The Daniel Delay.

What is the Daniel delay? This is a phrase that I have coined (maybe some else has come up with it before?), but allow me to explain the 'Daniel delay'. In Daniel 10:11-13 we read about the man Daniel who has an angelic encounter. If this occurred today, the man Daniel would have been labeled a cult leader, but as the bible days were more understanding of the spiritual realm there was less of this problem. Anyway, Gabriel says that from the moment Daniel prayed, his words were heard in heaven's courts, and an answer was sent. The prince of Persia withstood the angel Gabriel for 21 days...in other words the answer was delayed by an evil spirit who had dominion over the principality of Persia!

Gabriel goes onto to say that the angel Michael had to come and assist Gabriel, there by ensuring that Gabriel's message was delivered to Daniel. I call this delay in receiving an answer the Daniel delay. Original - no way, but then this blog is not about originality!

Is this perhaps the reason our prayers sometimes seem to be delayed before we have an answer? I know some theologians have suggested that God does not concern Himself with the minors details of mankind, and as such prayers are nothing more than good for our own sake. This is not true. Our prayers are answered immediately. Our prayers leave our mouth and immediately they are heard in heaven's Throne room, as it says in Daniel 10:12. It also says something very important that I have purposefully skipped over. In verse 12 it says :"from the first day that you set your heart to understand". The prayer was heard and answered from the first day that Daniel set his heart to understand. The prayer could not have been answered before Daniel set his heart to understand.

How many times did the Pharisees and legal buffs of the time period ask Jesus for a sign to demonstrate who he was? (Matthew 12:38) and Jesus replied in verse 50 :" Whosoever shall do the will of my Father...". To set your mind to understand is to gain understanding of God's Will.

John 14:10 Jesus said that he only speaks the Word of His father. he only does the actions of His father. Its no wonder then that everything Jesus declared came to pass without the Daniel delay? You see the Daniel Delay (maybe I can patent this phrase?) has no effect or bearing on modern day Christians who believe. Mark 16:17 says that these signs will follow those that believe. Do you believe? And what is it you believe?

Ephesians 1:21 Jesus has has been raise ABOVE every principality. There is no principality that is above Jesus - thus there is no possible delay in our prayers being answered anymore. Except for one minor but very significant concept. Have you set your heart to understand God's Will? Without praying in accordance with God's Will, God cannot give you your request. Thus we go without having our prayers answered, or so it appears to us. If God were to grant us every petition, it would be tantamount to a good parent giving his son a rattlesnake, just because he asked for it.

Once we get understanding of God's Will, and start praying in accordance with God's Will, then we will see the major results that Jesus spoke about. Jesus said, these signs would you do and greater. I have not seen the greater signs yet, but then I guess I have not seen the sons of God being unveiled yet either. I know its time is upon us.

Imagine if I were to pray for the ability to fly (it would save me time between meetings) and God gave me a set of wings out of my back (because that's how I prayed), I would then be forced to attend my meetings naked! Where would I get clothes to fit my unique form? So instead of getting my prayer answered in the way I prayed, God sent me finances to pay for an airline ticket, or better yet, some one gave me an airplane. But then I would have to learn to fly the plane, or hire a pilot. Thus I would now have to work my faith for the funds for the airplane, the hanger fees, the fuel, the staff etc. Rather just send me the finances to buy a ticket...I know where my faith is, and right now, a ticket is just fine.
There is no Daniel's Delay. The delay is in the manner and heart condition of the believer. Set your heart to understand God's perfect Will, give utterance without doubt and watch manifestation immediately. This is what the whole earth is groaning in anxious anticipation for...the sons of God who like Jesus do nothing that is not God's perfect will, say nothing that is not God's perfect will.

Can a Christian bear bad fruit?

Can a Christian bear bad fruit? What a wonderfully controversial question. There are s many varied and passionate answers to this question. on the one hand, an answer that is often quoted I the following:"How can a good tree bear both good and bad fruit?"

Problem with this answer is that people are not as simple as trees. We have personal and individual choice. In theological terms we have free will. A tree does not. Thus a tree has no choice but to bear the fruit of its seed. In the book of genesis, God said that the tree will bear according to its seed. An apple tree will bear apples, not pears...but we are seed, seed from a sinful man and despite that we can be reborn as seed from Christ.

When we are reborn, we take on a new righteousness, a new out covering. In the spirit realm, our spiritual man takes on new clothing, so to speak, nut our inherent nature is often left unchanged. Our fleshly side, our soul man needs to be renewed everyday. Romans 12:2 says to renew your mind. Out of your mind, you so often speak. As a man thinks, so is he. This to truly bear good fruit, patience, kindness, love et al, you need to renew your mind daily.

A Christian who has not renewed their mind daily, will often begin to reflect (through their words, actions) more of the world's nature (selfish, self serving, incorrect priorities) and less of God's nature.

To maintain fresh fruit we need a daily devotional time with our Creator. This daily time is similar to an oil change. if you don't have an oil change in your car every 3 months sludge starts to build up, and the car will begin to malfucntion over time. Oil changes for us need to occur more frequently than cars, preferably on a daily basis. We are told to crucify our flesh, I prefer to say that we should lay down our selfish nature everyday, and pick up our Lords' nature. This can only come through spending time in His presence every day before we do anything else.

In Matthew 6 the author says to seek ye the kingdom of God, but the small word we miss there is 'first'. See ye 'first' the Kingdom of God. it should be and should remain our first priority each and everyday. Without getting your daily oil change first thing in the morning, everything you do could be tainted with self.

Now the bible says that we sow seeds with out mouth. Do you really want to be sowing seeds that have not come through the filter of a new oil change that morning? Worse yet, we are told that we will be held accountable for every word that does not produce? Scary thought - makes me want to get an oil change and maintain my filter everyday.

God fruit requires a clean and Godly 'filter'. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will come once He has gone. Obviously this meant for us to get refilled daily...as we are leaking vessels, ministering day by day. Have you had your oil changed and refilled this morning, or are you running on yesterday's service?

To continue this metaphor, high mileage vehicles need more attention and services. High mileage vehicles time in Christ presence. High mil age Christians (aka mature Christians) should want more devotional time. A sure sign of maturity is the obvious need for more of Christ. A sure sign of an immature Christian is the "I can get by with attending 1 service a week" attitude. You probably don't change the oil in your car every three months either? Then you wonder why your car needs more repairs than your neighbor.

To answer the early question - can a believer produce sour fruit? The answer is 'yes'. Sweet fruit comes from a sweet nature. A sweet nature comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit, daily! When you start to feel yourself getting frustrated, impatient, that is a sure sign its time for an oil change. When you find yourself apologizing for what you said, and repenting for behaviours, you know your oil has expired. You are running on dry. When your life starts to break down, its time for an engine overhaul...or its time to seek ye first the Kingdom. Do a Romans 12:2 overhaul. Get into 'Joshua 1:8 workshop'. Place yourself in intensive care (praise and Worship service). Your fruit demonstrates your engine (heart) condition so clearly...what is your engine saying about your condition?

Israel and Islam the connection

Israel and Ishmael have a crazy connection, both coming from the same father, both having a promise from God, the one true God and yet Ishmael in the form of Islam has not only denied the one true God but they also hate their brother. Seems like a crazy connection to me and one which I would like to explore further.

I realize this is a controversial issue, but then that is what this blog is all about - getting beyond the politically correctness and dealing with the biblical issue at hand. To begin we need to go back to the book of Genesis 17:16. God tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son. In the next verse, Abraham cries out to god about the destiny of Ismael. We don't see this heartfelt cry in the verse as it is written there, but if we were to dig deeper and get into the oral traditions we find that the Rabbis include the tradition that Abraham cried out on behalf of Ishmael. God responds to this cry in verse 20 when He says :" I heard your cry concerning Ishmael". That in itself is sufficient to understand that Abraham did not just ask about Ishmael, but cried out!

Why would Abraham feel compelled to cry out on behalf of his other son? It seems obvious to me that Ismael's future as a son and therefore an inheritor of Abraham was at risk. Abraham obviously felt that Ishmael's inheritance was at stake here, especially with the mention of Isaac. This is something we miss in the written dimension especially when reading the bible from a gentile perspective. Inheritance is and was very important to a Jewish man of that time period.

God gives Abraham a promise that Ishmael with have 12 princes and a great nation will he become. This prophecy was fulfilled in 620CE when Islam pretty much dominated the known world for a season. This was the height of the rise of Islam.

The Torah uses the word 'princes' a word that can also be translated as to mean 'clouds'. Clouds can just as easily come together in a storm and then suddenly a wind will come along and blow them apart, scattering the clouds and effectively blowing away the storm.

It seems that hidden within this prophecy is the following gem. The clouds (princes) when they come together for a season will cause a mighty thunderstorm, but with the coming of the Holy Spirit (always manifests as a mighty rushing wind - see Acts 2:2), these clouds would be just as quickly blown away. In simple terms, there will be a season when the Islamic religion will rule a large portion of the earth (was this fulfilled in 620CE?) and then with the sudden outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28) this mighty gathering of clouds will be blown away by the Holy Spirit and the rightful heirs of the earth will be unveiled. (Romans 8:19).

Praying for an unsaved loved one

Praying for an unsaved loved one is always a difficult, gut wrenching prayer that is fast tracked up to heaven. The Lord has given us the perfect prayer for this deep and often emotional undertaking. I have personally experienced the results of this prayer being prayed faithfully every night over me while I slept soundly unawares of what was transpiring within the spiritual realm, the physical manifestation was unforgettable!!

I was saved by a supernatural personal encounter with Christ. I was not in a Church, attending an emotionally charged atmosphere with 1,00s crying out to God. I was simply walking along a sidewalk, minding my own business when the results of the most powerful prayer kicked into high gear - and I had an encounter with Christ. I fell to me knees and started to cry uncontrollably.

Some background first. I had signed up in a seminary school to 'prove that the Bible was untrue'. Unbeknown to me, my wife had been faithfully praying over me every night, never once confronting me about my lac of faith, no church attendance or doing any of the other things that most well intentioned wives do. She was just silently waging war - we don't wage war in the physical. 

The biggest mistake most well wishing wives make is to try and convince their husbands about the Gospel, rather than praying the prayer of love. Most men are rational logical minded,and respond better to logic than emotional outbursts. You may have discovered that your emotional outbursts have an adverse effect on your unsaved loved one?

The correct answer is to hold your tongue and wage war in the spirit realm, the unseen realm. Once the eyes of his understanding have been opened, then he will see the logic all by himself. Let the power of God do the talking rather than your emotions.

Paul prayed this prayer in Ephesians 1:16-23. It took only 6 months for me to encounter the power of Christ. I went from unsaved heathen of note to spirit filled radically saved pastor in rapid succession. I devoured the word day and night. i could not (and still cannot) get enough of the Word.

You see, my lovely wife opened up the flood gates. She prayed and God answered her prayer, effectively releasing my destiny. It was catchup time and suddenly I had a whole lot of work to do, and to catch up. Perhaps you can give this prayer a go. Do not give up, keep knocking at this door. pray this prayer consistently...expect results. We walk by faith and not by sight. Expect resistance at first. The hotter the resistance, the closer you are to victory. The battle always gets heated right before it ends. That's when you have got to step up your praying.

Toxic emotions

Unforgiveness brings forth mistrust, stems from a lack of being able to forgive and forget. You carry unforgiveness around like a ball and chain, holding you back, dragging you back into a distant past trauma, a trauma that you won’t let go of. It holds onto you like a anchor, dragging at you, dredging up the past, bring tears hurt and most of all shame to the present. Guilt is often associated with the Unforgiveness, especially when betrayal is the root cause.

Often you have feelings that are uncontrollable. You hurt, and you want the other person to hurt too. Its not fair. What did you ever do to deserve this intense pain. You don’t want to let the pain go, afraid that if you do, you may let your guard slip and one day find yourself in the same predicament again. The pain is intense, the fear agony, gut wrenching fear that this may very well happen to you again. A fate worse than death.

 

Unforgiveness, brings with it a close ally, hurt. Hurt carries with it the fear of it all happening again. Hidden beneath all these emotions is a stowaway passenger known as bitterness. Bitterness creeps in all by itself silently stalking you, without the fan fare of its partner – anger. Bitterness is slimy, slinking in the dark reaches of your mind, silently striking when you least expect it.

SUDDENLY you wake up one day, a victim of the silent but deadly killer emotion known simply as bitterness. It bit you in the night of your anger, some where between anger turning to fear, before it became agony, somewhere when guilt struck. Hidden amongst all the intense emotions, the roller coaster ride of emotions, you were struck by the nastiest of all – bitterness. You awake, a victim of your emotions, the final chapter of betrayal, bitter, twisted and quite frankly a mess.

Bitterness, if left unchecked turns to a more physical problem. It has the effect of drying up the bones so says Proverbs 17:22. The Bible’s medicine to counter bitterness? A merry heart doth good like a medicine. Laughter is good for the soul, and very good, it would appear for the human body too. Scientists have discovered the excellent side effects for the body. Bitterness pollutes the blood, which in 23 seconds circulates through the entire body, spreading that toxic ‘waste’ throughout the body.

My suggestion to counter unforgiveness is to recognize the symptoms.  Recognize that  you are angry – and then express that anger without attempting to hurt the other person. Be open and honest with your emotions, without trying to ‘get back’ at the party that hurt you. The worst thing we can do is to deny the hurt. In our society we are quick to deny our pain, and pretend nothing is wrong. This suppression causes more pain, and releases a toxin into your blood. Deal with the problem upfront immediately, get it out in the open where it can do no more harm. Chances are the offending party did not even know they had caused offense!

DDeal with the issue before it leads to a release of toxins into the body, before bitterness creeps in. In a study conducted by Dr ML Menten (The Origin and Nature of the Emotions

B By George W. Crile Published by Kessinger Publishing, 2004 ISBN 1419176358, 9781419176357)

eEmotions (anger, fear) released unhealthy toxins into the blood stream during a lab experiment. Imagine how many toxins you have released into your blood stream…and within 23 seconds they are circulating throughout your entire body!

     Makes you think perhaps its time to get a grip on the unhealthy emotions causing toxins to be released. Have you ever thought  of the astounding effect your emotions have on your health? Maybe we are finally beginning to establish that the word was accurate in so many ways, on so many levels.

 

Wall Street?

If only we could have had a window into the future we would have been spared the incredible turnabouts of the stock market. Even the most wizened professionals say they have never seen anything like it. In January of this year Barron's magazine advised its readers to concentrate purchases from its list of most secure and risk-free companies. At the very top of their suggestions for best performers for the coming year were Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and AIG. But of course neither Barron's nor Fortune nor Forbes had any idea that these pillars of capitalism, these bastions of financial strength, would soon collapse into bankruptcy or federal takeover. 

Another interesting fact is the following quote taken from the authors 

James Dale Davidson and Sir William Rees-Mogg, financial advisers and authors of Blood in the Streets.

"Even more mysterious is the strange tendency for major crashes to occur in the autumn, especially in October. For example, September 18, 1873; October 29, 1929; October 6, 1932; October 18, 1937; October 19, 1987; and October 13, 1989. Each of these dramatic results, among the largest drops ever recorded, occurred in the fall. The old view would be to argue that this is only coincidence, which of course is possible. Most likely some factor we do not now understand increases the vulnerability to selloffs in the fall."

What the world does not seem to grasp, or just plain does not know is that the Jewish New Year, or more accurately the Hebrew calender starts with a fall feast on the 30th September! During this season, God expects each and every man to bring an offering in, to focus our thoughts on our priorities for the upcoming year. The Day of Atonement (the feast following directly after Rosh Hashana) was fulfilled by Christ already...but the purpose of the fest remains. Its a season of when we are to refocus our thoughts. It is a season when there was Divine Judgement in the heavenlies. The Rabbis believe that during this season we ask God for His blessing upon our finances for the next upcoming year. 

However you believe, I am sure you will agree...this year end has forced many a banker, investment broker, investment advisor to refocus. Many a Christian will have to refocus their priorities as the season continues. For too long we have relied on the wisdom and knowledge of the world. We take investment advice from magazines, newspapers and stock brokers. Had you followed all that advice, your portfolio may be down right now. Had you sought Divine Advice, your portfolio may be looking healthy right now. There is only ONE creator - and He knows the markets and the market trends.

If we were to examine what the Word tells us about financial seasons, we would not be surprised at what happened last week on the stock markets.

Were you surprised?

Name of YHWH

The name of Yahweh is in actual fact spelt YHWH. We do not know for sure how to pronounce this name, because the Rabbis viewed the name as too holy to pronounce and so we have lost the correct pronunciation of this most Holy Name. We have modernized the Name to become Jehovah which is in actual fact a combination of YHWH with Adonai, thus adding the vowels of Adonai with the four letters of YHWH. This gives the name Jehovah, or translated :"The Lord God".

In the 18th chapter of the Gospel of John we see this major amount of soldiers armed with lanterns, torches and weapons coming to arrest Jesus. Obviously they were expecting to arrest a major man of war, not one peaceful rabbi teaching peace, love, and as such they were armed to the teeth. They come to the garden, and He asks them who are they looking for? They reply that they are looking for Jesus, and He answers in the most dramatic of manners with a simple:"I Am". The simple phrase is filled with such power, that the soldiers are slain in the spirit int he garden by the power inherent in this name. What is this Name?

This is the same name that God used when Moses asked Him:"Who are you?" in Exodus 6. God said, tell the people "I AM". 

I am indicates, that God is the God of the present tense. he is present now. He said He forgets our confessed (and repented sin). He forgets our past. God lives in the present tense. Hebrews 11:1 says that Faith is Now!! In Hebrews 11:6 we are told that without this faith, we cannot please God. It takes a now faith to please a Now God.  God is in the present tense. Fear is in the past tense. Fear is the opposite of faith and in reality is based upon your past experiences! Fear is past tense, faith is present tense. Where are you living?

Rooted and grounded

This photo was sent to me by a friend, and as such I have no idea who to credit for the photo!

However, this photo illustrates an awesome scripture, but first some back ground. The American soldier is being fired upon (I believe) and while the crowd is scattering the soldier is standing firm in the face of danger. 

You see, his training is over riding his personal sense of danger. By standing firm, rooted and grounded, he is unknowingly providing a place of refuge, a cover for a little boy. The little boy, obviously has experienced gun fire before, and he also knows where true safety is - behind the well trained American soldier.

In Ephesians 3:17 we are told to be rooted and grounded in love - just like this soldier who is not moved by gunfire. Unwittingly he has provided safety to an innocent. How many people have you provided a safe refuge to by being rock solid, rooted and ground in Jesus Christ. the gas price is going crazy, stack markets are crashing, housing markets are a mess, food prices are rising, but you, being rooted and ground in Jesus are standing firm. Your confessions remain steadfast, and the same people that rejected you during times of prosperity rejected you, but when the bullets are flying they run to cover - behind you!

Remain steadfast, maintain your faith confessions, be the rock to so many that are going to cover behind you. You represent Christ to the world, when the world starts falling apart. That's why Paul said, be rooted and grounded. Don't let the world and your situation affect you, rather you affect the world. Imagine, if you will, a Christian church that stands strong in the face of adversity, faces danger head on - how many little boys would you be covering?

Strangely enough, I have never heard of soldiers fighting each other in times of war. The church could learn so mach from our brave soldiers. Why do we fight each other and not the real enemy? I tell you, it is due to a lack of discipline, poor training and poor leadership. Church, its time to get back into the Word, and stand strong!

For God so loved the world..

Marriage is all about love. The Greek word used here in this verse is “agape” meaning unconditional love. A love that is not comprehendible with our limited human minds. It is very definitely a love that is beyond rational logic.
The world tells us that marriage is all about having your needs met. This selfish love is better described using the Greek word “eros”. This is more a self centered type of love. It is all about me, and what I can get out of this relationship. Agape is all about what I can give. What can I give, how can I serve my partner, my spouse. Agape is all about giving to another, without the possibility of receiving. Agape gives. Agape serves. Agape gets up in the morning with one question in mind. How can I serve you today?
Eros has one question too. How are you going to serve me today? How can I benefit from this relationship? What is in it for me?
God uses the word marriage to describe His relationship with man. It was as a result of the driving Agape that God was driven, by a uncompromising love to send Jesus to serve us. Jesus served us through his ultimate sacrifice at Calvary. He demonstrated this serving attitude when he washed the feet of His disciples. Jesus came to serve the ultimate way. This is the very definition of how a spouse should love.
If we are in a marriage relationship with Christ, (and the bible often refers to the church as the bride) then should we not be more demonstrative of that Agape and less like the world? Are we truly driven by an uncompromising love, are you driven by a need to serve your God? Are you in a marriage relationship with your God?
If we put this in a human context. We were told to be shining examples of Jesus Christ. Does your light shine bright in the midst of a self centered, self serving world? Are you waking up in the morning with a need to serve your spouse? I know, you are going to say :”I am nuts”, followed very closely by:”I have things to do”. Can you say “selfish”, driven by your needs?
Is this a hard message to comprehend? Unequivocally yes. Even the disciples had difficulty being served. Remember Peter’s objections to Christ washing his feet? We are not comfortable serving. When we are truly renewed in our thinking (Romans 12:2), our marriages resemble more of the Christ like example of a marriage and less like the world’s example of marriage. How did God serve His bride? He sent His Son to serve us!
The second aspect to a Christ like marriage is found in this text. Ephesians 5:26 we are told to wash with t he Word. In other words, we are NOT told to clean the fish, just catch the fish. The word of God will do the cleaning…if we will just concentrate on the catching! The same is true in marriages. The word of God will change your spouse – not you. God did not send Jesus to change us, just to teach us. It was the teaching, and His life example that changed us. In fact when He was confronted by the teachers of the law with the woman caught in adultery, He did not judge her. He said he who has no sin can cast the first stone. We are not told to judge, in fact we are specifically told not to judge! More than once we are instructed not to judge, especially in marriage. Now we can judge behavior (in other words, fruit) but not the person. In marriage we often as not try to change our spouse to fit our ‘models of expectation’. We try to change our partner to fit what we perceive as the ‘right fit’.
If we were to truly follow the Christ like example of marriage, an example of serving, and example of not judging the person, but rather washing with the word, the church would have the lowest rate of divorce rather than the highest! Makes me think that we are in need of studying:
Ephesians 4:17:” This I say in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.”

Push Through

In Mark 5:25 we see a wonderful example of tenacity, in the face of religious doctrine there is a woman with an issue of blood. The religious teachings of the day said that she was unclean and as such was forced to stay in the confines of her home. We know she was a woman of means, because in verse 25 it says she had spent all she had. She had money, and like most modern day thinking, sh had thrown money at her problem, and was not getting any better, in fact she was worse off than before.

How many times have you consulted a medical practitioner at his/her 'practise' and the treatment has left you worse off than before? Interestingly enough, a 'practise' is some place where people practise, and despite that this is the first place we run to to receive a healing? The side effects of most medicine will kill you just as fast as heal you, but conventional wisdom is that is the first avenue you go down when something is out of kilter in your body.

This woman complied with modern medical practise and had spent all she had. She had complied with contemporary teaching from the religious crowd, and now it was time to do something different. She decided to seek Jesus and try a different approach.

The first obstacle she was faced with was to go against all logic. She had to leave her home, despite what the religious teachers had said. Then she had to believe the scriptures, in a literal sense. The word says in Isaiah 61:1 that the Son of man will appear with healing in His wings. Now modern day theologians are quick to point out that you cannot read and believe the literal Bible...and yet that is exactly what this woman did. She had read the verse in Isaiah ,and realized that this was a literal instruction.

You see, Jesus would have worn a prayer shawl (Tallit) and when he gave the benediction, he would have grabbed the edges and held them up. This looks like a set of wings. She knew from the literal word that if He was the Son of God, then their would be a healing in the ends of the Tallit, and this is what she was aiming for when she approached Him in the crowds.

The second obstacle she faced was the very crowds. She had to push through the crowds to get to the ends of His tallit. She had to push beyond her own teachings, ( in verse 28 she said :"If only I may touch His clothes I will be made whole"), she had to push beyond her embarrassment of being out in public while bleeding. She was facing many obstacles, but despite the challenges, she pushed beyond the obstacles to go get what she knew was hers to get. Did you get that? She knew without a doubt that if she touched His tallit, she would be healed. Praise God - she took the Scriptures literally, despite conventional theologians teachings, despite physical limitations, despite human logic.

Beloved, healing is for today. You may have to push through some things to get it, but the Word of God is meant to be taken literally. Push through means to Pray Until Something Happens. Push through means to go beyond conventional logic. Go beyond human understanding. Go beyond what the world tells you to do, and expect. Think beyond the limits of human understanding.

In Luke 1:37 " For with God nothing is impossible". God said in Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not" God has not changed, and neither has man. We still define what God can and cannot do through conventional wisdom, human logic and our small minded thinking! How can we possible define and limit a limitless God? How arrogant man is...to think we can define a limitless God through conventional understanding, interpretation and translation. 

Personally, I take the Word literally, teach the literal Word, and live by the literal word. For without faith it is impossible to please God.  It takes faith to believe the literal Word of God, the same faith that is required to please God...go figure.

Grace sufficient..?

2 Corinthians 12:9 God said to Paul :”My Grace is sufficient for you”. Now out of context it seems as if God was saying that I am not going to heal you Paul. If you just quote that verse by itself, that is an accurate interpretation of the isolated verse…but does not line up with God’s Will and Last testament to us. If a verse in isolation does not line up with the whole Word then we need to re look at the verse.

The first problem with this verse interpretation is the word Grace. What does Grace actually mean.  For too long we have misinterpreted the word Grace. Grace actually means “gift”. What gift did God give Paul that was sufficient for him to carry him through the sickness?

1 Peter 2:24 by whose stripes you were healed. The word healed is the Greek word  ”idamo”  meaning restored to full bodily health. Please notice the word is a past tense word. It has already happened.

Paul was asking God to do something that God had already done.

Matthew 27:50-53…all the dead were awakened! All sickness and death was defeated on that day!

 

John the only apostle to be present at the death of Jesus records something that none of the others record…but then he was the only writer present at the death. He records in John 19:26 we see that Jesus indicates John was present. In John 19:30 Jesus says:”It is finished”. In other words, the work was completed. He has fulfilled scripture that day, that hour. He fulfilled God’s will on the earth. Sickness, death was destroyed that very hour. Look at John 10:10…Jesus said I came to give life to the full in abundance till it over flows.

The Greek word for Salvation is “Sozo” which means nothing missing and nothing broken. Sickness is a definite missing and or broken. Something is broken when you are sick…and yet we all believe in salvation but struggle with the results of being saved?

That’s why Romans 12:2 says to change your thought patterns. In fact the bible refers to our thought patterns as demonic! 1 Peter 2:1 the word malice in the Greek refers to demonic thought patterns.

Proverbs 23:7 as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Are you thinking like you old self, or are you thinking like the new creation. Your thought patterns determine your future.

Has your mind been saved? Has your mind been renewed today?

Blessed

The word 'blessed' means empowered to prosper. If prosperity is of interest to you, check out my blog on the millionaire mindset http://radrev-mindset.blogspot.com

Back on point. Abraham was said to be blessed. God blessed Abraham. God empowered Abraham to prosper. Here is the exciting thing. God empowered Abraham to become rich, and the Word says that Abraham was rich in livestock and possessions. Abraham was R_I_C_H!! Awesome stuff...he was well off, well to do, wealthy, just plain rich. Hard for the modern day church to accept...Abraham was rich, and God wants us to be rich too.

The Bible says that people perish through a lack of knowledge. Do you have a lack today?  Chances are that you have a lack of knowledge, which equals a lack. In Galatians 3:13 to 14 it says that Gentiles have inherited the blessing...of Abraham. You see, we have inherited that which enabled Abraham to prosper. We have inherited the ability, the blessing, the empowerment to prosper.

If you have lack, any lack, have you spoken over the lack? Have you declared that your situation should line up with the word? Why not - go ahead. Exercise your blessing. Abraham did. God changed his name to mean "father of many nations" at a time when Abraham had a lack. He did not have any children, yet despite this obvious lack, Abraham changed his name according to his blessing. 

Imagine walking around introducing yourself as the father of many nations,and you don't even have one child!!  Not one, not a single child? Despite this, Abraham called himself according to the blessing effect and not according to his situation.

Sounds an awful lot like God did in the book of Romans 10:17 when He called those things that be not as though they were? Is that not just like God to call things into existence that are not. He told us to do the same thing. He enabled us to prosper, by giving us an inheritance...through the blood of Jesus. We inherit the blessing of Abraham. We are blessed...empowered to prosper.

Be blessed. Walk in the blessing. manifest the results of the blessing...today.

Mat 8:13  And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour

Mar 11:23  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

These two scripture verses I quoted above are very powerful tools in the toolbox of the believer. It is interesting to note that early Christians were called by the name "believer" and not 'christian'. In Mark 17:17 it is recorded as saying the following:"These signs will follow those who believe..." In our modern day rationalistic society where everything has to be proven according to scientific principles we have lost the simple art of believing. We now have the motto that "Seeing is believing". 

I have often been asked by Christians that don't believe to explain how we can read the verse in Mark 11:23 literally. The bottom line request is "prove it". My answer is always the same. Prove that you have a brain. Have you ever seen your brain? Do you know for sure that you have a brain? You can make some logical deductions to the effect that you must have a brain, but having being in the people business most of my life, I can argue the point that most actions undertaken by rational people defies logic.

A biblical truth is "believing is seeing". Jesus said it on two separate occasions. As you believe so you will see. The world has turned this around to say that seeing is believing.

Ponder this - when you place an order online and pay for it online, you are often forced to wait for a couple of days for delivery. Despite this waiting period, you are totally convinced that you have acquired the new item you ordered.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, the apostles were surprised the next day when it died. Jesus, was not at all surprised. In fact He was surprised at their reaction. of course the fig tree was dead. it had died the previous day when Jesus spoke to it! The death of the fig tree took place in the unseen realm, at the roots of the fig tree. 

Like modern day Christians, the apostles were expecting an obvious change in the physical realm, something they could see immediately. When this never happened, they walked away not believing. The next day the fig tree was dead...and the apostles were surprised.

Do you pray and believe or are you just making a delightful noise not expecting any answers anyway...Thats probably why we are called Christians and not believers!!

Sharpen your ax

Ecclesiastes 10:10 :"If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength. But wisdom brings success".

Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to chop down a tree, or chop up wood for a fire knows this simple truth. In our modern day times of chain saws, and ready chopped wood we seldom get any opportunity to use an ax. The truth behind this wisdom is awesome and can be applied to so many different situations. A sharp ax cuts easier, requires less work, and you get more done. A blunt ax requires more strength, is less efficient and you work harder, but accomplish less.

In everyday business, if you don't keep up with technology, you will be working harder and accomplishing less. We accept this in everyday work environments, but what about our walk with Christ? In your daily walk, and I use the word "daily", because it is supposed to be a daily walk, not a once a week excursion to Church, if you don't keep your edge, your blade becomes dull. 

How do we keep a sharp edge? Well, its simple really. Prayer keeps your edge sharp. Prayer keeps your focus narrow. In Matthew 6:33 we are instructed to maintain a sharp focus. This is a simple formulae for success. In fact, Jesus was just echoing what Joshua was told in Joshua 1:8. If you keep your focus on God, and HIS WAY OF DOING THINGS, you will make your way prosperous and be successful. Keep your edge sharp. Re focus your vision everyday.

I keep my edge by asking myself the following question every morning.

1. Have I spoken to God this morning?

The word says to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. In other words, the very first thing I do in the morning is sharpen my ax. The Roman soldiers had a routine. Everyday they would prepare their shields by anointing them with oil, and sharpen their swords. Anointing your shield of faith requires a daily prayer walk, but more importantly, you should start your day with prayer, and end your day in prayer.

I used to ask God to bless my plans. Now I ask God for His plans. I know His plans are blessed automatically, and it saves me time trying to figure out the best way to do something. Why try man's wisdom, when I can go to the source?

Have you sharpened your ax today? Is it not interesting that ax sharpening and wsidom are used in the same verse? 

Talking fig tree...

Mar 11:13  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs. 

Mar 11:14  And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And his disciples heard it. 

Jesus 'answered' the fig tree!! Wow...you mean to tell me that the Bible records the fig tree as speaking? Well, to be accurate, the bible does not say the fig tree spoke, but it does say that Jesus answered the fig tree. If you answer someone, that means the other person first spoke to you. For Jesus to answer the fig tree, means the fig tree must have first spoke to Him. Now there is no way you can translate/interpret this verse to mean anything other than the fig tree spoke to Christ.

Why would this be hard to believe? In Genesis, a snake spoke to Eve...don't you wish that Eve had done what Christ did to the fig tree? Imagine if Eve had cursed the snake, like Christ cursed the fig tree? For one thing, I wouldn't be writing this blog today.

Back to my blog...the fig tree was deceptive. It had leaves (fig trees only have leaves when they have fruit) but there were no figs! Sounds like many Christians today. There are leaves but no fruit.  Christians attending Church every week, have big branches and loads of leaves, but how many have any fruit?

In Genesis 1:28 God has just finished making man, and He turns to them and says :"This is how you get saved". NO - in fact He does not tell them about salvation at all. Its a no-brainer. Choose heaven or hell? Well, lets see...ahmm...not likely. Its a simply "duh" moment. This is not a deal or no deal situation. 

What does God tell Adam and Eve? Be fruitful! We are expressly told to be fruitful and multiply. Bearing fruit as born again believers is part and parcel of our spiritual DNA. It is what we were created to do.

Have you been fruitful today or are you another one of those nuts? In the Church world we have fruit and nuts. This was never God's intention. He was quite plain when he said -"Be fruitful", not go and be a nut.

John 7:38 says that if you believe in Jesus Christ out of your heart will flow rivers of living water. Living water brings joys to parched land. Rivers of living water, provide sustenance and life to dry places. Are you a joy bringer or a joy stealer? Is your fruit fulfilling and sweet?

Devil slicing machine

The sword of the Spirit, or the S Word of the spirit is a great tool in the hands of a deft believer. There were several different swords used in the New Testament by the Roman soldiers, but the word used in Ephesians 6:17 refers to a very specific sword. The Greek word used here is the word 

" machaira" and refers to a short stabbing double edge blade.

This is a particularly ruthless weapon that would be thrust in at close quarters, in an upward motion, penetrating the heart- lungs  of the victim and then turned and pulled out. As you can imagine this was a brutal blow that more often than not resulted in death (and quite a horrible painful death at that).

This particular sword could be as long as 19 inches, but more often than not it was shorter and was probably more like a dagger than a sword. Historians have recorded that some of these dagger like swords had a corkscrew tip enabling it to do more damage upon impact.  truly brutal weapon design to destroy its enemy upon contact.

Interestingly enough the Apostle Paul likens the Word of God to this particular sword. Paul has received revelation that most modern day Christians have still not gathered. The sword of God when used by a deft and able (read that as :"study to show yourself approved a workman worthy...") is able to do major damage to the enemy.

Quite contrary to what most of us have been taught, we should not be the victims of the enemy, but rather be devil stomping, (see shoes of peace) enemy chopping radically saved on fire Christians destroying the works of the devil...by wielding our sword with deftness and dexterity. 

Problem is that most Christians are 'wet'. We are not radically saved, on fire demon busting Christians. For some reason we prefer to be more conservative (read that as 'pew warmers') minding our own business and praying the devil does not find out about us!

God has an entire army of sleeping demon busting, Christians - it is time we stood up on our shoes of Peace, and exercised our Sword arms. If you are ready to do some devil stomping...get ready. Study the Word to show yourself approved,. make a habit of daily study. An army can not march into battle if it is not well versed in the weapons it will be using. The church needs more practise with the sword of the Spirit. Its time to focus on the sword of the spirit. 

The Roman soldiers would practise with a large double edge sword that was so heavy it took two hands to hold it and swing it. This practise was only used for training, because it was so heavy. The purpose for training with such a heavy blade was to strengthen the arms, build the muscle that was needed for a heavy battle.

This Sunday when you go to church - are you going to be practising still? Practise should take place in your daily study, everyday. Sunday services should be sharpening of your sword day. The battlefield is when you leave church and your sword has been sharpened...are you ready for battle?

Good question is - does your church sharpen your sword? An even better question is - do you miss sword sharpening services? Ever wonder why you are struggling everyday to maintain your walk? Your sword has probably become so blunt that you have to work harder.

Think of an axe. The sharper the blade, the less work required to chop down a tree. When the blade gets dull, you have to work harder to achieve the same effect. Keep your blade sharp and ready. This is the mark of a disciplined Christian.

Heart mouth connection

Mark 11:23 is a well know passage for the Faith camp, but how many know that this passage is one of those that 'cut both ways'? The bible records this warning:" the word of God is sharper than any two edged sword..." Hebrews 4:12.

In other words, this same sword can be used both ways! Mark 11:23 can be used against you...by yourself. Allow me to explain. Mark 11:23 says that whatever your heart and mouth agree upon, that you will have. This is a powerful heart mouth connection. As long as your heart and mouth are in total agreement you will have that.

This works both ways. if you believe you are going to fall sick , or have a car wreck and you totally believe that, and go ahead and speak that belief out, that is exactly what will happen. In other words, be really careful as to what you believe. Take every thought captive - is excellent advice. 

Its time to take ourselves through a Romans 12:2 experience. It is really time to transform our thinking, change our belief system and our words will change too. Jesus said out of the depth of a man's heart he will speak. If your thinking is reliant on the world's way of doing things, the world's patterns, then your words will line up with that thought pattern. Your actions will line up with your words, and as such your destiny will be exactly what you have been saying...

Your destiny lines up with your thought processes. Take your mind through a Romans 12:2 transformation and your future will change too. Be aware of every word that leaves your mouth. Words indicate thought processes. 

Take stock of what you believe, the Word of God is powerful and true. The enemy knows the word of God and understands the laws. Remember that these laws can be used by anyone who applies them. All the enemy has to do is input some stupid thoughts into your head, and pretty soon you will believe the thoughts. Once you attach your belief to the thoughts, you will give utterance to the lies...

People are more inclined to believe in negative thoughts than positive. The world teaches us doubt and unbelief. Even in some churches we learn doubt and unbelief. You will speak out what you believe and Jesus said you will have what you say and believe.

If you believe you are saved, and declare it with your mouth, then you are!

The 'ear incident'...

Who doesn't love the Ear incident It has the mark of drama, drama that even Hollywood could not create. Imagine the tension in the garden, as the Apostle Peter pulls out his sword and strikes the ear off the servant in the garden. The tension must have been tremendous. I imagine you could cut through the air with a knife, there was so much in the atmosphere. Wow...sends shivers down my spine.

 I want to examine this passage some more, get a better perspective of the ear incident if you like.

In Luke 22:49 the writer (Luke) uses the phrase 'gleefully asked'. Peter, in the eyes of the author, was excited at the opportunity of striking out at the enemy. Sounds like Peter was having impulse control issues, or as I like to phrase it - 'he was having a flesh attack'. A flesh attack is simply when your impusle to strikeout over rides your spiritual good sense. 

This lack of impulse control has placed Peter in history for ever. I must admit, that if I were there, I would probably have fallen into the same trap. The enemy purposefully delivered the servant to Peter at a time when tension was heightened. Emotions must have been screaming...adrenaline pumping, passions flaring and at that time the trap was set. Peter walked right into it, eyes open, flesh screaming for action. 

What are we to make of this? The lesson to be learnt is a simple one. Action is not the best strategy when tensions are high, adrenaline is pumping and there is a pressure to act. Its best to step back and carefully examine the edges, look for the steel hinges that so often resemble the trap awaiting you. No good came out of Peter's action (that I can see in the Word), but a valuable lesson is there. In a society where action is praised, in a culture that places high value on quick thought and rapid reaction, we need to re think our paradigms. To be spirit led is to be sons of God. The sons of God need to be spirit led, not flesh led. 

Tension, high emotions and adrenaline pumping are all of the flesh. If we allow our flesh to dominate our reactions then we too will walk eyes wide open into the trap set for us. A simple strategy is: recognise that when adrenaline is pumping, emotions are running full throttle, thats when you need to back off and walk away. This would be a great time to , stop, think and pray. Hear from God before reacting.

For some reason we believe that we have to act NOW. If God could (and He did) make the sun stand still in the midst of the battle, I know He is not in a hurry for you to move right now. Adrenaline pumping, heat of the battle, are all signs of flesh. Flesh equals trap. 

Betrayal

In Luke 22:47-48 we see the ultimate betrayal."...Judas are you betraying
the Son of Man with a kiss?" Judas was close enough to betray Jesus. Judas
was close enough a companion that kissing Jesus was acceptable.  How many
people could be that close to Jesus? You are only ever betrayed by someone
close enough to kiss you. Betrayal always comes at a crisis moment, and
marks a dramatic change is about to occur. I call this the watershed moment.

The whole Gospel is built around what happens next. It is this very act of
betrayal that leads to the crucifixion. As Christ was betrayed by man, so
was God betrayed by man in the Garden of Eden. Betrayal marks a major
change, is always followed by grief, pain, hurt, but ultimately there is
major victory and growth.

Romans 8:28 says :"for we know that all things work together for those who
love God and are called according to His purposes and plan". In other words,
even the most grievous of betrayals have a purpose and eventual outcome that
will cause growth within you. Betrayal hurts, and the deeper the cut the
longer the pain. There are three phases to betrayal - between betrayal, in
the middle of betrayal and coming out of betrayal. The great news is that
Christ always brings you through, and out. The promise in Romans is there to
remind us that even the act of betrayal can be used by God to have an
awesome outcome!!

Can anyone argue that Judas' act led to the greatest miracle in our lives?
The worst betrayal led to the greatest gift of Grace the world has seen.

Pearls before swine

Matthew 7:6 "Do not give what is holy to dogs;do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample you under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces".

Very powerful imagery used by Jesus in this passage. I want to examine some of the lessons we can learn here.

First the word "dog" is often used in the bible to refer to a male prostitute. Jesus is saying not to give what is holy to people who will not recognize the value of what you are giving them, and will treat it with disrespect. He goes onto say do not cast your pearls. pearls are hard to come by. Pearl divers, dive to staggering depths, not an easy feat. Not everyone can go out and dive to the depths that pearl divers dive to. It requires a serious set of lungs, lots of discipline to hold your breath while your body is screaming at you. Your lungs are burning in agony at the lack of air, but the reward is worthy of the risk. The risk is sudden death, known as shallow water blackout. 

The reward is awesome, a pearl worthy of the risk? That depends on whether you like pearls or not. This is one of those :"beauty is in the eyes of the holder". 

Now swine, or pigs are strange animals. They eat, and eat and never give a thought to how the food arrived. They always take. Pigs can eat for ever if there was enough food. They lie down in the mud, and wallow. The only time you see domestic pigs move is when food time arrives, and then suddenly they have tremendous speed. They will trample anything and anyone underneath their feet to get at food. Never ever is there a "thank you". Its not possible for a pig to speak, never mind show gratitude.

Jesus is saying that there are those believers that act just like pigs. they will take and take from you, never saying 'thank you', never giving the slightest thought to you. Its all about them. These people don't appreciate your efforts at getting the pearl you are giving them. These pearls come through serious diving, deep into the Word, digging deep to obtain!

Jesus is telling believers not to easily give up their pearls, their revelation that came through serious study, fasting and a disciplined lifestyle. 

This passage goes onto to say that when you stop giving away your pearls of wisdom, they will turn and rip into you. Believers can be vicious when they turn on you. Many a pastor, teacher has found this out the hard way. The mistake was to give away your pearls of wisdom to people who do not place a high value on wisdom!

The world says to never argue with a fool as they will not know the difference. Christ said to protect your pearls of revelation, rather than share it with everyone.