"My Church is to be full of My Spirit!"

I woke up the other day hearing these words from the Lord:
"My Church is to be full of My Spirit!"

Then, I heard further:
"My Church is to be full of My Spirit! Tell My people My Church cannot be crippled, and My Church cannot be weakened! Learn from the mistakes of Samson!"

Why Samson? And what does Samson have to do with the Church?
Here's a little background on Samson. Judges 13:1-5 says, 'Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."'

The name 'Samson' is 'Shimshown' in Hebrew, literally meaning 'sunlight', from the word 'shemesh' which means 'sun, light (or ray) of the sun', and the word 'Nazirite' is 'Naziyr' in Hebrew, meaning 'consecrated, set apart', from the word 'nazar', which means 'to separate (from impurities)'.

And here's the prophetic meaning of 'Samson' and 'Nazirite' relating to the Church in this end-time: 'Samson' and 'Nazirite' speak of 'the Church today', called as 'the light to the world' (Matthew 5:14-16), and 'consecrated, set apart' from the ways of this world! (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The Church (i.e. the people of God) doing great exploits!
Regarding the Church, Jesus says, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock (i.e. the confession and revelation of who Jesus is), I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

Now, you can see the similarities with Samson, who moved with great power and strength of the Lord, and did great exploits for the Lord as well. Judges 14:6 says, 'And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat...', and Judges 15:14-15 says, 'Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it'.
Note: Of course in the New Covenant today, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of darkness of this age, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

See the words 'the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him' here? Similarly, the Church in the New Covenant have also been endued with the power from on high to do great exploits for the Lord! Acts 1:8 says, 'But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth'.

Learning from the mistakes of Samson
Judges 16:1 says, 'Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her'.
Judges 16:4-5 says, 'Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."'
Judges 16:16-17 says, 'And it came to pass, when she (Delilah) pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was drained (distressed, vexed) to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."'
And Judges 16:19 says, 'Then she (Delilah) lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him'.

In Bible-study, we can learn both from the victories and mistakes of those who have gone before us. Here are the lessons that the Church in the end time should learn from, so that we will not be crippled and weakened like Samson:
1. The importance of walking in the holiness of the Lord (see 1 Corinthians 6:15-20)
2. Never give in to the pestering or pressures of the people (or things) of this world!

What do the seven locks represent?
Have you ever wondered why there were seven locks on Samson's head? I mean, why not a pony tail, two locks, three locks, six locks, or nine locks? Why seven locks? There is no insignificant details in the Bible. Before I answer this question, let's read Numbers 6:5, 'All the days of the vow of a Nazirite's separation, no razor shall come upon his head... Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow'.

The Old Testament is the 'shadow', and the New Testament is the 'substance'. Let Scripture interpret Scripture now. Revelation 4:5 says, 'And from the throne (of God) proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God'.

These 'seven locks' are therefore 'symbolic' and a 'picture' of the 'seven Spirits (or seven fold Spirits) of the Lord' mentioned in Revelation 4:5!

In other words, if these 'seven' are being 'cut away' from the Body of Christ (i.e. the Church), the Church is crippled and weakened, just as happened to Samson!

What are these 'seven Spirits'?
Let Scripture interpret Scripture again. These seven Spirits can be found in Isaiah 11:1-2 that spoke about Jesus Himself, 'There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord'.

By the way, 'seven' is the number in Hebrew for 'perfection, purification, consecration, and sovereignty (i.e. supreme power)', and it is also the number for 'the Holy Spirit'.

Seven aspects of the One Spirit (according to Isaiah 11:2):
1. The Spirit of the Lord (YHWH, Self-Existent, Eternal)
2. The Spirit of wisdom ('chokmah' = wisdom)
3. The Spirit of understanding ('biynah' = discerning)
4. The Spirit of counsel ('etsah' = advice, purpose)
5. The Spirit of might ('gibbor' = power, strength)
6. The Spirit of knowledge ('dahath' = knowledge)
7. The Spirit of the fear of the Lord ('yirah' = reverence)

People of God, receive all these in your life and in your church today! And that explains why the Lord has spoken so vividly the other day: "My Church is to be full of My Spirit!" Let it be so! Amen!

A time to stay steadfast and immovable in the Lord!

While praying in the spirit the other day, I saw a vision of a man standing on a big rock and in another vision, a sword piercing upwards from the earth through dark clouds, dispersing those dark clouds. 

I asked the Lord what these visions meant, and that's when the Lord said:
"This is a time to stay steadfast and stand on the Rock that I have given you! Fear not, for I am your Rock, and in Me, you cannot be shaken and will not be shaken, even in this time of shifting sands that's happening in the world at the moment!"

'Shifting sands' = situations/things that change frequently and unpredictably, like the surface and appearance of the desert being changed every time there is a sandstorm.

And the Lord said further:

"For I have also given you My sword! Use it! Wield it! Don't be afraid to use it and wield it, for this sword will break through even the darkest clouds that the enemy has cast against you!"

'Sword' here is symbolic of 'the Word of God' (see Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17, Revelation 1:16).

Stand on the Rock!

In Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus says, "Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." In Matthew 7:26-27, Jesus then says the contrast, "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

Who is this 'Rock' that Jesus has mentioned? 

Let Scripture interpret Scripture. In cross-reference, 1 Corinthians 10:4 says, '...For they drank of that Spiritual Rock... and that Rock was Christ'. 

Note: The word 'rock' here in both Matthew 7:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 10:4 is 'petra' in Greek, meaning 'the mass of rock', a 'picture' of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Stay steadfast and immovable in the Lord!

In 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, the apostle Paul wrote, 'But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. THEREFORE, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord'.

Notice just before 1 Corinthians 15:58 is 1 Corinthians 15:57 that says, 'But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ'! You know what this means? Because you already have the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ (and what He has done for you on the cross), THEREFORE you can now be steadfast and immovable in Him, no matter what happens in the world around you! See the word 'THEREFORE' here?

By the way, the word 'steadfast' here is from the word 'hezomai' in Greek, meaning 'settled, steady, solid, unwavering', and the word 'immovable' here can mean 'refuse to be moved when the rest of the crowd is running away'.

Is there anywhere in the Bible that proves the above?

The answer is yes! Let's go to the Old Testament now, and look at 2 Samuel 23:11-12 (NKJV). These verses say, '...The Philistines had gathered into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. BUT SHAMMAH STATIONED HIMSELF in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory'. 

The word 'stationed' (or 'stood' in KJV) here is 'yatsab' in Hebrew, literally meaning 'stand firm, stand your ground, remain unwavered'. And because of what he did (when every one else ran for their lives), Shammah (one of David's mighty men) saw the manifestation of the Lord's great victory!

How to wield the Sword of the Lord?

Revelation 1:12-18 (NKJV) says, 'Then I (John) turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band, His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I AM the First and the Last. I AM He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."'

Who the apostle John described here is none other but our Lord Jesus Christ Himself! He is the I AM, He was dead, but now He lives forevermore! And because He lives forevermore, 'death' (and every 'dead situation' in your life) has been swallowed up in His victory! (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

Notice 'out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword'? Hebrews 4:12 says, 'For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart', and Ephesians 6:17 says, 'And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God'.

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of darkness of this age, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12). The one offensive weapon that the Lord has taught us to use and wield is that two-edged sword (i.e. the Word of God)! As He uses His mouth to speak forth the Word, so should you be today! (1 John 4:17)

Use your mouth to declare these words: 

"I declare this 'dead situation' of mine .....(mention that situation, whatever it may be)..... has been swallowed up in Christ's victory! I believe and receive my breakthrough and victory today! In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord! Hallelujah!"

Therefore, beloved of God, stay steadfast and immovable in the Lord your God! Speak what the Word of God says, not what man says! And you'll be on your way to see your manifested victory too! Amen!

Prophetic words for the Hebrew year 5777

Here are the prophetic words for the Hebrew year 5777 (released at Triumph in Christ on Sunday, October 2, 2016):
"This is a key year to take back what you have lost. For I will give you My sword, and I will give you a new zeal! This is a year of My Church arising! Let My Church arise! Let My Church arise! This is a year My Church will begin to arise in ways that the world has never seen or thought possible!"

'My sword' = revelation in the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12, Revelation 12:11).
'New zeal' = a new zeal for His house (John 2:13-17).

"This is a year to gain new territories and walk into the new territories. The enemy will try to make you think otherwise, but I will send you My supplies, and I will send you My ammunitions, even in ways that you have never expected it to happen."

'My supplies' speaks of 'support'.
'My ammunitions' speaks of 'weapons'.

'New territories' speaks of:
- areas you have never been before;
- things you have never done before.

Instructions from the Lord as you cross over the Hebrew year 5777:
"Keep sowing seeds of My love and My kindness, no matter how turbulent this world has become! Keep sowing seeds of My Word! For whatever a man sows, he will also reap! Do not grow weary while doing good, for in due season, you will surely reap, if you do not lose heart."

Galatians 6:7-10 says, 'Do not be deceived. God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith'.

In Matthew 25:31-40, Jesus says, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"

As I was asking the Lord what the 'ammunitions' mean in the prophetic words for the year 5777, the Lord then gave a key chapter for this coming year: 1 Corinthians 13.
Not missiles, bombs, 'lone wolves', or suicide squads, and contrary to what many people think, the answer is God's love and kindness.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, 'Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing'.

'love' = 'agapê' in Greek = benevolence (love + kindness).

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 then says, 'Love suffers long (is patient) and love is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away'.

'kind' here is from the word 'chrestos' in Greek, meaning 'goodness, and gracious' (not just in words, but in action).

The love and compassion of Jesus
Matthew 9:35-38 says, 'Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."'

People of God, as we usher in the new Hebrew year 5777 (leading us into the secular year 2017), receive the love of God from on high. This love is God's heavenly love. This love will not fail, when everything else on earth fails. This love is the love of Christ. Romans 5:5 says, 'Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us'.

As you receive this love that never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8) and be filled with His love, let this love overflow to others. Amen.