The Power of the Blood

THE POWER OF THE BLOOD

In the western world, we have kind of lost touch with blood covenants.  We really don't understand the power of what some other civilizations know.  Almost every civilization in the world recognizes a blood covenant to one degree or another.  To Americans in the 21st century, we think it to be primitive and uncivilized.  Even some churches have stopped teaching about the blood so as not to offend some sensitive ears.

The book of Hebrews 9:22 (Amp), states that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.  The blood is our entry into the presence of the Father.  Hebrews 9:14 (Amp): The blood is what will purge your conscience from dead works, to serve God.  If you will read chapter 9, you will find that the blood of Jesus is the life of God.  In verses 19-22, you find that it is according to the Word of God.  In Leviticus 17:11-14 (Amp), the life of the things (whatever it may be) is in the blood.

In Exodus 12:21-23 (Amp), you will find that the Death Angel came though Egypt, there was more life in the blood that death could overcome.

Under the old covenant, the blood of bulls or goats would give life on a temporary basis, but not permanently.  In Hebrews 9:12 (Amp), Jesus went once and for all by His own blood, having found an everlasting release for us (Leviticus 17:11-14 again, the life is in the blood).  As Jesus took His own blood into the Holiest of Holies on our behalf, the eternal life of the blood of God Himself was given for us (and accepted for us), therefore, the life we now live, we live by faith in the blood, the sacrifice and the complete fulfillment of every sin ever committed.

Galatians 2:20 (Amp), the blood of Jesus was pure and uncontaminated by sin, sickness, the curse, or death. We find that the life that is in the blood is now the life of the sacrifice for us and is eternal.  As the life is in the blood, as we understand and walk in the life of our substitute, we can live the free life that He paid for on our behalf.  Romans 8:1-2 (Amp), the law of the Spirit of life (Lev 17:11-14) which is in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.

We have kind of lost the truth about the blood (or maybe we never really did know the truth) and the life in it, no matter how healthy the body may be, no matter how strong, how rich or wise.  If  you make one small cut in the main artery and allow the blood to flow out, the strong, whole, healthy body will cease to live because the life is in the blood.  As the blood of Jesus is appropriated by faith (Rom 10:8-9), the life of that blood is, by faith, breathing into this otherwise "dead" body and brought me, who was dead in trespass and sin, back to life.

In Hebrews 7:24-25 (Amp), it declares that Jesus as High Priest, forever makes intercession for us.  This does not mean that each time I pray, He tells the Father to listen, His blood speaks from the Mercy Seat and proclaims life, grace, deliverance and acceptance by faith in His sacrifices.  In Genesis 4:10-11 (Amp) you will find that after Cain killed Abel, Abel's blood was speaking (the life of Abel is in the blood) to God from the ground.  As Abel's blood called for and received a curse on behalf of Cain.

As the blood of Jesus now speaks on our behalf, it speaks mercy, not vengeance.  The earth that received Jesus' blood at the cross does not call for a curse, but redeemed us from the curse and restores back the blessing from God.  The blood of Jesus speaks from the earth, the alter and the Mercy Seat, giving life and grace and truth (John 1:17).

When we understand the power of the Blood of Jesus, we will be free to pray bold prayers, be able to fellowship with our Father on a more intimate level than ever before.  I John 5:6-8 (Amp), the three things (trinity, triune nature of God) that bear witness in the earth is the Spirit, the water, and the Blood.

Faith in His blood is the key to understanding the entire New Testament.  Faith in His Blood gives life to the Word.  In Hebrews 9:18-22 (esp vs 19), Moses would take the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle both the book (the roll of the covenant and law) and sprinkle the people (the life was in the blood).  Without the blood, the words had no life (spiritually).  The letter kills, but the Spirit GIVES life (II Cor 3:6).  Let the life of the Lamb bring life to the Word in our lives.

Words, Part 1

Words, Part 1

In the beginning...
This may be the greatest three words that we know. It signifies what a lot of people are trying to understand in this day and age. What is the beginning? When was it? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? Is the end of life as we know it now going to end?

People have many questions about the Bible and the very existence of supreme god. Does the Bible really matter? Is it really the Word of God today? Has God become old fashioned, and does the Bible really have anything to do with your life today?

Some people may choose to just ignore what it says because they don't want to change what they are. See Psalm 2: Amp. The people don't want to be under what the Word calls restraint. We have reached in age were people want to be free of all responsibility. 

Are we really responsible to an almighty God for what we do? 
The answer to this question is yes. We are responsible to our Creator for what we do with this life.
Some would say "It's not my fault what Adam did. Why should I be responsible?"
I remember a lady who had AIDS. She obviously didn't know the man she was with had AIDS but still contracted the disease. More over, the child she bore from the union was born with AIDS. Through this one man, both she and the child were doomed to a horrible death.

When Adam committed the first act of treason in the Garden of Eden, even though I wasn't there, the death of his son was transmitted to me and tens of billions of people everywhere. God begin instantly to bring about a cure for this disease called sin and death. Through a man who had the disease and yet lived through it, he could make an antidote that would cure it and restore life. The New Testament is the instructions on how to take the prescription and how it works. There are no side effects of this antidote, and it works 100% of the time. So, yes! The Bible is important in our lives today. If your doctor could come up with a medicine for AIDS that had a 100% cure rate, you would take it faithfully if you had AIDS. Even though not everyone has AIDS, everyone was born with sin. See Romans 3:10-12 Amp. But God sent Jesus to deal with a problem, to stop in its tracks and restore life and right standing with him. Romans 3:21-24 Amp. So, the sin and death problem has been dealt with through Jesus.
Today in the world we live in, words play the most important role of all the things we deal with in our lives. In the first chapter of Genesis, God spoke this world into being. Everything that he spoke came to pass. Today, whether we think about it or not, we are still all governed by words. There is a huge fight in the Government right now about changing the wording in our Constitution. By changing the words, we change a nation. We live by what is said today. 

Words still govern the nations of the world. We have the Constitution, we have the Bill of Rights, we have state rules and words that govern the States.

We have the Geneva Convention to govern the rules of war. Each country has one kind of rule or another that governs all nations. All are just words on paper, but they still rule mankind. 

Why if we write words that can govern our lives here on earth, do we think that the word that governs the universe will have no effect in our lives? Read Heb. 11:3 Amp. by faith in the words that God speaks, we can understand that the words were framed, fashioned and put in place by the word of God. Did you ever get up in the morning and see the sun come up in the west? Did you ever find that the earth was out of orbit and gravity didn't work? Or, better yet! Did you ever see a picture of our planet from outer space? There are no pillars, no cables, no structure to hold it where it is but the words that God spoke in the beginning- and they are still working today.

Return to Eden, Part 5

Return to Eden, Part 5

We have always looked upon going to Heaven as returning to God and going home, but the Father's idea of coming home was to once again be joined together with Him in spirit (all things come from the spirit) as we walk with Him in this new covenant. We find that in Eph 2:19 Amp. We are now citizens of the Covenant- We belong to God's own household (Eden). Even the body that we live in now will be glorified and live forever in him. Rev. 21:1-7 Amp. We will be totally restored back to the Eden of God, spirit, soul and body. Right now, our body is still perishable, but that is the only thing left in our covenant that still has to change. Everything that God created for us is now ours in Christ Jesus. If we, by faith in the cross and resurrection, will come boldly to the throne of God's grace (Heb. 4:16 Amp.) we will have everything we need when we need it. I Cor. 2:7-10 Amp. So many times we quote VS. 9 about eyes not seeing and ears not hearing, but we don't go into VS. 10 where it says that the Holy Spirit has revealed them to us in these last days.

We need to understand that the only thing that holds back what God has given us through Jesus is our lack of faith in the blood to reconcile all things back to Himself.

I Cor. 2:12-16 Amp. VS. 14 Says that the natural man won't understand what the Holy Spirit has written for it is foolishness to him because they are spiritually discerned.

Eph. 1:10-14 Amp. VS. 12 We were destined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory.
Eph. 1:17-23 Amp. These are truths that operate in our lives now as well as when we are glorified with a new body. If you read the second chapter of Eph. Amp. you will understand that all the things He has done in Jesus he has done in us. We won't need the ability to lay hands on the sick when we get to heaven. There are no sick people there. We won't need the authority over the Devil when we get there. He won't be there. Now is when you need to power and authority to "tend the garden" which is now in you through the New Covenant, and to make sure we don't listen to the same lies and guilt that caused Adam to lose his dominion. But by faith, rely on the blood and the name of Jesus to reveal the word to us in the revelation the Holy Spirit is showing us.
I can only guard my own life and tend my own "Eden" that is mine through Jesus. I have the authority to keep the ires of the serpent out by the Word and the Spirit. I have been issued armor to wear and the Word to defend what is mine in Him. Each believer will have to use the same "shield of faith" in Eph. 6 Amp. to stop all the fiery darts of the enemy.

Everything good that the Father created, He created for you. Not all the sin, sickness, heartache and misery that the world is offering you in His place. James 1:17 Amp./ John 10:10 Amp. If you use the scriptures in the truth of the Word, you will find your way back to the Eden the Father made for you.

Psalm 91 Amp. is a "now" psalm. It is intended to be put to use now in the lives of God's children. You will find that part of the dialogue in Psalm 91 is yours, and part is God's. If you do your part He will do his. Psalm 91:9-16 Amp. This is part of what the Lord will do for the one who will do his part. Your part in Psalm 91 is in verse 1 and 2 Amp. Your job, my place or part, is to "abide," to stay fixed and remain stable in the secret place. That secret places is in Jesus. I will rely in and trust in Him. God said in verse 3 and on that if we were to acknowledge Him "and only Him" in these things, He will deliver us (VS. 4), cover us (VS. 5), protect us (VS. 6), and keep terror from us. We will only stand as a spectator, safe in Jesus, and watch what God does on our behalf.
Church! Jesus is our jubilee, he is our righteousness, he is our life, and he is Eden. In him is fullness of life. Live in the glow of his glory, and let him be all he wants to be in your life now and always.

Return to Eden, Part 4

Return to Eden, Part 4

           When God made man in the beginning, he was made in the likeness and image of Himself.  The old saying we use about being the “the spitting image” of someone actually began from the Word concerning our Heavenly Father and you- we had become the “spirit and image” of Him. 

When the Father set about the way to bring his children home, it wasn’t just to go to Heaven when you die, but to walk with Him as he did with Adam and Jesus in the Spirit.  We have for so long kept our Father at arms length by always being conscious of our own unrighteousness instead of receiving the righteousness that He has provided for us.  Many of the children of God have returned to some degree back to him, but only as far as the “gate of the garden.”  Being conscious of our sin has kept us from enjoying unbroken fellowship, and kept the Father from fellowship with his family.  

Somehow, we have not been able to fully understand what lengths the Father has gone to in order to bring us back home.  My children have unbroken fellowship with me, but that doesn’t mean they do no wrong, only that they are still my children and nothing is going to separate that fellowship. 

As we grew up together, we shared everything in our home.  They never had to beg for what they needed because their father provided it for them out of love.  Everything I’ve done was for my children and their mother.  I didn’t go to work every morning because I loved my job- I went to work because I loved my family

They took on some of my manners and habits- they grew into the “spirit and image” of their daddy.  My oldest son was called Jim Jr. - not only was he named after me, but he looked like me and he walked and talked like me.  He is not me, but he is just like me. 

In Psalm 8: K.J.V. the palmist asks a question that men have been asking for years.  VS.4 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”  The next verse in Psalm 8:5 K.J.V. is one that has been misunderstood for years.  It states that you were “made a little lower than the angels.”  In the Strongs Concordance, the word angel is translated “Elohim” or God.  It stands to reason that if we were created in His likeness and image as it says in Genesis 1:26-27, we must in essence be like Him.  We are not lower than the angels- Hebrew 1:14 Amp. states that they- “the angels”- are spirits sent to minister for and to us as the heirs of Salvation.

The Father wants his family back and is going to have it.  Eden has been opened to us since the resurrection, but we have been reluctant to enter in.  The same thing that Adam felt when he had done wrong- this sense of guilt, the stain of sin, the condemnation of our own conscious- has left us impotent and outside the gate of Eden.  In the 10^th chapter of the book of Hebrews (read this in the amplified), the Holy Spirit wrote about those who could not enter in because of a sin consciousness.  VS. 22 Heb. 10 Amp. “our hearts purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our body cleansed with pure water.” When he speaks of this cleansing, it is not the ritualistic cleansing done before, but the cleansing of that has been made for us by “the washing of water by the Word”- Eph. 5:25-26-27 Amp.  “The word of God will cleanse your consciousness from all guilt and shame if you will believe what Jesus has done” Romans 8:1-3 Amp.

If we believe in what Jesus did on the cross and allow that truth to live in us, we can walk and live our lives here free from the lie of the enemy.  Romans 8:6 Amp. “The mind of the Spirit is life and (soul) peace. Now and forever.”

Now we can see and understand what the Holy Spirit wrote in Eph. 2:6-10 Amp. VS. 10. “paths that God laid out for us to walk in, into the good life he prearranged and made ready for us.” Genesis 2:7,8,9 Amp.

This garden, this presence, this place of every good and pleasant thing, this Eden, was the good life he prearranged for us and is bringing us back to.

Return to Eden, Part 3

Return to Eden, Part 3

When Jesus was to go to the cross, He set Himself to not be turned aside by anything.  He and the Father had laid out a plan that would in no way violate His word (God had to be just).  Satan knew that no blood sacrifice could do away with the sin problem, thereby he knew that there was no way back.  The only way back is what science had found over the years.  If you can find someone who a disease and survived it, you could take of their blood and make a vaccine that could prevent it in other people.

Jesus was made to be sin with our sin.  II Cor 5:17-21 Amp therefore He took our sin (not having committed sin Himself) and bore the whole spiritual disease of sin, then by His blood He made the antidote for sin.  Whosoever was to receive His blood as the sacrifice could therefore receive the antidote for sin and live.  He paid the whole penalty of sin and death and restructured life to those who would receive it.  Romans 8:1-4 Amp the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (the law of our new being) has freed me from the law of sin and death (vs 2).

Now through His blood and sacrifice, He ahs joined us by one blood (God’s own blood) to be again with the Father.  Romans 8:16-17 Amp, now to be united back with the Father, but to be joint heirs with Jesus Himself.

Now that the covenant had been sealed by His blood, not only Eden had been opened to us, but had actually come to dwell in us through the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said in Luke 17:21 Amp that the Kingdom is within us.  In the Gospel of Mark 4, the sower sows the Word of the Kingdom in the heart (Spirit) of those who hear and understand, they will bring forth 30, 60, 100 fold return.  Restoring and expanding the Eden that God promised with the blessings.  The garden is now your Spirit, the abundance is the seed of the Word.  Proverbs 4:20-27 Amp guard your heart (garden) above all that you guard, the same as Adam, to tend and keep the garden.  Out of your heart flow the forces of life.

The flaming sword that once guarded the garden had now become the fire of the Holy Spirit to guide the way back to the Father.  Luke 3:16 Amp, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  The fire of the Holy Spirit is now the torch that gives light to the Word and He (the Holy Spirit) will guide you into all the truth.  John 16:13-15 Amp, He will take what belongs to Jesus (being one with the Father) and reveal it to us.  All things that are the Father’s are now Jesus’ too.  Now through Jesus, all these things belong to you also.  Eden had been opened and we are invited in.  Hebrews 4:16 Amp, we now have entry to the throne of God’s grace for anything we may need to overcome whenever we have need.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:33-37 Amp, that now out of the Kingdom that is within you.  Luke 17:21 Amp, you have the ability through the Word sown in your heart (garden) to produce good or bad.  Mark 4:24 Amp, therefore, be careful what you are hearing (don’t allow wrong seed to be sown in the good soil of your heart).  Do as God told Adam; tend and guard the garden.  Learn to speak what God speaks and avoid those that will sow doubt, fear, unbelief and wrong things in your heart.

Jesus paid an awesome price to restore us back to the place where life and blessing in our lives.  Don’t take it lightly and don’t let the lie of the devil keep this Eden that lives in you be kept from producing.  John 3:34 Amp, because he speaks only what God’s word says, He was given the Spirit without measure.

Once the seed (Jesus) has been sowed in your heart, keep the law of Genesis 1:21-24 Amp (everything produces after kind).  According to Galatians 3:16, the promise was made to the seed, Jesus.  If the law of Genesis is still in effect (and it is), that seed that fell into the ground and died was Jesus.  John 12:23-24 Amp, if that seed brought forth much fruit, then we who were produced by the seed, become like the seed (John 17:21 and John 15:1-6).

This is the product of the fruit of the Kingdom (children of God), joint heirs with Jesus, in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27).  Return to Eden, the place of the fullness of our Father.

RETURN TO EDEN, PART 2

Return to Eden, Part 2

           The Father never intended for His children to be in any kind of bondage.  When He set man in the protected place He had prepared.  He gave man the authority and complete dominion over everything that could enter in (Genesis 2:15).  Man was to rule, tend and keep the garden, or, “The Place of Blessing” the Father had granted him.

            The term “dress” the garden, in the Strong’s Concordance #5647, one of the meanings is worshipper, to keep, expand, prepare, husband man, brings to pass.  Man was to receive of the blessing with which God had blessed them and to take total authority to expand the place of blessing until it was to cover the whole earth.

            By committing the act of treason and joining himself and his wife to Satan, he transferred that authority over to Satan. (Luke 4:6-8) When Satan tempted Jesus on the mountain, he stated that everything of the habitable world was his.  The authority and dominion that God had given Adam had been transferred over to Satan in that one act of treason in the place of abundance.  Now the blessing had stopped and the corruption the enemy had begun.  Man was separated from God, death had entered into him and was transferred through his union with Satan to every child that would be born from that day on.  Man had to be removed from the presence of God because of the sin nature of His children.  The blessing stopped and the curse (because of the nature of Satan) began to function. (Genesis 3:17). God said, because of you, the earth will no longer do as it was created to do.

            Immediately, the Father began a plan that would not only forgive the trespasses of Adam, but would destroy the barrier between Him and His family.  He would, through Jesus, totally redeem mankind to total restoration, back to the Eden He has so carefully prepared.  (Genesis 3:15).

            Our Father had set a course and a way to come back to everything He had intended for His family to enjoy.  As you read through the Word, watch the careful plan of God to total reconciliation.  As He awaited the appointed time to send Jesus, He made a way for Himself to enter into the presence of His children.

            He had to be extremely careful about what He did because of the sin nature of the family.  Leviticus 17:11 lets us know that the life is in the blood.  As He required the blood of bulls and goats, the life of the animal would give (at least temporarily) life back to those who where dead in trespass and sin.  Only by this blood could you come near to God.  God was very limited as to how far He could come into the presence of His family.  If He came too close, it would destroy the things that He loved the most.  Very carefully, He laid the groundwork for restoration.  Step by step and word by word, He laid out a plan that the Holy Spirit could move on.  Word by word, he spoke the perfect plan of restoration.  After he had spoken the whole of what was needed, “that word became flesh and dwelt among us”, He had the perfect Lamb.  According to the law of Leviticus 17:11, now the blood of his own Son would restore life back to those who were once dead could be made alive now by His own blood.  This was a plan that had to be so precise that there was no room for error, He would have only one shot at bringing salvation to His family.  If anything went wrong, If Satan saw through His plan, He wouldn’t get another try.  I Cor 2:7-8 Had Satan seen through this plan, He would never have crucified the Lord of Glory.  Now that, by His word, He was to bring about a way back, nothing could stop the work of Calvary, except for Satan to try and stop what had already been done by the same lie and deception he had used in the beginning.

            The return to Eden had now been laid open for all that would believe and enter in.  The road map was all that Jesus stood for.  John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life”.  When He said, “I am the way”, He signified that through His sacrifice He would lay open the return to Eden, back to the very presence of the Father Himself.  No longer any sin, but total restoration back to the abundant life He created for us and created us for.

RETURN TO EDEN, PART 1

RETURN TO EDEN, PART 1

             The reason for the new birth or the new creature the Word talks about so much, it to return God’s children back to where He created them to live.  The place where God intended His children to live was in God’s presence at all times.  For some reason we lost sight of what our Father had in His mind and heart for His family.  You find in Genesis that He created everything first, and man last.  I remember when my wife and I were expecting out first baby.  We painted the room for the baby first.  We prepared the crib, bought all the baby blankets, bought toys and stuffed animals.  We prepared everything just to have a place for our baby to be that would be as warm and cozy and beautiful as possible.  As in Genesis, after we saw that it was very good; we had the baby and placed her in the place that love had prepared just for her.

            Our Heavenly Father did the exact same thing for His new children.  Some of the greatest minds in the world are still trying to understand the reason for creation.  By understanding the heart of the Father, it all makes perfect sense.  Everything that was created was for you.  We were predestined in the heart of God, before the foundation of the world.  Ephesians 2:10 (Amp) God laid paths and plans for His children to walk and live the good life that He had planned and prearranged and made ready for us.

            Now you can understand John 10:10 (Amp).  Jesus came so that we may have and enjoy life, and have life in abundance (until it overflows).  In John 10:11 (Amp) He declared that He was the good shepherd and lay down His life for the sheep.  Do you remember what the Holy Spirit wrote in Psalms 23?  The Lord is my shepherd; though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  Once again John 10:10 (Amp) the thief comes to kill and to destroy.  This Psalm is used a lot at the times of funerals, but it is actually a road map through this world back to Eden.  We got the idea that our Father tries us and tests us in such a way that it will toughen us up.  No shepherd in his right mind will lead his sheep to anything but still water.  If you get sheep into turbulent waters and all that wool gets wet, you drone the sheep.  You lead the sheep into green pastures, not brush and brambles.  If sheep get into briars or brambles, they get the wool caught in the brush and either died or get caught by wolves.  If you read the Psalm properly, you find that grace and mercy are always there and the end journey is to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

            The whole purpose of the new birth is so that the Father can now commune with His family as He did with Adam in the Spirit.  God gave us the five senses to be able to deal in the natural world that He prepared for us to live in.  We had to have physical ability to contact the physical world.  But we were supposed to be guided by the spiritual contact of the Father.  Remember when Jesus said, I only say what the Father says, I only do what He says to do; I only go where He tells me to go.  In the Gospel of John 5:30 (Amp) Jesus said He did nothing of Himself, but only as He was taught by the Father.  He wasn’t moved by circumstances, but by the quiet voice of His Father speaking to His Spirit.  We still live mostly in the natural and not in the Spirit, but we are learning.

            God is leading us back to Him in the special place He made for us and that special place is in His presence!  (Psalm 91Amp) shows this perfectly.  The secret place of the Most High is to abide in the heart of God and the perfection of Eden.  We have this picture of the Garden of Eden as a little town called Eden that has a garden full of good things growing out behind a little house.

            The word Eden, according to Strong’s Concordance is #5731 Genesis 2:8 (Amp), #5830, #5727, and #1040 – it means pleasure, delight, delicate, Adam’s home.  #5727: to be soft, pleasant, to live voluptuously, delight ‘self”.  #1040: a house of pleasure and pleasantries.

            The word Garden #1588 God planted a garden Genesis 2:8 (Amp) from 1598 to hedge about, protect, defend.

            This was a protected place that the Father placed His first children in and it was a protected place of safety and beauty, filled with all of the goodness of God.

The Reading of the Will

The Reading of the Will

Hebrews 9:11-18 (amp) vs16  for where there is a (Last) Will and Testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.

           

When I went into the Army as a 17 year old kid, one of the things that was issued at that time was a New Testament.  Inside the first page was the statement, “The Last Will and Testament of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ”.  This New Testament is a legal document above all legal documents, to where the testator has risen from the dead to be Executor of His own Will.

            In this New Testament or this “Last Will and Testament”, the legality of this Will is superior to all else.  When this Will was written, Jesus was alive as a man and as the Son of God and man.  First He was the Son of God in the Old Testament (or Will), then as the Son of man and God in the New Testament.  As long as He was alive, it was just a legal document.  After His death, it is a vital fact in the life of the Beneficiary. 

            The reading of the Will is read to the beneficiary by the Holy Spirit.  John 16:13-15 (Amp) Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit would reveal to us all the truth of what He left in His Will.  He went on to say in John 16:15 (Amp) that everything the Father has is mine.

            If I were to read this Will to you and show you what Jesus left to you, you can lay claim on your inheritance.  Id the Executor of the Will said, I leave you my peace (John 14:27), then this peace is legally yours.

            In John 17:1-26 (Amp), Jesus was stating His Will through the one who would watch over it to see it was recorded right (II Timothy 3:16-17 Amp).

            The Father and Jesus and the Holy Spirit (these three are one), the Water, the Spirit and the Blood are witness on the earth and heavens.  I John 5:6-9 (Amp) we have a document that bears witness in heaven and in earth.  This document, or Will, is signed, sealed (by His blood), and delivered (by the Holy Spirit) legal.

            Jesus left in His Will, the most important things and desires of His holdings for us.  First of all, He said, I leave unto you, my righteousness (or right to stand in the Father’s presence).  Next, He left us His own justification.  He left us His Glory.  He left us His Name (the power of attorney) in His name (to lay legal hold of our inheritance).  He left us His authority, He left us His ability, He left us His life and His abundance, He left us the Holy Spirit to empower all of us to be good stewards over our inheritance.  He left us a joint seating in heaven with Him,  He left us a clean slate as he canceled all previous debt, He left us angels to be ministering servants on our behalf.  He left unto us all the wealth that was His.

            If God were to stand before you in person today on behalf of this Will, He would quote Hebrews 6:13-18 (Amp) vs 18 by two unchangeable things (His promise and His Oath) in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us.

            Some of the people who are in the family of God didn’t even show up for the reading of the Will to claim their inheritance, even though it was left them by the Testator.  Some are waiting until they die in order to receive.  When something is left to you in a Will, when is it yours?  When you die or when they die?  He died so you could have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

            Receive what He died for and left to you now, and live forever and enjoy it throughout the rest of eternity.

           

Jesus, Our Jubilee

Jesus, Our Jubilee

Luke 4:19 When Jesus made the announcement in Luke, chapter 4, everyone that knew about the covenant knew He had announced what Isaiah had declared in chapter 61:1-2.

Jesus didn’t declare the whole scripture in Isaiah 61:2.  He stopped short of declaring the day of the vengeance of the Lord.  The time for that had not yet come, only the time of restoration and deliverance.

The accepted day of the Lord was stated in Leviticus 25:1-55 and was the year of Jubilee.  Whatever debt you owed whatever land you lost, whatever family had been sold into slavery to pay off your debt, whatever burden was placed on you because of who you were, it would be cancelled out if you had a relative who could pay the debt and redeem it for you.

The Book of Galations 3:13-14 declares that we have a relative who had paid the whole price of redemption for us.  The difference is that our Jesus (according to the Law of the Kinsman Redeemer) had the ability to redeem back to us everything that had been lost, clear back to the Garden of Eden.

The redemption was to include everything that the first Adam lost, and restore it back to those who would dare to believe what the Blood had purchased.

Our redemption was to include our restoration back to the Father in such a way as to be received back into His house as family.  The sin price was paid, the healing (both physical and spiritual) had been restored, Isaiah 52, 53 and 54 (amp).  Our righteousness is now of the Lord.  Isaiah 53:11 (amp) we were restored back to a place where we have the protection of the Father because of the restoration.

Isaiah 54:17 (amp), we who were sold into bondage by our older brother, Adam, we are now set free, all debt was cancelled, all has been restored and we were justified by our Kinsman Redeemer, our Brother, our Lamb and our Lord, Jesus Christ!  Our Kinsman Redeemer!

Only Jesus had the ability to restore everything back that had been lost in the rebellion by Adam and to give everything back that the Father had intended for His family when He saw that everything was very good (Genesis 2:31 amp).

            When our Lord redeemed us, He didn’t just pay the sin debt, He paid all the debt that was owed and restored us back to where we were before the fall.  One of the things that was restored that we don’t think about sometimes is in Genesis 1:26-28, the authority of the child of God that was ours in the beginning.  Matthew 28:18-20 (amp) all power and authority was returned to Jesus and we were given the power of attorney “by Jesus, Himself” to the use of His name.  Luke 10:17-20 (amp) the restoration of the God given authority in Genesis 2 was also restored in our redeemer, Jesus.

            An ordinary man could (by his wealth) redeem back what had been lost according to the law of the Kinsman Redeemer, but only Jesus could restore it all.

            We need to understand what has happened on our behalf, and not let all that has been restored be taken form us again by the same deceiver that stole it from Adam.  Psalms 107:1-3 (amp), you may say, “Oh that was for the Hebrew people”.  NO!  That was for God’s people; US!

            We were called back to Him.  The Apostle Paul made a statement in Philippians 3:9-10 to the extent that he may know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, but to also share in His suffering.  If you are to share in His sufferings that doesn’t mean what He bore on the cross.  He did that for us so we should not have to bear it.  That was the price of redemption paid for us to go free.  The suffering that He endured was rejection by people, by His own brethren, misunderstood by those He spoke to, the constant attack of the enemy to try to wear Him down, and betrayal by those He loved.  You and I will suffer some of the same things as we press on to a deeper walk with Him.

            I fight the good fight of faith and press toward the mark of the “High Calling of God” in my life.  I try to understand what was purchased back for me by my “Kinsman Redeemer”, so as not to let anything he suffered and died for be for nothing in my life.

            Psalms 107:2 (amp), Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Jesus, our Passover Lamb

Jesus, our Passover Lamb

            As we draw close to Easter, Resurrection Sunday, I think more and more about what this day means.  In the book of Exodus, the blood of the lamb put down a cover that the death angel couldn’t go through.  The slain lamb was eaten by the people and brought forth a miracle service that healed every man, woman and child among the Hebrew people Psalms 105:37 AMP.  I believe if there was enough power in the blood of a lamb in Egypt, there must be at the very least that much power in the body and blood of our lamb, Jesus.  Paul talks about Jesus in I Cor 11 AMP concerning communion.  Because we don’t rightly discern the Lord’s body, many in the church are weak, many sick, and many have died early.  We look mostly at the man that died that day and we deal mostly in the sense realm and not the spirit realm.  We saw the man that suffered and died, but sometimes we don’t discern why.

            The Lamb didn’t do the people in Egypt any good without dying and using the life in that blood to turn back the death that was coming.  The flesh of that lamb gave strength and healing for the journey to the Promised Land.

            Our promise has come in the way of the cross and Jesus being raised from the dead for us.  Without Him being raised from the dead, the whole thing would have been for nothing.  His virgin birth, His earth walk, all the miracles and all the marvelous things He told us in His word, would have all been in vain if the Father couldn’t raise Him back up.

            Many people today say that there are many roads to heaven and they try to be politically correct in what they say.  Jesus didn’t say I am A way, he said I am THE way.  When He was in the garden and prayed, “Father, if there is any other way, let this cup pass from me”.  Don’t you think if there was another way, the Father would have found it right then?

            By the blood of our Passover Lamb, the destroyer still has to pass over us.  If we put our faith in His blood, the power of the blood still works.

            One of the main things we need to begin to look at in our own lives is, do we really believe what the Lamb of God has done for us?

            One of the things we major on with Jesus is the forgiveness of our sins.  I wonder if we stop to think about what this means?  God said in Isaiah 59:1-2 AMP, our iniquities have separated us from Him and our sins have caused Him to hide His face from us.  Remember when Jesus became sin on the cross, He said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”?  After the resurrection, the sin no longer separated us.  All that the Father wanted to do but couldn’t because of the separation, He can, now that the sin is out of the way.  He can move on our behalf and now can live in us instead of the Ark of the Covenant.

            The sin now is out of the way and now that it is, He is free also.  God had to restrain Himself and was brokenhearted because He had to stand apart from us because of sin, but no more.  That was the biggest think in the heart of God when He forgave the sin.  Because we are not separated, but have actually become one with Him, now we are (by the blood of Jesus) made righteous in Him.  Nothing He has is to be held back.  That is why the forgiveness of our sin was so important to Him.  Don’t look at the forgiveness of sin as the end of the sacrifice, but the beginning.

            No more sin to separate, no more sin to come between us, no more sin to make Him have to turn His face from us.  Now we have access by faith in the blood to draw near to Him and the confidence we are received.

            Who so ever the Son frees is free indeed.

Knowing the Master

Knowing the Master

II Cor 5:16 AMP Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no man from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value). (No) even though we did once estimate Jesus from a human point of view and as a man, yet now (yet now we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh).

Paul didn’t know Jesus as Peter and John knew Him, but Peter and John didn’t know Him as Paul knew Him.

           

Peter and john knew Him because of the three years they walked with Him, but they never really knew Him.

When He hung on the cross, they stood and watched Him.  They saw the blood run down His back and arms.  They saw the crown of thorns driven into his head.  They stood and watched Him die.  They saw Him stripped naked in shame, but they didn’t see the tragedy of Him being made sin.

They were moved by what they saw and the sorrow brought tears and heartache.  They didn’t know about Him being made sin.  They didn’t know nor could they see the spiritual struggle that was going on.  They couldn’t see the demonic activity that was dragging Him to a place of torment in our place.  They only saw where love actually walked and ruled. It is love (God’s love) at work through a man.

We saw Him come out of the trial in the wilderness in victory.  Matt 4:23-25 as the sick and lame came to Him, and He healed the multitudes.  We see Him as He fulfilled Matt 8:17 as He made the mind of men wonder at the sight of healing with just His word and casting out demons by speaking.  We watch Him in the boat on the Sea of Galilee as He stopped the wind and waves by a quite word, “Peace be still”.

He ruled the sea and He ruled the wind, He turned water into wine and He ruled even the fish in Luke 5:4-11.  He ruled every law of nature as a perfect master.  This is only one part of the Jesus who is Lord.  Never did a man speak as this man spoke, nor taught as this man taught.  The things that He taught and spoke, challenge the heart of men yet 2000 years later.

But it does us well to remember that no one was saved under His earthly ministry.  He told Nicodemus that He must be born again, but Nicodemus wasn’t born again (he didn’t even understand what He was talking about).  I can almost see the look on his face as He tried to understand.

When Jesus died on the cross, His disciples thought it was all over.  They only saw Jesus after the flesh and not after the Spirit.  To them, all was lost.  The whole thing was over.  The man they thought was the Messiah was gone (and they thought that they were next).  They retreated back to the city and hid themselves.

Paul, however, never knew the man, Jesus.  His encounter with Jesus was not the man in the flesh that they saw on the cross, but the one that was justified and raised by the Spirit of God.  He saw the risen Christ that had conquered death, hell, and the grave - the one that took our sin and declared us righteous in Him.

I asked our people once what they see when I say “Jesus”.  You don’t see J-E-S-U-S, you have some kind of image in your mind when you hear His name.  Do you (as His disciples did) see just the man on the cross that suffered?  Do you see Him in the garden in agony?  Do you see Him as He walked the shores and healed the sick?  Do you still only know Him after the flesh or do you know Him after the Spirit?  When I say Jesus, do you see Him seated now at the right hand of the Father in all power and principality, the mighty conqueror and invincible Lord?  Do you see yourself still struggling in what He overcame or do you see yourself, as in Him, being more than a conqueror?  Ephesians 2:5-6 reveals to us what happened to Him after the cross and where we are to see Him now, in the victory that He provided Himself. That we not only see Him raised, but see ourselves raised with Him because of the cross.

Where you see Him is where you serve Him.

NOT OF THIS WORLD

Not of this World

John 17:14 – 20 AMP, Jesus makes a statement in prayer to the Father that I think we sometimes miss when we read it.  He said in Vs.16 they are not of this world, as He was not of this world.

            We read things in the Word that we think of as “someday things”.  That some day, we really will not be of the world.  The truth is, you are not of this world now.  You are in this world, but not of this world!

            We find in Ephesians 2:5 – 6 AMP that in the Word of God, we were raised to gather with Him into heavenly places.  People tell me all the time, “Well, brother, that is just a legal term”.  If it is a legal term, there must be a vital side to it.

            I live in America.  In America, we have some legal terms called a “Constitution”.  By taking what is legally mine and walking in it, I now have the vital side of legality working in my life.  It took the death and resurrection of Jesus to bring about the legal aspect of my salvation, but now that it is legal, I have a right to it on the vital side of my redemption.

            Without the legality of this Gospel, there is no vital walk and no benefit.  If it is legal, then I can enjoy it to the best of my ability and understanding.  Many Christians are like what they are calling, “Illegal Aliens”.  They are in America, but can’t enjoy the benefits because of the legalities that govern this nation.

            If we are not of this world (and Jesus said we are not), then how do we walk in the legal things of the world in which we are citizens?

            In Matthew 6:32 – 33 AMP, Jesus said to the people, all of the things we seek after and need, God already knows we need them.  But then He said to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His way of doing and being right, then all these things will be added to us.  God has a way of doing and being right that we haven’t obtained yet in our walk.  It is legally ours, but not by practice.  When you change from one kingdom to another, there are different ways of doing things.  If you moved from Ireland to America, you would live by different rules and standards than when you lived there.  One thing you would have to change would be the side of the road you are driving on!  It would be legal for you to drive here, but you have to abide by the way things are done in this nation.  The vital side and the legal side have to work together.

            Jesus, when He was here, said He was not of this world, He came from the Father.  You and I are now not of this world and we came from the Father.  When He was here, He walked in the legal aspect of heaven, and even here the laws that uphold heaven were the laws He used to supersede the laws here.  Even to the laws of nature and natural man.

            When He stopped storms, walked on water, multiplied the fish and loaves, He did it by a higher set of laws (Matthew 6), remember?  HIS way of doing and being right.       

            If we begin to apply the vital side of what is legally ours, things will change in the life of the believer.

            I read in History that in 1865, there was a war that freed the slaves and set them free.  This was a LEGAL proclamation and it was the law.  Some rejoiced in their new found liberty, but some did not.  It was 100 years later that the vital side of the legal term was put in place.

            A great warrior by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. made up his mind to walk in what was already HIS.  I remember the walk through Selma, Alabama, when he said, “I have seen the promise land”.  From 1865 until 1965, the legal side of freedom was there, but when he began to make that law a reality, it changed everything.  After all the years of living in the shadow of the legal aspect, we now have our first African-American in Washington – the most powerful political figure in the world today.

            We, as Christians, read Luke 4, where Jesus said He came to set all of us free from the bondage of sin and the power of Satan.  We make noises like we actually were free, but continue to live under the same bondage.  Now is the time for a Moses, Abraham and another Martin Luther King, Jr. to rise up and tell the legal aspects of our new found life and put the vital side of it to work in our lives.  Change to do it God’s way.  Take the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus and walk free of the law of sin and death.

            This is for the “too far” people of God.

HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?

How far is too far?

When I first became a Christian, I was told by a lot of my old friends in the world that not going out and doing what I used to do was going “too far”.  I could somewhat understand this because the church was supposed to be different.

            The church seemed to accept me, but only within certain denominational limits.  When I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, I got the same criticism that I had gone too far.  Some other people in the church however, stood with me in my further search for more of God.  I later began to walk in another place with God where I began to lay hands on people for healing.  Some of my new allies in Christ began with the same statement that I had gone too far.  As I sought to find more truth in the Word, I encountered some people that needed to be delivered from unclean spirits.  Needless to say I had once again gone too far.  Some Christians still were willing to claim me, but the count became fewer.  Lo and behold, I began to look to the Lord for protection and prosperity for the work He called me to do.  Yep!  Once again, I had gone too far.

            I began to wonder, how far is too far?  I recall that with Enoch, he walked with God and was not, “because God took him”.

            I wondered how many people told him, by his walk, that he had gone too far?  Abraham, when he left everything and left home for a land and place that he had never seen.  Had he gone too far?

            When the three Hebrew children refused to bow and were delivered from the furnace, had they gone too far?  Can’t you just hear the other people telling them, “it’s alright to bow, I mean, after all, God knows your heart”.  Moses must have seemed a little extreme in what he had done and the people were quick to tell him at the Red Sea, you have gone too far.  Daniel didn’t have to open the window when he prayed.  He could have closed the window when he prayed, safely in his own home.  He was threatened with death in the lion’s den for doing this.  Had he gone too far?

            All the way through the Bible, I find men and women that dared to believe God for the impossible and the power of His Word, to step into the miracle presence of God.  According to the mute and feeble move of the church today, all of these people had gone too far.

            I have decided, in my own life, that whatever opposes another person’s place of comfort is “too far”.

            I believe that in these last days before Jesus returns, God is looking for a bunch of “too far people”.  Men and women who still believe that our God can’t fail – that what he said is still true and that if He called you, He will take care of you.  With God, all things are possible.  We have got ourselves caught in a place where we have overlooked the supernatural power of God.  He isn’t just God when you die, He is still God all the time.  He is still very able to break through our veil of unbelief and do great and mighty things if we will just be willing to let Him.  Other people may think that I have gone too far, but my Father encourages me to come closer to His heart and walk in faith and courage.

            If we step out with God and do the supernatural, we will make some mistakes, but if we do nothing at all, we have made the biggest mistake ever.

            I’m glad that nobody told Mary that she was going too far and talked her out of the virgin birth that brought about the birth of my Savior who set me free.  Although they mocked her and tried to shame her, she had already laid out her faith to believe what had been told to her and made the statement, “be it unto me according to Thy word”.

            Maybe in these last days, there needs to be a little more faith in what His Word promised us.  For some, just to believe He was not only made righteous, but has actually become your righteousness is already too far.

            I believe that if God is for me, who can be against me and if God is my sickle, “whom shall I fear”?

            Let’s get some “too far people” stirred up and let God be God.

Boot Camp for God's Army, Part 6

Boot Camp for God's Army, Part 6

I had just finished my eight weeks of boot camp and was feeling pretty good about myself.  I had learned some things, had a uniform, and had set myself separate from most other people.

            Also, in God’s Army, I had discovered that I was somehow separate from most other people.  I was feeling pretty good about myself.  I had stopped drinking, swearing, and was going to church.  I found out as a Christian, what I was about to find out in the Army; that I had just started my education.  Hebrews 5:12-14 and vs. 16, solid food is for full grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.

            I went back to Ft Leonard Wood for what they call “Advanced training”.  I was placed in a combat engineer unit (I had no idea what that was, but like in God’s Army, I was to find out that what I had learned was just a start).  The Combat Engineers, I found out, was a group of men that went before some other groups to build bridges and roads for those who would follow the other units into enemy territory.  They introduced us to the M4T6 floating bridge.  Floating it was no problem, building it, however, was.  Since none of us had ever seen such a thing, it was once again the cadre and officers who knew to teach us.

            As in Ephesians 4:11-14, we were appointed cadre and officers to teach us the things of God to so the work of the ministry.  I took notice, they were not doing the ministry (as a whole), but by their knowledge were teaching us to do the work.

            My supervisors were not building the bridge, they were telling us how.  Sometimes they were telling us quite loudly.  After several times of failing and re-doing, we had it down pretty good.  They thought we should then learn how to build a Baily Bridge.  The Baily Bridge was a whole different breed of cat.  You pushed and pulled, you lined up all the right holes with all the right pins.  You pushed out one section and held two for weight so the whole thing didn’t fall into the Big Piney River (sort-of).  The first two times, it fell in.  Pulling the thing apart (because you can’t push it back) was a thing you didn’t want to so over many times.  All this time, you were not to forget what you had learned in your first eight weeks and they reminded us of this all the time.  This was not a different training, but more training in the same Army.  They began to expand our military knowledge to the point that we understood the uniform doesn’t always make you a combat soldier.  We were taught by experience that the job wouldn’t be without resistance.

            Every now and then, an officer would come by (usually after the bridge was about half done) and throw a flare up in the air, shouting, “This is a bomb blast! Your bridge has been destroyed and half your men have been killed.  Tear it down, move it down river and rebuild it”!  This is just what a group of tired, cold, wet and discouraged guys are always happy to hear.

            I remember the Apostle Paul saying something like that in II Cor 12:7-10.  He was out doing the work of the ministry when Satan sent a thorn in his flesh (loosely translated, a pain in his neck) to tear it down and move it down stream and rebuild it.

            This wasn’t the time to quit, but the time to bear down and get really determined about what you were doing.  We learned that advanced training wasn’t easier, but sometimes harder.  We used out first training to put out a perimeter with rifle (learned in our first training), to protect those working on the bridges (in our advance training) so that all the training worked together for the good of those involved (just like Romans 8:28)

            After our advanced training was over, we were all sent into different units where we were to learn other things and apply what we had learned.  I went on to demolition school where I not only could build things for our troops, but also how to destroy the works of the enemy.

            In Jesus we were given authority to tread on scorpions and serpents and given authority to destroy all his works Luke 10:18-19.  For the Christian combat soldier, the battle isn’t over when you get saved, it has just begun.

Boot Camp for God's Army, Part 5

Boot Camp for God's Army, Part 5

I remember well when I first got to Fort Leonard Wood, MO.  We were such a motley crew, all of our uniforms were brand new - nothing seemed to fit anybody.  We stood there at what we thought was attention and in some sort of formation, looking sad and out of place.  We watched some other men march past us, singing and counting cadence in uniforms that were pressed and starched.  Their uniforms were faded and form fitted.  They looked like soldiers.

I remember the same thing in God’s Army, when I first came into it.  I looked at the saints of God who had served Him for awhile.  Just like in boot camp, they looked like soldiers, too.

I later found out that first glance doesn’t always count for much.  Just as the ones in Fort Leonard Wood were not yet soldiers (they had only been there a few weeks longer than me, and were still untrained also).  The same thing was true of the saints in God’s Army.  They had been in a lot longer than me, but were still raw recruits.  None had been trained in warfare.

As we went on with our training in boot camp, we began to look like we made formation look better, we sang and called cadence better.  To the next bunch of raw recruits coming in, they too thought we were soldiers.  The truth was, we were not what we appeared to be…not yet.

I Peter 2:1-2 Peter said do away with the old you, and desire the milk of the word so you can grow.

You had to forget your old civilian life that was now behind you and throw yourself into the new life of a soldier.

As in the Army of God, you had to finally come to the conclusion that you are in the world, but no longer a part of it.  John 17:14-26 says, we don’t conduct our lives according to what we knew or who we were, but by the word of our NEW Commander in Chief, Jesus.

We went through 8 weeks of some of the toughest training I had ever known.  Not only physical, but emotional hardships I had ever faced.  I had to learn a discipline like never before.  The temper of a civilian was not a good thing in a soldier.  Oh, the temper would rise up at certain orders or things that were done, but you learned to overcome the civilian traits.  I John 2:13 (Amp); I write to you boys (lads) because you have come to know (recognize and be aware) of the Father.

I had become aware of an authority higher than my own temperament and self, both in my life and in my own person.

            After 8 hard weeks (which felt like 8 years), we came to where it was now our turn for a graduation ceremony.  To the new guys, we looked like we had arrived and they envied us.  As for us, we stood tall and proud that we had endured, and at least for now, had overcome the hardship that had been placed before us.

            I remember my first hardship as a soldier of Christ, though it was different, was the hardest training I had ever gone through at that time.  My old friends, my old life, my old memories and habits tried to overcome me, pull me back.  The anger against other people and at myself for my “failures” seemed to always be pulling at me.  But, as in boot camp, I hardened myself against an enemy that I didn’t quite understand.  I was almost defenseless even though God had made available to me, everything that was needed” to be victorious (no training in my Christian life as a soldier had made me ready for combating an unseen enemy).  No strength in my arms, no anger in my soul, no gun, club, knife or fighting ability that I knew could combat the enemy of God and God’s people.  I was frustrated as a Christian because things didn't work the way other people told me they should.

            I found in boot camp that there were some guys who had decided that they couldn’t take it.  They began to make excuses about why this wouldn't work for them and why this wasn’t for everybody.   They decided to devise a way to get out.  They were always the ones that made it harder to get things done.  They held back the rest of the platoon by not passing inspections, and we all were held back by the constant complaining.

            Finally, we got with the saints of God and just as in boot camp, they began to tell me why the word doesn’t work, why God no longer does these things any longer, this isn’t for everybody, why not to expect prayer to be answered and why God just isn’t God anymore.  But as in I John 2:13, I had come to know Him and the voice of my Lord, Master and Commander in Chief.  John 10:14-16, I came to know the Commander and know His voice, not the voice of a stranger.

            When boot camp (the first 8 weeks) ended, I thought I was finally a soldier (in the sense that I was accepted by the military).  I was, in the sense that I still had so many things that I found I still had to learn.  I was not even close to a combat soldier.  What I hadn’t counted on, was that after I got to go home and show off for a few days in my new uniform.  We went to the PX and bought so many medals they almost hit my belt buckle!  We had expert rifle, hand grenade, machine gun, etc.  When we went home for 14 days after boot camp, we looked like WWII Vets.

            But training wasn’t over…

Boot Camp for God's Army, Part 4

Boot Camp for God's Army, part 4

When you go into the Army or Military, they issue all that you will need to do the job.  When they issue you a weapon, they write the serial number down and that weapon is yours as long as you are in the service or boot camp.  You are responsible for keeping it clean and in the best working order.  When I was in, if you happened to drop your rifle, you may have had to sleep with it.  You were so familiar with your weapon that you could build confidence in your ability to use it (you always keep it pointed down range).

            In I Sam 17:38-40, there was an account of a battle with a Giant and a 17 year old shepherd boy named David.  David had spent his life as a shepherd and protector of the flock.  In his job as a shepherd, he ran into some problems.  There were some enemies of his sheep that seemed to be hungry.

            King Saul made light of David because he was just a boy with a sling shot and a staff, but David knew his weapon (I Sam 17:34-36, he killed a lion and a bear and saved the sheep because he knew his weapons).

            In I Sam 17:37-40, you will find that Saul gave David his armor and sword to use, but David told him, “thanks, but no thanks” (Verse 39).  David girded his sword upon his armor but hesitated to go, “for he had not proved it”, meaning, he was not familiar with it.  He said, “I can not go with these, for I have not proved them”, and he took them off.  Verse 40 He took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

            As in basic training, you learn your weapon so in God’s Army, you do the same.  Our weapons are spiritual weapons that have to become so familiar to you that your faith is in what you use.

            When you are in the military you have to be familiarized with your weapon every so often, even in peace time.  In God’s Army, there is no peace time.  Satan works 24-7.  But in the military (even if you are not deployed to the front lines), you are required to stay ready at all times.

            The Apostle Paul relates his place in the church as a competitor in a high stake competition in athletic terms.   In I Cor 9:24-27, he speaks of one who stays in shape (spiritually).  If you speak to any kind of professional athlete, they don’t get up one morning and decide to run in the Olympics.  They train all the time so as to be ready when the time comes to compete.

            As Christians, we should not be slack until we encounter a crisis, but be prepared for anything at any time.  I Peter 5:6-9 says, be vigilant and sober of mind, cautious at all times, for your enemy, the devil, roams like a roaring lion, seeking someone to seize and devour.

            Our job is to be ready as all times so if he comes to you, you are not so easy to devour.  You don’t wait until you go to combat to see if your rifle will fire.  Jesus compared it in Matt 7:24-27, to being caught without being prepared.  The same storm hit both houses, but only one of them fell.  We sometimes wait until the storm hits and then try to sand bag the foundation.

            Paul said in II Tim 4:7, he fought a good fight and finished the race.