Remember God's covenant in your life!

Jeremiah 33:20-22: Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.'

You know what this actually means? It means ‘as long as there is night & day on earth, God’s covenant with His people still stands, and cannot be broken’! That’s the difference between a ‘covenant’ and a ‘contract’. A covenant is a ‘binding agreement that cannot be broken’. It’s different from say, a job ‘contract’, where it can be ended by mutual consent, or by resignation or dismissal.

Do you know what the first word in Hebrew dictionary is? It’s ‘ab’ which means ‘Father’ (‘Originator’, Chief, Principal). God calls Himself ‘Our Father’, the ‘Originator’, and when He created man, He made man in His image, according to His likeness. Not only that, He even made a covenant with man (Genesis 1:26-28). In other words, He passed on His ‘spiritual DNA’ to man. Notice He never did this to any other creatures. You know what made you so special? You are His covenant son/daughter!

And as God’s covenant people, it is His will to prosper you in all things (in every way), just as He prospers your soul (3 John 2). You know what that means? He wants to prosper you in your finance, in health, in family relationships, in business, in career, and the list goes on! 3 John 2 says ‘all things’. ‘All’ here really means ‘all’! God’s covenant with you comes with ‘prosperity’. The truth is ‘prosperity’ was included in the covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis 24:1, Genesis 24:35), and so is God’s covenant with you today! When Jesus cut a new covenant with you (Mark 14:22-24), He only has ‘blessing’ waiting for you because He has carried all your curse, sicknesses, pains, sorrows, and poverty on the cross, once for all. This happens the moment you receive Jesus as your personal Savior & Lord!

God’s covenant promise (that brings with it ‘blessing’) came on Abraham (Genesis 22:17-18), passed down to Isaac (Genesis 25:5, Genesis 26:3-5, 12-13), then to Jacob (Genesis 28:3-4), all the way to David, and finally to Jesus (Matthew 1:17), and through Jesus, to those of us who believe today. Praise the Lord! You are therefore His covenant people, by faith. God the Father even backed up His covenant with you by an ‘oath’ (Genesis 26:3) that ‘blessing He will bless you, and multiplying He will multiply you’. An ‘oath’ is ‘a promise that will certainly be performed’ (and God swore that He’d do it to Abraham & His descendants). God will not lie or break His promise! (Hebrews 6:18) The Bible even says ‘God swore by Himself, because He could swear by no one greater’ (Hebrews 6:13).

Beloved in Christ, always remember you are His covenant people, and nobody can change that if you don't allow it! You are meant to live in His blessing & prosperity! It’s your spiritual ‘birthright’! Let His blessing overflow and overtake you today!

The 'ark' is in you!

2 Corinthians 2:14: Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ (triumphal procession in Christ), and through us diffuses (spreads) the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

The word ‘triumph’ here means ‘to conquer, to be victorious, to rise above, or to shout aloud joyfully in a triumphal procession, with songs of praise, celebration and jubilation.’ Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him (Christ)!

This triumphal procession is likened to the procession celebrating the triumphant Roman generals in apostle Paul’s days, where they would parade the spoils of the wars that have been won, to loud cheers, joyful noise, and shouts of triumph from everyone in the streets.

Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11) was an entrance of the glory of God, with shouts of 'Hosanna', which means 'Lord, help, save us, we pray!' The original Hebrew word is 'Yesha-na' which carries the same meaning. It's also 'an exclamation of adoration' to the Lord, our Savior. Likewise, in the days of David when the ‘ark of the covenant’ was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:1-29), there was a jubilant procession of praise unto God, with singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, raising their voices with resounding joy.

Today, we are in this procession of the ‘ark of the covenant’ again. The 'ark' here is actually a 'picture' of Jesus Himself, the glory of God (the magnificence, the very presence of God), or God's leadership in battle. Beloved, know that this 'ark' is 'living' in you right now, and if He is in you, who can be against you? Your spirit 'contains' this 'ark', just as the temple in the Old Testament contained the 'ark' (in the Holy of Holies). Today, this Holy of Holies is actually your very spirit where God resides. So, wherever you go, this 'ark' is actually in you, and it is actually in 'procession' (wherever you go) all the time! Be conscious of it! And where the 'ark' is, there's always victory! Hallelujah!

Revival in the midst of bondage

Ezra 9:8b: That our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.

The key verses here are in Ezra 9:8-9. Meditate on these verses. There's hope for you to be set free from any 'bondage' (Ezra 10:2) and be revived (Ezra 9:9). 

It's time to let God revive you again. Let God revive you to His very original 'blueprint' for your life. I believe your ‘land’, your family, your ministry, your career, your business, your finance, or even your health will be revived. 'To be revived' here means 'to be brought back to life, to be brought back to what/where you should be, or to be brought back to God's very original blueprint/plan/purpose for your life'.

If you are 'stuck' in a certain 'bondage' or 'trap' in life, or if there seems to be no 'headway' in your life, or no breakthrough in what you do, there's hope for you. God has not forgotten you. Just as in Ezra’s time, there’s a way out for you, and you can be set free and revived today!

Let's look at Ezra now. He was a man who knew God, and he would never compromise with pagans' ways (unbelievers' ways or worldly ways). He did not 'go under' the status quo, norm, or bondage in his days. He stayed connected to the Lord (instead of worldly ways). So, when Ezra found out that his people (who have just returned to Jerusalem & Judah from their captivity in Babylon) were inter-marrying the pagans, instead of being 'set apart' for the Lord, he wept and bowed before the Lord (on behalf of his people) for trespassing God's covenant (Ezra 10:1-2). He pleaded for God's mercy and asked God to revive his people to His original 'blueprint' for their lives. As a result, the people did put their pagan wives away (Ezra 10:11) and then offered 'trespass offering' to the Lord (Ezra 10:19). Eventually, God revived them again.

In our days, 'inter-marrying the pagans' is a 'picture' of Christians 'inter-mingling into worldly ways/lifestyles' (instead of being 'set apart' for God), and thus falling into the bondage of worldliness. 'To fall into a bondage' is to 'go under’ the prevailing spiritual atmosphere of the land, the paganistic ways (the unbelievers’ ways/culture/lifestyles). As believers, one should be 'above' the bondage, not 'under' the bondage. Ephesians 2:6 says 'we are sitting with Christ in the heavenly places', above every form of bondage on earth. Only from this position (in Christ) can you declare change over your 'land', bondages be broken, and people are set free.

It's time to meditate again on all the dreams, visions, and prophecies that ‘you know that you know that you know’ is from the Lord for your life. Let Him revive His blueprint for your life again. When you are revived to His original plan, you’ll see shalom peace & prosperity in your life again. You’ll be strong and you'll 'eat the good of the land' again (Ezra 9:12). That was exactly what happened in Ezra's time.

Beloved, Christ has indeed become your 'trespass offering' on the cross, and you can be connected back to Christ again (John 15:5). He is the vine, and you are the branch, and you'll bear much fruit again!

God is always actively working in you!

Philippians 2:13: For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

If you think God 'used to work' in you, but now no more, consider again. If you think God has plans to 'by-pass' you, consider again. If you think God has 'forsaken' you, consider again. Philippians 2:13 in my Bible says otherwise. Let's take God at His Word. In fact, the phrase 'works in you' here is a 'present participle tense', which actually means 'always working actively in you'. So, I can paraphrase Philippians 2:13 this way: 'For it is God who is always working actively in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure'.

Beloved, if you have committed a wrong (or made a mistake) in the past, and you deeply regret it, don't linger in it anymore, whatever it may be. Don't punish (or even hate) yourself anymore. The blood of Jesus washes them all, and you are 'white as snow' again. But you've got to let go all those 'if onlys' and regrets. Closing of an old chapter, and beginning of a new chapter. It's time to behold Jesus again. He has carried all those 'wrongs' 2,000 years ago on the cross. 'To behold Jesus' is more than just 'to look to Jesus'. 'To behold Jesus' is 'to experience, to embrace Jesus'. His name is not just Ye-shua (God the Savior), but He is also your personal 'Immanuel' (God is with you). He loves to 'embrace' you again, and He wants to live in you always (& of course, He will never leave you nor forsake you). As a daddy to my little girl, Sophia, I love to embrace her in my arms, tight as can be, and smell her (especially her hair). One day, the Lord gave me a revelation how personal He is to me & how much He loves me. He said, "not only I love to embrace you in My arms, or 'smell' you (or your hair), I even count the strands of your hair everyday!" Wow! It never dawned upon me to go that far with my Sophia! But God does it to me, and I know that's how much He loves you too!

He, your Immanuel, is 'always & actively' living & working in you. His 'working in' you leads to you 'working out' your God-given will (desires), and the ability to do it (Philippians 2:12-13). Too many people in this world try to 'work out' something (or try to make things happen) by their own self-effort. But as a believer, allow Him to 'live in you' & 'work in you' first, and from here, He will birth forth new things (& good things) through you, just like 'the rivers of living waters' that flow out from you (John 7:38).

Imagine you are at the rapids now, and as you bring your 'canoe' into the fast-flowing river, its 'current' begins to bring you forward. It's the same in your life as a believer. You are like the 'canoe', and He is like the 'fast-flowing river' (who is always & actively flowing). In all His wisdom, He is always & actively leading you forward, and into your victory, in every area of your life. You see, it's definitely easier with the river 'current' than to move your 'canoe' with your 'paddle' on a dry river bed!

Today, as you begin to behold Him, I see new 'ideas' flowing through you, and out of you. I see favor flowing through you, and out of you. I see good health flowing. I see prosperity flowing. I see wisdom flowing. I see shalom peace flowing. In short, all that you ever needed is found in His embrace. When you have Him, you have every good thing! After all, He is the Source of all good things in your life!