Esther 2:5 (NKJV): In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair...
Mordecai was the one man who actually paved the way for Esther to become queen and eventually, Israel's great deliverance. It didn't begin too well for him though, but in the end, the Lord turned things around for him and promoted him greatly. In the last chapter of the book of Esther, the Word of God says, 'the king advanced him (Mordecai)' and 'Mordecai the Jew was second to the king (Ahasuerus) and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren' (see Esther 10:2-3).
By the way, the name 'Mordecai' shares the same Hebrew root word as 'murdaph' (which means 'persecuted') and 'radaph' (which means 'to be hunted after, or to be chased with hostile intent'). And the word 'Jair' (pronounced 'Yair' in Hebrew) which means 'Enlightener' is from the root word 'owr' (meaning 'light'). This word 'owr' here is the same as in Isaiah 60:1 that says, 'Arise, shine, for your light ('owr') has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you'.
You see, it doesn't mean when your 'light' has come (or if you have the 'light'), you will have no 'persecution' on earth. The 'enemy' for one will not like it, and therefore will try to 'strike' first. Just look at Jesus Himself. Right after 'the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him and anointed Him', and just as He was about to begin His earthly ministry, there were already people who wanted to kill Him! (see Luke 4:18-29) The same it was with Paul (the foremost preacher of the gospel of grace). Not long after the great light experience, 'persecution' followed rather quickly too! (see Acts 9:3-4, Acts 13:47-50)
But fear not! Because you are on His side, and you are in the 'light'! Jesus is your true 'Light' (John 1:9). When the 'light' comes, darkness has no choice but to flee! As a matter of fact, 'light' always has authority over 'darkness'. The 'enemy' may have a big 'roar', but unlike the Lion of Judah, he is nothing but a 'toothless lion'! (Psalm 3:7) In other words, he may try to 'scare' you, but he cannot hurt you. Luke 10:19 promises, 'Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you'. See the word 'nothing' here? 'No thing'! 'Nothing whatsoever' can hurt you! In fact, more often than not, your 'promotion' is also coming your way! The glory of the Lord will be seen upon you! There will be an increase in anointing! There will even be promotion in the physical realm!
Matthew 5:10-12 says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." These were the words of Jesus Himself.
Note: Having written the above, I'm not implying that you ask for persecution. Far from it! However, if persecution arises (especially when the Lord has called you to embark on something unprecedented, to break new ground for Him, or to stand firmly on His 'blueprint' for your life/ministry), God will back you up and He will also give you the wisdom to handle it. Amen.
For Mordecai, it all began when 'all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman... But he (Mordecai) would not bow and pay homage. When Haman saw that he (Mordecai) did not bow or pay homage, Haman was filled with wrath... and he sought to destroy all the Jews (i.e. God's people) who were throughout the whole kingdom of (king) Ahasuerus' (see Esther 3:2-6). Interestingly, the name 'Haman' comes from the same Hebrew root word 'Hamam', which means 'to put in commotion, to disturb, to break, to trouble'. But God! Things turned around miraculously and quickly within just one day, and the decree to destroy, kill, and annihilate God's people was reversed! In short, the exact opposite happened! (see Esther 8:1-17) God is great!
Recently, the Lord released these words during a time of worship and prayer:
"I am sending new rain! I am sending new rain that makes all things new; that takes away shame!"
People of God, have you been 'persecuted' in any way for righteousness' sake recently? Or maybe you have been unfairly judged (or spoken ill of) by someone in your workplace (or circle of friends) just because you chose to stand firmly on God's ground. Whatever your 'persecution' may be, take heart, for God is not dead, but He is still very much alive in your situation. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and He can also turn things around for you and make a way out for you (even in the most impossible of situations), just as He did for Mordecai. Yes, indeed, His new rain has come upon you. Receive by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
A call to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God
Psalm 146:8 (NKJV): ...The Lord raises those who are bowed down...
The word 'bowed' here is 'kaphaph' in Hebrew, having the same root word as 'kaphan', which means 'to hunger for, to yearn for, or to stoop (lowering down) humbly in emptiness (before God)' in the context of the verse above.
Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life'. Here, the word 'humility' is 'anavah' in Hebrew, which means 'condescension (i.e. lowering oneself), modest and meek (before the Lord)'.
See the words 'lowering down' and 'lowering oneself' in the above paragraphs? By the way, humbling (or lowering) oneself before God is first and foremost inward (in the heart), instead of an outward religious act. So here, it isn't so much about bowing down one's head (or body), but bowing down one's heart.
1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV) says, "...'God resists the proud, but gives grace (i.e. His supply, His ability) to the humble'. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."
According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the word 'humble' here is 'tapeinoo' in Greek, which means 'to lower oneself, to bring low, to abase (before God), to be humiliated in circumstances or in disposition'. See the words 'lower oneself' again?
From the above, you can also see there are two ways to humble:
1. In circumstances, i.e. when one is forced to be humbled by circumstances.
2. In disposition, i.e. when one chooses to humble now (or places oneself to humble now).
In fact, some of you are even led to go into a time of fasting. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and help you as you fast. Take this time to worship, meditate on the Word of God, and pray in the spirit. As a believer in the New Covenant, just remember that you don't fast to try to earn (or strive for) God's merit or favor. In Christ, you already have God's favor (because of what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross). One good reason to fast is so that your flesh can be 'tamed' (or 'humbled'), and your spirit can be 'sensitized' to hear from Him clearly again. In short, your spirit will have the 'upper hand' over your flesh (or the flesh's desires) as you fast.
James 4:6-7 (NKJV) says, "But He gives more grace (i.e. more of His supply, His ability). Therefore He says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
You see, He is a God who always wants to give us grace (and more grace). The key is to humble ourselves before Him. The word 'submit' here is rather interesting. It is 'hupotasso' in Greek, which can mean 'to subordinate (for He is superior), to be obedient to Him, or to be subjected to Him' in the context of this verse.
So, to humble before God is also to obey (or follow) all His instructions and directions for your life (even above all your own ways). And when you allow yourself to be subjected to Him, you will not be subjected to the devil. These are antagonistic. When you have one, you won't have the other. Therefore, if you choose to be subjected to Him, the devil has no choice but to flee from you.
Recently, I heard these words during a time of prayer:
"This is a time to humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. There is a call for such. As you humble, you will receive new strategies for the months ahead. Some of you will also receive directions and instructions to re-strategize, to approach things in a new way, and to see or do things in a new way. A time to give Him your own confidence in the flesh, thinking that you can do it by your own strength or intelligence. A time to also let go of the things that you thought you know so well, the ways that you have always known, even the old things that you hang on to."
He is indeed shaking His Body at the moment (and this will eventually rub off on the nations) to prepare for His Coming. Whatever that can be shaken will be shaken. He is shaking every work of the flesh in His Body (the Church), every 'man-made' way, or things/structures/systems that are not from Him. But take heart. As long as we are willing to be corrected and stay humble before Him, He will surely work in us and through us for His glory in this end-time. Amen.
The word 'bowed' here is 'kaphaph' in Hebrew, having the same root word as 'kaphan', which means 'to hunger for, to yearn for, or to stoop (lowering down) humbly in emptiness (before God)' in the context of the verse above.
Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life'. Here, the word 'humility' is 'anavah' in Hebrew, which means 'condescension (i.e. lowering oneself), modest and meek (before the Lord)'.
See the words 'lowering down' and 'lowering oneself' in the above paragraphs? By the way, humbling (or lowering) oneself before God is first and foremost inward (in the heart), instead of an outward religious act. So here, it isn't so much about bowing down one's head (or body), but bowing down one's heart.
1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV) says, "...'God resists the proud, but gives grace (i.e. His supply, His ability) to the humble'. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."
According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the word 'humble' here is 'tapeinoo' in Greek, which means 'to lower oneself, to bring low, to abase (before God), to be humiliated in circumstances or in disposition'. See the words 'lower oneself' again?
From the above, you can also see there are two ways to humble:
1. In circumstances, i.e. when one is forced to be humbled by circumstances.
2. In disposition, i.e. when one chooses to humble now (or places oneself to humble now).
In fact, some of you are even led to go into a time of fasting. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and help you as you fast. Take this time to worship, meditate on the Word of God, and pray in the spirit. As a believer in the New Covenant, just remember that you don't fast to try to earn (or strive for) God's merit or favor. In Christ, you already have God's favor (because of what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross). One good reason to fast is so that your flesh can be 'tamed' (or 'humbled'), and your spirit can be 'sensitized' to hear from Him clearly again. In short, your spirit will have the 'upper hand' over your flesh (or the flesh's desires) as you fast.
James 4:6-7 (NKJV) says, "But He gives more grace (i.e. more of His supply, His ability). Therefore He says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
You see, He is a God who always wants to give us grace (and more grace). The key is to humble ourselves before Him. The word 'submit' here is rather interesting. It is 'hupotasso' in Greek, which can mean 'to subordinate (for He is superior), to be obedient to Him, or to be subjected to Him' in the context of this verse.
So, to humble before God is also to obey (or follow) all His instructions and directions for your life (even above all your own ways). And when you allow yourself to be subjected to Him, you will not be subjected to the devil. These are antagonistic. When you have one, you won't have the other. Therefore, if you choose to be subjected to Him, the devil has no choice but to flee from you.
Recently, I heard these words during a time of prayer:
"This is a time to humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. There is a call for such. As you humble, you will receive new strategies for the months ahead. Some of you will also receive directions and instructions to re-strategize, to approach things in a new way, and to see or do things in a new way. A time to give Him your own confidence in the flesh, thinking that you can do it by your own strength or intelligence. A time to also let go of the things that you thought you know so well, the ways that you have always known, even the old things that you hang on to."
He is indeed shaking His Body at the moment (and this will eventually rub off on the nations) to prepare for His Coming. Whatever that can be shaken will be shaken. He is shaking every work of the flesh in His Body (the Church), every 'man-made' way, or things/structures/systems that are not from Him. But take heart. As long as we are willing to be corrected and stay humble before Him, He will surely work in us and through us for His glory in this end-time. Amen.
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