Refreshment

“I believe that if an angel
were to wing his way from earth up to Heaven,
and were to say that there was one poor, ragged boy,
without father or mother,
with no one to care for him and teach him the way of life;
and if God were to ask who among them were willing to come down
to this earth and live here for fifty years
and lead that one to Jesus Christ,
every angel in Heaven would volunteer to go.
Even Gabriel, who stands in the presence of the Almighty,
would say, "Let me leave my high and lofty position,
and let me have the luxury of leading one soul to Jesus Christ."
There is no greater honor
than to be the instrument in God's hands
of leading one person out of the kingdom of Satan
into the glorious light of Heaven.”
Dwight L. Moody

Refreshment
“Do not be drunk with wine,
which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:18 NIV

Being filled daily with the Spirit of God is essential to our Christian walk.

It is critical that we flow out of the overflow

of what the Word and the Spirit give us each day.

New manna is needed each morning for the day ahead of us.
The Greek word for “filled” is ‘pleroo’

which means to make replete, to fill and satisfy, to make full,

literally to cram a net full, level up a hollow, to fill a vessel,

to impart richly, to imbue, spread or diffuse through, fill or soak.

We need to repent of our own abilities and thinking, and allow the Lord liberty to fill our cups each morning to the overflow – that our ministry to others is birthed in His presence.

“Therefore repent and return,
so that your sins may be wiped away,
in order that times of refreshing may come
from the presence of the Lord.”
Acts 3:19 NASB

Refreshing (the Greek ‘anapsuxis’) means to “recover ones breath” and the Holy Spirit is the ‘Ruach’ of God. ‘Ruach’ is the Hebrew word for the breath of wind of God.

When God created man, He reached down in the Garden of Eden and scooped up some red earth and He breathed (rauch) upon it. God breathed the very life of the Holy Spirit into us in the Creation. That which was lost in mankind’s fall was restored at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was again breathed upon believers.

If we are to flow in the work of the Kingdom, to bring salvation (Greek ‘sozo’ meaning redemption, deliverance and healing), we can only do so if we are in Christ.

When I was in the Yucatan, Mexico, (Summer 2008)

we ministered for ten long days and nights

that ended every time in the early hours of the next morning.

A few hours of sleep, and we were back at the work of the kingdom.

At the end of the ten days we were all exhausted - but so satisfied.

Each day, I would rely on the indwelling and infilling of the Spirit to carry me.

I would walk into small rural churches saying to the Lord…

“I don’t know how I’m going to do this…

You are going to have to give me strength.”

He showed up every time… the anointing would come,

and I would preach the Word with boldness – my mind was clear,

and I was never tired while I shared the Word.

The Spirit of God would often change what I was to share at the last minute,

or even midstream; and what was shared was always effective –

the people were amazingly receptive and appreciative of the Word.

Each time I shared I had the same feelings

of both amazement, humility and contentment

that came from being in the will of God,

and seeing Him move through me.

“Then he said to me,
This [addition of the bowl to the candlestick,
causing it to yield a ceaseless supply of oil
from the olive trees]
is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying,
Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit
[of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts.”
Zechariah 4:6 Amplified Bible

The Word was followed every day and night with His fingerprint –

signs and wonders… salvations, deliverances, healings,

times of encouragement and edification!

The building up of the saints and the advancement of his Kingdom;

all to the purpose of bringing honor and glory to Him who is the Glory!

Lord let the refreshing come,

that Your will may be done,

“in earth as it is in heaven.”

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The Dwelling Place

Psalm 91:1-4

“Contentment and covetousness are opposing forces.
Contentment moves us away from idolatry
and closer to the heart of God
while covetousness distances us from God
and drives us to the alters of idolatry.”
John Bevere: Thus Saith The Lord (p.67)





The Dwelling Place

Psalm 91:1-4

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty
[Whose power no foe can withstand].
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress,
my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge;
His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.”
Psalm 91:1-4 Amplified Bible (my emphasis bold)

This familiar Psalm is one of my favorites
(even though I’m only sharing the first four verses,
the whole Psalm is worth meditating on.)

In the first four verses, there are four different names of God shared,
which add greatly to the meaning of the whole Psalm.
“The Most High” comes from the Hebrew word
elyon (el yone).
This word means: an elevation, lofty, the supreme, upper most or the highest.
Elyon is a God who is above all else,
who has a perspective far above our own.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9

“The Almighty” comes from the Hebrew word
“shadday” (Shad dah ee)
which conveys the thought of the mightiest of warriors,
or most powerful.
So not only does our God uniquely overlook all of our circumstances,
but He is all powerful in being able and willing to overcome them.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not physical
[weapons of flesh and blood],
but they are mighty before God
for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
2 Corinthians 10:4

“The Lord” is from the Hebrew word
y`hovah (yeh ho vaw) (Jehovah)
This concept of God has to do with intimacy with the self Existent One
Our God is not one who is aloof and stands off.
He sees and has the power to bring victory,
but much more than that His relationship with us
is based upon love and mercy
and an intense desire to have us in His presence.

“I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me,
that they may be one [even] as We are one:
I in them and You in Me,
in order that they may become one and perfectly united,
that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me
and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.”
John 17:22-23

Finally the term used in “my God” is the Hebrew word
elohiym (el o heem`) which is a plural form of God
conveying the meaning of Supreme Gods, or Magistrates or rulership.
It implies the working of the Trinity in covenant relationship.

“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth
and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
I heard saying:
‘ Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!’”
Revelation 5:13

All things and all events in our lives are summed up in Christ
and His Lordship over all creation.

I invite you now, with these perspectives on God’s names
to read the whole of Psalm 91 and see what the Spirit will reveal to you.
He has a word for each of us for what we are facing right now, today!

May your love for God’s law
bring you great peace
so that nothing can offend you…

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Perseverance

Perseverance

“A rule I have had for years
is to treat the Lord Christ as a personal friend.
When I go away from home
I bid my wife and children goodbye;
I bid my friends and acquaintances goodbye,
but I never heard of a poor backslider
going down on his knees and saying,
'I have been near you for ten years;
your service has become tedious and monotonous;
I have come to bid you farewell. Goodbye, Lord Christ.’
I never heard of one doing this.
I will tell you how they go:
they just run away!”
Dwight L Moody

Perseverance:

“Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider her ways and be wise!”
Proverbs 6:6

We often take stock in our situation

and feel as though we have had it tough.

In reality, we live in luxury in comparison to most of the world.

A man named Ri, was born in Vietnam. As a youth he witnessed both his parents murdered by the North Vietnamese army. So he fled to South Vietnam in the 1960’s . While there he was able to go to school and learned basic skills that allowed him to eventually become a building contractor. His business prospered, and he decided to return to the north to bring money and goods to his relatives there. While there he was arrested and thrown into prison for three years. He finally escaped from the prison in the North and fled back to South Vietnam. There he was again arrested and charged with being a spy for the north! Finally he was released, just about the time that the U.S. decided to pull out of Vietnam.
Ri sold everything he had and secured passage on a small overcrowded fishing boat. He was later picked up by an American warship and taken to the Philippines. There he lived for two years in a refugee camp in squalid and overcrowded conditions. Finally he was allowed to come to the United States.
Ri was allowed to come here, because he had a cousin living here, who offered him a job in his tailor shop. Both Ri and his wife worked long hours seven days a week for meager pay. They lived in a small room in the back of the tailor shop, taking baths in a basin of water so that they could save every penny possible that they made.
In two years time Ri and his wife were able to save $30,000, and used it to buy his cousin’s tailor shop. It was only then that they allowed themselves the luxury of renting a small apartment.
Today they are millionaires! Hard work and frugal living brought their dream into reality.
How often do we settle for less that what the Lord desires to give us, because we do not hold on to the dream He has birthed in our hearts?

“Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!]
let us exult and triumph in our troubles
and rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship
produce patient and unswerving endurance.
And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character
(approved faith and tried integrity).
And character [of this sort] produces
[the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.
Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us,
for God's love has been poured out in our hearts
through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:3-5 Amplified Bible

Let’s have the right attitude and continue steadfastly for Him!

“The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied”
Proverbs 13:4 Amplified Bible

30 fkj<><

That makes us a Christian

A chasm is opening between the men who believe their Bibles
and the men who are prepared for an advance upon Scripture.
Inspiration and speculation cannot long abide in peace.
Compromise there can be none.
We cannot hold the inspiration of the Word, and yet reject it;
we cannot believe in the atonement and deny it;
we cannot hold the doctrine of the fall
and yet talk of the evolution of spiritual life from human nature;
we cannot recognize the punishment of the impenitent
and yet indulge the "larger hope."
One way or the other we must go.
Decision is the virtue of the hour.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

It is not what you eat,
But what you digest
That makes you strong,

Not what we gain,
But what we save
That makes us rich.

Not what we read,
But what we remember
That makes us learned

And not what we profess
But what we practice
That makes us a Christian.

Selah –

Anyone can praise Christ
but it takes a man or woman of courage to follow Him!

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Man’s True Place

Man’s True Place

If we are true to our faith
we will not contradict our words with our conduct. Fkj

Man’s True Place

“O Lord, how many and varied are Your works!
In wisdom have You made them all;
the earth is full of Your riches and Your creatures…
…These all wait and are dependent upon You,
that You may give them their food in due season.
When You give it to them, they gather it up;
You open Your hand, and they are filled with good things.”
Psalm 104:24, 27-28 Amplified Bible

Most of mankind, has a rather high opinion of itself
and its accomplishments.
This Psalm puts these views in their place.
It sums up the whole relationship of all of creation
to its Creator,
and points to our universal dependence upon God
in maintaining our position in one phrase:

“These all wait and are dependent upon You”

The whole of the universe is ruled by one unalterable Law…
all comes from God, and all will be summed up in Christ Jesus!

In Him who is the Way the Truth and the Life Everlasting
30
Fred<><

Holiness

Holiness is not the way to Christ,
Christ is the way to holiness.












Holiness

The Word of God demands that we as believers live “Holy”

… “ that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”
Ephesians 1:4b

and “separated” lives unto the Lord.
“Don’t be unequally yoked together with unbelievers;
for what fellowship is there
between righteousness and unrighteousness?
And what communion does light have with darkness.”
2 Corinthians 6:14]

To walk in such a holy and separated way
we must choose to place our lives before God –
to lay ourselves at the Cross
and be delivered from our own sinful and selfish nature.

Without such a holy exchange, we will never be free from self and sin;
and the character of Christ Jesus
will never developed in us or seen fully through us.

The enemy is continually looking for ways to get us to settle
for something less than holiness.
Oh yes, he says, ‘get wrapped up in a good cause,
feed the poor, minister to the unloved,
but don’t throw yourself in the briar-patch of holiness and purity.’

In the Scriptures, the predominant feature of this call to holiness
contains a holy urgency.
For without a release from self and sin
the true life of God cannot fully appear in men.

We should rejoice in this knowledge,
no matter how difficult it may be to embrace.

For if the accuser of the brethren can succeed in persuading us
that his zircon is as good as the Lord’s diamond,
he and his dominion will rejoice at our double-mindedness.
Our failure to embrace the meat of His Word,
will cause us to be “unstable in all our ways.” [James 1:8]

The fruits of God’s Spirit cannot be fully realized
until we have come to the unity of the faith,
and we have gone with Christ to the grave.
There alone we will find his proclamation
“I am the resurrection and the Life;
he that believes on Me though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
John 11:25

Without death to self and sin,
the resurrection life of Christ is hampered from flowing through us.
Christian’s who try to walk on the edge of this road,
do so at their own peril - and that of the Church.

This kind of thinking hinders the Gospel message of Christ,
and exposes our own compromise and hypocrisy.
The world is quick to see such double-mindedness,
and call much of the Church what it is – ‘ fraudulent’.
The eyes of the world are quick to perceive
the slightest indication of selfishness and sin in us (the Church)
who are professing to be abandoned to our Masters will.

Although some might proclaim that the standard they use is too high,
and unquestionably twisted in view of their own actions,
the truth of the matter is that our standard of “holiness” is far too low.

The majority of Christians preach and teach
about the abundant life in Christ Jesus,
which of course is true;
but they miss the necessity of reaching the high goal of death to their old life.
It is utter delusion to think that holiness can be obtained without cost.
Some think it comes with church membership, or the ritual of baptism.
If such were true then the church would be
filled to capacity to sanctified saints walking in perfect purity and unity.

In some aspects, we have indeed, attempted
to make saints through program and rituals,
rather than through intimate relationship with the Lord and self-sacrifice.
The compelling fact is that without a close personal relationship with the Lord,
His Word and the edification of His Church, holiness will not be attained.

The ‘appearance of holiness’ may be put on like a tattered garment,
but the inner man will smell like a whitewashed sepulcher.
Sin is not arbitrary in nature.
It is indeed the assertion of one’s own will,
and self thought which is actually against God’s proclaimed Word and Will.

As long as we abide in our own self-love and lower thought life,
we will miss the manifestations of God in us, and through us.

While we are sinners, saved by the grace of God,
that does not excuse us from knowingly engaging in sinful acts. God forbid, we are instead called to be over-comers, through the finished work of Christ Jesus. Teleos!

“You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them:
because greater is He that is in you,
than he that is in the world.”
“They are of the world;
therefore they speak of the world,
and the world hears them.”
1 John 4:4-5

Our position must be to seek to walk in obedience to the truth,
and appropriate the inheritance of the completed work of Christ.

“Though we walk in the flesh,
We do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (my emphasis bold/underlined)

The center of man’s affections will either be in himself,
in other creatures or creation itself, or in God.
He may say that he loves them all, and that may be true to some extent,
but he will only love one supremely.

If that center of love is found in self,
it will be consumed in our own thoughts, will and emotions.
Such a self-centered love will never bring about holiness,
for holiness is the antithesis of selfishness.

When love is centered in self
it inevitably will yield rebellion and disobedience.
Self-love is not only our enemy, it is the enemy of God.

Our hope is rooted in the power of God
to resurrect us in the Life of Christ and circumcise our hearts.
He will not circumcise what we withhold.

That is why it is essential that we seek His face
and His perspective of our spiritual condition:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart,
try me, and know my thoughts….”
Psalm 139

For the human heart is ‘deceitful and desperately wicked’ and full of self love.
Jeremiah 17:9

“And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24

The way everlasting, is to put what God reveals, back on the alter,
and have it cleansed by the Blood!

We must learn to make God what He truly is – the All in All,
the Completion of All Things, including ourselves.

We will never be able to “run with horses”
until we are able to contend with men,
and the Adamic nature within ourselves.
(Jeremiah 12:5).

We must allow our own idols to be overturned at the Cross
before we can be over-comers in spiritual battles.

We must purify ourselves and our own realm
before we try to win the world for Christ.

If we deny the fire of God’s holiness
then we are denying our discipleship of Christ.
It is this fire alone that brings about a holy exchange
which causes us to hate the sin in our lives,
and brings a renewed passion for holiness as a lifestyle.

The outcome of such a lifestyle is a life
that seeks God in Spirit and in Truth,
filled with the love of Christ
and an intense desire to see the lost come to Christ.

This is the high call for us to become Christ-like.

May God open our eyes
that we might see the marvelous things in His Word

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The Breaker God

“Authority should not be considered a position of privilege as much as a responsibility to be used for service.”
Rick Joyner –

“First Century Church Government”

The Breaker God

The Lord woke me up early this morning…
My first reaction was “I need my sleep. ”

Fortunately His Spirit prevailed, and I forced myself out of bed

and washed away my faithless apathy in a morning shower.

I know God’s voice, I know His faithfulness, His love, His Mercy and Grace…

amazingly sometimes even in all that “knowledge”

I fail to be obedient to set aside the time to listen.

I found myself in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee,

and then walking our dog in the predawn darkness.

There was a refreshing chill in the air,

after weeks of warm and humid weather.

As I brought our puppy in from his walk

our sun porch seemed extraordinarily inviting.

I settled in a rocking chair, soon with a dog in my lap;

and began to talk with God.

I knew He had something to say because of the drawing of His Spirit.
I began to quietly praise Him, and immediately felt His presence surround me…

"Yes, I thought, He really does inhabit the praises of His people.”

I opened my eyes and rubbed our little dog’s back

as he quieted himself in my arms.

“This is how I need to be,” I thought, “quietly before the Lord, in His arms.”

I looked outside as the first glimmer of the dawn

began to outline a stand of trees in my neighbor’s yard.

Their dark outline was stark and bold against the steel gray of the morning sky.

There was little detail in their shape other than

the gentle waving silhouettes of their upper branches.

They reminded me of a host of cares that seemed to be pressing in on me,

there in the darkness their shadowed presence

engulfed the immediate world around them, and myself.

Then it happened, very slowly, but very distinctly.

As the morning sun pressed closer to sunrise

the light began to pierce through the dark silhouette of the trees,

it pierced through the very centers of the trees

the area that had been moments before so very dark and obtuse.

I heard His gentle voice say…”I bring light to your darkness.”

“The people which sat in the darkness saw great light;
and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”
Matthew 4:16

As the morning light intensified more and more

light filtered through the trees and I became aware

that the small trees in my own yard were now becoming visible.

That which had been closest to me I couldn’t see

until the light pierced the darkness.

I began to slowly reflect about the gardens in my yard

that were softly taking more and more clarity

as the light’s intensity gently increased.

Here were simple things that I cared about;

a perennial rock garden outlined with cherry and birch trees,

rocks and herbs flowing out of the tops of various garden jars

that had been gathered with thoughtful care from many different locations.

The familiarity of these things brought comfort and revelation.
Once again my eyes had been focused on those dark trees,

those things in my life that were seemingly

overwhelming my soul and challenging my spirit. …

"I want to bring light to your darkness.” again I remembered

as now I began to see the details of the tree stand:

branches and even leaves were now visible in the morning light.

I began to thank God, for all the wondrous things he has done,

and continues to do in my life.

His, salvation, His deliverance, His healing, His mercy,

His grace, His provision, His revelation, His protection, His peace, His amazing love...

all in the face of my shortcomings!

I began to praise Him for His light in my life,

for the washing of His Word, for the leading of His Holy Spirit…

and I sensed a “smile” from the throne room of grace.

As the sun rose this morning, the Son arose again in me,

one more time, once again faithful, once again the “Breaker God”

“The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up,
and have passed through the gate (the place of God’s authority), and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them,
and the Lord on the head of them.”…
Micha 2:13

I felt my spirit arise…my faith soared.. my God is able!
Clarity came to my darkness this morning,

and the light of God chased the darkness away,

as surely as the morning sun pressed back the darkness of the night.

And God saw the light, that it was good:
and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:4

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By My Spirit

Then he said to me,
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying,
' Not by might nor by power,
but by My Spirit,'
says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6 NAS


By My Spirit

One of the most divisive issues
in the church of Jesus Christ today
has to do with the person of the Holy Spirit
and how His role is interpreted amongst believers.

It is my belief that this issue
is due to the fact that the enemy of our souls
understands that if we as a body
ever began to flow in unison with this regard,
the resulting power of the church
would run havoc through the lies and strongholds
that hold so many captive to the voices of darkness and rebellion.

Because of this one of the greatest demonic assaults
comes against the churches beliefs and understanding
of the work of the Holy Spirit
as it relates to the saints of God.

Jesus is said to be the firstborn of many brethren.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined
to become conformed to the image of His Son,
so that He would be
the firstborn among many brethren;
Romans 8:29 NAS

What does that mean?
It means that we are to emulate the life of Jesus
as he walked the face of the earth as a man.

We are to be like Jesus both in character (the fruits of the Spirit)
and in power (the gifts of the Spirit).

Hey, wait a minute, did you say man?

Yes I did.
Here are some facts about Jesus before we go on.

1. Jesus was fully God, and fully man.
Jesus by His virgin birth, was totally man
yet He was totally and completely God.

2. Jesus gave up His rights.
He willfully laid aside all of His rights and privileges as God
while He was alive here on earth.

He came as the “last Adam”
to fulfill all He created the first Adam to do on the earth.

5Have this attitude in yourselves
which was also in Christ Jesus,
6who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.
8Being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 NAS

45So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam,
BECAME A LIVING SOUL "
The last Adam became a life-giving spirit
1 Corinthians 15:45 NAS

47The first man is from the earth, earthy;
the second man is from heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:47 NAS

Jesus put His trust in God
from before He was weaned.

9Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother's breasts.
10Upon You I was cast from birth;
You have been my God from my mother's womb.
Psalm 22:9-10 NAS

Psalm 22 begins with the prophetic utterance:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
then it goes on to say,
“They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

So we can clearly see that it is Jesus that is talking
through the words of David,
foreshadowing His future at Calvary.

13And again, I will put my trust in Him
And again, behold, I and the children whom God has given me.
Hebrews 2:13 NAS

This scripture is talking about Jesus.

23"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD
AND SHALL BEAR A SON,
AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,"
which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
24And Joseph awoke from his sleep
and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him,
and took Mary as his wife,
Matthew 1:23-24 NAS

We can see a little piece of Jesus’ life
from where this scripture was taken.

14"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:
Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
and she will call His name Immanuel.
15"He will eat curds and honey at the time
He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.
16"For before the boy will know
enough to refuse evil and choose good,
the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
Isaiah 7:14-16 NAS

Note that Jesus was eating curds and honey;
that’s baby food during biblical times.

At that time when He was a baby
he knew enough to choose good over evil.

Does God need to make a choice between good and evil?
No, of course not!
This indicates that Christ was fully a man.

In Jesus choice of good over evil even as a babe
there is a huge implication.

Jesus had the right to choose,
just like us,
just like the first Adam.
Jesus was not a robot,
He also had a free will.

We see Jesus maturing in the eyes of God and man in Luke,
both as a child and adolescent in the Temple.

40The Child continued to grow and become strong,
increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year
at the Feast of the Passover.
42And when He became twelve,
they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;
Luke 2:40-42 NAS

46Then, after three days they found Him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
both listening to them and asking them questions.
47And all who heard Him
were amazed at His understanding and His answers
Luke 2: 46-47 NAS

Don’t miss the point here
that Jesus was in the temple
listening and asking questions.

Here in the Temple
the Living Word of God,
was learning the Word of God.

Remember there were no Bibles,
the Torah scrolls were only found in the Temple
and the young boys would come to glean from the Rabbi.

52And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and men.
Luke 2:52 NAS

Those who heard Him were amazed
because they knew him and His family.
After all was this not the carpenters son?

54He came to His hometown
and began teaching them in their synagogue,
so that they were astonished, and said,
"Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?
55"Is not this the carpenter's son?
Is not His mother called Mary,
and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56"And His sisters, are they not all with us?
Where then did this man get all these things?"
Matthew 13:54-56 NAS

If Jesus was both God and man while he walked the earth,
would He have to grow in wisdom, understanding and stature?

No. It is clear here again
that Jesus was fully man when he walked the earth.

He was learning the ways of God.
Yet he was sinless.

Jesus was learning the ways
of both His human and spiritual Father –
Joseph the carpenter and God the Creator.

8Although He was a Son,
He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
9And having been made perfect,
He became to all those who obey Him
the source of eternal salvation.
Hebrews 5:8-9 NAS

Jesus spent His early life
learning and understanding the Word of God.

This was the foundation for His later ministry.
Recall that when He was led into the wilderness
by the Holy Spirit
to be tempted of the devil,
each time He was tempted
His reply was, “It is written.”

In the Gospel of Mark,
He said to the Pharisees and teachers,
“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites;
as it is written.”

Over and over we see Jesus quoting the Word of God.

The Word of God in the flesh, (John 1)
had to learn the word of God while in the flesh.

Jesus walked the earth as a man
so that He might be an example to us
that we can walk as men and women of God as He walked.

Jesus, the pattern Son of God
is the example of the working
of the Spirit of God in humanity in an unhindered operation.

21For you have been called for this purpose,
since Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
1Peter 2:21 NAS

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined
to become conformed to the image of His Son,
so that He would be
the firstborn among many brethren;
Romans 8:29 NAS

15"For I gave you an example
that you also should do as I did to you.
John 13:15 NAS

If Jesus had walked the earth as God,
then it would be impossible for us to follow His example,
but because He walked as a man,
we are able to follow His example.

The Importance of the work of the Holy Spirit
to the ministry of Jesus cannot be overstated.

Jesus’ ministry did not begin until He was baptized in water…

14But John tried to prevent Him, saying,
"I have need to be baptized by You,
and do You come to me?"
15But Jesus answering said to him,
"Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness."
Then he permitted Him.
16After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;
and behold, the heavens were opened,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove
and lighting on Him,
Matthew 3:14-16 NAS

… and the Holy Spirit came
to empower Him and dwell within Him.

33"I did not recognize Him,
but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me,
'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending
and remaining upon Him,
this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'
John 1:33 NAS

Who was speaking in John 1:33?
It was John the Baptist.
John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin.
It is not much of a stretch to believe
that John heard all about Jesus
and His virgin birth as he was growing up.
Yet, he was not certain who Jesus was;
that is how much Jesus looked like a man.

Jesus didn’t walk around with a halo over His head.
He was a plain man,
with no outstanding features
that set him apart from others.

2For He grew up before Him
like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
that we should look upon Him,
nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
Isaiah 53:2 NAS

In Matthew 11:2 when John was in prison
he sent his disciples to Jesus
to ask if He was really the One

2Now when John, while imprisoned,
heard of the works of Christ,
he sent word by his disciples
3and said to Him,
"Are You the Expected One,
or shall we look for someone else?"
4Jesus answered and said to them,
"Go and report to John what you hear and see:
5the blind receive sight and the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up,
and the poor have the Gospel preached to them.
Matthew 11:2-5 NAS

Remember what happened when Jesus returned home to Galilee.

54He came to His hometown
and began teaching them in their synagogue,
so that they were astonished, and said,
"Where did this man get this wisdom
and these miraculous powers?
55"Is not this the carpenter's son?
Is not His mother called Mary,
and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56"And His sisters, are they not all with us?
Where then did this man get all these things?"
57And they took offense at Him But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown
and in his own household."
58And He did not do many miracles there
because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:54-58 NAS

Jesus looked like a man, because He was a man.
Again, there was no halo over His head
(accept for the transfiguration).

So we too might ask, and many still do –
“Where then did this man get all these things.”
This is the critical question.

Jesus received these things
because He was empowered by the Holy Spirit!

Everything Jesus did in His life and ministry
from that time forward, He did as a man
who was empowered by the Holy Spirit.

16After being baptized,
Jesus came up immediately from the water;
and behold, the heavens were opened,
and he saw the Spirit of God
descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
17and behold, a voice out of the heavens said,
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
Matthew 3:16-17 NAS
(also - Mark 1:10-11 NAS)

This is the first time that Jesus heard
His heavenly Father’s voice as a man on earth.

Jesus was Born of the Spirit

35The angel answered and said to her,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
and for that reason the holy Child
shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:35 NAS

Jesus was Filled with the Spirit of God Without Measure

34"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God;
for He gives the Spirit without measure.
35"The Father loves the Son
and has given all things into His hand.
John 3:34-35 NAS

Jesus was Led by the Holy Spirit

1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1 NAS

1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
nd was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness
Luke 4:1 NAS

Jesus was Empowered by the Holy Spirit

14And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.
Luke 4:14 NAS

Jesus Spoke and Taught by the Holy Spirit

1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
Luke 4:18 NAS

2until the day when He was taken up to heaven,
after He had by the Holy Spirit
given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
Acts 1:2 NAS

Jesus Healed the Sick by the Spirit

1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To (E)proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
Luke 4:18 NAS

Jesus Cast out demons by the Holy Spirit

28"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God,
then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Matthew 12:28 NAS

Jesus Offered Himself Up On Calvary by the Holy Spirit

14how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit
offered Himself without blemish to God,
cleanse your conscience from dead works
to serve the living God?
Hebrews 9:14 NAS

Jesus was Resurrected by the Power of the Holy Spirit

11But if the Spirit of Him
who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies
through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11 NAS

18For Christ also died for sins once for all,
the just for the unjust,
so that He might bring us to God,
having been put to death in the flesh,
but made alive in the spirit;
1 Peter 3:18 NAS

Jesus was Full of Joy by the Holy Spirit

21At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit,
and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent
and have revealed them to infants.
Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.
Luke 10:21 NAS

Jesus was Operating in the Gifts of the Spirit

7"Why does this man speak that way?
He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit
that they were reasoning that way within themselves,
said to them,
"Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?”
Mark 2:7-8 NAS

7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit
for the common good.
8For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit,
and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
9to another faith by the same Spirit,
and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
1 Corinthians 12:7-9 NAS

Jesus was Operating in the Fruit of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit was the nature and character of Jesus

22But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-25 NAS

Those who belong to Jesus Christ
have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires
Since we live by the Spirit,

let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Jesus like the other prophets,
did all this under the Old Testament age.

The Spirit was only given to priests, kings, prophets

and people anointed for special acts of service.

Ex. When Jesus sent out the seventy they did so under His anointing

1Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others,
and sent them in pairs ahead of Him
to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.
2And He was saying to them,
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into His harvest.
17The seventy returned with joy, saying,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
Luke 10:1-2,17 NAS

The Spirit was taken from Moses and put on the elders

so that they could help make Godly judgments…

24So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD.

Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people,

and stationed them around the tent.
25Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him;

and He took of the Spirit who was upon him

and placed Him upon the seventy elders.

And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied.

But they did not do it again.
Numbers 11:24-25 NAS

Bezalel and Oholiab were anointed by the Spirit

and given special skills in order to build the tabernacle to God’s specifications.

1Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2"See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri,
the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3"I have filled him with the Spirit of God
in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge,
and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
6"And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab,
the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan;
and in the hearts of all who are skillful
I have put skill, that they may make all
that I have commanded you:
Exodus 31:1-3,6 NAS

But after His death and resurrection and return to heaven,
the Spirit is now released on all who believe in Him.

28"It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
29"Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Joel 2:28-29 & Acts 2:16-18 NAS

This is the reason why Jesus said
that we would do even greater works
than what He did during His ministry.

12"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me,
the works that I do, he will do also;
and greater works than these he will do;
because I go to the Father.
John 14:12 NAS

Jesus was Justified by the Spirit

16By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16 NAS

4May it never be!
Rather, let God be found true,
though every man be found a liar, as it is written,
"THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS,
AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED."
Romans 3:4 NAS

4Against You, You only, I have sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You are justified when You speak
and blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51:5 NAS

Jesus was Also Our Baptizer:

If it was so important to Jesus
to live and be empowered by the Holy Spirit,
then how much more should we as believers,
also depend upon the Holy Spirit of God.

All God has for us, and wants us to do in and through us,
will only be accomplished if it is done
by the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

7"But I tell you the truth,
it is to your advantage that I go away;
for if I do not go away,
the Helper will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send Him to you.
John 17:6 NAS

The only way that we can adequately and effectively pastor or shepherd

the sheep that the Holy Spirit has given us,

is by the same example Jesus shepherded His sheep while He was on the earth –

a total dependence upon the Holy Spirit of God.

As the Disciples followed Jesus during His ministry and they were often confused,

not able to understand what Jesus was telling them.

They were self seeking – who is the greatest and who will sit at Your right side?

But after they were filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room,

they understood what Jesus was doing, and what the kingdom was about.

Before the indwelling of the Spirit,

Peter could not understand why Jesus had to die.

After being filled with the Holy Spirit,

Peter speaks the Word boldly and 3000 become Born Again in one meeting!

They went into the upper room fearing for their very lives,

and came out of the upper room as men sold out to the Word,

the establishment of the kingdom of God, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Before they received the Holy Spirit

they demonstrated an earthly point of view.

Following the breath of the Holy Spirit

they received the same heavenly point of view

which Jesus operated from during His ministry on earth.

We can know if we are flowing in the things of the Holy Spirit

simply by checking our point of view.

Are we drawn to the things of God,

while operating in Christ’s nature

(the fruits of the Spirit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – Galatians 5:22-23)

And are we flowing in the gifts of the Spirit,

word of wisdom through the Spirit,

the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
faith by the same Spirit,

gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

to see the kingdom of Heaven established here on earth.

Jesus first learned the Word,

and obedience through suffering,

as the Fruit was growing in His life.

He then was able to operate in the power of the Spirit,

to see His Father’s kingdom established here on earth.

Over and over He proclaimed that the kingdom of Heaven was at hand.

Much of the church is limping through its existence,

hoping to get to heaven and discover this marvelous kingdom.

Indeed we are meant to experience this Kingdom life

right here, right now!

If we are not seeking it we will never find it this side of heaven.

7"Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you.
8"For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9"Or what man is there among you who,
when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
Matthew 7:7 NAS

Much of the body of Christ walks with this opinion:
24Wretched man that I am!
Who will set me free from the body of this death?

They haven’t plugged into the source of life and life abundant (John 10:10b):
25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:24-25a

When we are Born Again by the Spirit into Christ Jesus
we were all made New Creations (Creatures).

17Therefore if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creature;
the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

The problem is that far too many Christians,
are dragging that Old Man around with them,
because they have failed to recognize
the importance of being baptized
into the things of the Holy Spirit.

Notice this command of Jesus
By the way the word command is a compound word that means:

Co = together

mand = hand

i.e “lets do this together hand-in-hand.”

4Gathering them together,
He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem,
but to wait for what the Father had promised,
"Which," He said, "you heard of from Me;
5for John baptized with water,
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now."

Pentecost is all about being filled with the Holy Spirit
The first Pentecost was the giving of the Law through Moses.
The last Pentecost was the giving of the power of the Holy Spirit

Both the first and last were given
to set God’s people apart –
so that they would be distinct and different
from the rest of the world.

8but you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be My witnesses
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Acts 1:8 NAS
30 fkj<><

Staying Under the Cloud

"As a child, we always wanted surprises, whether it was a piece of candy,
a little toy from the store, or perhaps a trip to our grandmother's.
It doesn't take too much to make a child happy.
But, as we grow older, the cost of the surprises seem to be more and more.
It comes to the point most surprises don't excite us anymore.
The flowers lose their smell, and they become limp, after a few days.
The candy is never the right kind of chocolate. The clothes never fit.
And, who gets cards anymore?
BUT 'Daddy' has endless surprises.
He wants you to come to Him, abide in Him,
and the surprises are yours for the asking.
He loves you more than anyone could ever love you.
His tenderness goes beyond that we can show to each other.
He says come sit with me, love me with a never-ending love,
and I will give you your dreams, and be with you always.
What better surprise, than to have Him show up when you most need comforting!"
Barbara Sanders


Staying Under the Cloud

All scriptural references are from Genesis NAS unless otherwise noted
Abraham heard,
[Abram = (exalted father) Abraham = (to be populous; father of a multitude) ] 17:4
and was obedient to the call of God
to leave Haran = (desolate mountain) 11:31
where Terah = (to breathe; scent; blow)
his father had stopped after being called to Canaan.

Abraham packed up his family and all his belongings
and traveled to Canaan = (humiliated)
by faith.

There Jehovah God established the Abrahamic Covenant
with him, succeeding generations of Israelites,
and all the nations of the world.

18 “since Abraham will surely become
a great and mighty nation,
and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
19"For I have chosen him,
so that he may command his children
and his household after him
to keep the way of the LORD
by doing righteousness and justice,
so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham
what He has spoken about him."
Genesis 18:18-19 NAS

Abraham and Sarah’s
[Sarai = (dominative, rule over)
Sarah = (lady; princess; princess of the multitude) ]
Egyptian handmaiden Hagar had Ishmael

Abraham and Sarah had Isaac = (laughter)

Hagar = (a stranger; one that fears)
and Ishmael = (God will hear)
are sent away because of Sarah’s jealousy

Of Ishmael and his heritage God prophesied:

12"He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone's hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers."
Genesis 16:12 NAS

We are seeing the results of this still in our world today.

The Lord tests Abraham’s faith 22:1-18
by asking for his son as a sacrifice.

Abraham is obedient to the call to sacrifice Isaac,
but the Angel of the Lord intervenes
just before he sacrifices his only son…
and a ram is supplied by God, for the blood sacrifice.

Abraham sends his servant to find a suitable wife for Isaac. 24:1-26
The servant returns from the house of Bethuel
with Rebekah whom Isaac takes for his wife.

Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah.

Ishmael has twelve sons who become tribal leaders… 25:12-18
Ishmael dies and his sons settle in Havilah (near Egypt).
Ishmael’s sons lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

Isaac prays for Rebekah who was barren 25:21
Rebekah becomes pregnant with twins
The twins “jostle each other in the womb.”

Rebekah seeks the Lord – “why Lord?”

23The LORD said to her,
"Two nations are in your womb;
And two peoples will be separated from your body;
And one people shall be stronger than the other;
And the older shall serve the younger."
Genesis 25:21-23 NAS

Esau and Jacob are born 25:19
Jacob Gets Esau’s Birthright 25: 24-34
Jacob Gets Isaac’s Blessing 27:1

Isaac’s blessing on Jacob 27:28,29

Esau threatens to kill Jacob 27:41
Rejection leads to– Anger leads to – Death

41So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob
because of the blessing
with which his father had blessed him;
and Esau said to himself,
"The days of mourning for my father are near;
then I will kill my brother Jacob."

Rebekah pleads with Isaac 27:46
Send Jacob away for a wife
“not one of these Canaanite women”

Isaac sends Jacob to Laban = (white; shining; gentle; brittle)
(Rebekah’s brother) 28:1-2

Jacob misguided and probably confused and scared
journeys back to Paddan Aram = (cultivated field or table-land)
and stops along the way to rest at a “certain place.” 28:10
Jacob places a rock under his head and falls asleep…

There he has a dream 28:10
Genesis 28:12-15 NAS
12He had a dream,
and behold, a ladder was set on the earth
with its top reaching to heaven;
and behold, the angels of God
were ascending and descending on it.
13And behold, the LORD stood above it and said,
"I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham
and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie,
I will give it to you and to your descendants.
14"Your descendants will also be
like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out
to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south;
and in you and in your descendants
shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15"Behold, I am with you
and will keep you wherever you go,
and will bring you back to this land;
for I will not leave you until I have done
what I have promised you."

Here God re-establishes His Abrahamic covenant with Jacob 28:13-15
Abraham – Isaac – Jacob

As it is in heaven so on earth
ascending and descending angels
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done…

From scared and misguided run-away
to the covenant promise of God
God’s promise that He (God) will fulfill the covenant
"I will not leave you until I have done
what I have promised you."

Jacob pledges a tenth of all his gain back to God
Tithe principle

Jacob takes the rock his head had slept on 28:18
Sets the rock up as an altar
Pours oil over it

Renames the place Bethel = (House of God) 28:18
(It was Luz = (separation; departure)

Jacob arrived at this appointed place
separated after his departure from his home and family.

He journied from Luz to Bethel

His departure was precipitated by his own deception
and his families dysfunction.

He now arrives at a place (Bethel)
where God has given him a view
of his divine destiny.

Jacob arrives in Paddan Aram = (cultivated field or table-land)
after seeing the vision of God “table” (his destiny in God)

He meets shepherds watering their flocks
and finds out they are from Haran = (desolate mountain)

This is the very land where Abram’s father Terah
had settled when he was called to Canaan,
the place Abram would leave to go to Canaan by faith.

Rachel arrives at he well to water her father Laban’s sheep 29:6

Jacob meets and falls in love with Rachel =
[to journey; a ewe (as a good traveller): - ewe, sheep]

He pledges seven years labor to Laban for Rachel’s hand. 29:18

Wedding feast given
Laban secretly sends Leah = [to tire; weary, (figuratively) to make disgusted: - faint, grieve, lothe,]
in to consummate the marriage with Jacob

Laban agrees to give Rachel to Jacob
After the wedding to Leah has been consummated (one week) 29:26
for a pledge of seven more years of labor.

Jacob takes Rachel for his wife.
Laban gives Rachel Bilhah = (timid, terrify, trouble)
As a servant girl.

Jacob highly favors Rachel over Leah 29:30

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved 29:31
He opened her womb…

Leah gives birth to Reuben = (he has seen my misery)
Reuben is Jacobs first born son
Simeon = (one who hears)
Levi = (attached) (through whom the Levitical Priesthood came)
Judah = (praise) (through whom the Messiah Christ Jesus came)

Rachel became jealous of her sister 30:1
But she could not bear a child.

Rachel gives her handmaiden Hilhah to Jacob
Dan = (vindicated) 30:6
Naphtali = (my struggle) 30:8

Leah’s maidservant Zilpah = (to trickle, as myrrh; fragrant dropping)
given to Jacob
Gad = (good fortune, a troop) 30:11
Asher = (happy) 30:13

Ruben brings his mother Leah some mandrake plants 30:14

The MANDRAKE fruit was called the “love apple.”
It is a member of the potato family,
having a large tuberous root which is dark brown.
The dark green leaves grow almost a foot long;
the single-stemmed flowers are a creamy yellow with purplish veins;
and the small fruit is bright red.
In Bible times superstition identified it as a charm against evil spirits,
and as a fertility inducer.

Rachel asks Leah for some of the mandrakes…

Rachel allows Jacob to sleep with Leah
in exchange for some of the mandrakes.

God listened to Leah’s cry
and she became pregnant and bore Issachar = (reward) 30:18

Leah bears Jacob a sixth son Zebulun = (honor) 30:19

Rachel cries out to God and she conceives and bears Jacob another son
Joseph= (may he add),
for she said, “May the Lord add to me another son.” 30:24

Laban learns through divination
that he has been blessed because of Jacob…

This indicates that Haran is still a hot bed of idolatry.

God multiplies Jacob’s wealth and possessions.

Tension grows between Jacob
and Laban and his household because of Jacobs prosperity. 31:2

Jacob flees from Laban 31:13
Being warned in a dream that God desired him to go back to Bethel

Rachel steals her father’s household idols. 31:19

These idols were later buried by Jacob
under the oak at Shechem = (part; portion; back early in the morning, ridge) 35:4

Laban pursues Jacob 31:22

Jacob and Laban make a covenant 31: 45

Rachel died bringing her last child into the world. She called him
Ben-Oni meaning – (“my trouble”) ;
but Israel changed his name to Benjamin – (my right hand.)35:18

It is interesting to note that Rachel
who was Jacob’s favorite died and was buried along the road to Ephrath = (fruitfulness)
Ephrath was another name for Bethlehem = (house of bread) 35:19

Leah on the other hand was buried with Israel (Jacob)
in the same cave where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah were buried 49:29-33

Leah’s life was a struggle for acceptance.
After all, her younger sister was the object of her husband’s desire.
Her continual frustration of living in second place
is chronicled by the way in which she named her children:
Reuben – (you see a son)…
God had seen her pain and affliction and humiliation;
so when she bore her husband his first son she thought,
“Finally I have the bragging rights,
Jacob will now have to give his attention to me.”

Leah’s second son Simeon
whose name comes from the Hebrew word meaning (hearing),
well might indicate her belief
that no one but God had heard or seen her.
In her mind she felt they thought she was worthless.

Levi – (my attachment) was Leah’s third son
whose name implies that she felt,
“Yes, three sons in a row, now Jacob will love me.

In each of her three son’s names,
we see a woman desperate
to do something to gain the approval and affection of Jacob.

There was a distinct change however in Leah’s attitude
when she named her forth son Judah – (praise)
When he was born Leah said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” 29:35

It seems that Leah was now learning
to seek her approval from the Lord.
She was content to find love and acceptance in the presence of Jehovah,
rather than trying to earn approval and compassion through works.

Many in the church today are still is bound in attempting to earn
their acceptance through performance based spirituality
rather than working for the kingdom
out of their acceptance from God
because of their intimacy and affection for the Lord.

The Word tells us that without works,
our faith is meaningless.

26For just as the body without the spirit is dead,
so also faith without works is dead.
James 2:26 NAS

Such works, however, need to be birthed in the presence of God
and not in the mind of man.

Our highest call is to be lead by the presence of God.

Moses had it right when he said:
'If your presence doesn't go with us, then don't send me.'

The picture of the children of Israel being led by the cloud of God’s glory
is an apt reminder of this spiritual principle.

We need to stay under the cloud of God’s presence.
We need to live a lifestyle of worship, praise, adoration and thanksgiving.

12"Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you,
but to fear the LORD your God,
to walk in all His ways and love Him,
and to serve the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deuteronomy 10:12 NAS

2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

3"To him the doorkeeper opens,
and the sheep hear his voice,
and he calls his own sheep by name
and leads them out.
4"When he puts forth all his own,
he goes ahead of them,
and the sheep follow him
because they know his voice.
5"A stranger they simply will not follow,
but will flee from him,
because they do not know the voice of strangers."
John 10:3-5 NAS

It is when we develop this intimacy with the Lord
that we will flow out of His character
that has been established in us
and we will find the fullness of His provision
and engage in true power evangelism.

Judson Cornwall in his book on idolatry puts it this way:
“The work of our hands
will never compare to the work of God’s hands…
Trusting Him for our provision does, however,
put us in a position of dependency upon Him.
It is the dislike of having to depend upon God
that brings humanity to its knees before the false god of provision
that was invented for a contemporary society”
[Things We Adore, Judson Cornwall; Destiny Image: Shippensburg PA @1991; page 39]

In every man and woman born there is the nature of the beast,
loosed at the fall of mankind,
that desires to draw attention and worship to itself.

This insidious desire within does as much as, if not more,
to separating us from intimacy with God than evil does.

The good that is in man
will never redeem him from the evil and self adoration,
for it all is from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

It is only through the transforming power of Christ in us
that we will overcome this blight of self-servitude.

Only Jesus can bring forth the fruit that is LIFE.

5Not that we are adequate in ourselves
to consider anything as coming from ourselves,
but our adequacy is from God,
6who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant,
not of the letter but of the Spirit;
for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:6 NAS

10But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and His grace toward me did not prove vain;
but I labored even more than all of them,
yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10 NAS

Jesus had a lot to say to people in numerous types of sin;
however, he seemed to save the most criticism
for the group that common people thought to be most righteous:
the religious leaders.

His words against the Pharisees and Sadducees
caught the attention of the people of His day,
because these were the very people
who could be seen practicing their "faith" publicly
and keeping the Law to the highest degree.

They tithed on the herbs of their garden,
but they continually misled the people into believing
that spirituality was shown by keeping the law
and demonstrating works of sacrifice and generosity.

They would stand on street corners for hours in sackcloth and ashes
while publicly professing long prayers.
Such public performance was mistakenly seen by some as spirituality.

But the Lord was quick to note
that their recognition of men
was their only reward for such behavior.

"So when you give to the poor,
do not sound a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
so that they may be honored by men.
Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Matthew 6:2 NAS

Leah’s name meaning “to tire or weary”
reflects the way in which she spent most of her life,
trying to prove her worth to Jacob by having children.

Leah actually purchased her husband’s affection
from Rachel with Reuben’s mandrake roots!

We may find that action incredible,
but many in the church today
are still paying for the love of others
by continual acts of service
so that they will feel worthwhile or appreciated.

It is imperative that we
seek His heart,
know His voice,
and follow His leading…
we need to stay under the cloud.

30
fred<><

Moving Out of Haran

When His Spirit can flow unimpeded through us, we will see the highest levels of healings, miracles, and signs and wonders occur.”
John Paul Jackson –
“The Coming Unprecedented Wave
of the Holy Spirit”






Moving Out of Haran

31Terah took Abram his son,
and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson,
and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife;
and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans
in order to enter the land of Canaan;
and they went as far as Haran, and settled there.
32The days of Terah were two hundred and five years;
and Terah died in Haran.
Genesis 11:31-32 (my emphasis bold)

It is significant to me that Terah’s name means
“to breathe upon , blow, or scent";
because it appears that Terah was called (breathed upon)
by Jehovah God to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to Cannan.

Ur and Chaldea was the area that we think of today as Babylon.
The Chaldeans were the Kasdite occupants of the land
to be later known as Babylon.
The Chaldeans were idol worshippers
and served the false gods of marduk
(מְרֹדַךְ Merodach in Hebrew) the "solar calf"
and Shuqamuna the Babylonian “god of creation.”

It is often said of Terah
that he was an odol maker;
but he certainly, at the very least,
was significantly influenced by the gross idolatry
of the Kasdite people with whom he lived.

Yet I believe he heard the call of Jehovah
to leave his idolatrous surroundings
and venture to Canaan (that humbles and subdues)
So he packed up his family and supplies and set out for Caanan the land of God’s Promise.

The word says that as they traveled toward Canaan
they came upon Haran, where they stopped and settled.

We can only imagine that Haran
must have held some attraction to Terah,
perhaps an area that had a good supply of water and grazing land.
It was a good oasis on the way,
that turned out to be a place of permanence.
It was a place not too far from the land,
and the culture he had been called out of.
I can imagine that there he settled in
and set up some of the idols from his homeland
and there he became satisfied, and unwilling to go any farther.

Haran means “parched mountain”…
and it can be symbolic of the fruits of a life
that is influenced by idolatry,
a life taken off track
by temporary pleasures, concerns or earthly influences.

Terah failed to go the distance that God
had called him too,
so he wound up settling for a parched mountain
instead of a bountiful land filled with milk and honey.

Terah remained there for the rest of his life.
He died in Haran and his accomplishments
were that of a parched mountain;
he never fulfilled the call of God on his life.

Many times I have reflected about how many times
I have remained in my own little “Harans”,
instead of being obedient to God’s call.
We are called (breathed upon by God)
to see His kingdom established in us and through us.
We have all been called to Canaan –
a place of Promise –
yet a place of humility before God,
and the call of God upon our lives.

The call of God that was missed by Terah,
was repeated to Terah’s son Abram.

Abram heard the call and walked in obedience to the call,
and is called the Father of Faith because of his response.

Abram means "high or exalted Father",
but when God had breathed upon his life,
he changed his name to Abraham.

The Breath of God took him to new heights
and new meaning for God’s kingdom:
now he would be the Father of a multitude of nations.

In his obedience to the call
the Word proclaims that all nations on earth
would be blessed through him.

Not only would Christ come through his lineage,
but the principle of pleasing God through faith
was established in his life for all of us to follow.
Let’s press on to Canaan together!
Fred<><
30

Below is the word study for this TFT.

Gen 11:31 And TerahH8646 tookH3947 (H853) AbramH87 his son,H1121 and LotH3876 the sonH1121 of HaranH2039 his son'sH1121 son,H1121 and SaraiH8297 his daughter in law,H3618 his sonH1121 Abram'sH87 wife;H802 and they went forthH3318 withH854 them from UrH4480 H218 of the Chaldees,H3778 to goH1980 into the landH776 of Canaan;H3667 and they cameH935 untoH5704 Haran,H2771 and dweltH3427 there.H8033
Gen 11:32 And the daysH3117 of TerahH8646 wereH1961 two hundredH3967 and fiveH2568 years:H8141 and TerahH8646 diedH4191 in Haran.H2771

Terah H8646
תּרח terach [teh'-rakh]
(to breathe; scent; blow)

Abram H87
אברם 'abrâm [ab-rawm']
(high father)

Ur H4480
מנּי מנּי מן
min minnı̂y minnêy [min, min-nee', min-nay']
(a part of ; from or out of)

Chaldees H3778
כּשׂדּימה כּשׂדּי
kaśdı̂y kaśdı̂ymâh [kas-dee', kas-dee'-maw]
(towards the Kasdites);
(as demons, or as robbers)
served the gods marduk and Shuqamuna
marduk מְרֹדַךְ Merodach
"solar calf"
Shuqamuna
Babylonian god of creation

Canaan H3667
כּנען kena‛an [ken-ah'-an]
(merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues)
Kenaan, a son of Ham


Haran H2771
חרן chârân [khaw-rawn']
(parched mountain)