HONORING THE CALL

HONORING THE CALL - Audio Link 

This devotional follows on the previous devotional called, “No Greater Love”.  Whereas that devotional was about seeing, this devotional is about sending.  The next will be about serving. 

In Daniel 5 we have the account of King Belshazzar that made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine, even from the golden and silver vessels taken out of the temple of Jerusalem.  The King sees a finger appear to write words on the wall and all bravado left the man.  He called on all his soothsayers and “wise men” to interpret the writings, but alas, to no avail.  This until the Queen steps up to reassure him that there was indeed someone within the palace walls who could help him with the interpretation.

Let’s read the foundational text for this devotional.

DANIEL 5: 10 – 12; 23 - 28

10 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

Daniel answers the King by reminding him of what Nebuchadnezzar’s fate was and gives the following interpretation in verse 22.

²² And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

²³ But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

²⁴ Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

²⁵ And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.

²⁶ This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

²⁷ Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

²⁸ Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Daniel and some other choice men from Israel were taken into Babylonian captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar, and were taught many things as young men.  They were there specifically to be in service of the King.  It is speculated that they were eunuchs as well.  All of their lives were devoted to study and knowledge.  However, Daniel stood out above the rest and was known for having an excellent spirit.  And, because of this excellent spirit, he had knowledge and understanding, he had spiritual gifts of which were interpreting of dreams, also having the ability to figure out riddles, parables or difficult sayings that others were not able to decipher.  And lastly, dissolving of doubts.  In other words, he was the “go to guy”.  Words that are associated with the word “excellent” in the Bible according to the different Strong’s meanings in scripture are:

Excel, remnant, General, vigor, strongest, honorable, dignity, noble, dominion, might, power, glorious and many more.

In a nutshell it means to excel, which means better or greater, but it also speaks of dominion, nobility and honor.  In other words, always a standard higher than the rest.  Not just in knowledge and strength, but in stature.

HEBREWS 12: 1

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every WEIGHT, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

 

It stands to reason that if we had to have a scale before us, whichever side goes up, constitutes the side that is light, whereas the other is heavier.  Hebrews 12 says that we are to lay aside every weight.  Paul was saying this in the context of running a race, but I want to take liberty in using it to help us understand from the perspective of the words written on the wall.  “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”  If I am found to be light in weight, it means that a standard was set and that I do not measure up.  Therefore, adjustments need to be made. 

We are all aware of those areas the Holy Spirit has put His finger on and has told us, “You have been found wanting.”  Usually this is in the privacy of our own homes and not in public display.  At home we let down our guard as we have no desire to impress.  There we relax and can just be.  And because of this, we often find ourselves struggling with small things that should by now have been a thing of the past.  This is nothing other but compromise and sadly we model this to our children and spouse.  We do not expect much of our children, sadly not even schools do, and so neither do they of themselves.  And because we do not, they will give us exactly what we expect of them.  The other day I walked into my teenage daughter’s room and it was just food everywhere.  One would think this to be a typical teenager “syndrome” and many of us joke about this, as if it in itself does not testify of what they think of our standard, or for that matter, of themselves.  Not so funny when you take time to think of the implication of seemingly small matters like these.  Come to think of it, what does your room or cupboards look like?  Because therein is only one of the standards we set in these every day “compromises”.  Small and seemingly insignificant things that we just let slide.  And it is not limited to a cupboard.  We teach people how to treat us, but we also teach others what is expected of them.  I told my daughter that she cannot live like a pig, simply because she is not a pig.  It is beneath her and that she should have self-respect, as well as respect towards us.  We all know the saying “Cleanliness is close to Godliness”.  But truth be told, it is more about the heart.  It is always about the heart.  This devotional is not about cleanliness, but cultivating an excellent spirit in all we do.

I was led by the Holy Spirit to watch a movie called Coach Carter, which also happens to be a true story.   This coach came to a school where only 3% of the children were expected to pass. The bar was therefore set very low.  The only thing that gave them meaning to their lives, was basketball.    Coach Carter made them sign a contract before they could be on his team.  The standard was set.  Ties and jackets at games and they had to sit in front of every class. Which would already be a great challenge for them, seeing that they did not pitch up in the first place.  Needless to say, he required not only that they would pass their subjects, but also obtain a certain average that was higher than what the school itself required. They also had to do community work and add to society.  And of course, they had to be on time for practice or the whole team would be punished.  It took them a while to get comfortable with these requirements, but once they did, the team started to win their games.  At one stage, after many wins, their reports came back and their lack of discipline and commitment towards their school work was evident.  They were weighed and found wanting.  They were heavy on the side of winning basketball games, but light on their academics.  Most of them failed horribly and therefore were held accountable as per the contract they signed.  The result was that all practice and games were off the table until they passed.  This went so far as to bring Coach Carter before the board where every parent wanted him to be fired or leave.  Even the parents did not value the character he was building in their children.  He told the team, as well as the parents, that by opening the gym for practice and the games would be in fact lowering the standard and set an example that they do not have to keep their commitments and live up to that which is required.  He told the children that unlike the school and society, he believed in them and that they are indeed able to do far more than the standard set.  Society have already decided that they are drop outs and that according to statistics, only one out of six would go to college and that the rest would go to jail.  These were their odds.  The players got it, because the Coach, by keeping a high standard himself, have won their respect.  He promised them that he would fight for them to get into college and that they did not have to be like their deadbeat dads in jail, but could make a future for themselves.  There was one particular boy who had a typical rebellious and arrogant attitude, but later decided to join and was willing to do whatever it takes to become part of the team.  He had to catch up though and prove himself to the Coach.  But during this time, Coach Carter asked him a question repeatedly, “What is your deepest fear?”  He just ignored him, because he could not truly answer that question until only later.  It was when they were in the gym, not to play basketball, but to study that this boy got up and made the following statement, which touched me deeply.  It is the truth.  Granted, these are not saved people, but we can definitely relate.  This is what he said…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.   Playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around us.  We were all meant to shine as children do.  It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others the permission to do the same, as we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Change that light to be the divine presence of God in our mortal bodies and we have the heart of our fear, which is the responsibility that comes with such great power that is beyond measure.  The Spirit of God in earthen vessels. Subconsciously we do not want to know the depths of it, because it scares the living daylights out of us.  It confronts us with the reality of where we are presently, as opposed to where we ought to be if we were truly honoring the call.  It confronts us with our unbelief.  Not just with who He is in us, but whether we truly trust Him to do exactly what He said He will do.  And yet, as we step into that which is true, embrace it with all our being, that light of the world, as He says we are, will start to liberate our sisters and brothers, because they know our God is not partial.  It will liberate them to know that with faith nothing is impossible and that a higher standard to that which they have lived, is not only possible, but also required.  The faith that sees that which is.  That sees ourselves as those chosen to be sent out and used mightily by Him.  It is an enormous responsibility and requires to live by the exhortation that was given to Joshua, “Be bold and courageous”.

1 PETER 2: 9

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

I have come to realize that we often live beneath what the Lord God intended, because we do not in fact believe in truth that we really are what He says.  He calls us priests, prophets and kings.  He tells us we have authority and that we are set apart for Him.  And yet, we do not live up to the standard of our call.  We do not honor our call by our daily walk.  In fact, the standard by which we live, testifies of whether we truly believe what He says we are.  We walk as mere men.    

One expects a certain standard from a priest, or a prophet and a king.  Certain things are just beneath their office.  This is an area that the Lord God had to deal with in my life, having received word upon word, just like others, regarding His plans that He has for me in the time to come.  Can any of this be, unless I believe?  A while back I had an experience where I woke up from an afternoon nap.   Half of my mouth was so hot, almost burning hot.  As I woke, I saw a vision of my mouth, where one part was this red, hot color, almost on fire and the other half iced.  He showed me that to not truly believe what He says about me, is to have guile on my lips (Psalm 34).  I may be able to confess it to a thousand people, but that the standard that I live is testifying of what is true.  The standard He was referring to was not that of sin, but of having an excellent spirit.  Every part of my being, every cell and thought has to believe what He says about me and will be evident in my daily life.  I praise Him for doing that work in me.  How can He send us if we hope, but do not truly believe? 

To have an excellent spirit is in essence to have a spirit without guile.  If I set the bar low, I will live up only to that bar, and even lower, but never higher, because I can get by and so can others.  But what if I set the bar higher to that which is expected of a priest, prophet or king?   A priest immediately has the connotation of being set apart and holy unto the Lord.  Therefore, there is no liberty to defile oneself with what you watch or do.  Meaning, trivialities are not just trivialities.  They do make a difference.  Certain things we watch, though not sinful, are beneath a priest.  The same counts for a prophet.  You do not get to say what you want or listen to what you want.  You are jealous for the pure and undefiled word of the Lord to be spoken through you, not willing to defile it by what you expose yourself to.  Meaning you have set standards for yourself in every area of your life.  Others may have the luxury to watch certain things, eat what they want, make little jokes, or fool around, having no weight to their conversation, but you are not afforded this disposition.  These things are beneath the standard of priest, prophet and king, just like it is beneath us to live like pigs.  We dishonor our call by how we live.

You are set apart to be His mouthpiece, so that what comes out of your mouth has weight to it.  It bears with it the weight of God, the ‘chabod’.  As for a King, he is friends with those closest to him, but cannot be “buddy, buddy” with everybody.  He has those closest to him with whom he confides in and has the responsibility to carry himself in such a way that exudes authority and demands respect.  Not because he is unloving or better than others or too high and mighty to deal with the small and little things of life.  Rather, he dearly loves all around him, but has the very hard job to do, which is to rule and reign.  Daniel was given that privilege at the end, because of the excellent spirit he operated in.  He did not have to tell everybody about it and let everybody know that God has chosen him.  Everybody was testifying of it, because of the life he lived.  Therefore, there is no need to tell everybody of every experience you have had, or to justify any actions by handing out proof that you in fact have been chosen by God and that what you have said is from God.  God will confirm His own word and does not need you to do so.  This speaks of being unsure of our call when we do this.  The office we are called to requires a certain standard and disposition, which is an excellent spirit. This is the Spirit of God operating in that person who has not decided on his own standard, but has embraced the standard of the Lord.  He does not look at himself as a mere man, but truly knows that he has been chosen and sent by the Most High.  He strives and lives daily to live up to the standard of his call and honors his call.  This is an uncompromising spirit in him that do not cut the corners even in the smallest of things.  Not to be seen, but that even when nobody sees, he is living that standard, because it has become his mode of being.  This does not come overnight, but what is needed is a level of esteem for what you have been called to in utmost humility and meekness.  This excellent spirit is seen in everything he touches. 

So, when the whole Christian crowd do something, your closest brothers and sisters, you do not go with them.  Not because you think you are better than them, but something about the spirit of their doing, which does not constitute that excellent spirit, makes you uncomfortable and you cannot find yourself at peace.  Not that they are doing anything wrong, but somehow this is not your disposition and to give in to that, even though it may be lawful or not sinful, even Christian and enjoyable, is to lower your own standard, which is that of an excellent spirit.  This has nothing to do with being obsessive compulsive about doing things in perfection or that you cannot have any fun in life, but speaks of the Spirit of God having full play in the one called.  Everything is governed by this excellent spirit, that sees all in the light of what the Spirit of the Lord is about.  Everything is under scrutiny, because the man is wholy set apart.  Nothing is done halfhearted or in mediocracy.  If something is not up to standard, it is addressed.  Being secular or spiritual makes absolutely no difference.  Whether in speech, writing, attitude or doing something, everything is done with a spirit of excellence.  And this can only come because of the work of the Spirit of God in that person, which did not happen overnight or because this person sets unusually high standards to prove himself.  No, this is a natural outflow of the spirit of excellence within that man, which was cultivated and brought into maturity through trials and testing.  There is a sense of the responsibility that comes with stewardship over the body, soul and spirit that has to be governed by the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God, governing through him.

1 Corinthians 10: 31 says that whether we eat or drink, or WHATEVER we do, do ALL for the glory of God.  Even how you eat matters to God.  Always eating in a hurry constitutes a different spirit.  Can you imagine Yeshua gulping down some fish and bread when He fed the thousands?  Afterall, He had a lot of responsibilities, right?  Small things we are to take note of, because they do in fact say a lot more than what we think.  Yeshua was never in a hurry, not even to raise the dead.   Being overweight is not okay.  The word “okay” in fact, is a slang word that constitute a sense of compromise.  It is a yes, but one that says it is permissible or allowed.  Are you jealous over your words and their true meaning and how do you think the Most High feels about “words”?  In Romans 12 we read of the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.  Three standards are stated here, which should cause us to ask ourselves whether in our everyday life we are in fact living in the good will and not the perfect will of God?  All our doing is to be done in His perfect will.  Needless to say, that only the Spirit of God in us can do this through us.  Is it possible that just maybe our low standard of what we expect of ourselves, has in fact frustrated the purposes of God?  Because truth be told, we do not want to pay the price or put the time into it.  It seems so controlling.  The issue of the body is also the issue of the Spirit of God.  Equally, the issue your soul and spirit, is the issue of the Spirit of God. 

I’m reminded of a prophet who lived beneath the standard of God, Eli.  He was grossly overweight because of the way he indulged in the offerings that was his due and paid a dear price for this compromise in his life.  The example he set for his sons, Hophni and Phineas, who served as priests, was the standard they themselves lived up to, and was consequently killed.  They did not honor the office of their father, because clearly, he did not have an excellent spirit within him and did not honor the office he was called to as well.  If God is anything, He is holy, and the word holy is connected to the word “whole”, which is that of being total.  Are we total in all our categories?  Do we foster an excellent spirit or is our standard of that which is portrayed in the classroom?  “Sir, how much do I need to pass this paper? What is the least that I have to do?”  How total are we towards God in all we do?  Our credibility is affected by the visible evidence of our indulgence, whether that be our eating, speaking, what we watch, write or post, especially in our own households before our loved ones.  Who our friends are, what we laugh at, the jokes we make ourselves, even jokes made at inappropriate times. All of our life is under His watchful eyes and as His eye roams to and fro over this earth, He is seeking those whose hearts are perfect towards Him.  But are we jealous for this and do we understand that this is the requirement?

Because unless we understand that without this totality towards the Lord in our call and daily, mundane lives, often constituted as a non-event or not important at all, He cannot send us.  It is in fact the training ground for being total towards Him when He calls upon us to do that which was required of Samuel the prophet.  Samuel had an excellent spirit within him.  Not just when he was called upon to act or prophecy, but the whole of the man was under the control of the Spirit of God.  When called upon the Lord God to not spare families, he slew with his own sword husband, wife, children and animals.  He also did not hesitate to tell Israel to do the same.  He was instant in his obedience.  Nothing was left outside of the boundaries of judgment when he was called to point the finger of God.  And who is sufficient for these things unless he is total towards the Lord?  For this is the call in the time to come for those who are truly sent.  To set a standard and hold people accountable, knowing the fear of God, we persuade man.  Because it is unto this man the promise comes that not one of his words will fall to the ground.  Samuel honored God’s word through a life of utter obedience in totality, and because of this, when the word of judgment came, he was able to perform it, having been himself subject to the judgment of the Word of God in his life, in every category.  His words therefore did not only have weight, but it was demonstrated in the power of the Spirit of God.  The same can be said of Daniel.

The Church is an Apostolic and Prophetic entity within the last day’s analysis.  She has the responsibility to live up to the standard she proclaims and can only do so in authority by living in authenticity.  The purpose of the sent one is to make an apostolic and prophetic declaration, which not only has a judgment with it, but also the call to repentance.  What makes the difference between the many prophets out there that have made numerous prophetic judgments is not that the word is necessarily not true, but that it lacks power and the sense of God.  For when the word comes, it will pierce.  This is the very dynamic and power of the Word, which is to pierce between bone and marrow, the motives and intents of the heart and to divide soul and spirit.  How much clearer can it be?  When the word comes, you will know, because it will expose the truth of your true condition and there will be no place to hide.  It will be an uncompromised word, because the speaker is uncompromised.  Nothing less than an excellent spirit is required. Daniel expressed God’s judgment over Nebuchadnezzar, which though Nebuchadnezzar declares Daniel’s God as the God to be served, he was still subjected to the judgment, which was that he himself became like a beast.  That is to say that he was stripped of everything and in doing so the Lord God confronted the man with who he is without God…a beast.  What does this say of Daniel who had to deliver the word?  Can any prophet speak a word in which he himself has not allowed the Lord God to judge himself first?  Would his word be true if it came without this prior judgment on himself?  The answer is yes.  However, you can be sure that the Lord God will hold him accountable for every word spoken idly, meaning that the word is not true in the speaker himself.  Not many should be teachers or claim to be oracles of God.  When the Spirit of God rests upon the speaker it is to first deal with him so that when he speaks, there is weight and authenticity that rings true down to every syllable.  The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth.  This reality is expressed in the excellent spirit that rested upon Yeshua. 

One has to understand that the speaker is not the sum of his words, but the sum of his life.  His life, which was worked into him by bringing the man down into dust, having been raised by God, being held accountable to a standard worthy of his call, is the standard that is set before the people.  His very life, without even saying a word, is a judgment on those who live beneath the standard of God.  And they hate him for it.  Because truth be told, if he was brought to this place being a man like them, what excuse do they have when they stand before God?  It is not about who is right or wrong, but the issue remains the standard of a heavenly kingdom come down.    A value system, two wisdoms in contention of two very different kingdoms.  And this is the war that will be fought in this last age…the wisdoms of two Kingdoms.  His life then is the statement of his words in authenticity that calls those who hear him to be confronted with their own standard of living, values and compromise.  They cannot run, knowing that their standard does in fact not constitute that which is from above.

Do not see this only as occasional mishaps or pet sins, but rather in the context of a disposition lacking in your Christian walk, for which you will be held accountable.  This is about you setting the standard verses Him who has already set the standard through His Son, the Patterned Son.  Eternally judged for living beneath the standard of God, which can only be possible for us, unless we are total in all our categories, with a disposition of complete dependence.  He calls us to an obedience that we cannot perform out of our own humanity. Until we see this gospel demonstrated in His sons and daughters, setting the bar, the standard in its rightful place and keeping one another accountable, we will be nothing else but “lightweights” with grandiose words having no power to change and confront lives.  We will sound impressive, even prophetic, but will lack the power to turn the world upside down.  All of creation is waiting on the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God!  This standard, even for those who are Christians, is an offense, because we rather want to call the shots and lean heavily upon the doctrine of grace, forgetting that grace in itself is the ability to do the will of God.  We prefer to live as if there will be no requirement made of us to live up to the reality of being the sons and daughters of God, His workers that will be sent.  How can we call Him Lord, when in fact we still cut the corners and compromise?  If He is not Lord of all, He is in fact, not Lord at all.

We are to heed a very important warning from Yeshua made in the 12^th Chapter of Luke concerning those servants whom the master of the house will return to, to judge their true disposition.  This whole chapter is devoted to the workers, whom He calls friends.  This word friend is also linked to John 15 that is about the 144 000 that will also be released in this time.  In verse 1 He tells them, “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”  There are many people who have been shown and are very excited about the fact that they will be working for the Lord in the coming harvest, but possibly have not counted the seriousness of the call in the light of His judgments and have not honored that call in how they live.  Note that there are three watches.  Different servants for different watches.

LUKE 12: 36 – 48

36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make RULER over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him RULER over all that he hath.

45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (Clearly the servants are believers)

47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

And verse 58 – 59

58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

Who do you suppose the adversary is and who do you think the judge?  He is still talking about the servants.  Not unbelievers, but servants.  Those who have much, much is required.  Very sobering indeed.  This is a scripture to take very seriously in our preparation to be His workers in the time to come.  We have to count the cost.

Therefore, Paul could say, “Follow me as I follow Christ”.  It is one of the boldest statements made in scripture, and yet, to us the standard is set.  Paul was in the same relationship with the Father as Yeshua was in His body.  Which is complete and utter totality and dependence.  This union with God only comes by a complete separation unto God in all categories.  There is an investment from God in the man, as well as the man in God.  Not works, but a life laid down. 

Life and death hangs in the balance of preaching the TRUE gospel.  Yeshua proclaims in Luke 4 that he was anointed to preach.  How shall they call upon Him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear except one preach?  And how shall one preach except he be sent?  This is the call of the Church, particularly to the Jew.  And will they hear if that preaching is anything less than authentic?  Him, whom He sends, to him the Spirit is given without measure.  We are called to be bearers of His word and truly there is a famine of the word of God.  Even amongst a plethora of teachings and videos, there yet remains a famine. 

1 CORINTHIANS 1: 18 – 21

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

 

The word of God is an event.  That which is preached from one sent, anointed to preach, will be an event that penetrates the hardest of hearts whether that heart comes from an abusive background and practices of wickedness, or from a religious and traditional stronghold that has come through generations.  His word will either bring you on your face by your own choice, or it will bring you on your face in judgment.  The word preached is for that express purpose which is to call us to a standard to which we are held accountable, both the speaker and the hearer.  It is an event despite resistance, not to willing hearers, but resistant hearers whose hearts are hardened and the demonic forces that have manipulated the strings all along. They will only recognize authenticity.  Satan must have nothing in us.  This word, which is the event, is the power of the cross. 

1 THESSALONIANS 2:13

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

When those who are sent speak, it will be an event because the speaking comes not from the wisdom of men through eloquent speaking or reasoning, but through the wisdom of God.  In meekness, but also in the demonstration of the power of God.  The reality is that when it is a word of God it will change, it will penetrate and will not be just another cliché that you have heard over and over.  No, the spirit of the speaking is that of the Spirit of God and will ultimately confront with reality.  Ultimately the hearer has to believe in order to affect this change in him.

Unless there is absolutely no doubt, the speaker’s words will simply fall to the ground, however true they may be.  He has the responsibility to be that which he speaks.  The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.  His speaking comes because of what has transpired before the speaking, which is in the place of hiddenness.  Lest we think that this is only with regard to God’s dealings with a prophet, we need to understand that those at the end of the age will be sent out, those apostles, will have to be able to speak a word that is a sent word, an event and it will be from above.  This can only be from a place of authenticity, in his marriage, his children, work, habits and every area of his life.  Through and through the same standard is maintained by a spirit of excellence.

The question is, how can we be sent without upholding the standard of the speaking?  How can He send us, when our lives are still unbalanced and in truth, we are still lightweights?  When we do not truly honor the call?  Does it not stand to reason that if we are going to hold others accountable to a standard, that we ourselves have to embody that standard?  This excellent spirit is something to strive after and a willingness from us to set everything aside that keeps us from this reality. 

Word received from the Lord….

HOW CAN TWO WALK TOGETHER UNLESS THEY AGREE?

When I have your tongue, I have you.  Once you can confess with a mouth that is not hot or cold, one that knows assuredly without any doubt what I have called you to, and you accept and embrace it with your whole being, it is then that I can send you.

If any part in you still does not buy into what I have prepared for you and you doubt, I cannot send you or use you as I intended and purposed.  Your lips must be without guile before I can send you.  This is not merely a confession, but from out of the heart one speaks, and so the issue of your lips is the issue of your heart.  I alone search the hearts of men and know it through and through.  I try the hearts of men to see if they are true and whether they are without guile.

How can two walk together unless they agree?  And yet, you need to walk not only with Me, but walk in the knowing that we are one.  My nature in you, expressed by what you will do. 

For it is not just what you will do that will express My glory and who I am, but who you are in yourself…one with Me. 

How can two walk together unless they agree?  There can be no guile on your lips and in your walk.  Called to walk vitally united to My Spirit in all you do.  This requires a spirit that is without guile.  Be zealous therefore to root out all guile, all that which will hinder you from running this race and fulfilling My purpose, lest you be disqualified and bring shame upon yourself.

A little leaven, leavens the whole lump.  Humble yourself therefore, search your heart and I will lift you up and use you.

Then I will send you.

JOHN DEERE WORD

 

JOHN DEERE WORD Audio Link

Hosea 10: 12

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

I have word from the Lord for His Bride and it is an encouragement and exhortation.  It is a “now” word, meaning that His desire is that this word is to be taken to heart for where the Bride is at.  It forms ultimately part of our last-minute preparations. 

During my afternoon nap the Spirit gave me a vision.  It was of a green tractor working on a farm.  My view was that of ground level.  I could not see whether this was for ploughing or for sowing.  Definitely not for reaping.  The next moment I saw a river of quick flowing water rushing towards the tractor. 

This vision is linked to a word He gave me in 2020 and I thought to look for an appropriate picture.  I also thought of the above scripture, as well as Isaiah 43, and the woman at the well receiving living water, which resembles the Spirit of God.  And lastly, I thought of His Word that is also that living water.  Once I found the picture I liked, something caught my eye.  It was the very well-known word connected to farming, which is John Deere.  John Deere, was an American inventor and founder of Deere & Company in 1837, one of the largest agricultural tools and machines; he invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837.  At that point Father started to speak to me about His Bride.  I knew that I had to look up the meaning of John and Deere.  Deere comes from the word “deer”.  This was particularly special, because I pray with two close friends of mine every Tuesday, for whatever Father leads us to do.  This particularly Tuesday, one of my friends felt pressed upon her heart that we should pray Psalm 42 over the Bride in general, which is exactly what we did.  May I be so bold as to suggest that you do the same and delve deep into the psalm in prayer for you and the Bride as well?  Psalm 42, a very well-known Psalm begins, “As the deer (hart) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

John means Yahweh is gracious. 

And just before I was about to write all this down, I started talking to another friend of mine and from that conversation Father started to talk to me not just about John Deere, but Dear John.  According to the dictionary, a “Dear John” letter is a letter written to a man by his wife or romantic partner to inform him that their relationship is over, usually because his partner has found another lover.  The man is often a member of the military stationed overseas, although the letter may be used in other ways, including being left for him to discover when he returns from work to an emptied house.  It is usually sent after time-away on holiday.

The message regarding John Deere….

The time that has passed have required an immense amount of focus and discipline to prepare for the coming of the Lord.  Not only ourselves personally, but even in ministry.  On Friday I myself reached such a state of exhaustion that I physically felt not only drained, but emotionally poured out, because I have been very busy for a while now in doing what He requires of me.  In numerous ways the Spirit made it very clear to me that I was to come and seek His presence.  I went to sit down and the Holy Spirit just came and washed over me and I saw my feet being washed in a river of water.  Immediately I thought of Yeshua washing the feet of His disciples.  Is it not amazing that as the Bridegroom He desires to wash His Bride with the water of the Word and His Spirit as the husband in the Word is commanded to do with his wife?  This is what He is saying to His very busy and exhausted Bride…

“Let me come and wash you with the water of My Word and My Spirit.  Come and be filled up. Deep calling unto deep.  Let the depths of you cry out to Me and your soul thirst again for the water brooks of intimacy and communion with Me.  Come and drink from the water of My Word without thinking how this applies to someone else.  I want to minister to you.” 

We give and give and will happily pour ourselves out for His Body, but we need to make sure that we fill up as well.  This is wisdom.  We cannot just give and not think that it will not have its toll on us physically.  Also, some may have been hurt in ministry, and He wants to heal you, but you have to sit still long enough for Him to do so.  Some of you are in a season where the land has to rest, others are busy sowing or ploughing.  He is in all your doing calling you to come and sit in His presence and to uphold this as your most sacred priority above all.   It is there where He will heal you, restore your soul, anoint your head and cause your cup to run over.   As you are in your John Deere tractor for the Lord, busy ministering and actively pouring yourself out, know that for everything there is a season and time for every purpose under the heaven.  Come aside and rest Beloved. 

Also, there have been those who have been waiting in great expectancy for His return.  Diligently you have sought the scriptures and have spent countless hours in the written word.  You have grown in your knowledge of the Word, but find yourself drained emotionally in your waiting.  You have not waited on Him in His presence as needed in this time.  Your circumstances may also be of such that you feel as if you cannot go another day.  Yet, His promise to you is that when you come and give Him your burden, He will place His yoke upon you that is light.  There is only one reason why your waiting has been so heavy, and that is because you have not taken His yoke upon you.  Do not let another day pass before you have given Him the heavy load you have been carrying.  He desires your waiting on Him to be a joy and not an annoyance, filled with murmuring and despair.  He desires that you wait as a Bride joyful in high expectation, because He will not come one second later than what has been purposed even before the world was created.  Eternity is playing out right before our eyes.  It is an exciting time to be alive, even in the midst of great turmoil.  He is faithful and true to you. 

The message for the Dear John is as follows…

There are some of you that have gone through a very rough season and it has been very taxing on you.  You have held up the fort and have been praying and speaking to those you love, but it has fallen on deaf ears for years now.  At some point the Spirit shows us that we need to let go.  In a way, you have to spiritually write a Dear John letter to that person, knowing that your first love is Yeshua.  It has been years and you have not given up and will never give up.  However, often letting go is seen as giving up and those prone to guilt, feel that they let the person and the Lord God down.  This is not so.   Our hands are to be open to allow Him to take or give whatever He wants and when He wants.  You need to let go.  Whether your child, your friend or your spouse or job.  You have to trust them into His hands and know that He has heard your prayers.  Your warfare has gone on so long and in stead of gaining ground, it has sapped the life out of you.  It has even made you physically sick.  He wants to minister to you and love on you.  Let Him have His way with you and strengthen you for the journey ahead.  Just like He told Elijah waiting in the cave that after fighting a brutal war with the prophets of Baal, that he was to eat bread and water for the journey ahead was too great.  Some of you need to feast on the BREAD AND WATER before you go on with your journey.

Others have been struggling with the same pet sin for years and you have lived a hate-love relationship with this sin.  It has been draining and an overwhelmingly heavy load.  It is time to write a Dear John to that pet sin(s).  It is time to let it know that you are breaking every emotional tie with it.  Others have people that are co-dependent on them, because they have taught people how to use them.  It is time that you allow the Lord to deal with that person, because your pride has kept that person in bondage, because you needed to feel needed and wanted.  You might need to write a Dear John to that part in you that thinks that way metaphorically.  Maybe there is someone who has to write a Dear John to a previous season as they are transitioning into a new one.  You are not embracing the new because you know it requires more of you, and so you have been tiptoeing around it with one foot on that side of the borderline, and the other in the opposite side of the borderline.  You are not committing to the standard that is required of you.  It’s time to write that letter.  Lastly, let there not be said of any of us that we are by our present wilful compromise, being epistles to be read by others, are actually writing on the tablets of our hearts a “Dear John” letter to our Lord.  May we remain ever devoted more and more to Him above ministry and cause.  For it is ultimately and always will be about Him.

In whatever position you find yourself, I pray that you will hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to you, for your good.  He knows the road ahead and needs you to come and drink at the well of living water. 

Word received on 31^st October 2020

I HAVE SET A TABLE…

I am with you, My child.  Have I not promised that I will never leave you?  How much more in this dark hour? 

Knowing only in part, should you not trust Him who knows all things?  Nothing happens unless I ordain it.  Nothing escapes My eyes as I see the righteous and the wicked.  My ear is not deaf and My arm not short.  Do not fear what man can do to you.  Fear Me.

The hour is dark, but I am the light.  Therefore, come as often as you can into the light of My presence. 

STRENGTH, ENDURANCE, HOPE AND MY LOVE IS FOUND IN ME.

Not just in understanding, but experience.  For those without hope, the hour will become darker.  For those who do not fear Me, terror will come.  But those who wait upon Me will I renew.  I will give them STRENGTH, the strength to fly above the storm.  For those who run this race, ENDURANCE, for they have kept their confession to the end.  For those who walk, My PRESENCE as they live and move and have their being in Me. 

Do not look to this world, look unto Me.  Though the world is in turmoil, I am your PEACE.  The peace in the midst of you when you do not understand the things of this world.  Peace that surpasses understanding, that keeps you in this hour.

DRAW NEAR, DRAW NEAR UNTO ME.

Understanding is not what you need, but WISDOM is the fear of God and with that comes understanding.  Therefore, do not seek the wisdom of this world, but come to Me.  I will guide you and show you the things to come.  Rely not on your own understanding.  Perilous times upon you, growing darker and darker, but I am the light in the midst of you.

Is your lamp full?  Is it full of the OIL of My Spirit?  How can your light shine in this dark hour unless you come to Me that I may fill you?

Come, come to Me and seek My face.  Peace, I leave with you.  Not the peace of this world, but My peace.  Have I not said “Seek and ye shall find?  Knock and the door shall be opened?”  Many hear My words, but few seek even after they have heard.  Few there be that knock until the door is opened. 

Come and dine with Me, Beloved.  Come dine with Me at the table Wisdom has set in the presence of your enemy and have your fill.

Scripture references:

Psalm 42

Psalm 23

Isaiah 43

Hosea 10:12

NO GREATER LOVE

NO GREATER LOVE - audio link 

Whenever we hear new truth or receive a revelation from the Spirit, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that this newly planted seeds in our heart are nourished.  This is our responsibility towards the Word of God.  We are to allow the Spirit to further open up this new truth and make it part of us and ultimately shift us from one place to another.  This is so that we in fact change and not just be amazed by new truth and accumulate knowledge.  A new revelation is supposed to affect our disposition, if not change it all together.  We are to meditate on it, chew on it, and swallow until it becomes part of our bowels, our gut.  Knowledge that does not change us has no purpose.  Character is built when we appropriate, not just when we are revealed a truth.  Unfortunately, in today’s society people demand sermons at the press of a button and have an assembly line attitude regarding teachings.  With our mouths wide open at the end of the assembly line, we swallow teaching burger after teaching burger.  We end up full of new teachings, but we are not changed.  Year in and year out we are saturated with knowledge, but we still remain the same person.  We are in fact immature Christians boasting about our knowledge without the character to back it up.  This disrespectful attitude towards the Word and he who brings the word, whether through teaching or prophecy is that of, “It is his calling and so it comes naturally”.  There is no appreciation for what went into the delivering of this teaching, by the forming of the teacher or prophet themselves.  Afterall, today everybody is a teacher or a prophet.  The years the Lord God invested in him by stripping him and keeping him accountable for what he knows are not even considered.  In the same way we easily make empty promises, even unto ourselves, and do not see how lightly we look upon words.  We treat His Word or revelations flippantly.  Easy come and easy go.  There is no waiting on Him to allow Him to flesh something out and lay prostrate before Him to make a new truth a reality.  Insisting that you do not leave the room the same.  Our flippant attitude towards words in general is directly relative to our flippant attitude towards His Word or new revelations, because we have not sufficiently counted the cost of delivering that word or the nature of Him who speaks to us and that we are in fact made in His image.  Therefore, we frustrate the purposes of God in our own lives and in the Church by not waiting on Him to make a new revelation part of our being and reality.  It is my prayer that even before reading or listening to this devotional, you would pray and allow the Spirit to give you eyes to see and a desire to appropriate by faith what is revealed.

I will be writing three devotionals that follow up on one another and are vitally connected to each other.  They constitute three words…to “see”, to be “sent” and “to serve”.  This devotional is about seeing, which is the prerequisite for being sent.  To be sent, is to be Apostolic.  To be Apostolic is to serve.  This sending does not come just because you raise your hand, but rather as one chosen.  The Word clearly says that the Lord God is not a respecter of persons, but because as one prepared, you are chosen and then sent.  We are sent in order to represent the One that sent us.  Therefore, we can expect that we have to be made in His image in order to be sent and that is far more important than just being able to do miraculous exploits.  It is our character that will sustain us in the time to come.  And those He sends, He not only prepares, but equips.  In Isaiah 6: 8 we read, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I; send me.”  This devotional bears a bit of light on those chosen to be sent. 

JOHN 8: 42

…for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but He sent me.

To be Apostolic is to serve the church from a basis of being prepared and sent from His Kingdom.  The office of Apostle is more than just being able to do miracles, prophecy and preach the gospel, but has with it the responsibility of overseeing and serving the Church in community.  Therefore, it is more than just a call or a purpose, but it has to do with the man in his totality, whether he truly represents the One who sent him.  Community is directly linked to Apostleship.   If you wish to know more about this, please see chapter 8 and 9 in the free book on my blog, called “A Kingdom of Priests”.

 

Let’s read John 13…

JOHN 13: 3 - 5

3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

In verse 3 Yeshua makes a statement that He kept on repeating in John 8, which bears great significance to being sent.  This statement is, “knowing from where He came, and where He was going to.” 

Knowing from where He came and where He was going, having received all things from the Father…, the Word says, “He rose...”  This is more than just getting up from His chair, but was a resurrection statement in itself.  It was the foundation for the rising.  This foundation, from where He came and where He was going, was the enablement of all His rising.  This word “knowing” tells us that it was not just a mere statement for us to know that He came from the Father, rather it beckons us to find out about this knowing.  Why did the Spirit inspire John to write this?  Why is this significant?  And does it apply to us?   And what did He rise to?  He rose to wash their feet.  If anything, although an act of great humility, but having been sent from the Father, it was Apostolic.  Not only Apostolic, but also Kingly in its essence.  The King rose to wash their feet.  Not only Kingly, but a divine demonstration of who God is.  Yeshua, who is the divine expression of God, was demonstrating who God is, which is exactly what we as sent ones are to do.

Matthew 20: 28 says…

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…

 

This “knowing”, should cause us to ask whether there be any other way for us to serve?  As the Patterned Son, He came to show us how to live.  We will not be able to do acts of ultimate humility or servitude, to which we are called, except we ourselves know from where we come and where we are going, and that all things have been given unto us.  John writing this was letting us know that Yeshua would not have been able, unless He knew.  Just like Him, we too need to have this “knowing”.  Knowing constitutes a confidence and assurance, an unwavering disposition in order to get up and go down.  And so, we can understand that any act of serving that does not come from this knowing as a natural outflow, is affectation.  An effort as opposed to a natural outflow from this disposition in the Father.  True service is an outflow of who we are in the Father, just as Yeshua demonstrated to us.  Which beckons the question, what is this knowing? 

“This knowing is not cognition or mental consent to truth, but a deep inward appropriation of such a kind that permeates the entire personality and opens it to a conduct that cannot be otherwise given or expressed.” – Art Katz

This is why I started this devotional with understanding our responsibility to allow the Spirit to make what we hear or read a reality to us, which is true knowing as opposed to mental consent.

Yeshua also knew where He was going, which constitute an eternal perspective as well.  We read the same of the cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11, always knowing where they were going. It is imperative for the Bride of Christ to have an eternal perspective. 

Hebrews 11: 8 - 10

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

 

The Kingdom of God is an eternal Kingdom.  It is Davidic and will be on earth as it is in heaven, with the root of Jesse, the Son of David, Yeshua reigning as King of kings from a redeemed Zion.

Daniel 7: 27

27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

 

On the 3^rd of February the Spirit led me to watch the movie Joan of Arc.   If there was someone who had an eternal perspective, it surely would be her.  She was obsessed to have France and Burgundy united, as she received visions from the Lord and felt that she was sent by Him to do so.  She was absolutely fearless in her resolve.  It made me think of the Northern and  Southern tribes, the two sticks that Ezekiel were told to hold together, prophesying that this was the intend of the Most High at the end of the age.  The Jew and Gentile that will be one under one King.  It was said that when she was burned at the stake for being a heretic, all of her consumed, but not her heart.  I believe her heart was already inflamed with the zeal of God’s Kingdom to be established on this earth.  The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force.  Zeal is that which consumes the heart, where you are willing to risk it all, just like Joan who left her family and the safety of her home, to stand before kings and challenge them with the Word of God.  To be eternal minded is to be Kingdom minded, for His Kingdom is eternal.   People need something bigger than life to fight for.  Something greater than themselves to believe in.  In the same way, Yeshua left all for the Kingdom of God on this earth.  All of what we see now on this earth is the battle of kingdoms.  The enemy says, “As above, so below”, simply meaning that they want this earth to resemble the kingdom of below.  Whereas Yeshua said, “Pray, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”   Here we have the desire of the Father to establish His Kingdom which is already in heaven, to be on earth.  This is why He sent His Son…to establish that which is in heaven on earth.  It is a battle for Kingdoms.  This is the Son’s inheritance, a Kingdom on earth, which is also our inheritance as co-heirs.  But how real it this to us?  Even though we know that we will rule and reign with Him, we are still not Kingdom minded.   It is something that will happen one day, as if we are not vitally a part of establishing this Kingdom.  This is what we are now about.  We ascribe to reality, but live outside of it.  Many are now presently focused on this world, focused on tomorrow and whether they should go to this or that place on holiday, or their children’s future. But the Kingdom of God is not even given a thought.  They do not see the fact that they are called as workers in context with the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God seldom passes over their lips.  It is a lofty idea of something that will be at the end and not a reality now.  It stands to reason when the order of these considerations have changed that only then we are affectively in the Kingdom and not waiting to be translated.  Only when we have left all for the Kingdom’s sake does the Kingdom become our foremost consideration and not a side issue.  How we deceive ourselves and are blinded to the reality of our lives and our true disposition towards His Kingdom.  There is a longing to be used by Him, but if we are to be honest, it is because of us.  Our intention is to be of use, to have meaning and purpose.  Hence why we flock to the words, “God have a purpose for you”.  We fail to see how we use His gifts for our own uplifting, when in fact all is for His Kingdom.  This has to change if we are to have any zeal for His Kingdom, because without this zeal for His Kingdom He cannot send us.  The Kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  His Kingdom has to become literal, a reality to us and not something in the sky up there as if it is something that can be only categorized and pinpointed to a location, and not a vital dynamic of His sons and daughters that live in it even now.  It has to be tangible.  Each time we hear that word, something must fan the flame of zeal in us.  It is the rule of God over all the nations of which Israel will play a pivotal role.  Eternity is not only given to affect the future, but given in our knowledge now to affect the present.  It shapes the way you perceive your life.  We have to have an eternal perspective now.  We have to factor in the things that are eternal, less we live beneath the glory He has intended, which is eternal life now.  Not in quantity of life, but quality of life.  This will make you not only distinct from this world, but even from your Christian brothers and sisters, who do not share in this knowing.  We have to be the thing in itself.  Stop and ask yourself whether you have an eternal perspective.  Not whether you are going to heaven, but whether you live in such a way that all your present doing and speaking are done in the light of how it affects eternity.  That is an eternal perspective.  This zeal can only come when we have a knowing from where we have come and are going.  This zeal is the absolute burning love for the King and His Kingdom that cannot be separated. 

Hebrews 10: 34

34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

They were willing to be stripped from all their substance, their goods, their savings, their homes, because of the compassion, the love they had for Paul, but they also had a view of an eternal reward.  Do not think that this came easy, but rather it stripped them each time.  They basically walked the talk.  Note, they joyfully took the spoiling because they knew, that knowing, where they came from and where they were going, and that they have been given all things.  Something that we no longer see amongst the brethren that was typical and characteristic of the first Church.  Mere assent to doctrine does not do it.  It has to be a knowing within yourself, because it will affect how you see the world and how you live. 

Knowing from where He has come needs to be something that we ourselves meditate upon and receive revelation, in order to understand where we have come from.  The one is relative to the other and the greater the revelation by the Spirit, the more this knowing forms the foundation of being a sent one.  “As My Father has sent Me, so I send you”, Yeshua said.  This sending comes with a knowing.  One would be hard pressed to find sermons on the preincarnate Son of God and the Church has left this very important factor from out of her consideration and have suffered terribly in her understanding of the full weight of what He did for us because of this lack, as well as the having an understanding of her role in establishing His Kingdom. 

Yeshua came from the bosom of the Father, from out of the glory of heaven.  All we know is that it must have been unspeakably sublime.  No words have ever been afforded us to describe that divine union of love and glory.  Before there was time or anything created, He was.   And yet, it is from this place He left.  From the bosom of the Father.  A place that we will never leave for anybody should we just have one small taste of it.  However, this knowing was the provision for Him to leave and be sent.  Only through knowing from where He came, could He strip Himself from His garment and leave.  What an outpouring!  Yeshua had to leave voluntarily.  He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of this world.  And so when Yeshua said in John 10 that nobody takes His life from Him, but that he lays His life willingly down, He was speaking not of what was to come on the cross only, but what already took place in heaven.  It is from this place you pour out, whether water in a basin, your blood or your life.  In the same way, Yeshua saw the pouring out of the alabaster box, which was no small container, lavish in her love and devotion, as no small expense on her part.  This a reflection of the pouring of His Spirit from out of the throne of God, the living water of mercy to a dying world, by the lavish giving of His Son.  God, lavish in His mercy.  And if this is our disposition, our knowing, how can we not ourselves be lavish in our giving, whether in goods or our lives in service?  How can we then not serve as He did, knowing as He knew, from where we come?  Can there then be place for stinginess, self-pity or an identity crisis?    Of course, if we ourselves would be spoiled by the Father to taste just one drop of the relationship enjoyed between the Father and His Son, we ourselves would be ruined in our categories, and will too joyfully take the spoils of our goods.  We would be lavish in our giving and serving, even as the Son was.  This type of relationship is not born in a moment, a point of time, but it is eternal. 

Yeshua’s faith was built on this reality.  There was no doubt and He knew that nothing is impossible for Him…all things were given unto Him. He operated and lived from out of both realities, that is to say, operating from being seated in heavenly places with His Father, as the Son of God, whilst being on earth as the Son of Man.  This is also the reason why we have not come to that transcended place of spirit and truth, because we only relate to Yeshua from the basis of the Son of Man, even though we know He is the Son of God.  This is reflected in our own lives, because by the same degree that we relate to Him only as the Son of Man, we relate to ourselves only as sons and daughters of man, and not sons and daughters of God.  How radically different would our lives be if we truly believed.  We may be able to verbalize it, but it takes an opening of the spiritual eye to see things as they really are.  The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Do I truly know that I am a son or daughter of God or am I only mentally agreeing to it?  Is it my reality and does it show?”  Therefore, we live beneath the glory and only live as mere men.  We have yet to come into reality and our faith suffers for it.   Therefore, we cannot think of Yeshua only in terms of His earthly life.  That would be inadequate thinking.   We cannot only consider the Man on the cross and not the God on the cross.  We have to consider from where He has come. When this veil of our understanding is lifted, it will enable us to arise and take off our outer garment too.  You rise from knowing where He has come and where He is going and see this in context from where you have come and are going as a sent one. 

We need to consider the cross not only in the light of what happened on Golgotha, but what took place in heaven, the pre-incarnate Lamb that was slain.  For the cross, the coming down, is the full expression of who God is.  God is love and love gives lavishly and sacrificially, but how lavish and just how sacrificial it is will not be fully appreciated by us unless we know what He left in order to come down.  We have to see and deeply consider both sides of the coin.  The cross is the manifestation of the God we serve, not only with what happened on earth, but what have always been in heaven.  The cross is central to the Church’s understanding not only of who God is, but who she is.  His will was done on earth, as it was already done in heaven.  He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.  Think of that.  Ponder it and let it sink in.  When He created all, He also foreknew that Adam and Eve would sin and even before the creation, He was the Lamb slain.  There is always a corresponding type and shadow on earth as it is in heaven.  For the Lamb to be slain, there had to be an altar.  And so a type and shadow is seen on the earth when Moses was instructed to make exactly as the heavenly blueprint shown to him, a tent in the wilderness.  As it is in heaven, so also on earth.  And again, we find this right through the history of the Bible until the manifestation of what already took place in heaven was seen on the cross.  I do not know how He was slain before the foundation of the world was made; all I know is that it is clearly what the Word tells us.  Questions need to rise within us, such as whether it was a suffering then as it was on the earth?  What did it cost Him to leave the Father’s bosom?    And why would He leave?  What was in it for the Father?  He came to serve, but also to save the lost.  Souls have an immeasurable value to God, for it is He who is the life of every soul.  And if that was the price He was willing to pay for lost souls, how much more should we value our own souls, knowing that we are the sons and daughters of God that have come from His bosom?  How will this transform the Church who is only the Church as He intended when there is true fellowship?  When we truly value our own souls and those of our brothers and sisters we enter into authentic fellowship, where brothers and sisters dwell in unity.  It is there He commands His Spirit to dwell amongst us.  And how can fellowship be true in any other way?  Also, how can He send us if we ourselves do not value the souls of the lost for whom He left heaven to die for?  This is why we need to apprehend His pre-incarnation in conjunction with the cross.  We need to understand the magnitude of the sacrifice He made for our soul’s sake to come into that place of adoration of Him, but at the same time the value of all souls.  When we know, it will be a natural outflow to serve as He served. It is then that we value the Christ in one another as His Body and will love one another and give lavishly as He did.   Our eyes will have opened to reality.   

All of this adds depth and dimension to the mystery of the faith and the true intent of God for the Church against which the gates of hell will not prevail.  How can it, if this is our reality?  Who shall separate of us from the love of God in whom we are?  This understanding of the pre-incarnate Christ is the foundation of the love that believes, bears, hopes and endures all for the sake of the King and His Kingdom.  It transcends human understanding and requires the light of revelation only found in the Holy of Holies.  This will take a supernatural grace, because the enemy especially wants to keep us from knowing the love of God from this perspective, wanting to prevent the Church from coming into her full inheritance.  He would rather want us to analyze our past and be occupied with the things of the earth than consider the place where we are from and will spend eternity.  We need to deeply apprehend and know this truth, for this truth will set us free.  This knowledge of God needs to be restored unto the Church and brought once again as foundational to the faith and our sending, as was the case with the first Church in Acts.

Paul states in Ephesians 2 that we have been raised together with Christ and are seated in heavenly places.  Surely, we need to consider this and really meditate on the practical and spiritual reality of this truth.  How does this affect us presently, or should we ignore it, because we do not understand it?  When the word says, “walk in the Spirit”, it is not just in dependence with our whole being on the Spirit, but literally to walk in the spirit realm. This is why Yeshua said that he was in heaven, whilst standing right in front of Nicodemus in John 3: 13.  We are all aware that right around us at all times, the spiritual dimension is a reality, but we cannot see it.  It does not make it less true.  Also why Paul wrote in Hebrews 12 that we come to heavenly mount Zion and that we enter the throne room of God to receive grace and mercy in a time of trouble.  When we go into the Holy of Holies in our prayer closet, we are not to think of it as symbolic, which we tend to do, but we are to understand that by faith, we truly do enter into that very place in the heaven.  Faith is not seeing that which must be or what you desire it to be, faith is seeing what is.  It is the evidence of things not seen with our naked eye.   That changes everything.  It changes our day-to-day life?  What we do and say.  It changes our faith and how we read the Word.  Everything changes once we understand from where we come and where we are going.  It also gives understanding to what Yeshua said about seeing what the Father does and then He does it and that He only speaks what the Father tells Him to speak.  Together we are raised up with Christ in heavenly places, even whilst here on earth.  Just as He was.  When we say that we are sojourners, we tend to see this from a perspective of where we are going…to heaven.  But the truth is, we are sojourners because we are seated in Christ, in the Spirit.  We are not of this world, not just because we are not like this world, but because we are seated in heavenly places even now.  To know as He knew, we need to understand that just like Yeshua, we are sent not from man, but from the Kingdom of God.  We too are sent from the bosom of the Father.  Sent from that place which we have been born into by the Spirit of God.  You have to ask Him to show you this, which is by faith…the only way of seeing in the Spirit.  How it works, we may only get to know when our bodies are resurrected.  Listen to what Romans 8 tells us.

Romans 8: 9; 11 – 14; 29 - 30

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

It is clear that we are on this earth, however, our being is also in Christ in heavenly places.  How real is this to us?  Our spiritual eyes do not see this reality, but it does not disqualify what the word says, just because we cannot see it with our natural eyes.  We are all presently just like Christ was, both on earth and heaven (John 3: 13) when we are born of the Spirit.

 

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

And…

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Please note that the word glorified is in past tense.  Our bodies may not be glorified, but in the spirit, we are already glorified and in Christ.  It is from this context, when the Spirit of God reveals to us that we are in fact sent, not from man, but from the Father, that we are to have our being.   “As My Father has sent Me, so I send you.”  Still in our bodies, but glorified within, divinity residing in earthly vessels.  Just like His Son.  Can anything be impossible for us when we live by the Spirit and in the Spirit?  Can anything be against us?  Man without God is beastial, but with God, as Adam was created, the image of God. Man is the supreme expression of God, in the same way that Yeshua was the expressed image of God.    Until we see ourselves as in Him, His deity in us by His Spirit and that we are to walk by faith as His Son walked by faith, in utter dependence, we will only walk as mere men and live beneath the glory He intended, which is to be the express image of Him. Everything in the spirit works on the basis of faith.  Man is not man without God, man is man with God. 

John 8 is about seeing and sending.  Yeshua says that He is the light of the world and then He tells the Pharisees that they cannot believe.  And what they cannot believe is written in verse 14, which is from where He has come and where He is going, exactly what He says in John 13. They cannot see this.   Yeshua who is the Light, that light not made by hands, but that comes from the Holy of Holies that gives wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, the ability to see, came that we may have light.   And so He tells us that we too are the light of the world.  So that those who believe, may see and in that seeing, the truth sets them free.  The Pharisees are in darkness, and therefore they did not see him as the Son of God.  They only saw Him as a man.  “Is this not the son of Joseph?” they asked.  They see the Son of Man, but not the Son of God.  It requires faith to see that which is right in front of us.  And that faith comes by means of a veil that has to be lifted in order for the light of revelation to fill us and be set free. In the following chapter, John 9,  Yeshua heals a man born with blindness.  In verse 20 this man’s parents tells the Pharisees, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind…”  David says in Psalm 51, “Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin my mother did conceive me.” We are all born in darkness, blind to the truth of who He is and who we are, until He comes and opens our eyes.  After clay was placed upon the man’s eyes, Yeshua told him to wash himself in the pool Siloam.  We know clay resembles what we are made of, and is this not exactly what needs to happen to us in order to see.  That as we walk by the Spirit, we are to also see by the Spirit and not with clay eyes that are blinded. The pool he had to wash his eyes in is by interpretation the word, SENT.  The word says in verse 7, He went his way therefore, and washed, and came SEEING.  Should we forget the prior chapter and the context, we will be bound to see this seeing merely as a miracle of a blind man that now sees.  However, this seeing is that knowing, which not only set the man free, but after he washed himself, which speaks of sanctification, he was sent.  Sending comes from a place of seeing and knowing, after sanctification.  And this seeing is knowing from where He has come and where He is going, together with your own knowing of where you have come and are going.  How can we be sent, unless He opens our eyes to see first?  In verse 35, Yeshua asks the man, “…dost thou believe on the Son of God?”

The truth is that we do not really know who we are and from where we come.  This is why we still struggle with trying to make a mark or desperately seek the approval of man.  This is why we are trying to work for His love, if only just subconsciously.  This is why we get so easily offended and live a “tit for tat” life.  We live as mere men when in fact we are the sons and daughters of God who is sent from His Kingdom to establish His rule.  Unless we truly know this by revelation, we will fall short of the glory He intended, which is to demonstrate His love by a life poured out for one another.  As in heaven, so on earth.  Representing the Father as sons and daughters, by being the express image of our Father, just as His Son.  His Spirit is given to us in no lesser degree than the measure given to Yeshua when He walked this earth.  How then can He ask us to emulate Him when we are at a disadvantage?  But the truth is, we are not.  And our unbelief is our blindness, because we do not truly know, that knowing, that He loves us just as He loves His Son.  Not one drop less.  And it should be our deepest consideration to think upon the love that the Father has for His Son, seeing that He loves us the same.  Not in the context of an earthly Father, but a heavenly Father that is love.  Not love as an attribute, but the very thing in itself.  And we are the object of His love.  May He open our eyes that we may see and truly be set free.  May we wait on Him to show us His divine love that is in heaven.

When we know who we are, from where we have come and where we go, it is then that we operate from that transcendent place where others will not know where God begins or you end.  The unity of that bond of love can no man separate.  No thing on earth or in heaven.  No calamity or darkness.  Indeed who can separate us from the love of God?  Not being insecure and unsure, but a deep knowing of the love of God that transcends mere human understanding and can only be known through the eyes of faith.  This seeing only comes when we come to the Great Revelator, the Spirit of God who is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.  Paul prays in his letter to the Ephesians for this knowledge.

Ephesians 3: 14 - 21

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

May we all hunger for a greater and deeper revelation of the love of God that does not come from a human perspective or from the context of an earthly Father, but from that which transcends, which is from Heaven and is eternal, by His Spirit.  So that knowing from where we come and where we are going, all our present day categories will be radically aligned with this reality, which is to establish His Kingdom on this earth.

I felt led to combine part of a word I received on August 2021 with a word that I received from Father on the 2nd of November 2021.  You may have heard it before, but know that the Spirit led me to these words because of how it is applicable to what He is saying to us in this critical time.  I call it a letter from our Father.

 

My child,

YOU ARE LOVED. 

I have loved you with an everlasting love.

Not just because I stand in covenant, but because I am your Father and you are My child.  Not because I formed and molded you in your mother’s womb, but I have set My love on you.

All your days I wrote in your book and have planned only good for you.  For as your Father I desire good in your life.  That you may KNOW Me.  That you may KNOW My love.  For My love is set on you and I have indeed watched over you to teach and guide you.  All your ways shall be peace, even in the midst of turmoil.  For the paths I have set for you lead to the Prince of Peace.  Do not fear My child.  I will keep you in the hollow of My hand.  Nobody can snatch you out of My hand.  Remember that.

Even though the oceans roar, in Me is peace.  Therefore, remain in Me no matter where you are, for I will keep you.

I love you My child.  You are not as a child, YOU ARE MY CHILD. 

KNOW THIS.

Know this in all you do.  I desire you to be secure in My love.  Live from the KNOWING that you are loved by Me 

I AM LOVE.

You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you to bear fruit, to bear abundant fruit.  This can only be as you remain in Me and in My love.

KNOW therefore that you are loved.

Therefore, let us run together.  Cast your eyes on Me and let us go forth to the nations, to the highways and byways, to the cities, and let the river of life from Me flow through you.  For you can do nothing without Me, but when you surrender all, nothing is impossible.  Look unto Me and live.  Look unto Me and see My Kingdom in Me.  For I and My Kingdom are one.  Inseparable.  For it is not a Kingdom ruled and governed by that which is physical, but spiritual.  Therefore, when you walk in the Spirit, you walk in the ways of My Kingdom.  You walk in Me and I and My Kingdom are one.

Therefore, do not look to man, but look with spiritual eyes and you will see.  Nobody can see or enter My Kingdom unless they become as babes.  See through the eyes of a child, in simple trust.  Not wavering, in simplicity, without guile and purity of heart.  This is My Kingdom.

The door of My Kingdom is wide open for all those who wish to enter, but many stay at the gates, the everlasting doors and are not willing to leave the kingdom of this world behind.  You cannot be in two kingdoms.  You have to forsake the one to enter into the other.  Yes, through birth, through death you enter into life.

I long for My children to enter and I long for My Bride to know that My Kingdom is her inheritance.  Unto such is the Kingdom of God.  Be therefore zealous to enter through the narrow gate.  Leave all riches behind that you may enjoy the treasures of heaven.  A new heaven and a new earth.  The masterpiece of My hands for My children.

Out of the abundance of who I am, I give to My children, to My Bride.  For theirs is the Kingdom.  And I shall rule and reign over you and love you My children.  I will draw you continually to Me and love you. 

For you are Mine.  You belong to Me…Sons and Daughters of the Living God.

Your Father.