earth of the curse, and that includes Satan, demons, devils, and the world culture operated by them.
"Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him" (Isaiah 40:10).
Notice His reward and His destruction both come on the same wave of violence.
When demons are cast out, they cause much tribulation. During this present age, from the Cross to the second coming of Jesus, Jesus is casting the entire corporate hoard of demons from the earth, therefore the earth must suffer much tribulation.
Jesus warned us Himself that before this generation passes away, that horrible terrors will come upon the earth. He said that no one would be exempt. I believe that He meant for this to apply to both the world in its birth pains in the removal of the curse and the birth of the New Jerusalem, but also for us individually, that our generational curse would not go away until "all things take place."
Take a look at His explanation of this in Luke chapter 21.
I feel that these words of Jesus had several applications including a personal one for you and me.
These events that Jesus spoke about compare to the Seals in Revelation.
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7 So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?"
9 "But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately."
10 Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 "And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
12 "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.
13 "But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.
14 "Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;
15 "for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. [He is inferring that we will need to say something; the word of our testimony].
16 "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
17 "And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
18 "But not a hair of your head shall be lost.
19 "By your patience possess your souls.
22 "For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
26 "men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
27 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
31 "So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.
33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35 "For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Notice that verses 28 and 31 speak of your redemption and of the Kingdom of God coming. Notice, verse 22 speaks of this period being the "the days of vengeance." Hang on to these two thoughts and they will come to life in the next chapter.
Verse 32 speaks of this "generation passing away after these horrors take place." What things must take place? All of the catastrophic events Jesus listed in this passage, most of them the being the same that are later described in Revelation.
Some may interpret the word generation to mean the group of people alive on the earth at a given time, I believe the more a accurate interpretation is members of a genealogy, a family of descendents, or the generation of Adam. In our individual lives it means the generational curses that are shadowing over our lives. I just cannot believe that Jesus meant that only one certain group of people living on this earth at one period of time will experience disasters. That has not proven to be true. I can agree however that there will come a time when disasters strike like never before. I can also personally testify that every generational curse my family and I have overcome was accompanied by "all these things" meaning catastrophic events. "But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13).
Having said all that, I want to balance it with another statement. We are not to passively accept all bad things that come into our lives as ordained suffering from the Lord. No, No! We are to be wise are serpents but harmless as doves. The answer is that in your own individual situation you need to be so close to God, you need to be hearing His voice so clearly that you may know what it is He wants you to resist, and what it is He expects you to endure. However, submitting to God precedes resisting the devil. 1 Peter 5:7-9 says, "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
Are you sealed?
I believe that the result of the first six seals are very bad. One of the overriding themes Jesus want us to glean from this Book is that no matter how bad things become, He is still in charge, He is still working out your perfect redemption and healing. Remember, it is not over until it is over! If you are in the midst of very bad afflictions, it is not over, you are still in the middle of the Book.
As the seals are opened they create and have created terrible suffering on this earth, and perhaps in your life. However, the intensity of the catastrophes is getting ready to increase as evidenced by the Trumpet and Bowl judgments, but just before they do, just before the seventh seal, God does something in order to protect His people.
"After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree" (Revelation 7:1). "saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed" (Revelation 7:3,4).
This crowd of 144,000 is described in another way in chapter 7. They are the overcomers who have stood afflictions in their lives. "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands" (Revelation 7:9).
"Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’" ( Revelation 7:13).
"And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’" (Revelation 7:14).
If you have stood during your affliction as an overcomer during your great tribulation, one of the promises is as follows.
"Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:15-17). This Scripture is a promise of intimacy, guidance, provision, fullness, and healing. I can testify that my afflictions have been worth it in this context.
It matters not how bad things get, at the end of the world or at the end of your world. Jesus is telling you, "Its not over until its over, and I have the last word. Make sure you do not take the seal of the Beast, his character, but make sure you take My seal, My character." I believe that the only safe place to be during the end times of this world, and during the end times in our individual lives, is on the overcoming path. I believe that this is the main theme of the last and final book of the Bible!
We need to climb into God’s ark like Noah did. "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:" (Luke 17:26).
If you are on the path of the overcoming lifestyle, you are sealed!
That path is not a formula for convincing God to work on your behalf. It is a yielding your will to His will, seeking His personal voice in your life and cooperating with Him to speak His Word through you to His enemies.
We start with the curse, we end with no more curse.
"So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life" (Genesis 3:14).
"Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life’" (Genesis 3:17).
"And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him." (Revelation 22:3).
The last few chapters of Revelation show the tremendous benefits of overcoming afflictions and curse through the overcoming process. We will cover Revelation chapters 19-22 in the last chapter of this book. Hang on!
(1) Hayford, Jack. E Quake. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999, pp 89,95,96,97.
(2) Lindsay, Hal. There's a New World Coming. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1973 - pp 74-75
Larry Chkoreff November 2001
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Chapter 4
Jesus' Mission Statement
When God is serious about something He normally becomes repetitive about it, revealing it in Scripture time and time again. Teachers know that children learn by showing them the same truth from five or six different points of view. The human mind was designed to learn this way.
The purpose of this chapter is to imprint a vision on your heart about overcoming. In Genesis chapter 30, when God desired for Jacob to prosper, He gave him a vision and a picture in his heart or his imagination of striped and spotted cattle. Jacob prospered when his herd of solid colored animals produced offspring with stripes and spots. In the same way God wants all of us to have overcoming imprinted on our hearts so that His will may be done through us, for us, and for Him.
God is serious about overcoming. He gives great attention to it and He repeats it in many ways throughout Scripture. Jesus embedded the message of overcoming in His mission statement. That should show us just how serious He is about it. In the previous chapter, we saw how He was intense about overcoming in the last and final book of Scripture, Revelation. Now we will see how overcoming was not merely His final statement, but also His first statement.
Jesus' mission statement infers a lot about overcoming. He is intense and passionate about overcoming. However, He shows us that the path may be difficult, very difficult, but that He will finally overcome and give the victory to our account so that we may be considered overcomers and receive the rewards thereof. There are great rewards!
The last chapter showed how the Scroll represented Satan's demise and your freedom, both at the same time. In this chapter you will see the same two things embedded in Jesus' mission statement. This has always been a principle used by God. Take for example when God brought His people out of Egypt as recorded in Exodus chapters 7 through 14. Ten plagues came upon the land of Egypt, but not one of them destroyed His people. Instead the plagues freed God's people.
Jesus' mission statement is in Isaiah 61 prophetically, and He confirmed it in Luke 4 at which time He began His public ministry. "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn" (Isaiah 61:1,2).
However, God did not promise immediate gratification and solving of all our problems with a quick fix. In fact, God's Word indicates just the opposite. A quick fix of our problems does not defeat curses and demons; only overcoming does. Overcoming takes us past the first work of God in our lives into maturity, brokenness, and victory, all of which include many benefits.
Watchman Nee in his devotional book A Table in the Wilderness, describes the principle of overcomers. "'And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan' (Joshua 3:17, KJV). We must have faith to see all God's people brought into their inheritance. That is his purpose, and it will be carried through. But as a means to realizing that purpose, God needs those willing to step right into death if need be, and to stand there steadfast until all are safely over. Because that little band of priests did so, holding firm with the ark in the place where death threatened, a whole nation passed dryshod clean through Jordon. Not one soul remained behind! Of course it was not they, but the ark of God, that opened the way into a land of promise. Never forget that. But note this too: it was they who took it there. By their act of faith in standing with the Lord amidst death, others passed into abundant life. Am I ready for this?"
His mission statement has two parts.
When Jesus began His earthly ministry. He proclaimed His mission statement as recorded in Luke 4:16-21. He was actually quoting only a portion of Isaiah 61. Several key points beginning in the middle of Isaiah 61:2 and continuing down to verse 11 were left out of His mission statement when He personally preached it in Luke chapter 4. The later part of His mission could not be fulfilled until He was raised from the dead and His church was in place.
Part 1: The Year of Jubilee, or "The acceptable day of the Lord."
In Leviticus chapter 25, the Lord described the year of the Sabbath when the Israelites were to allow their land to rest from production during the seventh year. The Lord promised enough provisions in the preceding six years to cover the seventh and eight years. They were neither to sow nor harvest during the seventh year, but they could store up the abundant harvest of the sixth year. Unfortunately, they did not always believe for this miracle and they paid a big price for it, actually being exiled to Babylon for 70 years to make up for the years they did not take the Sabbath.
Nevertheless, God made even a greater promise. He promised a giant Sabbath after seven Sabbaths for the fiftieth year. He called this year the Year of Jubilee, later referred to as the acceptable day of the Lord. During this year, not only were the people to rest, but all slaves and all mortgaged property were to be returned to the original owners. In Leviticus chapter 26, God warns of grave consequences for anyone who does not abide by these laws. Now Satan faces grave consequences because he persists in holding people as slaves illegally even after their price of redemption has been paid.
Jesus appeared on the scene and in Luke chapter 4 He flatly stated that His appearing was the fulfillment of the Year of Jubilee, not only for natural land but also for the slaves taken by Satan.
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'" (Luke 4:18-21).
Jesus has set you free. He has declared the Year of Jubilee over your life. His death and resurrection has paid the price to free you from slavery of every kind! This is your Sabbath, your day of rest. You may eat from the residual harvest as they did on the Sabbath year. However, Satan is determined to steal your freedom from you. He is contesting your inheritance.
Part 2: "And the day of vengeance of our God."
What Jesus left out when He spoke in Luke chapter 4 was, "And the day of vengeance of our God," and all the promises that follow. Why did He leave it out? Because He had not yet been to the Cross to defeat Satan. The beginning of vengeance was at the Cross, but now it is up to individuals to complete that process. The end of vengeance for demons is the Pit and the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). It also means removing the curse from your personal life that gave these demons license to operate in your life. Certainly vengeance will be complete when the Lord returns, but in the meantime we may contribute to the process.
Here is the dividing line that we can now cross over because Jesus completed the New Covenant sacrifice and has defeated Satan. He starts out by healing our broken heart, giving us liberty, and breaking us out of the prisons we find ourselves in. Reading on in Isaiah 61, there are more promises and more elements of His mission statement.
In the middle of verse 2 is the dividing line. With the coming of Jesus and prior to the Cross God sent the Year of Jubilee, the "acceptable year of the Lord." After the Cross and resurrection, the "day of vengeance" began. The Book of Revelation covers this period as we described in our last two chapters.
Overcoming allows God to perform Part 2, vengeance on His enemies through us.
Overcome in Greek is Nikao, which means "To subdue, to conquer, to prevail and get the victory. The means of success. To subdue the world system and all the adversaries of God's Kingdom." This indicates a war with spiritual beings. There is a time factor involved, and usually the pain of warfare.
Obviously the overcoming in our lives does not accomplish the total vengeance of God. We are part of Christ's body, and we, in a corporate way, all accomplish the total vengeance. We are responsible to overcome those curses, sins, and demons in our own realm of influence. When we do, there are more promises that follow in Isaiah 61.
Look at the breakdown of Isaiah 61 noticing the "day of vengeance" as the dividing line.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me…
1. To preach good tidings to the poor
2. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted.
3. To proclaim liberty to the captives.
4. And the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
5. To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."
This is where Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4 stopped short of the full prophecy in Isaiah.
This is the dividing line of the Cross and our overcoming.
6. "And the day of vengeance of our God;
7. To comfort all who mourn
8. To console those who mourn in Zion,
9. To give them beauty for ashes,
10. The oil of joy for mourning,
11. The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
12. That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
13. And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
14. They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.
15. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
16. But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God.
17. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast.
18. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
19. Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
20. Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
21. "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering;
22. I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
23. Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed."
24. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." (Isaiah 61:3-11).
Here is a summary of what we may possess through overcoming as expressed in Isaiah 61, after verse 2:
We are comforted; we have the ash heap of our lives turn into beauty; we live with the joy of the Lord; we have praise replace heaviness; we are established in righteousness; we glorify God by receiving all of this. We put away the curse coming down our family line. We have our material needs supplied and are able to lift our heads up out of confusion and shame. God will then use us in His service and we will become His ministers. We will be as a bride with her jewels. We will have spiritual authority. Our offspring will have a godly inheritance and serve the Lord (Isaiah 61:3-11 paraphrased).
Jesus was describing the end times to be a day of vengeance as well as a day of freedom, healing and wholeness for His people.
The Bible has a theme running through it that looks forward to the days of vengeance. The definition of vengeance is "Infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed; retribution." God created a beautiful earth and created a beautiful mankind. Satan has come and destroyed that, but God through Jesus has redeemed it. However, there is a "day of vengeance" in God's heart, not towards rebellious mankind, but towards Satan and his crowd. There is an appointed time for vengeance against Satan and his own, and I submit that it consists of eternal burning in Hell. God is not mad at mankind, not even sinful man. His full wrath was placed completely on Jesus on behalf of man, but His vengeance is reserved for the evil beings in the spiritual realm.
There are many Scriptures showing the theme of vengeance.
"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people" (Deuteronomy 32:43).
"O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs--O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!" (Psalms 94:1).
"For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion" (Isaiah 34:8).
"To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn" (Isaiah 61:2).
"For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come" (Isaiah 63:4).
"For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, A day of vengeance, That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood…" (Jeremiah 46:10).
"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).
"For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke 21:22).
A very important point here is vengeance belongs to God, not to man. Why? Because vengeance is divine, not human. Vengeance in the hands of man is corrupt; in the hands of God it is just.
Adam was created to rule and reign with God.
He fell, we followed. Now we are called to take the broken pieces of "junk" in our lives, overcome, change them into "jewels" through the Cross of Jesus, and rule and reign with Him again, now, in this life. It is coming full circle back to our original purpose, but this time we are going through the Cross and an eternal blood covenant, which changes our junk to jewels.
We must push through the overcoming process in order to rule and reign with Christ. In the act of overcoming, we will also take vengeance on our spiritual enemies. In this book we will show how God grants spiritual authority to those who overcome. Overcoming puts vengeance on the demons and other evil spiritual beings that have plagued our families and us perhaps for generations.
Please don't get this confused with our spiritual birthright authority over demons in this realm at the present time. As believers we do have certain authority of certain demonic beings, but there are those beings that we cannot deal with in any other way except by overcoming. Jesus cast out demons while He was on earth, but He defeated Satan by overcoming through the Cross, His death and resurrection. So it is with us. There are certain demonic forces that can only be brought down through overcoming, our "shades of death" and resurrections.
I want to make it clear that I am in no way suggesting in this book that we merely accept all afflictions without resisting the demonic and satanic forces that are perpetuating them. Nor am I suggesting that God is throwing afflictions at us. We need to resist all ungodly activities in our lives with the Word of God and at the same time understand that the affliction or curse, if properly handled, will turn into a blessing through the process of overcoming. Spiritual militancy is imperative!
Jesus wants His people to cooperate with Him for vengeance.
I submit that we partake in God's vengeance only at His beckoning, and not because we are mad or angry with someone or even at some demonic activity. That would be presumption, sin, and would inflict a great penalty on us. We partake in God's vengeance when we overcome. When we have been afflicted, and in effect been put in the grave and then are resurrected in our circumstances, we not only have overcome our own individual afflictions and those of our family, but we have allowed God to take vengeance on those demonic beings.
Remember, in the previous chapter we showed the overcoming process in Luke chapter 21. Luke 21:22 says, "For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." We also showed how the explosions resulting from the unrolling of the Scroll had a two-fold effect; they were our freedom and Satan's demise. I don't know exactly where demons go as we overcome and when they go there. I have a sense that they go into early retirement to the Pit. I do strongly feel that as we overcome, we participate in God's vengeance on evil demonic beings, as we discussed earlier referencing Isaiah 61. We will also go into this subject in more detail later as we discuss the Book of Revelation.
It is like this. Picture yourself going into a grave with demons all over you. Then suddenly you are resurrected, but the demons must stay in the grave because only you are privileged to partake of the power of resurrection. That is a picture of overcoming and vengeance.
God allowed Samson to participate in vengeance.
"Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, 'O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!'" (Judges 16:28).
This Scripture shows how His saints, you and me, can participate in His vengeance. "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword (The Word of God) in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples; To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment--This honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!" (Psalms 149:6-9).
It is through vengeance that you eradicate the curse and the demons that have caused alcoholism, cancer, tumors, family breakup, addictions, and rebellion in your family. Most likely you may add to this list
The price for your freedom has been paid and settled by Jesus. Our Jubilee is here, however Satan's forces are attempting to steal it. As I mentioned a few paragraphs earlier, Satan's forces are due the penalty God proclaimed for not obeying the law of Jubilee. Look them up in Leviticus 26:14-41. In this passage of Scripture, God is speaking to Israel to warn them of grave penalties if they do not cooperate with the Year of Jubilee, however this punishment also is exemplary for how God is dealing with Satan.
Let's examine just a few of the tremendous punishments due to Satan just because he has and is resisting our Jubilee.
Leviticus 26:16 calls for terror, verse 17 promises a defeat by one's enemies, verse 18 calls for punishment of seven times more for the sins, verse 21 promises plagues seven times. The seven plagues and seven punishments seem to line up with the seven seals in Revelation! Then in verse 25, God pronounces a sword that will execute vengeance of the covenant! Wow! Also in verse 25 there is the promise of pestilence and being delivered into the hand of the enemy, and in verse 26 there is a promise of hunger. It would be good for you to meditate on these Scriptures in Leviticus 26 knowing that this is what we put on Satan when we overcome. It is also a warning for us individually to be careful not to come against the Jubilee in another person's life.
God wants you to cooperate with Him to confirm your freedom and make it manifest in your life, while at the same time render the punishment due to the Thief.
Overcoming is not merely an event, it needs to become a lifestyle.
It is like military training. When a crisis hits, the soldier immediately defaults into his disciplined behavior without thought. Training and boot camp has renewed his mind of what to do in a crisis. A human being cannot think properly and soberly in a crisis, therefore you must have an automatic response built in. Spiritually that response must be the stance of overcoming. You must immediately find out what the blood of Jesus did for you, click into the disciplines of loving not your life (as described herein), and exercise the spiritual warfare which includes testifying and speaking the Word of God.
I believe that is why so many of God's people do not choose to overcome. It is a radical lifestyle, and it requires one to turn his/her back on the world culture and system.
Overcoming has three major components, three major lifestyle disciplines. Knowledge (the blood of the Lamb), discipline (love not their lives to the death), and standing on the Word of God (the word of their testimony). This is the overcoming process, and it takes time.
Here is a summary of what we will continually refer to as the "path" when we speak of overcoming. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).
1. The Blood of the Lamb. Knowledge of the blood covenant. The Cross from God's side. Grace-God's amazing finished work. This reveals our position in Christ based upon His work.
2. Love not your lives. Discipline to take up our cross daily. The blood covenant from our side includes our obedience and fellowship with Him. This will include walking through the Tabernacle into the very presence of God. As we are progressing, our old nature is decreasing and God's nature in us is increasing.
3. Word of your testimony. That is standing on the Word of God. We must put the Word of God in our hearts until it flows from our mouth, which will be the testimony against our spiritual enemies.
When knowledge and discipline His Cross and our cross combine; we have real time connection with God and His blood covenant goes to work on our behalf. When we add the word of our testimony, that is, testifying with the Word of God and what it says about His Cross and His blood, we become overcomers.
"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free'" (John 8:31,32). This verse says we are set free by knowledge and discipline just as the example in Revelation 12:11.
Believe and faith are both words that indicate knowing and doing. We need to know what God has done, we need to know what He expects us to do, and we need to testify to what the Word says about what He has done. When these are put together, the fullness of the Cross, the blood covenant, will radically affect our lives.
You may have noticed one of these icons at the beginning of each chapter. We will utilize these icons for the three ingredients of overcoming as a reminder of what is being emphasized in each particular chapter.
Here is the summary of the "overcoming path."
In order to stay on the path of overcoming, you must:
Study to know the finished work of the Cross on a continual basis, not just one time. Meditate on who you are in Christ because of His Cross. This is covered in chapters indicated by the icon…
You must daily take up your cross, which is the shedding of all things in your life that does not line up with the life that Jesus wants to live through you. This is covered in chapters indicated by the icon…
You must daily take in the Word of God to such a degree that it flows out of your mouth as a testimony against your spiritual enemies. This is covered in chapters indicated by the icon…
Here is the confession for you, an overcomer.
"I am an overcomer because the original and chief overcomer Jesus Christ lives in me. I recognize that His Cross has made me a new creation in Him and has given me victory over all my spiritual enemies. I daily take up my cross, forsake my old life, and allow Him to live His life in me and through me by His grace. I put the Word of God on my lips and say, 'And I overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death' (taken from Revelation 12:11)."
The Blood of the Lamb -His Cross
Love not my life to the death -My cross
The word of my testimony- Confessing the Word of God.
JLet me emphasize something here.
While we do need all three ingredients to overcome, the blood of the Lamb is the supreme and main issue. What Jesus did for you and for me at the Cross through the blood covenant ranks first and foremost. We cannot take up our cross, nor will the words of our testimony be of any value, if we do not truly see the value of Jesus, His love, His grace and what He did for us at the Cross!
Jesus, the creator of the universe, now invites you to join Him in creating New Jerusalem. "And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son'" (Revelation 21:6,7).
"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God" (Revelation 21:10).
"The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass" (Revelation 21:18-21).
Where do all these precious jewels come from?
Jewels come from ordinary, natural matter, which undergoes intense heat, pressure, and is buried in the earth over long periods of time. Jewels are a derivative of junk, your junk, and my junk!
Notice I said "intense heat, pressure, and buried in the earth over long periods of time." Overcoming is painful! Overcoming is not an instant fix! If you are signing up for overcoming with God, be prepared to hurt. Be prepared to doubt. Be prepared to have to press in to God with all of your might. Be prepared to stop manipulating others to obtain your needs. Be prepared to fast from the dictates of your flesh. Be prepared to fast from your strengths and your crafty ways. Be prepared to drop your agenda. Be prepared to simply worship God even if nothing changes!
Be prepared! If you are interested in joining God's team of overcomers, read on.
Nee, Watchman. A Table in the Wilderness. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, ____.
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 5
Overcoming brings rest
I wish to bring up an issue early in this book so that it may act as a foundation for everything else we write about. That is the issue of God's sovereignty verses man's freedom to choose and his responsibility for his own circumstances. Another way it has been stated is predestination verses man's choice. Or, is God is limited by our own choices?
Radical view 1. Many people emphasize that God is sovereign and therefore the grace of God is sufficient for us to rest in. They say that God is love, He is good, and you can just trust everything that comes into your life as being from Him. They feel you can just relax in His sovereignty and that man has very little to do with what happens in his own life and circumstances. While it contains much truth, this view totally leaves man's cooperation with God out of the issues of life. God invites us to partner with Him, and desires our choices and our co-labor with Him.
Radical view 2. Others have an opposing view. Many of them have gone to the other extreme. While they acknowledge God's sovereignty to a degree, they over emphasize man's responsibility for making choices. They emphasize spiritual warfare and coming against spiritual beings who are out to thwart God's will. They feel that man must stand against the wiles of the devil or he will miss God's purpose. Some even emphasize that their own will in prayer can change anything. They emphasize that if one does not have the exact kind of faith and pray in the exact way, that God's hands are tied. While this view contains many important truths, it overemphasizes man's effect and minimizes God's will, His sovereignty, and His power.
I submit that both of these can lead to disaster, and that God wants for us to enter into His rest, not a false rest, but a Scriptural rest.
Don't choose either radical viewpoint. Choose God's viewpoint.
I believe that God has given me a resting-place so that my mind does not go off the deep end in either direction. I would like to share that with you. I believe that this resting place is called "overcoming."
God's sovereignty should be our foundation for our walk with Him. However, I believe that the unbalanced trust in God's sovereignty can get off base if taken too far, and can eliminate our participation with Him in His work. So many times in Scripture He tells us to choose life or death, blessing or curse. Many times we are told to stand against the devil. We are told to hold on in faith that we will receive the promise. We are given examples in the Word of people who have believed beyond natural hope like Abraham. They have stayed their lives on the Word of God for a particular issue or event, and God has come through supernaturally.
Overcoming brings rest.
If there is anything that I wish to convey in this book it is what is expressed in Revelation Chapter 4. "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.'" (Revelation 4:1).
We need to "Come up here." We need to recognize that God has higher values than we do. Our effort should be to come so close to Him that He takes us up to His position to see things from His point of view. That is what He did for John while he was suffering on the Island of Patmos. He showed John the overcoming process. He changed John's understanding of the bad things that were happening.
"Come up here" would have made a good sub title for this book, because it is one of the greatest themes that I wish to impart to you in your afflictions. There is something unexplainable about being "up here." Your view of everything changes. God is after overcomers. The Book of Revelation majors on this point. God is passionate about His people becoming overcomers. Overcoming carries the greatest value with God. When you overcome you insert jewels into God's Kingdom and you receive all the fruit you need for life and godliness. You also can see over the mountains of your circumstances, across the valleys all the way to the green pastures of victory before you actually arrive. Then the trip will not be so harsh.
God does not receive glory when we argue whether or not someone had enough faith, and why so and so did not get healed, or why this person or that person is trusting too much in His sovereignty. If you live on the overcoming path, you can rest and leave the consequences to God, you are discharging your responsibility.
You can overcome in God's eyes even if your circumstances do not turn out like you have been hoping or like you have been praying. God is after overcomers because overcoming adds value to His Kingdom and to our lives.
Whether you live or die, whether you get healed or not, whether your family goes through divorce or reconciles, whether your bills get paid or you get evicted from your home, you are still a candidate for overcoming. The question is, will you go down the overcoming path and install jewels in God's Kingdom? At times when things became so bad in my life I would just tell God, "Oh Lord, the results of this thing no longer matters to me, what is important is that I please you." If you live the overcoming lifestyle of seeking what the blood of Jesus did for you and in you, taking up your cross and seeking His presence, and speaking the Word of God against the adversary, the enemy will end up defeated and you will have installed jewels into God's Kingdom.
I am not in any way suggesting that you compromise God's best for you. My advice is you should always believe His Word no matter how contrary the circumstances. Believe for healing, believe for breakthrough in prosperity with every fiber of your being. Ask Him to renew your mind and your thought patterns to conform to His. So often we can become stuck in our experiences and resulting thought patterns. We can find comfort zones in them and miss God's best. We need to continually grow. Growing in all areas of life, especially in our understanding of spiritual things is the law of life. Grow or die!
I remember one time when I knew in my heart that a business deal was going to work out (I needed it bad) but it did not. As was my usual manner, I was real with God and let Him know how disappointed I was. He spoke clearly and asked me, "How would you like it if I gave you everything, but only that, which you asked of Me in prayer?" I pondered and answered, "No way Lord, I have no idea what I need." Then He said, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think [or even pray for], according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:2).
The advice that I give to myself, and you may listen in if you wish is this. Step onto God's overcoming path because that is what is of value to Him. Stay connected with God. Be passionate about coming into His presence. Make hearing from Him especially in His Word a number one priority! Do whatever is necessary to hear Him speak! Then do not stay uptight about the results. We are not in control, God is.
Trust in God's sovereignty for those things in your life that you do not understand. Perhaps the level of faith in your life limits your action over adverse circumstance. That is okay. God takes you from glory to glory and deals with you where you are today. There are things that came up in my life 15 years ago that I would not handle the same way today. I did the best I knew how then. I am closer to God now, I have more experience in spiritual and life issues, and I would not make the same mistakes. But God was my God 15 years ago and He knew who I was 15 years ago, therefore His sovereignty prevailed at that time in spite of who I was then. My mistakes were not a surprise to Him, and He compensated for them. I don't think He would compensate for the same ones again however.
Gideon was an overcomer by cooperating with God. He did something.
Gideon in Judges chapter 6 cooperated with God's initiative and was an exemplary overcomer. The Israelites were in bad shape. Their enemies had them hiding in caves and were destroying their crops with camels. Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so that he would be hidden from his oppressors. He and he people were operating under a curse. They were truly in trouble. I am not sure what would have happened if he had just told God, "Well, if you want us to win, just do it." We also need to see that because the Israelites were greatly impoverished that they cried out to the Lord (Judges 6:6). Then the Lord sent a prophet and an angel. The Lord caused Gideon to develop a close and strong relationship with Him. Gideon heard the Lord speak. God revealed the blood covenant to Gideon (the blood of the Lamb). The Holy Spirit "clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him." Gideon obeyed God in many ways, including tearing down his father's idols (loved not his life to the death). God caused Gideon's will to become His will. Finally Gideon and his men spoke the word of their testimony against the enemy. "Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers--they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing--and they cried, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!'" (Judges 7:20).
Gideon's purpose in life was God's purpose. Christ was living His life through Gideon. "Roll your works upon the LORD, commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed. (Proverbs 16:3 amp).
There is a story in 2 Kings chapter 13 about Elisha and Israel's king Jehoash. As a type of spiritual warfare Elisha told him to shoot one arrow out the window at the Syrians, and then to take the remaining arrows and strike the ground. The king struck them three times and stopped. Elisha was angry at the king and told him that he should have struck them five or six times in order to completely destroy the enemy. As it was, the enemy did not attack at that time, however the Syrians continued to be formidable enemies of Israel, apparently due to the king's failure to do all that God had for him to do.
I also believe that trusting in man's choice and responsibility can get off base if taken too far. I have heard of preachers telling sick people that it is their sin that is keeping them sick. I have heard of a pastor and his congregation telling another pastor that his child died because of sin in his, the pastor's life. What a cruel way to love your brother! Even if there is ever tidbit of truth and there is a lifestyle issue causes pain, even then this type of confrontation is never God's solution. God draws us with his love, mercy, and grace! As it turned out, this pastor and his family overcame the temporary and painful loss, and as a result multitudes of people have been swept into the Kingdom of God.
In John chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. The disciples asked Jesus why he was blind. They wanted to know if it was due to his sin or his parent's sin. Jesus replied, "Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him" (John 9:3). I don't think that Jesus meant that neither of them had ever sinned, but that their sin really had nothing to do with the blindness. I feel that Jesus inferred that this was simply an opportunity to turn junk into jewels.
Job was an overcomer through God's sovereignty.
Look at Job. His so-called friends who accused him of suffering due to his own sin were greatly rebuked by God, and Job was justified. But also look at who caused Job's sufferings, it was not God it was Satan. Sure God allowed it, but God does not have any bad gifts to give to His children. If we say that God afflicted us, we are misjudging His character. In the big picture, and in the long run, God wants good for us and not bad. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Jesus took all of the curse and left us with the blessing. However, God did take advantage of what Satan did to Job. It was ordained, and it was not in God's plan for Job to avoid his suffering. It was what I call "an ordained suffering."
I believe that both Job and Gideon were classic overcomers. Just because Job lost his children to death, does not mean he was not an overcomer. He received double of everything that he lost except his children. He received more children, but not double. His original children were in Heaven, and in the long run, in the view of eternity, he had not lost his children. Job's greatest reward was what God was really after in Job and what He is after in all of us. That is stated in Job 42:5-6, which says, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5,6). God wanted more for Job than just temporal comforts and a perfect life here on earth. He wanted intimacy with jewels. "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).
Remember, you are a new creation in Christ, a new species of human being!
I believe that the solution for us is to lift up our eyes from circumstances and see the face of Jesus. Too often Christians stay down on a lower level debating these two positions, God's sovereignty verses man's responsibility. That will keep both sides in prison. It is like trying to keep an eagle in a chicken pen. God wants us to come up to a higher dimension where He resides. Believers were meant to be like eagles, soaring high above the mundane. My advice is to avoid walking in the chicken pen, but rather soar like an eagle. "Come up here."
The most important factor in rest is hearing from God.
Rest depends upon God's Word "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:9-12).
I believe that once God has spoken His rhema, His personal Word to you, that through the faith that results, God can use you to change impossible circumstances and perform miracles. In this case, you have become one with God and His Word. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7). God is partnering with you to accomplish His will. On the other hand, if you have not heard from God, your prayers, and so called faith may simply be presumption on your part. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Pressing in to fellowship with the Lord in His Word is vital! Remember Jesus told Peter to walk on the water. You had better hear Him speak that to you before you try it!
If we do what we are supposed to do, and let God be God, we may rest.
I submit that the overcoming lifestyle is what we are supposed to do. This lifestyle as outlined in the previous chapter can also be expressed another way.
1. Know who you are in Christ. This depends upon the Word. Concentrate on your identity in Him. This is what I call sitting as stated in Ephesians 2:6 which says, "and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6). Become established in the fact that you are sitting with Christ, in Him, in the heavenly places, now! Know that the blood of Jesus made you a new creation in Him. Ask, seek, and knock. Ask God to show you the promise Scripture for where you are in your life or in your struggle. Seek out the Scriptures and keep knocking until you find the ones God has for you. Don't give up be persistent.
2. Next, walk the walk. This depends upon the Word. Faith without works is dead. Now that you know who you are in Christ and what God has to say about your situation, live to please Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called" (Ephesians 4:1). This is like taking up your cross and not loving your life to the death. Follow the path of the Tabernacle as we describe in future chapters.
You might say, "I thought belonging to God meant happiness not taking up crosses." Belonging to God means that He loves you so much that He does not want you to drown in your carnality. He wants to give you joy while you are being conformed to His image. Taking up your cross brings you into God's presence and completes your side of the blood covenant.
3. And finally, stand on the Word of God with all of the faith that God has given to you while you have been in fellowship with Him. This depends upon the Word. "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). Resist fervently what you believe to be Satan's work in your life. Stand and trust the Word that God has given you while you have been fellowshipping with Him. Slam the spoken Word of God at Satan (representing all spiritual entities) until he compromises. Enter into the rest of God based upon His Word as described in Hebrews chapters 3-4, and then trust in God's sovereignty.
Sit, walk, and stand. That is the title of a book by Watchman Nee, and is the subject I expanded on in my book, "Grow or Die" (described in the front of this book).
Sit, walk, and stand is the overcoming path.
These three steps correspond with Revelation 12:11 that says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."
This is the path that will avoid unnecessary suffering and difficulty. However, be aware, that you are just human, and you have a long way to go. Some of your afflictions will be the result of generational curses that God wants you delivered from. Therefore, you cannot avoid everything and those things that you cannot avoid, God will take and sow them as "Junk," and in your life you will reap "Jewels" for the Kingdom of God. They will end up as "spiritual capital" in your account and you will be wealthy in God's Kingdom. Remember, the Kingdom of God has foundations of jewels. Take the opportunity in this life now to place eternal jewels into the Kingdom of God.
Avoiding difficulty and pain in this life is not what we should be living for. This life is transitory and if we focus too much on it, we will miss God. As we will amplify later in this book, overcoming is what truly accomplishes God's purposes for this life and for eternity. We cannot overcome without difficulty and affliction.
I am not proposing that "overcoming" is some sort of God ordained formula for instantly changing a life of poverty, sickness, rejection, loss and impending disasters into comfort and prosperity. I do believe in prosperity as God defines it. I do enjoy comforts and I can testify to God changing my life from despair to abundance. But I am not proposing this as some sort of God formula for instant change of circumstances.
If you are in the mindset that God is here to help you achieve your goal in life, however worthy it may be, you are reading the wrong book. I believe that God wants to give you an opportunity to partake with Him in achieving His goals. No matter what purpose you have in life, if it does not line up with God's purposes for you, you will be miserable.
I do believe that if you set off on the path of overcoming with a heart to please God rather than yourself, that you will accomplish something of eternal value that will utterly transcend your life here on earth. I believe that God will allow you to become significant in His eyes for a contribution to His eternal Kingdom.
I believe that as we march down the path of overcoming as God describes it, that what formerly seemed like a horrible lot in life will become pale and meaningless in the light of the Glory of God that you will experience. I have come to the point in all of my overcoming times of just not caring any more about the things that had been hurting me or that I have attempting to change and overcome. It seems like when I reach that contentment with God that is when circumstances change for the better.
We should take a lesson from the eagle.
Psalm 103:5, the Amplified version says, "Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your person age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]!" Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).
Eagles overcome storms by utilizing a God given feature in their nature. Eagles can see storms coming from miles away. When they do, they lock their wings into a special socket which forms their wings and their bodies into one solid structure. Their bodies and their wings become one. They then wait for the storm and cease from their labors. They do not run away or hide; neither do they attempt to fly above or away from the storm. They just wait. When the leading edge of the storm's winds arrive it lifts them up far above the coming storm. They soar thousands of feet above the earth looking down on the storm. The winds of the storm power them and they are at rest. The eagles wait for the voice that says, "Come up here."
We "wait" for the Lord as we live the overcoming lifestyle. Like a waiter in a restaurant we bring God what He wants. We feed upon the Word until hope arises. We cease from our own labors. We allow the winds of the storm to lift us up closer to God as we hear Him say, "Come up here." As we just read in Hebrews chapter 4 we can cease from our own labors and enter into His rest because the Word of God is alive and active on our behalf. The Word of God is Jesus. Jesus is the Word!
However Hebrews 4:11 states that we must be zealous and strive to enter into this rest. "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience" (Hebrews 4:11).
You will be changed.
There is something about our old nature, our Adamic nature that still tries to cling, perhaps even years after we meet Jesus. You can tell when you encounter a person who has endured afflictions and has overcome them. They are not bitter, they are sweet. They have compassion, they are interested in you and not themselves, and they "smell like Jesus." As you go through the overcoming process, the outer shell of your old life will be broken, and the beautiful treasure contained inside your vessel will leak out. The world is crying for this scent of Jesus! "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
What if you have a selfish attitude which tends to put yourself in the middle of the universe (like I had)? Don't worry. Start down the path of overcoming, and God will change you!
In Hanna Hurnard's book, "Hinds Feet in High Places," her companions Suffering and Sorrow had their names changed to Joy and Peace by the end of her trip to the High Places. What started out as unbearable companions turned out to be close friends, through the power of the Cross and the path of overcoming.
Stay in the overcoming lifestyle. Then trust the sovereignty of God and enter into His rest.
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 6
Blessed are the poor…
The law of unintended consequences.
Think about that term. What Satan intended for evil, God worked to accomplish His plan. If you feel disadvantaged, remember, those circumstances which were meant to destroy you can be used to bless you. With God, poverty in any form is simply the gateway to abundance. We need to renew our mind to think like God.
The world has a way of making us feel totally defeated and without hope when we are going through bad times. We are made to feel ashamed, guilty, and we even feel that we deserve what we are going through. Some experience broken dreams, financial and marital failures, sickness, disease, fear of the future, loss of family members, and the list goes on. We might say, "If I had just done things differently, I would not be in this mess right now." We get into a grieving and even self-pity process that puts us into deeper despair, and depression. We try all kinds of remedies, but they all are short lived. We pray but it seems like God does not hear. Or worse, perhaps He did hear but won't fix our lives right away because of some fault of our own. We feel like God wants to keep us poor forever, or that He had designed us for mediocrity. However God has a totally different view! He says that being "poor" is the door through which we enter His Kingdom, His blessings, and His remedies. His goal for us is abundant life.
God loves to fill empty vessels. In 2 Kings chapter 4 the prophet Elisha told the poor widow to go borrow as many empty vessels as she could. All the empty vessels were supernaturally filled with oil, and when she told her son to go find another vessel he told her that there were none left. God did not run out of oil, she simple ran out of emptiness. Bring God your emptiness, admit it, be honest with Him, show Him your hunger and thirst and watch Him be God!
I like the following devotion by author Watchman Nee. "'If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king' (Daniel 3:17). How does the Church reach her goal? Only by travelling the pathway from pressure to enlargement, from poverty to enrichment. You ask: What do we mean by enlargement through pressure? When three are shut into a furnace and the three become four, that is enlargement through pressure. Some find a furnace rather close quarters for three, so they seek a way of escape; others accept the limitation, and in accepting it, make room for a Fourth. Not to let difficulties shut us out from God, but to let them shut us in to him, that is enlargement through pressure. Some, through pressure, reach God's end; others come to an end in the pressure. Some die in straitness; others, through straitness, find fullness of life. Some murmur when trials befall, finding in them only restraint, limitation and death; others praise God for the trials, and in doing so discover the pathway to enlargement, liberation, and abundance of life."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). The definition of "poor" according to Strongs Concordance is: "1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms, 2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour, 2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches, 2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end, 2c) poor, needy, 3) lacking in anything, 3a) as respects their spirit, 3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture, which the schools afford. (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ's teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure)."
What if we are not poor?
I believe many Christians remain shallow and mistake their own strengths for God's blessings. Some people are very strong in will and intellect and have powerful emotions. The are often capable to defend against the trials in life that are meant to break down these very qualities of the old nature and the flesh. Their self-love and powerful souls are often capable to prevent the working of the Cross in their lives.
This idea is easily misunderstood. They would say that God is blessing them and that God does not bring trials and ordained sufferings. I would partially agree. God wants to bless us and He does not send things to hurt us. However I do believe in ordained trials and sufferings which are all meant to make us "poor in spirit" so that we may be candidates for God's true blessings. There are two kinds of prosperity. The first is based upon the world's system, which is graduation upwards. It utilizes the strength of the soul, the mind, will and emotions to survive and prosper. The second is based upon the Kingdom of God, which is based upon blessings coming from resurrection. However death is required prior to resurrection. When we receive a blessing from Kingdom principles it is eternal and cannot be compared with blessings from the world.
The following is quoted from Watchman Nee from his book The Release of the Spirit. "No life manifests more beauty than the one who is broken! Stubbornness and self will have given way to beauty in the one who has been broken by God. For example, consider Jacob in the Old Testament. We see how even in his mother's womb he struggled with his brother. He was subtle, tricky, and manipulative. But his life was full of sorrows and grief. As a youth, he fled from home. For twenty hears, he was cheated by Laban. The wife of his heart's love - Rachel - died prematurely. The son of his love - Joseph - was sold into slavery. Years later, another one of his dearly loved sons, Benjamin, was detained in Egypt. Repeatedly, he was dealt with by God, meeting misfortune after misfortune. He was stricken by God once, twice and thrice. Indeed, his whole history is said to be a history of being stricken by God. Finally, after many recurring dealings, the man Jacob was transformed. In his last few years, he was quite transparent. How dignified was his answer to Pharaoh! How beautiful was his end when he worshipped God leaning on his staff. How clear were his blessings to his descendants! After reading the last page of his history, we want to bow our heads and worship God. Here is one who is matured, who knows God so experientially. Several decades of dealings have resulted in the breaking of Jacob's outward man. In his old age, his life of brokenness is a picture of beauty.
Each one of us has much of the same "Jacob-nature" in us. Our only hope is that the Lord may blaze a way out of us, breaking our outward man - breaking it to such a degree that the inward man may come out and be seen. This is precious! The is the way for those who serve the Lord. Only by this process can we serve the Lord, and only by this procedure can we lead men to the Lord. All else is limited in its value. Doctrinal and theological knowledge does not have that much usefulness. What is the use of mere mental knowledge of the Bible if the outward man remains un broken? Only the person through whom God can come forth is useful."
Jacob's name was changed to Israel (God prevails) when his thigh was broken in an all night wrestling match with the angel. The thigh is the strongest part of the body, the flesh. Jacob walked with a limp the rest of his life, but he was a warrior for God! Let us value our broken thighs and our limps!
The Kingdom of God operates on different principles than the Kingdom of the world.
The world operates on increase and upward promotion for the strong. The Kingdom of God works on death first and resurrection next, our weakness making room for God's power. Without death there can be no resurrection! James 2:5 says "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"
Jesus' self imposed weakness and poverty is what defeated Satan and set us free. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." The victory over Satan was not accomplished by traditional war as some of Jesus' followers were expecting. The victory was accomplished by the greatest and most unjust suffering in history, the crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A quick fix of our problems does not defeat curses and demons; only overcoming does.
In Mark chapter 4 Jesus was speaking to His disciples about how the Kingdom of God works as a seed. He said that the seed was the Word of God planted in the human heart, and that it would bear fruit. Notice He said that this parable revealed the mystery of the Kingdom of God, not one of the mysteries. "And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables" (Mark 4:11).
There is nothing more powerful than a seed. It contains an image and a "computer" model for what is it supposed to produce. It knows how much water and elements of the soil to absorb. A small acorn produces a huge oak tree. But first that acorn must die. From pressure to enlargement!
Jesus' death on the Cross is what produced life for us. "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12:24).
The principle of a seed is that the hard outer cover must be broken or decomposed by being planted in the ground. The tribulation of decomposition is actually the prerequisite for life. Therefore we should not be surprised when we encounter difficulties in our lives. God is not bringing the difficulties, but He is using them in his seed process for our lives. When we are "poor," and when the world (or even some in the church) proposes that we are failures, we are actually standing in the front of the line for God's blessings!
Jesus gives great value to bruised people.
One of the prophecies about Jesus as written in Isaiah chapter 42 was, "A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth" (Isaiah 42:3). In those days a bruised reed referred to an object that had no value and should just be discarded. People would take reeds that grew near the water's edge, cut a piece of it, cut some holes in it, and thus they would have made a flute or a recorder on which they would play music. These instruments were very fragile and would bruise easily. Once they were damaged the owner would break it and discard it. It would be much easier to make a new one than to attempt to repair the bruised one.
The smoking flax was a wick from a lamp that was so worn out that it would no longer burn it would simply smoke. Therefore the owner would discard it and purchase or make a new one.
The prophecy says that Jesus would not do that. He would see a bruised person and see their value. He would see the prostitute, the tax collector, and see their potential. He would see the victims of divorce and failure, the financial failures, the moral failures, and instead of discarding them, He would heal them and fix them. He would see people who were burned out with trying to make their lives work and consider them the finest potential for His Kingdom. As a matter of fact, He felt that they had more potential for His Kingdom than the strong, proud and successful.
Reader, take hold of this concept! This is our God! He loves you as you are. If you have failed, if you have not been able to make life work, you have just the potential God wants. When you allow this to soak in, you will realize the love He has for you, and how valuable you are to Him. Knowing that God loves you just the way you are is the most powerful step in healing. A person will never really be spiritually and emotionally healed until the love of God towards them becomes their identity. If you are continually attempting to establish your identity by your work, your appearance, your ministry, your friends, or even by your spouse, you will most miserable. You need to know that Jesus the creator loves you in your poverty and sees great potential in you.
When we see the apostle John in Heaven we might expect him to identify himself in many different ways. He might say that he knew Jesus personally on earth, or that he wrote the Book of John, and the epistles of John, or that it was he who wrote the Book of Revelation. But I think he will simply tell us what he said many times in his writings, that he was simply one of His disciples whom Jesus loved. "Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23).
Jesus treats poor people different than the rule keepers do. In Matthew chapter 12 Jesus states in verse 20 that the prophecy of the bruised reed and smoking flax is fulfilled in the stories told in that chapter. The stories therein include breaking the traditional law of the Sabbath so that people could be helped. One story had to do with the disciples plucking heads of grain from a field because they were hungry. Another story was about healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. If you are a broken reed or a smoking flax, don't allow the rule keepers to condemn you, rather allow Jesus to heal you. Then go and find another bruised reed and another smoking flax and do the same for them. Jesus says that there are many beautiful tunes to be played on the reed and that the flax will burn again.
The rich young ruler.
It is a blessing to start off poor. Jesus never said that we would stay that way. If Jesus came to bring good news to the poor, then good news must be that they do not have to stay poor forever. However we need to start there in order to really be blessed. Blessings are a derivative of suffering, or being "poor." The Rich Young Ruler is a good example. "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God'" (Matthew 19:23,24). I can personally testify that each time I become "poor" in some area of life, that is when I experience the Kingdom of God for that area.
Jesus spoke this to his disciples after his encounter with the Rich Young Ruler. This man "had it made." He was rich, young, in strong authority like a governor or magistrate. He was also a very religious Jew who prided himself on keeping the laws. He was not suffering, however he did have a longing in his heart for more. The issue I want to bring to your attention is the contrast that Jesus made between the rich and the poor.
The disciples were confused by the encounter with the Rich Young Ruler as recorded in Matthew chapter 19. They thought he was the example to be followed. Jesus went on to explain the principle of the Kingdom of God to His disciples by telling them a parable story, recorded in Matthew chapter 20.
Let us take a peek into what Jesus was telling these disciples in this parable. He was comparing "rich" and "poor" people and their privileges.
Matthew 20 says,
1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'
7 They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'
Obviously the landowner hired the strong, young, and qualified workers first. Wouldn't you? Notice however, that the weak did not give up. They stayed in the marketplace waiting for someone to hire them. There must have been another group of people who were on the streets begging, or even laying in bed sleeping.
Perhaps these weak people had some sort of physical handicap. Perhaps they were just poor in circumstances. Maybe they were too old. Perhaps they had a negative attitude towards themselves and life. But one thing for sure, they were the "poor in spirit."
8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'
9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius."
The weak people who worked for only one hour received the same compensation as the strong ones who worked all day. They also received their compensation first. Remember that this parable is about the Kingdom of God. Therefore I submit that the wages, or the reward paid, is the functioning of the Kingdom of God in the practical daily lives of those who qualify. We don't have to wait to die to live in the Kingdom of God. We are only pilgrims on this earth, we are actually citizens of the Kingdom of God. Why not enjoy the benefits now?
We are candidates for God's power operating through His Kingdom when we reach the end of own resources. Kingdom living is Word living; it is living in real-time contact with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. My family and I are living testimonies of this truth! "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
Here is the point. Those who qualify as being weak or poor in the world's standards will live in the foretaste of the Kingdom of God now, on this earth, before they die! Hebrews 6:5 says, "and [they] have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come." Some people like the Rich Young Ruler may experience the Kingdom of God, but only after they die (I hope he did). The last will be first and the first last. By the way, this parable in no way endorses being lazy or asking for handouts. I believe these poor people had the discipline of staying in there, and hoping beyond hope!
Continuing in Matthew chapter 20,
11 "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,
12 "saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'
13 But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'
16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."
Jesus was talking about God's grace. God just wants to show us that He is good. He favors those who are down in circumstances. His solution was not to make them dependent upon something on this earth; His solution was to give them entrance into the Kingdom of God. The weak people in the parable in Matthew 20 were the desperate ones who needed to be rescued. The master came and he had them participate according to their own ability, which apparently was not very much. However he did not pay them according to their ability, he paid them according to his goodness and grace.
Look at this picture. The rich man in the picture became rich by his own power. Which position would you rather be in? The response of many people would surprise you!
Which position would you rather be in?
This picture describes the faithful overcomers. They must stand for a long time, they have little power, but they have an open door.
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: 'I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.'' Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown." (Revelation 3:7,8,11).
It is not a blessing to stay poor.
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). God wants His blessings to overtake you. Being poor is only a blessing to the extent that it is a starting point, but it is not the end. In Matthew chapter 6:25-34 Jesus was exhorting people not to strive and worry about temporal blessings such as what to eat and what to wear because that was not His design for His children. That is what the Gentiles do (Gentiles means those people who have no blood covenant with God). He said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (that Gentiles labor for) shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). As we pursue the overcoming lifestyle, we should expect God's blessings to overtake us from our backsides, that is to say as a surprise. They are not something that we are pursuing, they are something that are pursuing us as we seek Him.
The Cross of Jesus Christ can be appreciated by the poor.
The Cross of Jesus Christ and the resulting blood covenant is the way God answers the desperation of people. The knowledge of the Cross is hidden for those who are desperate enough, poor enough, to seek for it, receive it, and walk in the truth of it.
These next few chapters are going to focus on the Cross of Jesus Christ and the blood covenant that it represents. Why? The Cross and what happened there is the pivot point of all human history. What happened at the Cross is designed by God, the Creator, to answer every human need, of every culture, tribe, nation, race and people group.
The Cross and the blood covenant are the answer to every human cry of desperation. Nothing has been left out. It does not matter how bad your situation is. It does not matter if you are a victim, if you are the perpetrator, or if you made a mess of your own life. The Cross left nothing out.
Its remedy is absolute!
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Chapter 7
The Blood Covenant
Jesus’ solution to our poverty
Remember that in previous chapters we defined poverty as something much more than a lack of material goods. Poverty is being oppressed and/or lacking in any area of life. I knew a very successful millionaire that admitted to me that he was miserable. In effect he was saying that he was "poor." Poor in spirit is not having resources adequate to meet the demands made upon you.
God thoughts are so much higher than man's. Our thinking is so limited and is so anchored to how we understand things. God is so much greater, and most often He does things in ways that we would never predict. In John chapter 6 we see Jesus refusing to feed a multitude of people the second day in a row. Instead He is attempting to show them a permanent solution to their hunger.
God made man to function from the inside out. He intended that we should be supplied by the life that resides in us (Ephesians 3:20). Most people look for their help from the outside, even help from God. Matthew 6:28,29 says, "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Solomon was one of the wealthiest men that ever lived, yet Jesus said that the lily was clothed much greater then he. Why? Because a lily has a type of life inside of it that supplies its' needs and automatically creates its' beauty and purpose. Solomon needed to have his needs supplied from the outside.
Solomon was the king's son. He grew up in a royal palace. His life's experiences were always prosperity and success. So many of us are limited by our life's experiences. We look back at our life and cannot possibly imagine God doing something better with us. We see our continued sickness, financial lack, lack of purpose, marriage failures, rebellious children, etc., and we limit God with our own inability and failures.
What is God's solution to our "poverty mindset?" I believe that He wants to renew our mind with the Word of God, especially with stories and parables. Eventually our mind needs to see a positive image and an expectant hope for the future, but our past experiences along with Satan and his demons bombard our mind with negative thoughts. In this chapter we will see how Jesus endeavored to paint a positive picture on the minds of the "poor" people He was dealing with. He used the same strategy with the people he addressed in Matthew 6 mentioned above when He spoke about Solomon and lilies. He was painting mental images of spiritual truths. Jesus spoke some very intriguing words in order to capture their imagination.
Let's follow Jesus to see how he treated some "poor" people when they brought their needs to Him. We have the right to see Jesus treating us much in the same way today.
John chapter 6 tells of Jesus encountering a multitude of people near the Sea of Tiberias, the far side of the Sea of Galilee. Many were following Him because they had seen His miracles of healing the sick. It was nearing the time of Passover when all Jewish families would need to go to Jerusalem and observe this historic feast. Their forefathers, during the time of their escape from Egypt thousands of years earlier, followed God's order to kill a perfect lamb and put its blood over their doors and windows. By doing this they would be protected from all evil and harm. I believe that Jesus had this in mind while dealing with these people.
These people had followed Jesus looking for more miracles and they found themselves without any food. They were isolated from any hope of satisfying their hunger. Jesus took five barley loaves and two small fish and with them fed 5,000 people. Witnessing the miracle, the people assumed that Jesus was the prophet foretold by Moses in Deutoronomy 18:18. Actually Jesus was indeed that prophet, however the people thought that this prophet would be just like Moses. During Moses' time in history God fed the millions of his followers in the desert with manna which was supernatural bread that fell out of Heaven in the morning. This took place for forty years.
Eventually these people found Jesus on the other side of the lake the next day and asked for more miracle food. Jesus' response was no! He told them that they should stop toiling for physical food but rather strive for the food that produces eternal life. He went on to say that this work or striving that they needed to do was to believe. The words "believe" and "faith" have two actions. One is to hear, and the other to take action and obey what you have heard. The two key ingredients are knowledge and discipline. Hearing infers a direct personal contact with God.
Jesus is determined to give us a permanent solution to our poverty.
The homeless in downtown Atlanta receive blankets and food, but that does not relieve their poverty. Jesus has a heart to feed the poor and help the homeless, but He would much rather give them a permanent solution. He said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). God expresses His love to us through the Cross and the blood covenant.
Jesus knew that His Father had the riches of Heaven for these people. Jesus' task was to turn them to their true source. His compassion was in action. He was not at all being hard hearted. When you feel like Jesus is not responding to you to give you a quick fix, remember His desire is to give you riches beyond your wildest dreams! "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us"(Ephesians 3:20).
In John 6:31 the people reminded Jesus that God fed their forefathers with manna, free food. Jesus turned the conversation back to the real issue again and told them that He was the real bread. "And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). He expanded the conversation to something even more important; eternal life. The people scoffed at Jesus. However Jesus pressed the issue again and told them that He was the true and Living Bread. He gave them a hard saying. He told them that He was the real manna from Heaven and not what God gave the people in Moses' time. He told them that if they would feed on Him that they would never hunger and thirst again.
Jesus then told them what they needed was to eat His flesh and drink His blood. "Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:53). He was talking about a blood covenant with deity, with God Himself. Why would Jesus talk about a blood covenant when what they needed was food? Why a blood covenant? They were hungry. Jesus knows what we all need is not more temporal things, not even food, what we really need is a life exchange. Lilies and birds have life in them and that life gives them all that they need. His message was, if you have God's life inside of you all of your needs will be generated by that life.
Why did they, and why do we need a life exchange?
Our natural life is under a curse, and most likely, many curses. According to author Derek Prince, a curse in one's life is like "Wrestling with shadows." We continue to fail and hit dead ends no matter how hard we try to make life work. Curses have many causes and manifest in many different ways. We will cover this subject in detail in future chapters. Our old nature is subject to Satan's authority because of our forefather Adam.
It all began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
When they trusted in their own resources and turned from living on the Word of God, they put themselves under a curse. God did not curse them, but He announced to them what they had done. The Holy Spirit departed and the life of God not longer abided in Adam.
"So the LORD God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.'" "To the woman He said: 'I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.'" "Then to Adam He said, 'Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life'" (Genesis 3:14, 16, 17). Remember, lilies don't toil for food because they have life in them.
The next step God took was to employ the remedy for the curse.
The wages of sin is death. There is no way around it. God cannot, and certainly we cannot clean up our old cursed lives. We are destined to die, that is the only way to rid ourselves of the curse. That is God's justice system. However, God loves us so much that He Himself took the curse for us. He traded his blessed life for our cursed life.
Blood was shed. "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). God shed the blood of an innocent victim as a substitute for Adam and Eve's eternal punishment. From the beginning of time, the blood covenant, the blood sacrifice, the placing of God's wrath on an innocent victim has been the remedy for the curse.
Obviously the killing of this animal in the Garden of Eden was the foreshadow of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary thousands of years later. If you follow the Old Testament you will find the path of blood all the way to Jesus at the Cross. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')" (Galatians 3:13).
The curse was first recorded in the first book of the Bible.
The curse is recorded as finally dealt with in the last book of the Bible. "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him" (Revelation 22:3).
We will cover the path that one must take to reverse the curse in later chapters. Some experience a marvelous immediate deliverance upon discovering the problem and positioning themselves with God properly. Others go through the process of "overcoming." In my opinion, overcoming not only removes the curse for our lives, but also for our future generations. Overcoming can take time, and it can involve suffering. I submit that when the overcoming is finalized, that it not only removes the curse, but it puts the demons who have been propagating it into an early retirement to the Pit (Matthew 8:29). It is, as Jesus said, "the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:2).
God set up the Universe so that life is in the blood.
In order to exchange lives blood must be exchanged. "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life" (Leviticus 17:11). Blood covenants exchange the very life of the parties involved. We did not need our old Adamic nature cleaned up and improved, we needed it replaced! Only a blood covenant can accomplish that.
People for ages have endeavored to change their spiritual life by exchanging physical blood. Tribes in Africa, in American Indian culture, and other Asian type societies have always looked for ways to swap or trade blessings and curses with other people. Since ancient times, people have drank blood which was offered to their god, so that they could be like God. Many cultures still make blood covenants. However, this does not really work because they are just dealing with the physical life. They may be committed to each other, but nothing inside them has really changed; their spirit is still the same. Hebrews 9:13-14 says, "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" There are many counterfeits used by primitive cultures and occults.
Jesus and you "drank each other's blood" and exchanged races. He did the "drinking of your blood" or He took into Himself your very life, in the Garden of Gethsemene when He took your sin, the sin of the world, and all the after affects of it, onto Himself. He poured out His blood voluntarily at Golgotha on the Cross.
In a blood covenant with God, Jesus got your race and you got His. That is why His virgin birth took place. Jesus inherited God's blood from his father when the angel spoke the Word to Mary and He was conceived. Jesus' Father is God Himself. He received God's blood just like Adam did. Jesus is the last Adam. Jesus took your entire sin nature, not just your sin, and died with it. He gave you His righteous nature, and you were born again into a new creation. He did not clean up your old life; He gave you a brand new life, one related to Deity. The only destiny and penalty for your old nature is death. You died with Christ. You are no longer guilty of sin; you have the sinless one living inside of you! All of that is the result of a blood covenant, an exchanged life.
The Cross took place 2,000 years ago. How can that affect me? Hebrews 9:14 says, "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" The word "eternal" does not mean a long period of time, it means a realm which transcends time. We can partake of all of the benefits of the Cross at any time in history just the same as if it were taking place right now in our lives. Before the Foundation of the World, God prearranged to have Jesus crucified according to the eternal Spirit, which means that the substitution principle was in effect before any man was created (Revelation 13:8).
The people He was speaking to in John chapter 6 could not comprehend.
"The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, 'How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?'" (John 6:52). Actually they knew what Jesus was talking about. They knew He was talking about a blood covenant, but they could not comprehend how that would be possible, and what that had to do with being hungry. "Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, 'This is a hard saying; who can understand it?'" (John 6:60). Perhaps it is because human nature does not want to admit it is sinful and therefore only good for the grave. Humans are always looking for ways to make themselves better. Conversely many people are like the ones in this story believe in God but they want to be on His welfare role without allowing Him to change them from the inside out.
Unfortunately not many people have the knowledge of the blood covenant. Religion does not even touch on the truth of this good news, this Gospel. God not only wants us to have the knowledge of the blood covenant, His goal is for us to trust only in it. Ask yourself, "Do I trust only in the blood of Jesus, or do I add my performance to it?" In John 6:29 Jesus made this clear when He said, "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (John 6:29). What are we to believe? The facts. The blood covenant is a done deal! We just need to step in to it and take up our cross.
Jesus pressed them even further! "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?" (John 6:62). In other words, what if you cannot even catch me to eat my flesh and drink my blood?
Right when Jesus had their attention with this highly unusual conversation, He gave them (and us) the bottom line! Jesus carries on conversations in some of the most unusual ways, even sometimes with a great sense of humor. "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). You "drink" His blood when you partake of and receive The Word of the Covenant. Fortunately, our new birth does not require you to physically drink blood (the Bible forbids that). The Word of God is the transfer agent for the blood covenant. Words are the only connection between the visible and the invisible spiritual realm.
There were two reactions from His disciples and the people. "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?' But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'" (John 6:66-69).
Words make covenants. Jesus is the Word of God.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God" (John 1:1,2). "But He answered and said, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live (have their very life sustained) by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God''" (Matthew 4:4). This is why it is so important to invest large amounts of time and energy in the Word. The more Word, the more of God's blood covenant, the more of God's life, the more victory in your life. Listen to the Word in your vehicle, read it in the Bible, study books about it, listen to it on television, or where ever you can find it. Marinate yourself in the Word!
The most amazing thing about this blood covenant is that it is so one sided. Often two tribes would make covenant, for instance, one being stronger in warfare and the other in agriculture. That way both would have some mutual benefit. However in our case, we were slaves and Jesus was King of the Universe. What a lopsided deal that was. He had to become a slave so that we could become kings! Not only did He have to become a slave with our slave nature, but also He had to purchase us from slavery. Now we need to keep in mind that we have indeed been purchased and we no longer belong to Satan, neither to we belong to ourselves, but God owns us.
What can we give Him as our side of the covenant?
First and foremost we can give Him our time and intimacy. Second, we will be called to take up our cross, a subject to be discussed in future chapters. Also, we can give Him access to the earth. We are the only legal means He has to do anything here. And finally, we can allow Him to use us for His "vengeance" as stated in Isaiah 61:2.
We will study the Cross of Jesus Christ and the blood covenant that resulted from it in later chapters. If you truly open your ears to hear this the real Gospel, you will begin to understand the depths of the work of the Cross, your life will never be the same again. Your normal reaction to the love of God and His awesome provisions at the Cross will cause you to worship Him, and joyfully take up your cross and follow Him.
Spend your energy to believe in Him and His Word. Do not spend it to perform. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (John 6:29).
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Chapter 8
The Cross… the power of God!
Jesus said in John 3:3 that one could not even see the Kingdom of God without being born again, or without the blood covenant. Being born again is the result of the blood covenant with God. In this chapter and the several following we are going to emphasize the blood covenant.
After one is born again, or after the supernatural miracle of the spiritual blood covenant takes place, then we can see and begin to understand the Kingdom of God.
However I submit that this process is always an uphill battle. If "seeing the Kingdom of God" or in other words, living our lives under the authority and provisions of it, depends upon the blood covenant, then perhaps an ever increasing knowledge of the blood covenant is what we need.
As we live life often the cares of the world crowd in and it can seem as though we are on our own without God's help. In my experience the antidote for this mindset is to obtain a fresh revelation of the blood covenant. Another way to state it is that we need an ever increasing revelation of the Cross of Jesus, its finished work and what it accomplished for us and the world. As we focus on the Cross, then the Kingdom laws and principles will prevail in our lives, and God will have His way with us. This is what Jesus taught in John chapter 6 which says, "Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent'" (John 6:28,29). Believe in the finished work of the Cross, the blood covenant.
If we know, and are convinced by revelation knowledge, that the life of God actually abides in us, then we also know that we have nothing to worry about. The life inside of us will provide for all our needs, and the needs of those around us.
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30).
Look, lilies have life in them therefore they do not need to toil. You have the life of God inside of you; therefore everything will be all right. This is just what Jesus was trying to teach to poor people in John chapter 6 when He was telling them that they needed a blood covenant with Him.
Right after Adam relied on his own resources rather than the life of God in him and the Word of God, he came under the curse of "toil." When we realize the truth of the blood covenant, we can rest.
Abraham understood the blood covenant when God cut the covenant with him in Genesis chapter 15. Abraham expressed his doubt at the promise of God, "And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" (Genesis 15:8). Have you ever asked God a question like this? God told Abraham to cut several animals in half and to place them on either side of a ditch so that the blood could run down it. Normally both parties would walk down such a ditch after they have swapped names, weapons, and coats. They would pronounce the blessings and curses of the covenant. Often the curse for breaking the covenant was death. However this time God put Abraham to sleep and He Himself walked the blood ditch for both parties, represented by a smoking oven and a burning torch. Prior to resting, Abraham had to drive away the vultures, which I submit represents a type of spiritual warfare on our part. God knew that Abraham and his descendents could not keep the covenant, so God swore to His own death to keep both sides of it. Eventually He gave His Son, His very own flesh for the broken covenant. In effect God was saying to Abraham "I you fail in this covenant and therefore are condemned to the curse of death, don't worry, I will die for you. I will walk the blood ditch for both you and for Me."
Jonathan, Mephibosheth's father, had made a covenant with David.1Samuel 18:1-4 says, "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle."
One day, after both Saul and Jonathan were dead, the love produced by the covenant hit David so hard he could not stand it. He just had to bless someone. So he called to find out who was a survivor of his covenant with Jonathan. David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2 Samuel 9:1). The word "kindness" in Hebrew is "checed" which is the word for covenant love. It is not a polite little "be kind" type of word, it is a powerful word describing love based upon a blood covenant. In the New Testament the counterpart word is "agape," the same love based upon a blood covenant. Some call it unconditional love because it has nothing to do with the person being loved but with the person who is doing the loving out of a strong feeling and commitment for a blood covenant. Jesus introduced this word when He was on earth.
"Oh, I have such an ache in my heart to bless my covenant family!" That was the cry of David, but it also the cry of Jesus. Ephesians 2:4 says, "but God - so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us." David was an example of the heart of God showing that He has an ache to bless His covenant people. David was a callused warrior, but he cried out to bless his blood covenant family.
Mephibosheth's story. Read 2 Samuel 9:1-13.
Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan with whom David had a covenant. The covenant was effective to Jonathan's ancestors as well as David's.
When Mephibosheth was a young boy his maid dropped him and he became lame for the rest of his life. Mephibosheth was limp and lame like we were without God. His name means "a dispeller of confusion and shame." He had a curse that was keeping him down. He was Jonathan's son, the grandson of Saul, who had tried to kill David. Mephibosheth had been living beneath his rights. He had a covenant with the king and did not know it! He was living in Lodibar, which means a place of no bread. It must have been a horrible poverty stricken place! For us it means the place where we have no revelation from the Word of God, the Bread of Life. Now put yourself in his place.
Ziba, a servant of the deceased Saul, took King David to Lodibar to find Mephibosheth. When Mephibosheth saw the king he was afraid that he would receive some harsh treatment no doubt. He probably had heard of the enmity between his grandfather Saul and David. Mephibosheth called himself a "dead dog" when he saw David coming. He thought that his bad luck had matured!
Just imagine Mephibosheth's response when David told him that all he wanted to do was to bless him. David told Mephibosheth that he wanted bless him for the sake of his father Jonathan. David ordered that Mephibosheth should eat at his table for the rest of his life, he ordered his entire grandfather Saul's possessions to be turned over to him, and he hired servants to tend the family farm for the benefit of Mephibosheth. We should always remember that we were "dead dogs" when Jesus found us, but because of God's covenant we are the recipients of God's grace, mercy and abundant favors.
God wants to bless us beyond our imagination, but He wants us to get rid of our "dead dog" attitude. That takes faith when circumstances are treating us like "dead dogs." But faith pleases God.
The Apostle Paul preached only the Cross. According to Galatians 6:14-15, Paul indicated that keeping the laws was not something to be preached. Instead, Paul preached the Cross, which resulted in the new birth. By preaching the Cross he was preaching the blood covenant.
When Paul journeyed to Athens he preached to many philosophical people and argued with them according to their tradition. They disputed with him and very few believed. He most likely left feeling like he did not bear much fruit. Then he left and went to Corinth, a port-city loaded with prostitutes, sailors, and merchants. "After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth" (Acts 18:1).
In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 Paul spoke about the power of the Cross. I believe that he learned his lesson in Athens, and by the time he arrived in Corinth he decided to preach only the Cross, or the blood covenant.
He said, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.' Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
Then he went on to say, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." What a beautiful testimony! With this type of preaching a vibrant spirit filled church was planted in Corinth!
The Cross defeated Satan.
God gave man exclusive rights to dominate the earth. "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'" (Genesis 1:26). "You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet" (Psalms 8:6).
Man (male and female) were to dominate and rule by means of his/her words. In turn, they were to receive their words by listening to God. Therefore, God through man would have access to the earth, but only through man. If God would have attempted to rule here by any other means He would have broken His Word, and His Word could no longer be trusted.
This is a major point I wish to emphasize. God made laws, and He keeps them. That is why we can trust His Word. He gave man dominion of the earth, and in doing so He relinquished His right to rule the Earth except through man. So when I use the word "legally" I mean that God must obey His own law. That is one reason so many non-believers do not understand why and how a loving God can allow so much evil to prevail. It is because He is honoring His Word. He in effect gave man a lease to the Earth, and until the lease expires, He cannot occupy it except through man's permission.
If God had stopped the couple from sinning, He would have broken His promise, His Word, and perhaps the entire universe would have imploded. Remember His Word upholds all things. If God were to break His Word we could no longer rely upon His promises to us.
Humans were the only beings that could legally operate here. Human is a word made up of two words, humus and man. Humus refers to dirt, or the dust of the earth, and man refers to the spiritual person that God made in His own image.
Satan is a spiritual being, therefore he had no right to rule and dominate here without an earth body. Therefore he had to make a deal with the serpent to use his body as a step towards his final goal of using man. He tempted Eve to obtain something she already possessed, to be like God. When she and Adam sinned, the Spirit of God left them, and Satan therefore had access to use them and their descendents to rule by proxy (A person authorized to act for another; an agent or a substitute. The authority to act for another).
If Satan could convince a human to speak his words instead of God's Words, Satan could therefore legally rule. He did indeed, and still does. That is why so many people think that God is impotent when they see so much evil happening and do not see God intervening. But God had a plan, a proxy plan, even before this scene in the Garden of Eden. God also had a proxy plan which legally overrules Satan's rule.
"All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). Before anything was created, God had given His son as an atonement for man's sin. He had shed His blood in the blood covenant. The only thing left out was the manifestation of this shedding of blood in the natural. Even though spiritually the deal was as good as done, somehow God had to come to Earth, become a man, and shed His blood. Now remember, God could not come to Earth legally.
God pronounced the curse on Satan in the Garden of Eden. God also shed blood in the Garden as He killed an animal with which to clothe the man and woman. "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15). He said that the seed of a woman shall defeat Satan, not the seed of a man. Normally children are the seeds of men. This of course was the prophecy of a virgin birth. God created the wo-man, a human with a womb primarily as a vehicle through whom to bring Himself into the earth legally. Notice I said primarily. This is in no way to lower the status of a woman. God prizes females equally with males, it is just that females have a very special privilege.
Notice one of the main prophecies for the coming of the Messiah is in Isaiah chapter 7:14 which says, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." The word Immanuel when taken apart has three parts; Imm which infers in, man, and el which means God. When taken together it really means God in man. In my opinion the writers have had a difficult time saying "God in man," so they have always interpreted this as "God with man." He used to be with us, now He is in us.
This of course is a prophecy for the virgin birth of Jesus through the virgin Mary. Instead of a descendent of Adam becoming the father of Mary's child, the Word of God spoken by the angel became the male factor. You have been regenerated, born again, not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God (1 Peter 1:23 Amp.).
It is interesting that the blood of a child in the womb does not mix with the mother's blood. Therefore Jesus had perfect, sinless blood. He was the only candidate to shed His blood to redeem mankind from Satan's legal domination. This was the only legal way (legal meaning without breaking His Word) that God could come to influence Earth. He had to become hu-man.
When Jesus was crucified, His murder was illegal. Only criminals and people with sin could legally be killed. The wages of sin is death. Jesus had no sin, nor did He have any inheritance of sin, His blood was perfect. Therefore, Hell could not hold Jesus. Furthermore, Satan was now condemned to Hell. Also, Satan no longer has dominion of the new race, the new creation that was brought into being with the resurrection. Satan broke a major spiritual law by killing Jesus, and in doing so he lost his dominion.
"knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:6-11, 14).
Once again, a human dominates the earth through the man Christ Jesus. The fact that we need to recognize is, now He dominates through us, His body on earth. We are His hu-man. Once again we are the only legal means He has to obtain His will on earth. Not only do we need Him, but also He needs us! God gave us His proxy and expects us to use it for His benefit. This is true covenant mutual benefit!
If we could just realize the depth of what really happened when we were re-born spiritually! We need to continually meditate on the Cross and the depths of its accomplishments. Satan can only lie to us. If we know the truth, he cannot do anything to us.
This is where overcoming comes in.
One of Satan's greatest ways of lying to us is by circumstance. We look around and have a difficult time believing God's Word in the face of our current circumstance and experience. While it is true that God defeated Satan and that we are now blessed and no longer under his dominion, it is also true that we need to believe. We need to make this truth manifested in our lives by believing. Believing can be a long and difficult process, and few people really stay the course. The process is called overcoming. We need to continually renew our minds to the blood covenant, we need to continually take up our cross, and we need to continually do spiritual warfare with the Word of God on our lips. When we put the Word on our lips, we are giving God access to the earth. This is why praying in tongues is so powerful. It gives God access to speak His will into the earth unhindered by our finite mind and understanding.
Satan still lurks to murder innocent people. If you are in Christ you are an innocent person. However you may still be "poor."
"He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor" (Psalms 10:8, KJV).
The word "poor" in this Scripture means "dark, unhappy, hapless, unfortunate." If you find yourself in dark unhappy circumstances, be an overcomer!
Overcoming is directly related to the blood covenant.
We have been emphasizing overcoming as a "back door" way to emphasize the blood covenant and the Cross. Overcoming appropriates the fullness of the Cross and the blood covenant.
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11). Here are the three components of overcoming.
The Cross of Jesus is the first and key component, "the blood of the Lamb." Our knowledge of what Jesus did for us on the Cross is key! We need to continually renew our minds in this truth. If not, our brains will slide into mere carnal thinking and we will find ourselves trying to perform in the Christian life rather than "working to believe."
The second component in overcoming is "the word of their testimony." Like Abraham needed to drive away the vultures from the blood covenant ceremony, we need to drive away Satan from our blood covenant relationship. We do that by testifying what the blood of Jesus did for us, or confessing the Word of God in our prayer lives.
The third component in overcoming is, "and they did not love their lives to the death." A blood covenant is not vibrant and active if just recognized by one party. Both parties need to shed blood, and we need to take up our cross. In future chapters we will see that taking up our cross is dying to our natural soul life, our will, mind, and emotions, and allowing the life of God to prevail in each of these areas.
The overcoming lifestyle focuses on eternal rewards more than temporal.
I believe that a part of taking up our cross also includes living a life that is more focused on eternity than on today's life. Moses is a good example. "By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt [the world]; for he looked to the [heavenly] reward" (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Overcoming makes the blood covenant active on our behalf!
As we practice the overcoming lifestyle, we are positioning ourselves for the benefits of the blood covenant, or for the Kingdom of God to work in our lives. We are realizing the benefits of the life of God dwelling in us. If we leave out any of the three components, we will not realize the full benefits.
The next several chapters have to do with the various results and benefits of the Cross or the blood covenant. I suggest that these not simply be read for knowledge. Rather I suggest that you continually renew your mind with these chapters here that have to do with the Cross. The icon showing His Cross identifies these chapters.
The Cross - Redemption-purchased from slavery.
This chapter focuses on how the blood of Jesus purchased us from the auction block of slavery. We now belong to God.
The Cross - Righteousness- Joining the family of the righteous.
This chapter focuses on how the Cross made us righteous and in right standing with God. It explains that being righteous is simply being a member in God's family. It does not depend upon how you feel or how you perform.
The Cross - Propitiation The Unveiling of God's character.
This chapter focuses on how God could be just in removing our sin without compromising His character and holiness. It shows how God's wrath is appeased and how your wrath can be appeased.
The Cross - Blessings and Curses.
This chapter is meant to educate the reader on possible curses that may be operating in his/her life and on how to position his/her self for overcoming and becoming free.
The Cross - Reconciliation- The Great Exchange.
This chapter compares that negative attributes that we gave to Jesus to the positive attributes He gave to us in the blood covenant.
The Cross - Intimacy Exchange leads to Intimacy.
This chapter focuses on how the result of the Cross, the blood covenant creates intimacy with God.
The Cross - The Reconciliation of Evil.
This chapter shows that no matter what evil may come into your life, that the life of Jesus living within you and the overcoming process will turn that evil into a blessing.
The Cross - The Cross - Justification- The Cosmic Courtroom.
This chapter peeks into Heaven and shows the invisible courtroom that is currently underway in your life. You will learn the cast of characters and you will learn how to be an effective witness when you are on the stand. This is another view of the overcoming process.
The Cross - Justification- The Cosmic Courtroom in action.
This chapter shows the final verdict and the conclusion of the invisible trial which is taking place in Heaven. Because of Jesus we are deemed not guilty in our trials of life. The courtroom tables are turned on the prosecutor, Satan, and he is deemed the guilty one and he is sentenced to his punishment.
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Chapter 8 - Feedback
The Cross
…is the power of God!
List some areas in your life for which you need an ever-increasing revelation of the blood covenant.
Briefly explain in your own words how the Cross of Jesus defeated Satan.
List some circumstances, which have tempted you to believe Satan's lie.
List practical ways through which you determine to practice the three disciplines of overcoming; i.e., the blood of the Lamb, the word of your testimony, and not loving your life to the death (taking up your cross).
List the questions you might have for this chapter, and/or difficulties you may have regarding the above questioning statements.
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 8
The Cross… the power of God!
Jesus said in John 3:3 that one could not even see the Kingdom of God without being born again, or without the blood covenant. Being born again is the result of the blood covenant with God. In this chapter and the several following we are going to emphasize the blood covenant.
After one is born again, or after the supernatural miracle of the spiritual blood covenant takes place, then we can see and begin to understand the Kingdom of God.
However I submit that this process is always an uphill battle. If "seeing the Kingdom of God" or in other words, living our lives under the authority and provisions of it, depends upon the blood covenant, then perhaps an ever increasing knowledge of the blood covenant is what we need.
As we live life often the cares of the world crowd in and it can seem as though we are on our own without God's help. In my experience the antidote for this mindset is to obtain a fresh revelation of the blood covenant. Another way to state it is that we need an ever increasing revelation of the Cross of Jesus, its finished work and what it accomplished for us and the world. As we focus on the Cross, then the Kingdom laws and principles will prevail in our lives, and God will have His way with us. This is what Jesus taught in John chapter 6 which says, "Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent'" (John 6:28,29). Believe in the finished work of the Cross, the blood covenant.
If we know, and are convinced by revelation knowledge, that the life of God actually abides in us, then we also know that we have nothing to worry about. The life inside of us will provide for all our needs, and the needs of those around us.
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30).
Look, lilies have life in them therefore they do not need to toil. You have the life of God inside of you; therefore everything will be all right. This is just what Jesus was trying to teach to poor people in John chapter 6 when He was telling them that they needed a blood covenant with Him.
Right after Adam relied on his own resources rather than the life of God in him and the Word of God, he came under the curse of "toil." When we realize the truth of the blood covenant, we can rest.
Abraham understood the blood covenant when God cut the covenant with him in Genesis chapter 15. Abraham expressed his doubt at the promise of God, "And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" (Genesis 15:8). Have you ever asked God a question like this? God told Abraham to cut several animals in half and to place them on either side of a ditch so that the blood could run down it. Normally both parties would walk down such a ditch after they have swapped names, weapons, and coats. They would pronounce the blessings and curses of the covenant. Often the curse for breaking the covenant was death. However this time God put Abraham to sleep and He Himself walked the blood ditch for both parties, represented by a smoking oven and a burning torch. Prior to resting, Abraham had to drive away the vultures, which I submit represents a type of spiritual warfare on our part. God knew that Abraham and his descendents could not keep the covenant, so God swore to His own death to keep both sides of it. Eventually He gave His Son, His very own flesh for the broken covenant. In effect God was saying to Abraham "I you fail in this covenant and therefore are condemned to the curse of death, don't worry, I will die for you. I will walk the blood ditch for both you and for Me."
Jonathan, Mephibosheth's father, had made a covenant with David.1Samuel 18:1-4 says, "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle."
One day, after both Saul and Jonathan were dead, the love produced by the covenant hit David so hard he could not stand it. He just had to bless someone. So he called to find out who was a survivor of his covenant with Jonathan. David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2 Samuel 9:1). The word "kindness" in Hebrew is "checed" which is the word for covenant love. It is not a polite little "be kind" type of word, it is a powerful word describing love based upon a blood covenant. In the New Testament the counterpart word is "agape," the same love based upon a blood covenant. Some call it unconditional love because it has nothing to do with the person being loved but with the person who is doing the loving out of a strong feeling and commitment for a blood covenant. Jesus introduced this word when He was on earth.
"Oh, I have such an ache in my heart to bless my covenant family!" That was the cry of David, but it also the cry of Jesus. Ephesians 2:4 says, "but God - so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us." David was an example of the heart of God showing that He has an ache to bless His covenant people. David was a callused warrior, but he cried out to bless his blood covenant family.
Mephibosheth's story. Read 2 Samuel 9:1-13.
Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan with whom David had a covenant. The covenant was effective to Jonathan's ancestors as well as David's.
When Mephibosheth was a young boy his maid dropped him and he became lame for the rest of his life. Mephibosheth was limp and lame like we were without God. His name means "a dispeller of confusion and shame." He had a curse that was keeping him down. He was Jonathan's son, the grandson of Saul, who had tried to kill David. Mephibosheth had been living beneath his rights. He had a covenant with the king and did not know it! He was living in Lodibar, which means a place of no bread. It must have been a horrible poverty stricken place! For us it means the place where we have no revelation from the Word of God, the Bread of Life. Now put yourself in his place.
Ziba, a servant of the deceased Saul, took King David to Lodibar to find Mephibosheth. When Mephibosheth saw the king he was afraid that he would receive some harsh treatment no doubt. He probably had heard of the enmity between his grandfather Saul and David. Mephibosheth called himself a "dead dog" when he saw David coming. He thought that his bad luck had matured!
Just imagine Mephibosheth's response when David told him that all he wanted to do was to bless him. David told Mephibosheth that he wanted bless him for the sake of his father Jonathan. David ordered that Mephibosheth should eat at his table for the rest of his life, he ordered his entire grandfather Saul's possessions to be turned over to him, and he hired servants to tend the family farm for the benefit of Mephibosheth. We should always remember that we were "dead dogs" when Jesus found us, but because of God's covenant we are the recipients of God's grace, mercy and abundant favors.
God wants to bless us beyond our imagination, but He wants us to get rid of our "dead dog" attitude. That takes faith when circumstances are treating us like "dead dogs." But faith pleases God.
The Apostle Paul preached only the Cross. According to Galatians 6:14-15, Paul indicated that keeping the laws was not something to be preached. Instead, Paul preached the Cross, which resulted in the new birth. By preaching the Cross he was preaching the blood covenant.
When Paul journeyed to Athens he preached to many philosophical people and argued with them according to their tradition. They disputed with him and very few believed. He most likely left feeling like he did not bear much fruit. Then he left and went to Corinth, a port-city loaded with prostitutes, sailors, and merchants. "After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth" (Acts 18:1).
In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 Paul spoke about the power of the Cross. I believe that he learned his lesson in Athens, and by the time he arrived in Corinth he decided to preach only the Cross, or the blood covenant.
He said, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.' Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
Then he went on to say, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." What a beautiful testimony! With this type of preaching a vibrant spirit filled church was planted in Corinth!
The Cross defeated Satan.
God gave man exclusive rights to dominate the earth. "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'" (Genesis 1:26). "You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet" (Psalms 8:6).
Man (male and female) were to dominate and rule by means of his/her words. In turn, they were to receive their words by listening to God. Therefore, God through man would have access to the earth, but only through man. If God would have attempted to rule here by any other means He would have broken His Word, and His Word could no longer be trusted.
This is a major point I wish to emphasize. God made laws, and He keeps them. That is why we can trust His Word. He gave man dominion of the earth, and in doing so He relinquished His right to rule the Earth except through man. So when I use the word "legally" I mean that God must obey His own law. That is one reason so many non-believers do not understand why and how a loving God can allow so much evil to prevail. It is because He is honoring His Word. He in effect gave man a lease to the Earth, and until the lease expires, He cannot occupy it except through man's permission.
If God had stopped the couple from sinning, He would have broken His promise, His Word, and perhaps the entire universe would have imploded. Remember His Word upholds all things. If God were to break His Word we could no longer rely upon His promises to us.
Humans were the only beings that could legally operate here. Human is a word made up of two words, humus and man. Humus refers to dirt, or the dust of the earth, and man refers to the spiritual person that God made in His own image.
Satan is a spiritual being, therefore he had no right to rule and dominate here without an earth body. Therefore he had to make a deal with the serpent to use his body as a step towards his final goal of using man. He tempted Eve to obtain something she already possessed, to be like God. When she and Adam sinned, the Spirit of God left them, and Satan therefore had access to use them and their descendents to rule by proxy (A person authorized to act for another; an agent or a substitute. The authority to act for another).
If Satan could convince a human to speak his words instead of God's Words, Satan could therefore legally rule. He did indeed, and still does. That is why so many people think that God is impotent when they see so much evil happening and do not see God intervening. But God had a plan, a proxy plan, even before this scene in the Garden of Eden. God also had a proxy plan which legally overrules Satan's rule.
"All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). Before anything was created, God had given His son as an atonement for man's sin. He had shed His blood in the blood covenant. The only thing left out was the manifestation of this shedding of blood in the natural. Even though spiritually the deal was as good as done, somehow God had to come to Earth, become a man, and shed His blood. Now remember, God could not come to Earth legally.
God pronounced the curse on Satan in the Garden of Eden. God also shed blood in the Garden as He killed an animal with which to clothe the man and woman. "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15). He said that the seed of a woman shall defeat Satan, not the seed of a man. Normally children are the seeds of men. This of course was the prophecy of a virgin birth. God created the wo-man, a human with a womb primarily as a vehicle through whom to bring Himself into the earth legally. Notice I said primarily. This is in no way to lower the status of a woman. God prizes females equally with males, it is just that females have a very special privilege.
Notice one of the main prophecies for the coming of the Messiah is in Isaiah chapter 7:14 which says, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." The word Immanuel when taken apart has three parts; Imm which infers in, man, and el which means God. When taken together it really means God in man. In my opinion the writers have had a difficult time saying "God in man," so they have always interpreted this as "God with man." He used to be with us, now He is in us.
This of course is a prophecy for the virgin birth of Jesus through the virgin Mary. Instead of a descendent of Adam becoming the father of Mary's child, the Word of God spoken by the angel became the male factor. You have been regenerated, born again, not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God (1 Peter 1:23 Amp.).
It is interesting that the blood of a child in the womb does not mix with the mother's blood. Therefore Jesus had perfect, sinless blood. He was the only candidate to shed His blood to redeem mankind from Satan's legal domination. This was the only legal way (legal meaning without breaking His Word) that God could come to influence Earth. He had to become hu-man.
When Jesus was crucified, His murder was illegal. Only criminals and people with sin could legally be killed. The wages of sin is death. Jesus had no sin, nor did He have any inheritance of sin, His blood was perfect. Therefore, Hell could not hold Jesus. Furthermore, Satan was now condemned to Hell. Also, Satan no longer has dominion of the new race, the new creation that was brought into being with the resurrection. Satan broke a major spiritual law by killing Jesus, and in doing so he lost his dominion.
"knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:6-11, 14).
Once again, a human dominates the earth through the man Christ Jesus. The fact that we need to recognize is, now He dominates through us, His body on earth. We are His hu-man. Once again we are the only legal means He has to obtain His will on earth. Not only do we need Him, but also He needs us! God gave us His proxy and expects us to use it for His benefit. This is true covenant mutual benefit!
If we could just realize the depth of what really happened when we were re-born spiritually! We need to continually meditate on the Cross and the depths of its accomplishments. Satan can only lie to us. If we know the truth, he cannot do anything to us.
This is where overcoming comes in.
One of Satan's greatest ways of lying to us is by circumstance. We look around and have a difficult time believing God's Word in the face of our current circumstance and experience. While it is true that God defeated Satan and that we are now blessed and no longer under his dominion, it is also true that we need to believe. We need to make this truth manifested in our lives by believing. Believing can be a long and difficult process, and few people really stay the course. The process is called overcoming. We need to continually renew our minds to the blood covenant, we need to continually take up our cross, and we need to continually do spiritual warfare with the Word of God on our lips. When we put the Word on our lips, we are giving God access to the earth. This is why praying in tongues is so powerful. It gives God access to speak His will into the earth unhindered by our finite mind and understanding.
Satan still lurks to murder innocent people. If you are in Christ you are an innocent person. However you may still be "poor."
"He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor" (Psalms 10:8, KJV).
The word "poor" in this Scripture means "dark, unhappy, hapless, unfortunate." If you find yourself in dark unhappy circumstances, be an overcomer!
Overcoming is directly related to the blood covenant.
We have been emphasizing overcoming as a "back door" way to emphasize the blood covenant and the Cross. Overcoming appropriates the fullness of the Cross and the blood covenant.
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11). Here are the three components of overcoming.
The Cross of Jesus is the first and key component, "the blood of the Lamb." Our knowledge of what Jesus did for us on the Cross is key! We need to continually renew our minds in this truth. If not, our brains will slide into mere carnal thinking and we will find ourselves trying to perform in the Christian life rather than "working to believe."
The second component in overcoming is "the word of their testimony." Like Abraham needed to drive away the vultures from the blood covenant ceremony, we need to drive away Satan from our blood covenant relationship. We do that by testifying what the blood of Jesus did for us, or confessing the Word of God in our prayer lives.
The third component in overcoming is, "and they did not love their lives to the death." A blood covenant is not vibrant and active if just recognized by one party. Both parties need to shed blood, and we need to take up our cross. In future chapters we will see that taking up our cross is dying to our natural soul life, our will, mind, and emotions, and allowing the life of God to prevail in each of these areas.
The overcoming lifestyle focuses on eternal rewards more than temporal.
I believe that a part of taking up our cross also includes living a life that is more focused on eternity than on today's life. Moses is a good example. "By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt [the world]; for he looked to the [heavenly] reward" (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Overcoming makes the blood covenant active on our behalf!
As we practice the overcoming lifestyle, we are positioning ourselves for the benefits of the blood covenant, or for the Kingdom of God to work in our lives. We are realizing the benefits of the life of God dwelling in us. If we leave out any of the three components, we will not realize the full benefits.
The next several chapters have to do with the various results and benefits of the Cross or the blood covenant. I suggest that these not simply be read for knowledge. Rather I suggest that you continually renew your mind with these chapters here that have to do with the Cross. The icon showing His Cross identifies these chapters.
The Cross - Redemption-purchased from slavery.
This chapter focuses on how the blood of Jesus purchased us from the auction block of slavery. We now belong to God.
The Cross - Righteousness- Joining the family of the righteous.
This chapter focuses on how the Cross made us righteous and in right standing with God. It explains that being righteous is simply being a member in God's family. It does not depend upon how you feel or how you perform.
The Cross - Propitiation The Unveiling of God's character.
This chapter focuses on how God could be just in removing our sin without compromising His character and holiness. It shows how God's wrath is appeased and how your wrath can be appeased.
The Cross - Blessings and Curses.
This chapter is meant to educate the reader on possible curses that may be operating in his/her life and on how to position his/her self for overcoming and becoming free.
The Cross - Reconciliation- The Great Exchange.
This chapter compares that negative attributes that we gave to Jesus to the positive attributes He gave to us in the blood covenant.
The Cross - Intimacy Exchange leads to Intimacy.
This chapter focuses on how the result of the Cross, the blood covenant creates intimacy with God.
The Cross - The Reconciliation of Evil.
This chapter shows that no matter what evil may come into your life, that the life of Jesus living within you and the overcoming process will turn that evil into a blessing.
The Cross - The Cross - Justification- The Cosmic Courtroom.
This chapter peeks into Heaven and shows the invisible courtroom that is currently underway in your life. You will learn the cast of characters and you will learn how to be an effective witness when you are on the stand. This is another view of the overcoming process.
The Cross - Justification- The Cosmic Courtroom in action.
This chapter shows the final verdict and the conclusion of the invisible trial which is taking place in Heaven. Because of Jesus we are deemed not guilty in our trials of life. The courtroom tables are turned on the prosecutor, Satan, and he is deemed the guilty one and he is sentenced to his punishment.
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Chapter 8 - Feedback
The Cross
…is the power of God!
List some areas in your life for which you need an ever-increasing revelation of the blood covenant.
Briefly explain in your own words how the Cross of Jesus defeated Satan.
List some circumstances, which have tempted you to believe Satan's lie.
List practical ways through which you determine to practice the three disciplines of overcoming; i.e., the blood of the Lamb, the word of your testimony, and not loving your life to the death (taking up your cross).
List the questions you might have for this chapter, and/or difficulties you may have regarding the above questioning statements.
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Chapter 9
The Cross
Redemption-purchased from slavery.
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So far in our overcoming process we understood that our "poverty" or our desperate need is actually an advantage. Next we saw how God solves the poverty problem with the blood covenant. The blood covenant was accomplished primarily at the Cross of Jesus. In the next few chapters we are going to focus on the Cross and learn how it is central to our Christian life as well as overcoming. As I mentioned before we need both knowledge and discipline.
We first need knowledge. Then we need discipline.
The discipline we need will be covered in the later chapters having to do with taking up our cross, or "loving our life not unto death." Discipline always comes after love. If you know for sure how much God loves you, discipline will come easy. God’s love is expressed through the Cross.
The knowledge we desperately need is knowledge about the importance of the Cross and about all of the many things that the Cross accomplished. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb..." (Revelation 12:11a). After Paul experienced all kinds of evangelism some with good results and some not, he finally said, "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). The preaching of the Cross is power; the knowledge of the Cross brings deliverance!
The Cross accomplished many great things for us and for God’s purposes. We are covering them one at a time in order to emphasize them and help you become grounded in them. By the end of this group of chapters, you will put all of these together and the Cross will become the very foundation of your Christian life. All of these individual works will be woven together into one beautiful tapestry.
Do you remember that in previous chapters we spoke of Jesus’ mission statement in Isaiah 61? One of the goals is as stated in Isaiah 61:4 is that we should be made trees, or oaks of righteousness. That word implies an un-moveable object of great strength. I want everyone reading this to become an oak of righteousness so that circumstances and emotions will not cause us to waver.
The first aspect of the Cross we will look at is redemption.
Redemption is a Bible word that confuses many people. Let’s see if we can dig out the hidden treasures in its real meaning.
According to Vines Complete Expository Dictionary, redeem means "to buy" or "buy out," especially of purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom. It means "to release by paying a price of ransom from bondage." It was a word commonly used in the market place. Think of it as going to a pawn shop to redeem something that was sold in the hands of a stranger, the wrongful but yet legal owner.
The price of redemption was the blood of Jesus. We are not explicitly told to whom was the price paid. I submit that the price was due to God Himself. And it was God Himself who paid the price.
Ephesians 1:7 says, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." We were born into slavery, yet God had a plan to redeem us even before He formed the earth.
1 Peter 1:18,19 says, "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
Titus 2:14, says, "who [Jesus] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." That is His treasure, a people that are His very own. A people who have been purchased out of the world, redeemed from wickedness, purified and made zealous to do what is good. And the price was Himself, it was all He had, and all He was. He laid down His life. He gave Himself to buy that field for the sake of the treasure, His redeemed people.
Parables can help us understand the truth.
The field and the treasure.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field" (Matthew 13:44).
The man who found the treasure is Jesus. The field is the world. This is stated in Matthew 13:38 in another parable. When the man discovered that there was a treasure, he hid it. This is like Jesus putting a cover on us so that Satan cannot steal us. He did not really want the field, but he was realistic enough to know that in order to get the treasure, he had to pay the price for the field. The price of the field was very high. It cost him all he had.
God cannot be bankrupted, however, His main priority was creating a family, and Jesus was all He had for that. But he did it with joy because he knew the value of what he was obtaining in the treasure. The man’s neighbors and friends probably thought he was crazy paying that kind of price for a field that was apparently good for nothing, but they did not know about the treasure. This goes along with John 3:16 which says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Only the "whoevers" here are the ones he obtains. Those are the treasures in the field. He redeemed the world (purchased it) for the sake of the "whoevers."
A man will spend his money on what he loves.
If someone spent everything he had for you, you must be special! The value of an object is determined only by what one will pay for it. You may wish to sell your house for $5,000. and you may think that is its value. But if someone is willing to pay $500,000. for it, then that is its true value. Your value before God is shown by the life of Jesus, who was your purchase price! If you only think you are worth two pennies, and the God gave Jesus for you, then Jesus is what you are worth.
Jesus bought the field, but He leaves it for His servants to do the harvesting of the treasure out of the field (world). We must find the treasure, dig it up, and take it out of the earth. It has lain there a long time and it is rusty, dirty, mildewed, corroded and it needs a lot of cleaning up (discipleship).
The pearl of great price.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45-46).
The first parable shows God's love for His people collectively, but the parable of the pearl reveals the measure of God's love for each human soul, individually. We are not just part of a group; you're not a number in a large group with a faceless relationship with the boss. No, we have a personal one to one value. We are not just a number, we are a name and a face. He knows how many hairs are on our head. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He cares about our hurts and fears.
The merchant in the parable is Jesus. He was not just a tourist, He was a person who really knew the value of that for which He was looking. When He found this one pearl, He realized that it would be a good bargain to sell all He had just to buy that one pearl. In the natural his wife would have probably complained when he told her that he sold the house, the car, and the furniture, everything just for one pearl. Can you imagine how she would have reacted? How many of us would do sell everything to purchase one pearl? That is the love of Jesus, it is extravagant!
The cost of the pearl is the same as the cost of the field, all He had. What did that price represent? A pearl suggests suffering. All the gateways into New Jerusalem are made from pearl; there is no other way in! The suffering of the oyster produces a pearl. A grain of sand gets in to the shell and causes great pain. The oyster excretes a substance that turns that pain into a thing of beauty. Then the pearl has to be found and raised from the depths of the sea. Again, there is a lot of work for us, His servants. Picture Jesus holding that one pearl (you) in His hand and saying to you "It was for you that I paid that price. I gave all I had."
Soak that in for a moment. So many of us deal with rejection, inadequacy, and low self-esteem. But remember the value of something is always determined by the price that someone is willing to pay.
God purchased us off of the slave block of sin, self, and Satan. Roman slaves were sold off of a slave block with a spear stuck in the beam over their head. It was said that they were "sold under the spear." Paul likens this to our being sold under sin as slaves. Romans 7:14 says, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."
People find themselves in all kinds of slavery. Man was created to have dominion over plants, yet plants, in the form of alcohol and drugs keep millions of people in slavery. They have dominion over man. People attempt to control other people for their own benefit, even within marriage. Friends, business associates, even pastors feel the need to put the people around them into slavery to meet their own needs. It is subtle and most slaves don't even know that they are slaves.
I knew a person who had such a low self-esteem that he constantly berated those around him in order to lift himself up. He told me that he did not feel worthy to be loved by anyone. Therefore he hired people who were "lower" than he was so he could be loved by them.
Slavery is one of the main topics of the Bible. Slavery is the quickest way to profit and make a lot of money. Just imagine a large shoe company with 10,000 employees. How much more profit would they make if they did not pay their employees? A lot! Satan is shown to be a merchandiser, a greedy merchant.
Satan is the author of sin and slavery. The very nature of Satan, according to his description in Ezekiel 28 is that of a merchandiser, a businessperson, a commercial thief and cheat. In Revelation 18, spiritual Babylon is noted as a business trader and commercial system that also trades in the souls of men, or slaves.
How do slaves live; how do they act? A lack of identity is the primary attribute of a slave.
Humans have a created need to find their identity. Everyone wants to know "who they are." That is why you see people running around trying to get fancy cars, having certain types of friends, dressing a certain way, being part of a movie star's fan club, etc. They are trying to define who they are by how they look, what they drive and who they hang around with. Many find their identity in earning large amounts of money, others by taking poverty vows. It is interesting to see how many people take on the attributes of those they spend much time with. The more I learn about people and their problems in life, the more I see that an incorrect self-identity is the root cause of most problems.
How are we supposed to receive our identity? I believe that God has created us to receive our identity through having a relationship with another being. We are designed to become like the person that we become intimate with. God wants us to become intimate with Him, so we may receive our identity from Him and not from other people or other things, and especially not by our own opinion that may have been formed by the television set.
Having your identity in Christ is the only normal way to live. Knowing that you are valuable in His eyes in spite of the fact that you may have been rejected is step one. Step two is being at peace and having confidence in who you are just because the Holy Spirit of the Living God dwells in you. Most people, when they walk into a room filled with other people, wait and see how those other people evaluate them. Rather they should walk into a room knowing that God lives in them, and therefore they are free to love others and be servants. When you encounter others you are bringing God into that scene. That is real freedom!
Examine some of these attributes of a slave and see if you are free.
God had set these people free from slavery in Egypt, but they continued to possess a slavery mindset and mentality. These Israelites had experienced the miracle deliverance of God from the bondage of Pharaoh, through the Red Sea. They had seen miraculous supply of water and food in a hot barren desert. However they and their ancestors for over 400 years had been slaves, and even God's supernatural deliverance did not change their slavery mindset. They still behaved as slaves even though they were free people.
Scientists have discovered some amazing things about behavior. Our brain waves can be trained to act a certain way. It does not matter if circumstances change, we will still react the same way. We form habits by doing the same thing for approximately twenty-one days. Habits eventually form our character. So we find ourselves becoming someone we do not mean to become by default. We do not even know how we got to be that way.
A baby elephant is trained by tying a small rope to a small stake, which is tied to the elephant's leg. As a baby it cannot get loose, so it walks in a circle. When the baby grows up, it could easily pull the stake out of the ground, but it does not. It feels the gentle tug of the rope and its brain tells it that it is still a captive.
God has set us free from the world and Satan, yet many of us still keep the slavery mindset. Make a determination to allow God to renew your mind and to show you who you really are. Be honest with yourself as you read the following attributes of a slave.
Slaves have no self-esteem so they use other people, religion, amusement, and immorality, some of the same things the Israelites used in the Wilderness to achieve some sense of self worth.
Slaves are "men-pleasers." Refer to Ephesians 5:5-8. They are constantly trying to get the applause and approval of other people. Their work has no other meaning. If their boss, their parents or teachers are pleased with their work, they feel good about their self worth, if not, they feel like "nothings." They are always attempting to get friends who will give them their identity and self-worth.
Slaves work for "eye-service." While they are being watched, they work hard, but as soon as their authority turns their back, they goof off. They complain about their work, always looking forward to Friday because they have the weekend off [Actually Roman slaves did not have that luxury]. They hold in their resentment against their authority. They criticize them; bring them down all the time.
Slaves Complain. They always blame their problems on other people. In their mind, their horrible state of being is always somebody else's fault. They say, "if just this were that way, or if this were changed, or if we moved to another city, or if we changed jobs, or if we changed schools, or if my parents were like their parents, or etc., etc., my life would be better." "I have to do this, or I have to do that, grumble, grumble, complain, complain. I have to go to school, I have to go to work, I have to clean the house, I do not have a choice." So many people complain about our public schools, our government, and the fact that our laws don't line up exactly with the Bible. Maybe they don't. God did not say that life would be easy, but that with Him free people can live above circumstances. Slaves are the ones that complain and the more they complain the deeper into slavery they get.
Some slaves become very good at manipulation. They learn how to please and even "love" others, so that they will be "loved back." They do all these good things for other people and make sure that they realize "how much they did for them" and make sure they know "how much they owe them back."
Slaves have no authority, so they are always manipulating others in order to serve their own needs. Some slaves use their sheer brute force, like shouting and screaming in order to get others to conform. So many men today use their force to get women to submit to them. They are slaves. Slaves do not like obeying authority. They have learned that authority is bad; they hate their authorities.
Sometimes we are slaves to other people. Jesus wants us bonded to our spouses, committed to our children, and friendly to those He puts into our lives. However it is all too easy to become slaves to those around us. People who have a low self-esteem tend to manipulate others because they do not believe that they are lovable. They do not feel confident that the other person will be committed without their manipulation. We are to love people from a place of freedom, not from an obligation created by the other person. At the same time, make sure that you not guilty of manipulating others.
You might say, I am no one's slave! That is just what the Jews who believed in Jesus said to Him in John 8. In Luke 4 Jesus announced freedom to the people in spiritual slavery and they tried to kill Him.
John 8:31 says, "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'"
Jesus knew they were still slaves even though they "believed on Him" by the way that they lived their lives. "'Abraham is our father,' they answered. 'If you were Abraham's children,' said Jesus, 'then you would do the things Abraham did'" (John 8:39).
What was the result of being purchased from slavery?
It was being made a part of God's family. From slavery to sonship! However there is a step in-between slavery and sonship. Picture a slave-trading scene. The slave was displayed on a platform called the block. The owner would brag about the slave's attributes. People would begin to bid. All of a sudden a rich man in the back raised the bid 100 times higher than the highest bidder. The crowd gasped! The slave was his. He received the papers of ownership. The slave is pulled off the block with the chains attached and is yanked over to the new owner. The new owner takes the key and unlocks the shackles. He then signs the ownership papers and hands them to the slave setting him free. The slave looks into the eyes of the rich man and says, "No one has ever loved me like this. I want to serve you all the days of my life. I make myself your bond-slave." We all have that choice. God provided a law to that affect in Exodus 21:5-6.
"But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever" (Exodus 21:5,6).
God created us with the necessity to make a free choice to serve another.
We have no choice, we will be a slave to someone or something. It if is something, then be sure that there is someone behind that something! He passionately wants us to serve Him, and to be his "bond-slave." However the choice is ours. Many Christians do not really get a hold of this. They actually think that they are controlling their lives. But there are only two masters, Satan and Jesus, the world or the Kingdom of God. Satan deceives us and makes us think that we are in control of our own lives when really he is. Paul indicated that behind every idol there is a demon. We must make a conscious choice to offer ourselves to obey the Word of God, to live on the Word of God and to make the Word our only source for every need of our life. Only then can we be truly free!
Romans 6:16-18 says, "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
We are a brand new species of being.
When we were redeemed we not only changed ownership of our lives from Satan to God, but with that transfer our new Owner gave us His very nature and Spirit. He changed our race and citizenship. We were born again in Zion, (Psalm 87:5) and we no longer even posses the slave nature. We are New Creations in Christ, a new race and species of being that never existed until Jesus was born again from the dead and resurrected!
You are a jewel.
There is an interesting word study based around Isaiah 60 and 61. Isaiah 60:1-2 (Amp.) says, "Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you; rise to a new life]! Shine - be radiant with the glory of the Lord; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you!"
I am told that the Hebrew language infers that this verse refers to a gem or a jewel that has been clouded with some sort of film so that it no longer shone. Then in Isaiah 61:1 the word "bound" is used. "Bound" in Hebrew infers that a gem has ceased to shine or to glow. Isaiah 61:1 further says that Jesus' mission statement is to "open the prison to them that are bound," or in other words, polish the gem that has ceased to shine.
You and I are already jewels, or God's gem stones, because He lives in us. Now He wants to polish us so that our real purpose can be manifested, to shine for Him! He is going to polish off our "junk" so that we can shine as a "jewel."
The teaching from these parables was inspired by a book titled Extravagant Love by Derek Prince.
Prince, Derek. Extravagant Love. Charlotte, NC: Derek Prince Ministries International, 1985.
Chapter 9 - Feedback
The Cross
Redemption-purchased from slavery.
List some areas in your life where you have struggled with self esteem.
List some areas in your life where you have struggled with some of the attributes of slavery.
List practical ways through which you determine to practice helping others realize their real value.
List the questions you might have for this chapter, and/or difficulties you may have regarding the above questioning statements.
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Chapter 10
The Cross
Righteousness
Joining the family of the righteous.
Righteousness is another Bible word that can confuse many people. I want to dig out the hidden treasure in this word just as we did with redemption.
One of our enemy’s most common tactics is to attempt to deny our right standing with God by lying to us. He attempts to convince us that we are made righteous with God by what we do and how we perform. That is religion! Religion says that we have not really changed, but we merely adapted and subscribed to someone’s theory of God or Heaven or something. It is like joining a club or choosing a church, you just choose a religion. That is not Christianity! We have been changed supernaturally by a supernatural act of God. It is really too good to be true, but it is true. Religion, even some forms of so called "Christianity" says that we must do something to be righteous, and probably none of us can ever achieve that except maybe, just maybe some special saint.
Nothing could be further from the truth! We were re-created and saved by God’s grace and we progress with our growth with God by grace. Paul was very harsh on the Galatians who allowed the enemy to steal this idea from them. "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8). Those are harsh words!
What did we receive in Christ when He purchased us?
We became heirs, joint heirs, and children! But it is up to us to choose this position. We will be slaves to someone; the only choice we have is to whom. If we know what Christ did for us, and the gift He holds out for us to receive, we will choose life and righteousness. If we do not we will be a slave to someone or something who does not love us.
Romans 8:15-17 says, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and joint (co)-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
We were redeemed in order to be made righteous. The word righteous, when applied to our relationship to God, simply means to be in right standing with Him. In the Old Testament one dared not come near the presence of God lest he be consumed with fire and die. God is too awesome and powerful to confront without being in right standing with Him. I understand that the part of Mount Sinai where God came down is still a charred ruin where nothing will grow.
There are many religious and theologically correct definitions of righteousness, but I believe it can accurately be describe it as follows. Righteousness is simply being made right with God by becoming a part of His blood family and becoming His son or daughter. My children are righteous in my family just because they are my children. It does not depend upon how they act. How they act affects our fellowship, but it does not change our relationship.
An example I like to use is the one about the next door neighbor. Imagine that my own son has not been acting right lately and has brought home some bad grades from school. Further imagine that he wants to say goodnight to me while I am in bed reading. He comes and jumps on me and tickles me. He has a right to do that affectionate thing because he is my son. Now imagine that the next door neighbor’s son was perfectly obedient and brought home a straight A report card from school. Imagine that he came crashing though the front door, came upstairs and started to tickle me. I would tell him to get out. He is not my son, he is not part of my family. He may be a perfect performer, but in my family he is not righteous. Being righteous with God is something that comes with your spiritual birthright.
Most people error on the side of legalism and performance, that is they feel that they must do something, or act a certain way in order to earn righteousness. That is more than foolish! Just read the Book of Galatians. "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" "just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham" (Galatians 3:1,2,6-7).
God declared Abraham righteous hundreds of years before He even gave the Law to Moses in the desert trek. God accounted righteousness to Abraham when he believed God’s promise. It was all by faith as recorded in Genesis 15. "Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:5,6). The balance of Genesis chapter 15 records the blood covenant God made with Abraham. Righteousness comes by blood covenant. Notice also in this particular covenant, Abraham had very little to do with it. Abraham cut the covenant animals and kept the birds from eating them (spiritual warfare). But while Abraham was in a deep sleep, God caused the smoking oven and the burning torch passed down the trench filled with the blood of the sacrificial animals. Normally both parties walked down this trench in a blood covenant, but God, in the person of the Holy Spirit did the walking. God’s grace and love accomplished it all.
Those that say we must perform certain things to be righteous are dead wrong! The Law was not given until after Abraham’s descendant’s went to Egypt and after 400 years were brought out.
Abraham was even declared righteous before he was circumcised, which was a sign of his part of the covenant. "…For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also."
What did Abraham do as his part of becoming righteous? He believed. Believe is a very strong word. It means to nurture and nourish a firm and reliable trust. It means to rely upon God and nothing else. You might say, "But Abraham did not do righteous deeds, he sinned and missed God many times." Remember, there was no law at that time, and without the law there is no knowledge of sin. If and when Abraham sinned, he still got back into "believing." All he had to do was believe the facts that God spoke. Galatians 3:8 says that God spoke the Gospel to Abraham. Abraham believed. He was righteous. End of argument!
Some error on the side of righteousness only being a legal fact but not one in reality. They say that when God looks at you He must see you through Jesus. Deep down inside they feel like if God were to really look at them that He would see some old dirty sinner. That is not true, you are a righteous person! While it is true that without Jesus and His work we would have no righteousness, it is also true that His work is finished.
Too many people focus on the wrong issue. They tend to focus on their shortcomings and their sin. The Word instructs us to do just the opposite. "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame" (1 Corinthians 15:34). To focus on sin is to lack the knowledge of God, but to focus on righteousness is to nurture the knowledge of God. As you nurture that knowledge, righteousness will become a way of life for you and your sin will be starved to death! If you continue to focus on your negative issues, your bad habits, and the things in your life that are not pleasing to God, you will merely strengthen them. Colossians 3:5 (KJV) says, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" Mortify means to put to death by ignoring. Study Colossians 2:20-23 which says that all of our self imposed restrictions against the flesh and things of the flesh simply works to strengthen the flesh and has no value. We should instead seek those things which are above (Colossians 3:1) and starve our flesh.
You are righteous.
A son (or daughter) is righteous with his father by birth. He is in the family and he has a right standing that the neighbor does not have. We are righteous by our new birth, not by anything we have done. We are righteous because God put His life in us, not because of the way we act or live. The moment we were born again we became the righteousness of God, not by what we did but by what God planted inside of us, nothing less than Himself.
Romans 3:21 says, "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets."
Romans 4:3-6 says, "For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.’"
What can we learn from Job about righteousness?
We need to give Job a lot of credit for have a "perfect heart," however he did change radically between the time his fiery trial began and the time he was delivered. I think one of the biggest lessons he learned was about righteousness.
Job suffered greatly, and his three so-called friends who came to comfort him did just the opposite. They poured condemnation on him, stating that he must have some sin or error in his life, otherwise he would not be suffering.
To Job’s credit he lived the best he could with the knowledge he had. He continually defending himself with his good works of righteousness, stating that he had always been good to the poor, and bringing up such other philanthropic works. I submit that Job had a knowledge of God, but only at a certain level.
Job continually spoke about his righteousness, connecting it to his good works (Job 27:6, 29:14, 32:1, 32:2). He could not understand why God would allow him to suffer so in view of his good works. He even questioned if his good works were worth it, and then he wanted to die, even cursing the day he was born (Job 34:5, 35:2-3).
Then beginning in Job chapter 38, God spoke to Job, it says out of a whirlwind. God’s main subject matter was to compare His greatness to Job’s humanness. God asks such questions as, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth; Or who shut in the sea with doors; Have you commanded the morning since your days began?; Who can number the clouds by his wisdom?" God continues to reveal Himself to Job and at the same time reveal Job’s real condition to himself.
Job’s response in Job 40:3-5 includes, "What shall I answer You, behold I am vile." Finally after more from God, Job says, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5,6). After that God affirmed Job to Job’s friends and chastised them for their misrepresentation of His character. God basically said to the three friends, "You have misrepresented Me, which Job did not do." Obviously from the text in Chapter 42, Job received the blessings of a righteous man.
My question to God was, "How did Job discover that You made Him righteous be faith, and that his righteousness was as filthy rags? I don’t see You giving Job a theological lesson about righteousness."
I believe the answer is this. When the presence of God through His Holy Spirit is manifested in your life you will realize that you trying to become righteous by your works is as filthy rages. But at the same time you will realize God’s love, His grace and the sacrifice of His only Son makes you righteous in Him. It is a free gift! Job said in Job 3:25 that what he had feared came upon him. 1 John 4:18 says that perfect loves casts out fear. Job needed a clearer picture of God’s love, and he received that. His presence supercedes words. His presence speaks without words!
Isaiah learned the same lesson in Isaiah chapter 6, when while in the presence of God he saw that he was a man of unclean lips, and then immediately, he saw an angel cleanse him with a coal from the altar. God’s holiness convicts you and cleanses you. Only He can do that, no human can!
It is only the awesome presence of God that can convict you of true righteousness, as John 16:8 says, "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" That is the Holy Spirit’s job, and only He can do that. Reading this book or any other book will not accomplish that, you must hear from God Himself to be totally convicted of who you really are in Christ! I pray that for you right now as you are reading this.
We are coming back to that ever-important issue discussed in the previous chapter, identity. In the natural, we look just like everybody else in the world around us, but indeed we are very different. We are righteous and they are not. This is in no way to make us feel superior, but I mention it because it is so easy to forget who we are. "They" make us feel like them. The fact is that we belong to an entire different race and species of being, we are New Creations in Christ, and therefore we are righteous. An accurate view or our self identity is vital for our spiritual health, and is necessary if we are to stand long enough to overcome.
Remember that in a previous chapter we told the story of Mephibosheth. He did not realize that he was part of the family of David due to the blood covenant David and Jonathon had made. We can easily forget that we are part of the family of the righteous.
There is a story of a poor woman living in a junky old New York apartment. When she died the people found a framed document on her wall. It said that she was related to the Queen of England, and that if she ever needed anything that she could call on that relationship, present this document, and receive whatever help or funds she needed. Yet she lived and died in poverty! She could not read and therefore she did not know who she was! Make sure you read your document, your covenant with God, and call upon Him as His righteous son/daughter.
We are just as righteous as Jesus! We have the same righteousness He has. I am not saying that we are equal to Him, He is the Potter and we are the clay. However it is His righteousness that we have inherited through the new birth. Remember 1 Corinthians 15:34 says, "Awake to righteousness…" We need to awake to who we are, and when we do we will live like who we are.
Awake to the benefits of righteousness.
If you are a member of a wealthy family, you do not wake up every morning afraid that you will not have food to eat or a home to live in. It should be that way for every believer in Christ. I have been studying righteousness and writing about it since 1979, and it continues to grow inside of me. This very day I awoke with a new consciousness of my righteousness. The Lord spoke it to me as I was half-awake this morning, the morning I wrote this paragraph. Listen, you can read about righteousness, you can listen to me, your pastor, your friend, but there is nothing like hearing from God Himself!
When God speaks, everything changes. Romans 10: 17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). When God speaks His rhema, His personal formed word to you, faith comes. Rhema is the word used for "word" in this Scripture. Seek His voice, seek His face, and you will hear. But you must seek! When He speaks, peace comes, the storms calm, and you know that everything will be alright.
How can we rely on what God speaks? Listen, if God came to you on Friday and said that it was Saturday, Friday would have to vanish, and Saturday would be. When God says you are righteous, you are righteous, period!
This applies to you as well. "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all" (Romans 4:9b-11,16).
What are some of the benefits?
1. You have all these "things." In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). What things do you think Jesus was referring to? In the previous verses He said that we should not worry about the necessities of life, like food and clothes, etc. Then He said that these were the things that Gentiles seek. "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things" (Matthew 6:32). A Gentile is one who does not have a covenant with God. You may have been a Gentile, but you no longer are. People who do not have a covenant or those who do not know their covenant and family benefits are continually seeking the necessities of life. They spend their entire life seeking things. Jesus said instead of seeking things, seek righteousness and God’s Kingdom. Psalms 112:3 says, "Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever."
2. The care, safety and security of the Lord. "Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation" (Genesis 7:1). Out of the multitudes of people who lived on the earth, the Lord chose only Noah and his family to go into the Ark. Why? He was considered righteous. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8). Why did he find grace and why was he considered righteous? I submit it was not due to his perfect conduct, but it was due to that fact that he respected the covenant with God and habitually sacrificed animals unto the Lord. "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Genesis 8:20). No doubt Noah obeyed God and lived a decent life, but I submit it was because he knew who he was.
3. You are protected from the attacks of Satan. James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." When you resist the devil with God’s Word, it carries the same righteous force as if Jesus were speaking.
Jesus rules with a scepter of righteousness. "But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom" (Hebrews 1:8). The king always used a scepter, a rod, to point to one before his court in order to grant them authority and permission to speak. Jesus points His scepter at you and me, and says, "Speak in My Name." When a righteous person speaks God’s words, Satan must yield as if it were Jesus speaking.
4. Your righteousness will be like the waves of the sea. "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea…" (Isaiah (48:17-19a). Waves carry a powerful force, one that no natural barrier can restrain. You may not even know the effect of your righteousness. The gates of Hell cannot prevail against your waves of righteousness.
A righteous person will love like Jesus loves; he will forgive as Jesus does. The fruit of the Holy Spirit will impact those lives in your realm of influence like the waves of the sea.
5. You receive blessings and not curses. "For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield" (Psalms 5:12).
6. "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17).
7. Your house is blessed. This includes both physical and family. "The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the just" (Proverbs 3:33). "The wicked are overthrown and are no more, But the house of the righteous will stand" (Proverbs 12:7).
8. Your children are blessed. "The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him" (Proverbs 20:7). "But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children" (Psalms 103:17).
9. There are many, many other Scriptures. Do a study in Psalms and Proverbs and you will find dozens like these. "The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot" (Proverbs 10:7). "The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1).
10. You enjoy the law of resurrection. Whatever comes into our lives to hurt us, when it touches our righteousness, or the life of Jesus in us, will be turned into a blessing. Think of it this way. Think of yourself as a rubber ball in a lake. When someone immerses you and holds you down it does not feel good. But as soon as they let go, you rise to the top. That is the law of physics. It is the same with the law of resurrection. You will rise each time you are held down. When you resist Satan, he must flee. He will eventually compromise if you do not.
11. You will have peace and assurance. "The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever" (Isaiah 32:17).
12. You will live in Heaven for eternity with God.
What does the Cross have to do with redemption and righteousness?
Redemption and righteousness are two great works of the Cross of Jesus. On the Cross Jesus purchased us with His blood. On the Cross He became sin so that we could become righteous. Jesus never sinned, but He became sin for us, He inherited our sin nature so that we could, by blood covenant, inherit His righteous nature. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"(2 Corinthians 5:21).
Being honest will maintain our righteousness consciousness.
Often we feel like we are not righteous when we sin. When we sin it is like getting dirt on a valuable jewel and watching it lose its shine and brilliance. It is still the jewel, but it is just dirty and needs to be cleaned. We need to develop great faith in 1 John 1:9 which says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Our present sin goes on Jesus again, and He cuts away everything that is unrighteous, and we become just as we have never sinned!
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:10-14).
In order to overcome, we must continually humble ourselves before man and God. If we keep short accounts with men and God regarding our sin, we will win, if not, we will lose! Satan can stop the blessings of righteousness if we are not honest with God about our sin.
Why do I not feel righteous? That is an important question. It took years for you to get the world’s view of yourself. You were trained with a guilt, sin, fear and curse consciousness, and it will take some time to get your mind renewed to the truth. From Satan’s point of view, he is trying to steal the seed of the Word out of your heart. If he puts enough pressure on you with circumstances and guilt, you may stop believing. Sin makes you feel like a coward. You will fail to stand up for what is rightfully yours. When you sin, run to God and allow Him to cleanse you.
"Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven" (Psalms 85:11). Send the truth of your sin up to God, and His righteousness will rain down upon you!
"Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it" (Isaiah 45:8).
Larry Chkoreff - January, 2002
Chapter 10 - Feedback
The Cross
Righteousness
What stood out to you in reading this chapter?
List some areas in your life where you have struggled with the results of not "feeling righteous."
How can you help others realize their true righteousness in Christ rather than self-righteousness and/or condemnation before God? List some changes you can make in the way you treat others that may have been making them feel unrighteous.
List the questions you might have for this chapter, and/or difficulties you may have regarding the above questioning statements.
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 11
The Cross
Propitiation
The Unveiling of God's character.
Propitiation, according to The American Heritage Dictionary, means to "conciliate (an offended power); to appease wrath." The Bible clearly states that God is love, yet God has wrath that must be appeased. How do these two apparent opposites become reconciled?
In the Garden of Eden as recorded in Genesis chapter 3, God did two things that I would like to mention in reaction to the sin of Adam and Eve. First He informed them that they had come under a curse (as He also did to Satan) and had lost the blessing of being connected to Him, and second He made coats of skin and clothed them. These acts of wrath and kindness taken together can tend to confuse man's view of God's nature.
I hear so many people in the world, in their effort to indict God's nature, and/or to prove that there is no God, say, "If God is good, then why is all this evil coming onto mankind?" Even many Christians do not understand this.
Forgiveness and freedom from fear is what I believe will be the result of studying this chapter. I believe that by the time you meditate on this chapter, you will be set free from fear. Adam never feared God until after he sinned. If he had run to God after that, he would have found a loving Heavenly Father prepared to restore. Think about God's character demonstrated by His killing an animal for Adam's sin as an act of propitiation.
There are two common misconceptions about God's character.
The first is, "God is love, therefore He excuses sin. He understands that we are not perfect. After all, how can He expect us to be like Him? We are just mere humans. Therefore He must excuse my sins, and allow me to live my life the best I can." The problem with excusing your sins is that it does not remove them. If they are not removed they will bring death to you, death in one form or another. Only forgiveness removes them, and forgiveness requires a substitute victim on which to put your sin. Liberal religions of many types have been created by this doctrine.
The penalty for being disconnected and being independent from God is death. God cannot revoke the death penalty. A life must be given. Sin is serious! Some compare sin to running a traffic light and being caught, therefore someone must pay the penalty. That is a very weak example. The essence of sin is acting independently and therefore being cut off from your life source. It would be like a flower jumping out of the ground and dying. It cannot pay the fine, it has to be reconnected to the ground, it's life source. So we too must be reconnected to God. The wrath of God is kindled against sin!
The second one is, "God is a God of wrath. He is mad because of sin in the world. He will get even with those sinners who reject Him." This radical view distorts the character of God and leaves out his true character, which is love. There are also religions based upon this idea. The problem is most people do not know the true definition of love, which is another way of saying they do not understand the true character of God.
Some people take one aspect of His personality and leave out the other. They are trying to figure God out from their own experience or from their own intellect or through some religion. We need to see Him. We need a view of God that mere humans cannot receive without the supernatural revelation of the Holy Spirit. Right now I pray over every reader that God would open the eyes of your understanding and give you supernatural revelation according to Ephesians 1:17 which says, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Ephesians 1:17).
We are made in God's image, God does not take on our image. God made man in His image to be righteous and holy under His authority and to live by God's Word rather than man's intellect. We need to erase our misconceptions and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God's character to us.
Without wrath, a law cannot accomplish its intended good.
God is a God of mercy and judgement. Actually they are not contrary to one another, in fact one cannot exist without the other. The are interdependent.
God set up the universe and man to operate under laws. The law of gravity is one example. If someone abused the law of gravity, they would feel the wrath of that law. But if they for some reason would not feel the wrath of gravity, neither would gravity be capable of its intended good, keeping us planted on Earth without floating around. Hebrews 1:3 states that God upholds all things by His Word. If His Word fails then the entire creation would fail and most likely implode. Therefore God must maintain His laws with justice and judgement. If we have laws prohibiting murder, our government must prosecute those who break that law and bring them to justice. In the same way, the breaking of God's laws must be prosecuted, otherwise we could not exist. Therefore God cannot wink at sin, nor at the man who sins. He cannot simply excuse sin or unrighteouness. If He did, His Word and His laws would fail.
God must be consistent to be God. He cannot change His emotions with the way He just happens to feel today. How would you like serving a god like the Greeks created? Many of them were sexually immoral, selfish, manipulative and they became angry at their own will. They were totally unpredictable. If God were like that, you could not trust in His Word. Our God is the ultimate in morality and holiness. He is truth, He is perfect, He is just, He cannot lie, therefore His laws can uphold everything, including His Word upon which we may therefore trust. He set His laws in order, and those who transgress them step into His wrath.
God does indeed have wrath. A judge who sentences a murderer is exercising the wrath of the government against the murderer. He is appeasing the wrath of the people by prosecuting the offender. However God's wrath is not like man's wrath. His wrath is not impetuous and emotionally charged as man's is. He does not "fly off the handle" in a moment of anger and hit something or kick a door down because of some fleeting emotion. God is constant, He is patient and He is deliberate.
In the Old Testament many of the Scriptures having to do with God's wrath is a result of His people following strange gods. "Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass" (2 Chronicles 24:18).
In the Book of Romans Paul writes about the wrath of God being kindled against those who traded the truth for a lie in order that they could satisfy their own lustful lifestyles. Then it says, "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions" (reference Romans 1:18-26).
Notice the word propitiation in the above Scripture. That word seems to be the bridge between God's wrath and His forbearance. Remember the definition of propitiation is, "To conciliate (an offended power); appease." Appease means "To pacify or attempt to pacify (an enemy) by granting concessions, often at the expense of principle." Notice the secular definition for appease includes "the expense of principle." The one overwhelmed by a stronger enemy must compromise his principles and make concessions just to survive. The weaker one must compromise. Since it is God who is offended by our sin, it is therefore us who must compromise. We must see the fact that we are candidates for destruction if God's wrath against us is not appeased. We were enemies with God. He caught us, and we surrendered to His terms of peace. We need to compromise our former principles and accept His terms. We are not the judge, God is! There must be propitiation in order to appease His wrath.
How is the wrath of God expressed?
The above Scripture infers that the wrath of God against men may be sort of passive. In other words, God gave them over to their own desires, and their own desires brought great punishment and wrath upon them.
While that is a frightening idea, the Scriptures go on to say in Romans 3:23-25 (AMP) "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a [mercy seat and] propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed [because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins]."
While I do not limit God to this answer, I believe that God's wrath towards man is primarily experienced in the form of a curse. I do not think that God sits around in fits of anger expressing His wrath. However, concerning God's wrath towards His spiritual enemies, I believe we can get some insights from Isaiah 30:30-32. That tells about God using His arm against His enemies. It infers that His Word is His arm, and it further indicates that praise is part of His menacing arm against His enemies. I have studied the Hebrew roots of the word "arm" and it indicates that it means the Word of God planted in a human heart. God's Word expresses His wrath against His spiritual enemies. That is why it is so important for us as believers to confess God's Word in prayer.
Satan was cursed in the Garden of Eden, and he has no remedy. Adam and Eve came under a curse when they sinned. Unbelievers may be relieved from the curse of eternal damnation by believing in the Lord Jesus. Believers are released from the very worst curse, the curse of eternal death, but they may still have some overcoming in order to be released from other curses affecting their lives. This will be the subject of the next chapter, and indeed is one of the major themes of this entire book. Hang on to this thought, that for the most part, the wrath of God is experienced by humans who refuse to appropriate God's remedy for the curse upon mankind. Humans are allowed to go their own way, ignoring God and His love, and therefore walk right into God's wrath. It is like walking in front of a speeding truck.
The following story about Moses seeing God's glory begins to reveal this idea about God's wrath coming through the curse.
God revealed His character little by little throughout the Bible.
God knew He had left many unanswered questions in the minds of His people. But He took His time revealing Himself little by little as history unfolded.
We already saw a paradox in God's character in the Garden of Eden. Next let us examine a similar paradox witnessed by Moses.
The scene is the Israelites being led by Moses in the desert wilderness after having fled their slavery in Egypt. Moses had several face to face encounters with the Lord. Now God was instructing him to take the people into the Promised Land, and Moses had some serious questions.
"Then Moses said to the LORD, 'See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.' Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people" (Exodus 33:12,13).
Moses was saying, "You said that You know me, now I want to know You!" In verse 33:17 the Lord in effect said "OK." Moses responded, "And he said, 'Please, show me Your glory" (Exodus 33:18).
Glory, or to glorify is a word that means to reveal the true character. It is like a statue that is being unveiled for the first time. When the cloth veil is removed, the true character is revealed.
The Lord agreed to reveal Himself to Moses, to a degree. He told Moses that he should hide in the cleft of a rock, and that when He passed by He would cover him with His hand. God told Moses, "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:23). Notice God could not allow Moses to come too close to His glory, lest Moses would be destroyed.
When the Lord passed by something very unusual happened. "Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.' So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped" (Exodus 34:5-8).
God spoke some things to Moses that I am sure Moses did not completely understand. He said two things that did not seem to line up with one another.
1."The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…"
2."…by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."
This is a clear referral to the passing down of a curse via family generations. It is also an indication of God's wrath. The word iniquity infers generational sin.
Was God revealing Himself as a God of love, or a God of wrath? Or both?
This is a paradox! How could God be merciful and forgive sin, and still be just and not clear the guilty, but rather pass on the generational curses down three to four generations? All Moses could do after that encounter was to worship! Now hang on to that paradox because we are going to resolve it.
Jesus began to reveal Himself in the New Testament. In John 1:1-2,14, the writers reveal that Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus was clear about this, He did not waver from this revelation. He told the Jews as recorded in John chapter 8, "Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'" These Scriptures are awesome, yet they fall short of the entire revelation of who God is.
When Jesus walked the earth He revealed the love and character of God to a great extent. He healed the blind, cleansed the lepers, forgave the adulterer, raised the dead, and gave preference to the victims instead of the proud religious leaders. Jesus did indeed reveal God and His fatherhood in a way that most people had never known. A God of love was a new thing to most people in that day. Yet during Jesus' time in ministry He still did not resolve the paradox of mercy verses wrath.
Just before His crucifixion Jesus began to talk about His unveiling. He said, "But Jesus answered them, saying, 'The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified [revealed]. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain'" (John 12:23,24).
He said, "I have made your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very Self, and I will continue to make You known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them [felt in their hears] and that I Myself may be in them" (John 17:26 Amplified Bible). Also read John 13:30-32 and John 17:1,2.
Jesus knew that God's character could not be fully made known to man until He went to the Cross. It seems like He could not wait for this revelation to be made to mankind. I suppose even the angels could not understand what was happening as they heard Jesus talk about the Cross. Perhaps they were even poised to go to rescue Him when He went to the Cross. The victory at the Cross was a mystery hidden, yet a mystery that God wanted mankind to discover.
The veil was removed at the Cross, His true nature was finally revealed.
Yet most still had no idea what was going on, and none had any idea of the full impact.
When Jesus was glorified on the Cross, think about what some people said if they had been allowed to watch the veil being lifted from His hidden character.
Perhaps if Adam had been allowed to watch he would have said, "Oh, so that is who that animal was that God killed in the Garden for Eve and me."
Perhaps Abraham and Isaac would have said, "Oh, that is who that lamb was that was caught in the thicket just in time."
Maybe the Hebrew children would have said, "That paschal lamb that our dad killed that saved us from being killed, that was Jesus!"
The bronze artesian who, as told in Number 21, crafted the snake for the pole which saved the people from dying, probably would have said, "I had no idea that Jesus was that serpent!"
Moses would have said, "I had no idea that those animals killed in the outer court at the Bronze Altar of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, were actually Jesus, the Messiah!"
While most of the people who saw the crucifixion could not comprehend the significance of this unveiling, we have the privilege now of, through the Holy Spirit, seeing the astounding revelation.
The paradox is resolved! The entire wrath of God was put on Jesus. Jesus was crucified! Yet He was without sin. All of the consequence of sin and generational curses, the entire wrath of God was put on Jesus at the Cross. This is how God remains true to His character revealed in Exodus 34. He is merciful and compassionate, yet He cannot clear the guilty. But He did clear the guilty by putting his entire wrath on His Son Jesus. The Lord is merciful and forgives iniquity by means of putting the penalty of the iniquity on Jesus. That was an act of ultimate love! Can you trust the One that died for you?
The veil is lifted. Jesus is the Lamb of God!
It pleased God to bruise Jesus with His wrath because of His great love for us. "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand" (Isaiah 53:10).
God turned His back on Jesus and forsook Him. It was kind of a passive wrath. Jesus was shamed, He experienced abuse of all types (being hung naked on a cross is sexual abuse), He was executed as a criminal, and He became a curse for us, and suffered for all curses for every person ever to be created. Jesus experienced the consequences for every single type of curse and sin that human beings can endure, even yours! Notice in the following Scriptures that God took out his anger and appeased His wrath on Jesus. "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2). "and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Romans 5:9).
A great picture of propitiation in the Bible is in Numbers Chapter 21. The people spoke against God and Moses and grumbled about their conditions. This must have been a serious crime in the mind of God. The Bible said He "sent" fiery serpents and many people died. Usually a verb of this nature is in the permission sense, and it can be more accurately translated, "The Lord allowed fiery serpents." When Moses pleaded for his people, God gave him a remedy.
"Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, 'We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.' So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live'" (Numbers 21:7,8).
The serpent on the pole was a picture of Jesus being made sin for our sin. As Jesus was explaining the mystery of who He was to Nicodemus, He used that example. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (John 3:14). "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
You have been set free from fear by God's love and His propitiation.
It may seem like bad things are coming into your life, perhaps things that are the residual of sin and the curse. Perhaps it seems like Jesus missed you when it came to appeasing God's wrath for you. You might ask, "If Jesus took my wrath, my curse and my sin, then why is this all happening to me?" Sometimes glib answers seem like they lack compassion, but when I am in this position, most of the time I am in the overcoming process. The facts are true, that thing may be bad, but the facts of the Word are of a higher truth. Jesus bore everything, period! Now stand on that and walk the overcoming lifestyle.
If you do not need to fear God's wrath because it was appeased on Jesus, then there is only one other person that can produce fear, and that is Satan. Fear is a spirit, which means it is a being. However, 1 John 4:4 says, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Also, Hebrews 2:14-15 says that Jesus came to destroy Satan's power of death, and our fear of death. If death is the worse thing that can happen, and Jesus already took, by propitiation the fear and pains of death, you will waste your time fearing anything less than death as well.
Propitiation diverts the curse due to you, and puts it on Jesus. Propitiation secures your position against fear; propitiation was an act of love. It is an ultimate act of love. Love removes the cause of evil, love removes sin, curses, and their consequences. That is why perfect love casts out fear. If you know that God appeased His wrath, His curse on Jesus, then you know that you are forgiven, and you do not need to fear.
1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." Romans 8:15 says, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'
I have attempted to will, by my own will, to not fear, but it does not work. It may be a good start, but it takes more than your will. The end result of such a good start may be just suppressing the fear, and as we know, it will pop up again, probably in a more harmful form.
When you sense fear you must run to God and confess it as sin. Then go to His Word and His perfect love will cast it out, and you will be cleansed from all unrighteousness (reference 1 John 1:9).
Forgiveness.
To recap, sin brings God's wrath. God's wrath is expressed by the curse, which comes on mankind (as well as Satan). The curse is the cause of all evil. If God's wrath is appeased on Jesus, then the curse and all of the evil can no longer harm you.
If sin is what curses us, if sin is what keeps us separated from God, if sin is what causes pain and suffering, then sin cannot just be excused, it must be removed. Forgive is a word that means to cut away, to remove. Propitiation removes our sins from us, together with their consequences and curses, and puts them on Jesus. If we understand forgiveness as that act which removes the source of bad and evil, and if we understand that we are absolutely forgiven, then the fear of bad and evil is removed. When you think about being forgiven, think of it in terms of having everything removed that can cause evil and harm to you. Too many people just think of forgiveness as kind of excusing our sin. No, it is much more powerful than that, it removes the very source of the curse that can harm you!
Try reading the Old Testament with this in mind.
Every time you see God being harsh with people or sending judgement on people, and you have a hard time understanding how a loving God can be that mean, put Jesus in the place of that person!
The entire wrath, the entire curse, due us was appeased on Jesus. God's wrath was so fully appeased when it was put on Jesus, that now mere man cannot only stand in His presence, but God can actually abide inside of man. That is close!
Here is a picture of true forgiveness, and the mystery of propitiation.
Remember, whatever comes into your life, if you appropriate God's propitiation, all of the curse in it will go on Jesus, and you will be blessed!
I am thankful that God's wrath was appeased, but what about your wrath?
The dictionary definition of wrath is: 1. Forceful, often vindictive anger. 2a. Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger. b. Divine retribution for sin.
God is not the only person who has had to deal with wrath. We as humans and even as believers need to deal with wrath. Wrath may rise up when we are wronged, misunderstood and slandered. This may even come from a close friend, a fellow believer, a spouse or a parent or child. The closer the relationship the more anger can be felt. There may be a multitude of injustices that just do not seem to be resolved. Perhaps someone abused you and they have seemed to get away with it. Maybe you lost a loved one in an auto accident that involved a drunk driver. Perhaps someone has framed you and you lost your job.
I am not suggesting that we always feel vindictive anger and wish to punish the offending person, but often we do want at least some form of justice and truth to prevail. I believe that sometimes other people accuse un-righteously because they are influenced by demons. God is truth; Satan is the father of lies. "All day they twist my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil" (Psalms 56:5).
Jesus was judged by lies by demon influenced people. David was continually asking God for help from those who betrayed him, often from people who were his trusted friends.
Remember our original definition of propitiation, "conciliate (an offended power); to appease wrath," When we forgive, we place the sin of the offender on Jesus and our wrath is appeased on Him. He suffered the sin instead of you. He took not only the sin you perpetrated, but He took the sin perpetrated against you.
Appeasement of anger is an act of forgiveness flowing from you as well.
Unforgiveness on your part will result in fear overtaking your life.
Not understanding God's forgiveness towards you will allow fear to operate in your life, but so will unforgiveness operating in you towards others have the same result. You will involuntary live in fear, and faith will be impossible.
1 John 2:9-11 reveals this; "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." Darkness causes fear. Darkness keeps you from seeing God's Word which causes faith to rise.
Many people know that they must forgive others, but they never feel as thought their anger has been fully appeased. Out of obedience, they simply say that they are forgiving, but really they are burying their anger.
If you are having a difficult time forgiving the person who abused you as a child, or the one who abandoned you, or perhaps a murderer who took the life of a loved one, think of this example that I received from one of my favorite ministers. He said, "Do you know what Jesus thinks about that one who abused you, or that one who hurt you? He hates that sin so much…" then the minister clenched his left fist as if to swing it in anger at the offender and he said, "that He destroyed His own Son instead of the person who abused you." Then the minister turned his arm to his right side as if to change targets and swung his fist as if swinging at Jesus on the Cross. The full wrath of God was put on Jesus on behalf of all mankind! But Satan look out, you haven't seen anything yet!
Ever since then when I forgive someone I consciously says, "God, I take the sin off of him or her and I put it on Jesus, who will also take the consequences."
While the short-term answer is to forgive, there may be a lingering of the injustice that you feel. Not everything in your life will be judged by truth and in God's light while you are living on earth. There is a saying that says, "It's not over until it's over." We all have to go on with forgiveness knowing that some day God will bring all things to the light and judge in truth. I think the following Scripture is one example that God will vindicate us eventually. "Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" (Revelation 3:9). If the "boss" approves of you, what difference does it make if the other employees hate you? Just make sure you are in good standing with the "boss" with Jesus, and you may rest in the truth that eventually everything will be all right.
Amazing love, how can it be, that you My King should die for me?
If you are not sure that you are a believer in Jesus Christ and can therefore enjoy the benefits of His propitiation, pray this now:
"Oh God, I believe that you sent Jesus, your Son, to be the propitiation for my sin. I believe He was crucified, died, was resurrected, and is now alive. I now give the rest of my life to the kingship of Jesus. Jesus, rule my life.
Chapter 11 - Feedback
The Cross
Propitiation
What stood out to you in reading this chapter?
List some areas in your life for which you need for the wrath of God to be transferred to Jesus.
List some areas in your life where your wrath towards another must be put on Jesus.
List the questions you might have for this chapter, and/or difficulties you may have regarding the above questioning statements.
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 12
The Cross
Blessings and Curses
I believe that a major theme of the Bible is turning curses into blessings. The curse was pronounced in Genesis, and the end of the curse is in Revelation. I also believe that often the process of removing curses is "overcoming."
Deutoronomy Chapter 28 is a good place to study curses and blessings.
A curse is the opposite of a blessing. A blessing is some type of prosperity that is the result of good and positive words or deeds. A curse is some type of failure caused or propagated by wicked or negative words or deeds. In Deuteronomy 28 Moses lists the blessings if one obeys the commandments of God and the curses if one does not obey the commandments of God.
Exodus 34:5-8 says that curses are passed down to future generations. "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation" (Exodus 34:7).
God's original purpose was for us to have blessings passed down to future generations, which would have resulted from man's free will in right relationship to Him. However justice demands that if blessings can be passed down so must curses be passed down.
Curses and blessings are subject to the law of sowing and reaping. If your grandfather sowed the sin of anger and rage, you and/or your children may be in line for far more anger and rage than your grandfather ever committed. He sowed the seed, however the fruit is always more abundant that the seed. If you do a little drinking of alcohol, don't be surprised if your children or grandchildren are plagued with substance addictions including substances more dangerous than alcohol. We have overcome physical infirmities that have been experienced by our ancestors. While we have no idea how these originated, we do know that they were passed down. However, with our overcoming we know that our children and their children will never have to suffer with these issues. That "generation has passed away."
When Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place" Matthew 24:34), I believe He was not only talking about the end of the world, but He also was referring to the generational curse in your individual life. In Matthew 24 He was talking about all kinds of tragedies taking place as a prelude to the curse being overcome. That process is overcoming.
In his book titled Blessing or Curse Derek Prince defines some of the affects of a curse. "…you, too, may have tasted success. You do indeed know the sweetness of it-but it never lasts! Suddenly, for no reason you can explain, you are dissatisfied. Depression settles over you like a cloud. All your achievements seem so insubstantial. You look at others who appear content in similar circumstances, and you ask yourself, 'What's wrong with me? Why don't I ever experience real fulfillment?'" "Wrestling against shadows" is one of the phrases he uses.
In my experience, when I experienced the effects of a curse, whether it was a product of my own doing or something that was passed down through the generations, my self-esteem level was at zero. I was made to feel like there was something terribly wrong with me, and I experienced great despair and hopelessness. I want to add that this was during a time when I had a very intense relationship with the Lord.
People can react to this in difference ways. Some just sink down under the weight of despair and give up, others become performance oriented and seek to establish their own self esteem based upon their works. I never gave up but rather gained relief on a daily basis by fellowshipping with the Lord in His Word. I can remember the Lord teaching me during that time about curses and blessings, and about me. Eventually God gave me my self-esteem based upon having my identity in Him. Looking back, I think that the inner healing came before the actual curse was overcome and before circumstances started looking brighter. I entreat you now, be honest with God. Let Him know if there are areas in your life like this. It will be the beginning of your freedom. The truth will always make you free!
Jesus encountered several people who were bound with infirmities and/or demons that apparently were generational in nature.
In Mark chapter 9:17-29 Jesus cast a demon out of a young man who had been demon possessed from his childhood. The disciples could not cast out this demon, and after Jesus did the job they asked Him about it. "So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). Apparently there were some issues that had to be dealt with besides the fact that a demon was present.
We need to see Jesus' heart in dealing with generational spiritual bondages. First, He wants us free. Next, He is sovereign and often takes the initiative. Also, He heals us without condemnation. I am not saying that we will not be uncomfortable, or that God will not confront us with some tough issues and tough disciplines, but He does not condemn. The Holy Spirit does convict, and we need to be mature and honest enough to allow Him to do so.
In John chapter 9 Jesus was walking with His disciples and He noticed a man blind from his birth. How did He know the man was blind from birth? Who knows? Perhaps it was a word of knowledge, maybe God had spoken to Him in prayer the night before. This man was not seeking healing, Jesus sought him out of a crowd.
John 9:2 says, "And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" They thought that infirmities were due to sin, perhaps the sin of the parents, perhaps a deeper generational curse as Moses had discovered. Jesus answered the question in a way that I believe the Amplified version states the best. "Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him" (John 9:3 AMP).
Obviously all have sinned, including this man and his parents. The point was, that Jesus saw a higher purpose in the infirmity and knew that focusing on whose sin caused it would not be merciful, nor would it produce a cure. I believe Jesus was teaching that our "junk," viewed from God's perspective, was nothing more than raw material for "jewels."
So it is with our generational curses. I believe that Jesus has fasted and prayed, and that He comes to us with His power and converts our curses to blessings. What I want to impart here is first, the knowledge of the subject, and second, how we can cooperate with God's effort to free us.
Your purpose in life may never be realized if curses are not dealt with.
Many years ago I was taking an extended walk with the Lord. In a moment of feeling that I wanted to totally consecrate myself to Him I said, "Lord, write your purpose on the tablet of my heart by the pen of the Word dipped into the ink of Holy Spirit." I just wanted whatever God wanted for my life, no more, no less.
I could see some sort of canvas inside of me with the Lord writing His plan on it for my life. "Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart" (Proverbs 7:2,3).
The Lord responded, "I don't have to write; the plan for your life was written on your heart before the foundation of the world. The counterfeiter has stolen your canvas and has painted his plan on it, covering up My plan. What needs to be done now is to scrape away the counterfeit paint."
The Lord knew that I had met an artist one time that would steal beautiful paintings from galleries, not for their art beauty, but just for the value of the canvas. He would then paint his work over the original. This is the picture I saw.
I believe that God has a beautiful purpose for you, here on earth, one that will satisfy you beyond your greatest dreams, dreams that you may have never dreamed, but that are locked up inside of you (Ephesians 3:20).
I also believe that much of the counterfeit paint consists of old sin and especially generational curses, including things that happened to you when you were young, and things that happened to your forefathers before you were born. I can tell you two things from my experience. First, God has been taking me into my purpose, and is still working it out. Second, it has not been easy; it has taken "overcoming" at every step of the way. But nothing in life is easy, so why not go for the "gold."
Abandonment is the requirement.
Abandonment is believing and trusting. It is faith, and it really gets God's attention. If you do not live in total abandonment to God, most likely you will have many regrets when you see Jesus face to face. When you abandon yourself in faith to Jesus, you set Him free to accomplish His purpose for your life. You have to make room for Him or He will not operate. I believe that when God sees our abandonment, He will begin your journey to turn your curses to blessings.
Here are some facts about generational curses extracted (in part) from the book Blessing or Curse.
1. The penalty for sin is the curse. The curse of eternal separation is the ultimate curse. If that has been settled, what about those of a lesser penalty? If He annulled death, He also annulled your curse.
2. A curse or a blessing is a supernatural power for good or for bad. Deuteronomy 28:21 says they cling, verse 29 says none can save.
3. Curses and blessings can be generational, passed down. They can be on families, nations, races, and regions.
4. Curses are usually propagated by words spoken, written or inward or by objects.
5. Curses are like a long arm from the past. Wrestling against shadows.
6. The primary cause of a curse is not hearing and obeying God, Deuteronomy 28.
Some indications of a curse.
I do not believe that all of the following conditions always have to do with a curse, but they certainly make up a checklist to look into. Please do not take all of these as absolute indications that there is a curse operating in your life. I have seen exceptions. These outlines are taken (in part) from the book Blessing or Curse by Derek Prince, referred to above.
1. Mental or emotional breakdown.
2. Repeated or chronic sicknesses, especially if hereditary.
3. Barrenness, and/or a tendency to miscarry, or related female problems.
4. Breakdown of marriage and family alienation.
5. Continuing financial insufficiency.
6. Being accident prone.
7. A history of suicides and unnatural deaths.
8. Rebellion.
9. Demon activity.
10. Continuing failure, and the inability to succeed.
11. Inordinate sexual orientation.
12. Substance abuse such as alcohol and drugs.
13. Inordinate eating habits.
14. Other addictions.
If you feel that some of these may apply to you, don't feel condemned, just convicted enough to be honest. I have been delivered from many curses. The problem is that many people do not wish to agree with God about their condition, therefore they cannot be delivered. Allow Jesus to take your curse and your sin. He already did, now just appropriate it. Be honest with Him! It may be less painful to avoid the truth, but you will stay in bondage.
Some sources of curses.
Deuteronomy 27:17 says the person that moves the boundaries is cursed. God gave us boundaries, and when we transgress them, we are cursed.
1. False Gods, Exodus 20:3-5.
2. Idolatry (occult), Deuteronomy 27:15.
3. Disrespect for parents, Proverb 30:17.
4. Treachery…neighbor, Proverb 17:13.
5. Injustice to the weak and poor, Proverb 28:27.
6. Unnatural sex/incest, Leviticus 20:10-16.
7. Anti-Semitism, Genesis 12:3, 27:29.
8. Depending on the flesh, Jerimiah 17:5-7.
9. Stealing/perjury, Zechariah 5:1-4.
10. Stinginess, Malachi 3:8-10.
11. Perverting the true Gospel, Galatians 1:8-9.
12. Self-imposed (speaking negative words, and/or personal sin) Genesis 27:11-13, Matthew 27:24-25.
13. Servants of Satan, others cursing you like Balaam and Goliath. Numbers 22:6, 23:11-13, 1 Sam. 17:43.
14. Deuteronomy 28:15 says that if we do not obey His commands, all these curses will come upon us. God continues to command us to "fear not." Fear, which is born out of an ignorance of God's great love for us, can bring curses. Fear can be the spirit connector to the curse.
Meeting the Conditions for breaking the curse.
A curse cannot attach itself without a cause. "Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight" (Proverbs 26:2).
The way to make every curse without a cause is to cooperate in its transfer to Jesus, who bore it for us, and to hear and obey the Word of God. When we miss it, we confess our sin and we come back into right standing and obedience. (1 John 1:9).
Removal of the curse was a promise to Israel.
We, the church, are reaping the benefits of the New Covenant ahead of time. Natural Israel will also enter into the New Covenant as told by Jerimiah. Jerimiah describes the promise in Jeremiah 31:29-34. However verses 29-30 gives a great picture that I urge you to keep in your mind and spirit. "In those days they shall say no more: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge.' But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge" (Jeremiah 31:29,30).
Jesus was the fulfillment of this promise. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')" (Galatians 3:13).
Jesus took Barabbas' curse and yours as well.
Matthew 27:16 says that Barabbas was a notorious prisoner. There were three crosses on Golgotha. The two on either side were made for criminals. Was the middle cross made for, Jesus? No, It was made for Barabbas. Jesus took his place. Isaiah 53 says that Jesus took our place.
Isaiah 53:4-6 says, "Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
The steps for becoming free from a curse are:
1. Confess your faith in the finished work of the Cross, that Jesus took every curse that could come on you. Lift up Jesus, as the Israelites lifted up the snake on the brass pole (Numbers 21). Place the reaping of the consequences of sin, perhaps that of your forefathers or even your own, on the Cross.
2. Confess your faith that Jesus is the Son of God, the only way to God, and that He died on the Cross and rose again.
3. Repentance is a powerful way to deal with curses. Repent from all rebellion and sin, and submit to Jesus as Lord. This may include your personal repentance as well as corporate repentance for your family or whoever is affected by this curse. In the case of our children, we should repent for them, and for our forefathers who may have passed this curse down as well as for ourselves, Look back at your forefathers' sins and forgive them. Then put the fruit of those sins on the Cross of Jesus who bore their fruit. Look at yourself and ask God to forgive you. Then look forward and ask God to forgive your children and pray to put the fruit of generational curses on Jesus instead of on them. Repentance in this manner is powerful. My wife and I can testify to that. We have seen supernatural blessings occur in this area.
4. Claim forgiveness for all of your sins, especially for the sins that exposed you to a curse. Ask for release from consequences of your ancestor's sins.
5. Forgive others who have wronged you or disappointed you.
6. Renounce all contact with anything occult or satanic, including objects that represent them.
Overcoming a curse may come immediately or it may take some time.
Often it takes a period of time to become totally loosed from the affects of a curse. With some it is immediate, with me it has more often required a lengthy process. I am not trying to bottle up God in a formula. He can work any way He wills. I am just giving you what my experience has been and how it has lined up with Scripture. We have seen victory and overcoming when we have lived out the overcoming lifestyle as I have explained. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11). We have also seen immediate manifestations of the path of healing and deliverance when we identified the problem and confessed our sin with repentance. Our job is to be honest and repent, God has the plan and the path customized for your life.
Pull the chain around the tree.
I heard someone from Derek Prince ministries tell a wonderful way to stand once we meet the conditions. He used the analogy of a giant Redwood tree. Sometimes they do not simply saw them down. Instead they will wrap a chain around the huge trunk and tighten it with a winch. Every so often they come and tighten up a few more notches. The tree is dead once this happens, yet it still has great foliage on it. Every so often the workmen come back and tighten the chain, more and more, until the manifestation of the death is obvious. When we meet the conditions as stated above, our curse is also dead, but it may still have fruit and foliage. Just continue to tighten up your chain by living the overcoming lifestyle!
That is what we are doing as we position ourselves to be free from curses in our lives. We have strapped down the chain. Now simply tighten it by living the overcoming lifestyle. Remember to "keep your garden clean," or in other words, walk a life worthy of the Lord as in Ephesians 4:1. Stay out of strife and live your life in love and forgiveness.
Suggested prayers.
Scriptural basis: "Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that on the cross you took every curse that could come on me."
Faith in Christ: "You are the Son of God, the only way to God; you died on the cross and rose again."
Repentance: "I give up all rebellion and sin, and I submit to you as Lord and Master."
Claim forgiveness: "I confess all my sins and ask your forgiveness, especially for sins that exposed me to a curse. Release me also from consequences of my ancestors' sins."
Forgive: "By a decision of my will, I forgive all who have wronged or disappointed me--just as I want God to forgive me."
Renounce: "I renounce all contact with anything occult or satanic. If I have "contact objects" I commit myself to destroy them. I cancel all Satan's claims against me." (See pp. 68-71 of Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose for list of occult practices. See pp. 121-124 of They Shall Expel Demons for five signs of a cult.)
Release: "I ask you now to release me from every curse over my life. In your Name, Jesus, I release myself.
Now receive the exchange.
Blessings Curses
Exaltation Humiliation
Reproductiveness Barrenness
Health Sickness of all kinds
Prosperity Poverty or failure
Victory Defeat
Authority (head) Helplessness (tail)
Above (strength) Beneath (weakness)
Here is the point to remember. God's solution for us is to see and believe.
There is a spiritual reality behind everything in the natural realm. The spiritual and invisible world is all around us but we cannot see it with our natural eyes. It is upholding everything that we can see with our eyes. Paul prayed in Ephesians chapter 1 that the people would have eyes to see the spiritual world. Ephesians 1:17,18 says, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." When we see the truth of the spiritual world, we will know the truth and we will be free, as Jesus said in John chapter 8.
Paul's prayer is that you and I may see the riches of the glory that is our inheritance. What is this glory? Colossians 1:27 says, "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." The glory, the blessing is, Christ in you! You, the old person that is subject to curses, have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), however the new man, Christ in you, is now living. And guess what, Christ in you cannot be subject to curses!
We must see the good and the bad.
First you see the positive, that you were born again with the resurrected Christ who is now living in you, and who is not subject to being under a curse. Christ is not merely your example for living, He is not just somebody out there in Heaven helping you, but He has become your substitute, living His life in you instead of you living your old life.
Then you see the negative. God, in His mercy, will help you to see yourself. As you stay close to God and spend time with Him in prayer and the Word, the Holy Spirit will convict you of strongholds, habits, and attitudes that are not Christlike. Use this reason: if Christ is living in me, then what is this in me that is not Christlike? This conviction is a gift of repentance from God. As you feel and sense bitterness, anger, jealousy, lust, etc., immediately bring it to Him as sin. Ask God to show you from where this originated. Open all of the doors of your heart and allow God to come into the closed areas of your life. Only He can heal them. Daniel was not harmed in the lions den because, as the Scripture says, he was innocent with God. The Hebrew word for innocent is transparent - Daniel 6:21.
In years past before I knew much at all about curses and blessings, God was releasing me from curses through my simple honesty and transparency with Him. I would continually look into the Word as a mirror and allow it to read me. Then I would confess all things in me that did not look like Jesus. This is really what you need to be free!
The fact that curses are attempting to overtake you is based upon a lie!
If Christ lives in you, then the issue of curses hurting you is legally settled. However now you must possess that truth for yourself by seeing and believing. You must continue to see what is going on in the spiritual realm and affirming the truth of what you see. That is the only way to make it, because some curses don't just release the next day. Some demonic strongholds don't just go away like a scared dog. It may take patience and a lot of time affirming and testifying to the truth of the Cross. At the same time you must live a holy life, in other words an honest life, so that your testimony is effective with God and with Satan. It may take some time for your mind to become renewed or the genetic factors to change, but as you continue to see and believe you are overcoming.
Seeing is your God given heritage as a child of God "But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9,10).
Remember our previous statements regarding curses.
While they are not desirable in our lives, they can be the raw material for "jewels" for the Kingdom of God. Remember the theme of the Book of Revelation. We saw Jesus at God's throne holding our Scroll with our curses recorded therein. After the process in Revelation, we see in its final chapters jewels making up God's Kingdom.
On the Cross Jesus was cursed. In Hell He was cursed. But God spoke resurrection life into Him and He is now King! That same resurrection life spoken to you will also transform you and your life.
Prince, Derek. Blessing or Curse. Grand Rapids, MI:: Chosen Books, 1990
Prince, Derek. They Shall Expel Demons. Grand Rapids, MI:: Chosen Books, 1998
Chapter 12 - Feedback
Blessings and Curses.
List some areas in your life that you sense may be the subject of a curse.
List some practical ways you can cooperate with God to overcome these curses and turn them into blessings.
List the questions you might have for this chapter, and/or difficulties you may have regarding the above questioning statements.
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Chapter 13
The Cross
Reconciliation- The Great Exchange
"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10).
The word reconcile means to change from enemy to friend. We were once enemies with God, but because of His exchange at the Cross we have become His friends. You might say, "I never did anything to be an enemy of God." It is not a matter of what you did. It was a matter of what race you belonged to. You were part of the race of Adam, the one who was disconnected from His Creator. You inherited this condition. I can also guarantee you that because you belonged to the wrong race that you did many things that made you God's enemy; you did sin. Perhaps you are one who knows that you have done deeds worthy to make you an enemy of God. Read on, this message is for you!
"Reconcile" is a powerful word. Strongs Concordance defines it "to bring back a former state of harmony." It is defined "to repair, to put back into working order, making peace between two opposing views or groups." "Reconcile" infers that changes have taken place, even exchanges.
When I reconcile my bank account, I exchange what the bank says is true about my bank account for what I had recorded and thought was the truth. When I adapt the bank's truth and adjust my records, my bank account is reconciled. We need to see the truth of the Word of God and what it says about God's attitude towards us, in order to enjoy reconciliation. If we continue to disregard what the bank says about our account that will not change the truth, it will only keep us from enjoying the benefits of it.
We, as humans and descendants of Adam, all have a need to be reconciled to God. His pattern was to be in close, intimate relationship with each of us. Sin has broken that relationship, and reconciliation was needed.
Why do you suppose it was God's plan to reconcile us to Him? I submit that the end goal for this and all of the other aspects of the Cross we have been writing about is friendship and intimacy with God. He desires to be close to you. He said in John 15 that we were His friends, not only His servants. That is a very foreign concept to many people, and is easy for even Christians to forget and to fail to nurture. Our "normal" position with God is intimacy.
We need to see God's heart when it comes to reconciliation.
Reconciliation on a human level is not adequate to use as an example of how God reconciles us to Him. Stories say more than doctrine. I would like to use the story told in the Book of Hosea, and show how that reveals God's heart when it comes to reconciliation.
Hosea was God's prophet to the Northern Kingdom sometimes referred to as Israel or Ephraim. The Southern Kingdom was called Judah. His ministry began just prior to 753 BC. Israel's spiritual condition at that time was at its worst. They had forgotten God. They were into greed and idolatry of all kinds, even Baal worship, which included gross sexual sin and pornography. Some of the things God spoke about them in their backslidden state were pretty bad.
Because there is no human example with which to compare God's love, I find this very difficult to write about; therefore I must simply allow the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to communicate with you at this time.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children" (Hosea 4:6).
"Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone" (Hosea 4:17).
"My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God" (Hosea 4:12).
"They do not direct their deeds Toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the LORD" (Hosea 5:4).
"When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound" (Hosea 5:13). This was an indictment that they had turned to the world for their help.
"They are all adulterers. Like an oven heated by a baker--He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough, Until it is leavened" (Hosea 7:4).
Here is where God's acts towards this horribly backslidden, adulterous people absolutely amazes me!
He appoints His prophet Hosea to speak to Israel through a prophetic act. Often God would go beyond having His prophets simply speak His message. Through a prophetic act He would convey a message so that the people would understand clearly what He was saying.
God told Hosea to marry Gomer, who was a harlot, and to have children by her. This act was symbolic that Israel was God's bride, and that she had slipped into spiritual adultery. I cannot think of anything as painful as this kind of treachery. I submit that it was extremely painful for God to see His loved one go into adultery with His worst enemy.
"When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea: 'Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of harlotry, For the land has committed great harlotry By departing from the LORD'" (Hosea 1:2).
Hosea and Gomer had three children, all of whom had prophetic names, which further demonstrated God's displeasure with His people.
I am not sure what happened in their relationship after that, some think that Gomer had left and had gone back to prostitution; it is not clear. But whatever happened, God spoke to Hosea a second time to purchase Gomer for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave. "Then the LORD said to me, 'Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.' So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley [totaling 30 pieces of silver]" (Hosea 3:1,2). By the way, this was the same price paid to Judas for the betrayal of Jesus.
God does not however give up on Israel, nor does He give up on us. God has faith in His own love. His love is what draws us, not His judgment. He sees that Israel will not be satisfied with their lifestyle, and He says in Hosea 2:7,8, "She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than now.' For she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, And multiplied her silver and gold--Which they prepared for Baal."
God knows that the process must include suffering, so He says, "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor [trouble, calamity] as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt" (Hosea 2:14,15).
Then God states his strategy to wait. "I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me" (Hosea 5:15). The love of God leads to repentance (Romans 2:4), but our repentance is a needed ingredient. When we compare our suffering to His love, the choice should become clear for us.
Hosea (I assume) prophetically says, "Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight [the third day being a prophetic picture of the resurrection]. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth." "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:1-3,6).
Now just attempt to imagine your capacity to love in this manner as God does and as Hosea demonstrated. It does not exist on the human level. Humans without God cannot love in this manner, nor can most even imagine it. I believe that there are many people who feel that they have done things that are beyond forgiveness. Others may feel like they must work with some sort of penance to earn their way to God, or back to God in some cases.
Read God's heart in this passage. "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror" (Hosea 11:8,9).
God is jealous over you! "THE SHULAMITE TO HER BELOVED Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame" (Song of Solomon 8:6). There is nothing so final as death or the grave. In the same way, there is nothing so final as God's love for you. If your heart is touched, now is the time to cry!
God is promising reconciliation with a harlot who at the present time does not really care much about Him at all. This is a one sided transaction. God is doing the reconciling, and Israel has little to do with it. It is the same with us. I have heard people describe God as "The Hound of Heaven." He does the searching, He does the drawing, he makes prophetic statements that eventually come to pass. Surely we as humans have our free choice. But about all we can do, is say "Yes."
Hosea chapter 14 completes the story.
Israel says, "Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, 'You are our gods.' For in You the fatherless finds mercy" (Hosea 14:3).
God says, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him" (Hosea 14:4). Remember the basis for this is propitiation, that is God putting His wrath on Jesus.
Then God makes a prophetic statement and says, "I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, And lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon. Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon" (Hosea 14:5-7).
"Ephraim shall say, 'What have I to do anymore with idols?' I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me" (Hosea 14:8). This shows God's strength in drawing people to Him. Once a person has "seen" God and His amazing passionate love, which is expressed in spite of his/her spiritual adultery, idols of every kind look like dung!
Marriages take place at altars. Altars are where things are sacrificed and die. Jesus went to the altar called Golgotha, the Cross, and on it He proposed to an adulterous people. He took the risk of consecrating Himself to us before we ever came to the marriage ceremony, while we were still "harlots." Jesus said, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself [separate Myself for them for an intimate union], that they also may be sanctified by the truth" (John 17:19). Do you reader, now take this Jesus to be your lawfully wedded "Husband?" He has already said "I do!"
In order to reconcile us, God changed our spiritual race.
It is God's plan for two people to go to the altar of marriage, of blood covenant, before they become intimate. Scripture states that the two become one. Before godly intimacy, two people must change who they are through covenant. My wife and I became one at our altar of marriage. Through the blood covenant of Jesus, we both changed who we were spiritually. Our new birth with Jesus and our marriage to our spouses are the only two times in our history when we make a blood covenant change. This only succeeds however, to the extent that both parties have a right covenant relationship with Jesus.
Jesus needed to exchange races with us. The blood covenant exchanges races. Jesus was sacrificed on the Cross in our stead. Then He took the old race and went to Hell with it. When He was raised from the dead, He became a new race, and gave that to us through the new birth.
In order to have an intimate friendship with another being we have to be like that person. If we are not, we must be reconciled. Our friendship with a dog can be rich and rewarding, but we cannot gain true intimacy with a dog, unless by some supernatural happening, it was changed from a dog to a human. This is exactly what happened to us, we changed races from a sinner to a new creation in Christ. In this chapter we are going to examine some history, the history of what I call the "great exchange," God's nature for our nature. That exchange took place through the blood covenant.
Our exchange was a supernatural event!
When Jesus died on the Cross we were "in him" not outside of Him. He did not absorb our sin as taking something from a far off person. He absorbed our sin by the fact that we were in Him. That is the way He was made sin for us. In the same way we did not receive the benefits we have been discussing as a distant person receiving something through the mail. No, we have these benefits because we are in Him and He is in us. If you check these blessings in the New Testament, they are always accompanied by "in Him." Here is an example. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
If we needed to become the same species or race as the resurrected Jesus in order to have intimacy, then how did that happen?
Being in Christ is like our being in our father and mother before we were born. When we were yet eggs and sperm inside our parents, we inherited their history. Everything that happened to them, happened to us. Likewise, we inherited all things that happened to Christ at the Cross when we were born again. He was punished, we were punished, He died, and we died. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
If being in Christ is like being in your mother before you were born, let us see how far we can take that analogy to help us understand this unique idea. We have to admit that we must have all been in Eve. A girl, when she is born, possesses all the eggs she will ever conceive with. Eve was the very first woman, therefore we must have all been in her. Going one step further however, 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that God put us in Christ. "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus …" (1 Corinthians 1:30).
In humans, the sperm and the egg are separate, the egg already being in the "ground," the woman. In the plant kingdom however, the male and female factors are already in the seed, all the seed needs is the ground. So it is spiritually, we were born again from the seed of the Word of God. The Word contains both the male and female factors, all it needs is good ground, your heart. Jesus often compared spiritual seeds and His Word to the plant kingdom.
God put us in Christ, therefore everything that he experienced on the Cross and in the resurrection, we also experienced. If we were born again from the seed of the Word of God, which is Jesus, then we must have been "in Him" as we were in our natural mothers. Jesus was the "last Adam" meaning that He represented all mankind even as Adam and Eve did.
Look at it this way. When the seed, the Word of God, gave you the new birth, you obtained the benefits of being in Christ. How? Since the spiritual realm transcends time, you received eternal benefits, meaning that there was sort of a "spiritual time warp" and you went back to being in Christ while He was on the Cross. Remember our finite minds cannot grasp everything spiritual, but the Holy Spirit can show you these things. Ask Him.
Following are some of the exchanges Jesus made with us at the altar of reconciliation, in other words at the "altar of marriage vows." It is similar to exchanging vows in a human wedding. Many of these examples were taken from the teachings of Derek Prince.
1. Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven. (Isaiah 53:4-5, Ephesians 4:32, Colosians 2:13).
2. Jesus was wounded that we might be healed (Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 8:16-17, 1 Peter 2:24).
3. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness (Isaiah 53:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21). (Romans 3:22, Romans 4:6, Romans 10:10).
4. Jesus died our death that we might share His life. (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 2:9, John 8:52).
5. Jesus was made a curse that we might receive the blessing (Galatians 3:13-14, Deutoronomy 21:22-23, Deutoronomy 28:1-13).
6. Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance (2 Corinthians 8:9 and 9:8). Sufficiency is just enough, abundance is more than enough so that we can bless others. Jesus was hungry, thirsty, naked and in need at the Cross.
7. Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory (Matthew 27:35-36). Hebrews 2:10 says that Jesus brings many sons to glory (not shame). We can receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit counteracts shame. Sexual abuse causes shame. We obtain the slavery mindset through shame. We obtain self-esteem problems through shame.
8. Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father (Matthew 27:45-51). The Father hid His face from Jesus and rejected Him for us. Ephesians 1:6 says we are accepted by the Father. People are hungry to be accepted, to feel as if they belong, as if they matter to someone. Only Jesus can give this. His Church is the place for belonging. Children need their father's acceptance. Love must be openly expressed. Divorce causes rejection (Isaiah 54:6). Jesus died of a broken heart. "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God" (Romans 15:7). God accepts us in our sinful condition (Ephesians 1:3-6).
9. Jesus was cut off from the Father by death that we might enjoy God's presence eternally (Matthew 27:46, Isaiah 53:8, Hebrews 10:21-22, Jude 24, Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 3:16-20). Our need for emotional security is satisfied. The fullness of the Holy Spirit is available to give us God's presence (Acts 1:8).
10. Our "old man" (sin nature) was put to death in Him, that the new man (Christ's nature) might come to life in us (Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20). Forgiveness of sins is great, but doing away with the person that sins is far greater.
11. Jesus experienced our sorrows and bore our griefs that we might have gladness and joy (Isaiah 53, Isaiah 35:10, Isaiah 51:11). Death of a loved one, loss of some kind, pending disaster, overwhelming worry and sadness can cause hopelessness in your life, even a potential for suicide. The Holy Spirit brings us joy.
12. Jesus kept the law for us so that we could live by grace (Romans 7:6 and 8:1-4, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 3:1-3). Living by legalism is promoting the power of the flesh (1 Corinthians 15:56). It leads to frustration, failure, addictions, condemnation, and backsliding.
13. Jesus was tormented that we might enjoy peace (Isaiah 53:5, Philippians 4:7).
14. Jesus was made insignificant that we might have significance. He was sold for the price of a slave (Matthew 26:15, 1 Peter 1:18-19). The price God paid for us makes us significant.
15. Jesus was captured by the world, so that we could be delivered from the world, this present evil age (Galatians 1:4 and 6:14). The world has been crucified to us and we have been crucified to the world.
16. Evil was conquered. Jesus (appeared to have) suffered defeat by evil that we might enjoy victory over evil. The resurrected life of God was put into you the life that is able to defeat and overcome everything that is evil. Remember this when it looks like circumstances are overcoming you, they cannot if you continue to believe the truth!
Satan, the world, and your flesh will scream at you telling you that all of this is not true. Many Christians just feel that they simply chose this religion over another. No! You have been totally re-created; you died and were born again. Jesus did this for you so that you could be returned to the original plan for man, reconciled, and enjoy intimacy with Him.
Reconciliation has given you the overcoming life of Jesus. You can make it!
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Chapter 14
The Cross-Intimacy
Exchange leads to Intimacy
Reconciliation re-connects us to our Creator by exchange. God took on the nature of man and exchanged it for His nature. We became the same race so that we could become intimate. Exchange, through the blood covenant leads us to intimacy with Him. We were reconciled in order to have intimacy.
Intimacy and union are the goals of a blood covenant.
You will not be able to stand during the overcoming process without intimacy with God. Someone else's revelation may give you information and even a starting point, but without intimacy and real time communication with Jesus, you will never make it. You must understand that God desires it more than you do; however it will take a lot of effort on your part. There is a song, "I come to the garden alone," that speaks about a quiet walk in the garden with Jesus. The words describe an intimate walk on a beautiful morning with your best friend.
Many Christians cannot relate. If you are one of those, then you can loosen up your brain by being honest. Confess to God that you have not experienced this and He will begin to work with you. The Bible is wonderful, but it is of very little value without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's main function is to make God real to us; He takes the place of Jesus. Certainly the Holy Spirit inhabits us and changes us, but without His intimacy our experience with God is simply mental without actual experience.
Intimacy is not always what the word means to our ears, especially in our Western culture. It does not necessarily mean to sit around with mushy feelings about the Lord crying. That may be your experience, and it is a good one. However intimacy goes further than emotional experiences. Its definition includes distribution of each other's property, communication, fellowship, communion, meaning common-union, joint participation, and intercourse. It is the total sharing of all things with the other party. It is a union so close that each other's spirit actually partakes of the others. It is a mingling of personalities through the blood covenant. One of the manifestations of intimacy is knowing what the other party is thinking and feeling, and relating to their thoughts.
Intimacy is like water. You may know all about water, others may have told you how wonderful it is, but unless you taste it you will not truly experience it. Each person is different. I cannot define your intimate relationship with God. That is something between you and Him. I am not talking about something reserved for only emotional people, or for women. God wants to meet you where you are. But there are some relational disciplines that you need to observe.
Intimacy as a child. Doctors have discovered that if babies do not have intimacy, they will die. Even as children we are designed to have intimacy with our parents. It is something that is required; it is God's design. So many parents bruise their children for life by not giving them intimacy. They teach them that hugging and crying is not proper. They teach them to bury their needs, not knowing that their needs will appear in a perverted form.
Intimacy with spouses. So often we gain intimacy with our future spouse while we are courting, but after marriage many treat them like slaves.
Intimacy with God. God wants intimacy with us. So many people get caught up into programs, religious performance, duty, and formulas with God. This was the case of the Ephesian church mentioned in Revelation Chapter 2. They were zealous for good works, they had patiently endured hardship, they would not tolerate evil, they were against the false teachers, but Jesus said that He had one thing against them. "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left [deserted Me] your first love" (Revelation 2:4). Jesus' solution was, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).
The Tree of Life represents close fellowship with the Word of God through the Holy Spirit. That is where life comes from. All the "dragon slaying" and zealous spreading of the Gospel does not make up for intimacy with God. This is first and foremost with Him. It is what He longs for. Family is first with God. He redeemed us, made propitiation for our sin, made us righteous and reconciled us primarily to be close to us.
There is nothing like intimacy with God! The Holy Spirit is like no one else. Coming into intimacy with the Holy Spirit through the Word, praise, time alone in prayer, and worship, is healing. It will calm your fears. Your life will begin to make sense even if nothing is going right. Only the Lord has this effect on people. In His presence is fullness of joy. But you must make a deliberate effort. Sure there are times when we do not feel His presence, but during those times we should pursue Him all the more. To me, the finest time of intimacy is all day long. In other words, I love to just stay in touch with Him all day, and invite Him to break in on my life at His pleasure.
When Jesus was being oppressed and tempted to the limit in the Garden of Gethsemene, He said, "And He said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will'" (Mark 14:36). Abba is the most intimate expression from a child to his/her father. It means "daddy." Often in life we need "daddy."
God gave us the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon to reveal His heart of intimacy towards us.
Look at some these verses that demonstrate intimacy.
"O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely" (Song of Solomon 2:14, (KJV).
"Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned" (Song of Solomon 8:6,7 (KJV).
There were times of refreshing for the maiden in Song of Songs, but there were also times when the maiden pursued her lover with all of her might. Luke 10:39 tells about Mary who spent time at the feet of Jesus, listening to His Word. Jesus thought this was extremely valuable!
The Song unveils many mysteries about God's character. One that impresses me the most is found in verse 1:2, which says, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth:…" The book, Solomon's Secret by C.R. Oliver expresses this idea better than anything I have ever heard or read. I strongly recommend this book (ISBN # 0-931221-08-0). Here are some quotes from pages 27-33.
"This work is about two lovers who are intimate, personal, and knowledgeable of each other. She wants the Shepherd-King to kiss her! She wants a mouth kiss! She thinks He is the only kisser in the world. She might even attest that once you have been kissed by Him, no other kiss will ever do. The kiss of the world is cheap in comparison."
"'Let Him kiss me' opens the door to complete surrender. She represents the essence of the Bride of Jesus who is completely surrendered in her love for Him. Gone are the appropriate behaviors of a church; welcome are the arms of a lover."
"Two people open doors to the will and intention of the other through a kiss."
"A kiss between a man and a woman introduces a new level to their relationship. It is a commitment."
"Have you noticed that once the barrier has been broken with a kiss, nothing less is then expected. A kiss establishes a new set of rules governing behavior. Social distance is broken."
"Fear is melted away in a kiss."
"His kiss (referring to the father kissing the prodigal son) restored favor with the father.
"It was the desire of our Lord to institute a deeper form of communion than a cup: it is His kiss. He told His disciples He would not participate in such a supper until He did so with them in heaven. One communion will call for the other. A marriage is going to take place, and the communion supper will be sealed with a kiss."
If we follow the Book of Revelation, as we have been, in the overcoming process, we must notice the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:9. This deepening of relationship is what happens as we go through battles and trials with the Lord.
Let's look at what Jesus said about intimacy with God.
During His final days on earth and just before His crucifixion He spent more time talking to His disciples about this subject than anything else.
I suggest that you meditate upon John chapters 14, 15, and 16. Look at them and ask God to give you a "God inside consciousness." There is nothing more intimate than that. Becoming one with another is the ultimate in intimacy. Sometimes we lose consciousness of the fact that God, the Creator, lives inside of us! Many things can cause that, including cares of this world, trials of life, physical infirmities, and even hormone imbalances. But if we focus on the truth, it will set us free.
Just imagine His disciples had been with Him for three years. They had watched miracles; they had lived and moved with God in the flesh. Now they were facing the fact that He was leaving, although I am not sure how many realized that. However His talks to them in John 14-16 spoke of a great advantage that would be realized due to His leaving. He promised them a level of intimacy that they had not yet experienced. Here is a summary of some of the things He said.
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know" (John 14:1-4).
He said that He was leaving, yet he promised them that He would return after He prepared a place for them. That place was like a wedding house that a Jewish man would prepare for His bride. I am not so sure that Jesus was talking about taking us to Heaven as much as He was talking about bringing Heaven to us. Selah.
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:16-18).
Jesus went on to assure them that He would not leave them as orphans, bereft of a father. In fact He told them that He would send His replacement the Holy Spirit, and not only would He be with them, but also now He would be in them.
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you'" (John 14:23,24,26).
Notice Jesus told them that in order to maintain this abiding presence they would need to love and keep His Word. As we have been saying in this book, the Word of God is the media and the Holy Spirit is the transmitter for the blood of Jesus and His presence. He also promised here that the Holy Spirit would speak to them as if it were He Himself talking to them.
Jesus described the new relationship as the vine and the branches.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The vine needs the branches for fruit and the branches need the vine for life. A common life mingles between them, the sap of the vine which is the Holy Spirit. We have a mingled life with God. We have become one with Him. What an awesome thought!
Jesus spoke about the advantages of His leaving the disciples.
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7).
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-15).
The Holy Spirit will speak to us just as if the Holy Spirit were Jesus. The Holy Spirit will also glorify Jesus to us, which is another way of saying that Jesus will be real to us.
Notice Jesus said that He would return in a little while.
"'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.' Then some of His disciples said among themselves, 'What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?' They said therefore, 'What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying'" (John 16:16-18).
Certainly Jesus is returning to earth some day. However if you do not realize that He has already returned for you in the form of the Holy Spirit, you are missing His intended level of intimacy.
I can just imagine as Jesus went to prayer after giving them this talk, the first thing He said was, "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You'" (John 17:1).
I believe that after telling the disciples about the wonders of the coming of the Holy Spirit that He was very excited with anticipation. The only thing He could tell His Father was, "Go ahead and bring me to the Cross, glorify Me, reveal Me as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in order that our Holy Spirit can abide in these people we love." Take some time to enjoy Him!
Intimacy will usually cost something.
Intimacy requires taking time to talk and to listen. It is originated through words, eye contact and through time spent with one another. There is a desire to spend time with the other person. Take as an example the woman with the alabaster box in Mark 14:3. Jesus thought that this kind of "waste" was not waste at all. He said that it was part of the Gospel and that the Gospel should produce this action.
A woman came to Jesus just before His crucifixion, as recorded in Matthew chapter 26, and anointed His head with ointment from her alabaster box. Many criticized her, but Jesus said, Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Matthew 26:13). I believe that Jesus was issuing a command that intimacy and abandonment should be part of the preaching of the Gospel.
Relationships are not for lazy or selfish people!
I believe that a majority of people do not truly understand intimacy. God created every person with the desire for intimacy. We all crave it, but we do not understand the proper way to pursue it and express it. Perhaps that is because relationships, especially the kind that nurture intimacy, always cost something. They take time and unselfishness. Many people use various manipulative and control techniques to attempt to acquire intimacy. People crave intimacy, yet they work so hard to find it in perverted ways. A talented Psalmist and friend of mine Pendleton Brown once wrote, "They were looking for love in the lost and found." People have perverted intimacy in many ways. Most people, when they think of intimacy, think of sex. Sex is only a small part (and the result) of some types of intimacy, but it is not the main factor.
Truth is a major component!
There is a very important yet sometimes overlooked ingredient, which was suggested by Jesus. That is truth. He said the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Jesus also said, in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God." "Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalms 24:3,4). The word "pure" here means clean, pure, clear purified by fire.
There are two common errors in understanding a godly relationship, especially an intimate relationship with Jesus.
The first is that one can live a double minded life, living a base, low, worldly life, using ungodly speech, and living like an unregenerated person, and still have, as they say, "an understanding with Jesus." No way!
The other error is that one should live a life of religious performance similar to how the Pharisees conducted themselves. But Jesus said that they were like whitewashed graves. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27).
I believe that gut level honesty and truth, which consistently leads to repentance and humility before God, is what gives us a heart pure enough to be intimate with Him. The only way to really connect with God is through His righteousness, and the only way to acquire that on a daily basis is by honest repentance and transparency.
Take for example the woman, who most likely was a prostitute and who in Luke 7:36 crashed a party hosted by a Pharisee in order to find Jesus. She kissed His feet and washed them with her tears and hair. She poured her expensive oil on Him right in front of all of the guests. The Pharisees criticized Jesus for putting up with her. Yet Jesus, after asking a piercing question of who would love more, the one who was forgiven much or the one who was forgiven little, said about this woman, "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47). Stay honest, stay forgiven, and you might just find yourself loving much.
Quiet time?
Often the noise around us and the noise in our minds can both work to block out intimacy with God. We need to take time to be quiet with God, but sometimes it seems like it is beyond our ability to do so. A good exercise to quiet your mind is to meditate on a Scripture. Meditate means to chew over and over like a cow chews a cud. Getting rid of negatives sometimes is impossible, rather we must replace the negative with a positive as in the displacement principle. God told Joshua to meditate on the Word day and night. As we meditate on the Word, the Holy Spirit can get obtain access and begin to make God's presence real to us. Sometimes I need to get away from familiar surroundings to experience intimacy. I can be riding in my vehicle and suddenly the Holy Spirit will speak. Often He speaks to me while going about my daily tasks.
Rest is needed.
Intimacy with God requires outward and inward quietness and rest. In my experience this requires more than a personal discipline. We need faith in what God can do and wants to do to give us this rest. I have read that shepherds need to provide at least four things before their sheep can lie down in green pastures.
1. Freedom from fear (of all types).
2. Freedom from friction with others (relationships).
3. Freedom from parasites (demons).
4. Freedom from the fear of hunger (provisions).
"He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters" (Psalms 23:2).
If you struggle with all or some of those four issues as I have, now is the time to make the faith statement in Psalms 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
Exclusiveness is one key element of intimacy. Both parties need to know that there are no others involved. They need to know that they are exclusive and that the other party is devoted only to them. Some call it a single eye. The marriage relationship is likened to our intimate relationship with the Lord. Flirting with the world does not produce intimacy with Jesus. It is spiritual adultery!
A clean and holy life contributes to intimacy.
Our lifestyle can contribute to or take away from our fellowship with God. Obviously we are all in some stage of development, however as He sees our desire to become like Him, I believe He is more attracted.
Intimacy means fellowship, koinonia in Greek.
Read 1 John 1:1-7 substituting intimacy for fellowship.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have intimacy with us; and truly our intimacy is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have intimacy with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have intimacy with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:1-7).
What is one of the manifestations of darkness? How you treat others.
"He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes" (1 John 2:9-11).
"If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1 John 4:20).
Trust is vital to intimacy!
In his book Wasted on Jesus , Jim W. Coll eloquently lists the five stages of friendship, including friendship and intimacy with God. The following is my paraphrase of his description. Stage one is the casual stage, where things are basically superficial. Stage two is beginning trust, where we first begin to share some of our personal thoughts. State three is deep trust, which is the level where we share our dreams, mistakes, and frustrations. Stage four is true intimacy as we experience sitting quietly with our Friend and experiencing His presence. The final stage is union, where we become one with our Friend, feeling as He feels and acting as He acts.
It occurred to me that many people attempt jumping into intimacy, while overlooking the trust stages. It occurred to my wife that while this is the path to union, it can also be the path that many couples have taken in reverse order after they are married for a long time, ending up, at best, with nothing more than a casual relationship.
Intimacy requires stepping out from the crowd. It requires becoming lost in another person. The Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19 did not really want a relationship with God, he was only interested in religion. He wanted his other possessions more than a relationship with God. Look at the contrast with blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46. He also had something to trust in. However he gave up his beggar's robe that he trusted in and cast himself completely upon Jesus.
In 1 Samuel 1-2 Hannah risked humiliation. She was indeed humiliated because she was hungry for God. She was desperate. The woman who touched the hem of His garment was humiliated, but she was desperate (Matthew 9:20).
Take up your cross to denominations, friends, family, customs, and pride. Worship God in humility, and with reverence, bowing down before Him.
Being with God is addictive.
Moses wanted intimacy with God. Moses, at the burning bush, got a taste of God's presence. Later in Exodus 33 he begged God to let him see His glory again. He wanted to see God's glory at any cost. We need to become lost in the Lord and be dead in Christ, to no longer care about ourselves or what others think.
Psalm 91 describes the Secret Place of the Most High. Song of Solomon 2:14 talks about the same secret place as a place of intimacy where the two people see each other's faces and hear each other's voices. The 120 people in Acts chapter 2 devoted themselves, wasted themselves in and for His presence.
"Yada" is a strong word for intimacy.
Genesis 4:1 says that Adam knew Eve and she conceived. The word "knew" is yada, a Hebrew word that means knowing at a level of intimacy. It is used again in Proverbs 3:4-5 when it tells us to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He will direct our paths. The word acknowledge comes from yada. Jesus said in John 17:3 that eternal life is knowing (yada) Him and the Father.
Intimacy with God and one's spouse should lead to oneness; the two actually change and become one. Jesus changed and became sin for us, we can change and become one with Him. The more time we spend with God the more, we will be like Him. "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
Intimacy with God gives us a different point of view, one that will actually make difficulties seem bearable.
Intimacy is God's design for the transfer of the blood covenant.
Intimacy involves the exchange of words between two parties. It involves listening to one another. You practice intimacy with God by giving Him your words and by taking in His Word. This does not have to be an emotional experience. Fellowshipping with God in His Word automatically transfers more of the blood covenant to you. You are not supposed to become cannibals and cut your wrists in order to have a blood covenant with God! Words are the bridge of communication between the natural and the spiritual worlds. Words contain "spiritual blood." The only way a blood covenant can be made between two beings, one being in the spiritual world and the other in the natural world, is through words.
Remember what we spoke about in the chapter about the blood covenant from John chapter 6? Jesus told them in John 6:53-56, "Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:53-56).
Abide in God and have God abide in you? There can be nothing more intimate. But how can we drink His blood and eat His flesh? The answer is in verse 63 which says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).
As you spend more time in His Word more of Him will go into you and more of you will go into Him. The blood covenant takes place in reality through words, the words containing your sin and His Words containing His holiness and righteousness.
You may not feel and experience the intimacy with God every day, but if you keep on seeking Him through the Word, He will reveal Himself. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Make time to be with God and give His Word a priority. It will give you intimacy and exchange, and it will give you victory! The more intimate you are with God the more exchange takes place through His Word and Spirit. As more exchange takes place, the intimacy gets deeper. It is a never-ending cycle. You will eventually be conformed into His image and know Him deeper and deeper. Spend more and more time in God's Word. Be like the woman who wasted herself on Jesus when she broke her alabaster ointment box and poured the ointment on him. Be like Mary who sat at His feet and listened to His Word
What does exchange and intimacy have to do with overcoming?
You must receive a personal word from the Lord, which produces faith, in order to make it through your trials to victory and ultimate vengeance on the enemy. A personal word from God is called a rhema. You must be connected. The Word brings faith. Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith is the connector between your need and God's grace (Ephesians 2:8). There can be no real faith without intimacy.
Not only do you need a personal word from the Lord for faith during overcoming; you also need to hear Him tell you how to adjust your attitude and lifestyle. If you do not submit yourself to Him daily, taking up your cross, you may be hanging on to things in your life that will prevent your overcoming. God has a customized plan for each person, and if you do not discern and walk in that plan, you may not overcome. You need to hear Him speak.
In order for the Word to be real to you, in order for it to be the Tree of Life and not just some words in a history book, the Holy Spirit must make it alive. Your job to cooperate with the Holy Spirit is to come to Him with honesty and truth and to obey what you see in the Word. He is the Spirit of Truth, He is God, and He is taking the place of Jesus on this earth. Without your honesty and obedience the Word may very well be dead letters. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
Oliver, C.R. Solomon's Secret. Bonita Springs, Florida: Ransom Press International, 1999
Goll, Jim W. Wasted on Jesus. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image® Publishers, Inc., 2001. pp88
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Chapter 15
The Cross
The Reconciliation of Evil.
"..and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20). Difficulties will most likely occur during the overcoming process. Therefore we need to know that whatever evil comes; it is reconciled by the work on the Cross.
Reconcile is a powerful word.
Strongs Concordance calls it "to bring back a former state of harmony." It is defined "to repair, to put back into working order, making peace between two opposing views or groups." Vines Bible Dictionary defines it "to change from enmity to friendship." The Cross of Jesus Christ takes all of our "enemies," whether they be people, demons, circumstances, sickness, poverty, everything, and changes them into a friend. This is Wisdom!
2 Corinthians 5:18 says, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." This is our ministry here on earth, to take all the enemies of our lives, dip them into the blood and Cross of Jesus Christ, and turn them into friends. I can tell you by the Word of God and by my own experience, that this is true. It works, if you are passionate and radical!
In the previous chapters we talked about the fact that we have been reconciled back to God through the blood of Jesus. Now we want to emphasize that all things have been reconciled to Him. Things include all of the things in your life. No matter what you are facing, if you cooperate with God and take His path, those things will be made to be friends.
How can it be? Jesus absorbed all the evil into Himself. Nothing was left out! Satan's best blow was leveled against the Adam race. Satan finally killed the best that Adam had, the Messiah. However since Jesus was an innocent man, Satan killed him illegally. Therefore, death could not hold Jesus. Death was actually destroyed, death died! Evil was absorbed into good. Evil vanished into Hell and was left there. Satan is the embodiment of all evil. He hates Jesus, and wants to take all people into Hell itself just because they are made in God's image. However all of Satan's evil pierced Jesus, nothing was left out! Therefore we have no evil due us, unless we do not believe. If Satan is destroyed, evil is destroyed. "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him" (Romans 6:8,9).
When Jesus was raised from the dead, He was the first born of a new race. He was the last Adam. Death and evil has no more dominion over Him, or anyone else who is of this new race called the New Creation. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This is an amazing concept about God. Many times in Scripture we are shown that God actually utilizes the evil that Satan and people perpetrate for His purposes. For instance, in Habakkuk, God informs the prophet that the enemy thinks that he is attacking Israel, but God is actually causing them to come so that they, the enemy, may be destroyed. The same idea is in Ezekiel chapter 38. Psalm 92:7 says, "When the wicked spring up like grass, And when all the workers of iniquity flourish, It is that they may be destroyed forever."
Psalm 68:22-23 says, "The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same" (KJV).
God destroyed the devil at the Cross.
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14,15).
These verses say that Satan was "destroyed." What does that actually mean? He seems to be running around doing a job of destroying others. It does not mean to annihilate. Satan is still operating, he has not been annihilated.
The word destroy is defined in Strongs Concordance as:
1) to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative.
1a) to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency.
1b) to deprive of force, influence, power.
Historically Adam had dominion over Satan, but when he sinned he fell to the position of a slave to Satan. One of Adam's descendents, Jesus, was also "victimized" by Satan and was killed by him. However death and Hell could not hold Jesus because He had never sinned. Adam's sinful nature was not in Jesus because of His virgin birth.
When Jesus, you, and I were raised from the dead, we were born again as new race that is no longer subject to Satan. He has no more dominion over us. We have dominion over him. Satan used his ultimate power on Jesus at the Cross, and Jesus was resurrected after that. Satan has no more power to exert. He is out of tools and weapons.
He can still destroy an unbeliever, and he can deceive a believer, but if we know the truth, he cannot harm us any longer. As far as we are concerned, he is destroyed. If we stand on the truth, all Satan can do is lie to us. Satan has no power over the new creation; that includes you and me! "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13).
Here is a very absurd example that may help us remember and picture what "destroyed" actually means.
Let's pretend that you are a cat. A big dog, representing Satan, is harassing you, keeping you on the run, and making you hide. He is stealing your food and even tearing at your hide. Finally, this dog kills you.
Then all of the sudden, by some supernatural miracle, you, the cat, are raised from the dead. This time you are no longer a cat, but a lion! Now this same dog comes and looks at you and he runs because he knows you can kill him! The dog has been destroyed (to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency, to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative, to deprive of force, influence, power)!
Just imagine now that this dog comes up with a plan. He comes to you and convinces you that you are still a cat and not really a lion. What if the dog could get you to actually act like a cat? That is what the dog Satan does to many Christians.
Just imagine that Jesus was this "cat" that died. Just before He died however, He became "pregnant" with you and me in the Garden of Gethsemene. When He died and was resurrected, He became the firstborn from the dead, and was raised as the Lion as the Tribe of Judah. When we are born again, we are also lions. "And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy" (Colossians 1:18).
If you thought that you had destroyed your worst enemy, and all he did was get up out of the grave and pursue you, you would be destroyed!
There is a process that God has in transferring His reconciliation to earth. It is not automatic.
Knowing this is called wisdom. It is the process of overcoming. It takes time to convert our problems into blessings, and it takes our patience to hang on after all hope seems to be gone.
In Luke 19:11-27 His disciples thought that the Kingdom of God was coming to earth then and that all their problems would be solved the next day. He taught His disciples a lesson for you and me.
"And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:11-13).
He told a parable about a nobleman going into a distant country to obtain a kingdom and he would soon return. He called his servants and gave them each an amount of currency equal to about 4 months of salary (10 minas). He told them to occupy until He came back. Many of them detested his authority.
There were four classes of people present at his return.
1. The group that detested his authority and did not want anyone to reign over them were banished from his presence and killed.
2-3. Others occupied or did business and traded with the currency. According to their success, they were given more currency and rewarded with kingdom authority over many cities.
4. Others did not occupy because they thought that the nobleman was a mean person who would punish them for occupying. Not only did they not get any rewards but his currency was taken away. Fear was their motivating force. Fear always neutralizes faith. Use it or lose it! These did not despise the authority, but they were terribly misinformed! Notice, the nobleman said that they would be judged by their own words!
What is this word occupy?
The word occupy means to do business, to trade for profit. Business by definition is to take a raw material or service, add value to it and make it more profitable so it can be useful or sold. It means to exchange or to even change something to make it more profitable. It is used in the Bible to describe people who had businesses, cattle farms, and other businesses both good and bad. In our context it is the same thing as overcoming.
Proverbs 3:13-18 says, "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding. For the profit (merchandise, or occupation) from it is better than the gain from silver, and its produce more than fine gold; she is more precious than rubies; and all the things you can desire are not to be compared with her." What "currency" did God leave with you?
Some may think that this parable applies to the good gifts that our King leaves with us.
I believe that it is useful to apply this principle to the talents and assets that God gives to us, but I do not believe this it is limited to that. Notice that the nobleman left his servants his property, not their property with which to do business. In a similar parable told in Matthew 25:14, the Amplified version actually says "his property."
What was the property that belonged to Jesus when He ascended back to Heaven after His resurrection? Matthew 28:18 says that all power in heaven and on earth was what He possessed. Jesus acquired all authority over every earthly kingdom when He was raised from the dead. Remember, back in Luke 4:5, Satan tempted Jesus with all the kingdoms of the habitable world. Jesus was tempted because this was one of His purposes, to acquire these kingdoms that were taken from Adam and Eve.
While Jesus did indeed acquire dominion over all earthly things legally, He had not yet acquired them experientially. Hebrews 1:13 says, "But to which of the angels has He ever said: 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool'?" (Hebrews 1:13). Hebrews 12:26-29 says that God is shaking all things on earth now so that only what is of His Kingdom will remain. I submit therefore that we are the agents who are responsible to change what is in our realm of responsibility from earthly to heavenly.
Did Jesus take all of your infirmities? Do you still experience them? Then you are to change those to something of eternal value. Did Jesus take your poverty? Do you still experience a form of poverty? Then you are to change that circumstance to something of eternal value. Have you been left with some "junk" in your life? Then "occupy" with that junk, or do business with it, and turn it into "jewels" for His Kingdom; something of eternal value. This does not mean that we are to avoid resisting the devil. We should do that with all of our strength. At the same time, while we are resisting, we also can do business with our infirmities and turn them into blessigns.
Revelation 11:15 says, "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:15). I believe that this represents a time in your overcoming life when the junk you have been overcoming actually converted to jewels. The stuff of the world that was left with you, whether it is some sort of curse or whatever, has become jewels. Notice this is the seventh of seven trumpets. Revelation 11:18 says that this is a time of reward for the saints and judgment for our enemies.
Don't give up at the fifth or sixth trumpet. Wait patiently for the seventh trumpet to sound!
This mindset will raise your view from simply asking God to solve your earthly problems, to knowing that those earthly problems are the raw material for something eternal. Sure I want my earthly problems solved, but if that is all I am living for, I am living on too low of a level!
We are to change our problems into profit.
We are to take the raw materials of problems and do business with them by producing blessings. Another word is reconcile, which means to turn something from an enemy to a friend. How? By the overcoming process, by standing on the Word of God.
I have never enjoyed the severe tests and trials in my life, but I can honestly say that without them the most valuable and eternal things in my life would have not been accomplished. Joseph would have not been the Prime Minister of Egypt if he had not been made a slave and a prisoner. Moses would have not been the deliverer of Israel if he had not been given a 40 year assignment as a shepherd in the desert. The Gospel would not have been preached around the world if Daniel had not suffered in the lion's den.
Wisdom is knowing and relying on the fact that the Cross of Jesus absorbed all the evil and everything must turn out to be a blessing. The law of gravity says that whatever goes up must come down. The law of reconciliation says that all evil has been disarmed, and now must be a blessing, if you believe.
Job chapter 28:12-22 indicates that true wisdom is really found in suffering. Job 28:12 says, "But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" He goes on to state that it is not in the land of the living, not in the deep of the ocean, cannot be purchased for gold, silver, precious stones, crystal, jewelry, coral, quartz, rubies, topaz or even pure gold. It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds. Death and destruction however do have a testimony about wisdom. Job 28:22 says, "Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears."
Death said in affect, "Yes, Wisdom was here, but He did not stay long." The answer, I believe, indicates that when our flesh dies, when we are going through dark places of "death," then we can hear true wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 also supports this when it says, "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom."
This is the script of life. We need to recognize where we are in it. It will make suffering more compatible. Yes, Jesus is returning to earth someday, but He will also return for you now, to turn your problem into a blessing. We also need to know that the path we are on is a path through the Valley of Shadow of Death. It is the path of taking up our cross. It always seems like we are loosing the battle, but wisdom knows that we are winning it because we are on His path!
Our enemies always get closest to us just before their defeat! "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways" (Deuteronomy 28:7).
If we really believe this then all of our enemies will actually be revealed as friends.
One of the by-products will be the absence of fear. If all things have been reconciled, then what have we to fear? Fear is cast out by perfect love! Fear has torment and that torment is caused by things and circumstances that look like they will destroy you or your loved ones. If you continue in fear, it will finally have the power to overcome you. Dogs have an intuitive sense when you fear them, so do many other animals. When they sense your fear they are more likely to attack. I have heard that this is the same with some insects. Perhaps this applies to demons as well. If Satan knows that whatever he throws at you will be turned into "jewels" for God's Kingdom, perhaps he will think twice before he gives you more raw material with which to do business.
I want to make a quick disclaimer here. I am not saying that our life will be loaded with comfort. Enemies do not bring comfort! Also, only God can define what that enemy will look like when we turn it into a friend. We dare not be presumptuous and play God with our lives. The rewards, however, will be eternal. That is one reason that we often do not understand what God is doing in our lives. His goal is eternal jewels. Our goal is to know God, obey Him, and leave the driving to Him. Most likely the next enemy will be a greater challenge than the one you now have. If it is, you will be a greater warrior!
What is our responsibility during the waiting period?
The overcoming lifestyle is our responsibility. Focusing on what the blood of Jesus did for us, continually taking up our cross and not loving our life, and speaking the Word of God as our testimony against the devil.
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Chapter 16
The power of His resurrection
Look at the example of the power of resurrection portrayed in Revelation chapter 11. There are many ideas of just who the two witnesses are in that chapter, and most likely nobody knows for sure. It is possible that it is an allegory about the resurrection of Jesus or perhaps even us as overcomers while we are still on earth. Many believe in a literal supernatural manifestation of two Old Testament saints who will walk the streets of Jerusalem. Whatever your belief, as far as I am concerned, keep it. But I want to use this passage of Scripture to demonstrate a powerful aspect of resurrection. That is, death plus resurrection equals an eternal quality in the object resurrected, but it also brings authority. Follow this principle with these Scriptures.
Death. "When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them" (Revelation 11:7). Resurrection "Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them" (Revelation 11:11,12). Authority. "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:15).
It is so easy to lose sight of the relevance of the resurrection of Jesus to our life as we live it today in this world. Often people think of the resurrection as something that happened to Jesus. It did, and that one event gives us solid hope for the future. One day we will also receive a resurrected body. However we who have been born from above who have made Jesus our Lord have already received a resurrected spirit. You are already a New Creation. You were born into a new race of people. Jesus was the first born of the New Creation, and you and I are in there somewhere. Therefore I want to examine how God may want us to not only become more aware of the resurrection in our daily lives, but also how He may utilize the resurrection principle in our daily lives.
Resurrection is a principle that can baffle us.
Resurrection is something that humans have a difficult time comprehending. I am constantly asking God to show me more. Any way we look at it will miss the mark because it is so abundantly beyond anything that we know about. Just feast on the Word as written in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
"But someone will say, 'How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?'" 1 Corinthians (15:35).
"Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain-perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body" (1 Corinthians 15:36-38).
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:42-50).
"So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?'" (1 Corinthians 15:54,55).
Resurrection is the supernatural conversion of a dead earthly thing into a new kind of eternal living thing. That thing can be a person, or a circumstance. In God's economy it can be almost anything. It works like a seed planted, which appears to die, and then the life comes forth.
The New Creation is based upon resurrection.
The first time God created everything He spoke His Words and things just came into being.
After the fall of mankind through Adam and Eve, God set out on a New Creation or Second Creation effort. However this time He would not be speaking something from nothing, rather He would be recreating something that had already been alive and had died due to the sin and destruction in the world. Also, God would have His people cooperate with Him in the New Creation process. The first creation was God speaking something from nothing. The second creation is God speaking life to the dead and anointing us to speak in His name to the dead things in our realm of influence.
If you have ever viewed a dead person, try to imagine speaking life to that person. Then try to imagine not only speaking like Jesus did to a dead Lazurus as recorded in John chapter 11, but imagine if you can, speaking a re-birth to that dead person. A re-birth infers that what was dead is birthed into something that it never was, something brand new that never existed before. That is actually the definition of "new creation." "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Think of this: The Word used to be God's Word, but now it is God's resurrected Word! There is a difference!
Resurrected things have a unique nature that is difficult for us to grasp.
Christian author and scientist Hugh Ross makes the following statement in his book, Beyond the Cosmos that I think applies to the miracle of the resurrection.
"The apostle John records that death, mourning, crying, and pain will no longer be part of the new creation. Apparently, we will consume without incurring any cost, [a] further indication of decay's absence. If decay is not in effect there, neither is the second law of thermodynamics. That law states the existence of processes bringing increasing disorder or decay, necessary to the operation of the cosmos we know but obviously having no part in the new one. And yet, the texts on the new creation indicate that God, the angels, and we humans will all possess the capacity to perform what could technically be defined as 'work.' The possibility of work without the second law of thermodynamics in effect means that a dimensionality or trans-dimensionality totally different from ours must exist there."
The power of the resurrection is implied in the above statement by this author. What this says to me is that everything here on earth that is in some sort of process has a by-product of some sort of chaos or decay. It also says that in the new creation this no longer is true. Therefore, the power of the resurrection has taken all the "junk" and turned it into "jewels." This new resurrected "thing," whether it is a human being or a circumstance in your life, will have a quality that is eternal and even difficult to define.
(Ross, Hugh. Beyond the Cosmos- pp220- (Navpress - Colorado Springs, CO, 1999)
The Kingdom of God works on resurrection.
"And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables" (Mark 4:11). Notice in this verse Jesus was referring to the parable of the sower sowing the seed, which is the Word of God. Seeds always die before they bring forth fruit. The foundation of the Kingdom of God is based upon resurrection from the dead. The Kingdom's foundation as described in the Book of Revelation is made up of jewels. Jewels depict resurrection because they come from the death of "junk." Jewels are created from ordinary material this is buried deep in the earth, subjected to great heat over a long period of time, and then mined with great effort. Acts 14:22 says, "Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.'"
The Old Testament saints are looking to the Church to apply the resurrection to the work they had started.
Hebrews chapters 11-12 gives some insight into this subject. Hebrews 11:1-12 and 17-38 tells about the Old Testament saints who fought the good fight of faith, yet did not receive the full promise.
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises" (Hebrews 11:13a). They were looking forward to the ultimate, the Kingdom of God. What they did not understand at that time is that the Kingdom of God is based upon resurrection, and that had not happened yet. Remember, Abraham in a figurative sense received Isaac back from the dead; that being a foreshadow of the resurrection.
Then Hebrews chapter 11 goes on to tell of the suffering of so many of the Old Testament saints like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and more.
"And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us" (Hebrews 11:39,40).
In some way we contribute to their unfinished Kingdom work.
We do that by applying the power of resurrection to our "junk" and by overcoming by the power of the blood of Jesus, loving not our lives to the death, and by the word of our testimony. I believe that you and I somehow complete the Kingdom work of the Old Testament saints as we go through our overcoming. We have the privilege of living on this side of Jesus' resurrection, and we can apply that power for Kingdom building.
"and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:9-11).
We can experience portions of the resurrected power and His Kingdom now on earth!
We were instructed to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." The Apostle Paul grasped this truth. Paul expressed this time and time again. I would just like to use two Scripture passages to demonstrate how he felt. When the messenger of Satan afflicted him, it probably had to do with his list in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. That list included, being flogged with 39 nine lashings five times, shipwrecked and spending the night in the sea, being robbed, facing perils by the heathen, perils in the city, in the wildernesses, in the sea and among false brethren, being hungry, cold and naked, and then having the cares of the new churches that had many problems and attacks. In addition, history records that these false brethren were legalistic Jews who always attacked Paul's message of grace.
His response to all this was, "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). Notice he said, "I take pleasure." He did not say he just endured them, but rather they were profitable for him. Why did he think this way? Let us take a peek into his mind and some of the things he had learned as shown in Phillipians chapter 3.
First Paul listed his strengths, the things that he had accomplished in life and even the things and privileges he was born into.
"4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Then he stated that these assets and strengths were of really no value when compared to something else. Notice he did not state that they were of no value, but that they had no value when compared to a greater thing.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss [dung] for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection [the power out flowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers], and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death"
"11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead [that lifts me out from among the dead even while in the body]"
(Philippians 3:4-11 brackets indicate Amplified version).
I will paraphrase what Paul said.
"Look, I know I have been born into privilege even religious privilege, that I have been educated with and by the best. I have performed perfectly in my vocations, I was a real performer, and few people could keep up with me. However, I have noticed something interesting. The fruit that I see in my life and in my ministry is fruit that came from my afflictions. That fruit far surpassed anything all my natural strengths could and did accomplish. I was amazed! His resurrection of my afflictions has produced more fruit that all of my performance! Therefore I long for His resurrection power to work in my life, and I count all other things as "dung. I would rather have Him turn my Junk into Jewels any day!"
Many Christians, mostly modernists, would rather stick to the doctrine of "affliction is something bad." I don't think the Word of God teaches that. I believe that overcoming affliction glorifies God. Don't run from your opportunity to manifest the resurrection!
The story of the man who was sick of the palsy in Mark chapter 2 is a good example. His friends were attempting to take him to Jesus for a healing. They had to tear a hole in the roof and lower him down on his bed in order to get him close to Jesus. "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you'" (Mark 2:5). Imagine their disappointment. They were looking for a healing, and all Jesus would do is forgive his sins! But wait.
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" --He said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.' Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!'" (Mark 2:10-12).
Did God convert the affliction into something that glorified Him? I don't think God sits around passing out afflictions. I believe He can, and I would not limit Him. However this life has enough to go around. Satan causes afflictions, curses do, and our own sin does. But if we overcome, we have produces jewels!
God does not want polished junk; He is looking for jewels!
Sometimes I am tempted to feel condemned when I compare myself to others. I can always find someone who is more gifted than I am in whatever I am confronted with. Let me tell you right now, it is pure insanity to compare yourself to anyone else! It will cripple you! Instead, embrace your limitations, your infirmities as raw material for the resurrection, for some kind of jewel. Grab hold of Paul's mindset. He would rather have had one jewel for the Kingdom of God, then ten thousand pieces of things from his natural life. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3). Polished junk won't stand before God. It may taste good, look good, but it is still junk. It must go through death and resurrection before it counts for anything eternal!
Nothing is beyond the power of resurrection.
Life after resurrection always looks impossible. That is why sometimes it is difficult to stand on God's Word and appropriate His promises. I cannot remember one time when it was easy to appropriate a promise from God, and turning junk into jewels has always seemed like an impossible task. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). We can cooperate with God in applying the power of resurrection to any circumstance via the overcoming process.
Next time you are facing a circumstance that looks like it is "dead," remember that Jesus is the resurrection. In John chapter 11 Mary and Martha were upset with Jesus because their brother Lazurus died and because Jesus waited four days before He came to help. By that time it looked like it was too late.
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?'" (John 11:25,26). Jesus is never too late to raise your dead circumstances.
"Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?'" (John 11:40).
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Chapter 17
The Cross - Justification-
The Cosmic Courtroom
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Chapter 17
The Cross - Justification-
The Cosmic Courtroom
This chapter is transitional. It bridges between the subjects, His Cross and your testimony. His Cross accomplished the finished work you need for overcoming, however God wants and needs your cooperation with His plan.
Justification is the last major aspect of the Cross we will study. "[He] who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 4:25,5:1).
Romans Chapter 5 says that the blood of Jesus has justified us. Justify is a word that is used in courts of law. It means the establishment of a person as just by acquittal from guilt. If you knew you were guilty of a crime, and then for some strange reason the judge acquitted you, you would be very happy. Acquitted is better than a pardon. A pardon means you are set free even though you are guilty, but to be acquitted means that you are not guilty.
Life is a courtroom.
One of the great works of the Cross of Jesus Christ was to justify us. However we cannot fully enjoy that justification without going through the process of a trial. In a previous chapter about the reconciliation of evil, Jesus was making a point in the parable of the minas about the time factor for deliverance. The point was that we should expect a delay in experiencing His deliverance. It takes time for us to occupy, do business, and convert our junk into jewels. I submit that the time period represents a spiritual courtroom.
I am convinced that the Scriptures show us that overcoming difficulties in life is a series of courtroom experiences for each and every one of us. I believe that these courtrooms are key when it comes to overcoming, especially overcoming curses in our lives. Actually there is so much in the Bible about this subject that there is not room in the chapter to cover it all. However, if life is a courtroom, then justification is the greatest gift we can receive. I believe that so many believers have failed to overcome afflictions because they do not understand this Biblical principle.
So many people do not pay attention to the idea of God's judgement. Others misunderstand it and feel that it is only an event that will take place after they die. This world and the people in it are constantly experiencing judgement. Judgement from God is a two sided coin. For the believer who has been following the Lord to the best of his/her ability, judgement brings reward, however for others it brings condemnation and penalties. The same judgement can work both reward and condemnation at the same time. Yes, God is love, but love judges. Too many believers and non-believers do not have a reverent fear for God the judge.
What is the purpose of this courtroom?
This courtroom is about Satan attempting to perpetuate curses and afflictions in our lives and in the lives of those in our realm of influence. He is attempting to perpetuate our junk as junk and suffering. God wants to convert our junk into jewels through the overcoming process.
I submit that the Book of Revelation is a picture of the courtroom.
John on the Isle of Patmos is really in a trial as recorded in Revelation. I believe that Jesus wanted John to show all future generations about how to handle curses, afflictions, and trials in our lives. Jesus shows up and reveals Himself as someone who John has never seen before. I mean John was close to Jesus, but here John fell on his face as a dead man!
In Revelation Chapter 1, John, who is going through tremendous suffering, sees Jesus, not as he saw him around Galilee, or even at the Resurrection, but He sees Him as judge.
In Chapters 2 and 3 John sees Jesus judging and preparing the saints who are going into the courtroom battle. Jesus tells them to get their act together, strip away their sin, and repent, so that they can overcome, and take vengeance on the enemy. When Jesus is reviewing each of the seven churches in Asia during John's vision recorded in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the only two churches that did not need rebuke were Philadelphia and Smyrna (Philadelphia representing the overcomers, and Smyrna representing the overcomers who were martyrs).
To each of these churches He used the word "try" or "tried." The word in Greek is peirazo. This word has several implications. One meaning implies "assayed" which means, "Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a substance, especially of an ore or drug, to determine its components." Another is to prove, or to be refined by fire. Yet another means to "try" as in a court trial. A judge determines a person's guilt or innocence in a court trial. The truth of that person must be made manifest. Sometimes the truth is brought out by "fire." Gold when refined by fire manifests its true quality. People when refined by the fire of a court trial are shown to be not only who they are, but also what they believe.
The lesson here is that God has done wonderful things for us, however often we must stand trial and live the overcoming lifestyle in order to receive those things He wants us to have. Jesus told both of these churches, or types of believers, that they would overcome after they were "tried."
In Revelation Chapter 4, Jesus tells John to "Come up here," to take a look at the truth, and to see things from God's point of view so that it can be compared and contrasted to the lying wonders that John is experiencing. We need to be caught up with the Lord in His Word through the Holy Spirit to hear what He is saying to us in our infirmities.
God revealed Himself as the judge.
"and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength" (Revelation 1:13-16).
"After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.' Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne" (Revelation 4:1,2).
The word "throne" used here in Revelation chapter 4 means a tribunal bench used for judges. God is now on the throne as a judge! There are multitudes of other examples showing God to be the judge. Some might say, 'Oh, the Book of Revelation, and the judgement therein is for some future time in history." Well it might be, but it is also in the now! We have the right to bring the Kingdom of God to earth now! I personally have experienced these kinds of judgements!
Look at Revelation Chapter 5. At the throne, John saw the Lamb who was the only one worthy to take the Scroll, which Zechariah describes as the curse (Zechariah 5:3). Then the Scroll unrolls and explosions take place (the catastrophes in the Book of Revelation). We feel the shadow of our curses, the explosions, and they feel like the real thing. But the Lamb is holding the Scroll and the explosions hit Him.
When we shine the light into the shadow, we see the Lamb bleeding for our curse. If we can stay in the courtroom and keep up our testimony, Jesus will return for us on His White Horse in Revelation Chapter 19. Notice, there are other saints riding with Him. Those are the ones who have already been through trials and can help us who are just learning. Chapters 20-22 summarized speak of ministry, our ministry after we win the trial. We are used for the healing of the Gentiles, the unbelievers. The demon that was deceiving the unbelievers is bound and sent into the pit.
Often trials take a long time, Satan tries to wears us out. Many believers never finish this courtroom process because Satan wears them out. One is worn out by taking small punishments over a long period of time. I have read accounts of prisoners of war experiencing this. When we don't see our trials ending quickly, we begin to testify for Satan. That is just what he wants! Actually, we should be wearing him out. "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
The parable of the unjust judge in Luke 18 also gives us insight into this idea.
"Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: 'There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'" (Luke 18:1-8).
Jesus is using the unjust judge here as a contrast. If the unjust judge will avenge the widow, then much more will God the just judge speedily avenge His children? Also notice that the object here is the widow, which represents our helpless position. The last statement has to do with Jesus wanting to find us waiting for vengeance in faith. Notice, it says "Faith on the earth."
Notice in verse one, it says that we are to pray continually. Our witness should be the Word of God anointed by the Holy Spirit, spoken against our accuser, Satan. Our job is to continue to speak the Word of testimony until the trial is over. It really is not our business how long this trial lasts, or exactly how the results will play out in our lives. That is not our business. God has a sovereign plan!
Here is the cast of characters in this courtroom.
In this courtroom we will see that Satan is the accuser, we or those we are standing for are the accused, the Father is the judge and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are our advocates or lawyers. We play another role in this courtroom in that we are also witnesses.
What is a witness? "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Too many believers just look at their "trials" in life as a difficult time that they are going through. They are going through a difficult time. Court trials are not fun.
Jesus said this to His disciples when they were asking Him about coming back to set up His Kingdom. He made it clear the job of His disciples was and is to be witnesses, and in being witnesses, His Kingdom would come. He also emphasized that we need the power of the Holy Spirit to do this job. I believe that Jesus was referring to the type of witness we are talking about.
The word witness in Greek is defined as Martur, meaning "One who bears witness by his death, in a legal sense, one who is a spectator of anything, e.g. of a contest." I do not think that this is limited to our traditional definition of martyr. Jesus said that we must, in a spiritual sense, take up our cross. We die daily when we live for Jesus. We are killed continually when we testify to the truth. We need to be prepared to give up our physical life if needed, but often it is more difficult to stay alive then it is to die. This is called a living sacrifice.
What are we to witness to? We should only witness to the truth of God's Word. Actually, we are not the real witnesses. We are only mouthpieces for the real and true witness, the Holy Spirit. He is the only one who was an eye witness to the resurrection of Jesus. He is the only one who can prove that Jesus was raised from the dead and that we are justified. The Holy Spirit empowers us to speak the truth of the Word of God, and we become the witnesses. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can help you obtain a not guilty verdict. When going through a trial, it is vitally important to press into God's presence until such time as you hear Him speak a Word directly to you. It is called a rhema or revelation knowledge.
Then it is up to you to prove that you really believe. You are called upon to believe. How? By speaking the Word that God has given to you about your situation as a witness. This is usually difficult and takes discipline. Usually the trial you are in will be difficult on your emotions. Circumstances may not line up with God's promise. You will be tempted to say the wrong thing. You will be tempted to give up and feel that God does not care. Here is where you can prove what you really believe. Stand on the Word!
A very powerful way to pray as a witness is to pray in tongues for long periods of time. If you do not pray this way, ask God to give you this gift and to baptize you into the Holy Spirit. I can testify that many strong deliverances have come into my life by praying in tongues.
The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strength, Standby (John 14:26 Amplified Bible). The word comforter in Greek is translated paraklesis. It means "advocate (in a courtroom sense), combining encouragement with alleviation of grief. It suggests the capacity of giving aid. It was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, a counselor, and advocate, one who pleads the case of another" When looking up the definition of advocate, one is referred back to comforter. An advocate is a courtroom lawyer. Jesus is our advocate, however He did say that the Comforter would come and take His place. So our witness is the combination of the Word and the Holy Spirit.
Satan cannot employ witnesses who are not human. God cannot employ witnesses who are not human. We are the only people authorized to speak words of testimony on this earth. Satan attempts to get us to speak as his witness. We are tempted to say, "My children are rebellious. I am poor. I wish I could just die. This old car of mine will never make it another mile." Or others may become witnesses for us like Job's friends did. They may tell us how bad we look. They may tell us that so and so was trusting God but their house was foreclosed. They may tell us, "You never know what God will do, sometimes He helps and sometimes He does not."
While it is true that we do not know how God will orchestrate our trial, and while we do not deny the facts of difficult circumstances, what we do is exalt His Word as the witness, establishing the truth, standing on the truth until such time as God judges the case in His timing and in His wisdom. God is a fair judge inasmuch as He allows both sides to make their case. Often that takes time and patience.
"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:36,37).
Here is the entire matter of witnesses, martyrs, summed up. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).
The judicial system in the USA is one of the best in the world, but it is not based upon justice, it is based upon who can win the case, even if the guilty one is set free, or the not guilty one is jailed. Both sides are not vying for justice, they are competing to win at any cost. This is the way Satan works. As a matter of fact, our judicial systems are systems of the world, and Satan is the Prince of the World. However God judges righteously. "…He (Christ) left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds" (1 Peter 2:23-24 New Living Bible).
Our acquittal and our justification are not based upon our good works.
Notice in Romans chapter 5 that we are justified by faith. This is also affirmed in verse 5:15-16, which says, "But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification."
We need to face the truth while we are in our court trials. We are most likely guilty of something. We have not been perfect with our children, our businesses, our spouses, or in just living life.
This is where justification by faith comes in. Because Jesus took our guilt, sin, and judgement, we are set free, not by what we have done or by how we have performed, but by faith in what He gave us as a free gift.
One of Satan's greatest weapons is to falsely accuse us.
Nobody likes to be falsely accused. It is one of the most painful experiences. During your time in the cosmic courtroom, you will be falsely accused. However Jesus bore this for you as well. He was falsely accused during His trials, and His response was remarkable. Mark 14:60-61a says, "And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, 'Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?' But He kept silent and answered nothing…" (Mark 14:60,61).
If you respond to defend yourself, you cannot accept being justified by faith!
It is painful but powerful to remain silent when you are falsely accused. This is an exercise in taking up your cross, and it will crucify your flesh. Our redemption was based upon Jesus being falsely accused, perhaps someone else's redemption is waiting for us to follow Jesus into this crucible. You might save someone's life! Your response must be only with the Word of God, and that may be in a private setting.
When you humble yourself, God's grace kicks in.
Looking further into Romans chapter 5, take a look at verse 5:20, which says, "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." (Romans 5:20). The first word "abounded" is not the same Greek word as the second word "abounded." The second word is exceedingly stronger. One way to paraphrase would be to say, "Where sin struck in a great way, much greater grace was waiting there in advance to give you the victory."
God revealed to Daniel this idea about the Cosmic Courtroom in end times.
Beginning at Daniel 7:1 through 7:8 Daniel saw, in the form of various beasts, the historic and spiritual kingdoms which had and which would rule the earth. First he saw the Babylonian Empire as the lion, which was toppled by the Media-Persian Empire represented as the bear. Then he saw the Grecian Empire, Alexander the Great, represented by a leopard. They were all actual historic empires, however they also had invisible spiritual foundations.
The fourth beast was very powerful and was quite different. It had iron teeth and devoured ruthlessly. In my opinion this represented two kingdoms, the actual Roman Empire and the spiritual empire of Satan in the last days, that is after the resurrection of Christ.
This final kingdom is interesting.
Daniel had another dream about these kingdoms in chapter 2 wherein he described this fourth kingdom as having feet and toes made of both clay and iron, being partly strong and partly brittle. He saw this kingdom as being divided. Remember Jesus said that a kingdom divided couldn't stand.
It started with the Roman Empire. However the spiritual foundation of this fourth kingdom was destroyed at the Cross. That is why it is depicted as both iron and clay. It's natural manifestation was and is like iron, but the truth about its spiritual foundation is that it is as clay.
In chapter 7 the Kingdom of God destroyed this fourth and final kingdom through the courtroom process which you and I are supposed to be a part of. In Daniel chapter 2 Satan's kingdom, the fourth and final one, is shown to be divided or weakened by clay mixed with iron. It is destroyed by God's Kingdom this time depicted as the Rock or the Stone that was cut out of the mountain not made with human hands. It was divine; it is Jesus the Rock.
God ordained that these empires destroy one another. Each time each empire became weaker; each one being destroyed by another evil empire. The final kingdom was historical Rome. However there is a transition here. The spiritual power holding up the final kingdom is destroyed by God's Kingdom. Jesus came during the Roman Empire. His Kingdom was established during it, and we partake in its final destruction. Jesus destroyed Satan's kingdom, but we must take His victory and make it real in this world. We are responsible for working with Him for the final destruction.
In Daniel chapter 2 Satan's kingdom is shown as destroyed by the Kingdom of God. In chapter Daniel chapter 7 the Scripture goes into more detail into how that destruction takes place.
What is so interesting is just as God describes all of these empires in Daniel 7:1-8, in verse 9 He showed Daniel a courtroom. Why? I believe because this is how the final kingdom is finally destroyed. Jesus took them all down at the Cross, but our overcoming in the Cosmic Courtroom brings them finally down.
One thing to keep in mind on a personal level. When our circumstances look like the iron toes, something we cannot handle, and enemy that is too strong for us, just remember the spiritual foundation of that kingdom is made from clay. The Cross of Jesus and His resurrection did this. If we stand, we will prevail, and the enemy with clay feet will fall!
Daniel saw this final kingdom, this horrible beast defeated in a courtroom!
If you don't remember anything in this chapter remember this; Satan's work against you is finally brought to an end in a Cosmic Courtroom setting, and if you are ignorant of how this works, you may not overcome!
God showed Daniel about the final beast.
"Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them" (Daniel 7:19-21). Notice the "pompous words." These are words from Satanically influenced people and/or spirits that accuse you falsely.
"Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time."
Things always look bad at first.
The prosecutor, Satan, accuses you. The evidence comes in. It does not look good. He begins to wear you out. You check out his record and discover that he has worn out many before he focused on you. You feel fear!
You hear the verdict in the lower court, "guilty." Perhaps you did not handle things just right and you do have some guilt. Maybe you were without guilt but the prosecutor was just skilled. Maybe the doctor's report convicts you. Job has been in this courtroom and we have a first hand report on how it worked out for him. He appealed to the Supreme Court. You decide to try one more appeal, maybe, just maybe you can overcome the impending sentences and doom.
You walk into the Supreme Court and you glance over and see Satan at the prosecutor's bench. He is staring at you with evil so thick that you can feel it in your bones. You see his intelligence and his stacks of papers of evidence. He is smiling at you. You try not to look at him, but you catch him smirking at you with one eyebrow raised in wicked self-confidence.
Then the participants in the courtroom all gasp at what they see.
A being enters the Courtroom! Just before you are getting ready to cave in, just before you feel that you cannot stand any longer, just when you have given up all hope in your fleshly resources for making a defense you decide to enter into praise. You are praising the Lord for his character, His reputation, His reliability, and His faithfulness (this is called "The New Song"). Just then the Father, the Supreme Court Judge, steps into the courtroom!
All of the sudden, a voice sweeps the room and says, "All rise for the judge."
Daniel 7:9-10 says, "I kept looking until thrones were placed, for the assessors with the Judge, and the Ancient of Days, God the eternal Father, took His seat, Whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire came forth from before Him; a thousand thousands ministered to Him and ten thousand times ten thousand (one hundred million) (some courtroom) rose up and stood before Him: the Judge was seated, the court was in session, and the books were opened."
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence" (Daniel 7:13).
Imagine with me that something like this takes place. The Holy Spirit comes over to you, puts His arm around your back and says, "My friend, leave this one to Me. I have been here before, and I know the judge personally."
The Holy Spirit comes before the Ancient of Days. He asks Him to look out the window. The Ancient of Days commands the curtain and the window to be thrown open. He has a bittersweet look as His head turns and He sees outside the city. He sees Golgotha. Behold, He sees a Lamb slain on a Cross. He turns to you and to me and He says, "You are not guilty, you are acquitted and justified! He says to the demon, "you go to the pit!"
"But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him" (Daniel 7:26,27).
"until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom" (Daniel 7:22).
This is a paradox because in order to be considered not guilty, you must plead guilty so that the judge may have mercy. You are justified by faith not by works.
"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect when it is God Who justifies, Who puts us in right relations to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?" (Romans 8:33 Amp. Bible).
The end of the matter in Daniels dream in chapter 2 is similar and parallel. "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure" (Daniel 2:44,45).
Daniel's prophetic dreams tell us that overcoming is painful and takes a long time to prevail against the workers of darkness. They tell us that overcoming takes place in a Cosmic Courtroom. The final chapters of Daniel confirm this. The Book of Revelation is a parallel prophetic vision
What is the end result?
Next time you find yourself in a trial, a suffering, know for sure that it is a trial, but the judge is God the Father, your Advocate is Jesus and your accuser is Satan himself. Look behind the circumstances that always lie. Look to the Word.
The curse is broken, and vengeance is taken. Going back to Jesus' mission statement in Isaiah 61, remember that the many things that Jesus wishes to do for us come after the "Day of vengeance." I believe you will see a multitude of results after overcoming.
As bad as the trial has been, you will feel glad for having participated (in a bittersweet way). Next, you have broken the curse (s) from your life, and your family line. Also, because the curse is broken, the demon (s) who had attached themselves to the curse are heading for an early retirement in the pit.
In addition, you have entered new realms of operating in the Kingdom of God here on earth. You life has been purified, and you have a much more intimate fellowship experience with the Lord. Finally, you are now the minister of comfort, an advocate for others who are going through similar circumstances. You are one of the saints riding with Jesus on white horses in Revelation Chapter 19 coming to the aid of others.
How long do you need to stand on the Word? Until you win!
"And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (Revelation 6:10). "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak" (2 Corinthians 4:13).
Always remember that when things look really bad, you are in a "trial" a real but invisible trial in the Cosmic Courtroom. Your job is to live out the overcoming process and God's plan for your life will prevail.
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Chapter 18
Standing on the Word of God
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11). Many people have confused this term, "word of your testimony" with testifying about their experience with the Lord and what the Lord has done for them. While I understand that giving our testimony is very powerful and I am not discounting that as part of the meaning of this verse, I urge you to not limit Revelation 12:11 to that meaning. It goes much further. It contains the meaning of testifying what the Word of God says about what the blood of Jesus did for you. It means speaking the Word of God in your prayer time. The actual definition of the word states that it is a testimony in a courtroom.
In previous chapters we have compared abuses on both sides of spiritual truths. I want to start this chapter in the same way. We are going to be talking about the words of your mouth and the power connected with them from a Scriptural basis. I have seen believers attempt to talk God into something by repeating a positive confession over and over again, and then become frustrated because something is not working out right. I have also seen believers who think that there is no value to their words so they just speak whatever they feel, especially negative things. Both extremes have missed the truth.
The truth is that all the jabbering we can do with our mouth in an attempt to manipulate circumstances and even God will end up in disaster. On the other hand, if you become as a simple innocent child and consistently speak the word that your Heavenly Father has put into your heart, you will find yourself skipping through life resting in His love and peace (most of the time). As we will see, entering into rest requires labor!
The solution is to move from hope to faith.
When you focus on what the blood of Jesus and the finished work of the Cross has accomplished, you will move from just hoping that God will do something to knowing that He has already done it. You are righteous, you are reconciled. You have been crucified with Christ, you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into His Kingdom. The difference between hope and faith is a time issue. Hope sees it in the future, faith has it now even though it cannot be seen with the physical eyes. Only God can do that. You cannot work up faith. Faith comes by hearing God speak to you personally, and that comes by pressing in to a one on one relationship with Him. It comes by taking up your cross, obeying His Word, and seeking Him until you find Him. When your personal revelation of Jesus burns in your heart, you will know that you have the victory. Then you can put the Word that He has given you on your lips and proclaim the victory. Doubt may come, but you do not have to give into it.
"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me" (Matthew 15:8).
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45).
Overcoming takes time.
Many times people who are in oppressive circumstances or who are suffering afflictions, especially those resulting from a generational curse, do not give God time enough to overcome and bring the victory. Often they give up because they think that God does not "work" or that they are just too unworthy for Him to work on their behalf. Others keep trying in their own power and/or turn to other people as their source of help.
Jesus warned us that sometimes it would seem like God does not care or is indifferent, but He is not. In Luke 17:20 the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. A part of His answer was a parable in Luke 18:1 having to do with an unjust judge, and the men should always pray and not lose heart. The parable ended with His statement, "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:7,8).
Overcoming is often a long process. It took a long time for the curse or the affliction to form; therefore it could take a long time to overcome. Standing on the Word of God over a long period of time is what is needed. Also we need to consistently go back and review the blood of the Lamb and practice taking up our cross.
I don't think that God wants us to be like impatient children on a trip, who quite often say to their parents, "Are we there yet?" He wants us to adapt the lifestyle of overcoming and not be anxious about how long we will stay in our afflictions. I suspect that the more we try to rush Him, the longer it may take. It is like constantly peeling a scab from a wound to see if it is healed.
My wife and I have been through many overcoming seasons. Some of them have lasted longer than others, and some have seemed like they would never end. How does God expect us to stand for times and seasons that seem endless? By entering into His rest and leaving the driving to Him!
Speaking the Word brings us into God's rest.
Jesus is the High Priest over our confessions. In Hebrews chapters 3-6 the writer covers an area that is often overlooked. Perhaps it is because of the Hebrew type imagery and Old Testament shadows that he uses. The bottom line message of these passages is that there is a New Testament rest, a Sabbath that we as followers of Christ can enter. The rest is prescribed during those times that we need to stand on God's Word while circumstances do not seem pleasant. The Sabbath is a rest from the works of your flesh, and relies on the effectiveness of the active and living Word of God. He states that Jesus as your High Priest takes the Word of God spoken from your mouth to the Father, and sees to it that it is performed. He also perfects your imperfections while you are standing, giving you access to the Throne of Grace in time of need.
He reminds us that the Israelites failed to please God in the desert crossing from Egypt because they did not believe God's Word. They could not enter into God's rest. Then he tells us that we can enter God's rest today. "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Hebrews 4:11). How? He goes on in verse 12 to explain that it is because the Word of God is alive and powerful. "For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). He continues in verse 14 to say that Jesus is the High Priest of our confession and He is in Heaven performing that ministry.
Jesus takes our confession and makes it powerful. Hebrews 3:1 says, "Therefore, holy brothers, called to be partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." When we speak God's Word, Jesus takes it to the Father and asks Him to perform it. John 16:23 says, "And in that day you shall ask Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give you."
We can enter into rest and let the Word do the work. The Word (Jesus) will do the work while you rest in His goodness. The Word provides us with God's sabbath rest from the works of our flesh. Actually Hebrews chapters 3-4 describe the New Covenant sabbath, resting from the works of the flesh. It is also described in Isaiah 58:13 which says, "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words" (Isaiah 58:13).
The words of our mouth will apply the blood.
When the Passover was administered to Israel in Exodus 12, the Israelites were told to put the blood of an innocent lamb over their doors and the death angel (demon) would "pass over" and not hurt them. Jesus is the Lamb of God, and we can put His blood over our doors and over the doors of our loved ones and those that we pray for. How?
Notice in Exodus 12 that as long as the lamb's blood stayed in the basin, it did no good. But when they took the hyssop, dipped it in the blood, and applied to their door, then God and the devil could see it. The hyssop was a common weed, which did not seem to have much value. The words of our mouth do not seem to have much value, but when we dip them into the Word of God (Who is Jesus Himself) and apply them as blood, God sees it and the devil sees it!
God's Word is a seed.
So many people forget the real character of God's Word. One of the most important parables Jesus ever told is contained in Mark chapter 4 (it is repeated in Luke 8 and Matthew 13). Jesus said in Mark 4:11, "And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables." Notice He said the mystery, not a mystery. This parable was the most important He had taught and it had to do with the truth that the Word of God is a seed and our hearts are the soil. Jesus is the sower and the Word or the seed either produces fruit or is unfruitful depending upon the condition of the soil. When you receive a rhema, a personal word from God at that time it is indeed planted in your heart and all kinds of reactions happen. Satan comes in many different ways to steal the seed. You have choices of either allowing the seed to be destroyed or stolen or nurturing it to fruitfulness in your life. Read and ponder this parable over and over until it becomes big in your heart!
Your ultimate overcoming is based upon the Word of God planted in your heart. Only you and God can determine what that particular word is, but close fellowship with Him is the only way to receive it. Standing until that seed produces is where many people fail to gain the victory. God expects us not only to resist Satan from stealing the Word, but also to water the Word. How? By speaking that Word over and over again, and living a life worthy of the Lord until fruit comes.
God calls it running the race, a marathon.
Hebrews 12 tells about a long race that we must run. The writer indicates that this race is our waiting time, waiting for God to perform His Word for our lives. God is not only using this time to defeat our external enemies, but also our internal enemies. It is a time of discipline. This chapter indicates that it is a time to rid us of bitterness and all ungodly characteristics through a shaking. When we come out the other end of the overcoming process, everything that can be shaken in our lives will fall off, and only that which is of His Kingdom will remain. "Now this, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Hebrews 12:27,28). I encourage you to study Hebrews 12 in light of this idea.
Negative words coming from a negative past binds you to your past.
Your thoughts will be influenced by the confession of your mouth, and your thoughts will ultimately form your character and your future. Your words should testify to what the blood of Jesus has done for you. Satan hears your words, God hears them, angels hear them, and you hear them. They have an affect on all of those who hear them.
Satan cannot stand where someone who is in right standing with God is speaking His Word. God is quick to perform His Word when He hears it. Angels hearken to the Word of God. We hear the Word in our inner being when we speak it and it changes us.
Our words are extremely powerful.
"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:36,37). While we don't have room to do a complete study on this, we need to know that God is a word person, He created everything by His Word, Jesus is the Word, and we were created in His image. God expected us to exercise His dominion over a word-ruled planet by speaking our words over it. Adam was supposed to commune with God thus knowing His will for the earth. Then he was to speak what he heard God speaking. Satan knew the power of this dominion so he corrupted it, convincing Adam to speak his words rather than God's. Both Satan and God are spiritual beings without earth bodies; therefore they both need a human with an earth body to speak dominion-powered words to this earth and its inhabitants. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21).
When the Word of God is confessed and prayed over a person or a situation, it is powerful! Jesus created everything by His Word. Jesus is the Word. Jesus gave us the authority to use the Word as if it were Him saying it!
When you speak God's Word, Satan does not see you, he sees Jesus (as described in Revelation chapter 1) who already has defeated him.
Demons flee! Psalms 149:5-9 says, "Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to carry out vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, (representing our spiritual enemies) to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with iron-bands, to carry out on them the judgment written; this is an honor for all His saints. Praise the LORD!"
Angels go to work when they hear God's Word. "Bless the LORD, O angels of His, who excel in strength, who do His command, listening to the voice of His word" (Psalms 103:20).
Psalm 68:11 says, "The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it: "Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home divides the spoil." Notice what made the armies flee, it was the believers proclaiming the Word of God!
Jesus was serious about His words.
"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Mark 11:23,24).
Jesus rebuked Satan in His wilderness temptation by speaking God's Word. "But Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God''" (Luke 4:4).
At the Cross, in His absolute affliction, Jesus spoke the Word of His Testimony. We should take His example. He had Psalm 22 on His lips. We don't know how much of it He was able to say, most likely the entire Psalm because it describes the crucifixion centuries before mankind even invented crucifixion. We know He spoke at least the first and the last verses.
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?" (Psalms 22:1).
"They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born, that He has done this [that it is finished]!" (Psalm 22:31 Amplified).
What to do.
I strongly advise living a life of confessing Scriptures every day. A friend of mine reads the Bible out loud daily, and he has seen miracles in his life. My wife and I have a prayer list with dozens of Scriptures that we proclaim out loud several times a week. These Scriptures have to do with various issues like healing, finances, children, enemies, etc. We proclaim these not only over our own family, but also over those for whom we are interceding. We have done this for years and the results overtake us. Back in the early 1980s the Lord instructed me to create a small pocket size book with relevant Scriptures written on each page. I would take 30 to 60 minutes throughout the day and speak these out loud. Most of the times the Scriptures seemed totally opposite of what my actual experience was, but eventually my experience caught up with the Scriptures, and often in ways which were beyond my wildest dreams and prayers! We overcame impossible situations, afflictions, and curses. Ask God to give you a rhema, a personalized Scripture that He wants you to pray over your situation. This will carry power!
Focus on God's love.
While you are proclaiming God's Word, please keep in mind that you are appropriating the power of the God who created the Universe, the everlasting Father, the One who was, who is and who is to come. He is so much higher than your spiritual enemies that there is no comparison. He loves you so much that you cannot fathom it all. Concentrate on the Scriptures showing what Jesus did. See how He was moved with compassion to heal and deliver. When you realize that you are not trying to get God to deliver you, but He is attempting to instill faith in you to be an overcomer, your heart and mind will change. His love will cast out all fear.
Satan attempts to deceive us.
He causes you to believe that there is absolutely nothing spiritual about your affliction. Or at times he causes you to believe that you are in a battle against him. If you are attempting to win against Satan, you have already lost!
Actually the battle is between God and Satan, and the good news is that God has already won. The spiritual battle does not take an experienced warrior; it only takes child like faith that trusts in what God has said more than what our circumstances and our past tell us.
Our position should be one of already having the victory, and thanking and praising God for what He has already done at the Cross.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:10-12).
The wrestling is not to defeat Satan, for he is already defeated. It is a painful and prolonged effort to put your mind on the effectiveness of the Word of God, and to dispel doubt and other imaginations in your mind. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4,5).
Jesus promised that our taking the Kingdom would take militant force on our part. "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12). The word "violence" infers a biological process as a tree growing and breaking up the concrete around it. The Word of God works as the seed of violence and we must understand that overcoming is a violent vocation
Discouragement is one of Satan's main weapons while we are standing.
Streams in the Desert contains a devotion that is very relevant to this subject. It says, "Do not yield to discouragement no matter how sorely pressed or beset you may be. A discouraged soul is helpless. He can neither resist the wiles of the enemy himself, while in this state, nor can he prevail in prayer for others.
Flee from every symptom of this deadly foe as you would flee from a viper. And be not slow in turning your back on it, unless you want to bite the dust in bitter defeat.
Search out God's promises and say aloud of each one: 'This promise is mine.' If you still experience a feeling of doubt and discouragement, pour out your heart to God and ask Him to rebuke the adversary who is so mercilessly nagging you.
The very instant you wholeheartedly turn away from every symptom of distrust and discouragement, the blessed Holy Spirit will quicken your faith and inbreathe divine strength into your soul.
At first you may not be conscious of this, still as you resolutely and uncompromisingly 'snub' every tendency toward doubt and depression that assails you, you will soon be made aware that the powers of darkness are falling back.
Oh, if your eyes could only behold the solid phalanx of strength, of power, that is ever behind every turning away from the hosts of darkness, God-ward, what scant heed would be given to the effort of the wily foe to distress, depress, discourage us!
Selected"
"One day in the autumn, I saw a prairie eagle mortally wounded by a rifle shot. His eyes still gleaming like a circle of light. Then he slowly turned his head, and gave one more searching and longing look at the sky. He had often swept those starry spaces with his wonderful wings. The beautiful sky was the home of his heart. It was the eagle's domain. A thousand times he had exploited there his splendid strength. In those faraway heights he had played with the lightnings, and raced with the winds, and now, so far away from home, the eagle lay dying, done to the death, because for once he forgot and flew too low. The soul is that eagle. This is not its home. It must not lose the skyward look. We must keep faith, we must keep hope, we must keep courage, we must keep Christ. We would better creep way from the battlefield at once if we are not going to be brave. There is no time for the soul to stampede. Keep the skyward look, my soul, keep the skyward look!"
Cowman, Mrs. Charles. Streams in the Desert 1. Grand Rapids, MI:: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995, pp112,113
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Chapter 19
Repentance
We have studied some wonderful and powerful truths about God and the finished work of His Cross. Your just reading these as mental information may be interesting to you, but it will not produce results in your life unless the Holy Spirit imparts it to you as revelation knowledge. I believe one major way you can position yourself to receive the message in this book as a message from God to you is to practice repentance, both now and as a lifestyle.
Repent means to return to your higher position.
The penthouse is the highest position on a tall building. When we repent, we return to our rightful "penthouse" position, on high, seated with Him in Heavenly places.
The word repent actually means to turn 180 degrees and to go in the opposite direction. It carries the meaning to turn and reverse the direction that you are facing. It does not mean to improve what you are doing, but to admit you were going down the highway in the wrong direction and that you need to make a U turn and go the opposite way.
Repentance in God's eyes is very powerful! He has all power, but He does not have power over your will. Only your will can cause you to repent. However God does contribute to your desire to repent by showing you His goodness. "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4). Why is repentance powerful? Because it puts you face to face with God and allows His presence to permeate your being.
Faith works by love.
Sometimes uncomfortable circumstances are opportunities to repent. Even harsh and ungodly people have a way of showing us our lack of love. Rather than fight off all uncomfortable circumstances, try repenting for those areas in your life that need to react in love. Remember, the Bible says that faith works by love. You cannot overcome without faith, and your faith will not work without love. Be diligent to seek out those areas that do not line up with God's love.
Here is an Old Testament promise that God will move when we repent.
"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Repentance prepares your heart for more of Jesus!
Turning from your idol, the world culture, your family or generational curse, or your sin is powerful with God. This was God's plan for John the Baptist and it is exemplary of how God feels about repentance in general. John the Baptist's ministry was to cause people to repent and be baptized and in so doing this would prepare a path for them to see Jesus. "and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight''" (Matthew 3:2,3).
Repentance takes the control and influence away from Satan and gives it to God.
It can disengage spiritual forces that are acting against you in a way that nothing else can. "to open their eyes, in order to turn [repent] them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:18).
Repentance will bring God's presence and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way.
"Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:38).
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
The path that the Lord needs for His Holy Spirit and His manifest presence is repentance. When we turn, He shows up!
Job.
Even though Job had a "perfect heart" he still had much to repent for. His view of God was too earthly, too small. "Then Job answered the LORD and said: 'I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes'" (Job 42:1-6). When Job repented he saw God in a different way, and his prosperity was restored.
Zacchaeus had a powerful repentance.
"Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost'" (Luke 19:8-10).
Peter became a powerful apostle and church leader through repentance.
"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs'" (John 21:15).
What are some areas for repentance?
The biggest area in my opinion is to turn from independence to dependence on God. Jesus often said, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand." Then in Mark 4:11 He stated that the mystery of the Kingdom of God was contained in the parable about sowing His Word as a seed. We need to realize that His Word is supposed to supply all of our needs. The three greatest human needs are security (provisions and care), significance, and love. Humans go to great lengths go have these needs met through the world culture and through their own strengths. They also go to "other gods" some secular and some spiritual for these needs.
Not walking in the love of God towards others is another major area for repentance. There is always room for change in this area!
Obviously repentance includes turning from our un-holiness and sin, but it encompasses much more than that. Moral sins are just the result of the direction you are facing. Make sure your back is turned to the world, and you will see the power of God!
Turning our back on the world and turning to face Jesus is the greatest repentance. This is not just a one-time event but it should become a lifestyle. If you have a fascination for this world's culture, for excessive entertainment, for things that are not eternal but are transitory like wealth, fame, and power, you have an excellent opportunity to repent. Eventually you have to leave those things behind anyway, so why not do it now while you may still profit. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).
Lot turned his back on the Lord and faced the world. "Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom" (Genesis 13:12). Apparently there was always something in the "soil" of Lot's heart that craved the world and its culture. He never repented and ended up a defeated person.
Abraham turned his back on the world and faced Jerusalem. "And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD" (Genesis 12:8). This would most likely be facing Jerusalem. There was something in Abraham's heart that craved God and the heavenly Jerusalem that was in his heart. "for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10).
Intercession for others.
Repentance is an extremely powerful spiritual force when interceding for others. While our individual repentance is powerful, so is vicarious repentance in certain situations. Sometimes praying for a family member, a child, parent or spouse can seem like there is no end in sight. My suggestion is to ask the Lord if this kind of prayer can be valuable in your case.
Daniel's intercession experience is a lesson for vicarious repentance.
Daniel had a powerful experience that gives us a powerful model for vicarious repentance that is repenting for someone within our realm of influence in order to deliver him or her. My wife and I have found this to be one of the most powerful forms of prayer we have ever engaged in. I know that intercessors that are called to the ministry of intercession and spiritual mapping use this principle to a great extent.
In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel was living in Babylonian captivity. He was living a godly life and had really nothing in particular to repent over, except perhaps for his daily failings in life. Yet he prayed a powerful prayer of repentance on behalf of his people Israel. It is a fairly long prayer, but I suggest that you stop and read the entire account now; Daniel 9:1-19. Here are some highlights.
"Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, 'O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments'" (Daniel 9:3-5).
"O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You" (Daniel 9:8).
"Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him" (Daniel 9:11).
"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name" (Daniel 9:19).
Daniel repented as the standing representative for his family Israel. Notice he recognized that Israel's sin would bring a curse, even a generational curse.
How did God answer his prayer? "Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering" (Daniel 9:20,21).
What vision did God give to Daniel? To simplify the answer, God spoke to Daniel in the next few chapters about overcoming in an end times environment. He gave Daniel the vision of the 69 and 70 weeks. The first 69 (7 plus 62) weeks was an amazing timetable to the exact date of the crucifixion of Jesus. (I have a lesson that includes that incredible math!) The remaining week is the prophetic look at the overcoming process after the crucifixion. I believe that the final week represents that period or periods of time in our own individual lives in which we overcome. I am not saying that the final week does not represent some period of actual future history. However if you only take it that way, you will be missing a tremendous blessing in your life.
Why end times? So many of our needs are the product of overcoming generational iniquities or curses. The generation that must pass away is the Adamic nature in each of us, together with its iniquities and curses. Each one of us has an "end times."
What am I saying? I believe that as we are struggling in prayer for our children, parents, spouses, and other family members, as we are praying for our country for our churches, or for whatever group or organization to which we belong, if we fast, pray and repent on their behalf, we will see high level principalities come down. We will see levels of generational curses removed in a way that could not be accomplished any other way. When we fast and repent as Daniel did, we put God's end time scenario into play. When we fast and repent, God goes about to remove the curse by means of the end time, or the overcoming process. As I mentioned above, repentance can pull the trigger for overcoming.
"Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, 'My lord, what shall be the end of these things?' And he said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. [the difference being the time of overcoming] But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days'" (Daniel 12:8-13).
Repentance can take the fruit of your sin away from you and your children.
When we sin we plant a seed for our own life and for the lives of our children. While a seed is small, the fruit is abundant. A little rebellion, a little drunkenness, a little of this or that in our lives, can be manifested as abundant fruit in the lives of our children. That is why so many people are suffering today. They are seeing the fruit, or the curse caused by sin.
When you repent for your past sins, the sins of your forefathers as Daniel did, and for the sins of your children, you may set them free from the fruit of that sin. Jesus actually bore the fruit of sin, so we can pray, "Lord I confess the sins of (whatever) and I reap the fruit of that sin on the Cross where it belongs.
Repentance in Revelation.
The amazing thing to me is the way the Book of Revelation parallels this concept in Daniel. For Daniel the "trigger that he pulled" to cause the action was fasting and repentance. Now compare that to Revelation. In chapters 2 and 3 God is calling His people to repentance, which is the cause or the "trigger" God desires. The affect or the reaction to repentance is the same as in the Book of Daniel. God then shows, beginning in Revelation chapters 4-5, the result of repentance, that being God is set into action to remove the curse by the unrolling of the Scroll. In a later chapter titled The Tabernacle Part 2 - The Bronze Altar I go further into the repentance mentioned in Revelation chapters 2-3.
Now be real with God and pour out your heart to Him. You may be surprised how many words of repentance will flow out. Then begin to vicariously repent for other.
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Chapter 20
Our cross-
Faith without works is dead!
So far we have been talking about the wonderful free grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been focusing on the finished work that He accomplished at His Cross and at the resurrection. We learned that if we are "poor" then we have an advantage and we actually in a better position to overcome difficulties. We learned that our overcoming is very valuable to God, and to ourselves. We have learned about the magnificent, all-inclusive, all-powerful work done by Jesus on the Cross of Calvary, how He shed his blood for our sin, and rose from the dead to give us life. We cannot add to that. We have learned that overcoming takes place in the Courtroom of God. We know that we are in God's "courtroom" and that we need to "stand" until the final verdict and judgement.
However, in order to take advantage of that work, we must also die. We must take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him. We must lose our life. A blood covenant is not a one sided deal. It has no effect unless both parties shed blood and agree to be committed. Jesus spoke about this. "…'The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.' Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it'" (Luke 9:22,24).
Notice He compared our responsibility to His. He said He was going to take up His cross, and that we must also take up our cross. Now there has been a lot of misunderstanding on this subject. The word for "life" in Luke 9 means "soul" or the will, mind and emotions. The word "deny" means to say no to. The key to abundant life and receiving all that Jesus has for us, including His presence, is to complete the blood covenant by taking up our cross.
It takes two deaths, Jesus' and yours to activate the blood covenant! Taking up your cross is not just saying no, it is like getting married, exclusivity, and with total consecration. He gave all to us; we give all to Him, even our lives. Taking up your cross puts Jesus as your Lord. You no longer own any part of your life. The more you give to Him, the more of Himself He may give to you.
When we connect the Cross of Jesus to our cross we are plugged into God and Power happens!
Both faith and works justified Abraham.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? (James 2:21).
Obedience to the voice of God transforms the natural to the spiritual.
The words, "faith" and "believe" both have two actions and two parts when investigating their translations. They require a hearing and a doing. While we do not obtain God's favor by works, we are co-laborers with Him, and when we do what He says to do, we transform little acts of common everyday obedience into spiritually powerful energy.
A young boy was watching with awe a circus act where a cable was spanned over a very deep canyon. A cable car would traverse the canyon with one of the circus stunt men in the car. Upon returning, the stunt man noticed the young boy, and he said, "Son, do you think that this car could hold you and get you to the other side of the canyon." The boy said, "Well….yes, I do believe." Upon hearing the young lad's response, the stunt man said, "OK, then, get in the car and go for a ride." The lad said, "Oh, I don't know if I believe enough to trust my life to it."
Abandonment is what God wants. Do you trust Him with your life and not just on paper? That is real faith.
One of the great principles of faith is the "doing" portion of it, that is to say, our being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was" (James 1:23,24). God does not want to produce a bunch of lazy bums that run around saying, "I am standing in faith," and then sit around all day and don't even go looking for a job. " But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). The quickest way for us to be self-deceived is to not obey what the Lord has told us in the Word.
I submit that there are three kinds of works, the works of the flesh, the works of the Law, and the works of faith.
1. The works of our flesh spring out of our being alienated from the real time presence of God.
2. The works of faith come as a result of pushing into His presence.
3. The works of the Law are what some people think they need to do in order to earn their salvation and righteousness.
Let us investigate these three kinds of works.
The works of the Law.
A man cannot be justified by keeping the Law. We are not to look at the Law as some external list of things to check off. That is not why Jesus came. He came to insert the Law into our hearts so that we could partake of God's character.
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Galatians 2:16).
The Scriptures are clear stating that the Law is to bring us to Christ. It is to show us the pattern of God's personality, and thus show us how we fall short. Its purpose is not to bring us to obedience to the Law for that is impossible, but to have us to cry out to God for help. His answer to our cry is Christ who is the only one who kept the Law perfectly. Christ comes in us to carry out His life through us. (Romans 3:20, 77, Galatians 3:10,3:24, 1 Timothy 1:9).
The works of the Law will put us under a curse. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.'" (Galatians 3:10). Now take a look at Deutoronomy chapter 28, starting in verse 15, and you will see some pretty horrible curses that you will put yourself under if you are trying to justify yourself by your performance, or by keeping the law of God.
We should remember that the primary portion of the Law normally forgotten by people of God is the sacrifice. Forgiveness through a substitute sacrifice was always part of the Law. Our sacrifice is Jesus, and we cannot add anything to Him.
The works of the flesh.
The generic works of the flesh are mentioned in Galatians chapter 5. "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:19-24).
Works of the flesh can also be very personal and become personal decisions. They can simply be not submitting to the will of God (whether you know it or not) and making decisions independent of God.
In Romans Chapter 8:1-11 the grace for our mistakes and for our flesh is expressed. It is called "Walking in the Spirit."
Even when you miss it, if you turn quickly and repent the Lord will keep the damnatory sentence from coming upon you. Repenting your way through life is called "Walking in the Spirit." "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).
The works of faith are mentioned in the Book of James.
While we do not obtain salvation, justification, righteousness, or any of the works of the Cross we have studied by works, the fact that we are saved, we are righteous, etc., will indeed propel us to good works. If someone claims to be a Christian and does not show good works and obedience in his/her life, I begin to wonder if they have ever really been saved.
Faith will not work without corresponding obedience!
"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!" (James 2:14-19).
"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and works made faith perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:20-26).
Usually the works of faith are personal in nature, works that are customized for each personal situation. Sometimes it may involve seeing a particular doctor, or interviewing for a particular job. Perhaps it involves taking a certain medicine, or being assured that you are to marry a certain person. Perhaps it is relating to someone or forgiving him or her with God's heart of compassion.
Sometimes the works of faith may just be confessing the Word that God has given to you. God wants us involved. He does not desire for us just to take impersonal directions from Him. He wants to use the law of desire in our hearts so that His plan for our life is really what we have a passion to do. Happiness is finding out that your greatest desire is God's will.
In 2 Samuel chapter 5, David had just defeated his enemy. Then He inquired of the Lord about a second attack, and the Lord warned him not to attack until he heard the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees. We need to hear God today for today's marching orders!
In Exodus Chapter 15, right after Moses had led the Israelites across the Red Sea, they encounter a bitter pool of water called Marah. The only water available was not fit for drinking. God spoke to Moses to throw a certain tree into the pool, and the pool turned into great drinking water. That is a great picture of the Cross absorbing all of our bitter situations. There are trees that will absorb the type of impurities that were in that pool. The miracle was that Moses could hear God tell him which tree to throw in. That was a work of faith. After that, the group progressed to an oasis with shade and springs of water called Elim, which means in typology the Kingdom of God.
Abraham truly heard from God, otherwise he could not have raised his knife to slay his son. He truly heard from God a second time when he did not lower the knife. It is a good thing that Abraham did not make a doctrine out of this, but kept it as a personal work of faith. Abraham was overcoming his curse of being childless. Even though Isaac was a supernatural birth, Abraham still had a generational curse to overcome. Satan could have killed Isaac. However God had Abraham face his curse head on, look at it in the face, and at the last minute the substitute Lamb showed up.
Abraham also performed a classic work of the flesh when be birthed Ishmael through his servant Hagar. He knew God's will was to give him a child. However he felt that he needed to take things into his own control because he could not see how God could have possibly give him a son through Sarah.
How can one find out for sure which works of faith God has prescribed for him/her? I submit that it is both easy and difficult. It is easy because all it requires is for us to spend so much time with God that His will becomes our will. It is difficult because we are not in control, and rarely do we know in advance exactly what we are supposed to do. More often it is like holding the hand of an experienced guide in a jungle as opposed to having a detailed jungle map. Remember faith comes by hearing God speak. How can we have faith if we do not hear Him speaking? "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
What about Jonah's works?
Most often when we look at Jonah we focus on his fleeing to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord when the Lord called him to go to Nineveh. God arranged for Jonah's ship to encounter a storm, and for Jonah to finish his journey in the belly of a whale. Jonah even cried out to the Lord and repented, he did all the right things while in the whale. He remembered the Temple and gave thanksgiving in the midst of his affliction.
Was Jonah's obedience pleasing to God?
Then the Lord called Jonah a second time. The Word says that Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the Word of the Lord (Jonah 3:1-2). It sounds good. It sounds like Jonah learned his lesson and this time obeyed. Maybe, but let's look deeper.
Jonah preached and Nineveh had a supernatural revival. The results were astonishing! "Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it" (Jonah 3:10).
"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, 'Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm'" (Jonah 4:1-2). He was so despondent that he asked the Lord to take his life. Although Jonah had finally obeyed the Lord, his heart was not God's heart.
Jonah went outside the city to pout, and was hot from the sun. So God prepared a gourd to give him shade. Then God prepared a cut worm to take down the gourd. Jonah again wanted to die. He could not understand God's love and mercy. He was angry.
Why was Jonah angry?
Nineveh was Israel's great enemy! Jonah was a partisan Israelite and he had a difficult time showing mercy to Nineveh. Just imagine asking a religious Jew today to have mercy on the Palestinian Authority! I have talked to a few Jews and they cannot even imagine showing forgiveness towards the enemies of Israel. I give the Jews a lot of mercy for their stand because they are fighting for their very existence. However, God's character goes beyond what we can see in the natural.
Listen to the last few words of God's conversation with Jonah.
"Then God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?' And he said, 'It is right for me to be angry, even to death!' But the LORD said, 'You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left--and much livestock?'" (Jonah 4:9-11).
I don't think we can afford to bring an indictment against Jonah for what he did. I don't think this shows his depravity as much as it shows the "otherness" of God compared to human thinking. God has a way of loving people that is just so foreign to our thinking that we must stand back in humble repentance. There is a Jonah in all of us, and the same God may ask us to do an act parallel to what He called Jonah to.
God wanted Jonah, and you and me, to have His heart towards others. God even had compassion for the livestock! He was attempting to show him, and you and me, that our hearts can be so hard towards others. Certainly he wants our obedience, but more than that He wants us to feel His heart and allow Him to reach out to others through us. He wants us to repent for our selfishness and self-centerness.
Who have been your enemies? When you forgive others do you do it with God's compassion, or do you forgive with a grudge towards your enemies? Do you have a righteous indignation against certain types of people? What about prostitutes, what about homosexuals? Maybe God wants to do a supernatural act in their lives like He did in the people of Nineveh.
When we are in real time fellowship with the Lord, our will becomes His will and His heart becomes our heart.
"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). "Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established (your will becomes agreeable with His will)" (Proverbs 16:3).
If you agree that faith without works is dead, and that faith comes from being in fellowship with God, then you need to focus on and learn the skills of being in fellowship with God, otherwise you will never overcome.
Overcoming requires that we stay in the Secret Place of the Most High as in Psalms 91. It requires that we put on the whole armour of God as in Ephesians Chapter 6. I submit that both of these simply mean, wearing the character of God. You are in a secret place where the devil cannot harm you nor win his court case against you if you are standing in the character of Jesus. You are hidden in Christ!
The only way we can wear the character of God, for real not just faking it, is to spend so much time with Him that His character rubs off on us. We become just like whom we spend much time with.
That is the subject of our next few chapters.
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 22
The Tabernacle Part 2
Putting our sins on the Bronze Altar
We are in the process of walking into the presence of God by the taking up or our cross. We are using the Tabernacle as the type and picture for the taking up of our cross. We have defined that as replacing our will, mind and emotions for God's. "In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me" (Ps 27:5b).
The first stop within the Tabernacle pattern towards the presence of God is the Bronze Altar. Bronze stands for judgement. Our sins have been judged as transferred to Jesus on the Cross. I believe that this altar is a pivot point, kind of a watershed, not only for coming into God's presence and overcoming, but also for our entire relationship with God. I make this statement based upon the fact that in the Book of Revelation, as God is looking for overcomers, He continually makes the statement, "He who overcomes….." Then he makes overcomers some promise, a different one for each of the seven churches. He is referring in each case overcoming their faults, sins, and fleshly attitudes.
The Brazen or Brass Altar represents the Cross of Jesus and His sacrifice there for our sins and our sin nature. However we must appropriate this sacrifice by being honest with Him.
Many people have never been comfortable enough with another person to be totally transparent and honest. If you have never encountered the person of Jesus, in the Holy Spirit or in another human, it may be difficult for you to bare your heart before God.
Look at it this way. Imagine that you are preparing to go into a courtroom where you were the defendant. Imagine further that you were sitting in a restaurant in the building just downstairs from the courtroom, thinking about your trial, and suddenly the judge walks in. He sits next to you and begins to tell you how you can win the trial for sure. He gives you advance information on what he will be looking for. He gives you inside information. This is how I see Revelation chapters 2-3. They are not put there to make us feel condemned, but rather to prepare us for victory. There may be many hidden and deceitful attitudes in our lives that the enemy can use against us as his victory. You can trust the judge who does this. He is looking out for your best interest.
We need to be and can safely be very straight up with ourselves and with God about our attitudes and sinful actions. I am not promoting some kind of striving after sinless perfection that could drive us to despair, but rather am encouraging you to be totally gut level honest with the One who loves you more than you love yourself. He will not condemn you nor make you feel dirty. The devil does that. The devil never gives you a way out. However when we allow God to convict us, He always does it in love, and always gives us a way out. It is called repentance, to turn from our attitudes and actions with the power given to us in and through the Holy Spirit living with in.
We have stated that overcoming has three major pieces, the knowledge of the work of Jesus' cross and His blood, our testimony of that work, and finally our discipline, or the taking up of our cross. I have seen a lot of people study the Bible and become very grounded in who they are in Christ and what the Cross did for them, and they even continually confess those Scriptures, but they experience defeat. Why? I submit that because they do not want to be honest with their real condition, and they do not want to be real with themselves and with God.
Repentance is a gift from God. Being able to repent brings revival; it brings the presence of the Lord. "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
We can be honest with Jesus, we can trust Him. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
A big part of taking up your cross is being gut level honest with God. You need to be totally transparent and tell Him everything. Take time to pour out your heart to him as you would your best friend! Often we do not even know our sin. The safest thing to do is what I have learned from my wife, just tell Him everything! Pour out your heart to Him telling Him how you feel about everything. You can be sure that as you do that, some of what comes out of your mouth will be the confession of sin, and Jesus loves it!
1 John 1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." Jesus said in John 3:19 that sin had no power as long as people came out into the light with the truth, and did not attempt to hide in darkness. Jesus did not die for our excuses, He died for our sin!
Psalms 32:1-6 says, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters [of trial] They shall not come near him." (Comment added from Amplified Version).
Here are some of the areas in which the Holy Spirit will work in your life.
1. Sin against men. The greatest issue is that you need to walk in love, and when you fail, run to God to be cleansed. "The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the Law of Sin and Death"(Romans 8:2). If we stay turned toward God and stay honest with Him, He will see us through even in our mistakes and stumbling. Read 1 Corinthians 13, the "love chapter." We will go further into detail in the attached Appendix F.
2. Sin against God. The greatest issue with God is that many Christians still go to "other gods" for their needs rather than to the Word. The Old Testament is overflowing with this issue and Jesus spent a lot of time teaching about "You cannot serve God and Mammon." Mammon is not simply money, it is increase (outside of God's Word) of any kind, including love security and significance.
3. Next, following God's pattern for His courtroom, let us look at Revelation again. Jesus wanted to prepare the Churches of that day, as well as you and me, for the trial. His way of doing that is expressed in Revelation chapters 2-3.
God is looking for overcomers. Overcoming is the bottom line message to each of these seven churches. Jesus was showing each one of the churches back then, and each one of us right now, that there are certain things in our lives that we need to line up with God's plan, so that we may become overcomers. We need to clean up our ways because before we overcome we will be in intense war. As soldiers, we need "clean rifles, shinny boots," and obedient spirits. The message continues and shows us that things will get bad, then they will get worse, and then they will seem intolerable. It will look like evil is winning. We don't know if we can hang on any longer, then suddenly, Jesus comes on the scene on delivers us. We overcome! The rewards of overcoming include a closer relationship with God, more of His character in our lives, more of His provisions for temporal needs, and spiritual authority to go rescue others who need to overcome.
The word overcome is used eleven times in Revelation. The first seven times it is for the churches, and you and me. The next two times, Chapter 11:7 and 13:7, the bad guys overcome the good guys. The next time, Chapter 17:14, Jesus, The Lamb, overcomes the bad guys. The last time is in Chapter 21:7 when Jesus tells us, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7).
God is looking for overcomers. He is intense and passionate about it. However He shows us that the path may be difficult, very difficult, but that He will finally overcome and give the victory to our account so that we may be considered overcomers and receive the rewards thereof. There are great rewards!
I admit that I do not understand all of the beautiful pictures and language portraits in Revelation. In an effort to summarize some practical points gleaned from Jesus' message to each of the seven churches Revelation, I offer the following practical, yet probably incomplete summary. I believe that including here are areas that each one of us may apply to our own lives. Remember Jesus was not condemning these believers and churches, He wanted them to overcome. He knew that Satan would prevent their overcoming unless they repented.
The Church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:1). They were hard working for the Gospel, undergoing trouble and were patient. They would not endure wicked people. Their heart was in the right place for God and His work. But they left their first love. Jesus said, "You deserted ME! Get back into real time, vital living contact with Me, or you will not survive and overcome what is about to happen to you." We need to be in "real time" contact with God through the Holy Spirit and the Word. The analogy is, we can write letters to one another, we can send email to one another, we can even "chat" with one another on the internet, but unless we get face to face, our relationship will be limited. We need face to face contact with God.
The Church of Smyrna (Revelation 2:8). This was, and represents the persecuted church. Jesus knew of their great distress, affliction, and poverty, but He told them to hang on and be faithful, even if to death. Jesus had nothing against this church. I submit that this includes people who are destined to be physical martyrs. Their reward is the Crown of Life. Crown stands for authority, and life represents the spiritual life given by God. Historically, the death of martyrs has brought about a great harvest of souls. The First Century Christians knew that for each martyr approximately 300 souls would be saved. In the year 2000, there was a tragic incident in an American High School in Colorado, where two demonized boys killed thirteen people. Some of the ones who died did so as true martyrs. Since that time there have been thousands of souls come into the Kingdom of God through this event. I believe that the "Smyrna believer" can also be those who are in terrible suffering which may not be unto death. Notice in verse 2:9 the Lord calls those who are afflicted and in poverty rich. "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)…"(Revelation 2:9). The next verse says that these people "will have tribulation ten days."
Pastor Jack Hayford in his book E Quake gives good insight into the ten days. "'Ten days' references the passing of an amount of time that has no specific measure. It was a commonly used phrase in the culture of that time to describe something that seemed to go on and on and on. Ten also meant it would come to an end. But when you are going through it, it doesn't seem that it is ever going to end."
The Church of Pergamos (Revelation 2:12). These people lived among an evil people who had the spirit of anti-Christ, yet they did not deny Jesus. But Jesus saw that some of them had a money problem, serving two gods at the same time and they welcomed some false teaching about needing a mediator between themselves and God (Nicolaitans). Some believers and some entire denominations feel that there needs to be a human priest to mediate between God and man. "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
They also were prone to sexual vice. Perhaps they had a love of the "world" and its "gods." Revelation 2:14 states that these people hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak, the King of Moab to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel. Balaam was hired by Balak to curse the Israelites prior to waging war with them. Balaam, a prophet, tried to curse Israel, but he could only bless. Later, as recorded in Numbers 31, in a war with the Midianites, the Israelites, at the prompting of Balaam, mingled with the Midianite women. This sin caused Israel to fail, and a plague came upon the entire congregation of the Lord.
"And Moses said to them, "Have you kept all the women alive? 'Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD'" (Numbers 31:15,16).
Satan knows that sin and disobedience is the quickest way to overcome God's people. The curse could not be effective because God had blessed them, but their own choice to sin defeated them. Obedience is a very big issue with God, and many Christians are deceived even self deceived by their own works, and even deceived by their own sacrifices. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Jesus said that if they did not turn from this that He would fight against them. He also promised them a major blessing of close fellowship with Him, if they overcame these problems.
The Church of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18). Jesus recognized their love and service, but He saw the spirit of Jezebel, which is being out of line when it comes to authority. This often leads to sexual immorality and being led astray in many other ways. Jesus promised authority to those who overcame. There are many manifestations of the spirit of Jezebel, some within the church and some outside the church. It is not primarily a sexual demon, although it uses sex as one of its tools to control. It counterfeits the Holy Spirit and often acts as a false prophet. Often, when found in the church, Jezebel's goals are to destroy the congregation. Often she is successful. Pastors must remain vigilant to people who disguise themselves as super spiritual. Pastors, and all men, must remain in proper relationship with their God given spouse; otherwise they are prime targets. A woman very often traps young men, who do not submit to the authority of Jesus, with a Jezebel spirit. Young women who find themselves without an authority figure are often trapped by a male with a Jezebel or an Ahab (Jezebel's husband) spirit. This is why the church is commissioned to minister to widows and orphans. They make up a large groups of those who are not under a male authority (divorced women as well).
Meekness and obedience to our delegated authorities are a major issue with God. He is very particular with authority and respects it, even wicked authority.
The Church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1). Jesus called them dead! He said that they thought that they were alive. That is a very dangerous position to be in, dead, but convinced they are alive! This could describe many main line denominations that go through the motions without real life. He stated that their garments were dirty but that there were a few who had on white, representing His righteousness. The remedy prescribed for them, and for those who are tending to be like them, is to back up and remember the lessons they have heard in the past, and to be a doer of the Word this time. In other words, be obedient to the Word of God. He said that if they repented and turned that He would not blot their names out of the Book of Life. If is a fearful thought that some people may have been scheduled for salvation but had their name blotted out!
The Church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7). This was the church that was doing its best to live and minister properly, but they were constantly under attack from the enemy. He found nothing against them, but warned them to hang on to the end, or they would lose. I believe that these are the people who are positioned to turn their troubles and curses into triumph and blessings! I believe that these are the people who are in the "Cosmic Courtroom," and if they hang on long enough, they will win. Revelation 3:10 indicates that God will keep them safe during the "trial." These are the people who will have spiritual authority and will be able to help others overcome.
The Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14). This was the lukewarm church, they were neither hot nor cold. They said they were rich, but Jesus called them poor. I believe there is an indication that they were very religious and self-righteous. They were blinded to their condition. Jesus warned them to be overcomers, not losers. The reason I feel that "lukewarm" indicates self righteous, is because He told them, "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' --and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:17). That is spiritual pride. In verse 18 He tells them that they cannot even see their condition. I believe that all of us can take a warning from this admonition.
Let us not forget how grace reached down and saved us. Let us not judge others too quickly. The only remedial way of dealing with a brother or sister who is not acting right is to bring them into the presence of God. It is not to hit them over the head with the Bible! I am not saying that there won't be times of firm dealings with some people, but for the most part love and grace are the needed ingredients. Criticism and gossip will not help people. Criticism and gossip is what comes out of the mouth of the self righteous, and those are the people who Jesus will "spue out of His mouth."
The wonderful promise for repentance from a self-righteous attitude is that they may be intimate with Jesus. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). There is no intimacy with God for the self-righteous, critical and legalist.
I have known "cold" believers who have been precious. Remember cold tastes good to Jesus. I have known many believers who do not know very much about the Bible, but they have a great love for Jesus and for people in general. They walk and live in love, but may not be very evangelistic.
The lost world does not need religion they need love. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord need to be loved and encouraged.
Simple honesty with God is powerful. When you confess your sin without excuse, and determine to turn around and go in a different direction, you are positioning yourself to enjoy God's presence.
Now that you have been offered such free and undeserved forgiveness, you must also forgive those who have offended and hurt you. You must forgive whether you feel like it or not and whether or not the other party has apologized.
The rewards of overcoming are fantastic, but they do not compare with the rewards of being face to face with God.
At this time I am asking you to recall the power that is unleashed by repentance.
Look at the Tabernacle Appendix F and give yourself an honest evaluation.
A Spiritual Check-up - Appendix F.
… Love - Are you treating others with the unconditional love of God?
… Selfishness - Putting your own needs over the needs of others. Love is concerned with the welfare of the other person; are you more concerned with yourself and how you feel?
… Stealing - Can you remember taking money for property that was not yours?
… Cheating - Did you get anything from anyone unfairly?
… Lying - Any designed form of deception. Honesty brings God on the scene, dishonesty brings Satan.
… Slander - Speaking evil of someone. You do not have to lie to slander. Have you spoken about others without love?
… Immorality - Are you guilty of stirring up desires that you could not righteously feed? Sexual vice, all impurity, even against your own body.
… Drunkenness, drugs sorcery, carousing.
… Foul or polluted language, evil words, unwholesome or worthless talk. Filthiness, foolish, silly, and corrupt talk.
… Envy - Behind the talk of other's failures and faults usually lurks envy.
… Ingratitude - How many times have others done things for you that you are not grateful for?
… Authority - Are you being submissive to God's delegated authorities, such as in government, family, schools, or the work place?
… Anger - Have you been bad-tempered?
… Cursing - Have you used gutter language?
… Needless silly talk. Talking and acting like a moron. Jests and practical jokes that tend to undermine the sacred and precious standards of life. Have you made fun of an ethnic group or a certain part of the world, a state or region in your country, or some politician? Ethnic and regional jokes have no place in holiness.
… Hardness - Did you fight back, murmur or return evil for evil?
… Habits - Have you continually over-indulged natural appetites; how about your eating habits?
… Halfhearteness - Can you remember times when you deliberately shirked your full share of responsibility?
… Hindrance - Have you destroyed another's confidence in you by needlessly taking up their time? Have you betrayed another's confidence in you?
… Hypocrisy - Did the life you lived before some people make all you said of Christ and His gospel a lie?
… Broken Vows - Is there a vow you made to God that you have not kept?
… Unforgiveness - Are you holding any resentment against anyone, friend or foe?
… Divisions, clicks, the party spirit of having differing groups.
… Lustful, rich and wasteful living, greediness. Overspending on shopping, Wasting time.
… Not treating wives, husbands, children, and parents with love and honor.
… Not being content, being jealous of what others have and you do not have.
… Love of money - A person without any money can still have the love of money.
… Idolatry - Any desire in your life above your desire for God.
… Strife - Have you stirred up strife by unneeded words?
… Witchcraft - Manipulating another to meet your needs.
… Rebellion to authority - Boss, teacher, parent, spiritual leader, etc.
… Love of the World - Includes: Sins of the eyes - What are you reading or watching? Lust of the flesh - What are you desiring? Pride of life - What part of your life do you think you can handle without God being involved? - Pretending in thought or life to be more or less than you really ARE.
… Pride is the greatest sin of all. Examine these areas:
… Do you focus on the failure of others or are you concerned with your own sense of spiritual need?
… Are you self-righteous and critical or compassionate and forgiving, looking for the best in others?
… Do you look down on others or esteem all others better than yourself?
… Are you independent and self-sufficient or dependent, recognizing your need for others?
… Must you maintain control or do you surrender control?
… Do you have to prove you are correct, or are you willing to yield the right to be correct?
… Do you have a demanding spirit or a giving spirit?
… Do you desire to be served or are you motivated to serve others?
… Do you desire to be promoted or are you happy when others are promoted?
… Do you need to receive the credit or are you happy when others are recognized?
… Do you feel confident in how much you know or are you humbled by how much you have yet to learn?
… Are you self-conscious or not concerned with yourself at all?
… Do you keep people at arm's length or do you risk getting close to others. Are you willing to take the risk of loving intimately?
… Are you quick to blame others or do you accept responsibility?
… Are you unapproachable or easy to be entreated?
… Are you defensive when criticized or receive criticism with a humble and open heart?
… Are you concerned with being respected or being real?
… Are you concerned about what others think or what God thinks?
… Do you work to maintain your image or do you die to your reputation?
… Do you find it difficult to share your spiritual needs with others or are you willing to be open and transparent?
… Do you try to hide your sin or are you willing to be exposed when you are wrong?
… Do you have a hard time saying, "I was wrong, will you please forgive me?"
… When confessing sin, do you deal in generalities or do you deal in specifics?
… Are you remorseful over your sin when you get caught or are you grieved over your sin and quick to repent?
… When there is a misunderstanding or conflict, do you wait for others to come and ask forgiveness or do you take the initiative?
… Do you compare yourself with others and feel deserving of honor or do you compare yourself to the holiness of God and feel a desperate need for mercy?
… Do you think you have little or nothing to repent for or do you have a continual attitude of repentance.
… Do you think that everyone else needs revival or do you continually sense a need for a fresh encounter with the filling of the Holy Spirit?
… Are you proud when you are around a new Christian or do you delight in his/her zeal? Are you willing to learn from him/her?
… Are you intimidated when you are around a more mature Christian, or are you hungry to learn from his/her experience?
Surgery needed?
If the Holy Spirit shows us sin, we must go back to the place where the Lord first met us. It is the Cross again. We see the Lord Jesus once crucified for that sin, bearing our penalty.
A line of blood trickles down from The Cross' splintered base. The sight should shock and grieve us because we see the awfulness of God's judgment. We need to understand that all of God's wrath and judgment was put on Jesus at the Cross.
Jesus is waiting there for us, not to condemn us, but happy to have us come to the Cross to give Him our sin. So many Christians run from God in shame and guilt when they discover sin.
God's remedy for sin is to come to the Cross, come to the Holy of Holies into His presence and let His character flood your character. His holiness will replace your sin. This is the only remedy. We cannot do it ourselves. It is the displacement method. We do not empty out our sin, God floods us with His holiness and love and the sin must leave. Do not be discouraged if you have to do this time and time again. God is not the one who condemns, Satan is. God will take you back as many times as you come. When you stop coming is when He is grieved.
Walk out into the light of reality. Drop your self-deceit and face this sin for what it really is. Turn from it, from your heart. Take sides with God against it. Purpose in your heart NEVER to go back into that sin again.
Confession:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"(I John. 1:9).
"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalms 103:8-12).
Forgiveness is not excusing. Forgiveness is a strong word that means to cut away and remove like a surgeon cuts out a cancer. Forgiveness of sin means that the sin is removed from you and put on to Jesus who bore it on the Cross.
Confession is agreeing with how God sees the matter and speaking it with your mouth. Confession is not just saying it; confession includes being in agreement with the Word. Humility is admitting you are wrong.
Will you do this now? Will you go to your gracious and loving Father as a little child and humbly ask His forgiveness and confess your sin?
"Oh God, You know my foolishness, and my sin is not hid from You...for Your Name's sake, pardon my iniquity, for it is great...If you, Lord, would mark iniquities, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared (Ps. 69:5; 25:11; 130:3-4).
Oh God, my Father, I come to you to confess my sin(s) of:
Your Word says that these acts and/or these attitudes are sin, and I hereby agree with Your Word. I call this sin what it is. I make no excuses for it. I no longer want to hold this sin in my spirit, soul, and body. I want to get it out and expel it. It is separating me from You. It is destroying me. I want to be healed, spirit, soul and body, and I want to be close to you. I accept your forgiveness. Thank you for putting this sin on Jesus, and thank you that He took it to His Cross for me. I know I do not deserve this exchange, but I am so thankful to be free."
Restitution is the willingness to pay back or restore wherever possible. If you are now forgiven before the Lord, are you ready to ask Him for the courage to confess and restore to others you have wronged? Your conscience must be clean before both God AND man if you want to know true freedom. You cannot stand for God with a dirty past in other's eyes.
Memories of your failure in their eyes will drive you deeper into bondage each time you remember them. If you have not asked their forgiveness, your guilt will kill your faith and rob you of direction and purpose. You will not, of course, have to confess every sin to everyone; just the sins committed against the ones you know you have wronged.
The rule: The circle of confession should only go as far as the circle of committal. Those sins against God alone, you have left with His loving forgetfulness (Ps. 103:8-13; Is. 43:25; Jer. 31:34). Those against God and man must be made right with BOTH God and the person(s) wronged.
Portions of this Appendix F were taken from Winkie Pratney's tracts published on the World Wide Web.
We begin here. We walk through here We end up here and take up our cross. in God's presence.
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Chapter 23
The Tabernacle Part 3
The Laver. The Word of God
Second stop in the Tabernacle: The Laver: The Word of God
The word laver means, bowl or to wash. Here it is a symbol for the Word of God. The first object was the brass altar that stood for the Cross and the blood of Jesus. Now that our conscience is clear we can make contact with God through the Word. Sometimes the Word will not be powerful to us if our conscience is tainted.
The laver is made out of brass and is a bowl filled with water. Women donated their brass mirrors for the laver. The brass mirrors were pounded into this large bowl which stood outside the tabernacle just beyond the brass altar.
The Word says that the priest would die if he tried to get into the Holy Place without stopping at the laver. We cannot proceed into God's presence without being cleansed by the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26-27).
The laver will cleanse us from the filth of the world. It will also be a mirror to judge us; it will bring things to our mind that we need to get right with God. The Word will renew our mind so that we can think spiritually and stand against the words that demons speak into our minds.
We will look at the Word from several points of view:
The Word is a mirror.
The Word is cleansing water.
The Word judges.
The Word is a seed.
The Word is a sword.
The Word is Jesus and Jesus is the Word.
1. The mirror: James 1:22-25 says that that we should be doers of the Word and not hearers only, for if anyone merely listens to the Word without obeying it, it is like someone looking into a mirror, seeing his problems, and then walking away and forgets or ignores what he saw. Jerimiah 17:9 says that our hearts are deceitful above all things. The human being cannot see his own faults, he always thinks he is right and that everybody else is wrong. We need to look into the Word every single day to let the Lord show us those things that we need to repent for.
2. Cleansing: Ephesians 5:26 says that the Word washes us like water. John 15:3 says that we are clean because of the Word. Psalm 119:9 says that a young man may cleanse his way with the Word. The blood of Jesus cleanses our inner being from sin and from sins, but the Word cleanses us from the daily dirt that gets on us. It cleanses us from guilt. It is the same as Jesus washing our feet.
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Chapter 24
The Tabernacle Part 3
The first door - Thanksgiving
Remember, we are in the process of overcoming, which requires seeking His presence. We must die, or take up our cross to experience His presence. God dwells with the humble and resists the proud. Paul said, "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). We are using the Tabernacle as a pattern for seeking Him and dying to ourselves. Only dead men can see God's face!
It is time to leave the outer court, which had the brazen altar symbolizing the blood of Jesus, forgiveness, and our crucifixion with Christ to our old nature and our consecration for service to God. We also experienced the laver in the outer court, which symbolized the Word of God. We saw there that if we allowed the mirror of the Word to judge us and the water of the Word to cleanse us, that we could then put the judgment due Satan on him and be victorious in life. You must spend a lot of time allowing the Word of God to renew your mind. Your mind is the key; it is the beginning place for your overcoming.
We must enter in the Holy Place with thanksgiving. Now it is time to go through the first of two veils from the outer court into the tent itself and that portion called the Holy Place. However before we study the Holy Place we must see what gets us into the Holy Place and how we get through the first door or veil.
I believe that the first veil speaks of entering the Holy Place with thanksgiving based upon this verse from Psalm 100. "A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name" (Psalms 100:1-4).
Whether you give thanks or complain reveals a deep character trait. If you are doing too much complaining and not enough thanksgiving, you need to ask God to do some heart changes.
The Word of God commands us to give thanks at all times and under all circumstances whether we feel like it or not. I believe that God mainly needs our obedience to perform His will and purposes in our lives, and giving thanks is a major point of obedience.
• I Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
• Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
• I Timothy 2:1 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men."
• Phillipians 4:6 says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
A sacrifice of thanksgiving is the key! The three parts of the soul are the intellect, the emotions, and the will. There are three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place, the Table of Shewbread, which symbolizes the will, the Golden Lampstands that symbolizes the intellect, and the Altar of Incense, which symbolizes the emotions. The will is the key. The time to thank the Lord is when we do not feel like it, when our emotions tell us not to be thankful. That is the time that our will must take over. Like David said in the Psalms, "Bless the Lord oh my soul.." He spoke to his soul and commanded it to praise God especially when he felt bad. Thanksgiving is a function of the will. "And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will" (Leviticus 22:29).
When we enter into thanksgiving and praise to God during the bad times something in us "dies." When we "die," we see God. In Psalm 50 God is saying that He does not really give much value to all of the Hebrew sacrifices compared to the sacrifice of thanksgiving. He told them that He was not hungry for food. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He said that He was hungry for three things, thanksgiving, paying your vows and calling upon Him in the day of trouble. That is what satisfies God's hunger.
1. We need to give thanks for what we see. Do we have a "Gimmee, Gimmee" attitude, or one of thankfulness? The boy was complaining about having no shoes until he met the man who had no legs. Sometimes we don't know how good we really do have it. God is not into giving us more things and solving our problems when we are not thankful for what He has already done; no matter what bad thing we are facing. I know I am that way with my children. I can't help it, I just am, and so is God!
Thank God for life and salvation. These are major issues. God chose you for life and He chose you for the new birth. Thank Him because Heaven is your home. Thank God for the good things. Don't take your good things for granted. Go through a list of blessings in your life.
2. We need to give thanks for unseen. How can we give thanksgiving and praise without being phony? The answer is the Cross! What God has already done? The Cross is an accomplished fact, we just need to see the truth behind it, and we will not see the truth unless we "die," or take up our cross. The Cross has the power to change the seen via the unseen through the Word, praise, and thanksgiving. The Cross is invisible to us today, but it is still a fact in history and believing in it and acting on it through the Word of God will change your condition. Thank God for the things that do not look good because God has entrusted them to you to utilize as raw materials for blessings. Overcoming is about turning junk into jewels for the Kingdom of God. No junk, no jewels!
If you still cannot thank Him, just thank Him for what the Word says. Thank Him because the Word says to and because you know you have victory if you hang on. Thank Him for the promises that He made to you that have not come into your life as yet. How big is your God? Can you trust Him enough to give Him thanks in all things?
How can we be thankful when war is raging against us?
If we are living and walking in obedience to the Lord and not in rebellion, we can be assured that all of the wars we encounter are working for our benefit. Even when we are not in obedience, the wars we experience cause us to repent.
You can be thankful because the Word says that He made you righteous.
You can be thankful because for the righteous person, everything turns out to be a blessing
The exceptions to the above may be because you do not believe it, do not live your life in that truth and do not stand for it. In other words, you do not believe it.
You can be thankful because you know that the Cross has defeated every bad thing in your life. You may have to know that by faith, you may have to hang on, but if you really know you will win. Once you win you will taste the enemy's blood and you will be up for more warfare.
If you are still having a problem with your own self image, you can give thanks to God for making you righteous, just because the Word says that He did, whether you feel like it or not!
If you can peek behind the spiritual veil you will see that your wars in life have to do with destroying the enemy. They are not intended to destroy you. Your thanksgiving puts war and defeat on your enemy; it changes you and glorifies God.
Look at Joshua's experience.
The enemy lost before the war started. Joshua 11:18-20 says, "Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. For it was the LORD himself who hardened their (the enemy's) hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them (the enemy) without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses."
Psalm 107 is another example.
Verses 23-31 tell about a great storm at sea, and about the people on this ship staggering not only being sea sick but also filled with fear. Being seasick is one of the most terrible experiences I have ever had. One feels completely helpless, even unto death. But one thing a storm on a lake or a sea will do is it will bring up the garbage that normally rests on the bottom and is usually unseen. The storm will bring the bad stuff to the surface so that it can be dealt with and cleaned up. Because of this God tells us that the end of the storm is fruitful therefore we should give thanks for it. "He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalms 107:29-31).
You can thank God and praise Him if you know that He has planted the seed of the Word of God in your heart. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen " (Hebrews 11:1). You have a "substance" planted in your heart, the Word of God, which has created faith. You should be like a farmer who has sown seed and is happy that the crop is coming. He does not complain (cursing the seed) just because he does not see the plant.
If you know that you are on the path of fruit bearing then you can be thankful. If you cannot be thankful for this, perhaps you need to repent and make the Word your source. Many people cannot be thankful because their own selfish plans have not and are not working out. They become depressed, and are full of anxiety over how they should perform.
Be honest, not proud. If there are things in your life that you cannot give thanks for, then be honest with God. Ask Him to speak to you. Ask Him to change your heart because you cannot seem to do it. Ask Him to show you how to find something for which to give Him thanks in those difficult issues.
People have a tendency for not seeking God's Kingdom first. They do not trust that the Word planted in their hearts will bear God's perfect fruit for their lives. They are trying to find God's blessings some other way. They feel that they must work for blessings. They know that God wants to bless them, but they do all the other things first, rather than put God's Word first.
Thanksgiving and praise puts the victory of the Cross on Satan for you today! Psalm 149:6-9 says, "Let the high praises of God be in their throats and a two-edged sword in their hands. To wreak vengeance upon the nations [our spiritual enemies] and chastisement upon the peoples, To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles wit fetters of iron, To execute upon them the JUDGMENT written. He the Lord is the honor of all His saints."
Jonah got the victory through thanksgiving.
"But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD." So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" (Jonah 2:9,10).
Thanksgiving puts us into the Holy Place, which is one step closer to intimate fellowship with God.
Let us take this rare opportunity right now.
I believe that we have a very small window of opportunity to give God thanks and praise now in our afflictions. Let us praise and thank God now, during our afflictions, rather than wait until we have no choice but to thank and praise Him when we see Him in glory! In Heaven, we will lose that opportunity. I believe that this touches God's heart in a very special way.
The following passage is quoted from authored by Rick Joyner titled The Call. In this book the author describes a prophetic experience in a vision. In this chapter he discusses seeing the Lord's reaction to the thanksgiving and praises of His people who are in adverse circumstances.
"Then I was in a different place, beholding a worship service in a little church building. As sometimes happens in a prophetic experience, I just seemed to know everything about everyone in the battered little room. All were experiencing trials in their lives, but they were not even thinking of them here. They were not praying about their needs. They were all trying to compose songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. They were happy, and their joy was sincere.
I saw heaven, and all of heaven was weeping. I then saw the Father again and knew why heaven was weeping. They were weeping because of the tears in the eyes of the Father. This little group of seemingly beaten down, struggling people had moved God so deeply that He wept. They were not tears of pain, but of joy. When I saw the love that He felt for these few worshippers, I could not contain my own tears.
Nothing I had experienced gripped me more than this scene. Worshiping the Lord on earth was now more desirable to me than dwelling in all of the glory of heaven. I know that I had been given a message that could help prepare the saints for the battles that remained on earth, but now this did not mean nearly as much to me as trying to convey how we could touch the Father. Genuine adoration expressed by even the most humble believer on earth could cause all of heaven to rejoice, but even more than that, it touches the Father. This is why the angels would rather be given charge over a single believer on the earth than to be given authority over many galaxies of stars.
I saw Jesus standing next to the Father. Beholding the joy of the Father as He watched the little prayer meeting, He turned to me and said, 'This is why I went to the cross. Giving my Father joy for just one moment would have been worth it all. Your worship can cause Him more joy every day. Your worship when you are in the midst of difficulties touches Him even more than all of the worship of heaven. Here, where His glory is seen, the angels cannot help but to worship. When you worship without seeing His glory in the midst of your trials, that is worship in Spirit and in truth. The Father seeks such to be His worshipers. Do not waste your trials. Worship the Father, not for what you will receive, but to bring Him joy. You will never be stronger than when you bring Him joy, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'"
We begin here. We walk through here We end up here and take up our cross. in God's presence.
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Chapter 25
The Tabernacle Part 5
The Table of Shewbread - Your Will
As we continue our walk into the Tabernacle of God towards the Presence of God, we have passed the bronze altar standing for the blood and forgiveness of Jesus, the laver standing for judgment and the Word of God judging us as a mirror and judging Satan as defeated.
From there we entered in the Holy Place through the first veil with Thanksgiving and Praise, and we are now at the Table of Showbread (the King James Bible calls it Shewbread). It literally means the Presence of His Face, or that God is staring at it. In our Tabernacle journey, this piece of furniture represents our will, or giving up our own will for God's will.
Something that I want to impress upon your thinking even before you study this chapter is that God will allow you to have your own will. He will not violate your free choice. You must give your will to Him. If you do not, He is ready to allow you to suffer the consequences, even to the point of pain and destruction, and yes, even to the point of spending eternity in Hell. He will move Heaven and earth to give you the options, but you must choose life or death, blessing or curse, His will or your will. Often God will lovingly guide a strong willed person by allowing them to feel the pain of their self will. It should be sobering thought that the Creator of the Universe is personally staring at the very soil of your heart to see your will!
Shewbread.
Exodus 25:30, the King James version says, "And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway." In the NIV version it says "Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times."
The Table of Shewbread was a golden table that had two stacks of six pieces of freshly baked bread. In studying for this lesson, I discovered so many things about this piece of furniture that I could teach for months and never run out of substance! Let us see how much we can cover and still keep it simple.
Bread is symbolic of wheat dying, being ground up, being molded and then being baked in fire. Bread gives us strength for life. Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6). The Word of God is the Bread of Life, or food for our soul and spirit. Jesus was the grain of wheat that died, that was ground up and burned and was raised from the dead. Just before He was crucified in the Garden of Gethsemene, As recorded in Luke 22, Jesus was agonizing with the Father and said, "not My will but Yours be done." This was the opposite of what Adam did in his Garden 4,000 years earlier.
The soul.
Man is made up of three parts. He is a living spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a body. The soul also has three parts, the will, the mind or intellect, and the emotions.
When Jesus said that we must deny ourselves, lose our life for His sake, etc., He was using a word that refers to our soul. So we must deny or say no to our old un-regenerated soul. Our will mind and emotions are where we actually take up our cross and make the connection to His Cross and the blood covenant. "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life (soul) will lose it, but whoever loses his life (soul, will, mind and emotions) for My sake will save it'" (Luke 9:23-24).
Inside the Holy Place there are three pieces of furniture, the Table of Shewbread, The Golden Lampstand and the Altar of Incense. One symbolic meaning for these (there are many) is that the Table of Shewbread stands for our will, the Lampstand for our intellect and the Altar of Incense for our emotions.
The will is the big thing! I believe that the will can be described as having three functions:
1. It is a choice or decision maker. Man is the only living being that has the freedom to choose. This choice is what gives us the potential for real love; it is also what gives us the potential for evil. This is when the word "will" is used as a participle, kind of like a verb; " I will give..."
2. It is an inheritance. Think of the last will and testament of a relative that named you to share in their inheritance. This is when the word will is used as a noun; "My will for you is..."
3. It goes into and is part of our sub-conscious. We make decisions of what to put into our minds and spirits, but after that our will or sub-conscious takes over and produces the things that are written on it. It is kind of like the software on the hard drive on your computer.
Romans 12:1-2 says that we should offer our lives a "living sacrifice" to God so that we may "prove" the perfect will of God for our lives. In other words, we need to give God our will. When we do that, we are promised that we will prove, or walk out through trials, the perfect will of God for our lives.
Why would God want you to give Him your will?
So He can give you His! In a covenant relationship there is always a swap. Yours for mine and mine for yours! Now who do you think gets the better deal, you or Jesus? All we do is give up "junk" in order to receive "jewels." In spite of this, so many people think it is such a sacrifice to give up their wills and accept God's will. The only person who ever received anything bad by giving up their own will to God's will was Jesus, and He did it with joy, the joy of seeing you and me saved.
Many people agonize over God's will for their lives, feeling that if they give into His will that He will call them to some sort of torture, suffering, or ask them to move to another country. The truth is, if God ever did ask a person for such a task, that person would have a burning desire to accomplish it. God's will for every life is "abundant life." "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
What is God's will for you? God's Word is His will for you and me. We need to see God's Word as a friend who died and left His riches to us. In addition, God has a customized plan or will for your own individual life. However you may be hindering Him from working that into your life by hanging on to your old fleshly will. Ephesians 2:10 indicates that God has a predestined path for each of us, and He calls it the good life, the abundant life. I would much rather have what Jesus has coming than what I have coming. His will is for us to be like Jesus, to have life abundantly and to live above circumstances no matter what comes our way.
He intends for us to listen and obey so that we will be just at the right place and at the right time to encounter His plan. There is nothing as satisfying as encountering God's plan, because you also encounter Him. And He is our real reward!
The Holy Spirit wants to lead and guide you just like Jesus would if He were here in the flesh. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would take His place. If Jesus were here in the flesh, would you have a problem listening to Him before you made any decision? Would you consult Him as the Creator and the Lamb before saying one word or making one decision? God's sweet soft voice can be heard in the here and now! You may be called to be a millionaire and give to missions, or you may be called to live in a mud hut in a Third World country. Whatever your calling is, you best not make a doctrine out of it for everyone you encounter!
There are indeed some basic doctrines that we are to obey just because we see them in His Word. We are to give thanks in everything, we are to walk in love, and we are to lay our lives down for others. However, after the doctrines are obeyed, we will receive specific instructions to obey so that God's will for our individual lives may be worked out. The Holy Spirit will show us how to walk in love and what that means. He will show us how to lay down our lives without becoming co-dependents for others. The Holy Spirit will show us where to construct boundaries for our lives and our families. There is a difference between obeying the Word called logos, and the Word call rhema. Rhema is that personal Word spoken from the lips of Jesus just for you at a particular time in your life.
Boundaries express love. When people are trying to control and manipulate us, putting up boundaries not only expresses love for our families, but for the perpetrator as well. We are helping the perpetrator by keeping him/her from more severe judgement for what they might have done to hurt us.
How do you give God your will?
One way is when we submit to the Word, we are giving our will to God. When we read in the Word to be kind, not to criticize, to give and not be selfish, then we are giving our will to God so that He can give us His.
Other ways are to put your thoughts, plans, and desires "on the altar" and allow God to either burn them away or perfect them. This can be difficult for some people who are strong willed and very talented. They are capable of feeling that their desires are always God's desires because they perform them out of their own power and abilities. However, if we give our plans and desires to God and then back off and see if He performs them, that is the faith life, and it is truly trusting God's will for your life.
If we truly submit to God with our whole heart, He will plant His desires into our hearts, and His will becomes our will. "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalms 37:4). Proverbs 16:3 (AMP) says, "Roll your works upon the Lord, commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed."
God works through His Word to paint pictures on your heart.
God wants to paint His will on the tablet of your heart. God is a visionary, and He created us as visionaries. Yes, He wants us to be practical in the everyday affairs of life, but He wants to transfer His will to us by painting pictures on our heart by the media of His Word.
Look at Genesis chapters 30 and 31 to see how God transferred His will for Jacob into reality by speaking a word to Jacob and allowing Jacob to see a dream about spotted and speckled cattle. We need to trust God more and open up to Him. We can tend to get too cautious and be too "Western minded" and too much into linear thinking. We should take some lessons from the Eastern and other third world mindsets that understand that the supernatural works through pictures on the heart. We just need to make sure that it is God who is painting the pictures and not some other god, and not ourselves.
Oftentimes Christians, even well meaning Christians, can get into the trap of using their own will without God involved. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).
The devil attempts to plant his will into our hearts the same way God does.
One trap to beware of is that we think we are giving God our desires but we are not replacing them with His Word, and the devil comes along and plants negative images, small goals and the failure mindset in our hearts. "Another parable He put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way'" (Matthew 13:24,25).
Abraham and Ishmael.
Lust for things, even good things that we are not willing to wait for, demonstrates a lack of patience on our part. When we move without waiting on God it is can be a sign of rebellion, a lack of trust in God's love, or perhaps just a lack of experience in walking with God as was the case with Abraham.
The Bible story that best illustrates this is centered on Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac. God came to Abram in Genesis 12 to call him out from his own family, his business and financial security, his idols and his method of worship, in order to create a family to be called the "family of God." This would be the Israelites, the Jews, and eventually the Christians, the Body of Christ, who were grafted into God's spiritual family.
In Genesis 15 God appeared to Abram again and they discussed having a child. "But Abram said, 'O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?' And Abram said, 'You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.' Then the word of the LORD came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.' He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:2-6).
Abram could not figure out how God was going to give him a child since he was so old and his wife Sarah was barren and could not have children. He knew God's will, and he figured that it was time to just do it. So he made his own plans for having a child. The story continues and Sarai, Abram's wife, suggests that her maidservant Hagar become the mother of Abram's child. The child was named Ishmael. Although God loved Ishmael, he was not God's choice for creating His family of Israel from whom the Messiah was to come.
As it turned out, all of the Arab nations came from Ishmael, who was a result of Abraham's plan. Israel, Jesus, and Christianity all came from the supernatural birth of Isaac, which were all part of God's plan and His own doing. God is interested in saving the Arabs now through Jesus Christ. God wants to graft them in just like He grafted in you and me.
God was not finished with Abram. God had other plans, His plans! He came again to Abram some years later and told him about His plans. Genesis 17 records how the Lord appeared to Abram again at a time in life when both he and his wife were beyond child bearing, and promised them the supernatural birth of Isaac.
"Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him" (Genesis 21:1-3).
The lesson we are to learn from this is that we need to allow God to perform those things for us that He wants. Sure we are supposed to work, study and try hard. But so far as our will is concerned, we are to offer that up to Him.
Remember, Abraham did not have a Bible, he did not have audio-tapes, he did not go to Bible school, he had no super spiritual pastor who could give him godly advice. He was a trail blazer in walking with the Lord. If Abraham could learn from his own errors, he would have said, "Oh God, I know your promise to me, I understand You want me to have a child, and I don't see how that can possibly happen. Perhaps I misunderstood you; perhaps You have something else for me. I lay this desire of mine, and promise from You on the altar and ask You to perform it for me if you want this for my life. I dare not touch this to help You. If this is from You, then I will wait until you perform it." We need to refuse to manipulate people and circumstances to get our way. God never does that, and we should be afraid to do it. This will ensure that we do not create an "Ishmael" in our life that we will be sorry for, perhaps forever.
One of the rules I have adapted for sifting out God's will from my will is a method I learned when I used to sail in the Virgin Islands and other parts of the Caribbean. We would begin to enter a harbour and would be warned that there were coral reefs all over the harbour entrance. However we had a map, or a chart, that would give landmarks on the land from which we could line up our entry course. For instance, there would be a church, a water tower, and the city hall. If we would line up those three objects so that we could only see them in a straight line, then, the chart would tell us, we could enter the harbour on that course and would be safe. In the spiritual world I like to line up three or four items to find out if a certain course is God's will. I want to hear from Him in the Word, I want to hear from the Holy Spirit, I want to see circumstances begin to line up, and I want to see the Body of Christ affirming my decision.
Take a lesson from Jeremiah.
The Lord told him that Israel was going into captivity to Babylon, and that eventually they would come back to their land. He told Jeremiah to make a real estate investment in anticipation of this return. However, Jeremiah did not just go out and buy the land even though he felt he knew it was God's will for him. Instead he waited until circumstances lined up with God's promise. Then he knew it was the word of the Lord.
"And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me, saying, Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum your uncle shall come to you, saying, Buy for yourself my field in Anathoth; for the right to redeem it is yours, to buy it. So Hanameel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD and said to me, Please buy my field in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the right to redeem is yours. Buy it for yourself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD" (Jeremiah 32:6-8).
Remember that Shewbread literally means the Presence of His face.
God is not only staring at your will, He is also staring at His Word to perform it. Jeremiah 1:11-12 (amp) says, "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree of alertness and activity blossoming in late winter. Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active watching over My word to perform it."
Actually He is staring at our will to see if we are going to choose Him, but also He is staring at His Word to perform it! Once you use your will to decide to believe God's Word about something, He is there to perform it, even if it means that you may have to wait, like He told Jeremiah.
Remember your will is stronger than your emotions. Your emotions will attempt to cause you to act. However if you exercise your will to be united with God's will, God will take over and His power will act on your behalf.
The almond tree budded in late winter when everyone thought things were darkest and impossible. Praise God!
Jesus did the ultimate in exchanging His will for the Father's. In the Garden of Gethsemene Jesus believed the Word that the Father would raise Him from the dead, and for the joy that was set before Him, that is the joy of seeing us saved and going to heaven, He endured the shame of the Cross. He became sin for us and went to Hell for us. He said, "not My will but Yours Father". (Luke 22:39-44 ).
You go ahead now and make a decision to consecrate your will to God no matter what! Make an altar, a time, date and place. No turning back! You will not perform perfectly, but you can repent perfectly.
We begin here. We walk through here We end up here and take up our cross. in God's presence.
Overcomers page
Chapter 26
The Tabernacle Part
6
The Golden Lampstand. The
Mind
At this stop in our walk through
the Tabernacle towards the presence of God, we have the need to
exchange our old thoughts for the mind of Christ. 2 Corinthians
10:4-6 tells us that the spiritual warfare is our mind. It tells us
that strongholds, reasonings, and imaginations hold our thoughts
captive, and that these things keep us from the true knowledge of
God. These thoughts lie to us about the goodness and grace of God and
His saving love and power. Demons constantly accuse us and bombard
our minds with half-truths. They perpetrate guilt, unworthiness, and
fear. They preach that we must perform to please a harsh God. Isaiah
11 tells us that God replaces our natural intellect with that of the
Holy Spirit: i.e., Spirit of The Lord, knowledge, counsel, wisdom,
understanding, might and fear of the Lord. There is much to be said
here because our thoughts are the very core of our being.
Overcoming or turning Junk into
Jewels is real, it is God's passion for His people, but it does not
come like fruit falling off a tree. The overcomers in Scripture were
always in the minority. It is not automatic to overcome. It takes a
passion to pursue God. It takes discipline to go all the way with
God. It also takes a renewed mind. The mind and its functions are a
major part of overcoming.
We must set our thoughts free!
How? When we were slaves to sin, we used the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil, which is our independent reasoning. Now we should be
using the Tree of Life, which is the Word of God. I no longer think
and decide, but I use my mind for it's God given purpose, and that is
to listen and obey! When we truly see the glory of God as Paul did on
the road to Damascus, we no longer reason, we simply say, "Lord what
do you desire for me to do." You may ask, "Am I supposed to forfeit
my creativity and become a robot for God?" No! God wants you be
creative just like He is, however He wants to author your creative
thoughts.
The mind, why is it represented by
the golden lampstand? The lampstand traditionally represents
testimony. We should utilize our intellectual powers to speak God's
Word as a testimony to the enemy. The lampstand is also symbolic of
the Holy Spirit, with its symbols of oil and fire. When God made Adam
and Eve, He told them that they could touch any tree in the Garden,
but could not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. I
believe that the Tree of Life is the Word of God and that the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil is our own mind that is not taking
instructions from the Spirit of God. Adam did not need to have
knowledge to decide what was good and evil. If he had lived in
oneness with God he would have intuitively known. But Adam wanted to
be independent of God so he began to make his own decisions of what
he should do and not do. He did not want to be bad, just
independent.
What was the original intended
function for the mind?
We are supposed to use our mind,
but God's guidance transcends human reasoning. When God saves you He
does not remove your mind, He renews it. The mind is the organ of
thought. It is the hidden force of human destiny because your
thoughts turn into actions, which turn into habits, which turn into
character.
God made us in such a way that we
are supposed to use our mind to pick up information for navigating on
earth from our five senses, but to obtain information on spiritual
reality from our spirit. Some believe that the information that we
see with our five senses is reality, but it is not. Things that we
can see are subject to change by the things we cannot see. 2
Corinthians 4:18 says, "while we do not look at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are
seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Spiritual information tells us about things that are real but cannot
be seen. Things that are seen are created by and changed by things
that are not seen. By the way, 2 Corinthians 4:18 was written by Paul
in the context of his suffering.
The definition of truth is
reality.
However reality that we pick up
with our natural senses is superceded by spiritual reality, which we
cannot see with our minds.
God wants to be our source of
information. I Corinthians 2:9-12 says, "But as it is written: 'Eye
has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God
has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches
all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the
things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so
no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us
by God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).
When a student pilot learns to
fly, one of his lessons includes "flying blind." The instructor puts
a hood over the student's head so that all the student can see are
the instruments. This is to train him for when he is disoriented due
to bad weather. When we are in bad weather, we need our hood on so
that all we can see is the Word of God!
Truth is defined as reality.
Reality in the natural world is a low form of truth, but reality in
the spiritual realm is a higher form of truth. We cannot see the
spiritual world with our mind and our five senses. Therefore we must
trust the Word of God to see truth.
For example, when God wanted
Abraham to see the truth that he would be the father of many nations,
He did it by showing Abraham the stars. With Jacob it was spots and
stripes on the cattle, and when Jesus wanted to show us truth He
spoke in parables using agriculture as an example. Do we really have
a Tabernacle embedded in our hearts to walk through into the presence
of God? Yes, no! It is God's way of showing reality.
Very often when God wants me to
believe that business and provisions are mine, He uses this verse in
Psalm 144, which says, "That our barns may be full, Supplying all
kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten
thousands in our fields" (Psalms 144:13). My mind then sees thousands
of sheep mating and multiplying in a distant field that I cannot see
with my eye, but eventually I will see them as new
business.
Too often we limit God.
We are four-dimensional beings,
having one time and three spatial dimensions. God must have more or
He could not have created us. Scientists have proven that whoever
created the universe needed to have at least eleven dimensions. God
most likely has an infinite number of them. Therefore we should not
judge His promises to us, such as, "I will provide for all of your
needs" as a future promise that maybe He will or will not fulfill. He
would not tell us that unless He has already fulfilled it. The
trouble is, it just has not caught up with us yet in our time
dimension. With our time dimension, the cause must come before the
effect, but not with God. "It shall come to pass That before they
call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear"
(Isaiah 65:24). Ephesians 3:18 refers to at least four dimensions,
more than we have, to comprehend the love of God; width, length,
depth, and height. Try to figure that out with your mind!
The mind is supposed to be under
the control of the spirit. We were designed to be in control of our
mind, not have our mind control us. We are spirit beings. We were
supposed to be united to God's Spirit who would supply us with the
knowledge that we need. Our spirit is supposed to tell our mind what
to do, not visa versa. As Christians we are on the road to recovery.
Although our full mind potential will not be realized on earth, we
can function in a way far superior to non-Christians. However we must
spend more time in the Word than in the world.
Prior to the fall of sin, man's
mind was extremely powerful.
We really cannot imagine how
powerful the potential of man's brain really is. There are people in
history and now alive that have experienced a defective birthing
process that deformed their brain in such a way that some of that
potential became unlocked. I have read about a totally uneducated
man, who in the 15th century, solved a math problem that asked how
many 1/8th inch cubes are in a cube 50,678 ft X 122,566 ft X 23,456
ft . He gave the correct answer in less than 30 seconds. The
mathematicians took weeks to prepare the problem. Sin diminished this
brainpower and that by the grace of God lest this world would be far
more evil than it is.
This is not the exact problem but
is an example of the measurements.
Romans chapter 8:6-7 tells us that
we can have either a spirit-controlled mind, or a flesh controlled
mind (carnal mind), and that only a spirit controlled mind can please
God. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against
God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be"
(Romans 8:6-7).
Sin perverted the original
function of the mind. Man's mind will function even if our spirit is
dead. Before we are re-born, the mind operates without orders from
the dead spirit. If the mind operates without instructions and
constraint from the human spirit connected to God's Spirit, it will
make itself available to Satan. "But I fear, lest somehow, as the
serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians
11:3).
Paul said that Christians can live
just like unbelievers if they do not give their minds to God. "This I
say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of
God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the
blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given
themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and
have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off,
concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of
your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created
according to God, in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians
4:17-24).
I believe that your old nature is
like a tree that has been cut down, but still has live branches that
have not yet died. You still have old memory tapes in your brain that
tends to keep you thinking and acting according to the old nature.
Most of your struggle will be with your mind. You may, however, have
to deal with strongholds of the mind and/or demonic strongholds.
God gives us stern warning and
direct instructions to renew our mind. "I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1,2). The author Paul
uses strong language in this verse. After eleven chapters in Romans
giving a great exposé on the grace and mercy of God, he then
says in effect "After all this good news now I beseech you to renew
your mind." He also contrasts the renewed mind to the mind that is
conformed to the world. Remember you have been delivered from the
world. You are supposed to be under the Kingdom of God, but if you do
not renew your mind, you will be living like a mere "world person"
well below your privileges.
The word transformed used in
Romans 12 is the word metamorphoo in Greek which according to Strongs
Concordance means "transfigure, to change into another form as in
Christ's transfiguration Matthew 17:2. The obligation being to
undergo a complete change which, under the power of God, will find
expression in character and conduct; morphe lays stress on the inward
change. The tense of the verb is present continuous indicating a
process." It is cross referenced to, "But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the
Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Look above at Ephesians 4:22-24,
which tells us to put off the old nature and put on the new nature by
renewing the spirit of our mind.
This transforming that is referred
to here is something God does, however, He will only do it if you
cooperate with Him. You must drench ourselves in the Word of God,
meditate upon it, and keep it in your mind and mouth. You must have
more of the Word of God than things of the world.
The word transformed defined as
metamorphoo describes a change. A worm becomes a butterfly by
metamorphose. You will actually feel your old worm nature change as
you spend more time in the Word than in the world. There is however a
great suffering experienced by the worm as it comes out of the cocoon
on its journey through transformation. It squeezes, turns, and sheds
its old nature. Scientists have attempted to relieve the suffering by
making a small cut in the cocoon with disastrous results. As the
relieved butterfly attempted to fly, it could not. Its muscles had
not been exercised enough and it died.
Our imagination can lead to
blindness if we do not totally consecrate it to God and His Word. The
imagination is a powerful God given function designed to be submitted
to Him so that He may write His pictures on it. If we allow Satan or
the world to write on our imagination, we become blind as the
following Scriptures testify.
"In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of
the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
"Casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"
(2 Corinthians 10:5).
If we habitually concentrate on
the negative past we will stay bound to it, and eventually "go back
to it." Hebrews 11:15-16a (AMP) says, "If they had been thinking with
[homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were
emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to
it; But the truth is that they were yearning for and aspiring to a
better and more desirable country, that is, a heavenly [one].
…" We need to focus on the better things God has for us, not our
past failures.
If we do not concentrate on the
positive, our mind will default to the negative. If your mind is
passive, the imagination is passive. It is waiting for an outside
stimulus. That is why hypnosis and meditation (Eastern style) is so
dangerous. It is an open invitation for demon spirits to take over.
In Genesis 11 the people imagined evil and built the tower of Babel.
The Lord could see how powerful their imagination had become so He
confused their speech so that would become disunited. "And the LORD
said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and
this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them,
which they have imagined to do" (Genesis 11:6).
Concentration and passivity are
opposites.
Concentration is a good thing; the
devil comes against it. Our concentration can be flighty. That is why
videos and TV ads and programs quickly change frames every 2-5
seconds. People have lost the power to concentrate by being impatient
and wanting things quickly. Reading and memorizing requires
concentration and is healthy for our mind, especially reading and
memorizing the Word of God. Entertainment is not always bad, but
overindulgence can render the mind a prisoner. Young people's minds
are progressively becoming passive and unable to concentrate. When
one overindulges in entertainment they give their minds over to a
source that is not healthy. Not only does entertainment disengage
healthy thought, but also most entertainment comes from the world,
and not from godly sources.
Psalm 143:5 uses the word "muse"
which is the opposite of amuse. "I remember the days of old; I
meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands" (Psalms
143:5). Muse means to ponder and to meditate. Amuse is to disengage
ones brain and allow outside forces to control it. The Psalmist mused
or meditated on the work of God's hands! "This Book of the Law shall
not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and
night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in
it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success" (Joshua 1:8). The Word must prevail in our lives.
If it is just a occasional devotion that defines your life, you
cannot expect to overcome.
Positive concentration especially
on the Word of God is important for the overcoming process. "This
Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to
all that is written in it. For then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8). The
word meditate in this Scripture means to speak, utter, imagine and
study, according to Strongs Concordance. I have heard it said that
meditate is like a cow chewing a cud. She regurgitates it, then chews
it again, then the process continues over and over. We should do the
same with the Word of God. Soon we will be thinking God's thoughts
and we will be so close to Him it will surprise us!
We begin here. We walk through
here We end up here and take up our cross. in God's
presence.
back to Overcomers page
Chapter 27
The Tabernacle Part 7
The Golden Lampstand. Strongholds
In the last chapter we started studying the mind represented by the Lampstand in the Tabernacle. The subject of strongholds is also a subject of the mind, but it deserves its own chapter because it is needs special attention.
Satan is capable of building strongholds in our minds, which are designed to protect his property that he may have gained in our life. That property may simply be a carnal worldly mindset, or the stronghold could progress to influence by a demon. I believe that what starts out as fleshly thought in our mind and is allowed to become a habit may ultimately be latched onto by a demon. Jesus is our protector, and He will protect us, provided we cooperate. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4,5). I do not believe that every stronghold must include demonic influence.
What is a stronghold?
A stronghold is a garrison, a fort of defense of something that one owns, that keeps out one's enemy. God is our stronghold; He keeps and protects us because we are His property. But we can give the enemy strongholds by our free choice. Those strongholds are in our minds. He gains strongholds in our minds for the purpose of preventing us from knowing God at a deep level. These strongholds keep our minds in the mode of carnality (fleshly or our old nature) which causes us to act and behave in ungodly ways. Strongholds are a major obstacle to overcoming.
I want to define something right here. When you received the new birth from God, your old nature died. You were raised into a new nature, that of the New Creation. You do not have two natures battling inside of you, though at times it may feel like you do. The problem is in your mind. You have something like old "tapes" that replay the old nature. This has to do with memory and habits (it is call the RNA, which can be changed). However I want you to be grounded in the fact that your old nature is dead and only the nature of God resides in you now! While demons can influence your life, you should be grounded in the fact that you are possessed by God.
The enemy traps you by looking for those works of your flesh (your old nature) that you will not forsake. He convinces you that you do not need to live on the Word of God, but that you can make it for yourself. He convinces you that you do not need to live in God's Kingdom and His system of bearing fruit. He convinces you that it is ok to continue to live like the old nature did. He convinces you that you have not died and been born again. Perhaps he convinces you to pervert the grace of God and think that it is ok to continue to live in sin because God's grace cannot be exhausted.
After a period of time he latches on to those works and you become deceived by a demon. You are not demon possessed, but you are demon influenced. These become strongholds and you feel hopeless. You are a Christian in God's promise land, but you are a prisoner like the people in Gideon's day as recorded in Judges chapter 6. You have stopped up the flow of God's presence into your being. You are no longer a candidate for waters of the Holy Spirit to flow out of you to help others. Satan has done this, but you have given him permission. For instance, a stronghold of anger will block your spirit and the fruit of the Spirit from being calm. When you become surprised by a frustrating situation before you know it you are in a rage of anger. The stronghold prevented the circumstance from reaching your spirit where it could come under the authority of the Holy Spirit.
What do strongholds look like?
There are strongholds of many types and varieties. I have seen Christians with strongholds that would not allow God to work out their ministry, but rather they would attempt to do the work in their own power. This can eventually leads to burnout, depression, and even suicide. I have known of complaining, selfish, lying, jealousy, manipulating, gossiping strongholds, and many others. Fear is a major stronghold. Fear neutralizes faith. Satan knows that and he works overtime to bring fear. It is not difficult for him to do so, since the entire culture of the world is based upon fear. Guilt is another trap. Guilt, especially false guilt, separates us from the presence and fellowship of God.
Fear and guilt are major strongholds. I have been delivered from both! Fear neutralizes faith and guilt keeps you from fellowship with God. Satan knows that faith defeats him therefore fear is one of his favorite weapons. It is also one of the easiest to perpetrate on most humans because it is inherent to the Adamic nature. Perfect love casts out fear, and God's grace and love extinguishes guilt.
One primary evidence of a stronghold is a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. It causes the person to act ungodly without being able to even choose the godly behavior. Strongholds can nullify one's will.
Consider whether or not you manipulate people and circumstances in your life. Again, do not be condemned, but be honest. If you are manipulating anyone or anything, it is witchcraft, and God needs to deliver you. God has given everyone a freedom of will and choice. If He will not violate free will who are you to violate it? If you continue to manipulate your circumstances, God is blocked out of that part of your life and you will suffer needlessly.
Consider your attitudes. An attitude is a state of feeling or mind about a person or a situation. Always hold up the mirror of Jesus and His attitudes to your attitudes. Did He criticize? Did He condemn? Did He look for the best or the worst in people? Did He gossip? Did He think that people were supposed to serve Him? He is God in the flesh, yet He did not make Himself out to be special or the center of attraction. He did not compare Himself to others. Did He ask for gifts or was He always the giver? Did He expect people to meet His needs? Did He manipulate? Do you say that the gas tank is half full or half empty? Do you try to see the positive in people and circumstances?
Dear reader, please hear me and hear me good right here! Do not ignore the warnings!
Many people never realize that they have a stronghold. It is very sneaky. Your only place of real safety is humility, meekness, being teachable and being honest with yourself and God. Do not be too proud to admit that you may have a stronghold. It is not a shameful thing. The big question is do you hate your flesh, your old nature, and your strongholds, or are they your friends? God has only promised to deliver you from your enemies, not from your friends. Please, hold up the mirror of the fruit of the Spirit in your life, and when you are thinking and acting contrary to that, and/or contrary to Scripture in general, be honest and admit your sin before God and He will deliver you.
Don't justify your attitudes and actions!
If you continually justify ungodly behavior or thoughts, you will invite those slimy demons to control your life. Instead, be honest and instead of living in a dark prison, you will enjoy the sweet satisfying aroma and presence of Jesus in your life!
Imagine this scene with me.
Suppose you are sitting in prison with some people named selfishness, lying, jealousy, manipulating, gossiping, lust, and complaining. All of them are your friends except for lust. You really wish you could get rid of him!
You look out the prison walls and you see a guard tower with a Satanic being guarding your prison. Then you see Jesus walk up to the guard tower and shout over to you, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn" (Isaiah 61:1,2). Jesus further says, "Just say the word and I will set you free from selfishness, lying, jealousy, manipulating, gossiping, lust and complaining. I have paid the price for your release, and this guard cannot keep me out."
Your response pleases the Satanic guard. You say, "Oh thanks Jesus, please take lust away, but these other guys are my friends. I play cards with them, joke around with them, and they keep me happy. They keep me occupied during my hours of confinement."
I want to assure you that Jesus paid the price to protect us from all of the works of Satan. However, there can be times when we are blocking God's protection by not allowing Him free access into our live. All Jesus needs for complete deliverance for you is your cooperation. The essence of sin does not consist of your immoral acts. The essence of sin is when you retain the right to your own life. The God who created the Universe has purchased you! You now belong to Him. He wants you to walk out of the prisons that life has built around you. All you have to do is to surrender and give up your right to your own life. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:24).
If you find yourself depressed and hopeless, if you have tried all of the things that "you are supposed to do," listen. A dead man needs life not a "to do list." Life comes first; then it is your responsibility to follow up with obedience and cooperation. "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live" (John 5:25). You will find a "to do list" in this chapter, but first I want you to hear the voice of the Son of God. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Do you always feel like you cannot please God? Does your stronghold seem like it will be with you for the rest of your life? The answer is surrender to His yoke! I can guarantee you that not only will this life get better, but also you will be better off for eternity. As you walk with Him in His yoke, He does the work. Also, you will find yourself very close to Him, and His presence will eventually become stronger than your affliction.
If you feel defeated by circumstances, perhaps by a stronghold, hear this. You are not a mere human. You are a new creation, a member of a new race of people, which saw its firstborn in Jesus Christ when He was resurrected. That is who you are. You cannot be held captive; Jesus set you free by the death on the Cross and the resurrection. You are no longer under the dominion of sin because His resurrection life now resides in you! Therefore, any affliction that you may be experiencing must by law be changing into a blessing. No affliction is a match for the power of resurrection that resides in you. When that affliction touches you, it must die and be resurrected as a blessing.
Satan, directly or indirectly, afflicted you in order to neutralize your Christian life. If you believe his lie, you will not be a threat to his kingdom, the kingdom of the world. However if you believe and act upon the truth, you will take your affliction, wreck Satan's kingdom, and help build the Kingdom of God.
How strongholds get a foothold in your life
a. Your sin. All sins give demons a foothold, but one of the worst is sexual sin. Sexual acts bind two people together spiritually in a very unique way. Traditions, denominations, and habits can be major factors in strongholds. Habits of your flesh nature may cause strongholds.
b. Generational sin. Demons follow families for generations, and gain the right to put the same diseases and curses on them (the law of inheritance). Demonic religions are based upon worship of ancestral spirits in order to perpetuate curses and control of families. They convince people, even Christians, that they must pay a price to a witch doctor or a spirit for protection and blessings. Some even purchase items and drinks as a way to receive protection and blessings. These people believe that by contacting and being in touch with the spirit of their ancestors they will be blessed and have protection from evil. Actually, just the opposite happens. They become prisoners to Satan, the enemy of their soul!
c. Sin in the world. This world is full of sin, which promotes demon activity.
d. Weights, or oppression you might receive from someone else (Hebrews 12:1). A very common tactic used by demons is to sexually abuse a young person and thus gain entry for the rest of his/her life. A weight is not a sin you performed. Rather it is oppression against you by someone else's sin. Abuse of any kind from anybody can inflict a weight or oppression.
e. Through an idol in your life. Many religions are based upon the spirit world. They believe that objects such as stones, rivers, trees, etc., contain living spirits. They fear and thus worship these spirits so that they will meet their needs in life. An idol can be anything that you make more important than God. It can be a person, a habit, a custom, and even a Christian denomination. An idol is anything or anyone in your life to whom you go for your needs other than God. You worship whoever or whatever supplies your needs. It is an act of your own free will.
f. A "soul tie" type of relationship can bring powerful strongholds! This kind of relationship can be with friends, parents, your family, and even your spouse. I know of men who can only go so far with their relationship with the Lord because they love their worldly wife more than they do God. I know of others who are held back because they have a friend, perhaps a lifelong friend, who has such a strong influence on them that they are not free to give their entire will to God. I know of many that worship their family heritage and make idols out of their parents. The antidote for this is to be brave enough to really put this type of relationship on God's altar and truly allow Him free access to either keep, break or change the relationship. He will do it if you give Him free access and cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
g. Rebellion against authority. If a person does not submit to Jesus as Lord, that person, by default, will be under the control of some other being. Satan deceived Eve, and she deceived Adam. Adam should have taken dominion over Satan but he did not. Eve, in effect, took inordinate authority and Adam did not exercise his ordained authority. The original sin demonstrates how authority and sin are tied together. Obviously, they both should have submitted to the authority of God's Word (the Tree of Life). Many men who do not totally submit to the authority of God's Word find themselves under the authority of a controlling woman. Abusive men victimize many females who are not under God's authority or perhaps were not under the authority of a godly father. The dangerous thing is they don't even know that they are prisoners!
h. We can be responsible for becoming slaves to various things and people (excepting of course those issues that have to do with our childhood). We become slaves to whomever or to whatever we yield. Only we can exercise our own will (volition) in yielding. The cure is to begin to yield to Jesus in obedience to His Word, and by doing so you will become His bond-slave. In that, and that alone, will you find perfect liberty and freedom.
"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16).
i. Christians can be vulnerable (some disagree with this). If we are influenced by demons before coming to Jesus, there could be a period of time before we receive deliverance. Some never do receive deliverance based upon the fact that they do not wish to totally yield. Obviously, a Christian cannot be "possessed" by a demon, but they sure can be influenced. It does not matter if we use the term possessed, influenced, oppressed, or whatever. What matters is that we know how to get rid of demonic activities in our lives!
These Scriptures show that we are still vulnerable even after we believe. "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons" (1 Timothy 4:1). "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough" (2 Corinthians 11:3,4).
Some say that the blood of Jesus protects Christians. Yes and no. The blood protects us when we are obedient Christians. We cannot presume God's protection if we are living in disobedience. "...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance" (1 Peter 1:2). Christians do need deliverance. I have personally been involved with some absolutely amazing demonic deliverance that resulted in Christians being healed and set free! This is not doctrine but it is factual testimony.
My wife and I have been involved with the removal of a demon from the life of a believer, a friend from Haiti. This demon was emulating Tuberculosis. This man was wonderfully delivered, set free, and healed. However this same demon, which was perpetrated by a Voodoo curse, killed his sister with what looked like Tuberculosis.
What is your solution?
It is ultimately only God's power that can free us, but He gives us His powerful weapons to use.
Here is what Jesus said about getting free. "Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31,32).
First you must continue in His Word. The word "continue" is a strong word. It means to settle down, abide, and make our home in His Word. It does not mean to look at His Word once a week or even five minutes a day, it means to sustain your very life by His Word. "But He answered and said, It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). The word used in this Scripture for "word" is "rhema." Rhema means a personal Word spoken from Jesus to you. You must invest time with God to receive His rhema.
Next you must be committed to being Jesus' disciple. That means to be so united to Him that He is your teacher in everything. It means that you drop your pride and allow God, who knows you better than you know yourself, to have His way with you. He also loves you more than you love yourself. When you are going through discipline with the Lord, remember He is doing it because He loves you.
The result will be that we will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. "Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). Knowing Jesus is knowing the Truth. Having a personal, close, intimate relationship with Him is the only thing that will really make you free.
God may use many methods of delivering this freedom to you. He may cause demons to be cast out of the influence of your life. Or He may take you through a long process of getting free through pouring the Word into your life.
My own personal experience has been one of displacement. I continually pour the Word into my vessel, and everything that is not of God comes out, including demons. Matthew 8:16 is an example of Jesus casting out demons with His Word. It says, "And evening coming on, they brought to Him many who had been possessed with demons. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick." The basic idea is to starve the mind of the flesh and replace it with the mind of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some recommendations:
1. Our mind is renewed by the Word of God "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1,2). Spending a lot of time studying, meditating upon, memorizing, and being obedient to the Word of God will renew your mind. It will displace the carnal mind, with the mind of Christ. Any demons that have been influencing you under the license of the unrenewed mind will have to flee. This has been my personal experience, and the way I have been freed from strongholds and demons.
2. Faith in what God has already provided for us. We have the mind of Christ, (or a Christ directed and empowered mind) but we must put Him on. "For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16). We need to know that the grace of God is what sets us free and not our own works. "For by grace you have been saved [made whole and set free] through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
3. Walking in the Spirit." Walking in the Spirit is simply keeping short accounts with God about the activities of your flesh. Putting off our flesh-controlled mind is a choice that we must make. "That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Ephesians 4:22). "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Romans 13:14).
4. Tongues and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I have seen day and night differences in people's minds and their thinking processes after they have been baptized in the Holy Spirit to overflowing with speaking in tongues.
The main purpose of the in-filling of the Holy Sprit is in Ephesians 3:19 (amp) which says, "that you may really come to know practically through experience for yourselves the love of Christ which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience; that you may be filled throughout your being unto all the fullness of God may have the richest measure of the divine presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God himself." The baptism in the Holy Spirit fills the soul with the wonderful presence of God, and it has a drastic effect on the mind! The tongue has a major impact on the functioning of the mind.
Two main purposes for tongues are:
a. Public. There is a public speaking in tongues which is primarily for the benefit of the congregation. There is also a private prayer language that is for the benefit of the individual.
b. Private. Jude 20 says that we should pray in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of being built up. Romans 8 says that even our groaning puts out words that create the perfect will of God. In Mark 16 Jesus describes the new race that He created and part of that description is that it has its own language like most other races.
James chapter 3 says that the tongue is like the rudder of the ship, it is in control. So our tongue is the strongest member of our body. If you were to hand the rudder of your ship over to someone you would give him or her control of the entire ship. Medical doctors tell us today that the speech center in the brain has dominion over the entire brain. This is God's wonderful design to supply man with the same kind of creative dominion and authority that He has. When you speak in tongues the Word of God is coming out of your mouth. Everything that the Word will do will be done as your speak in tongues! If you give your tongue over to God, you give Him control of your life. That is power!
Sometimes our intellect does not know how to pray. Romans 8:26 says we should use our prayer language to pray God's perfect will. Every time you use your prayer language, you are praying out God's Word and God's will. Because your speech center dominates the entire brain, your mind is renewed.
The creative power of prayer.
Prayer, any kind of prayer begins with God. Gods speaks His re-creation of the new heaven and new earth through His praying sons and daughters. If we are in tune with God, we will find ourselves becoming co-labors with Him, utilizing prayer that has been initiated by Him. There is so much about prayer that does not have to do with asking God to perform. There is a creative power in speaking positive, creative words, especially the Word of God, and including praying in tongues. When one prays in tongues, he/she is praying God's language, God's purposes into the earth. This kind of praying unleashes God's spirit to do what it did in the first creation; "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" (Genesis 1:2,3).
Jesus spoke to plants and to circumstances, and they obeyed. The modern culture, assisted by Satan, set about to establish that spirit and matter were totally separate. The Greeks propagated this thinking through Plato and others. The Bible teaches that in fact that the spirit and matter are not apart from one another and opposed to each other. Quoting a portion of Hebrews 1:3 in the Amplified version, it says, "…upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power." Some scientists have said that the very atom itself, and the circular spinning of its elements cannot be explained, but that there is an invisible power keeping its elements in perfect orbit.
When we speak God's ordained words, when we quote the rhema He has given us for a particular situation, when we speak in tongues for extended periods of time, we are allowing God to affect the material and the circumstances in our appointed realm of influence.
5. The 40-day fly idea. There is a great analogy I have heard from Ed Silvoso of Argentina. It is based upon the comparison of a stronghold to one of the names of Satan, which is Beelzebub. "But some of them said, 'He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons'" (Luke 11:15). Beelzebub is a heathen deity believed to be the prince of evil spirits. Some thought it to be the "dung god," an expression intended to designate with loathing the prince of all moral impurity. It was the Philistine god of flies. Silvoso goes on to explain that if we were to set out to exterminate flies, we would use an effective chemical for 40 days. 40 days is the total life span of a fly and its eggs. In that 40 period, not only would every living fly be killed, but also all of the eggs that the flies would lay would be killed. The spiritual application is then that if we use our spiritual weapons for "40 days," then our strongholds would be broken. Our spiritual weapon, our "chemical," is the confession of the Word of God. However, 40 days may not be long enough in the natural. I believe that since 40 stands for judgement. We need to confess the Word of God over our strongholds and circumstances for as long as judgement takes. That might be 40 days or 40 years. In any case, we will win! My wife and I are just beginning to see a positive judgement for something for which we have been standing for ten years.
6. Be honest. Confess your sin. Practice honesty and truth at all cost. When you lie, you make Satan your father.
7. Renounce any contact you have had with anything demonic: music, porno, TV, movies, drugs, alcohol, occult, horoscope, Quija boards, fortune telling, card games, etc.
8. Renounce any relationship to family ties that may be used to pass down curses. You can be courteous to family without receiving their curses.
9. Stay close to Jesus through prayer, His Word, selective friends, and church groups. Keep your mind filled with Godly things. The mind is the battlefield.
10. Be open for whatever ways God wants to deliver you. Desire to be free and don't limit God. He has many ways to set you free. His mission is to set you free (Luke 4).
11. Forgive. This is the big one! Here is a principle that is too often overlooked. Jesus taught it this way:
"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). This can be interpreted, "forgive us in the same measure as we have given forgiveness to those who have sinned against us."
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14,15).
It's not that God does not want to forgive you. He will not override your own will. Holding in bitterness and resentment towards another person hurts us. We bind that sin to ourselves, and that will destroy us. The wages of sin is death. What we need is the free gift of God, which is forgiveness.
So many people are tormented their entire lives because they will not forgive. Sickness, disease, poverty, and many other maladies have been instantly healed when forgiveness is accomplished.
Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is an act of the will. The root word for forgive carries the meaning to cut away or remove.
When someone really hurts me and even uses treacherous means to take advantage of me, it does not feel good. The first thing I want to do is to expose them and to see justice accomplished. However, I know that is not how God works. I then recall the meaning of forgive; to cut away. So I say with my mouth, "Lord, I forgive so and so. I take his sin off of him and put it onto You." You see, without Jesus, we cannot forgive because He is the only one who can take anybody's sin. He is the only way we can forgive.
If you will do this with everyone in your life, The Holy Spirit will fill you in a mighty way, and you will unlock the hands of God to work on your behalf. You will be set free from things you didn't even know existed.
Prayer for deliverance.
"Lord Jesus Christ, I confess that you are my Lord."
1. Personally affirm your faith in Christ. "Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You are the Son of God and the only way to God - that you died on the Cross for my sins and rose again so that I might be forgiven and receive eternal life."
2. Humble yourself. "I renounce all pride and religious self-righteousness and any dignity that does not come from You. I have no claim on Your mercy except that you died in my place."
3. Confess any known sin. "I confess all my sins before You and hold nothing back." Now list and confess them.
4. Repent of all sins. "I repent of all my sins. I turn away from them and I turn to You, Lord, for mercy and forgiveness."
5. Forgive all other people. "By a decision of my will, I freely forgive all who have ever harmed or wronged me. I lay down all bitterness, all resentment and all hatred." Now list and confess them.
6. Break with the occult and all false religion. "I sever all contact I have ever had with the occult or with all false religion. I renounce all the works of the devil, Satan, and other evil spirits in my life. I confess and renounce all my occult practices and sins as abominations before You, a Holy and righteous God. I renounce any occult influence from my forefathers." Now list and confess them.
7. Prepare to be released from every curse over your life. "Lord Jesus, I thank You that on the Cross You were made a curse, that I might be redeemed from every curse and inherit God's blessing. I renounce every curse from my forefathers. On that basis I ask You to release me and set me free to receive the deliverance I need."
8. Take your stand with God. "I take my stand with You, Lord, against all Satan's demons. I submit to You, Lord, and I resist the devil. Amen!
9. Expel. "Now I speak to any demons that have control over me." Speak directly to them. "I command you to go from me now. In the name of Jesus, I expel you! I pray that any evil power or ability I may possess, or which have oppressed or possessed me, be completely destroyed or removed from me. I commit myself, my body, my mind, my personality, my emotions, my whole being to the Lord Jesus Christ to be my Lord and savior. I pray this in the mighty Name of Jesus, believing I am delivered."
It is important to have Godly counseling during and after deliverance.
Chapter 29
Inside the Holy of Holies
The Tabernacle Part 9
I am not capable of describing God's heart and purposes for this phase of your experience, however I feel that we need to keep the mindset that this is more about Him than about us. Take this seriously. Be aware of His holiness, His greatness. Soon you will loose sight of yourself, which is great gift in itself!
Coming into God's presence in the manner we have described is the result of the working of His Cross and of your taking up your cross. You can go to church and revival meetings and certainly experience the presence of God. That is good. However it is not God's permanent goal for your relationship with Him. You cannot live on someone else's relationship. If your minister or the revival evangelist came into God's presence prior to the meeting, he is most likely transferring that glory to you. That is wonderful, however it is his/her experience with God that you are experiencing. Your neighbor may about tell you their relationship with their spouse. Although that may encourage you, it is not a replacement for your relationship with your spouse. Going to church and meetings to experience the glory of God is good, but if you are not experiencing Him on your own, you are missing God's best and depriving Him of what He desires.
I cannot find anywhere in the Bible where it says how the priest came through the veil. Perhaps God kept that a mystery because it is He who pulls us through. This is one veil that we do not "kick down." This veil was indeed torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the Cross, indicating that God made the way for sinful mankind to come into His presence. "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh" (Hebrews 10:19,20).
The Tabernacle is symbolic of Christ and of the invisible world.
The Holy of Holies represents His presence, and the fresh air of Heaven, a different world from the one you can see with your eyes. "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation" (Hebrews 9:11). "For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another--" (Hebrews 9:24,25).
"Come up here," is what Jesus told John in Revelation 4:1 when John was undergoing tremendous suffering in exile on the Isle of Patmos. We need to see things from God's perspective. That we see things in God's perspective is one of God's primary responses in answer to the sufferings we are presently experiencing.
Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of the ministry Voice of the Martyrs, who spent much time in prison and solitary confinement for his faith, wrote some similar statements in his book, If Prison Walls Could Speak. Wurmbrand writes, "Christ said to His first disciples, 'Come and see'" (John 1:39). We have passed from hearing to seeing. To Martha, the Lord said, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40). The Book of Revelation too, is a book about things that John actually saw. In the conditions of solitary confinement, which are similar to those of a hermit in the desert deprived of material things, the seeing becomes so real that you have difficulty convincing yourself that what you see is an event in the spirit and not in the material world."
Then Wurbrand speaks about a Chinese legend. "It is said that a great painter once painted on a wall a beautiful landscape with a cave. When he had finished, he walked into the cave and disappeared, and was never heard of again." He went on, "Whatever you create or evoke in the spirit can become a reality into which you can enter, and live, and disappear." Wurbrand concludes, "Therefore we have been given the power to ascend in the spirit. Poverty, sickness, inner and outer tragedies, prisons, or chains cannot hinder this ascent. On the contrary, they assist it. Oh my brothers and sisters, why remain in ugly places? Evoke heaven and enter forever into what you have evoked. What will death matter then?"
One of the first steps in God's plan for our afflictions is for us to "Come up here." He wants us to experience spiritual reality, His presence to such a degree that the things of this world grow strangely dim.
If you do not feel like the things in this chapter relate to you, if you feel like you are out of fellowship with God and are not close to him, then I suggest that you peek inside the Holy of Holies with me in this chapter. Then return to the first chapter on the Tabernacle and walk thorough it again. Align your life with the disciplines of the last few Tabernacle chapters and you will find yourself in His presence. Faith will become more real than your feelings.
Through the veil is intimacy.
One can experience certain levels of God's presence at various times. For instance, His presence can be experienced during corporate worship. But making contact with God in this setting of the Holy of Holies is pure intimacy.
There is something about the voice of God in these conditions that can only be experienced. I am not, in any way, suggesting that this position of intimacy is only for special people. I think that it is more about our positioning ourselves and making ourselves available for Him, and then making room for Him to have His way with us. He may show up in different ways to each individual and different ways at different times. You may sense His presence hours after you have walked through the Tabernacle, perhaps even after many hours or days of disappointment that you did not make contact. Just keep coming by faith. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). The goal is to live your life continually entering into the Holy of Holies as you naturally walk through the disciplines of the Tabernacle.
The Lampstand stands for our testimony, and the Ark stands for God's testimony. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). When you hear God speaking while you are in His presence, it is different and unique, and is usually something prophetic. I do not mean that His voice is telling you of coming events in history (which He may do), but it is prophetic in that it tells of things that you do not yet see, but nevertheless are facts. For instance, if He tells you, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), and you are still experiencing lack in your life, that is prophetic.
How did you enter?
The Old Testament gives many examples of how dangerous it would be for a mere man to encounter the presence of God. The man would be destroyed. That is why God hid Himself in the Tabernacle, so that the people He loved would not die from His presence. Sin cannot stand in the presence of God. That is why it took Jesus removing your sin in order to rip the veil and make the connection between God and man possible. That is an historic fact. It is all by grace, not by any of your works. However, there is a protocol that you walked through. If you walked through the Tabernacle pattern, that pleases God and puts you into closer friendship with Him. If I have one child that is obedient and one that is rebellious, I still love the rebellious one, but I would rather hang out with the obedient one.
I am not saying that you must walk the Tabernacle path that I have laid out here. There are many believers that dwell in His presence, in the Holy of Holies, that may have never heard of the Tabernacle. However, I suspect that they practice many of the disciplines we discussed in the Tabernacle path. We often sense His presence in corporate worship. God can also break through to you when He pleases. But the Tabernacle walk is our positioning ourselves for His presence; preparing ourselves as a bride adorns herself for her husband.
You prepared yourself for His presence by taking up your cross as we have described.
Take a lesson from Esther.
Esther prepared herself for an entire year before she entered the "new queen competition." In Esther chapter two it tells of many young women who were chosen to prepare themselves for an entire year. Queen Vashti had angered King Ahasuerus so he set up a competition to replace her. For one year the women who were in the competition for queen used oil of myrrh, perfumes and other preparations used for beautifying women. Esther 2:14 states that Esther would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called her by name. This should be our attitude when we approach King Jesus! When it was Esther's turn to see the king, she did something interesting. She took the advice of one of the king's main servants, Hegai, a eunuch and the custodian of the women. She took nothing in with her that Hegai did not advise. She figured that Hegai knew the king and what would please him.
"Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king's eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti" (Esther 2:15-17).
In the same way, we should take the advice of the Holy Spirit, and take only what He advises when we approach the Father.
One more thing about your entry.
All of the steps through the Tabernacle were part of taking up your cross. In doing that, you made yourself invulnerable to Satan. When you take up your cross, the only thing left is Jesus, and He defeated Satan. This is expressed in Psalm 91 and all of the benefits of being in the "Secret Place of the Most High."
What is in the Holy of Holies?
These are the items found inside the Holy of Holies:
The Ark
The Mercy Seat
The Blood on the Mercy Seat
Cherubim angels
The Golden Censor from the Altar of Incense with your worship and the prayers of the saints
The Glory of God.
The Ark is the centerpiece of the Holy of Holies.
The Ark symbolizes the very presence of God, and as the Scriptures tell us, is the very place where the presence of God dwelt on earth. Sometimes, as believers, we take for granted the presence of God in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, but in the Old Testament days, the Holy Spirit dared not expose Himself to mere man. Only the blood of Jesus made this possible. Nevertheless, God wanted to be near His people, and the Ark was the way He expressed that.
The Ark is covered by the Mercy Seat, which is sprinkled with blood. We needed mercy at the Bronze Altar, the Cross, in the very beginning. However, now in His presence there is a new dimension of realizing His mercy and the blood of Jesus in a way that only the Holy Spirit can show you. His mercy endures forever. It is almost impossible to write about, it must be experienced.
On both sides and hovering over the Ark are huge angels protecting everything. There is no light in the Holy of Holies, except for the Light of God. It is called the Glory of God, kabowd (Hebrew); sometimes called Shekinah. The glory of God gave the only light. This is the light under which men would normally die. In this light there can be no hidden sin. Can you imagine that some people are still afraid of this light? Yes, if they do not know about or accept the wonderful work of Jesus on the Cross, and how He became sin for us. Today, people still hide from the light of God because they love their own sin (John 3:16-21). The light of God will destroy sin and will destroy your flesh, your old nature, as you dwell in it.
Also present inside the Holy of Holies was the Golden Censor carried by the High Priest from the Golden Altar, representing worship, praise and prayer.
In the wilderness, the Tabernacle was small and the floor was of desert sand. Solomon's Temple was very large. It was fixed and not portable, and was made of very luxurious materials. The only thing that was the same in both temples was the Ark of the Covenant, sometimes called the Ark of Testimony. The Ark cannot be improved nor enlarged, it is the same. It is the testimony of God's Son. He is the same forever.
The three items in the Ark.
Inside of the Ark are the Tablets of Law, the Manna, and Aaron's Rod. Rather than look at these from the Old Testament point of view, I would like to make a transition here. We need to view these three items in the Ark as three items that are represented in our hearts since the Ark is now in us. The Law represents the character of God, the Manna represents His provisions for us, and Aaron's Rod represents our outreach or ministry to others.
Actually these three items reside in your heart by the Holy Spirit from the day He comes into your heart. However as we go through afflictions we receive more light on the truth, and what was a principle becomes reality.
The Ark of God now resides in your heart!
It is important to see this picture and to understand the significance of it. God promised Israel, through the prophet Jeremiah, that He would make a new covenant with them. The main feature of this new covenant was that the Law of God would be put inside of the hearts of the people.
"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more" (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
We know from Hebrews 10:16 and related verses, that God was speaking of the days when the blood of Jesus would cleanse our sins so that the Holy Spirit could dwell in mere man again. It is no longer an external thing. We are God's Temple. Meditate on that. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). There will also be a day when natural Israel will experience this New Covenant.
Is this for you or for God?
We are usually concerned with our own welfare, however God's provisions for us gives Him something that is important to Him; He is glorified!
God is glorified when He provides for us. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me" (Psalms 50:15).
God is glorified when His character is revealed in us. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
God is glorified when we reach the unreached. "All nations [gentiles] whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name" (Psalms 86:9).
The three items in the Ark represent spiritual capital. Is God a capitalist?
Fruit is like capital because it continues to produce more fruit like capital continually produces income. The fruit of character, fruit for provisions and fruit for ministry work is like spiritual capital. Our capital account or fruit account may be increased in several ways. In my opinion overcoming is the most powerful way and the one I want to focus on.
Spiritual fruit, or to put it another way, spiritual capital, is one of the primary objectives of overcoming. Of course at the root of all of this fruit is the Word, Jesus. Overcoming is one of the primary ways that God gives us the anointing, the authority, and the power to accomplish His will on earth. I believe that God uses the gifts of the Spirit for His purposes, but I also believe that ministry as the result of overcoming is more powerful and has a permanent effect that the gifts of the Spirit do not always have.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24, KJV). "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12).
Jesus spoke of two opposites to explain spiritual capital.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19).
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). "Added" is like a dividend being paid on a stock that you own. Dividends come from capital. The manna in your heart, if properly cared for will be your capital. Jesus is our Manna!
Before Adam rebelled, he had the capitalist principle in his heart. You might say that Adam contained "spiritual capital." He was in charge of a garden that worked for him in much the same way that stocks and money in the bank work for you as capital. However after he rebelled, God told Adam that he lost that capital. "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). I am not proposing that Adam was lazy, nor that God wants us to cease to work and expect others to feed us. No to that! However, you do contain manna in your heart, and that manna, when prepared properly, will supply your needs. God warned them to not store up the manna. Why? I believe it was because God counted it as "spiritual capital" and it was not to be abused as natural capital, kind of like a saving account. Also, God wanted them, and us, to trust Him daily for our provisions.
Examine what the Word says is in your Ark, in your heart.
Manna is in the Ark - Fruit for the provisions of your natural life.
Manna literally means, "what is it?" Recall the idea of manna in the Book of Exodus chapter 16, and in Numbers chapter 11. The Israelites had just left more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea, and now they were in the hot desert without food and water. God fed them supernaturally by allowing manna to fall out of Heaven six days a week. On the seventh day they were to use what was stored up on day six. However if they attempted to store the manna in any other way, it would become rotten and unusable.
The manna was called "The Bread of Heaven." Somehow it supplied all of their nourishment in the desert for forty years. Jesus is called the Bread of Heaven in John chapter 6. He now lives in you through the Holy Spirit, and one of those benefits is that you have the principle of manna living inside of you. What is that principle? It is the precept that all of your needs are supplied through the indwelling Christ! You have something that people in the world without Jesus do not have. You have supernatural provisions. Not only that, you have the very principle of supernatural provisions dwelling in your heart. That manna will work for you provided you keep your relationship to the Tabernacle, to Jesus, proper.
The Manna represents the Word of God.
The Kingdom of God operates by the Word of God planted in a human heart as a seed (Mark 4:11). In John chapter 6, Jesus said that He is the real manna from Heaven, and that if a person ate of that manna, he would never be hungry. More than that, He also stated that if anyone would eat of Him, as manna, as the Bread of Life, that person would live forever and never die (John 6:48-58)! John chapter 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the Bread of Life, Jesus is our manna, and Jesus is our provider through the Word in our heart.
One of the biggest fears that God has delivered me from is the fear of not having natural provisions for my family. I can tell you from the Scriptures and from experience (22 years as of this writing) that the Word of God planted in my heart has always provided for me supernaturally! Normally, great trials and persecution accompanied that provision. The very source of your provisions dwells inside of you, in your personal Holy of Holies. It is not an outside source, nor is it subject to the whim of Satan or people in the world. It is only subject to you keeping a right relationship with that source. That source cannot fail. Jesus eagerly wants to be your provider. One of the definitions of Lord is "bread provider." Step out on His Word and allow Him to be your Lord.
The Law is in the Ark - Fruit for character.
If the law is in your heart, then that does away with any form of performance and legalism. When you are attempting to live according to the fruit of the Spirit and are finding it difficult, remember, God's law is written in your heart. When you allow your true nature to express itself, it will express God's character, which is the Law. Eventually, this fruit also begins to appear without a lot of "sweat." Be honest with those areas of your life that do not line up with God's standards and He will reveal your real character!
Aaron's rod is in the Ark - Fruit for ministry in your life.
Numbers 17 tells of a time when the Israelites were in the desert after leaving Egypt. Many in the congregation had complained against the authority and ministry and the anointing of Moses and Aaron. The Lord first sent a plague that was stopped when Aaron took a censor of fire from the Tabernacle Altar and ran through the congregation with an atonement-making act. The plague stopped; however, God wanted to make a point to the Israelites and show who truly represented Him, and on whom His anointing rested.
Take a moment and think about the seriousness this plague depicted!
Think about it when you are tempted to complain against a minister or someone in authority.
The Lord then commanded that one almond rod, broken and independent from any roots, should be taken by each of the twelve tribes. The name of the tribe would be written on the respective rods and then placed into the Holy of Holies. Whichever rod budded, and that had to be supernaturally, would indicate on which tribe God's anointing would rest for ministry.
"Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. And the LORD said to Moses, 'Bring Aaron's rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.' Thus did Moses; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did. So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, 'Surely we die, we perish, we all perish!'" (Numbers 17:8-12).
"Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the LORD, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death"(Numbers 18:6,7).
We are all ministers.
In the Old Testament only the Levites answered the call for service in the Tabernacle. Not so with us. We are all priests unto the Lord, and to all people. A priest is a bridge between God and man, and visa versa. The problem is, too many people today misunderstand this idea. Too many ordinary people, business people, and housewives do not consider themselves priests and ministers, and too many professional paid workers in church feel that they are in some special and exclusive service for the Lord. Your pastor should be preparing you for the ministry, rather than just trying to do everything himself and becoming burned out and ineffective.
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
When you come into the Holy of Holies, you are equipped to be a real intercessor. You are sharing in the High Priestly ministry of Jesus and praying for others effectively. Jesus said in John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you."
Sweat or fruit?
Too many believers, both full-time pastors and others, feel that they need to perform and grab hold of some ministry. They feel that they need to work hard to fulfill God's call and to even compete with others, make a name for themselves, and use church politics for promotion. While hard work is admirable, and sometimes ordained, you need to understand that the only ministry that really counts is that which comes as fruit. Aaron could not do anything to cause his rod to bear buds and almonds. That fruit came out of the darkness of the Holy of Holies and out of resurrection life. It speaks of resurrection. It speaks of God's sovereign selection and His work, not our sweat and blood. The idea of the almond tree budding is seen in Jeremiah chapter one as a sign of God being ready to perform His Word, even when circumstances seem impossible.
Only God has our ministry for us, and we only realize what it is when we are in right relationship to the Tabernacle, or in other words, to Jesus. It does not matter how lowly you feel, how insignificant you feel, if you continue to maintain your relationship to Jesus, He will put you into a fruit bearing ministry that can be accomplished best only by you. It will fulfill you and your desires more than you can imagine. While it may include hard work, or even sacrifice, perhaps even personal danger, it will totally satisfy you. Your need for significance is God given, and He is the only one who can satisfy it.
Ministry just takes place supernaturally. Things take place that you could have not planned nor even thought of. It is a God thing! You have spiritual authority in your appointed realm of influence. Fruit is appearing.
The two churches in Revelation that successfully overcame both received authority symbolized by a crown. "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write ...(Revelation 3:7a).
"Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Revelation 3:11).
"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write" (Revelation 2:8a).
"…Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10b). Remember that Smyrna represents the martyrs or those who continue in their sufferings. Their fruit is powerful but the hands of others will experience it. It was estimated that for each martyr in the first century church 300 souls were saved as a result.
Our relationship to the Tabernacle determines our fruit bearing.
Bearing fruit is great for us, but more importantly, it pleases God.
"By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:8).
When we keep our relationship to the Tabernacle proper, the benefits go beyond a real-time presence with God, as magnificent as that is. If the Tabernacle is symbolic of Jesus Himself, then the advantages are clear. Keeping that proper relationship to the Tabernacle, as we have stressed during the past several chapters, will cause the manifestation of the much needed fruit in our lives. Fruit of the Spirit, fruit for provisions, and fruit for ministry.
When we consider these three items in the Ark and their significance in our lives, it is often easy to wonder why life is not working out better for us. We can wonder why our character still is so unlike the fruit of the Spirit, why our natural provisions are not coming through, and why God is not using us in ministry more. I believe that part of the answer is our relationship to the Tabernacle. In the past few chapters we have walked through the Tabernacle as a process of taking up our cross. I believe that as the Israelites succeeded or failed in warfare depending upon their relationship to the Tabernacle, so will we. We need to remember that God is not throwing the fruit of the Spirit, our natural provisions, and our work for Him out of the sky. He is not working from outside of us. He is working through us. "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).
We need to allow the overcoming process to come to fruition.
We need to allow God time to take us through the complete overcoming process. So do not give up if things do not look good!
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Chapter 30
You are a conqueror, and more than one!
Hupernikao.
Overcoming brings vengeance on God's enemies. God is glorified!
Remember back in the chapter titled "Jesus' Mission Statement," we emphasized the "day of vengeance of God" as a part of the overcoming process. You may recall that Jesus' mission statement as He gave it in Luke chapter 4 stopped short of the day of vengeance because, as we pointed out, He had not yet been to the Cross. We pointed out that the vengeance spoken of is vengeance on Jesus' enemies, demons, devils, and ultimately Satan himself. We further explained that as we overcome difficulties and afflictions in our lives that a by-product is that various wicked spirits are dislodged from our lives and the lives of those in our realm of influence. Perhaps they are more than dislodged; perhaps they go to an early retirement to the pit.
If you have been following the process of the overcoming process, you may or may not be in the season of being a conqueror just yet. Overcoming comes in many forms, sizes and shapes, and we need to trust God to bring us our lot in life. Our job is to continue to:
1. Seek to know who we are in Christ and to seek His promises. SIT. His Cross.
2. Seek to walk a life worthy of the Lord, in living fellowship with Him. WALK. Our cross.
3. Continually speak words of warfare against our spiritual enemies. STAND. The word of our testimony.
Continuing to live life in this manner will ultimately bring glory to God because you will be a fruit bearer. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:8).
Overcoming glorifies God and makes your life worth living. It does something to defeat God's enemies in the way of vengeance. It brings God's purposes into your life.
A conqueror takes the enemy's spoils.
A conqueror is a person or a corporate entity like a nation that through battle defeats its foe. Part of conquering is taking the spoils of the enemy and putting the enemy into subjection. In many Biblical battles the Israelites took the spoils of the enemy they defeated. This is also true in modern history. We have shown many times in this book how, as overcomers, or conquerors (synonymous terms), we not only are set free from the "junk" that has plagued us and our children, but that we also dislodged some demonic beings that have been authorized to terrorize our families, cities and nations. It was customary to break out the teeth of a conquered enemy as a sign of their future impotence. "Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!" (Psalms 58:6). Our overcoming has broken the teeth of our enemy!
We, as overcomers, have been set free from curses in our lives. We have turned our "junk into jewels" for God's Kingdom. We took even took the enemy's spoils including "the souls of men. As I mentioned this manifests itself in as many different shapes and sizes as there are individuals. God deals with us each so personally. He desires to restore our individual personalities, and to restore us to "normal human beings."
In the previous chapter we discussed spiritual capital, or fruit bearing. I believe that fruit is a result of the Word of God working in our hearts during the afflictions and sufferings of or lives. I believe that as we allow God to turn our junk into jewels that His Kingdom is expanded, not only in our personal lives, but we will see fruit in ministry to others.
Continuing our journey through Revelation let us look at chapter 20 again.
The day of vengeance!
As I have continually stated about the Book of Revelation, I am not saying the events do not represent some great historic events in the future. I am saying that if that is the only way you interpret it, that you are missing out on the wonderful personal application of the book of Revelation.
Revelation chapter 18 describes the fall of our enemy in a personal, the world system, and lists its spoils. Revelation 18:11-13 says, "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men."
The events in this chapter take place after the defeat of the "world" spirit in chapter 18 and 19, and after Jesus comes on His white horse for our victory in our overcoming process. The next event as shown in chapter 20 is an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the spiritual beings who were deceiving the nations (gentiles, or unbelievers) and bound them for 1,000 years, representing a period of rule and dominion.
When my wife and I completed a certain overcoming season in our lives, we had granted spiritual dominion over demons that were holding people captive in countries we had never visited. Eventually we did visit these countries, and still visit them, but the work being done there is due to dominion gained through overcoming, through suffering, through turning junk into jewels. It is wonderful to sit on the front row of God's history and watch Him do what He does, and to be privileged to see His Kingdom advance in a personal way. He receives all the glory. What we have seen has nothing at all to do with our abilities, our ministry skills, or anything in us at all. We are witnesses to His work!
Authority leads to ministry.
Revelation chapter 22 is interesting from a personal point of view. John saw a pure river proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb similar to the prophetic picture in Ezekiel chapter 47. In Ezekiel the waters eventually flowed into the Dead Sea and caused the dead things therein to live and to be healed. The sea has normally represented humanity, the Dead Sea represents dead humanity, the lost and hurting.
Revelation chapter 22 is parallel to Ezekiel 47. This living river has the tree of life bearing fruit, which is said to provide the "healing of the nations." Nations means gentiles, people who are not saved, it does not mean geo-political division on earth.
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him" (Revelation 22:1-3).
Notice this Scripture says, "no more curse." As you have overcome afflictions and curses, you will be able to break the bondages of others who are suffering under curses.
The apostle Paul lived out this precept.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation" (2 Corinthians 1:3-6).
There is a noticeable difference in Paul's emphasis for ministry between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians he emphasizes the gifts of the Spirit as the primary ministry force. In 2 Corinthians he emphasizes his suffering leading to the healing of others.
"For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you" (2 Corinthians 4:11,12).
This was Jesus' path to our salvation. His suffering brought our salvation. Participating in our share of His suffering will transfer our salvation to those who have not yet experienced it.
This precept is based upon godly wisdom. "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).
If the rulers of this age had known that your affliction would put them in chains, they would have never afflicted you.
What can it mean to be more than a conqueror?
The word "nikao" means overcomer or conqueror, or to overcome. The word hupernikao means more than a conqueror, or "hyper-conqueror." It infers that it is excessively over and beyond being a conqueror. Another way to say is would be "hyper-overcomer." The only place I can find hupernikao used in the Bible is in Romans 8. "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
What more can there be besides conquering? I continued to ask the Lord this question when I knew that He was directing me to name this last chapter Hupernikao, more than a conqueror.
In looking at Romans chapter 8 one can make the following observations of what Paul meant when he used the term "more than a conqueror."
1. In Romans chapter 6 Paul laid out the facts, the finished work of what the death and resurrection of Jesus did for us. This is a tremendous revelation!
2. In Romans chapter 7 Paul admitted to his weaknesses in actual living out this victorious life.
3. In Romans chapter 8 Paul reconciled the differences between the facts and his experience.
He said that we should walk, or live, according to the Spirit and to keep our minds focused on the Spirit and the true facts outlined in Romans chapter 6, rather than to walk or live in the flesh and be carnally minded.
Suffering to glory!
He also stated in Romans chapter 8 that as we walked according to the Spirit we would go from "suffering to glory." "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). Paul talked about this glory in other places as well. He said in Colossians 1:27, "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
What is our glory?
We have written of this word "glory" in previous chapters of this book. The word is multi facetted. To glorify is to reveal the true character and worth of a thing or being, like when Christ was glorified at His crucifixion. Looking at the original Greek word it also contains the meaning of "the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour's return from heaven." If you have been following our thought in this book, we believe that Christ is not only returning to Earth in the traditional sense, but He also returns in our lives as we are going through the overcoming process. He returns bringing us the victory for which we have been standing through tribulation.
So we can conclude that Paul was speaking of a condition of blessedness for us when he spoke of glory in Romans chapter 8. This is the very opposite of what we have been overcoming, that is curses.
In Romans chapter 8 he continues to describe this pathway to glory and for us. In 8:26-28 Paul talks of our infirmities, but that all these things will work together for good. In 8:30 he talks about our pathway to being glorified, "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Romans 8:30). Then in 8:35-36 he talks about the kind of situations that potentially could harm us, but because of Christ they cannot. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter'" (Romans 8:35,36).
Then in Romans 8:37 he says, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." All what things? All of the sufferings and afflictions we have been through during the overcoming process. The suffering and affliction together with our overcoming lifestyle in the face of them, has made us are more than conquerors!
To put it all together I could paraphrase it this way. All of the sufferings and afflictions you have been through during your overcoming process have given you glory, which is a condition of blessedness that you did not enjoy previously.
The following are the two things that I believe this new and deeper condition of blessedness includes:
1. A greater manifestation of Christ in you.
2. A greater manifestation of Christ upon you.
Yes, the enemy has been overcome, but more than that, I have snuggled up to my King in a new level of intimacy, the status of a bride. That is my more!
1. A greater manifestation of Christ in you. As we discussed in a previous chapter, the Ark of the Covenant is in your heart. Now that you are more than a conqueror, the benefits of the contents of the Ark will be enhanced. That includes the Law of God is worked out in your character, the Manna of God is providing for your needs, and Aaron's Rod is bringing ministry fruit into your life.
You are now what Paul calls a "fragrance." "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing" (2 Corinthians 2:15). This closer union with Jesus together with your broken life that allows for the pouring forth of His life has caused you to spread His fragrance wherever you go.
As you have been overcoming, you have been wounded, broken, and hurt. Often it has been all you could do to hang on. You perhaps have been misjudged and misunderstood. The result has been less of you and more of Christ. Less of your false nature and more of His nature now prevails. A clay vessel needs to be broken in order to allow the sweet oil to flow out. You have been broken, and now His sweet anointing oil flows out to others. You no longer trust in your own abilities but only in the life of Christ in you, you no longer desire anything that is offensive to Jesus, and all you want for your life is His plan. You now think of others more than you do yourself. You now wish to worship rather and ask for anything. You have wasted yourself on Jesus and He has honored you has he honored the woman when she broke her alabaster box.
"And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, 'Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.' And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, 'Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her'" (Mark 14:3-9).
You have become one of God's jewels!
2. A greater manifestation of Christ upon you.
You will experience a more real and lasting abiding in deep communion with God in His presence. Now that you are a conqueror, becoming more intimate and closer to Jesus is the "more."
In Revelation chapter 19, when Jesus returns on His white horse to deliver us, we are also told of a very special love relationship that is consummated. "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, 'Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'' And he said to me, 'These are the true sayings of God'" (Revelation 19:7-9).
Being "more than a conqueror" is more of Jesus in your life!
While I am not totally sure what the marriage supper consists of, this I know, it speaks of a very deep level of intimacy and oneness. I believe at this point in your life, your relationship with Jesus is deepened to new levels. I believe that there are new levels of trust on both sides. I believe that your access to God is different than it was previously. A bride has the right to make demands on her husband that no other person can make. A bride, who has consummated her marriage, has the right to depend upon security of many types, including financial security and emotional security. She has access to her Husband that no one else has. Esther is an example.
Visit this scene with me into Revelation chapter 19.
First visualize what Paul quoted from Psalm 68 when he was writing Ephesians 4:8 when he said, "Therefore He says: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men'" Ephesians 4:8). Leading captivity captive was an old tradition exercised by conquering kings. They would chain their defeated enemies and line them up behind the king and his soldiers to display the bounty. The defeated foes would be on foot, chained to one another. This is a picture of a past tense event. We are to be one of the townspeople standing at the side of the road shouting and praising the king for his victory, perhaps victory over generational curses, failures, anger, addictions, poverty, etc.
Now if the rest of this picture stretches Scripture a little, please just take it as my imagination. All of a sudden the King stops. It is King Jesus riding on His white horse as in Revelation chapter 19. He looks at you with an intense gaze of love, and He says, "Come, you have participated in this victory, you should not be down there with those people, here is your white horse, ride with Me." As you ride with Him into the royal courtyard, He looks at you once more and says, "Come, now you are more than a conqueror, you are my bride. I have a feast prepared for you."
Jesus' final testimony to the churches in Revelation is about intimacy when He talks about the Tree of Life and says, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:12-14).
The wise and foolish virgins.
An example for the positive and negative side of this blessedness is the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25. All of the virgins were waiting upon the consummation of the wedding, which is another way of saying that all of them were in the overcoming process. However, the five foolish were not prepared to stay for the long haul. The foolish ones were half hearted. The wise virgins were determined to stay until the bridegroom arrived, no matter how long it took and no matter how bad things looked. They may have said, "I know the character of my Bride Groom, He will not stand me up, He can be trusted, therefore I will sell everything I need to sell to purchase whatever I need to purchase to stay here until He comes for me."
"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming" (Matthew 25:1-13).
We have noticed that when this "more" takes place, it is manifested as an effortless blessing. We also have experienced what Psalm 126 speaks about. That is we have been in a warfare-overcoming mode for so long, it is hard to imagine that we are actually experiencing a blessing now.
"When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal]. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.' The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad. Bring back our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South [are restored by the torrents]. Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him" (Psalms 126:1-6 - bracketed comments from Amplified Bible).
Does this mean that we can now relax, that our overcoming days are over, and can just sit around and enjoy blessings? I do not think so! I submit that it means that now we are qualified to do greater works for the Kingdom of God and that we can be trusted with new overcoming assignments. But the "more" it produces will be well worth the effort!
One final thought.
I believe that as we overcome, as we turn our "junk" into "jewels," that we touch the very heart of God by adorning His Son Jesus with jewels.
As the last few chapters of Revelation describe the Kingdom of God, it is interesting to note that the foundations of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. "The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald" (Revelation 21:19).
The City described is made of gold, representing the good ordained works of man. However the Foundation, who is Jesus, is adorned with jewels, representing the fruit of suffering. Also the entire City has a luster resembling a rare and most precious jewel, like jasper, shining clear as crystal. In addition the very wall of the City was made of jasper.
Jesus is the foundation Who is adorned with our jewels. "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).
"Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name" (Revelation 3:12). Pillars stand on the underground and unseen foundation. They are the manifested portion of the invisible foundation of any building.
"He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22:20,21).
This quote from Watchman Nee was in our first chapter about the Tabernacle, but here is a good place to review it again.
Quote from God's Plan and the Overcomers - Watchman Nee.
"The Old Testament tells us how the chosen people of God lived on earth. At first, the tabernacle served as the center of the 12 tribes; later it was the temple which became their center. The center of the temple was the ark. The tabernacle, the temple, and the ark are all types of Christ. As long as the children of Israel maintained their proper relationship with the tabernacle or the temple they were victorious, and no nation could overcome them. Even though their enemies learned how to fight while they themselves were not familiar with fighting, the children of Israel overcame all their enemies nonetheless. But the moment they had problems with the tabernacle or the temple, they were taken into captivity. Nothing else, whether they had powerful kings or great wisdom in themselves mattered at all; the only concern which mattered was whether or not they had offended the ark of the tabernacle or temple. If the Lord had the preeminence, then theirs was the victory. So too with us today. In minding the victory of Christ, we also have the victory."
And He is glorified!
Our victory feels good, but let us remember it feels good first to God!
"the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 'You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created'" (Revelation 4:10,11).
Our contentment.
Paul wrote the letter to the Phillipians from a Roman jail. I want to briefly use his example of how God can give us contentment while we are in the process of overcoming. In Phillipians 2:8, Paul spoke of Jesus' blood and His Cross. In Philippians 3:8, Paul speaks of his cross, or not loving his life to the death. In Phillipians 4:12, he spoke the word of his testimony and said, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
During the overcoming process, God may take you through times of being in need (abased) and times of having plenty (abound). But He will teach you to be content with each set of circumstances, as long as you are in right relationship to the Tabernacle, to Jesus. His presence will be enough for anything!
Finally.
Determine that you will practice the presence of God on a daily basis. It is the main ingredient for victory in this life and the next. Now go ahead and walk through all of the points we have covered in the Tabernacle, starting in the outer court, going into the Holy Place, and finally into the Holy of Holies. Most likely you are in His presence. You may or may not actually feel the manifest presence of God. You must rely on faith in His Word; feelings will follow.
footnotes
If Prison Walls Could Speak - Richard Wurmbrand - Living Sacrifice Book Company, Bartlesville, OK - 1972- quotes from pages 28-33
Nee, Watchman. God's Plan and the Overcomers. NY: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 1977.
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