Archive for May, 2017

Zōē

Wednesday, May 31st, 2017

The Greek word Zoe is the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to GOD.  In this life there is no death, sickness, disease, or destruction.  The zoe life will restore and heal any body back to its normal use.  In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus spoke:

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

This life force originates with FATHER and is accessible to us through Jesus Christ.  This life force in Jesus healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and raised the dead.  It is superior to any affliction you or I may have.  The closer to the Source of this life force, the greater the impact it will have in restoring you and me.  At some point each of us will need access to this life force for healing and/or restoration so it simply makes sense to maintain the closest of relationships with the ONE WHO originates this life force.

FATHER Loves us so HE sent Jesus to us for our benefit.  Jesus said Himself in John chapter 10:

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life (zoe), and that they may have it more abundantly.

This life comes as a result of a relationship, not as the primary goal.  We don’t use some formula to get zoe from Jesus.  His Love for us gives zoe to us.  No sickness or disease, or even death, could exist when zoe is present.  Jesus went about healing the sick and raising the dead to express this very point.  In Luke chapter 8 Jesus perceived the power of life flowing forth:

43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,

44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”

47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Her belief in Jesus and His zoe resulted in full restoration.  She accessed “the tree of life” whereas the “tree of knowledge of good and evil” could not heal her… food for thought.

Paul understood zoe as he wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 concerning the Lord’s Supper:

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep (death).

If our relationship with Jesus is not right and we fail to understand what He did for us in exchanging His stripes for our sicknesses and diseases, this zoe life will not flow forth on our behalf.  Let us discern this relationship between Jesus and us individually so that we understand the magnitude and importance of “by His stripes we are healed”.  Our quality of life depends on it.

Personal Decision

Tuesday, May 30th, 2017

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 10:

1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

3 all ate the same spiritual food,

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

Each of us can be exposed to the same Word, the same healing, and the same supernatural events but that does not mean each of us will respond in the same manner.  Our Heavenly FATHER delivered the children of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians and sustained them in the wilderness through Christ The Rock yet they still sought idols and walked in unbelief.  The result?  Their bodies were scattered in the wilderness and they never crossed over to the Promised Land.  It was their choice to live by faith and they chose the other path.

FATHER gave each person the same opportunity to live but HIS Love demands they individually make their own choice.  You can decide to feed your lust and temporarily satisfy your soul or you can look forward to the destination FATHER has set before you and respond accordingly.

6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

The Old Testament provides us with many examples of what not to do and the children in the wilderness are relevant today just as they were back then.  We must not lust after evil things!

7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;

9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;

10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

There are more idols of various types than ever before.  Hollywood is constantly promoting idol worship.  Sexual immorality has infiltrated schools where even the very young are partaking of such immorality.  Once prayer was removed from schools, answering to a Higher Authority was no longer in the consciousness of the children and they began lusting in a much greater manner.  The sanctity of life no longer matters as shootings began to occur in schools.  Social media has promoted promiscuity which will only lead to destruction.

We are given these examples to provide us the ramifications of our decisions.  FATHER’S Love keeps providing us with opportunities to change and move toward HIM in a closer relationship.  In Deuteronomy chapter 30 it is written by THE SPIRIT:

19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

It is our choice which path we take and we must not let the world lure us toward the path of destruction.

No Greater Love

Monday, May 29th, 2017

In John chapter 15, Jesus spoke:

12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

True friendship is one based on Love.  Friends don’t attempt to exploit the other but are there for each other especially in times of need.  There is no division among them for they both are promoting the other in their relationship.  What a wonderful commandment as friendship can spread to include more people to the point where all of those with such relationships are promoting Love, life, and peace.  Before long the entire globe could be covered with this one great commandment.

We must never let inconvenience dictate our relationship with friends.  You can be assured there will be times where you must choose between helping a brother in need and choosing the easier path.  Love does what is right without regard to the barriers we must overcome to be a blessing to our friends.  The overall theme of Love is to be of a giving nature, not a “taker”.

How do we determine how good of a friend we are?  By the longevity of our friendship.  No one would expect Lord Jesus to abandon us for He is committed for all of eternity.  If you want a long-term friendship you must work at it and nurture it.  If issues arise, resolve them quickly and let not a breach develop.  If you have a difference of theology, then don’t make it an issue and simply accept the person for where he or she is at.  Who is to say your doctrine is totally without error?  Expressly look for what you have in common, not what will divide you.  Sometimes it is better to simply be quiet about potentially divisive areas.  Let your actions do the talking.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Galatians chapter 6:

14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

If you need to boast about anything, focus on Our Lord Jesus Christ… not yourself.  Consider your conversation and assess whether the topic always ends up about you or your accomplishments.  You would be surprised how the ego will turn the conversation with others to “self”.  I have nothing to boast about except Our Lord.  All my accomplishments are but dung when compared to what Christ did for me at the cross.  Any achievements are but temporal when compared to eternity.  You can express your Love to your brother or sister by focusing on them and showing genuine interest in their life.

All for now, I need to go forth and do some acts of Love!

Proper Discernment

Sunday, May 28th, 2017

By THE SPIRIT it is written in Psalm 103:

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;

​​And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 ​​Bless the LORD, O my soul,

​​And forget not all His benefits:

3 ​​Who forgives all your iniquities,

​​Who heals all your diseases,

What must we do when we fail to discern the benefits provided to us by FATHER, Lord Jesus, and/or The Holy Spirit?  We must repent for we must not let anything impeded us from our relationship.  As I wrote concerning communion I never fully realized the importance of the bread as it affects me personally.  I do not recall any teaching that specifically connected the bread to my personal health and healing.  If there was, I missed it.  However something that important would not normally escape my attention.  At any rate, I had to repent to FATHER for taking the first half of communion with less emphasis and reverence than the second half.  Jesus placed the same emphasis on the bread as He did on the wine when He said “Do this in remembrance of Me”.

My Prayer:

FATHER, I repent of my lack of proper discernment as I have taken communion over the years when I should have studied YOUR Word on such an important aspect of our lives.  Forgive me for assuming the commentary associated with the taking of communion was complete and allowing others’ understanding to by my guide when partaking of such a Holy event.  By YOUR grace and mercy in the future I will emphasize both aspects of communion in a similar manner.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

Love Surpasses Knowledge

Saturday, May 27th, 2017

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Ephesians chapter 3:

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

We can read, study, dissect, and analyze every word in Scripture but Love in its fullness cannot be found in such a manner.  FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love is beyond our ability to express in words.  The Scripture is full of the acts of Love but Love is not limited to those acts so we must not be satisfied and stop there.  We must proceed to the source of that Love in order to grasp the breadth and length and height and depth.

FATHER has glorious riches which will strengthen us with power through HIS SPIRIT.  Those glorious riches reside in our inner being, not in some physical safe place.  We enter into the depths of our spirit by separating ourselves from the world’s noise and influence and minister unto FATHER.

In Ephesians chapter 5:

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Consider that Jesus is providing the sweet smelling, acceptable savor to FATHER as a sacrifice on our behalf.  Consider Jesus being in our midst as we enter before FATHER in the Holy of Holies.  It is a place of absolute reverence and we should not take it lightly as we go before the Throne.  This is where the source of all pure Love resides and as we spend more time with FATHER, our grasp of Love increases.  Simply by being in the presence of Love we become Love to a greater degree and we see its outworking as we begin to see people in a different light.  Judgment dissipates as the eyes of grace and mercy are opened.

Every person has a unique set of circumstances that have brought them to where they are at now.  Only FATHER knows what their needs are and HE will minister to them from Love in order to draw them toward HIM.  Some will reject HIS call but HIS Love is not dissuaded.  We may have knowledge of their situation but at best it is only partial knowledge.  Instead of analyzing someone’s needs we should be tapping into HIS power that is at work in us.  How better to be a messenger of Love than to walk according to HIS power and might.

HIS Love is able to do more than can ask or imagine.  How wonderful is that?  As we become led by THE SPIRIT to a greater degree, we will comprehend Love surpassing knowledge.  Keep pressing in!

The Prophetic Acts

Friday, May 26th, 2017

Do you want to be the one who declares prophecy or would you rather be the “prophetic” one who carries out prophecy?  Declaration versus manifestation is what the question comes down to in the end.  There are those who simply want to observe the wondrous acts of FATHER and then there are the Sons and Daughters who are drawn to their rightful citizenship in Heavenly Places.  Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT to those who long to take part in the acts of FATHER in Ephesians chapter 1:

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

His riches of the glory of His inheritance far exceeds anything the world has to offer yet many focus on the temporal in the here and now.  In order to know His riches we must ask FATHER to open the eyes of our understanding so that we can comprehend those riches and their appointed use.  In chapter 4 Paul contrasts those with a darkened heart:

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart

Men who walk in sin become blind to Spiritual understanding and then only pursue the path of futility.  They become unknowing participants of the prophetic acts of FATHER and wonder why such events are taking place.  They are unable to hear guidance or warnings about what is at hand and their life becomes somewhat chaotic and fearful.  Also in chapter 4:

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

There is only one way for all the Sons and Daughters to be totally in unity, it requires us all to be led by HIS SPIRIT in all things.  There is but one Truth and we must adhere to that Truth in order to be a part of FATHER’S prophetic acts.  Who can compare the unique riches of HIS calling to anything the world has to offer?  Each of us has a designated inheritance expressly set aside for our use as we carry out our particular calling within FATHER’S prophetic acts.  Let us not be concerned about the callings of others as we walk out our own Divine mandate.  Let us be sensitive to the flow of THE SPIRIT in our lives so that we minister to those whom FATHER has sent.  Let us not reject ministry from those sent to us as well.

FATHER’S Divine Love is described as patient.  Let us also take on that attribute and not concern ourselves with FATHER’S timing of past prophecies.  Men consistently attempt to predict prophetic events and are nearly always wrong.  If you predict enough events, you might finally get one right.  Those who have done so often point to the one right prediction but leave out the multitude of wrong guesses.  Let us simply by patient and sensitive to HIS Voice.  By doing so we will be at peace and not be moved by all the time and energy consumed on what might happen in the future.  Let FATHER handle that aspect of our lives.

Our job is to prepare ourselves for HIS use in the particular acts HE has slated for our participation.  In the meantime, be grateful and enjoy the process.

Discerning His Body

Thursday, May 25th, 2017

By THE SPIRIT Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 11:

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Many of us have participated in communion countless times over the course of our life.  Most know that taking the cup refers to His Blood as being the sacrifice for our sins to be put away in order that we be reconciled to FATHER.  There has been less emphasis on the meaning of taking the bread beforehand.  Jesus’ body did not remove our sins but instead it deals with the healing of our bodies.

We are to discern His body when we partake of the bread.  The sacrifice of stripes came before the sacrifice of the Blood.  In Matthew 27:

25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

This scourging was the prophetic fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 53:

4 ​​Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; ​​Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 ​​But He was wounded for our transgressions, ​​He was bruised for our iniquities; ​​The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Peter also wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Peter chapter 2:

24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

In the communion, first came healing and restoration of the body, then came the sinless nature by His Blood.  This is opposite to Adam when he first gave up his glorified state and then his body began to die.  Jesus is reversing the curse when we properly discern His Body as well as His Blood.  Jesus had prepared the disciples for this revelation during His ministry of healing the sick and preaching salvation.  Matthew wrote by THE SPIRIT in chapter 8:

16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,

17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

​​​“He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”

Jesus suffered in two ways- first He bore the stripes on His body and then He shed His Blood on the cross.  Both acts are referred to in communion.  When we take the bread, we should discern exactly what it represents and remember the scourging and the stripes along with the promise “by whose stripes we were healed”.  This is a wonderful promise in itself.  Let us no longer take the bread without considering its underlying meaning.  Let its promise and reality be as clear to us as the importance of His Blood to our salvation.  After all, Jesus said “do this in remembrance of Me”.

How Do We Love FATHER?

Wednesday, May 24th, 2017

In Matthew chapter 22, Jesus spoke:

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.”

The question is how do we fulfill this commandment?  How do we express our Love to the Creator of the universe?  The Beloved Disciple wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 John chapter 2:

3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.

10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

The first great commandment is to Love FATHER and we do so by keeping and acting on HIS Word as the Beloved Disciple wrote.  IF we are keeping HIS Word then we are uninterested in what the world has to offer.  The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life no longer have any power over our focus and attention.  They have become non-events that are of no consequence to those who are keeping FATHER’S Word.  In John chapter 14 Jesus spoke:

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

When we keep the commandments without question or complaining, we are expressing our Love, trust, and faith in both the FATHER and the Son.  Are there any commandments meant to do us harm?  Not at all.  Each commandment is meant to lead us toward unity, eternal life, and a closeness with both FATHER and Our Lord Jesus Christ.  If we want to be well pleasing to FATHER, let us walk in faith by adhering to HIS commandments.  Let us not do it out of duty or by some formula, but let it become our way of life.  How else can we become HIS expression on earth other than hearing and responding to HIS Pure Word in our lives?  Keeping the first commandment becomes easy as we realize that the motivation of all HIS commands are based on HIS Love for us.  Let us respond accordingly.

Above All Names

Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017

In John chapter 16, Jesus spoke:

23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Jesus stated to the disciples (and us) that we are to ask FATHER to meet our needs in accordance with HIS Word and Divine Intent.  Jesus further stated that we are to ask in Jesus’ Name for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  We must never use His name without the honor it deserves for His Name is above every name.  Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Ephesians chapter 1:

20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Let us not dishonor the Name of the One who sits at the right hand of FATHER.  Jesus made it clear to the disciples there would be a transition during the period of the cross.  He knew the magnitude of overcoming death once and for all and that it was ordained to take a period of time to complete.  He also divulged to them that He is the Way to FATHER and as men approached FATHER through Jesus Christ their joy would be full.  Paul further wrote in Philippians chapter 2:

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Paul urge us to be of the same mind of Jesus Christ for we are His younger brothers and sisters.  FATHER exalted Him and proclaimed every knew shall bow: in heaven, on earth, below the earth.  That covers everyone with no exceptions.  This speaks of FATHER’S Love to reconcile all men as they are exposed to the pure Love of Jesus Christ.  That Love will permeate every person and no sin will be able to exist but instead will be purged away allowing the person to behold the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

His Name is above all names so let us give Him the honor and dignity He deserves.

Focus on Eternal

Monday, May 22nd, 2017

In Luke 18 Jesus spoke after He was approached by the rich young ruler who would not give up his wealth:

24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!

25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”

29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,

30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus declared that their were notable benefits to following Him for the sake of the Kingdom of Our Heavenly Father.  The temporary is no comparison to the eternal and so we must not let the current state dictate our future.  Those of us who have the benefit of seeing assets wither away over time can appreciate how temporary “things” really are.  The world’s output is in constant deterioration which is no place to put our trust in.  The Spiritual Life will endure beyond this world so we should be investing in the eternal, not the external.

Where we place our trust is critical to our future.  Men will fail us, systems will fail us, and even family will fail us at some point.  We must not be moved when failure of this nature arrives but instead rely on FATHER to minister to us through the Holy Spirit in our time of need.  After all, FATHER knew us first when HE formed us in the womb and established our gifts and callings.  HIS Divine Intent of Love will sustain us in all situations no matter how painful they may be.

31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.

32 For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.

33 They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

Immediately after assuring the disciples of the Heavenly benefits, Jesus discloses that His time is short in the physical realm.  He first proclaimed the benefits of eternity before this disclosure.  He needed to assure the disciples that this was not a temporary Way but it was the opening to The Door for them to follow The Way, The Truth, and The Life.  They needed to be assured and keep their focus on the Eternal.  They would soon be challenged in the area of their trust.  At some point we all will be challenged in like manner.  Let us be prepared.