1 Kings 8:10-11 (NKJV): And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
The word 'glory' here is 'kabowd' in Hebrew, and it can mean 'splendor, magnificence, honor, or weight'. That is to say the glory of the Lord is real, is present, and is tangible. You can experience it, and you can be filled (and saturated) with it. It is the very presence of the Lord and people can actually sense and see the glory of the Lord in you! (Isaiah 60:1-3)
When this glory of the Lord filled the temple that Solomon built, even the priests could not continue ministering. Nothing of the flesh mattered anymore. The Lord took over entirely, and from then on, it's all about Him (and none about the works of man). What Solomon could do at that time was simply saying, "The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever".
Solomon then turned around and released blessing to the whole assembly of Israel, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it..."
Today, as believers in the New Covenant, you and I have become this temple (not made of stones). 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, 'Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own'.
The Lord spoke these words recently: "Prepare yourselves, for My glory is coming, even in ways you have not imagined possible! I have begun raising up a people who will be carriers of My glory, and the world will see it! Just as in the days of Solomon when the temple was prepared, get ready My people, for My glory is coming, and My Spirit is taking over! Nothing of the flesh matters anymore!"
People of God, when the glory of the Lord is with you, two things happen.
First, you will begin walking in greater blessings. You will know, and the world will also see this in you. Jesus is the prime example of being the carrier of God's glory. After all, He is the glory of God manifested!
When evening came, and the people were hungry, His disciples had wanted to send the multitudes away. But Jesus said, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." But they said to Him, "We only have five loaves and two fish." Jesus then took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes. They were all filled, and had even twelve baskets full of leftover. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children (see Matthew 14:15-21).
Second, the evil one cannot have a hold on you, or 'touch' you. You will have divine protection, and no matter how the 'enemies' try to pull you down, they will not succeed. Let's look at Jesus again, because He is the prime example of being the carrier of God's glory.
When those in the synagogue jumped up, mobbed Him and tried to push Him off a cliff, Jesus somehow passed right through the crowd and went on His way (see Luke 4:28-30). And right before His arrest, when Judas the betrayer (accompanied by the Roman soldiers and temple guards) came over, Jesus stood up and asked, "Who are you looking for?" They replied, "Jesus the Nazarene." Jesus then said, "I AM HE." And as He said, "I AM HE", they all drew back and fell to the ground! (see John 18:1-6) Speaking of God's power at play! You see, no one could 'touch' Him unless He willingly give Himself up!
The keys to being a carrier of God's glory:
1. Full of the Word
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 (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)
2. Full of the Spirit
And when they (the disciples of Christ) had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31 NKJV)
3. Worship & surrender
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him (Romans 12:1 NLT)
4. Truthfulness, honesty & integrity
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom (Psalm 51:6 NKJV)
5. Holiness & purity
Therefore, having these promises (being a temple of Holy Spirit), beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1 NKJV)
Friday, April 12, 2019
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Don't take matters into your own hands
The Lord says:
"My people shall be set free from bitterness! My people shall walk in healing and sweet waters! Even when you've been betrayed, unfairly treated, taken advantage of, or falsely accused of, do not take matters into your own hands. For I have spoken, 'Vengeance is Mine, and I shall repay'. Trust in Me and look to Me instead, and I will cause you to see your vindication in due time!"
Have you been in a situation when you've been betrayed, unfairly treated, taken advantage of, or falsely accused of something? Take heart, because the Lord knows how to vindicate you and defend you, when you look to Him. Romans 12:19 (NKJV) says, 'Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord'. Romans 12:19 (NLT) says it this way, 'Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord'.
I would like to point you to someone named Absalom in the Bible. It was a tragic ending for him, but it needn't have been so. Indeed, we have much to learn not just from the success stories in the Bible, but also the tragic stories in the Bible.
Absalom has always been portrayed in a bad light in Bible studies. But the truth is he did not become bad overnight! In fact, he started off as a good boy and a good brother! It was only after his beloved sister (Tamar) was raped by his half-brother (Amnon) that he allowed bitterness to set in, and unfortunately, this bitterness in him grew! (see 2 Samuel 13:1-21)
Here, we learn bitterness (that is not dealt with) will lead to a person committing more and more wrongs. The Bible says Absalom hated Amnon because he (Amnon) had forced himself on his sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13:21). Revenge has been in his mind since then. And he waited two full years before he finally got his opportunity - by getting his servants to kill a drunk Amnon at a feast! (2 Samuel 13:23-29)
Instead of looking to the Lord and letting the Lord take over, Absalom took matters into his own hands. As a consequence, he had no choice but to flee (2 Samuel 13:37-38). Not many years after that, he rebelled against his own father (David), usurping his own father's reign as king (2 Samuel 15:1-6). The Bible says he stole the hearts of the men of Israel (2 Samuel 15:6).
Now, the big question is why did Absalom eventually conspire to topple his own father (David)? Here are the likely root causes. Maybe he felt his father had not done enough to protect his beloved sister? Or maybe he felt his father had not done enough justice as the head of the family? In other words, Absalom kept hurts against his own father. For the record, Amnon was the eldest son of King David, whereas Absalom was the third son (from a different mother). So, there's always a possibility that Absalom felt his own family had not been treated fairly, or given enough attention. In a polygamous family like David's, there're bound to be jealousies, insecurities, conspiracies, and competition among the wives and children (from the different mothers).
Beloved, maybe you too feel your own parents (or leaders, superiors, comrades, etc) have not done enough for you, or have failed you? Forgive. Let go. Don't let bitterness set in and grow any further. Look to the Lord instead, because He loves you, and He knows how to take over from here. Receive your healing waters from heaven right now.
Cut the long story short, Absalom eventually died during a battle with his own father's army (2 Samuel 18:9-15). It needn't have been so. What a tragic ending to someone who was so talented and full of charisma; someone who could have been greatly used by the Lord for His kingdom. Upon hearing the news of Absalom's death, David wept bitterly and mourned for his son (2 Samuel 18:33).
Lesson learned. Bitterness kills. It's not worth it at all to keep bitterness in our soul. One thing will lead to another, and it only leads to further misery. Be set free therefore from bitterness, and begin to walk in healing and sweet waters. Amen.
"My people shall be set free from bitterness! My people shall walk in healing and sweet waters! Even when you've been betrayed, unfairly treated, taken advantage of, or falsely accused of, do not take matters into your own hands. For I have spoken, 'Vengeance is Mine, and I shall repay'. Trust in Me and look to Me instead, and I will cause you to see your vindication in due time!"
Have you been in a situation when you've been betrayed, unfairly treated, taken advantage of, or falsely accused of something? Take heart, because the Lord knows how to vindicate you and defend you, when you look to Him. Romans 12:19 (NKJV) says, 'Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord'. Romans 12:19 (NLT) says it this way, 'Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord'.
I would like to point you to someone named Absalom in the Bible. It was a tragic ending for him, but it needn't have been so. Indeed, we have much to learn not just from the success stories in the Bible, but also the tragic stories in the Bible.
Absalom has always been portrayed in a bad light in Bible studies. But the truth is he did not become bad overnight! In fact, he started off as a good boy and a good brother! It was only after his beloved sister (Tamar) was raped by his half-brother (Amnon) that he allowed bitterness to set in, and unfortunately, this bitterness in him grew! (see 2 Samuel 13:1-21)
Here, we learn bitterness (that is not dealt with) will lead to a person committing more and more wrongs. The Bible says Absalom hated Amnon because he (Amnon) had forced himself on his sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13:21). Revenge has been in his mind since then. And he waited two full years before he finally got his opportunity - by getting his servants to kill a drunk Amnon at a feast! (2 Samuel 13:23-29)
Instead of looking to the Lord and letting the Lord take over, Absalom took matters into his own hands. As a consequence, he had no choice but to flee (2 Samuel 13:37-38). Not many years after that, he rebelled against his own father (David), usurping his own father's reign as king (2 Samuel 15:1-6). The Bible says he stole the hearts of the men of Israel (2 Samuel 15:6).
Now, the big question is why did Absalom eventually conspire to topple his own father (David)? Here are the likely root causes. Maybe he felt his father had not done enough to protect his beloved sister? Or maybe he felt his father had not done enough justice as the head of the family? In other words, Absalom kept hurts against his own father. For the record, Amnon was the eldest son of King David, whereas Absalom was the third son (from a different mother). So, there's always a possibility that Absalom felt his own family had not been treated fairly, or given enough attention. In a polygamous family like David's, there're bound to be jealousies, insecurities, conspiracies, and competition among the wives and children (from the different mothers).
Beloved, maybe you too feel your own parents (or leaders, superiors, comrades, etc) have not done enough for you, or have failed you? Forgive. Let go. Don't let bitterness set in and grow any further. Look to the Lord instead, because He loves you, and He knows how to take over from here. Receive your healing waters from heaven right now.
Cut the long story short, Absalom eventually died during a battle with his own father's army (2 Samuel 18:9-15). It needn't have been so. What a tragic ending to someone who was so talented and full of charisma; someone who could have been greatly used by the Lord for His kingdom. Upon hearing the news of Absalom's death, David wept bitterly and mourned for his son (2 Samuel 18:33).
Lesson learned. Bitterness kills. It's not worth it at all to keep bitterness in our soul. One thing will lead to another, and it only leads to further misery. Be set free therefore from bitterness, and begin to walk in healing and sweet waters. Amen.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Be awakened to walk into your God-given callings!
The Lord says,
"It is a time of awakening! Be awakened to walk into your God-given callings and assignments on earth! Never doubt, for I will never leave you nor forsake you! I am in the midst of exposing the plans of the enemy that comes against My people! Look to Me, for I will fight for you, and I will defend you!"
If you look at the origin of this word 'awaken', it comes from two English words, namely 'on' and 'waken'. Indeed, this is your time to 'switch on', and not 'switch off' in fulfilling all that the Lord has called you to be on earth! And this is your time to 'be awakened', and not 'slumber'; for the Lord is in the midst of raising up His people for the greater glory that's coming!
Not just that, He has even begun exposing the plans of the enemy in ways you've never seen before! Like the days of Paul when he confronted the spirit of divination! (Acts 16:16-18) The spirit of divination is in effect a satanic spirit from the forces of darkness. It is any spirit that claims to be the truth, but is not. The word 'divination' here simply means 'to be inspired by a god (it can be any god, but not the true and living God)'.
And we are now living in a time when whatever can be shaken, will be shaken! (Hebrews 12:27) Like the days of Paul when the foundations of the prison that kept him bound were shaken to the core, and everyone's chains were loosed! (Acts 16:25-34) Indeed, nothing that originates from the enemy or from the flesh can stand this shaking time! Every 'foundation' built by the enemy shall be shaken to the core! And every man-made ways (be it in the church, or in the world) shall also be shaken to the core! So, people of God, don't just listen and be easily swayed by the voices (or ideas) of this fallen world! But instead, listen to the sound of mighty waters that has already been released in the spiritual realm! Ezekiel 43:2 says, 'And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory'.
You may ask, "How do I fulfill my part in this time of greater glory?"
In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul exhorted Timothy, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
Now, how do you 'stir up' the gifts given to you? You 'stir up' the gifts given to you by beginning to use them wherever you are, and wherever He puts you! Don't wait until you are given a 'formal position' before you start using them, because that's not how the Lord worked in the early church! The early disciples were full of the Spirit and were led by the Spirit; and they were preaching, teaching and making disciples wherever the Lord put them, be it in the marketplace, or in every village, town, and city that the Lord led them to! And as they walked in it, the Lord will also know how to set up divine appointments for them. When Paul responded to a vision of a Macedonian man standing and pleading with him to come over, concluding that the Lord had called him to preach the gospel there, the Lord did His part by setting up a divine appointment through Lydia who opened her home! (see Acts 16:9-15)
By the way, the words 'stir up' here is 'anazopureo' in Greek, consisting of three words, namely 'zo' (bring to life), 'pureo' (kindle the fire), and 'ana' (up). In other words, 'bringing to life' and 'kindling the fire' (whatever the Lord has given to you) by using them! And you have nothing to fear, for God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind!
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus Himself said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." You see, in Him, you too have the highest authority and mandate, and the Lord has promised that He will be with you till the end of age! Be who God has called you to be! Amen!
"It is a time of awakening! Be awakened to walk into your God-given callings and assignments on earth! Never doubt, for I will never leave you nor forsake you! I am in the midst of exposing the plans of the enemy that comes against My people! Look to Me, for I will fight for you, and I will defend you!"
If you look at the origin of this word 'awaken', it comes from two English words, namely 'on' and 'waken'. Indeed, this is your time to 'switch on', and not 'switch off' in fulfilling all that the Lord has called you to be on earth! And this is your time to 'be awakened', and not 'slumber'; for the Lord is in the midst of raising up His people for the greater glory that's coming!
Not just that, He has even begun exposing the plans of the enemy in ways you've never seen before! Like the days of Paul when he confronted the spirit of divination! (Acts 16:16-18) The spirit of divination is in effect a satanic spirit from the forces of darkness. It is any spirit that claims to be the truth, but is not. The word 'divination' here simply means 'to be inspired by a god (it can be any god, but not the true and living God)'.
And we are now living in a time when whatever can be shaken, will be shaken! (Hebrews 12:27) Like the days of Paul when the foundations of the prison that kept him bound were shaken to the core, and everyone's chains were loosed! (Acts 16:25-34) Indeed, nothing that originates from the enemy or from the flesh can stand this shaking time! Every 'foundation' built by the enemy shall be shaken to the core! And every man-made ways (be it in the church, or in the world) shall also be shaken to the core! So, people of God, don't just listen and be easily swayed by the voices (or ideas) of this fallen world! But instead, listen to the sound of mighty waters that has already been released in the spiritual realm! Ezekiel 43:2 says, 'And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory'.
You may ask, "How do I fulfill my part in this time of greater glory?"
In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul exhorted Timothy, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
Now, how do you 'stir up' the gifts given to you? You 'stir up' the gifts given to you by beginning to use them wherever you are, and wherever He puts you! Don't wait until you are given a 'formal position' before you start using them, because that's not how the Lord worked in the early church! The early disciples were full of the Spirit and were led by the Spirit; and they were preaching, teaching and making disciples wherever the Lord put them, be it in the marketplace, or in every village, town, and city that the Lord led them to! And as they walked in it, the Lord will also know how to set up divine appointments for them. When Paul responded to a vision of a Macedonian man standing and pleading with him to come over, concluding that the Lord had called him to preach the gospel there, the Lord did His part by setting up a divine appointment through Lydia who opened her home! (see Acts 16:9-15)
By the way, the words 'stir up' here is 'anazopureo' in Greek, consisting of three words, namely 'zo' (bring to life), 'pureo' (kindle the fire), and 'ana' (up). In other words, 'bringing to life' and 'kindling the fire' (whatever the Lord has given to you) by using them! And you have nothing to fear, for God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind!
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus Himself said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." You see, in Him, you too have the highest authority and mandate, and the Lord has promised that He will be with you till the end of age! Be who God has called you to be! Amen!
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