'Being confident of this very thing'

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV): Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

The word 'confident' here is ‘peitho’ (pronounced ‘pi-tho’) in Greek, which can be defined as ‘assured, convinced, or having the conviction of’, and the word 'complete' here is ‘epiteleo’ in Greek, meaning 'fulfil, finish, accomplish'. 

In other words, the apostle Paul had this conviction that 'God who has begun a good work (in the saints in Philippi) will also 'fulfil, finish, accomplish' it until the day of Jesus Christ (i.e. until Jesus Christ comes)'. 

As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul was someone who 'walk the talk', a man who meant what he said, and you can see this even in his own life and ministry. In his final epistle addressed to his spiritual son (Timothy), he wrote, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day (of Jesus Christ), and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8) Indeed, the good work God had begun in his life, God had also brought it to full completion!

Someone asked me recently if there is a difference between the words 'conviction' and 'faith' from the biblical point of view. There is a fine line between these two words, but here's the difference:

‘Conviction’ = ‘what the Lord has put in your heart’.

‘Faith’ = believing what the Lord has put in your heart will be accomplished.

Notice it is the Holy Spirit who puts a conviction in you. It is not a mere presumption or a human idea.

With this conviction, comes also the faith to do what He has put in one's heart to do (or to accomplish), even when one is faced with the odds, opposition, hindrances, or mockeries.

The other day, I heard and released these prophetic words to the congregation:

“Receive the supply of My faith! Yes, even the faith to overcome all odds! Look not to the world and its troubles, but look to Me. In the midst of the storm and confusion, I will give you a lifeline, and I will sustain you. I will see to it that the good work I have begun in your life, I will also bring it to full completion.”

The word ‘odds’ here is defined as 'conditions that make it difficult for something to happen', and ‘a lifeline’ is 'a line (or rope) attached to a lifebelt thrown into the sea for saving life'.

Let's look now at Hebrews 11:1. It says 'faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'. See? Faith is a substance! It is real! It is supernatural! And it is a proof of things not seen!

And how does faith come? The Bible says 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Romans 10:17). In other words, faith is upon God's words, i.e. upon 'what God has spoken to you (or put in you)'!

The early apostles (e.g. Peter, John, Paul) had such deep conviction to preach the good news of Jesus Christ that literally nothing could stop them from advancing God's kingdom! See? It all began with the conviction in them, i.e. what the Lord had put in their hearts to do (or to be). 

Notice when there’s a conviction from the Lord to do something, there will also be faith to sustain you till the whole ‘project' is accomplished. He will supply you if you look to Him!

On the other hand, if you don’t have the conviction from the Lord to do something, it isn't easy to have the faith to do it. And without faith, nothing supernatural can happen!

Therefore, people of God, take time to listen to what He has put inside of you. Take time to hear Him and commune with Him. He can communicate with you through your inner witness, dreams, visions, thoughts, words, or prophecies. What it takes is a heart that is open before Him. Be honest and true to yourself on what He has put in your heart to do (or to be).

The below are two examples of people who walked in the conviction that the Lord had put in them.

Example 1: Abram (Genesis 12:1-5)

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country, from your family and your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him… And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran (to go to the land of Canaan).

The word ‘spoken’ here is ‘dabar’ in Hebrew, which can mean ‘arranged, commanded, appointed, declared, pronounced, promised, purposed (i.e. put in his heart to do)’.

Note:

Conviction in one’s heart usually leads to a new direction in one’s life. It wasn’t easy for anyone to ‘move into the new’ at such (old) age, but because of the conviction that the Lord had put in him, Abram did. For the record, all that the Lord had spoken to him eventually came to pass.

Example 2: Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:11-18)

Nehemiah wrote:

So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode.

Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”

And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me… So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing?”…

So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Note:

Conviction in one’s heart is ‘contagious'. It will spread to others around you. Nehemiah eventually went on to successfully complete all that the Lord had put in his heart to do, even when he was faced with opposition, hindrances and mockeries from the enemies.

People of God, like the apostle Paul and the men (and women) of faith who have gone before us, and 'since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with the endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has (now) sat down at the right hand of the throne of God' (Hebrews 12:1-2). Amen.

As I was preaching and ministering this message to the congregation recently, someone saw a vision of tongues of fire falling upon the hands of the people in the house of God, enabling those hands. 

Let the Lord enable your hands as well, whatever He has purposed for you to do. In Jesus' name. Amen.

'Like the manna that came down from heaven'

Exodus 16:15 (NKJV): So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.”

Exodus 16:31 then says, ‘And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey’. By the way, the word ‘manna’ here is ‘mawn’ in Hebrew, which simply means ‘What is it?’, and it comes from the word ‘mah’ in Hebrew, meaning ‘what’.

Indeed, Jesus was a 'sign' and a 'wonder' to the people when He came on earth some 2,000 years ago! Several times in the Scriptures can you find people saying (and asking) such about Jesus, for instance, “Who can this be?” (Luke 8:25), “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:49), or “We have seen strange and amazing things today!” (Luke 5:26).

In cross-reference, John 6:30-35 says, ‘Therefore they said to Jesus, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”’

Jesus is the bread of life, 'the manna that came down from heaven'!

Notice also that ‘manna’ wasn’t eaten just like that upon being gathered, but was ground, beaten and cooked. Here’s what Numbers 11:8 says, ‘The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil’. See the similarities between ‘manna’ and ‘Jesus’ (the 'bread') here? (read the characteristics below for details) One is in the Old Covenant, and one is in the New Covenant. ‘Manna’ is the ‘shadow’, and ‘Jesus’ is the 'substance'.

Here are some of the characteristics of ‘manna’ that points us to Jesus (the true bread from heaven):

1. White in color (Exodus 16:31) – The color ‘white’ here speaks of ‘spotless purity of Jesus’. The Bible says ‘He knew no sin’ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and ‘He is without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15).

2. Sweet to the taste, like honey (Exodus 16:31) – Jesus is described as ‘sweet to the taste’ in Song of Songs 2:3 that says, ‘Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste’. The ‘beloved’ here speaks of ‘Jesus’, who is the Lover of your soul.

3. It was ground, beaten, crushed, and baked (Numbers 11:8) – Notice Leviticus 2:1 says, ‘When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour’. In order to get fine flour for the purpose of baking, the grain has to be first ‘ground, beaten, and crushed’. This speaks of ‘the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross’, where He became your ‘burnt offering’ (Leviticus 1) and ‘grain offering’ (Leviticus 2).

4. It was given in the night (Numbers 11:9) – It was during the hours of darkness that manna was sent from heaven to the Israelites. This speaks of ‘Jesus coming to your life in times of need’, when you are in the darkest of hours, helpless, and without strength. John 1:14 says, ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth’.

And interestingly, this ‘manna’ did not fall on the ground or dust (which speaks of ‘curse’, as written in Genesis 3:17), but on the dew! Numbers 11:9 says, ‘And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it (the dew)’. 

Note: 'Dew' is defined as ‘tiny drops of moisture (water vapour in the air) condensed on cool surfaces in the night’.

You see, 'dew' cannot be created by man. It is created, given, and supplied by God, and God alone! 'Dew' here therefore speaks of God's grace (i.e. God's ability or God's supply). So, what does it mean here? Jesus (the true manna) came not with curse, but with His supply! In fact, He has carried all your curse when He died for you on the cross! (Galatians 3:13)

Know that He is indeed your unlimited Supply! In Philippians 4:19, the apostle Paul wrote, ‘And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus’. The word 'supply' here is 'pleroo' in Greek, which means ‘to furnish, to satisfy, to execute, to finish (a work), to fulfil, to complete, to perfect, to accomplish’.

And this 'supply' includes all the wisdom and discernment you need in making every decision in your life!

On the first Sunday of this month, I released these prophetic words to the congregation:

"Many of you are going to make major or key decisions in business, career, ministry, or even in your life this month. Look to Me, and I will supply you, like the manna that came down from heaven. I will even supply you with the wisdom and discernment that you need."

"In the midst of the storm and confusion, know that I am in the process of making your vision clearer than ever before. Allow Me to cleanse you and cause your conscience to be so clear, that you will move ahead without fear. Watch Me open new doors for you this month, even in ways that human cannot. Watch Me clear the path for you, and watch Me supply."

People of God, I pray that whatever decision (or decisions) you make in this crucial and important time and season of the Lord will eventually ‘catapult’ you into greater heights in your life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A time to consecrate yourself for the new things ahead!

Exodus 28:1-3 (NKJV): "Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest... And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest."

The word 'consecrate' here is 'qadash' in Hebrew, which can mean 'to be made clean, to be made holy, to be purified (sanctified), to be set apart, to be prepared for the Lord to use'.

The above was the instruction from the Lord to Moses, as Aaron (his brother) was being prepared for something new those days, that is 'to minister to the Lord as priest'.

The 'holy garments' ('priestly garments' or 'garments of the temple') here speaks of 'God's holiness and righteousness imputed upon you' (Isaiah 61:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21). The Talmud (a collection of Jewish civil and ceremonial laws and traditions) actually has a part that is translated this way: 'While they are clothed in the priestly garments, they are clothed in priesthood; but when they are not wearing the garments, the priesthood is not upon them'. It means no priest (neither the priest nor the high priest himself) is fit to serve in the temple unless he is wearing the holy garments.

Now, how do you relate the 'priestly garments' to a believer in the New Covenant? 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, 'But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy'. See the words 'now' here?

Indeed, you and I are the 'royal priesthood' of today! In other words, you and I are being 'set apart, prepared for the Lord to use' in the specific calling or vocation that God has called each of us to fulfil on this earth!

During a time of worship and prayer recently, I heard and released these words:
"Consecrate your walk with Me again. Train up your walk with Me again, like Enoch walked with Me. For this is the time I am preparing you for the many new things in the days ahead."

From the prophetic words above, 'to consecrate' can also be defined as 'to dedicate yourself for God to begin working (in you and through you)'.

Indeed, He is preparing to do many new things in you (and through you) in the days ahead! New creativity and ideas are being released to God's people like never before! New ways of doing things are also being released like you have never imagined before! Indeed, He is a God who always does new things! And He is not done with it yet! In fact, scientists have acknowledged that new stars and new galaxies are still being created even now in the physical realm! (Source: Institute for Creation Research)

People of God, watch how He is going to do new things for you as well! It is therefore a high time for you to refresh and renew your walk with Him again, whatever your calling or vocation may be on this earth!

By the way, 'walking with God' means 'walking alongside Him, traveling with Him (hand in hand), and following Him continually'.

In Genesis 5:24, the Bible says, '... Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him'. Very interestingly, this name 'Enoch' ('khanoke' in Hebrew) means 'dedicated', from the word 'khawnak', which can mean 'to dedicate, to consecrate, to train up (i.e. to prepare for something)'. As you can see here, Enoch was a good example of someone who had dedicated himself to walk with God all through his life on earth (until the day God 'took him up'). In short, his walk was a dedicated walk.

Hebrews 11:5 says, 'By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him" ; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God'. 

The word 'pleased God' here has been misunderstood by many. It is 'euarestos' in Greek, which actually means 'to be fully agreeable with God (and His ways)'. Indeed, His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). As you can see here, the writer of Hebrews 11:5 meant 'Enoch was fully agreeable with God (and His ways)'. This, my friend, is the essence of a genuine and fulfilling walk with God. 

'Enoch' here is also a 'typology' of 'God's people (you and I) awaiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). We are the 'bride', and He is the 'bridegroom' (Revelation 21:9-11, Revelation 22:16-17). And as we await for that glorious day of His coming, let us all also 'continue to walk with Him' (Galatians 5:16-18) and 'keep (wearing) His (holy and righteous) garments' (Revelation 16:15), bringing glory to God till the very end. Amen!