While praying in the Spirit the other day, I saw a vision of someone holding a large, empty, oblong-shaped plate with his hands. Then, I saw another person using a ladle to scoop rice (putting more and more rice) onto the large, empty, oblong-shaped plate, until it's full.
I asked the Lord for the interpretation, and that's when I heard these words: "Surrender your hands to the Lord, and let Him anoint, touch, bless, and prosper what are in your hands, as you prepare yourself for the many supernatural manifestations, events, and healings in the year ahead!"
Indeed, people of God, your hands are in effect the extension of God's hands. Let His hands be with your hands as you get ready for a year of many supernatural manifestations, events, and healings in the year 2018!
The year 2018 is a year for you to believe 'all that you touch shall prosper', whatever your vocation or profession may be. There is every reason for you to look ahead with much anticipation and hope! The key is to allow His hands and flow with His hands, instead of going against His hands.
In Genesis 24:1-4, the Scripture says, 'Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."'
See the word 'hand' here?
In the modern culture that we live in today, taking oath of office may involve 'raising the right hand', 'placing the hand over the heart', or 'placing the hand on the Bible'. But in ancient Hebrew culture, one way of taking oath involved 'putting one's hand under someone's thigh'. Rabbi Ibn Ezra, a Jewish philosopher and biblical commentator, interpreted 'under the thigh' as 'submission to authority'. For someone to allow his hand to be sat on is a sign of submission to authority. Here, 'Abraham' speaks of 'the Lord, our Master', whereas the 'servant' speaks of 'you and I, who serve the Lord, our Master'.
This servant then went on his way to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor in obedience to his master's instructions. In Genesis 24:12-14, the Scripture says, 'Then the servant said, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' - let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."'
The expression 'give me success' here is the word 'qarah' in Hebrew, which means 'to bring about, to light upon'. In other words, the servant was looking to the Lord to bring about a divine appointment for him. To his understanding, nothing would happen 'by accident', but instead, it's the hand of the Lord that would bring about a divine appointment!
True enough, it happened that even before he had finished speaking, behold, a young, beautiful woman went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And it happened that she's Rebekah, whom the servant would soon find out her grand-uncle was Abraham! Just as his master Abraham had wanted - someone from his family and in his country to be Isaac's wife! The rest, my friend, is history.
People of God, just as this servant 'put his hand under his master's thigh' as a sign of submission to the master, you can surrender your hands to the Lord, your Master today, and you too shall find good success in all that He has called you to be (and do), as you look ahead to a great new year 2018. Amen!
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
In your worship, the Lord will stand up for you!
John 12:3 (NKJV): Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
In recent weeks, I have been preaching on the heart of worship, like that of Mary when she took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. The very word 'spikenard' here comes from the Hebrew word 'nayrd', which means 'aroma', a 'picture' of our sweet aroma of worship unto the Lord.
In cross-reference, Song of Solomon 1:12 says, 'While the king is at the table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance'. This was sung by the Shulamite (a 'picture' of 'you and I') for the king (a 'picture' of 'the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, i.e. Jesus Himself').
To worship is to surrender. It is the word 'proskuneo' in Greek, which can mean 'to prostrate oneself in total reverence and adoration towards the Lord'. To worship is to lay down your crowns before Him, no matter what other people may think or say about you. And Mary did just that by wiping the feet of Jesus with her hair. 'Hair' to a woman speaks of 'one's glory or crown'. 1 Corinthians 11:15 says, 'But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering'.
John 12:4-6 then says, 'But one of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it'.
'Three hundred denarii' was equivalent to about one year's wages for a worker those days, and that's a lot of money! It may sum up to tens of thousands of dollars today! As women rarely had inheritance those days, this jar of very expensive oil was probably Mary's only valuable thing that she had, and quite likely, her dowry. But she did not reserve any, because her focus was only on the Lord. This speaks of an 'unreserved worship', a sweet aroma of worship that pleases the Lord.
'Judas Iscariot' here speaks of 'the way and the mind of the world', i.e. 'the unrenewed mind', very much like Michal (the daughter of Saul) who despised David when she saw him leaping and dancing before the Lord as the ark entered the city of David (2 Samuel 6:16).
Watch now what John 12:7-8 says, 'But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."'
Instead of agreeing with Judas Iscariot, Jesus stood up and spoke up for Mary! And He said, "Leave her alone"! Not only that, He even went on to justify, explain, and defend what Mary had just done!
People of God, your total surrender and unreserved worship touches the heart of your Father in heaven, even if others in the world may mock at you or despise you, and see you as foolish.
And the wonderful part is, just like Mary, you too will see how the Lord is going to stand up and speak up for you, even at the most unexpected of times or circumstances!
In recent weeks, I have been preaching on the heart of worship, like that of Mary when she took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. The very word 'spikenard' here comes from the Hebrew word 'nayrd', which means 'aroma', a 'picture' of our sweet aroma of worship unto the Lord.
In cross-reference, Song of Solomon 1:12 says, 'While the king is at the table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance'. This was sung by the Shulamite (a 'picture' of 'you and I') for the king (a 'picture' of 'the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, i.e. Jesus Himself').
To worship is to surrender. It is the word 'proskuneo' in Greek, which can mean 'to prostrate oneself in total reverence and adoration towards the Lord'. To worship is to lay down your crowns before Him, no matter what other people may think or say about you. And Mary did just that by wiping the feet of Jesus with her hair. 'Hair' to a woman speaks of 'one's glory or crown'. 1 Corinthians 11:15 says, 'But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering'.
John 12:4-6 then says, 'But one of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it'.
'Three hundred denarii' was equivalent to about one year's wages for a worker those days, and that's a lot of money! It may sum up to tens of thousands of dollars today! As women rarely had inheritance those days, this jar of very expensive oil was probably Mary's only valuable thing that she had, and quite likely, her dowry. But she did not reserve any, because her focus was only on the Lord. This speaks of an 'unreserved worship', a sweet aroma of worship that pleases the Lord.
'Judas Iscariot' here speaks of 'the way and the mind of the world', i.e. 'the unrenewed mind', very much like Michal (the daughter of Saul) who despised David when she saw him leaping and dancing before the Lord as the ark entered the city of David (2 Samuel 6:16).
Watch now what John 12:7-8 says, 'But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."'
Instead of agreeing with Judas Iscariot, Jesus stood up and spoke up for Mary! And He said, "Leave her alone"! Not only that, He even went on to justify, explain, and defend what Mary had just done!
People of God, your total surrender and unreserved worship touches the heart of your Father in heaven, even if others in the world may mock at you or despise you, and see you as foolish.
And the wonderful part is, just like Mary, you too will see how the Lord is going to stand up and speak up for you, even at the most unexpected of times or circumstances!
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