Ministries of Wayne Weaver > Blog > 2017

Set Under Authority

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By arlen
On May 24, 2017
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Someone stopped by my residence in the past week who made a statement that astonished me. He was talking about his job and the boss he works under. He said that the general manager of the company understands authority but the owner has no idea what authority is. This type of business owner puts a manager in place, then tries to rule through them. People like this cause turmoil and all kinds of confusion and strangle the organizational flow from top to bottom. This type of person has a detrimental issue deep within. It is created by mistrust that is fashioned within, from the problem of not feeling valued. There are many small business owners that can never grow a company on a healthy larger platform because of this problem of control. These people reign in suspicion which comes from deep personal pride. Proprietors such as this cause disorganization everywhere that they function when it involves more than a handful of people. They have all the answers for everyone else yet have great personal depravity and are dysfunctional icons.

There was a certain centurion’s servant who was important and dear to his master but he lay sick and dying while Jesus was in Capernaum. This centurion sent the elders of the Jews to request Jesus to come to heal him. Jesus departed with them to go to the house where the servant was dying. As He came closer to the house, the centurion sent several of his personal friends to meet Jesus and said unto Him:
Luke 7:6 Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: V.7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

The centurion understood something that people only understand once they walk under the submission of authority.

Luke 7:8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. V.9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

This astounding statement from the centurion was an expression that so few people are ever humble enough to walk in. Let us gain understanding from this statement of truth. Have you ever wondered why God is not using you much? It can be concluded by a small, powerful statement the centurion made: “SET UNDER AUTHORITY”.  A person will never have more authority than what he is submitted to. The centurion did not have to go to the battle field to fight; the battle was not his to fight. The centurion was in charge of the soldiers, the soldiers were in charge of the battle. The centurion had trust in the soldiers and the soldiers had faith in the centurion. The ancient military chain of command charts a tribute from the king to the general – lieutenants – tribunes – centurion – signifier – soldiers. The final combat was fought by the soldier, yet the battle was won by the king. If the soldier refuses to be on familiar terms with his superior in command via submission, then he will soon become useless or ultimately destroyed by the enemy.

Jesus marveled significantly at the words of the centurion and called it the greatest faith; not seen in all of Israel. The centurion certainly heard the common testimony of Jesus as being a healer. He understood that Jesus heals under authority of a power higher than Himself. This authority was from the Father which is in Heaven. The centurion knew that Jesus was in submission to the Father, because the commands of the Father were being performed through manifested healing throughout Galilee. When the centurion declared Jesus to be Lord, he was automatically placed under His authority and he knew that his servant was under His authority as well. There was only one other thing to do and that was: Jesus, just say the word. Hallelujah!

One important fact must be understood before we can live a life set under spiritual authority: being in our position under the authority over us is not something that happens through our intellectual understanding. Authority is not a matter of comprehended truth, but that of a position of the heart. Positioning under authority does not happen in the mind, it happens in the heart.

There was some other person casting out devils and this was Jesus’ response after they forbade him.

Mark 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. V.40 For he that is not against us is on our part.

Jesus clearly stated that lightly speaking evil against our superior will stop the submission and the flow of Heaven’s blessing. It would do us well to recognize who God has set us under. Am I missing the link? Am I set under authority? May we take heed to the blessing of submission!

Romans 13:01 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. V.2 whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. V.13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Talents: One, Two, or Five?

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By arlen
On May 16, 2017
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My personal observation throughout my lifetime suggests that almost all people have some sort of talent. I have always been amazed at the talents that people produce when they put forth extraordinary effort to excel. Among the most significant of clever people I find a characteristic that is intriguing to me. There seems to be a life source in their ability to sustain the ambition of higher goals of personal triumph. It portrays the finest of simplicity, efficiency and effectiveness. The performance of such talent seems almost surreal. To observe such talent in action tends to have a redeeming affect of continuous enthusiasm within one’s self that produces a flow of excellence and charming courage that is almost contagious. It seems to be like an experience of joy. The effectiveness of such character communicates desire and zeal even if it is common masonry skills or a chef in the kitchen. However, one conclusion remains constant no matter the profession: Well done!

Apostle Paul writes about this excellence in servanthood and stewardship concerning our faith in Christ. Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. V.15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect-(ed), be thus minded:

What is the prized mark of the high calling of God? I understand this to be the heavenly excellence upon a perfect heart toward God. One that has experienced the power of the resurrection of Christ with sufferings that conform us in Him. It is the principle that all they that are Godly shall suffer. This suffering however is completely different than most would dare to understand; it is not from committed sins nor is it from living in unrighteousness. It is suffering because of righteousness. It is the pruning of the healthy. It is chastening by the love of the heavenly Father. It is the correcting processes by which His perfection is experienced unto His eternal glory while we live in human form.

Many do not understand this spiritual process because of the shallowness of their experiential understanding of servanthood. Their personal dedication is too shallow to contain the interworking of the active Potter’s hand. The act of perseverance is not deep enough to permit such a work from God because offense is still an impairment to such a one. The depth of this high prize belongs only to the ones that live the life of consecration continually before God in an earthen vessel.

This lack of intense consistence within the experience of Christ will defer spiritual depth. It will allow a man to walk on the surface of Christianity but never grow deeper in kingdom understanding. The depth of such shallow fellowship will, at best, yield an amen or a hallelujah once in a while. The superficial experience of such will not contain any spiritual ambition to show them approved unto God through study of His word. These will never become spiritual workmen in God’s kingdom. Why? Is it perhaps a lack of interest, or disappointment in having a talent that is too small?

Could we serve God with five talents better than only one? It is obvious that God desires us to get the most out of that which we have been given. If God would give us five talents and let us do the least with all of them, we would do less than doing the most excellent with one. The truth is confined with what we can do well with.

In description of the first paragraph I wrote on this subject— we will never be fulfilled when given too many talents unless we have learned to utilize one to its perfection. Sometimes we want to judge one talent as being easier than the other and therefore we do nothing with what we have. This is just a distraction to divert our attention onto wrong things. Maximize what God has given you at once!

In the parable of the talents in Mathew 25 we see that the faithful multiplied their talents. The individuals with five and with two each multiplied them. God called it well done! The one that received only a single talent was disappointed and never did anything with it but hid it from everyone thinking it was not fair. He was called unprofitable.

How could I encourage you to excel in the things of God and to study to show yourself approved unto God? Take that which you have received of God and excel in it with passion. Have you noted that there is a high calling that most never consider? It costs you everything but it is part of the joy of the Lord! All the ones that excelled in the talents that were given received an order from God. The order was: ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THE LORD! Joy is that God given enigma that flows like honey from a fountain of continuous enthusiasm within one’s self; it produces and communicates a flow of excellence and charming courage that is spiritually contagious! Hallelujah!

The unfaithful received a sentence. Matthew 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

The Wounded Spirit

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By arlen
On May 10, 2017
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Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; BUT a wounded spirit who can bear?

There are many things that can displace true reverence of praise and adoration to God. I have noticed that new things from machines to equipment, cars or even a new horse can delight our minds for a while. Once we get used to it, its ecstatic awe will dissipate even if the value does not change. It is within our human nature to appreciate things we revere. After we acclimate, it loses its value to our fondness and yet it can become even greater in value with time.

This is the nature that all people are fitted with. It is within this compartment of the human make-up that we maintain the idea of the preciousness of things. Without this attribute we lose value, respect, admiration, honor, appreciation, praise, thanksgiving, desire, and many things not mentioned. This wound when nurtured can become so controlling that everything from taste to touch, feeling, and preference becomes suppressed. The ultimate extent of this problem will cost someone the will to live. How is it that some can endure the same trials of affliction and prevail, while others never do?

Have you ever noticed that a problem can cause all of this God-given attributable strength to cease in a heart-beat?  Why is this? Can one little thing ruin my whole day? Can one incident ruin my week, month, year or my entire life? Can two or ten incidents bring me irrevocable ruin? The answer is an undeniable yes!

I sadly acknowledge that many have had their ship wrecked for life because of an incident that caused a shutdown of this God-given attribute. I have never seen a person with this issue at hand that does not place blame on something. This is simply suggesting something happened somewhere.

Highly controlling parents or partners or even employers and employees can destroy this gentle plant within the tender confines of this attribute. A dream that has failed or a friend that has kicked his heel against you or a sin not forgiven can devastate this God-given characteristic.

Some people always thrive on the things that bring ruin. A wounded spirit is very hard to bear because of the vibes that emanate from its presence. The undertones of ruin emit through the words that are spoken even when the sense seems good. These emissions are repulsive to a sound mind and will erect walls instead of friendship. People with a wounded spirit are people who are prone to find or prove blame even if it does not involve them. The wounded spirit is the callous that people use to cover super-sensitivity.

I am not writing on this subject without having experience on the matter. The destructive ambitions of extreme failure and the self-consciousness of flaws I could not accept offered me much opportunity to bring personal damage to my spirit. The intense prolonged persecution, misunderstandings, spitefulness and lies from people I trusted created every opportunity to self-destruct many times.

So where do I find the answer in overcoming this despairing struggle? It is found in Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity BUT a wounded spirit nobody can bear. God’s instruction is that the spirit of a man can deal with this correctly. I have learned to radically separate the things that seek to wound my spirit from things that make my spirit wholesome. I have to take charge of the things that are designed to destroy me. I have separated them completely from the things that sustain healing in me. While my heart is filled with extreme sorrow, my heart is also filled with extreme joy. Here is the balance that can never be violated without consequences. This is a choice we have to make. Until I learn to bring every thought into confinement and separate the two highly influential thinking patterns, I will not be able to walk in Christ’s obedience. Outside of Christ’s obedience I am outside of Christ’s favor. It is like falling dominoes against me because it is unbelief. This violation will seem as a dark cloud of evil over our head with torment like that of demons.

After Jesus’ brutal rejection from His own disciples and then the inflicted pain from the beatings of the cross He concluded saying, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they do!” If it was a violation from someone else, you have to say, Father forgive him or her; he or she did not know what they just did. At times I have said, if I could only explain something, they wouldn’t have done this to me. Sometimes we have to humbly say, God forgive me, I did not know what I was doing. And move on and never revisit it again.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear (timidity); but of power, and of love (affection), and of a sound mind (self-control).

The Bit and the Bridle

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By arlen
On May 3, 2017
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Psalm 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

I was told the story that years ago there were two neighbor boys on the way home after an event, moving towards the little town of Trail, Ohio. The well-trained horse became extremely chaotic after it was hitched and was suddenly of a totally different nature for some unknown reason. It was almost completely out of control. His nature was so absurdly different that they questioned whether they had hitched the wrong horse to their buggy. They could not hold back the horse as it even blew through stop signs causing grave danger!

After a wild, chaotic ride for several miles, both boys took the reins that attach to the sides of the bridle and strong-armed the head of the horse to the point that one of the boys could jump off as they passed his homestead. They were hoping that the horse would get tired and lose its strength by the time they came to the final destination. The tumultuous ride continued until they crashed through the home barn doors and the wooden buggy was nothing but a pile of rubble. Happily the driver was not hurt and ran inside the barn till he caught the horse and brought him under control. What was the problem with this disorderly animal? After looking for answers, he noticed that the bit was never put in the mouth of the horse.

David gives us instruction on what guides a horse or a mule. The instruction is clear that when we have no understanding about the direction in which we are headed, we are on dangerous premises. If the bit and the bridle is our guiding principle we have no understanding.

There are many situations that we pass through in life that require understanding. Many times throughout my life I’ve asked the Lord for understanding on why I tend to have certain problems.

Here are some questions we need in order to inquire for understanding:
• What is it that discourages me?
• Why do I avoid certain issues?
• Why are certain issues more sensitive to me?
• Why are some temptations harder to resist?
• Why do some people seek to harm me?
• Why me, Lord?
• Why do I tend to avoid certain people?
• Why am I more reactionary towards certain things?
• Am I going through punishment or pruning?

Many personal questions arise in the believer’s heart that need tended to by way of understanding from the Lord. Do not neglect it with imaginations.

Understanding will replace the need for a bit and a bridle. When you have the understanding from the one who knows all things, you will not need a bit to hold in your mouth. How many times have you said: I will not bring that up again nor will I think about it anymore? The next thing you know, that is seemingly all you are thinking about again. Understanding brings things to rest every time. Have we not heard that most problems come from misunderstandings, which no one is excluded from, not even the wisest?

It was Solomon who asked the Lord for understanding to discern judgment, rather than long life, riches, or the lives of his enemies; God gave him understanding, which is filled with wisdom. God made him the wisest man on earth.

We are also carefully instructed not to lean on our own understanding. When we ask God for understanding, He will enlighten us in due time. Once we understand, it will rest. If it does not rest in the heart, it was not enlightenment from the Holy Spirit nor does it come from spiritual understanding from the Lord. I want to repeat that spiritual understanding will always rest and not be troubled. Entanglements and frustrations simply cease. Spiritual understanding is always enlightening and never darkened imagination.

Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Proverbs 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Quail or Manna

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By arlen
On April 26, 2017
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God fed the children of Israel with a miracle food called manna. For 40 long years they traveled the extremities of the barren Saudi Desert where food does not grow. God supplied them with this sweet wafer of heavenly food until they came to the crossing of the Jordan River.

John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

In Psalm 78 God calls it “corn of heaven”, and also “angel’s food”. In John 6 God called it “bread from heaven”.  Jesus said He is the “bread from heaven”.

Some of Israel wept in the ears of the Lord about their nourishment. They complained, becoming disgusted with God’s heavenly manna and revolted against Moses. So God caused a wind to blow from the sea and a massive quantity of quail covered the entire perimeter of the place where they dwelt. Everyone had opportunity to eat, but not all did. God made those that murmured to eat the quail.

Numbers 11:20 and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

They questioned why they ever left Egypt and murmured before God. They despised the Lord who was among them. They perceived only what their appetite understood.

The only sea that was close to Israel in the desert was the very one they crossed over, the Red Sea. When they ate the quail from the sea, was this their way of crossing back to Egypt where they came from in God’s eyes?

Israel now had the food they wanted but they had to eat it till it came out of their noses! While the food was still between their teeth, the wrath of God fell upon the consumed quail and a large multitude were left behind and buried in a huge grave.

The place where this incident happened was called Kibroth-hattaavah, meaning “graves of the longing”. This is a place that people enter into when they murmur against heavenly food. The people who ate the quail were now buried in a grave of longings. They could not go forward nor could they eat anymore manna. They were left behind in a grave of longings and longings and longings.

These longings are now within people who long for things to be better in their own lives, but can never get there. It is a grave that is filled with deathly longings. They long for different nourishment. They long to go back to a different place. They long for victory they have not had in years or perhaps never had. God called it a lust. They lusted in the wilderness. Some in this grave will long for the Holy Spirit but have murmured against the food that is needed to get them there.

It will affect the generation after them as well. When the parents are in the graves of longings, the children are like the anesthetized. They have also no sense of the presence of God. There is a despising that raises up when heavenly manna is present. The heart longs for God, but not manna God’s way. It is very noteworthy to understand that not all did eat the quail, only the ones that complained about God’s daily provision.

There is a time when God says: “Then have it your way.” He gave them their own desire but it was death as flesh in their mouth. The continual complaining that Israel had for Moses was not actually against Moses, but against God. It appeared like complaining against Moses, but God’s interpretation was quite different. God called it unbelief and it was directly against Himself. This simply suggests that Israel was not seeing where God was trying to lead them.

God gave spiritual food to Israel called manna and it was designed to sustain them up to the Jordan crossing before they reached The Land of Promise. The sin that Israel committed which kept them from entering the promises of God is defined in two ways:
1. Murmurings in the ears of man.
2. Unbelief in the ears of God. It was all one and the same and God called it unbelief.

I will give one more example from the New Testament of God’s understanding versus man’s.

When we read the account of the centurion describing his positional perception of how the kingdom works, Jesus said, “I have not found so great a faith, no not in Israel”. The word that Jesus used to describe this understanding was a word that most religious people have no revelation of. This word from the centurion was the understanding of kingdom authority.

Jesus called this “great faith”! Jesus did not call it authority, He called it faith!

Blood on the Coat!

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By arlen
On April 19, 2017
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I have always been troubled about how some denominations punish people who are leaving their sect to seek deeper spiritual growth.

Some have to be rejected with a ban of fellowship that the church holds against those that leave. The leaders attempt to place a blight upon such in the name of religion.

Some of these spiritual people have endured a denominational curse-like suffering because they love God. It is like blood stains on a coat intended for betrayal. A true Christian should pray and ask for the removal of this through the name of Jesus and it will be gone. As a leader, you will never walk without responsibility for putting such a condemnation upon a child of God.

This is a form of imputed punishment upon a believer. The Bible is clear in saying to bless and curse not, even your worst enemy. I do understand the justification for doing this but it does not to belong to a born-again person even if you disagree with him.

Genesis 37:31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

It was Joseph’s brothers – patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. They put the blood of a goat on Joseph’s coat of royalty. They smeared his coat of many colors with the death of a goat’s blood. This bloody coat was a declaration of death to the father of the son the coat had been presented to.

The saints of God are arrayed in robes of white, clad with the righteousness of Jesus. These are robes that have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Many have taken blood of their own goat nature and smeared the white robes of the holy saints of God with the blood of jealousy, envy, hate, disdain, gossip, lies, imagination and all sorts of evil and even false accusation.

This picture becomes a brother’s presentation to the Heavenly Father to declare one dead evil or no good. What God calls clean call thou not unclean?

Joseph lost his second coat of royalty after he was falsely accused of a sexual sin he never committed. Many saints have been stripped of their royalty in the view of mankind because someone was a false witness.

This put Joseph in a dark and filthy prison for several years. He was told that he was filthy and now he gets thrown into a filthy, dark, prison. So he must have been guilty, right?

Oh, the awful damage that brothers and sisters can bring against each other when the plaintiff has lost his first love for Almighty God and therefore joins ranks with the enemy and accuses a brother or sister.

Our presentation of Jesus on the cross to the Father was a most horrible act of evil and unconscionable wickedness. We stripped off our Savior’s seamless, royal robe and tore it to pieces. Upon it was the blood of His friend, Judas through betrayal, and the beating of the scourge that happened in the garden after Peter cursed and said he knew nothing of this man.

We presented Jesus to the Father and crucified Him upon a cross as naked, worthless, destitute, and friendless. We left Him to die as no good! We esteemed Him not and were ashamed of Him.

If we have done it to a brother or sister we have done it unto Jesus. I wonder how many of us would have stood against Jesus based on what we have done to each other?

Matthew 25:40 Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

After the great revival in the upper room there was great boldness upon the disciples. Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost and spoke boldly!

Acts 22:20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

Before Paul was converted, he consented to the stoning of Stephen without throwing one stone. He simply protected the garments of the persecutors and executioners. There are many that would never throw a stone but will protect the guilty and approve their actions.

Let us be greatly challenged by this message. How have I presented Jesus in someone else to the Heavenly Father? Did I stain the robe of righteousness with the blood of death and thoughts of evil intention against any child of God?

Let us never forget, it is not my blood that paid for my brothers’ and sisters’ salvation. It was the blood of Jesus! Knowing this, let us never stain with our blood any garment that Jesus paid for and cleansed.

Have I ever put blood on someone’s coat because of my own problems and misunderstanding?

Jesus said this regarding Judas, “What is that to you? Follow thou me.”

Trouble in the Storm

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By arlen
On April 12, 2017
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Being around Jesus was always a time filled with expectations of the unparalleled. Anything could happen in a moment.

The sick were no problem to Him. Those with devils, incurable diseases, and handicaps were no problem to Him. The religious Pharisees were the only ones that were a continual problem to Him.

The Pharisees understood the law, therefore they could not understand grace. The same problem exists today in the mindset of many religious people.

Let’s go back in time and take a moment to look down over the Sea of Galilee from Mount Arbel on the west side. It was on the other side that the disciples had just told Jesus about the beheading and burial of John the Baptist.

Jesus then gets into the boat and says, “Let’s go to another area away from the people”. This is a very difficult situation to bear. A wonderful friend and the one who preached repentance and even baptized Jesus was now gone.

We are now looking to the east and we see oxcarts filled with sick, dying, lame, disabled, blind, and sad people. They are coming in huge droves along the ancient dust trails from far away.

On the northern side of the Galilee we see a huge gathering of thousands of people waiting. It looks like at least 5,000 in men alone, along with oxcarts and horse driven carts.

We hear a great noise of people rejoicing as a few little boats come up to the sea shore from the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As Jesus came close to people they were healed and their lives are now completely changed. The roar of rejoicing sounds like glorious thunder in the distance. There is shouting and dancing and people walking and running for the first time in their life! Hallelujah!

Evening was coming and the disciples told Jesus to send the people away to get food. Jesus said, “No, just feed them yourselves”. “We only have two fish and five loaves of bread,” the disciples replied. Jesus said, “Bring them to me and tell the thousands of people to sit on the grass”.

Jesus took the seven pieces of food, looked far into Heaven, and blessed and broke the bread. Jesus broke the bread so it could grow out of its crust/flesh. Can you hear the roar and the overflowing joy of the multitudes as the bread and fish started growing? It grew faster than the disciples could give it to the thousands.

I do not think our imagination could do justice in trying to comprehend all that happened here on this day! Over 5,000 men, plus women and children just experienced being in the presence of Jesus.

The excitement was so phenomenal and outright radical that Jesus had to, “Constrain His disciples to get into the ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away”.

Matthew 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. V.24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. V.25 And at 3AM of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. V.26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

Can we wrap our mind around this picture for a moment? This monumental day brought to Jesus the extremely sad news that His friend was beheaded. Then the power of heaven plummets upon the northern hillside of the Galilee with miracles and heavenly manifestations of surrealistic proportions and ends up feeding perhaps over 10,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Oh, Glorious Hallelujah!

Then, at three o’clock at night Jesus saw through the dark from the mountain that the disciples were in intense trouble with a sinking ship far in the distance sailing amidst an extreme storm and enormous waves.

This glorious Savior and unchangeable friend climbed down the mountain and stepped into the water. His feet stayed on top! Jesus walked toward them perhaps a few miles through the storm.

When they saw Him they thought He was a ghost and were very scared and cried out. When Jesus saw that they were afraid of Him, He immediately said, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid”.

What can we learn from this? Jesus is the light. He could see miles away in the dark. He cared for His disciples in the deepest night of trouble.

Jesus looked like a ghost when they were in trouble. The storm stopped when Jesus got into the ship. To the human eye in a time of darkness and trouble, Jesus and even His disciple can look like a ghost.

Jesus sees you long before you see Him. He cares for you in trouble!  Let not your heart be troubled!

Weeping by the River

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By arlen
On April 5, 2017
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Judah was in a state of victory and joy on one hand, but on the other hand they could not stop sinning and continued to commit sins with the enemy.

God had warned that if His people became faithless, He would send the pagan enemy after them and protect them no longer.

This all happened as a result of prophets speaking things falsely in the name of the Lord when it was not from Him.

God showed the prophet Jeremiah two baskets of figs. One basket was filled with good, first ripened figs and the other basket held figs that were disgusting and inedible.

God said that this was the condition of Judah. The cause of this ruin was largely because of their prophets.

Jeremiah 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words everyone from his neighbor. V.31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.V.32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.

Now Judah (God’s people), were at a place where God could no longer bless them. They were led to the national prison called Babylon. They were held there by King Nebuchadnezzar at God’s command.

The purpose of this captivity was to separate Judah from the sin which they never truly broke away from. God also wanted them to separate from the words and works of the false prophets.

Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, and other holy, righteous prophets of God were also brought into this captivity in Babylon. These men of God did not run, but went right into the same captivity and condemnation as the sinners did.

They suffered with the righteous and unrighteous alike. However, it was to Ezekiel that God revealed his plan at the very end.

You see, the true prophets of God never reveal the problem without offering hope and clearly defined heavenly direction.

True prophets of God do not understand by imagination, but their pure lives reveal the burden of the Lord. True prophets are willing to die for their submission and they do not run or hide in the day of trouble.

Part of the difficult experience of the captivity of Judah was that they could remember how it used to be in Zion. They were told to sing and praise with the songs of healing like they did in Zion. They sat by the calm streams and rivers, but wept because all they had were memories.

Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. V.2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. V.3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. V.4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

In Zion, the songs were written and sang because of inspiration and praise to Almighty God, the deliverer. They were the songs of their own heart, filled with heavenly adoration. There was dancing, and shouts of jubilation overflowing with joy.

Now the same songs were like punishment to them. When Judah goes into captivity, their singing becomes like torrents of condemnation. Now the song becomes a requirement.

Judah just wanted to hang their harps on the willow trees next to the rivers. The Babylonian rivers and streams were a prison to Judah. They were diminished to an anguish so deep that singing was the last thing they wanted to do. Yet they required them to heal each other with the mirth of the songs of Zion.

Can we hear the weeping around the river and the memories of when singing healed? Seventy years of self-inflicted pain because they listened to the wrong voices.

This picture of Judah, God’s people, is so sad. But this can also be the condition of an individual who has listened to the wrong voice and has been carried away into captivity.

You might have listened to the voice of reason and it has contaminated you, placing you in captivity. The voice of reason often holds lies and portrayals of inaccuracies designed to bring you into offenses. It is intended to deceive, destroy, and kill the child of God.

Alas, God revealed His truth to the prophet and gave him the word: I will not always allow my people to be held in captivity. I will have mercy and forgiveness and grant them deliverance!

I will return to Jerusalem with my people and there I will be with the old and the young; the boys and girls will fill the streets playing together in safety!
Zechariah 8:1-5.

The Lampstand of God

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By arlen
On April 5, 2017
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The seven golden candlesticks comprised a precious and mandatory lamp placed before the presence of God. It was a requirement to have this powerful lamp shining in the Holy Place before God twenty-four hours a day.

The lamp was placed in the tabernacle, the temple and before the throne in Revelation 1:20. This expensive piece of equipment was made with pure gold beaten to a completed work of wonder.

Why was this piece of furniture so important that God required it to be in His own presence? It was the only source of light allowed to be present in the Holy Place. Natural light was declared a contamination; it could have no part in the Holy Place.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” The lampstand was a true type of the Holy Spirit.

The lampstand was carefully shaped by the hammering of a hammer in the hands of the Holy Spirit, through the wisdom he gave to Bezaleel.

The olive oil had to be made by a crushing between rocks. The light could not come from an ordinary source. They that shine before God must not shine their own glory. The understanding of this truth is a pearl much greater than the carnal man can evaluate or even consider precious.

To live before God as crushed olive oil so that His life and light can illuminate in His presence, is a calling many could not even consider worth enduring. The superficial Christian would become so insulted that heavenly light could not be present. This is why the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I believe that one of the deepest grievings of the Holy Spirit is when a carnal Christian leans on his own understanding while trying to acknowledge God. The enormous danger is that the natural man does not even discern this. It is alone the spiritual man that can see and have understanding in it.

The natural man will not be led by the Spirit of God because he has no spiritual discernment. The natural man has many answers and easy solutions. He uses his impoverished imagination to lead himself and others down a path of confusion.
The natural man can accomplish many things exceptionally well. The self-power of his actions will make him a failure in God’s kingdom and a king in organizations of humanity. This will cause him many personal failures.

The natural man’s personal observation of himself is filled with the condemnation depicted in the book of Jude. This creates a conflict in his spirit to turn to idealistic opinions that wage a war against the saints, and do so in the name of Jesus.

Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

It is correct to understand that the church of Ephesus had an invisible candlestick in its midst. God threatened the removal of this important lamp unless their first love was restored. There is only one source for this spiritual love. This agape love comes from the Holy Spirit alone. It is a love not achievable, but granted after receiving the Holy Spirit.

When an unrepentant condition creeps into a believer, the heavenly light becomes very dim. Here the man will stumble around in natural light and lose his path in the righteousness of Christ. Here is where strategies are introduced and forceful personal biases exist.

A true believer will never be confused walking in the light. But when the heavenly light is removed, you will find the opposite to be entirely present.

James 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. V.16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Why was the lampstand so important in the presence of God? This lamp is His eternal illumination and it searches all the deep things of God.

Light searches; it goes everywhere there is freedom from obstacles. All obstacles put a complete stop to light unless they are transparent. God demands from us complete transparency through true repentance from all darkened obstacles.

Do I have hidden obstacles?

PRAYER:  Jesus, help me to return to my first love. All other affections I nail to the cross!

The Captivation of Idolatry

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By arlen
On March 22, 2017
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Genesis 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.

Many Christians will never go deeper in the faith because of idolatry. Idolatry is a problem that is seldom addressed among Christianity. It is a very personal subject with great interest to many.

There are things in life that can be enormously captivating. Humanity has a place within that is constantly seeking to satisfy something that it does not have. This is a good thing in a sense. It is a universal vacuum where man seeks for identity and fulfillment.

This hunger is what caused Eve to touch and eat the fruit of knowledge rather than choosing simple obedience in Eden. This vacuity within man can only be truly filled by a spiritual experience. This experience starts with having an understanding of our purpose and our design mechanism.

As human beings, we are specifically designed to contain the Holy Spirit. Until this becomes a conviction, we will find many other things to bring fulfillment as surrogates for our intended purpose.

I have found by experience that there are several specific intrigues that attract our attention in an attempt to create a sense of fulfillment within the human design. There is within man an intense desire for something with a higher strength to depend on.

This might be accomplishments of our own doing. This desire is often energized by the way we view an opponent. This rivalry can be good in a sense or create a bad issue in life. It is within this realm that the intrigue of the soul can be stimulated whether in a personal way or an admiration that brings a sense of satisfaction or fulfillment.

When we esteem the ability of anyone or anything higher than the Creator, we need to take notice and not be blinded to the fact that we are entering a life of idolatry.

We must be convinced that there is none higher than Almighty God. I have found that there is a captivation and enthrallment with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit which needs to exceeds everything else. This captivation and enthrallment is often replaced with things that are earthly and are in direct competition with things that are heavenly.

The same stimulus of excitement and fulfillment is what the spiritual man finds in the Holy Spirit. These two identities are in direct competition against each other. They both want a seat in the heart of man. Paul clearly speaks about these two laws to the Romans.

The Holy Spirit is Who reveals Jesus and Almighty God to be extraordinary. The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus and the Father.

Until we become full of the Holy Spirit, we will tend to find our fulfillment in hero worship. The beginning step of being filled with the Holy Spirit is being baptized by Him. This we will receive when we seek Him with an honest, steadfast hunger.

In my studies, I have concluded that Israel’s biggest problem while living in the Promised Land was simply idolatry. The purpose of the Promised Land for Israel was to conquer and overcome the enemy known as the Canaanites.

The Canaanites were the descendants of Ham which carried with them a curse placed by Noah.

Genesis 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

The curse was placed on Canaan the son of Ham, but not on Ham. The word curse here means execrate, which is: to declare to be evil or detestable and become that in nature as well.

This is very much what we are seeing in the entertainment industry in our day. The word execrate describes very well a vast majority of entertainers, whether from Hollywood, or competitive sports figures.

Far too many Christians cannot hold a conversation about the revelation of Jesus but know quite well the stats of those who are idolized. Hours are spent discussing the gods of this world with individuals, holding high and impressive admiration for them.

As long as Israel did not destroy their idols, God would not help them in many instances. Idols have always been an abomination to God. The required condition that God demands is that nothing replaces Him in His temple.

Jacob was blessed by God at Jabok. It was here that Jacob found a separation from his old life. It was after Jabok that Jacob asked Rachel to give up the hidden idol she stole from her ancestors.

Let us consider the words of Jacob after Jabok. Put away the gods that are strangers. They are not anyone we actually know. We have no relationship with them nor is there any friendship.

Is it perhaps hero worship? Put away the strange gods. Be cleansed from their pollution and be not their offspring. Change your garments and sources of identities. Worship and admire Almighty God alone with whom you can have a relationship!

Genesis 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.