Eph 1:17-23 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, 18 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, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
This week I want to talk about each one of our personal destiny's and the true destiny of the body of Christ. So many people, I've met over the years have no idea what their personal call and destiny is, or how they fit into the body of Christ as a whole. Vrs. 18 above says, we can know the hope of our call and what our true inheritance is. So I'm going to pray right now that the eyes of your understanding would open and you would know the true hope of your calling, and you would know what your true inheritance is and you would arise and shine with the glory that has already been given! Amen! The book of Ephesians points out very clearly our personal destiny and the true destiny of the Church! Vrs. 19 says great power is given to us who believe!
Power :NT:1411 dunamis (doo'-nam-is); from NT:1410; force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself):KJV - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.
This word dunamis, is where we get our English word dynamite from! It's time to step out today and let the explosive miraculous power flow from you , which is more than enough to cure all sickness and disease!
Eph 1:20-23 Which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and so are we! He is far above all principality, power , might, dominion above every name in this age and the one that is to come. So are we! We really are both here and there! We are his body seated with Him in heavenly places and His bride preparing ourselves! This is the true essence of relationship. We are one with him. Vrs 22 & 23 tells us that everything is under His feet! We are His body and everything is under our feet!
Let's look at the destiny of the church corporately in the earth.
Rom 16:17-20 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 20 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. NKJV
Paul commends the Roman church for their obedience. He was telling them (And us) to know the simplicity of Good and Evil. One of the main strategies of our enemy is to use someone with impure motives to divide the brethren. The question is: Are you at peace? When we are truly walking with the Prince of Peace, we will be at peace. It is wise to not allow anyone steal your peace or let them slander someone else in your presence. This will set you up to be suspicious of the person they slander. It will most likely rob you of your peace. We need to understand the simplicity of good and evil. This is a very revealing scripture concerning the mandate of the corporate body of Christ. The God of peace is going to crush satan underneath our feet shortly! This not just a demon, but the leader of them! The God of peace is going to crush satan underneath our feet shortly! Let that sink in! Now lets look at another passage of scripture in Ephesians.
Eph 2:4-8 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. NKJV
How you see is very important. We must see from a position of authority. He has raised us up and made us to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. That means every enemy is under our feet now!
Eph 5:22-33 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. NKJV
This is one of the most revealing portions of scripture in the Bible. It reveals the true relationship that we have with Jesus as the church. The theological question that always comes up when talking about the end times is: Are we the Body of Christ ? Or are we the Bride of Christ? The answer to the question is: Both! In vrs. 26 and 27, we are called: "her". In Vrs. 30, we are called "members of His body!" This also answers the next question that comes up. Are we coming back as the saints with Jesus to rule and reign? Or are we His bride preparing ourselves for him? The answer again is both! How can this be? We are both here and there now! We are standing here right now, and we are seated in heavenly places now! The Lord in the Old Testament would show the prophets a vision, and then ask them what do you see? When God would ask them "What do you see?" It' s not that God did not know the answer to question. He wanted to know if the prophet was seeing correctly in what God was trying to show him. What do you see?
Eph 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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.
Remember, How we see makes all the difference in how much authority we will walk in. Do we see ourselves seated in heavenly places ruling and reigning with Jesus now? Seeing correctly puts us far above principalities and powers. Everything is under your feet, when you see this correctly. This does not depend on our own strength and power. We must realize that whatever authority or power we have comes directly from Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith! This indeed is where authority comes from. It comes from the author. Author means originator. If we remind ourselves where our true authority originates, we will never rely on our own strength. Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might! The Lord designed our authority to function a certain way, so we would not be defeated. We must take our direction from the Head. Jesus is the head of the body and head of the church, in which we are members. We must put on the whole armor of God, so we will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The armor is: "Being strong in the Lord and the power of His might!" This armor is battle gear! We were not met to just survive until Jesus comes and takes us out of this evil cruel world! Our destiny is:"To exercise real authority over all the enemy and become part of a kingdom takeover in which the church begins to rule and reign and prepares for our and coming king!" We are His bride and His body! All of creation is waiting to see the manifestation of the "sons of God"
We must begin to see from a Kingdom prospective. We are called as a bride to prepare ourselves for Him! This is spending time in His presence and getting to really know Him! Then we will begin to see His vision. He wants to see the lost saved, the sick healed, the dead raised, the back slider restored, the oppressed set free, the nations discipled and His church become glorious ,pure and without spot nor wrinkle. We must see His kingdom rapidly expanding to the ends of the earth. This is going to require a battle! We first need to realize this is going to require courage in the face of dark times. But our strength is going to come directly from the Lord and power is His power released through us. We are told to put on the full armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Every piece of armor exposes those schemes!
Schemes: (Wiles) (Strongs): NT:3180 GREEK methodeia (meth-od-i'-ah); from a compound of NT:3326 and NT:3593 ; travelling over, i.e. travesty (trickery): KJV - wile, lie in wait.
Schemes: (Websters) scheme1 a systematic plan or arrangement for achieving a particular object or effect. 2 a secret or underhand plan; a plot. 3 a particular ordered system or pattern: 1 make plans in an underhand way; plot.
To sum up schemes, they are underhanded plans, plots and tricks designed to kill, steal and destroy the people of God and render them ineffective. Remember our strength and power comes from the Lord!
One of the schemes that satan uses against us are words designed to rob us of our confidence to walk forward in the destiny God has for us. These are the flaming missiles that we are to block with our shield of faith! Our faith comes from the words of love that God speaks over our lives! He loves you! No matter what any demon in hell or person has said to you or about you. God loves you! He cares about you! He has plans to prosper you! He has a hope and future for you! Do not be discouraged, rise up and take your place in His- Story! And it is His Story!
Stand therefore, having your waist girded with the belt of truth! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! He is the truth you come to know and are set free! Receive the truth of how much He loves you and be set free! The belt of truth holds all of the rest of the armor in place. Do not receive into your head or spirit those curse words that would steal your confidence of how valuable you are to our loving Father who sent His only Son, who paid the ultimate price for you!
In the season we have just entered, you are going to have to know who you are in Christ and where you fit. It is important that you press into this now! We as a church must realize our place in His-story! We are destined to become His glorious church without spot or wrinkle! Arise and shine for this is our time! We were born for such a time as this!
Eph 5:26-27 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. NKJV
Eph 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. NKJV
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
"Gods Economy"
In the coming times, it is going to be important to understand Gods system of finance and economy. We are going to have to learn or relearn some principles to have an abundant supply of resources in the coming days and years.So my intention of this article is to look at a number of specifics and deal with them one at a time.
# 1 Does God want you to have an abundant supply? Yes! Lets look at the scriptures.
2 Cor 9:8-9 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.NKJV
Abundance: abundance 1 a very large quantity. 2 the state of having a very large quantity; plentifulness: vines grew in abundance.3 the amount of something present in a particular area, volume, or sample. -ORIGIN Latin abundantia, from abundare 'overflow'.
God wants us to have a overflow of resources for every good work! Not just some good works, but every good work! Many people I've met over the years have said : All I want is enough to get by. Our focus has to shift to Gods plan, which is an overflowing supply to help others! Now lets take this scripture and put it in context and see what the full principle is to receive this abundant supply of resources.
2 Cor 9:6-9 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. NKJV
Sowing bountifully is the principle of reaping bountifully. If you find yourself in lack today start giving! You may say I don't have anything to give.Well start with your heart and develop an attitude of cheerfulness and believe for seed to sow!
#2 What if I have nothing to give? First of all He supplies seed to the sower. We have to understand the principle of Seed time & Harvest. If we expect to receive a harvest, we must plant seeds in the proper season. If a farmer decided to plant seeds in the summer that were supposed to be planted in spring, he would not have a harvest at the proper time. However if you would plant in the proper time and season you would have an abundant harvest. Here is the follow up to this principle. When you do get to the harvest, do you extract the seeds from the fruit? This is a key to getting on the cycle of Gods economy. What many people do is wait until they need something, or are desperate and then start planting. Now there's a lot of grace and God is merciful, but at some point you will have to get in the cycle of Gods economy.
2 Cor 9:10-11 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, NKJV
This passage says: He will multiply the seed you have sown. If we want to see our seed multiply, we will have to sow seeds. We will increase the fruits of righteousness and be enriched with more to give! This principle works in every area of life not just economics. If you want love, you will have to plant love. If you want forgiveness, start forgiving. If you want respect, plant respect. Remember to give in every area and watch your harvest come in! Take those seeds and start sowing for your next harvest!
#3 Stewardship: What does stewardship mean according to Gods word?
Steward : manager or overseer.
It is very important to be a good manager. Look at whats going on in our nations economy right now! The whole situation can be traced back to miss-management of the funds that were entrusted to those financial corps. Many people knew what was going on, but no one made any corrections and eventually these banks, investment institutions failed. This is a wakeup call to us to get our financial houses in order. Now our United States economy is in trouble! This is all about the stewardship of whats been given. Now our government is at the brink because of bad stewardship and lack of leadership in doing the right things. They must act very quickly or we will pay a severe price with dire consequences. Remember sowing seed produces your next harvest which in turns gives you much more seed to sow. We also need to become wise with the resources that have already been entrusted to us.
Luke 16:10-13 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.NKJV
I just want to touch base on a couple of areas in regards to stewardship.
1. Don't spend more then you have!
2. If you can't afford it, cut it out of your budget.
3. Try to stay as debt free as you can.
4. Develop a realistic budget on paper and stick with it.
There are many more practical things that you can do that will keep you out of crises situations. The Lord told me a long time ago that I would start a bank. At first I was flabbergasted because I did not really know anything about the banking industry. As I was meditating on this I mentioned it to a friend of mine. He said to its not about money, its about the resources that money can buy. Money is a middle man and can be eliminated if you had direct access to the resource you were trying to purchase with the money.
Example: Lets say you needed a computer. If somehow a computer was given to you, would you still need the money to get it? The answer of course is no. A missionary friend of ours called me a few years ago and we were talking about support for their ministry. He said he was short in the support that they really needed. I told him about this principle. I asked him if there was anything that he needed in tangible resources. He said he needed a laptop computer, a cell phone, and a PDA. We prayed about those items. This was on a Tuesday. He came to town on Friday. By Sunday night someone had bought him a brand new laptop. Someone else gave him an almost brand new PDA and he had raised enough support to take a step of faith and get a cell phone. God wants to meet all of our needs! He loves each one of us and wants to bless us! Start expecting the end result. The resource that you need , may not take money to get it if someone were to give the resource!
1 Kings 17:14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.'" NKJV
#4 The Tithe: What is The Tithe? Is the Tithe Old testament or New?
These are both good questions and I will try to answer them according to scripture. First of all lets define the word Tithe
Tithe: OT :4643 HEBREW ma`aser (mah-as-ayr'); or ma`asar (mah-as-ar'); and (in plural) feminine ma`asrah (mah-as-raw'); from OT:6240; a tenth; specially a tithe:KJV - tenth (part), tithe (-ing).
So the word means a tenth. Now lets look at what Gods word has to say about it. It is first mentioned before the Law was given, so it was not established as a law, but a principle.
Gen 14:18-20 And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Now it is somewhat of a mystery as to who Melchizedek was, but we do know that he was a King and a Priest of the most high God. This Priest blessed Abram with a spoken blessing. Then Abram gave him a tenth of all the goods he recovered. This was before the law was given, so in reality we need to look at this as a principle first. However in Leviticus it is established as part of the Law. So it is a principle and part of the law.
Lev 27:30-31 30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord. NKJV
I wanted to show you that this was a principle first because this sheds a little more light on the scripture in Malachi.
Mal 3:8-12 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the Lord of hosts; 12 And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,Says the Lord of hosts. NKJV
Let me say this again even though the tithe was established as part of the Law, it was first established as a principle. Now this is very important because if you apply the principle, you will reap the benefits of it. According to this scripture there is a promise of the windows of heaven opening up and a blessing poured out that we will not have enough room to receive it, if we bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. The Lord even said to test Him in this! God makes this a promise to us and lets us know how to access the windows of heaven and watch blessings pour out on us! This principle is in the old and new testament and is established. He backs It up with a promise of overflowing blessings! Then he goes on to say that He will rebuke the devourer for us. Then the promise goes on to say that our vine will bear fruit and our land will produce and not be devoured! Then He tells us that all nations will call us blessed and we will be a delightful land! Don't get caught up in a debate with someone about the tithe being old testament and part of the law. It is a principle that will reap the benefits of Gods blessings to us! If you don't believe in the tithe, or your not convinced it's for today then my suggestion is give more! After all the more you sow, the more you reap! God wants us to get on His economy, so he can bless us!
As I finish this article on "Gods Economy" I want to talk about Alms First let's define it:
Alms: NT:1654 Greek eleemosune (el-eh-ay-mos-oo'-nay); from NT:1656; compassionateness, i.e. (as exercised towards the poor) beneficence, or (concretely) a benefaction: KJV - alms (-deeds).
The Alms is mainly an offering to the poor.
Acts 10:1-3 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. NKJV
This passage goes on to say that an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and that his giving of Alms and prayer had come up before God as a memorial and an angel appeared to him and told him to send for a man called Peter and he will tell you what do. In context this mans giving led to an angelic visitation and supernatural experiences as well as salvation for him and his family. The bottom line in giving is: It is Gods system of bringing blessing in our lives. Just before our economy went into this current storm. The Lord began speaking to me concerning my laid back passive attitude concerning taking up offerings. He told me this was His avenue of getting His people on His economy. Needless to say I needed to repent for my passive attitude. Remember God loves a cheerful giver! The kingdoms of this worlds economy can be shaken, but "Gods Economy" cannot be!
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. NKJV
# 1 Does God want you to have an abundant supply? Yes! Lets look at the scriptures.
2 Cor 9:8-9 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.NKJV
Abundance: abundance 1 a very large quantity. 2 the state of having a very large quantity; plentifulness: vines grew in abundance.3 the amount of something present in a particular area, volume, or sample. -ORIGIN Latin abundantia, from abundare 'overflow'.
God wants us to have a overflow of resources for every good work! Not just some good works, but every good work! Many people I've met over the years have said : All I want is enough to get by. Our focus has to shift to Gods plan, which is an overflowing supply to help others! Now lets take this scripture and put it in context and see what the full principle is to receive this abundant supply of resources.
2 Cor 9:6-9 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. NKJV
Sowing bountifully is the principle of reaping bountifully. If you find yourself in lack today start giving! You may say I don't have anything to give.Well start with your heart and develop an attitude of cheerfulness and believe for seed to sow!
#2 What if I have nothing to give? First of all He supplies seed to the sower. We have to understand the principle of Seed time & Harvest. If we expect to receive a harvest, we must plant seeds in the proper season. If a farmer decided to plant seeds in the summer that were supposed to be planted in spring, he would not have a harvest at the proper time. However if you would plant in the proper time and season you would have an abundant harvest. Here is the follow up to this principle. When you do get to the harvest, do you extract the seeds from the fruit? This is a key to getting on the cycle of Gods economy. What many people do is wait until they need something, or are desperate and then start planting. Now there's a lot of grace and God is merciful, but at some point you will have to get in the cycle of Gods economy.
2 Cor 9:10-11 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, NKJV
This passage says: He will multiply the seed you have sown. If we want to see our seed multiply, we will have to sow seeds. We will increase the fruits of righteousness and be enriched with more to give! This principle works in every area of life not just economics. If you want love, you will have to plant love. If you want forgiveness, start forgiving. If you want respect, plant respect. Remember to give in every area and watch your harvest come in! Take those seeds and start sowing for your next harvest!
#3 Stewardship: What does stewardship mean according to Gods word?
Steward : manager or overseer.
It is very important to be a good manager. Look at whats going on in our nations economy right now! The whole situation can be traced back to miss-management of the funds that were entrusted to those financial corps. Many people knew what was going on, but no one made any corrections and eventually these banks, investment institutions failed. This is a wakeup call to us to get our financial houses in order. Now our United States economy is in trouble! This is all about the stewardship of whats been given. Now our government is at the brink because of bad stewardship and lack of leadership in doing the right things. They must act very quickly or we will pay a severe price with dire consequences. Remember sowing seed produces your next harvest which in turns gives you much more seed to sow. We also need to become wise with the resources that have already been entrusted to us.
Luke 16:10-13 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.NKJV
I just want to touch base on a couple of areas in regards to stewardship.
1. Don't spend more then you have!
2. If you can't afford it, cut it out of your budget.
3. Try to stay as debt free as you can.
4. Develop a realistic budget on paper and stick with it.
There are many more practical things that you can do that will keep you out of crises situations. The Lord told me a long time ago that I would start a bank. At first I was flabbergasted because I did not really know anything about the banking industry. As I was meditating on this I mentioned it to a friend of mine. He said to its not about money, its about the resources that money can buy. Money is a middle man and can be eliminated if you had direct access to the resource you were trying to purchase with the money.
Example: Lets say you needed a computer. If somehow a computer was given to you, would you still need the money to get it? The answer of course is no. A missionary friend of ours called me a few years ago and we were talking about support for their ministry. He said he was short in the support that they really needed. I told him about this principle. I asked him if there was anything that he needed in tangible resources. He said he needed a laptop computer, a cell phone, and a PDA. We prayed about those items. This was on a Tuesday. He came to town on Friday. By Sunday night someone had bought him a brand new laptop. Someone else gave him an almost brand new PDA and he had raised enough support to take a step of faith and get a cell phone. God wants to meet all of our needs! He loves each one of us and wants to bless us! Start expecting the end result. The resource that you need , may not take money to get it if someone were to give the resource!
1 Kings 17:14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.'" NKJV
#4 The Tithe: What is The Tithe? Is the Tithe Old testament or New?
These are both good questions and I will try to answer them according to scripture. First of all lets define the word Tithe
Tithe: OT :4643 HEBREW ma`aser (mah-as-ayr'); or ma`asar (mah-as-ar'); and (in plural) feminine ma`asrah (mah-as-raw'); from OT:6240; a tenth; specially a tithe:KJV - tenth (part), tithe (-ing).
So the word means a tenth. Now lets look at what Gods word has to say about it. It is first mentioned before the Law was given, so it was not established as a law, but a principle.
Gen 14:18-20 And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Now it is somewhat of a mystery as to who Melchizedek was, but we do know that he was a King and a Priest of the most high God. This Priest blessed Abram with a spoken blessing. Then Abram gave him a tenth of all the goods he recovered. This was before the law was given, so in reality we need to look at this as a principle first. However in Leviticus it is established as part of the Law. So it is a principle and part of the law.
Lev 27:30-31 30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord. NKJV
I wanted to show you that this was a principle first because this sheds a little more light on the scripture in Malachi.
Mal 3:8-12 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the Lord of hosts; 12 And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,Says the Lord of hosts. NKJV
Let me say this again even though the tithe was established as part of the Law, it was first established as a principle. Now this is very important because if you apply the principle, you will reap the benefits of it. According to this scripture there is a promise of the windows of heaven opening up and a blessing poured out that we will not have enough room to receive it, if we bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. The Lord even said to test Him in this! God makes this a promise to us and lets us know how to access the windows of heaven and watch blessings pour out on us! This principle is in the old and new testament and is established. He backs It up with a promise of overflowing blessings! Then he goes on to say that He will rebuke the devourer for us. Then the promise goes on to say that our vine will bear fruit and our land will produce and not be devoured! Then He tells us that all nations will call us blessed and we will be a delightful land! Don't get caught up in a debate with someone about the tithe being old testament and part of the law. It is a principle that will reap the benefits of Gods blessings to us! If you don't believe in the tithe, or your not convinced it's for today then my suggestion is give more! After all the more you sow, the more you reap! God wants us to get on His economy, so he can bless us!
As I finish this article on "Gods Economy" I want to talk about Alms First let's define it:
Alms: NT:1654 Greek eleemosune (el-eh-ay-mos-oo'-nay); from NT:1656; compassionateness, i.e. (as exercised towards the poor) beneficence, or (concretely) a benefaction: KJV - alms (-deeds).
The Alms is mainly an offering to the poor.
Acts 10:1-3 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. NKJV
This passage goes on to say that an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and that his giving of Alms and prayer had come up before God as a memorial and an angel appeared to him and told him to send for a man called Peter and he will tell you what do. In context this mans giving led to an angelic visitation and supernatural experiences as well as salvation for him and his family. The bottom line in giving is: It is Gods system of bringing blessing in our lives. Just before our economy went into this current storm. The Lord began speaking to me concerning my laid back passive attitude concerning taking up offerings. He told me this was His avenue of getting His people on His economy. Needless to say I needed to repent for my passive attitude. Remember God loves a cheerful giver! The kingdoms of this worlds economy can be shaken, but "Gods Economy" cannot be!
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. NKJV
Thursday, July 14, 2011
"Healing The Joints"
Gen 32:30-32: So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank.NKJV
Jacob was at the place of desperation when he had an encounter with the Lord. He had become very afraid because he knew that his brother Esau was coming for him. He had cheated his brother out of his inheritance and birthright. He had good reason to fear because of his deceiving ways. He had just come through many years of being deceived himself by others. He in his natural strength tried to obtain blessing that only God could grant. Now he has this encounter with the angel. He grabs a hold of him and says out of desperation: "I'm not letting go of you until you bless me." The angel of the Lord says let me go for day is coming and then proceeds to knock Jacob's hip out of joint. The angel then tells him he is going to bless him but it's going to require a name change. Jacob's name means: deceiver, trickster, heel catcher and supplanter. His new name was going to be changed to "Israel" which means: to rule as God or to have the power of God. This is very interesting because Jacob had been relying on his own strength , understandings and natural abilities to get what God wanted to freely give him! However Jacob was burdened down with fear because he was living out the consequences of past choices. The name change represents a character and nature change. When we become born again, we become a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things have become new! Jacob was ready for change and blessing because he knew that the way he had been doing things were not working. He calls the place where he had this encounter Penuel. That means: "Face of God." This encounter that he had was really with the living God. You can't look into the face of God and live! That is in your flesh! Your flesh and all of its attitudes will die when you have a face to face with God. Now I want to shift gears and talk about Jacob's hip being out of joint. The meaning of "Joint": latterly when things come together and are joined by a ligament or muscle. Because of his hip or thigh being dislocated or out of joint he was going to have to walk with a limp and be crippled the rest of his life.
This is an important prophetic picture of the Body of Christ being crippled because of broken relationships at the joints. Let's look at the rest of the story with Jacob and Esau to get a even clearer prophetic picture.
Gen 33:3-4 Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. NKJV
This story is about reconciliation, restoration and forgiveness! Perfect Love cast out all fear! Suddenly everything had changed as both of them had changed and suddenly came into reconciliation and unity
Eph 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.NKJV
Jacob and Esau went their separate ways because Jacob swindled, cheated and deceived Esau out of his inheritance and birthright. The last time they were together Esau told Jacob he was going to kill him! The Lord was working on both of them. Esau was bitter and Jacob was a cheat. This scripture in Ephesians says His body is joined together by that which every "joint" supplies. These "joints" are truly divine relationships! The enemies whole strategy is to divide the joints and cripple the body.The primary strategies which he uses are offense, jealousies and personality and or cultural differences. Another primary strategy is to target those who have bitterness or un-forgiveness in their hearts. The five fold ministries are "Gifts" that Jesus gave to His body to equip the saints for the work of ministry!
Lets define Equip: to complete thoroughly, i.e. repair (literally or figuratively) or adjust - fit, frame, mend, perfect ( join together), prepare, restore.
So the five fold ministry is to repair, mend, prepare restore those individuals so they can join with the rest of the body and connect at the joints! And to be made whole! Jacob had a destiny but it was going to require a name change and restoration with his brother. When the Body of Christ has divine relationships dislocated the body is crippled. God has a plan to heal the joints! Now lets look Moses who also had a divine destiny.
Ex 4:10-14 Then Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." 11 So the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth?" "Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind?" "Have not I, the Lord?" 12 "Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." 13 But he said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send." 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses NKJV
Remember we just defined equipping,and it latterly means to repair or make whole. This is very important because in our minds we might think it has a lot more to do with knowledge then actually being healed or repaired in any area. Without being healed or made whole in any area, we are crippled in our own body and a part of of the "Body of Christ" is crippled. We are missing the destiny God has for us by rejecting what He says to us and about us. The Lord told Moses to go speak to Pharaoh and tell him to let Gods people go! Moses starts telling God he cannot speak very well! It goes on to say that God became angry with Moses because he these things. Why? It was because God made Moses and went to great lengths to protect him. The enemy knew there was a deliverer coming and tried to kill all the children. This is why Moses's mother put him in a basket and sent him up the river to protect him and preserve his destiny! Moses was resisting the destiny that God had for him because of his "insecurity." The enemy knows what your called to be, usually before you do and wars against you in that area to try to make sure that you never arrive at your God given destiny. Many people come to the cross-road of their life and God reveals to you what He wants you to do and we either step up to the challenge or walk away from it. The time of your healing and being made whole has come and it is time for you to face your giants of fear and prevail! Why not run at those giants and prevail. The biggest enemy that we may face are our own mindsets! Wrong thinking can keep us from our own destiny and purpose that God has for us! This is also what keeps us from fellowshipping with those divine connections that God appointed to partner with us to accomplish His purposes! Moses who was born a deliverer and came to the place where God revealed to him his true destiny. Even though he was born for such a time as this! Can you imagine telling God you can't do what He created you to do! Remember no matter what you may or may not think about yourself, the Lord has a destiny for you that will exceed what you have the capacity to think!
Judges 6:14-15,22-24 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites." Have I not sent you?" 15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel?" "Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God!" "For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face." 23 Then the Lord said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. NKJV
Let's look at another deliverer. Gideon was threshing wheat at night trying to hide it from the Midianites because they were taking all the food and Israel was latterly starving to death.The Lord appears to him and calls him a "mighty man of valor." Then He tells him to go in this might of his and go save Israel! God sees us the way He created us to be! But look how Gideon sees himself. I'm from the weakest clan and the least in my fathers house! Every person that God has used as a deliverer never sees themselves as God sees them. What does God say about you? Do you see yourself as God sees you? You fit in a place in His body joined with those divine connections. When you're properly fitted in the place that God has put you it will bring true peace.
Gideon was in turmoil and distress, but when the Angel of the Lord spoke peace to him, he came into the true rest in God. It's time for you to accept His call and come into true peace. You were born a deliverer for such a time as this!
Jacob was at the place of desperation when he had an encounter with the Lord. He had become very afraid because he knew that his brother Esau was coming for him. He had cheated his brother out of his inheritance and birthright. He had good reason to fear because of his deceiving ways. He had just come through many years of being deceived himself by others. He in his natural strength tried to obtain blessing that only God could grant. Now he has this encounter with the angel. He grabs a hold of him and says out of desperation: "I'm not letting go of you until you bless me." The angel of the Lord says let me go for day is coming and then proceeds to knock Jacob's hip out of joint. The angel then tells him he is going to bless him but it's going to require a name change. Jacob's name means: deceiver, trickster, heel catcher and supplanter. His new name was going to be changed to "Israel" which means: to rule as God or to have the power of God. This is very interesting because Jacob had been relying on his own strength , understandings and natural abilities to get what God wanted to freely give him! However Jacob was burdened down with fear because he was living out the consequences of past choices. The name change represents a character and nature change. When we become born again, we become a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things have become new! Jacob was ready for change and blessing because he knew that the way he had been doing things were not working. He calls the place where he had this encounter Penuel. That means: "Face of God." This encounter that he had was really with the living God. You can't look into the face of God and live! That is in your flesh! Your flesh and all of its attitudes will die when you have a face to face with God. Now I want to shift gears and talk about Jacob's hip being out of joint. The meaning of "Joint": latterly when things come together and are joined by a ligament or muscle. Because of his hip or thigh being dislocated or out of joint he was going to have to walk with a limp and be crippled the rest of his life.
This is an important prophetic picture of the Body of Christ being crippled because of broken relationships at the joints. Let's look at the rest of the story with Jacob and Esau to get a even clearer prophetic picture.
Gen 33:3-4 Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. NKJV
This story is about reconciliation, restoration and forgiveness! Perfect Love cast out all fear! Suddenly everything had changed as both of them had changed and suddenly came into reconciliation and unity
Eph 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.NKJV
Jacob and Esau went their separate ways because Jacob swindled, cheated and deceived Esau out of his inheritance and birthright. The last time they were together Esau told Jacob he was going to kill him! The Lord was working on both of them. Esau was bitter and Jacob was a cheat. This scripture in Ephesians says His body is joined together by that which every "joint" supplies. These "joints" are truly divine relationships! The enemies whole strategy is to divide the joints and cripple the body.The primary strategies which he uses are offense, jealousies and personality and or cultural differences. Another primary strategy is to target those who have bitterness or un-forgiveness in their hearts. The five fold ministries are "Gifts" that Jesus gave to His body to equip the saints for the work of ministry!
Lets define Equip: to complete thoroughly, i.e. repair (literally or figuratively) or adjust - fit, frame, mend, perfect ( join together), prepare, restore.
So the five fold ministry is to repair, mend, prepare restore those individuals so they can join with the rest of the body and connect at the joints! And to be made whole! Jacob had a destiny but it was going to require a name change and restoration with his brother. When the Body of Christ has divine relationships dislocated the body is crippled. God has a plan to heal the joints! Now lets look Moses who also had a divine destiny.
Ex 4:10-14 Then Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." 11 So the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth?" "Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind?" "Have not I, the Lord?" 12 "Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." 13 But he said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send." 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses NKJV
Remember we just defined equipping,and it latterly means to repair or make whole. This is very important because in our minds we might think it has a lot more to do with knowledge then actually being healed or repaired in any area. Without being healed or made whole in any area, we are crippled in our own body and a part of of the "Body of Christ" is crippled. We are missing the destiny God has for us by rejecting what He says to us and about us. The Lord told Moses to go speak to Pharaoh and tell him to let Gods people go! Moses starts telling God he cannot speak very well! It goes on to say that God became angry with Moses because he these things. Why? It was because God made Moses and went to great lengths to protect him. The enemy knew there was a deliverer coming and tried to kill all the children. This is why Moses's mother put him in a basket and sent him up the river to protect him and preserve his destiny! Moses was resisting the destiny that God had for him because of his "insecurity." The enemy knows what your called to be, usually before you do and wars against you in that area to try to make sure that you never arrive at your God given destiny. Many people come to the cross-road of their life and God reveals to you what He wants you to do and we either step up to the challenge or walk away from it. The time of your healing and being made whole has come and it is time for you to face your giants of fear and prevail! Why not run at those giants and prevail. The biggest enemy that we may face are our own mindsets! Wrong thinking can keep us from our own destiny and purpose that God has for us! This is also what keeps us from fellowshipping with those divine connections that God appointed to partner with us to accomplish His purposes! Moses who was born a deliverer and came to the place where God revealed to him his true destiny. Even though he was born for such a time as this! Can you imagine telling God you can't do what He created you to do! Remember no matter what you may or may not think about yourself, the Lord has a destiny for you that will exceed what you have the capacity to think!
Judges 6:14-15,22-24 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites." Have I not sent you?" 15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel?" "Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God!" "For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face." 23 Then the Lord said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. NKJV
Let's look at another deliverer. Gideon was threshing wheat at night trying to hide it from the Midianites because they were taking all the food and Israel was latterly starving to death.The Lord appears to him and calls him a "mighty man of valor." Then He tells him to go in this might of his and go save Israel! God sees us the way He created us to be! But look how Gideon sees himself. I'm from the weakest clan and the least in my fathers house! Every person that God has used as a deliverer never sees themselves as God sees them. What does God say about you? Do you see yourself as God sees you? You fit in a place in His body joined with those divine connections. When you're properly fitted in the place that God has put you it will bring true peace.
Gideon was in turmoil and distress, but when the Angel of the Lord spoke peace to him, he came into the true rest in God. It's time for you to accept His call and come into true peace. You were born a deliverer for such a time as this!
Judges 6:34-35 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. NKJV
Gideon came to the place of his true destiny! He became Gods answer to Israel . The people were crying out for a deliverer! You may be crying out for a deliverer. What if you are the answer to your own prayers? Gideon was afraid and frustrated and was threshing wheat in secret, trying to hide it from the Midianites. When he accepts the calling on his life, he comes to true peace. He even makes a memorial in this place. Was he still afraid? The answer to the question is yes. But he obeyed the Lord regardless of how he felt. Did he have a low self image and was he intimidated? Yes, but he obeyed the Lord. Part of "healing the joints" is when you take your place! As Gideon stepped into what God called him to do, it says the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. He picked up the trumpet (Shofar) and blew it. In the natural, a bunch of people gathered behind him when they heard the trumpet. This was a natural known way of communication to gather. However in the Spirit it is much deeper! This is a gathering of the true warriors to battle. As this story unfolds you will see the true warriors rise to their call and destiny . The others who would not be free from fear returned home. If we are going to see a real change or shift in the atmosphere and our true enemies which are not flesh and blood destroyed, we must deal with our fears. Gods perfect love casts out fear. Do you know He loves you? Will you be truly free? Let Him encounter you and change you into who He truly made you to be!
Judges 6:14-16 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" 15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 16 And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." NKJV
It is very important in this hour that we find our place in the body! You fit somewhere. I think it would be safe to say that if you have been a Christian for very long, its possible you have been church burnt. I want to address this issue in the Spirit of truth and Love. Because most of us have had bad experiences in church situations it may have distorted our view of our true calling and destiny. We are all called "to go" in every book of the Gospels. The Lord wants to identify in you what your truly called to do and put you in it! This can make us very uncomfortable, especially if we have a low self image. We may think its somebody elses job to reach out to the poor or become Gods instrument of deliverance. What if he is asking you to go into the government and become an elected official? Would you lay hands on a person just ahead of you in line at Walmart if the Lord asked you to? Or would you tell Him no, or your just not that kind of person! We are talking about the God who made us! Gideon told the Lord he was the least in his fathers house and his clan was the weakest in Mannaseh! I think it would be safe to say that could be echoed in principle by most of us! Does the Lord pay any attention to his low self image? NO! He lets Gideon know that He is with him! If God is with us, what are we afraid of? When we come into the true revelation that He loves us and is with us, What do we have to fear? He then tells Gideon that he will defeat the Midianites as one man! What does this mean? The real call of God requires you to obey, even if you have to go by yourself! Remember God has a plan and will send you the right people to help you accomplish His purposes. Gidion blew a clear trumpet call and people gathered behind him. If we know what are called to do and let the Lord have His way with us we will become who He says we are! Let us be made whole and healed of that which cripples us and causes a part of the body to be crippled. Let your joints be healed and let the joints in his body be healed. The growth of the body comes by that which every joint supplies. God is raising up true warriors and delivers in this hour! Shake off the slumber, be free from fear by His perfect love and take your place with those divine connections (Joints) and rise up to the trumpet call this hour! True warriors run to the sound of battle!
Matt 11:12-13 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. NKJV
Sunday, July 3, 2011
"Cats In The Kitchen"
1 John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 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. 19 We love Him because He first loved us. NKJV
I received a very profound revelation recently that I would to like to share. We had a mama kitty adopt us back in July of 2010 and she decided to have her kittens in our garage. When I say she adopted us, she was a stray cat looking for some place to live and she chose us. Of course she had to get in the garage to do that and we must of left the garage door open one day We didn't know about the cats or the fact that when we shut the garage door, the mama kitty had got separated from her newborn kittens. My son Josiah had discovered the kittens after who knows how long they had been separated from their mama. They were in bad physical health when they were discovered and that particular day it was almost 90 degrees outside and probably at least 10 degrees hotter in the garage. My wife Yvonne took them in the house to pray for them and try to nurse them back to health. She fed them from a baby bottle and kept them indoors that day. That was when the mama showed up at our back door wanting to know where her kittens were! We knew the right thing to do was put the kittens back with their mama. We did and we didn't see the mama or the kittens too much over the next few months, so we assumed they were living off whatever mama could find for them. Those cats had learned to survive. We suddenly started seeing more of the 3 kittens and their mama so Yvonne decided to start feeding them off the back porch deck. Every day she would put milk and food out there for them and they would come up and eat but would not come until we went back in the house. Soon they would hang around the porch expecting food, but would hide as soon as we opened the door to take food out to them. When the coast was clear they would come up and eat. Yvonne and I had decided that we would keep the mama kitty but give the kittens away to a good home. We also had decided to have the mama fixed so she could not have any more kittens. So we took her in to the vet for that procedure. We told mama kitty we were taking her in to be Tutored! LOL! Anyway after the procedure the vet said we would have to keep her inside the house for a few days to heal. We tried to coax the kittens in the house, but they would not come anywhere near us. However it was late fall now and the temperature was hovering around freezing and I told Yvonne we were going to have to bring those kittens in. We both knew that we were going to have to try to tame these wild cats somehow and get them used to people or we were not going to be able to give them away. We had decided that we would prepare their food and leave the door open so they could come in and eat. It worked; they reluctantly came in and ate. However they would scatter every time we would come into the kitchen. The kittens really liked the warmth of the house and the fact they could stay in all night out of the elements. In fact they really didn't want to go back outside. As I said though, we needed to tame those cats so that they would feel comfortable around humans. I now know after most of my life hearing the term scarity cat, what it actually meant and where the term came from. I decided to pick up one of those kittens to pet and hold. I had no idea what was going to transpire in the next 10-15 seconds! That kitten proceeded to start tearing me up! I was wearing a short sleeved shirt and it scratched me bad. It also proceeded to start biting me on the hands and fingers! I learned something about myself right then in regards to how much I had changed. Several years ago I might of thrown the cat through the house if one had started biting and scratching like this one was doing! But actually I sat the kitten down gently as I could. I was bleeding from my arms and fingers from cat bites and scratches. That is when an awesome revelation from the Lord dropped in. He said: "Those kittens are like my people who are bound up by fear." I had never even thought about comparing those kittens to Christians bound up by fear. The Lord gave me an instant download revelation of the comparison. The kittens loved the warmth of the house, the food they were receiving and the peace they were feeling in the house. What scarred them was to have a relationship with us. This is how the profound revelation of this comparison unfolded. Christians who are bound up by fear have no problem with what they are getting spiritually fed, nor do they mind the anointing of peace they are feeling. They will draw near to God. But the scripture says draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Remember God is Love and perfect love casts out fear! As God draws near to us, if there is a spirit of fear that has us bound, it will begin to manifest and chances are we won't even recognize it if we think that this is normal. Light expels darkness and as God who is light approaches, darkness will flee! If we are bound by it and won't let go of it, we will also flee. To the cats we are giants.This can be very intimidating and quite frankly they don't know if we are going to harm them or not. When these cats were born in the wild and had to learn to survive, their mama may have communicated that there are other creatures that might do them harm and not to trust anybody or anything different then them. As Christians whom have had experiences and or advice not to trust anybody. Maybe an authority figure such as a mother, father, teacher, preacher, or any other that you may have trusted in the past has wronged you and contributed to this fear. It has caused you to build a wall and you have decided no one ever is going to hurt you again in this area. The wall of protection that you build stems from pride. No one will ever get close to you again. Now I want to talk really practical now. It is a true relationship that causes the spirit of fear to manifest. Why? It will involve love and making yourself vulnerable. Fear is an outside spirit that makes you believe it is part of your personality. It is housed in the stronghold of protection you have built. If we let God approach us, fear will start manifesting. Recognize that when you want to run and hide, that this is the spirit of fear manifesting. When this kitten started scratching and biting me, it was manifesting fear and was doing whatever it could in a panic state to get away! Perfect love cast out fear! Don't run away with the fear! And don't hide!
Gen 3:8-10 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." NKJV
This passage of scripture lays out so clearly where the spirit of fear can gain a foot hold in us. Adam & Eve, after they had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God told them not to eat, they had become conscious of sin. Sin is a direct result of pride. Pride is having more faith in what you can do for yourself and is accelerated if it is not put in check in areas we might be gifted in. It in reality is worship of self. It usually can be traced back in our thinking. Now remember this, Adam and Eve were meeting with God in the cool of the day. That phrase is only one word in the Hebrew and that is the Hebrew word: Ruwach #8217 It means the Spirit, breath or wind of God. This is very important to understand because they were meeting with Him in the Spirit every day. Satan had deceived them into thinking that actually meeting God face to face was was not enough. He deceived them into thinking that a knowledge of God is what they had to have. They had a relationship with God! So knowledge replaced relationship and brought shame because of sin. Now that they were aware of sin, there reaction when God showed up in the Ruwach was to hide themselves from His presence. Do you realize that that satan is still tempting people the same way? We are able to meet with God in the Ruwach anytime and satan tempts us with: "You have to have more knowledge to be closer to God." Or "God is holding something back from you!" Or "You will be more like Him if you have knowledge."
Heb 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. NKJV
God so loved us that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him would not perish but have everlasting life! We do not have to be afraid or ashamed of the Presence of God or run and hide ourselves when He draws near. Now back to the cats. These cats in the kitchen run and hide when we approach them. This is where relationships are built. When we can be transparent and open with God and with each other without a feeling of guilt and shame. I have noticed the more transparent I have become, the more the enemy through people uses it against me. I have found over the years that the more critical a person is, the more pride and fear they have. If you are a perfectionist, chances are you are very prideful and are fearful of making a mistake. You will also have to justify your perfectionism by putting people down and find fault with them. This is one of the reasons real relationships are not built because of this pride and fear. No one wants to be transparent when there is a fear of being torn apart. Love cast out fear and perfectionism is fear. We can be naked before God and not be ashamed because He loves us. Expressing love to each other will open up real and lasting relationships. The cats run and hide in cupboards, closets, behind dishwashers, behind refrigerators all because of fear. People bound by fear and pride will run and hide to avoid relationship with God and relationship with each other. Are you hiding from God and each other? Like God asked Adam & Eve: "Where are you?"
Gen 3:9-10 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." NKJV
This is a good question! God wants to know if we know that we have hid ourselves from His presence? Fear will always flee from the presence of God. Why? Because of a sin consciousness. Sin or sin consciousness makes us aware of our short comings. Fear gets its power from a "thinking" in us that thinks we can hide it from God or He can't see or know that we have sinned. Of course this is a deception, but if we go along with it, we can subconsciously think it's true. As someone once said, the reason it's called deception is, we don't know we've been deceived. First of all Adam & Eve had always been naked before God. The difference now is the sin that revealed a self conscious. Many people are ashamed of who they are because of usually what someone has told them. God made us the way we are for a purpose and a reason. We have the personality, looks, physical attributes, talents, voice quality and gifting. We also have our own unique fingerprints and DNA! In fact that is how may people are convicted of crimes they have committed because of three main reasons. Description, fingerprints and DNA. So who told you that you were naked? And why are you self conscious and ashamed? Jesus has bought and paid for your sins and if we sin after that, then we have an advocate with the Father and His name is Jesus! We can come boldly to the throne of grace and find grace and mercy in time of need! Now fear is a deception that convinces that you should be still be ashamed. This again is a deception that we don't have access to the throne of grace. We do of course, but pride is the independent nature in you that is the very nature that was in the devil. If we will come into the Lords presence and not flee when he approaches us, deliverance will come! Remember we can meet with God in the cool of the day anytime, because that is in the Spirit or the Ruwach of God. Where does the Spirit of God live? In you!
Prov 18:1 8 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. NKJV
We have now had these cats for 12 months and they still run from us, unless we are preparing food. They will stay near us because they know they are going to get fed. I want to reveal two more characteristics these prophetic cats have taught us. We have a two story home and our bedroom and my office is upstairs. Even though these cats run from us, in a strange way they want to be near us. We started noticing that they would find a way to open the door that leads to the upstairs and come up in the middle of the night and camp out in the hallway right outside our bedroom door. As soon as we would get up and open the door, they scatter downstairs as fast as their little legs would take them. They worked hard to get as near as they can, but when we draw near to them they run! This again is a parallel between Christians who are bound by fear and pride. Many will draw near as they can to God, but when God draws near to them the spirit of fear begins to manifest and flees. If we still are trying to live independent of God in our natural strength and rely on our own abilities, understandings or whatever else, we will flee with it because pride is the castle by which the spirit of fear resides. The reality of this is, just like the cats, their heart's desire is to want to be close to God, but this fear which has had a hold on them drives them away when God, who is Love draws near. Perfect Love casts out fear but if you do not let go of it you will flee with it. Humble yourself and receive Gods love and forgiveness and you will be free. One of our prophetic cats who we named "Whitey Herzog" bolted out the back door and refused to come back in. It was one of the coldest days of that winter so far. It was only 9 degrees the first night he stayed out. We would call him and would not come, even though he was still hanging around the house. This went on for days. We would see him, but as soon as he saw us, he would run away. This was very strange behavior for this cat because he was the first one that would let us get close enough to pet and was starting to let us hold him. We did not know what he was doing for food and we were concerned because the temp never rose above 15 degrees for that week. Yvonne said to me "He acts like he is mad at us for some reason!" I knew that what she said was true and we were about to get another revelation from God concerning our prophetic cats!Our cat "Whitey Herzog" stayed out for nearly a week in way below freezing conditions. I could not understand what we could have done that would make that cat stay out in near sub zero conditions with no food! Then Yvonne made a statement that was very profound. She said: "That cat would rather be isolated, cold, hungry and alone instead of inside where its warm and where there's food and people who love him!" This brought the above scripture to mind (Proverbs 18:1) so I decided to revisit it. The cats behavior did not make any sense. It's obvious that a cat cannot communicate like a human but the funny thing is: Would it have, if it could? This again is a parallel of behavior that I have seen many times over the almost 31 years of being a Christian. Many times people will get offended at you and leave or isolate themselves and not give a real reason. Most often they won't even tell you. ;They will discuss it with someone else possibly but usually not with you. Or if they do, it's usually a cover up, or an excuse and in some cases spiritualized to sound right. Let's first look at isolation as defined in this passage of scripture.
Isolate: OT:6504 (HEBREW) parad (paw-rad'); a primitive root; to break through, i.e. spread or separate (oneself): disperse, divide, be out of joint, part, scatter (abroad), separate (self), sever self, stretch, sunder. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
This is right out of the Hebrew, but something what really sticks out to me is & to be out of joint. I have taught extensively on this subject over the past year or so because in scripture there was a parallel of Jacobs hip being knocked out of joint and his relationship with his brother Esau. I will post on this Blog site an article called "Healing The Joints" in the near future. Also in the book of Ephesians the 4th chapter talks about the growth of the body comes by that which every joint supplies. Relationships are important and the number one strategy by the enemy is to divide relationships. A church or family is Gods way of causing the things or character traits that are wrong and that are just below the surface to come up as we bump against each other.This will cause us to let these issues go and be delivered if we stay and work through them. Many people will run from this process and isolate themselves because it can be very uncomfortable. However some people when offended do not want to forgive. This could be for various reasons but mostly because of the combination of pride in the person coupled with fear. Fitting in to a local church is going to be vital for a individuals personal growth as well as the corporate growth of His body. If we can't develop relationships with each other in a church or family relationship, we will not be equipped to reach the harvest. Most people that have come to the Lord, have done so because someone personally led them to the Lord. Being isolated as a Christian makes about as much sense as "Whitey Herzog" staying out in the cold hungry, alone and isolated! Now I want to examine another part of this scripture. I'm going to quote the same verse in the Amplified Bible.
Proverbs 18:1 (Amplified Bible) 1HE WHO willfully separates and estranges himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire and pretext to break out against all wise and sound judgment.
Lets look at the word pretext. In other translations the word rage is used. Pretext:is an excuse to do something or say something. Pretexts may be based on a half-truth or developed in the context of a misleading fabrication. Pretexts have been used to conceal the true purpose or rationale behind actions and words. Something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason guise: an artful or simulated semblance; under the guise of friendship he betrayed them What I'm about to share will be very straight forward and may cause the spirit of fear to manifest in you, if you have been taken captive by it or are being strongly influenced by it. If you feel anxious, afraid or enraged with what I'm about to bring forth, ask Jesus to deliver you and he will. When a person begins the process of isolating themselves because of fear coupled with the pride in them, they will have to figure out a somewhat rational reason to ease the anxiety they are feeling. This is where a pretext comes into play. A pretext is an excuse or reasoning to isolate and to conceal the true purpose for it. This in my opinion is where people have been deceived the most in the almost 31 years of my ministry experience. "I heard John Scotland say this phrase and I quoted , so above, I'm going to borrow it. "The reason its called deception is that people who are deceived do not know it." This is so true. Mostly people who are in this condition will just disappear like our cat "Whitey Herzog" without any kind of explanation. In my experience when you do finally see them and are able to ask them where they have been, the #1 pretext or excuse is how busy they are. This is a generic excuse or pretext put forth to cover the real reason they have disappeared. The #2 pretext mostly used is: The Lord is leading them. Again in my almost 31 years of hearing this pretext, when I asked them where He is leading, almost every time the person has no clear answer. In some cases this may be true, but if the person is not or appears not to e at peace then chances are this is a pretext or reason to give that conceals the true issue. The real reason is they are in most cases are offended about something. Jesus offended many along the way. When we think that our way is the only way, were deceived. His way is the only way. His ways are higher then ours. Do not lean on your understanding . Our pride will cause us to miss the Lord. The Pharisees and the Sadducees missed their time of visitation because they were set in their traditions, religious mindsets, and pride. They were afraid of Jesus. Eventually this pride and fear led to a hatred that in the end led to the crucifixion of Jesus. If you hide offense in your heart, it will lead to bitterness and hatred. We must forgive from the heart. If you are waiting for the one your offended with to change before you forgive, this indeed is the foundation of this deception and in most cases will lead you very quickly down a slippery slope of destruction and heartache. I personally have many scars of betrayal, abandonment and peoples biting and scratching. Each time I have gone through this I feel the full brunt of the pain. But I learned very quickly to take it before the Lord and let it go. A person that stays in fear, pride or offense will not hear wise council, but will rage or pretext against it because of stubbornness.
1 John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 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. 19 We love Him because He first loved us. NKJV
I want to sum up the lessons that we have learned from our prophetic "Cats In The Kitchen" As I stated right at the beginning of this article: these stray cats represent Christians in our region that are bound up in fear. All the cats loved the warmth of the house and what they were getting fed. They also loved something about us, but if we moved too close to them they would run in fear. The parallel of scripture is this is:
James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. NKJV
Those bound by fear sincerely want to draw near to God, but when God draws near to you, that is when the spirit of fear starts manifesting! Perfect love casts out fear! ;If you don't recognize what is going on, when He draws near to you and you're bound by fear, you will flee with the darkness. Light overcomes darkness! What causes us to be blind of this spirit of fear is the pride that is in us. Therefore humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. Pride is living independent of God and raising your throne above His. That means your thinking has a higher authority then Gods.
Gen 3:8-10 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? 10 So he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. NKJV
Adam & Eve fellowshipped in the "cool of the day" (Ruwach) Which is in Spirit with God every day. Trusting what God had already said to them was the issue. They were able to walk with God everyday and the serpent talked them into seeking a knowledge of God instead of a relationship with God. The devil is still using this tactic today.
1 Cor 8:1-3 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. NKJV
Knowledge puffs up, but Love builds up! They ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just think how this could have been different if they had just asked God when they fellowshipped with Him in Spirit in the garden. Seeking knowledge God or placing out thoughts on a higher level of importance is the very foundation of pride. Pride attracts the spirit of fear. This is what caused Adam and Eve to hide themselves from His presence in the garden. We have not been given the spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind! If our relationship with God is not intact, then we are not going to have close relationships with each other. This was the other lesson that we learned from our prophetic cats. ;When our cat "Whitey Herzog" went out in almost zero degree weather and would not come back in, The Lord reveled to us that this represented the offended ones. There are those who get offended and never forgive. They would rather be isolated, cold and alone, then forgive and come in from the cold. Of course this is usually spiritualized and justified but is a serious error in the body of Christ. We are going to need each other in the coming times, so humble yourself, come in from the cold be delivered from your fears and fit into the Body Of Christ in real relationship! It's time! These "Cats in the Kitchen" must become Lions from the tribe of Judah! This is our destiny!
I received a very profound revelation recently that I would to like to share. We had a mama kitty adopt us back in July of 2010 and she decided to have her kittens in our garage. When I say she adopted us, she was a stray cat looking for some place to live and she chose us. Of course she had to get in the garage to do that and we must of left the garage door open one day We didn't know about the cats or the fact that when we shut the garage door, the mama kitty had got separated from her newborn kittens. My son Josiah had discovered the kittens after who knows how long they had been separated from their mama. They were in bad physical health when they were discovered and that particular day it was almost 90 degrees outside and probably at least 10 degrees hotter in the garage. My wife Yvonne took them in the house to pray for them and try to nurse them back to health. She fed them from a baby bottle and kept them indoors that day. That was when the mama showed up at our back door wanting to know where her kittens were! We knew the right thing to do was put the kittens back with their mama. We did and we didn't see the mama or the kittens too much over the next few months, so we assumed they were living off whatever mama could find for them. Those cats had learned to survive. We suddenly started seeing more of the 3 kittens and their mama so Yvonne decided to start feeding them off the back porch deck. Every day she would put milk and food out there for them and they would come up and eat but would not come until we went back in the house. Soon they would hang around the porch expecting food, but would hide as soon as we opened the door to take food out to them. When the coast was clear they would come up and eat. Yvonne and I had decided that we would keep the mama kitty but give the kittens away to a good home. We also had decided to have the mama fixed so she could not have any more kittens. So we took her in to the vet for that procedure. We told mama kitty we were taking her in to be Tutored! LOL! Anyway after the procedure the vet said we would have to keep her inside the house for a few days to heal. We tried to coax the kittens in the house, but they would not come anywhere near us. However it was late fall now and the temperature was hovering around freezing and I told Yvonne we were going to have to bring those kittens in. We both knew that we were going to have to try to tame these wild cats somehow and get them used to people or we were not going to be able to give them away. We had decided that we would prepare their food and leave the door open so they could come in and eat. It worked; they reluctantly came in and ate. However they would scatter every time we would come into the kitchen. The kittens really liked the warmth of the house and the fact they could stay in all night out of the elements. In fact they really didn't want to go back outside. As I said though, we needed to tame those cats so that they would feel comfortable around humans. I now know after most of my life hearing the term scarity cat, what it actually meant and where the term came from. I decided to pick up one of those kittens to pet and hold. I had no idea what was going to transpire in the next 10-15 seconds! That kitten proceeded to start tearing me up! I was wearing a short sleeved shirt and it scratched me bad. It also proceeded to start biting me on the hands and fingers! I learned something about myself right then in regards to how much I had changed. Several years ago I might of thrown the cat through the house if one had started biting and scratching like this one was doing! But actually I sat the kitten down gently as I could. I was bleeding from my arms and fingers from cat bites and scratches. That is when an awesome revelation from the Lord dropped in. He said: "Those kittens are like my people who are bound up by fear." I had never even thought about comparing those kittens to Christians bound up by fear. The Lord gave me an instant download revelation of the comparison. The kittens loved the warmth of the house, the food they were receiving and the peace they were feeling in the house. What scarred them was to have a relationship with us. This is how the profound revelation of this comparison unfolded. Christians who are bound up by fear have no problem with what they are getting spiritually fed, nor do they mind the anointing of peace they are feeling. They will draw near to God. But the scripture says draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Remember God is Love and perfect love casts out fear! As God draws near to us, if there is a spirit of fear that has us bound, it will begin to manifest and chances are we won't even recognize it if we think that this is normal. Light expels darkness and as God who is light approaches, darkness will flee! If we are bound by it and won't let go of it, we will also flee. To the cats we are giants.This can be very intimidating and quite frankly they don't know if we are going to harm them or not. When these cats were born in the wild and had to learn to survive, their mama may have communicated that there are other creatures that might do them harm and not to trust anybody or anything different then them. As Christians whom have had experiences and or advice not to trust anybody. Maybe an authority figure such as a mother, father, teacher, preacher, or any other that you may have trusted in the past has wronged you and contributed to this fear. It has caused you to build a wall and you have decided no one ever is going to hurt you again in this area. The wall of protection that you build stems from pride. No one will ever get close to you again. Now I want to talk really practical now. It is a true relationship that causes the spirit of fear to manifest. Why? It will involve love and making yourself vulnerable. Fear is an outside spirit that makes you believe it is part of your personality. It is housed in the stronghold of protection you have built. If we let God approach us, fear will start manifesting. Recognize that when you want to run and hide, that this is the spirit of fear manifesting. When this kitten started scratching and biting me, it was manifesting fear and was doing whatever it could in a panic state to get away! Perfect love cast out fear! Don't run away with the fear! And don't hide!
Gen 3:8-10 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." NKJV
This passage of scripture lays out so clearly where the spirit of fear can gain a foot hold in us. Adam & Eve, after they had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God told them not to eat, they had become conscious of sin. Sin is a direct result of pride. Pride is having more faith in what you can do for yourself and is accelerated if it is not put in check in areas we might be gifted in. It in reality is worship of self. It usually can be traced back in our thinking. Now remember this, Adam and Eve were meeting with God in the cool of the day. That phrase is only one word in the Hebrew and that is the Hebrew word: Ruwach #8217 It means the Spirit, breath or wind of God. This is very important to understand because they were meeting with Him in the Spirit every day. Satan had deceived them into thinking that actually meeting God face to face was was not enough. He deceived them into thinking that a knowledge of God is what they had to have. They had a relationship with God! So knowledge replaced relationship and brought shame because of sin. Now that they were aware of sin, there reaction when God showed up in the Ruwach was to hide themselves from His presence. Do you realize that that satan is still tempting people the same way? We are able to meet with God in the Ruwach anytime and satan tempts us with: "You have to have more knowledge to be closer to God." Or "God is holding something back from you!" Or "You will be more like Him if you have knowledge."
Heb 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. NKJV
God so loved us that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him would not perish but have everlasting life! We do not have to be afraid or ashamed of the Presence of God or run and hide ourselves when He draws near. Now back to the cats. These cats in the kitchen run and hide when we approach them. This is where relationships are built. When we can be transparent and open with God and with each other without a feeling of guilt and shame. I have noticed the more transparent I have become, the more the enemy through people uses it against me. I have found over the years that the more critical a person is, the more pride and fear they have. If you are a perfectionist, chances are you are very prideful and are fearful of making a mistake. You will also have to justify your perfectionism by putting people down and find fault with them. This is one of the reasons real relationships are not built because of this pride and fear. No one wants to be transparent when there is a fear of being torn apart. Love cast out fear and perfectionism is fear. We can be naked before God and not be ashamed because He loves us. Expressing love to each other will open up real and lasting relationships. The cats run and hide in cupboards, closets, behind dishwashers, behind refrigerators all because of fear. People bound by fear and pride will run and hide to avoid relationship with God and relationship with each other. Are you hiding from God and each other? Like God asked Adam & Eve: "Where are you?"
Gen 3:9-10 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." NKJV
This is a good question! God wants to know if we know that we have hid ourselves from His presence? Fear will always flee from the presence of God. Why? Because of a sin consciousness. Sin or sin consciousness makes us aware of our short comings. Fear gets its power from a "thinking" in us that thinks we can hide it from God or He can't see or know that we have sinned. Of course this is a deception, but if we go along with it, we can subconsciously think it's true. As someone once said, the reason it's called deception is, we don't know we've been deceived. First of all Adam & Eve had always been naked before God. The difference now is the sin that revealed a self conscious. Many people are ashamed of who they are because of usually what someone has told them. God made us the way we are for a purpose and a reason. We have the personality, looks, physical attributes, talents, voice quality and gifting. We also have our own unique fingerprints and DNA! In fact that is how may people are convicted of crimes they have committed because of three main reasons. Description, fingerprints and DNA. So who told you that you were naked? And why are you self conscious and ashamed? Jesus has bought and paid for your sins and if we sin after that, then we have an advocate with the Father and His name is Jesus! We can come boldly to the throne of grace and find grace and mercy in time of need! Now fear is a deception that convinces that you should be still be ashamed. This again is a deception that we don't have access to the throne of grace. We do of course, but pride is the independent nature in you that is the very nature that was in the devil. If we will come into the Lords presence and not flee when he approaches us, deliverance will come! Remember we can meet with God in the cool of the day anytime, because that is in the Spirit or the Ruwach of God. Where does the Spirit of God live? In you!
Prov 18:1 8 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. NKJV
We have now had these cats for 12 months and they still run from us, unless we are preparing food. They will stay near us because they know they are going to get fed. I want to reveal two more characteristics these prophetic cats have taught us. We have a two story home and our bedroom and my office is upstairs. Even though these cats run from us, in a strange way they want to be near us. We started noticing that they would find a way to open the door that leads to the upstairs and come up in the middle of the night and camp out in the hallway right outside our bedroom door. As soon as we would get up and open the door, they scatter downstairs as fast as their little legs would take them. They worked hard to get as near as they can, but when we draw near to them they run! This again is a parallel between Christians who are bound by fear and pride. Many will draw near as they can to God, but when God draws near to them the spirit of fear begins to manifest and flees. If we still are trying to live independent of God in our natural strength and rely on our own abilities, understandings or whatever else, we will flee with it because pride is the castle by which the spirit of fear resides. The reality of this is, just like the cats, their heart's desire is to want to be close to God, but this fear which has had a hold on them drives them away when God, who is Love draws near. Perfect Love casts out fear but if you do not let go of it you will flee with it. Humble yourself and receive Gods love and forgiveness and you will be free. One of our prophetic cats who we named "Whitey Herzog" bolted out the back door and refused to come back in. It was one of the coldest days of that winter so far. It was only 9 degrees the first night he stayed out. We would call him and would not come, even though he was still hanging around the house. This went on for days. We would see him, but as soon as he saw us, he would run away. This was very strange behavior for this cat because he was the first one that would let us get close enough to pet and was starting to let us hold him. We did not know what he was doing for food and we were concerned because the temp never rose above 15 degrees for that week. Yvonne said to me "He acts like he is mad at us for some reason!" I knew that what she said was true and we were about to get another revelation from God concerning our prophetic cats!Our cat "Whitey Herzog" stayed out for nearly a week in way below freezing conditions. I could not understand what we could have done that would make that cat stay out in near sub zero conditions with no food! Then Yvonne made a statement that was very profound. She said: "That cat would rather be isolated, cold, hungry and alone instead of inside where its warm and where there's food and people who love him!" This brought the above scripture to mind (Proverbs 18:1) so I decided to revisit it. The cats behavior did not make any sense. It's obvious that a cat cannot communicate like a human but the funny thing is: Would it have, if it could? This again is a parallel of behavior that I have seen many times over the almost 31 years of being a Christian. Many times people will get offended at you and leave or isolate themselves and not give a real reason. Most often they won't even tell you. ;They will discuss it with someone else possibly but usually not with you. Or if they do, it's usually a cover up, or an excuse and in some cases spiritualized to sound right. Let's first look at isolation as defined in this passage of scripture.
Isolate: OT:6504 (HEBREW) parad (paw-rad'); a primitive root; to break through, i.e. spread or separate (oneself): disperse, divide, be out of joint, part, scatter (abroad), separate (self), sever self, stretch, sunder. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
This is right out of the Hebrew, but something what really sticks out to me is & to be out of joint. I have taught extensively on this subject over the past year or so because in scripture there was a parallel of Jacobs hip being knocked out of joint and his relationship with his brother Esau. I will post on this Blog site an article called "Healing The Joints" in the near future. Also in the book of Ephesians the 4th chapter talks about the growth of the body comes by that which every joint supplies. Relationships are important and the number one strategy by the enemy is to divide relationships. A church or family is Gods way of causing the things or character traits that are wrong and that are just below the surface to come up as we bump against each other.This will cause us to let these issues go and be delivered if we stay and work through them. Many people will run from this process and isolate themselves because it can be very uncomfortable. However some people when offended do not want to forgive. This could be for various reasons but mostly because of the combination of pride in the person coupled with fear. Fitting in to a local church is going to be vital for a individuals personal growth as well as the corporate growth of His body. If we can't develop relationships with each other in a church or family relationship, we will not be equipped to reach the harvest. Most people that have come to the Lord, have done so because someone personally led them to the Lord. Being isolated as a Christian makes about as much sense as "Whitey Herzog" staying out in the cold hungry, alone and isolated! Now I want to examine another part of this scripture. I'm going to quote the same verse in the Amplified Bible.
Proverbs 18:1 (Amplified Bible) 1HE WHO willfully separates and estranges himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire and pretext to break out against all wise and sound judgment.
Lets look at the word pretext. In other translations the word rage is used. Pretext:is an excuse to do something or say something. Pretexts may be based on a half-truth or developed in the context of a misleading fabrication. Pretexts have been used to conceal the true purpose or rationale behind actions and words. Something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason guise: an artful or simulated semblance; under the guise of friendship he betrayed them What I'm about to share will be very straight forward and may cause the spirit of fear to manifest in you, if you have been taken captive by it or are being strongly influenced by it. If you feel anxious, afraid or enraged with what I'm about to bring forth, ask Jesus to deliver you and he will. When a person begins the process of isolating themselves because of fear coupled with the pride in them, they will have to figure out a somewhat rational reason to ease the anxiety they are feeling. This is where a pretext comes into play. A pretext is an excuse or reasoning to isolate and to conceal the true purpose for it. This in my opinion is where people have been deceived the most in the almost 31 years of my ministry experience. "I heard John Scotland say this phrase and I quoted , so above, I'm going to borrow it. "The reason its called deception is that people who are deceived do not know it." This is so true. Mostly people who are in this condition will just disappear like our cat "Whitey Herzog" without any kind of explanation. In my experience when you do finally see them and are able to ask them where they have been, the #1 pretext or excuse is how busy they are. This is a generic excuse or pretext put forth to cover the real reason they have disappeared. The #2 pretext mostly used is: The Lord is leading them. Again in my almost 31 years of hearing this pretext, when I asked them where He is leading, almost every time the person has no clear answer. In some cases this may be true, but if the person is not or appears not to e at peace then chances are this is a pretext or reason to give that conceals the true issue. The real reason is they are in most cases are offended about something. Jesus offended many along the way. When we think that our way is the only way, were deceived. His way is the only way. His ways are higher then ours. Do not lean on your understanding . Our pride will cause us to miss the Lord. The Pharisees and the Sadducees missed their time of visitation because they were set in their traditions, religious mindsets, and pride. They were afraid of Jesus. Eventually this pride and fear led to a hatred that in the end led to the crucifixion of Jesus. If you hide offense in your heart, it will lead to bitterness and hatred. We must forgive from the heart. If you are waiting for the one your offended with to change before you forgive, this indeed is the foundation of this deception and in most cases will lead you very quickly down a slippery slope of destruction and heartache. I personally have many scars of betrayal, abandonment and peoples biting and scratching. Each time I have gone through this I feel the full brunt of the pain. But I learned very quickly to take it before the Lord and let it go. A person that stays in fear, pride or offense will not hear wise council, but will rage or pretext against it because of stubbornness.
1 John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 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. 19 We love Him because He first loved us. NKJV
I want to sum up the lessons that we have learned from our prophetic "Cats In The Kitchen" As I stated right at the beginning of this article: these stray cats represent Christians in our region that are bound up in fear. All the cats loved the warmth of the house and what they were getting fed. They also loved something about us, but if we moved too close to them they would run in fear. The parallel of scripture is this is:
James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. NKJV
Those bound by fear sincerely want to draw near to God, but when God draws near to you, that is when the spirit of fear starts manifesting! Perfect love casts out fear! ;If you don't recognize what is going on, when He draws near to you and you're bound by fear, you will flee with the darkness. Light overcomes darkness! What causes us to be blind of this spirit of fear is the pride that is in us. Therefore humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. Pride is living independent of God and raising your throne above His. That means your thinking has a higher authority then Gods.
Gen 3:8-10 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? 10 So he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. NKJV
Adam & Eve fellowshipped in the "cool of the day" (Ruwach) Which is in Spirit with God every day. Trusting what God had already said to them was the issue. They were able to walk with God everyday and the serpent talked them into seeking a knowledge of God instead of a relationship with God. The devil is still using this tactic today.
1 Cor 8:1-3 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. NKJV
Knowledge puffs up, but Love builds up! They ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just think how this could have been different if they had just asked God when they fellowshipped with Him in Spirit in the garden. Seeking knowledge God or placing out thoughts on a higher level of importance is the very foundation of pride. Pride attracts the spirit of fear. This is what caused Adam and Eve to hide themselves from His presence in the garden. We have not been given the spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind! If our relationship with God is not intact, then we are not going to have close relationships with each other. This was the other lesson that we learned from our prophetic cats. ;When our cat "Whitey Herzog" went out in almost zero degree weather and would not come back in, The Lord reveled to us that this represented the offended ones. There are those who get offended and never forgive. They would rather be isolated, cold and alone, then forgive and come in from the cold. Of course this is usually spiritualized and justified but is a serious error in the body of Christ. We are going to need each other in the coming times, so humble yourself, come in from the cold be delivered from your fears and fit into the Body Of Christ in real relationship! It's time! These "Cats in the Kitchen" must become Lions from the tribe of Judah! This is our destiny!
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