Revelation

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Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.  Ezekiel 1:26

We must have a REVELATION OF CHRIST JESUS, OUR LORD if we are ever going to be transformed from spiritual immaturity to spiritually mature. It is the apostle Paul who helps us to understand that it takes more than intellectual knowledge to live in Christ and grow spiritually.

Paul originally considered Jesus to be an imposter and he was set on destroying the revelation that had come to Christ’s followers. Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus brought his whole way of thinking, all that he had learned intellectually through the scriptures to a blinding halt!   Notice in Acts 22:10 when Christ revealed Himself Paul didn’t ask, “What would you have me do Jesus of Nazareth?” but rather “What would you have me do LORD?” It’s important to see that in that encounter Paul recognized the authority and the power of the resurrected Christ and the position he had been given by the will of the Father.

Thereafter Paul’s life was guided by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit began to unveil the revelation of Christ to him. This had to occur before he could bring this revelation to the church. Paul’s experience helps us understand the depth of his letters to the church.  Paul fervently prays in Ephesians 1:17, 18 “. . . that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious FATHER, MAY GIVE you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.”  We too must have a fresh and ever increasing revelation of Christ Jesus to be transformed from spiritual immaturity which results in divisions and schisms in the Body of Christ. Galatians 1:15 reads, “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the gentiles . . .” Note, pleased to reveal His Son in me; Paul’s not talking about his encounter on the road to Damascus, but the revelation coming from the Father who was pleased to give it to Paul.  We read about the church claiming all spiritual gifts but divisive in 1 Corinthians 3:4, “For when one says, “I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?”   Paul asked in 1 Corinthians 1:13, “Is Christ divided?”  These corrections coming to the Body of Christ didn’t come from a book; they came from “it pleased God to reveal His Son in me.”   A revelation of Christ began to bring transformation to Paul’s religious beliefs. 

We send our children to school to increase in knowledge. Knowledge delivers them from ignorance and they’re able to function in society.  In this same way we who are born again of the Kingdom of God, accept the process of maturing and growing so we can reach the position where God is pleased to release more revelation of Christ Jesus.  Psalm 25:14 reads, “The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.” Revelation doesn’t come automatically.  Paul speaks of revelation as being a mystery in Colossians 1:26, “. . .  the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.” Then he calls himself a steward of the mysteries in 1 Corinthians 4:1, “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted (stewards) with the secret things of God.”  We have failed to teach this to the Body of Christ and she is suffering from immaturity which results in divisions and schisms. 

Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the glorious Father may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better.” The revelation of Christ Jesus is for the whole Body of Christ, not just the apostles and prophets.  The Word of God always challenges our spiritual lives. Jesus Christ spoke in John 6:63, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit, the flesh counts for nothing; it destroys the flesh and brings increase to the new man, the new creation.”  You will not get this revelation based on how often you attend your fellowship or sit in the pew and listen to one man.  Revelation will come by the will of God.  It is the pleasure of God to give it to you.  Prov. 3:32 reads, “. . . for the Lord detests a perverse man, but He takes the upright into His confidence.”  He’s referring to friendship between two persons.  Growth and fruitfulness in a relationship will come about by trusting and knowing one another which brings you into the intimate thoughts in confidence with one another.  God is telling us He can’t bring us into His secret chambers without us realizing His thoughts are pearls. Our Lord Christ Jesus mentions an important word in Matthew 11:27, “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father . . .” God’s not talking about knowing Him physically, but the greatness, the riches, and the mysteries in Christ Jesus.    Those who are driven by this passion to know Christ will say like Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV), “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” Paul tells us how he continually searches for Christ in Philippians 3:13-14, “. . .  but one thing I do – forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, PRESS toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The daily hunger and passion for Christ lead us to the fullness of Christ. Remember, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”   God’s good pleasure reveals the Son in us; it is not in how much we read or listen to teachings.

When we receive a revelation of Christ we come into the knowledge of the destiny of man in Christ. As you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you through the scriptures you begin to know the purpose of the church, the purpose of every member of the Body of Christ and the true nature of the Body of Christ.  We can’t exhaust the knowledge of the depths of Christ written in the scriptures; only by the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation do we see the spiritual reality underlying them. Understanding this, we walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit and come to know what true ministry is.

Ministry is not doing a lot of things even though they may look good.  Ministry is a Person; Christ!

Ministry is not doing a lot of things even though they may look good. Ministry is a Person; Christ!  God is not impressed by what you do; the question is what is the motivation behind your actions, what’s governing your motives and your interests?   Is Christ working through you to bring increase to the Body of Christ?  Jesus said, “I will build my church.” The purpose of the five-fold ministry is to perfect the saints as written in Ephesians 4:11, 12. These are gifts given by the Head of the church and they work only by the power of the Holy Spirit.  There is so much confusion as to who’s an apostle, prophet, pastor, evangelist or teacher.  It is sad to witness the condition of the church. Many pastors have been taught “If you’re not under the covering of an apostle, you’re not a church.” This must be corrected! God is raising up servants to release LIFE to God’s people; not carnal interpretations of the scriptures which keep God’s people from coming into the fullness of Christ.  The further away we get from our Life source, the more we depend on plans, programs and organizations of the flesh to keep God’s people together. 

Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  Our covering is the love and grace of God in our surroundings.  These are the true riches found in Christ Jesus.  If you are in Christ Jesus and have gone through the death and resurrection with Him, the heavens are open.  John the Baptist took the Son of God and submerged Him in the river Jordan and the Word of God says when He rose up from the water the heavens were opened and the spirit descended (Luke 3:21-22).  The heavens are open for God’s children; we have every right to come into the presence of our Father.  Paul considered this the mysteries of Christ.  God is not some force in the air or some power out there; HE IS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. When you read the scriptures the Holy Spirit will help you know His thoughts because you have received the Spirit of God to know the most intimate things of God (I Corinthians 2:9-10). God’s desire is revealed when He says in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Our Heavenly Father’s will is to have children that are an expression of His thoughts and walk according to His good pleasure. Jesus said in John 8:36, “You will know ME, and you will be set FREE.” 

 My heart overflows with worship!! The Lord is great. Our God is a loving God, a merciful God and every morning as the sun rises His grace and His mercies are renewed.  He has planned our day!  Listen to the Holy Spirit and he will guide, direct and discipline you in love.  My prayer for you is to submit to your Heavenly Father and grow in Christ.

Every dealing of God in our lives

and in the life of the whole church

begins with a personal revelation -

a deep, inner discernment of God’s will -

a disclosure of spiritual existence

we were blind to before.

(Manfred Haller)

How infinitely blind we are

to the fullness and glory of Christ

if we do not know Christ in His power

and ourselves in our weaknesses,

as revealed to us personally by the Holy Spirit. 

(Charles G. Finney)

DIVINE TIMING

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THE LORD IS MY PORTION; THEREFORE I WILL WAIT FOR HIM.  THE LORD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHOSE HOPE IS IN HIM, TO THE ONE WHO SEEKS HIM; IT IS GOOD TO WAIT QUIETLY FOR THE SALVATION OF THE LORD.  LAMENTATIONS 3:24 -26 

I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to give a warning to the children of God during these rapidly changing times. There is a danger in losing sight of God’s great design by the overwhelming situations and experiences of the present moment.  We must remember that there is a purpose in everything that is taking place.   I learned at a Morris Cerullo School of Ministry that “The God we serve is a God of plan, purpose, design and objectivity.” 

Those of us here in the United States are well aware that changes are taking place in our great nation and many are praying that God would save it. However keep in mind God is not concerned with just one nation but all nations.  The bigger picture is found in Genesis 12:2, 3 which reads, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God’s intention is salvation to all people of all nations through the Body of Christ. 

As we enter into unexpected changes, we take hold of God’s promises and pray; but our prayers don’t seem to get answered.    Why hasn’t God answered my prayers?  There are a number of possible reasons why the answers to our prayers are divinely delayed.  We must understand God is causing us to wait so we can come to know Him and His divine character.  It’s obvious the longer we wait the longer the door of communication between God and us is open.  If we are not knowledgeable in our well intentioned prayers, God will have to respond according to Mark 10:38, “You don’t know what you are asking.” The motive of our prayers must pass through the filter of God’s love and wisdom or He may respond according to James 4:3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

The apparent delays, based upon our measurement of time, move us to take matters into our own hands.  This is a great mistake.  Faith is being tested; the faith that we received from Christ is being tested and we are becoming established.  Do not be discouraged; God’s great love is guarding us.  Know that every experience, every situation and every circumstance has a beginning and an ending.  We don’t need to ask why.  God will see the results He desires. Daniel 4:34, 35 reads, “. . . Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.  His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.  All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.  He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.  No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” The enemy wants us to forget that God is in control of the changes in this world, not man! It is up to His children, His sons and daughters, to express this confidence, this trust, and this faith to the world.

We know there are different stages of maturity in the Body of Christ.  There is much to be said of the faith of a child who doesn’t understand God’s ways but continues to believe.  There is more to be said of a mature man who knows God does not move according to our time frame despite our situations.     His measurement of time is in II Peter 3:8, “With the Lord a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” He knows the beginning and the end.  There is a risk of taking matters into our own hands as we assume God is delaying the answer.   A good example is recorded in Genesis 15 where God promised Abraham descendents.  Abraham was without a son and thought his servant Eleazar was going to be his successor.  But God made a covenant.  So much was involved in the promise of God to give Abraham a son that Genesis 16 tells us the delay began to affect Abraham and Sarah, like it does us.  Abraham took hold of wrong counsel from his wife and takes the servant Hagar to himself and she conceives a child.  The consequence of that decision is still seen today. Fearing the delay and listening to the flesh will lead us to make wrong decisions.  Only God can bring a supernatural promise to pass as written in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.   Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Exodus 2:11 records another example of poor timing in expressing God’s purpose,  “One day after Moses had grown up he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor.  He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. He looked this way and that way and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” No doubt there was an instinct of deliverer in Moses as he saw the oppression of his people, but his time was not yet.  Moses took matters into his own hands so God dealt with him in the desert for 40 years. We should be moved but not outside of God’s timing.

How many have prayed for loved ones to be saved and have become perplexed and perhaps discouraged when we don’t see an immediate answer to our prayers.  Take heart with the word of Jeremiah in Lamentations 3: 24-26, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”  We should heed his counsel.  Jeremiah saw beyond the present circumstances; he saw the goodness of the Lord.  We must not lose sight of the fact that the wisdom of God and the love of God created the circumstances.  In these circumstances the Father is unfolding His design through his people; the principalities and powers of the air have never seen this before.  Paul writes in Ephesians 3:10, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  He sees the outcome; the unfolding of His great design is taking place.  God is in control and He knows the exact minute you enter a change of circumstance and He knows the exact minute when you will exit.  

GOD IS IN CONTROL AND HE KNOWS THE EXACT MINUTE YOU ENTER A CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCE AND HE KNOWS THE EXACT MINUTE WHEN YOU WILL EXIT.

All the understanding of divine delay is in Christ Jesus!  “All things were created by Him and for Him.  Nothing was created without him;” Corinthians 1:16.  Every minute of every situation and circumstance was created by Him and for Him.    God is bringing us into the fullness of Christ.  It is encouraging to see the hunger in God’s children to know the purpose and ways of God; to know Him.  For many years all we’ve heard from the pulpit is what God is doing for us and what we can get from Him.  Now there is a hunger to know what He desires.  The coming of the Lord is closer now as this world is changing. However, the real sign of the Lord’s coming is not the Lord breaking through the heavens, but breaking through his people.   An increase of the glory of the Lord is occurring. God will not take his people out of this world without impacting the world;

Know the times we are living in; the glory of the Lord, all that He is and all that He has, is revealed through his people. Isaiah 60:1, 2 “Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] the peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.” Amplified bible

Do not lose heart my friend.  I want to encourage you by Paul’s example.  There was a messenger of satan sent to buffet him.  He prayed three times for the Lord to take this thorn away and received a powerful revelation, “My power is perfected in your weakness.”  Paul said in II Corinthians 12:9, 10 “. . . I will glory in my weakness so that the power of Christ Jesus will rest upon me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Don’t be discouraged if you are going through persecution, hard times, or moments of disappointment.  Remember, the Peace that passes all understanding rests upon you.

 

WE CANNOT LIVE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

AND LET EVIL STALK UNCHALLENGED,

BY NEGLECTING THE WIDE-OPEN DOORS OF THE WORLD

WHICH CALL TO OUR FAITH AND OUR LOYALTY. 

 (J .S. HOLDEN)

SELFLESS

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 Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.  Genesis 14:19 

We must be servants of God with courage and vision in order to help God’s people see their highest and most precious reward which is Christ. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” We rarely see things in their proper setting, what God is doing behind the scene; therefore we don’t see the importance of “all things” that God works for our good.  We fail to understand the process God has brought us into. It’s important to understand His desire in us as His children.  We must understand the spiritual state of the church as it is now and how it should be, before we can proceed as instruments in the purpose of God. 

In the Old Testament Nehemiah, Ezra and the other prophets had hearts focused on God. Because of this God was able to move them to pray for the spiritual condition of His people, Israel. They would help them in whatever way God led them. This is why as the Lord leads us through the life of Abraham we can see how God uses situations to adjust Abraham’s life and understanding.  He is doing the same with us today.   Remember how the conflict between Abraham and Lot’s servants brought them to the point of separation? Lot is a natural man who, unlike Abraham, has not heard God’s voice. Before our spiritual birth we walked according to the natural man; the five senses influenced by our surroundings and environment. The discernment to know the difference between walking in the spirit and the natural man is so needed in the Body of Christ.  When Abraham and Lot made the decision to separate and Abraham gave Lot first choice, we see that the spiritual man   Abraham left it up to God to choose for him.  Many of us make the mistake of choosing for ourselves instead of waiting for God, we move without seeking the direction of the Lord. If Christ is truly Lord of our lives He owns us, He has redeemed us.   The grace of God is so wonderful because even when we make wrong choices and reap difficulties and troubles, God will deliver us if we cry out to Him!   Psalm 78:34-39; “Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.” He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

Genesis 13: 14-15 “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.” John 10:10 reads, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” It is wonderful when we are living in the center of God’s will as an instrument of God. Ephesians 1:11-12, “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.” We will walk in the joy of the Lord as we allow God to lead us.

God continues to adjust Abraham’s life when Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and ends up living in Sodom.   Genesis 14:11-12 “The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.” Abraham fought the kings and rescued Lot. Remember that the spiritual man is delivering the natural man from slavery to the things of this world. We see this emphasized in types and shadows in the Old Testament, but it is clearly written in 1 Peter 1:8- 9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”  Genesis 14:16 “He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.”  The King of Sodom came out to meet him and then Abram meets Melchizedek. There is a process taking place and we must understand it.  God speaks to Abraham through Melchizedek in Genesis 14:19, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”  Melchizedek is making sure Abraham knows that there is someone in control of his situation.  God was with him in the Old Testament and he overcame, but in the New Testament God is in us and we have overcome.  I John 4:4; “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” When Abraham begins to hand over the things that he has recovered to the King of Sodom, the King says in Genesis 14:21 “ . . . Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” 22-23 “But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.”  Genesis 15:1 “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I AM your shield, your very great reward.”  Remember it is Christ in us, He is our treasure, He is our prosperity, He is our reward, and He is all in all.  We cannot forget that. 

We are children of God.  We must not depend on the government or the world to save or keep us alive. Read what our Lord said in Matthew 6:25- 26, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” I disagree with the mentality of some Christians who quote Proverbs 13:22, “. . . The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just.” The prosperity message has many of God’s children frustrated, discouraged and even angry with God because they don’t understand His process or final outcome. This was not the mind of Abraham nor is it the mind of Christ; 1 Corinthians 2:16 says, “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”  Christ was offered the kingdoms of this world and rejected them.  He knew that there was coming a time when all kingdoms would belong to Him and He was not going to take any backward step that would keep him from going to the cross and accomplishing his purpose.   We must also accept the work of the cross in order to come into our full reward. Once Abraham released the natural possessions he sees God as his reward.  We have turned this around and become obsessed with world possessions and ignorant of the truth that God is our reward.   Before any spiritual development unto full stature is achieved, there must be a radical deliverance from the wrong development of the soul’s powers. Reflect on your life and allow the word of God to reveal the intents of your heart before you make important decisions.  We cannot be true witnesses if we are not allowing the life of Christ to be expressed through us, His children.  There’s lack of confidence when we don’t understand God’s process or see that He is working behind the scene.

Before any spiritual development unto full stature is achieved, there must be a radical deliverance from the wrong development of the soul’s powers.

We have had the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation for thousands of years; however when doubt enters in causing weakness, spiritual progress and growth slowdown.  Ephesians 4:13 reads, “. . . until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” This is not an independent process; Unity in the Spirit is a powerful revelation for the members of the Body of Christ.    You are a part of the Body of Christ and your spiritual progress depends on other members of the Body of Christ.  God is raising men and women to teach the Body of Christ the importance of each member.   We are all loved the same.   It is Christ in all of us, the hope of glory.  We must allow the Holy Spirit to bring adjustment to our lives as this truth is revealed.  Paul also discovers that weakness and mistakes are part of this adjustment. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “. . . Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  God knew Abraham’s weakness and limitations, yet he continued working in him because he knew why he called him.  Not until Abraham was separated from Isaac was he able to see himself more than an earthly father.  In Genesis 22:17, 18; “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” He discovers God’s divine thought of not only natural descendants (sand on the seashore) but spiritual descendants (stars in the sky). By this continued adjustment, Abraham moved into a greater understanding of God’s purpose for his life. You and I are very special to our heavenly Father.  Each one of us must also go through this process so that we can come into the fullness of our inheritance.  I conclude with Colossians 3:1,4, “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

God's Handiwork

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We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:10

Thank God He inspired men to record the lives of people in the Old Testament whom He used. Abraham, like us, experienced disappointments, discouragements and perplexities. But God did not hide his difficult times from us because they help us understand the process of God as He works with each of His children. Note that every time Abraham gave up his rights, God spoke to him.  Through his life, we are seeing the process of absolute abandonment to God’s will. 

We can learn an important principle in Abraham’s journey from Jeremiah 18:6, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”  The principle is God’s sovereignty; it is continually governing. Even though Jeremiah 18:6 was declared to a nation, it also speaks to us individually.  The sovereignty of God is always at work regardless of what is happening around us or the situations that we are going through.  God is in control, not nations, not the government, not Satan, nor the evil we see around us. This is something we must know so we can come into the power of that truth.

When Abraham reaches a point of dissatisfaction with his state of being, he begins to search for answers to the questions, why am I here, what’s my purpose in living, where did I come from? He wasn’t satisfied with worshipping the idols of his father and began to raise questions (Joshua 24:2). God used this opportune time to appear to Abraham (Acts 7:2) and answer the haunting question, is there anything more to life than this?  We must come to the point of recognizing our need of salvation.  If we don’t, we won’t look for deliverance from our state of being. Salvation encompasses much of our lives. 

God presents this principle to us as ‘clay in the potter’s hands.’   Picture the clay on the wheel as it is being molded according to the thought of God. The clay must accept this process of being fashioned by the thought, the will and activity of the potter. Like the clay, we cannot suggest our desire for design. We must always be in subjection to the will of the potter.

I will bring out three perspectives of everyone’s life to further emphasize the principle of being ‘clay in the potter’s hands’. There is the person you think you are, there is the person other people think you are and there is the person that God knows you are.    God does not mold you according to the way you think you are, nor according to who people think you are, but according to whom He knows you to be.   That is exactly what God was doing in Abraham.   Jeremiah 1:5 reads, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  Psalms 139:13-16 also confirms God’s design for you.  He is working in you according to the purpose He created you for.  He is bringing forth His design that was created by love.

 Sometimes we enter circumstances we don’t understand, but by design God allows it.  Consider Job 1: 9-12, nothing of Job’s was touched without permission from God.  Peter wasn’t sifted until after Satan had asked permission (Luke 22:31).  These are truths you and I must walk in no matter what is happening around us. God is the engineer of our circumstances; He is working according to the person He knows we are. We are His children.   Paul writes in I Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.   But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”   Our heavenly Father allows us to go through tough situations, sorrow and pain, but we have no right to tell the potter how to bring forth the design intended.   Remember we did not choose God, He chose us according to our Lord Jesus Christ in John 15:16.   We can rest in the fact that He knows us and creates the circumstances to bring us into full expression.  Ephesians 2:10 beautifully reads, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” Paul is saying we are being designed by God; we are His work. We are sons and we are being conformed and designed according to the image of His Son. It’s hard to accept circumstances that bring pain, sorrow, discouragement or disappointment to us, but never forget God’s creative hands are at work to bring us forth as Sons of the Living God.   After we recognize our weakness and submit to the potter, Wisdom is then seen at work in us. Submitting to the potter is our relation to this great principle, God’s sovereignty.  We have a will and an intellect from where resistance comes from. This is what makes us different from the clay. We must surrender it all to God.

 GOD IS THE ENGINEER OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

  The next time you find yourself in a perplexing situation and you know in your heart that you are yielding to the Holy Spirit, remember the words “God is Love.”  Grasp the depth of this statement, ‘we are in the hands of eternal love with eternal purpose in mind.’ He is not a tyrant looking down ready to beat us for our mistakes.  Love created everything before we were formed in the womb of our mother. We come forth from Him.   Jesus said in John 8:14, “I know where I came from and I know where I’m going.”  We come from the heart of a loving Father who cares for us and is always looking out for our good.    As a father I want the best for my children.  God has given us commandments of love to direct and protect us; always encouraging us to obey them.   Jesus delighted to do the will of His Father.   The demands were created out of love.   As long as He continued in obedience to those commandments He was protected by the love of His Father no matter what He confronted.   John 6:38 says, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.” He is the supreme example given to us.  

I repeat, the clay doesn’t tell the potter how to design it or how much pressure to put on it while on the wheel.   It is wrong thinking to tell God how to do things; the clay has no rights. As members of the Body of Christ, we can never dictate to the head.   Christ Jesus, the Head of the Body, is the one who governs the body (Ephesians 1:22).  Theologies are blown away by this, but scriptures will teach us who we are and what we are here for.

As we return to the types and shadows in the Old Testament, we now understand the great work declared by I Peter 1:8-9 which reads, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”  We must see and know what God is doing in us as individuals and also in the corporate Body if we are to enter into the delight and joy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 Abraham, symbolic of the spiritual man, is led to liberate Lot. Notice Lot chose for himself and set up his tent near Sodom (Genesis 13:12).  In time he is taken captive while living in Sodom (Genesis 14:12).  Abraham moves closer to the purpose of God and Lot, the natural man, moves further into the deception of the natural world.  See this principle at work throughout scripture in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, and David; God is sovereign!   God is in control, not the nations of the world, not Satan.

  My prayer is that as you read this letter it will help you understand what God is doing; We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus; His design in love, because God is love.

FOUNDATION

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A PERSON’S IDEA OF PROSPERITY IS ACCORDING TO WHERE HIS HOPES ARE FOUNDED; ON GOD OR ON A HERESAY GOD; ON THE LIVING GOD, OR ON IDEAS OF GOD.   (Oswald Chambers)

It is written in Isaiah 55:9-11 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not  return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I send it.”  If you have been born from above having accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are a new creation and have come into the kingdom and new dominion of God; the dominion of light, peace, joy and salvation.   

We have been studying Abraham and Lot in the Old Testament.  Abraham heard from heaven and was awakened to his destiny which, from that point forward was always working in him. It is so important for the Body of Christ to understand that when the Word of God comes to us and we accept it, a transformation begins.  The Word is revealed to our spirits and it begins to transform the way we think, the way we see things and the way we speak. We have a new outlook.  To understand the process you enter into when you are born again turn to John 17:14 where our Lord clearly states, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” 

Two men are traveling together; Abraham is traveling by the Word he received from God and Lot is traveling by his soulish instincts, will, mind, and emotions.  One has been taken hold of by the Word and heavenly call. The other is being drawn and driven by the earthly sights.  It took a crisis to expose these two completely different natures and attitudes.  We see how God made it impossible for the two to live together. Abraham denied his right to be the first to choose land and gave that right to Lot.   Lot chose according to what he saw.  The Jordan plain looked like the Garden of Eden to him, but Lot failed to remember that a curse was placed on the earth when Adam disobeyed.  Lot was deceived by what he saw.  Many in the church today have also been deceived by what the world has set before them. When you go through circumstances where you must choose and make decisions; do not be deceived by what you see.

 Lot and Abraham both traveled in physical tents but let’s symbolically apply that to the spiritual and distinguish the soul tent from the spiritual tent.   The spiritual man and the natural man are always looking for stability and security.  The extreme difference is that the natural man turns to the physical matter to find his stability and the spiritual man sets himself in the Word.   These two biblical men are presented with a critical situation of building their habitations.   The choices became evident as we read how Lot was drawn to the city life and pitched his tent toward Sodom while the spiritual man took hold of God’s word and made his habitation in God’s promises.  Paul says in Galatians 5:16, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  This is the process God wants us to understand.  God is preparing us.  We are a heavenly people, not of this world.   Christianity has become organized with earthly programs that are limiting the operation of the Holy Spirit in the members of the Body of Christ.  We have a responsibility as servants of God to help God’s people realize we are not of this world and must not be drawn to this system or be influenced by it when we are making decisions.   We must warn one another and prepare for what is coming. 

Have you considered the situation in the world today?   The world environment is drastically changing. If your habitation is built on sand, when the storms intensify and temptations come, your house will fall.  Jesus himself spoke the parable in Luke 6:46-49 which says if you build your habitation on the rock which is Jesus Christ, it will stand.  Paul said in I Corinthians 3:12-15 that man’s foundation will be tested. Born from above means we have received the new life of Jesus Christ.  We have a new nature, a new disposition and a new consciousness all coming from the new life of Christ Jesus. It’s our responsibility to always direct everyone to Christ Jesus, not to a principle, program, or method; He is the answer.  Our destiny is our life in Christ in God and God in Christ in us for eternity.  Our Lord said very clearly in John 14:20, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”  He is talking about the day the Holy Spirit, the True Spirit comes and enters His chosen children.  Paul says in Colossians 3:3, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”   How is it possible for the enemy to touch you; he first has to go through God, through Christ to get to you.  We are all unique and God has chosen us out of this world. He knew us before the world was formed and He put us where we are for a divine purpose.   Destiny begins to unfold in Genesis 12 as we see the Word take hold of Abraham; “God’s word will not return to Him void.  It will accomplish the purpose for which God sent it.” Now, the Word is coming to you; to transform you, to set you on course to your destiny.

 WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY AS SERVANTS OF GOD TO HELP GOD’S PEOPLE REALIZE WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD AND MUST NOT BE DRAWN TO THIS SYSTEM OR BE INFLUENCED BY IT WHEN WE ARE MAKING DECISIONS.

  

The greatest revelation we need is unity in the spirit; united with God in Christ by the Spirit.   We have received His peace.  If the thoughts of our Father are greater than our thoughts, let His Word transform the way we think and see things.  I must warn the church that we are about to witness a shaking. The same way a crisis was brought before Abraham and Lot to cause them to separate, a crisis will expose those in the church who are living in the flesh. God will not allow His children to be deceived any longer by the world’s solutions to sustain His children.   II Peter 2:7 mentions Lot as a righteous man, but even though he traveled and surely worshipped with Abraham, he was more inclined to follow the natural.  We see the conflict of the temporal with the eternal; the battle between that which is seen and that which is not seen.  You and I are in a process of being transformed by the revelation the Holy Spirit is bringing us.  This is confirmed by Jesus in John 16:13, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you.”  He’s guiding each one of His children.  We are all pilgrims and not of this world so don’t be deceived by it.  Study the life of Abraham and Lot.  Read what Jesus says in Matthew 16:25, 26 regarding trying to save your life. Lot sought to save his natural life while Abraham was losing it.   The fact that he lived in tents tells me he was a man who’s constantly moving, he never settled in one place. I’m not talking about those who are moving from one church to another because they are discontent with the Preacher or the programs.  I’m talking about destiny drawing you closer to knowing your God, Jesus Christ.   Many in the Body of Christ have settled with their spiritual state of being.   This man wanted to spiritually progress. Abraham moved into the habitation where God promised he would grow spiritually.  That’s the difference between being discontent and moving on even when you make mistakes.  Those are the things we must see in Abraham and see in ourselves.   When we make a mistake, admit it, confess it and keep moving.   Let the word bring adjustment to your life.   Let the Holy Spirit reveal to you those areas that must change or be abandoned.  God didn’t wipe mistakes out of the scriptures; He left them in so you and I can differentiate between the natural and the spiritual.  Examine yourself.  When you make a mistake do you remain there in self pity or are you willing to confront the mistake and go forward, like Abraham? 

Soon we will know more clearly why Jesus spoke in John 17:16, “They are not of this world, even as I am not of it.”  Check your decisions by these words, “My children, my disciples are not of this world.”  Regardless of the persecution you’re going through, you are on the right track.   The antagonism, the attack is not against you personally, it started way before this world was formed when satan rose up against God;   he is now going against His children.  I say to you, as God’s servant and your brother in Christ there is no temptation - no test that comes our way that does not have the approval of our heavenly father.  Our Father has made the way to go right through these testing’s, temptations, and persecutions and come out in Christ.   You have entered with Christ, in Christ and have come out in Christ’s victory when he overcame, sin, hell, death and the grave.  HE CONQUERED IT ALL!!!  He now makes sure we are a partaker of that victory.  

We are living in a glorious day.   I’m not speaking of a 24 hour day; but moment by moment in which God is bringing many sons into glory, into full manifestation.  This is the time for the SONS OF GOD to be revealed; our heavenly Father will be honored and glorified. This is the time Jesus Christ will be magnified and exalted through His children who will not fear ridicule, rejection or persecution; but triumphantly walk in the glory of the Son of God. This is your time, child of God; this is your time brother and sister.  Let the Holy Spirit minister and set you in your position of power to bring glory and honor to Christ Jesus.

CHOICES

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Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. Genesis 13:10, 11

There are examples in the scriptures of men and women who were willing to pay the price to take hold of everything God had planned for their lives.  God wants us to glean everything we can from the life of Abraham, to help us in our quest for the prize of eternal life He has freely given us. 

Have you ever thought about the two worlds you live in?     You live in the natural world and you live in the spiritual world.  Sometimes we fail to see the cause of weakness in us and what it is that hinders our walk with the Lord? 

In the story of Abraham we can see two characters in manifestation; Abraham and Lot.  In Genesis chapters 12 and 13 many years passed as the two men traveled together and prospered.   Notice that when God called Abraham He didn’t tell him He was going to prosper him. However, He did say “I will bless you.”  God blessed Abraham so he could be a blessing to others.    But that blessing is not pertaining to material or physical blessings, it pertains to that which is eternal; the life of Christ as written in Colossians 2:3, “. . . in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  Most of our life is a struggle between the natural and the spiritual. Galatians 5:17 explains this, “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”  An example of the natural man is Abraham living in Ur of the Chaldeans.   His character and personality were formed in the surroundings of that city, which included his friends and his relationships.   But now God gives him the challenge to leave his country and his family.   God is stripping away the comfort and contentment formed by the environment that he lived in.   As an example, you all have relationships; they become a part of your environment. The furnishings and décor in your home are an expression of what you like in the natural.  This is your natural environment on display.   How many of you have family members living in another state and you visited them; or you were on vacation and stayed in a beautiful hotel room with all the provisions.   Before long you got an urge to return to your home.  Why is that?   You’re out of your natural environment. 

When God spoke to Abraham as recorded in Acts 7:2, “. . . The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham . . .” He instilled a sense of destiny in him.  Abraham could not be comfortable any longer in his home country; he was a discontented soul.  This is the way it is with us.  When you’re out of your spiritual environment you want to return to it where you can find peace and rest, which is Christ Jesus.   You and I have been born again, not of the spirit of this world, but by the spirit and word of God.  We have come into a new environment and that environment is Christ Jesus.  He is our life; He is our comfort. 

THE NATURAL MAN AND THE SPIRITUAL MAN CANNOT COEXIST.

Continuing with the story of Abraham and Lot, you will notice both went to Egypt, both left Egypt and both prospered.   Their herds increased to the point they could not dwell together any longer. The herdsmen and herds represent self interest for well being and natural ambitions. Think of the spiritual and natural man in you as we read Genesis 13:8, “So Abraham said to Lot, Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.  Is not the whole land before you?  Let’s part company.  If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”  Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar.  So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east.” In our Christian walk we so often go astray because we don’t examine the consequences of our choices.  If we would only take the time to look at our lives, we will discover that our tendencies are to live for the moment like Lot and not for the eternal. Both men prospered and increased. The more you accumulate in your environment; the harder it is to let it go when the spiritual man wants to grow.  The dilemma is that one man has to die and be cut off in order for the other to progress.  Notice Abraham’s character when he said “Is not the whole land before you?”  Now, what is God showing us?  The natural man and the spiritual man cannot coexist.  This is a true test of our hearts because it is subtly possible to use our natural ambitions for spiritual aims.    God shows us how the natural man (Lot) is selfish and self centered.   Please read again verse 10, “Is not the whole land before you?  Let’s part company.”  God’s process in us is stripping away the hindrances of the natural man.  I Cor. 2:14 reads, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”   God wants to expose those things in your life that are limiting and hindering your walk with Him.   There is something else that I see very interesting; the title God gives Abraham when we read II Chron.  20:7, Isaiah 41:8, and James 2:23; Abraham the friend of God.  Consider why he was called the friend of God.   Jesus Christ said in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  Abraham surrendered his life so God could live His life through him.   Are you willing to lay down your life so Christ can live through you?   I want to be a friend of God. 

To my brothers and sisters in the Middle East and across the world who don’t understand why they are going through intense testing; I pray this revelation will encourage you to continue trusting God.   He wants us to trust Him.   He leaves these examples in His word so we can see that the outcome is glory and praise unto our Lord and God.  My word to you in your isolation is; God is bringing you closer to the time of revealing you to the world.   God has placed you as a witness and testimony no matter what isolated mountain you’re ministering on or no matter where your secret place of worship is.  The principalities and powers of the air will know this world belongs to Jesus Christ (Psalm 24:1).  He has placed you where you are, because He will be revealed.  You are positioned by divine appointment; neither man nor denomination put you there.  We are all unique and special.  God is not a respecter of persons; He loves you with the same love.  We have been bought with the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.   We have received life through His death and resurrection and that is exactly what He wants us to know by His spirit.  He has given us eternal life now and forever through His Son Jesus Christ.  This is why I preach, “Christ and Christ crucified”. My prayer and deepest passion is that the measure of Christ increase in you through this message.