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.  

TRUST

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Psalm 77:19,20   “Your path led through the sea, your way through the waters, though your footprints were not seen.    You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Everything written in the Old Testament is to instruct us as stated in Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that in the endurance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”

As we continue studying Abraham’s life there are three major factors in Psalm 77:19, 20 that we will focus on. It is worth noting that we, as God’s children, experience each of these in spiritual growth. (1) The divine purpose of God governs everything. (2) The divine wisdom of God is working with one objective in mind. (3) God cares for his children.

To enter into the life of the Psalmist, read the entire Psalm. God has chosen you for this time. Focus on God’s care as we continue this journey into the fullness of Christ, our inheritance.

God uses Abraham in the Old Testament as an example to show us how He deals with our human nature, which includes our passions, likes, dislikes, interests and relationships. When God told Abraham to leave his country he was fearful of the criticism that would come to him when his family, friends and neighbors asked him, “Where are you going?” and he did not have an answer. But he knew God had spoken to him. Knowing is vital. God was calling Abraham out of all the relationships that would hinder him from entering into the fullness of Christ. We need to understand this as we see change coming to the world. Don’t be troubled but know that God wants to reveal Himself to you and through you. When we know this, it’s easier to submit to His divine guidance. God’s purpose will govern the actions of the vessel He has chosen. Notice that God includes the fears, questions, and failures of Abraham in the scriptures. He includes them so we can realize that the people God uses are just like us. When God speaks to Abraham, the word takes hold of him and he takes hold of the word. Now his walk in the supernatural power of the word begins.  Genesis 12:5-9 tells us that Abraham left Haran and arrived in Canaan moving through the country, God guiding them as they went.  Famine struck the land and Abraham took matters into his own hands and ‘went down’ to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan. Don’t you think God knew a famine would occur in the land? Don’t you think God knew Abraham would reason within himself and not seek the counsel of the Lord, but receive worldly counsel? Many of us do the same thing when we are confronted with adverse circumstances. The manifestation of God’s promise seems late so we take matters into our own hands. Flesh touches the promise of God and we are held back from our inheritance. Another example: Abraham in anguish about the son God promised  took matters into his own hands. Abraham’s decision is still reaping consequences to this day. God is showing us what He demands of His children; trust, confidence and faith in Him and what He says. God’s word stands ready. He spoke it and it will come to pass! God wants us to understand what He’s doing with us; He’s stripping away all that is flesh. Remember we are a heavenly people; we have been born again from above. The Lord has to strip away the things that hold us back from gaining Christ. Hindrances come from the world around us and also from within ourselves.

Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is a good example of God stripping away earthly things. Lazarus was sick; but notice how God allowed the sickness to happen so that His son Jesus Christ would be glorified. The Lord allows time to elapse and Lazarus dies and is buried in the tomb. Divine  knowledge understands the will of God and why He permits things to happen; things such as pressure, antagonism, and persecution. Something is taking place in us as He is stripping away all things that are not inherent of the fullness of Christ. He arrives at the tomb and says in John 11:43, “…Lazarus, come forth!” Lazarus comes out and the power of the word speaking to death calls forth a new life. The moment he comes into a new life something takes place. The grave clothes had to be removed so they would not obstruct his walk or vision. God will always bring us to a point where we are confronted with death to self so we may walk in newness of life. The same stripping away of old things happened to Abraham when he was told to leave his country, family and friends. Romans 15:4, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” The answer to our particular situation is always found in scripture.

The verse in Psalms 77:1-2 is an example of rising above adverse situations, “I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.” The Psalmist was in distress but he overcame his distress by recalling the mighty hand of God towards the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Remember the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, "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.” Can you see God’s Word governing the Psalmist as he recalls God’s deeds in delivering Israel and applying it to his own circumstance? The conclusion in verse 13 reads, “Your ways, oh God, are Holy. What god is so great as our God?” He was living off the promise of God. When we go through moments of perplexity and distress, we will also overcome by remembering God’s promise. When Jesus was led into the desert to be tempted of satan, He said in Matthew 4:14, “It is written that man shall not live, exist, by bread alone.” In other words, man will truly exist, be moved, and have his being by every word that comes forth out of the mouth of God. The living word of God is the key to our existence.

The living Word of God is the key to our existence.

Imagine the feeling of hopelessness in the millions of Israelites facing the red sea and the chariots of Pharaoh? Your ways were hidden from the natural man. The divine purpose of God was working in the midst of the storm as a nation was being born even in their terror and fear. Paul says, "These things were written for our instruction to understand the ways of God." God wants to bring us to the place where there is no salvation in our natural abilities, nor salvation in any government or institution under the control of satan. Changes are quickly happening on this earth and the church is in for a shock when the onslaught of hatred towards her is released. However never forget Exodus 1:12, “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.”

Listen to the cries for liberty and freedom from the youth throughout the nations. Can you hear the souls that want to be liberated from the curse of death? The Body of Christ is “a Holy nation” I Peter 2:9, a nation that has been set in the midst of the nations to fulfill the promise of God. God told Abraham, “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.” This is God’s perfect will.

I’ve been to Haiti and Cuba where I’ve talked with those who are being persecuted and I’ve read the testimonies of those in Indonesia and other places who have been persecuted for the Testimony of Jesus. This is where I see the faith of the Son of God manifested in the midst of cruel circumstances.  This is true trust in Christ and not trusting in anything of this world. Regardless of how promising the government aid is, we must know our position as new creatures created in Christ Jesus. We will come into the fullness of Christ, by being inside of Christ not outside. We are witnessing the reality of God’s wisdom and His methods in birthing a nation the same way He birthed Israel as He separated the Red Sea and guided them through a type of death and resurrection on the other side.

Nations are crying out wanting to know truth. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be witnesses.” A witness brings forth evidence, he is a proof producer. God will use you in your home, city and throughout the earth. He is raising up a people in every nation who know Him, the one true God. We are one in Christ washed by the blood of Christ. There is confidence and hope when you see the evidence of the power of God, the purpose of God, the wisdom of God, and the love of God in the scriptures. Our position must be established in His word and His word must be established in us as He governs our walk.

Remember Christ’s words in John 17:16, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” Don’t look to the world for your existence.

Let's reread Psalms 77:19-20, "Your path led through the sea, your way through the waters, though your footprints were not seen."  Remember the three major factors mentioned earlier: (1)  The Divine Purpose of God governs everything as it did in the life of Abraham, Israel and as it is doing in us. (2) The Divine Wisdom of God is working with one objective in mind.   God's Spirit is searching all things even the deep things of God. This doesn't make sense to the natural man. Read I Corinthians chapter 2.  (3) God Cares for his children. ". . . You led your people like a flock."  God is watching over us and He cares for us because He is the Good Shepherd.   Receive these three revelations and walk above all trying circumstances.


I pray the Lord helps you understand why you were born in your country. God has placed you right where He wants you. He will bring glory to Himself as He did with Jesus through the resurrection of Lazarus; as He did with the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea; and as He did with Abraham ready to leave his country and all that he knew to follow Gods call.

SECURE IN CHRIST!

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MAY GOD, HIMSELF, THE GOD OF PEACE, SANCTIFY YOU THROUGH AND THROUGH. MAY YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY BE KEPT BLAMELESS AT THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE ONE WHO CALLS YOU IS FAITHFUL AND HE WILL DO IT. I THESSALONIANS 5:23

  

God is sovereign! He knows all things, He is all powerful and He is everywhere. This is very important to understand and to know in our heart. There is not one place in this universe that He is unaware of and does not see. He is fully conscious of what takes place everywhere. Therefore, He knows where you and I are, not only geographically but spiritually. The enemy likes to see us, God’s children, ignorant of our inheritance, our position and our state of being. He uses ignorance to maintain his doubting and fear tactics to hinder our progress. The Holy Spirit resides in us to destroy the ignorance, doubt and fear that hinders you and me from coming into the fullness in Christ.


Have you ever questioned who you are, why you are here or what your purpose in life is; David did. He wrote in Psalms 8:3, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” As David was looking at the greatness and the vastness of the universe, the question arose from his inner being; what is man? There is so much confusion within the Body of Christ regarding what is man. Some people say man is mind and matter; others say he is only soul and body. Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit says in I Thessalonians 5:23 “May God, himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” Note; He will do it. Here in the scripture we discover man is spirit and soul and lives inside a body. In this revelation of separation, it is important for us to know what God is doing in us and it is important for us to know His process so we can submit to the work of God within us. In my last letter we read examples in history of how God works with man. In Genesis 12 we read the story of Abraham and the process God took him through. This is the same process for his children today; the process of stripping away those things that have come from the past life, the old man; leaving the influence of country, family, and friends. It is amazing to see how God worked through these chosen men and women of the Old Testament without the Holy Spirit residing in them. The Holy Spirit would come upon them for a specific work, and then He would depart. Where is the power that separated Abraham from his country, his people, his culture, his surroundings and his family? Surely the ability is not within man’s self. Remember what we read in I Thessalonians 23:5? HE will do it. Isaiah 55:9 confirms where the ability comes from. God says “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 sent it.” We are entering the mind, the thought and the character of God. The power to take Abraham from his country, from his people, from his family and separate him was in the Word of God that came to him. The minute he accepted God’s word he began to walk in the supernatural power of the word. Today we not only have His word in us we have the Spirit of the Lord in us, the Spirit of the Son in us. Genesis 12:2 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.” The power to fulfill this word was not in the ability of Abraham, all he had to do was surrender his will to the living God and he was moved into the supernatural. By the power of God’s word he was able to release, let go and let God govern his life.


Genesis 12:4 reads, “So Abram left as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.” Who is Lot? He’s from his father’s house. He’s latched on to Abraham even though God said, leave your people and your father’s house. Lot represents the past. In the same way, things from the past continue to latch onto us as we continue our journey. These are emotional attachments and hindrances. It could come from family, surroundings, your work, your community, where you live, friends that have not understood the process of separation. These are soul ties. Sarai, Lot and all the possessions they accumulated and the people they had acquired were attached to Abraham. God said, “I’m speaking to you and you alone.” Here is the mixture. The Holy Spirit is revealing truth to us so we can say, Lord I surrender to you, and I belong to you. There are things we hesitate to release and do not want to give up. God loves us and deals with us to come into the fullness; He wants us to possess everything He has given to us. Abraham arrived in Canaan. Many scholars say Canaan is heaven, but this cannot be because there are no Hittites, Amorites, Philistines, or Canaanites (enemies) in heaven. After Abraham arrives in Canaan, he builds an altar. He is still in the process of separation, so more tests are yet to come. Genesis 12:10 reads, “There was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.” I picture famine as a time when the rain stopped falling; there was no grass for livestock. His surroundings began to change and they began to influence Abraham. God has chosen a people from before the foundations of the world, for this age. He will reveal them as sons of the living God who have no ties to this world or the world’s system; and the spirit of the world will not control them because they are being controlled by God and the supernatural power of the resurrected Lord. Jesus Christ made it very clear in John 17:14, “. . . for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” A word of warning to any child of God that thinks help will come from this world or government, which “. . . is under the control of the evil one” (I John 5:19).  The spirit of fear will only get a stronger grip on you, tempting you to save your life, like it did Abraham when he lied about Sarai being his sister and not his wife.


Even now, there is a famine in the land. There is a lack of jobs in America. Fear is starting to control the people as they are losing their homes, their life investments and possessions. Panic is breaking out. But the sons of the living God are standing firm. They have been placed in a position of security. They are secure in Christ. Hebrews 2:17 (KJV), “Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to SUCCOUR them that are tempted.” We are secure in Christ because; He has atoned for us, He has helped us, He has come to our aid. Christ, as a man without sin, conquered all temptations, hostility, anger and rejection. When he accepted and received us, He secured us in the same position He is in, to be an expression of His glory, mercy and love. This is God’s unfolding plan. The world wants to see this. We don’t run to the world. This is why the revelation of ‘unity in the spirit’ was so powerful in the beginning when the church was born. They knew the resources to provide for a member was within the body. In the book of Acts, if any member was lacking and another had, it was given to the lacking member without hesitation. They considered not their possessions as their own.

WHEN ABRAHAM, LIKE PETER, GAVE ATTENTION TO HIS SITUATION HE WENT DOWN.

With all the revelation and technology we claim to have here in North America, there are still areas in this world where the gospel has not been heard. We’ve become self centered and selfish while many are suffering. This is why there is so much confusion in the Body of Christ. Why do we think that we have nothing to do with our brothers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Russia and other third world countries? We’ve forgotten we are one in Christ. God has to strip us so that we can only be possessed by Him and He is our possession. Think about Peter and the disciples in the boat and Jesus walks on the water. Peter says, “If it’s you Lord bid me to come.” The power of the word overtook Peter; he stepped out and started to walk on the water. However, as soon as he gave attention to the waves he went down in the water. When Abraham, like Peter, gave attention to his situation he “went down to Egypt.” We walk in the supernatural but the minute we pay attention to our surroundings, fear enters and the temptation to run to the government or the world overtakes us. God wants us to run to Him, He is our security.


Many members of the Body of Christ will be confused and not understand as North America spirals downward. It is a spiritual work because God is sovereign and in control. In my travels to Central and South America I’ve been made aware of many illegal aliens flooding this country; many are Christians and many have been encouraged by their pastors. What is the intention? God makes no mistakes; He releases the blessings there in the place where you were born if you trust Him only.


I gave my life to the Lord thirty years ago. I had a well paying job, but because of my rebellion, alcohol, drugs and surroundings I lost that job. I sat in my living room after a night of partying, thinking what am I going to do now. I cried out to God and God delivered me. I said, “I don’t want to know religion or denomination; I want to know you. I give you 100% of me.” He took me at my word. I remember attending a fellowship where some members knew what I was going through financially. These brothers in the Lord told me I could qualify for food stamps. I said to myself, if the God whom I serve cannot provide for me what kind of God is he? God knew where I was at. He promised never to leave me nor forsake me. God has not failed me once, even though I have failed Him. He is merciful! See Him reaching out to humanity. He knows your condition, the hostility that surrounds you. But we are SECURE IN CHRIST IN GOD as we continue on our journey. Jesus Christ has promised freedom; freedom and liberty from the power of sin, death and satan. The Truth that we know will set us free.

SEPARATION

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THE LORD HAD SAID TO ABRAM, LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR PEOPLE AND YOUR FATHER’S HOUSEHOLD AND GO TO THE LAND I WILL SHOW YOU. GENESIS 12:1

I thank our Lord for allowing me to open my heart again and share what He wants to accomplish through the Body of Christ.  I pray that what I share stays with you, challenges you and helps you in this glorious walk in the quest of knowing Him.

I begin this letter with a quote by G. Campbell Morgan; an evangelist, preacher and leading Bible scholar in England in the early 1900’s: “For a correct estimate of the present times, and a true conception of future events, we must have a clear understanding of the things that are past. We are in danger of living too much in the present, and of looking upon the Divine activities as if they were haphazard or accidental, as our own always are, save as we are under the control of the Spirit of God. We seem to have contracted the idea that in the history of the race God has been making experiments with men; and that when one plan has failed, He has adopted another. Such false conceptions arise from the fact that, mentally and spiritually, we live too much in the circle of our own times and are forgetful of all that has gone before. The corrective is found in studying history from the Divine standpoint. Nothing yields a more chaotic, uncertain, and unsatisfactory result than a view merely from the human side; while, on the contrary, order, beauty, and progress, are seen only as we take the Divine outlook.”

To understand God’s ways with His children and mankind, let’s refer to the history of Abraham in Genesis. Abraham is called the Father of Faith. There was nothing exceptional about Abraham, but God chose him because there was a deep hunger in his soul and heart. If you are not searching for God you will not find Him. If you are not hungry for more of Him you will not seek Him. If you are not thirsty for Him you will not look to be satisfied by Him. God called Abraham “His friend.”

I will center this teaching on three commands God gave Abraham regarding separation from three major circles of influence. It is written in Genesis 12:1, “The Lord had said to Abram.” Note, the word ‘had’ refers to the past. The word God gave was “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”

The first command was to leave your country. Everything was bound up in obedience to the command; his future, his destiny, and his purpose. During the Old Covenant man’s spirit was dead to God; however the book of Acts clearly states, God revealed Himself by the word spoken to Abraham in a vision. It’s interesting to note that the soul was having communion with God. This word given to Abraham has been confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ, when He said in Luke 14:26-27, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple.  And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” God does not change; we’re the ones that change. God is objectively dealing with us when He calls us to come out of the world. We are not of this world even as He is not of this world. It is written in John 17:14, "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." The profound revelation in this is that the influence of our surroundings is where we develop our likes, desires, passions and begin to form who we are. Here is an example: All the things in our home are an expression of our likes. There are certain furnishings, certain pictures on the wall, and certain wall paints which have created an atmosphere of influence. I have been privileged to travel to Central America, South America and the Caribbean Islands and stayed in beautiful hotels and some not so beautiful; but regardless of how beautiful the surroundings and how comfortable the hotel was, nothing compares to going home. Why? I get to re-enter the atmosphere that my soul, my emotions and my thoughts are comfortable in. They are all related to the atmosphere that has been created by my surroundings; the objects around me. The Body of Christ misunderstands why God is separating us from the world and so we resist His leading. To reach our position in Christ we must submit to the Holy Spirit, in faith, as Abraham did. We have a greater privilege than Abraham had, the greatest gift ever given to man after the fall; our spirits have been born again and we now have direct communion with God through Jesus Christ.

Let’s get an understanding of what really happened when God told Abraham “Get out of your country.” Genesis 11:31 reads, “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.” When God spoke to Abram in Genesis 12:1, He spoke to him personally. He told Abram to leave your father’s household, leave your family. But he, like many of us, disobeyed and brought alongside the natural man who is represented by Terah, his father. Terah takes hold of the command of God and takes control. When God speaks to us we must allow God to direct us in His timing, and not take control. The natural man is one of the biggest hindrances to the progress of the Body of Christ coming into the fullness of Christ. Paul talks about this critical separation of the natural and spiritual man in Romans 6. When Terah died, Abram moved on.

The second command was to leave your people. God is not saying to neglect or reject your people, but discern that your people and the culture of your people have a great influence over you. We must leave culture behind, whether we are Hispanic, Asian, White, Native American or African American, because we are a new creation; born into a heavenly culture. This is confirmed in Galatians 3:26-29 which reads, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Colossians 3:9-11 also confirms this, "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."  I heard a leader of a country say; multiculturalism does not work, because every culture demands attention. If it doesn’t work in the natural realm it can’t work in the spiritual realm.

SELF-FULFILLMENT IS A DECEPTION SATAN WANTS TO BRING TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST TO KEEP US FROM SEEING GOD'S ULTIMATE INTENTION.

The limitations in God’s people must be controlled by the Holy Spirit in order to come into the true satisfaction and rest of our souls. Jesus said, “All who are heavy-laden and frustrated come to me and I will give you rest.” The soul is seeking rest and rest can only be found in Christ Jesus. When the soul is being influenced by the spirit of the world it will never find rest. Listen to what satan, who is the prince of the world, says in Job 1:7 “The Lord said to satan, where have you come from? Satan answered the Lord, from roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” Satan forfeited his God given habitation, power and authority to fulfill his own purpose that is why he will never find rest. Self-fulfillment is a deception satan wants to bring to every member of the body of Christ to keep us from seeing God’s ultimate intention. We are being drawn by the Holy Spirit to see God’s ultimate intention realized. This can only happen when we abide in our habitation, Jesus Christ. We are seeing with spiritual eyes what God is showing us and we are hearing what the spirit is saying to the church. The new creation is solely from above and only by the leading of the Holy Spirit can we come into the fullness of Christ who is our inheritance.

The third command was to leave your father’s house; your family members. He is not saying to hate your family; but don’t allow them to hinder your walk. Scripture confirms the Christian life is a pilgrimage; a journey headed towards a position, a state of being that was prepared for you in Christ before the foundations of the world. The closer you walk with the Lord, the easier it is to realize the minute you step out of His environment. It’s the same environment change as when you step out of your home into the hustle and bustle of the stores. The enemy is always ready to pounce on our minds and emotions, but in Christ you will experience the peace, the joy and satisfaction only found in Him. This is our quest; our calling. We gain Christ. The gift of Christ is our salvation, but that’s just the beginning. It is written in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” The revelation of Jesus Christ kept Paul continually going forward. Everything Paul wrote was his experience “IN CHRIST”. Read Paul’s letters and count how many times, of Christ, for Christ, in Christ and by Christ is mentioned. Paul was not preaching a sermon he learned from a book; his life was an expression of Christ. Salvation is just the beginning. As we continue to follow the Holy Spirit; we gain Christ, we enter into more of Christ. This helps us to be delivered from the influence of the spirit of the world; its ways, lies, cheating, backbiting, greed, hatred, and rebellion. God separates us as we follow the Holy Spirit. “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” Revelation MUST come from God if we are to gain Christ. I thank God for the ministers he has allowed me to sit under and the books that have come into my hands which have helped me understand the process of separation, but if I didn’t have the revelation of Jesus Christ, everything would be mere information. Nothing compares to walking with the Lord. NOTHING!

To my Brothers and Sisters living where the scriptures are not allowed and where Christianity is persecuted; KNOW that you are gaining Christ. With every moment of neglect and rejection, you are GAINING CHRIST. Philippians 1:21 reads, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  Do not look at this as physical death only but death to your spiritual aspirations,  hopes, goals and dreams. He is there with you, in you and around you. He feels what you’re going through and He alone has the plans for you. 2 Corinthians 4:9-11 “persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed - always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

In a future letter we’ll study the story of Job, one of the greatest examples of how God dealt with man. God’s promise is stated in Genesis 12:3, “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.” Abraham was a bond servant of God who surrendered his will to the will of God. This is for you and me, “I will make . . . . . . YOU ….” The favor of God is upon us; we are blessed with the greatest blessing, CHRIST himself, the greatest gift man has ever known. Meditate on these words; because we have come into Christ, we have become a blessing to the nations. Everything is happening according to the Will of God. He is sovereign, He is omniscient and there is nothing out of time with God. He is bringing forth his people who are willing to submit their wills to the will of God. God will have the greatest witness on the face of the earth; Jesus Christ the Son of the living God expressed through his people; glorified through His people who were chosen before the worlds ever existed. According to the scriptures YOU are one of those expressions. God bless you in a greater way into the fullness of Christ. Amen and Amen!