Arise To Zion Ministries
Jesus’ 5th Saying on the Cross Hindrances to Prayers Being answered Praying in the Spirit of the Lord Worship and Spiritual Warfare
Principles For Effective Intercession Praise I Know Whom I Have Chosen The Temple is Built on the Threshing Floor
There Ain’t NoBozos on this Bus! These Things Shall Precede the Day of the LORD Nutrition and the Temple-that’s us!
A Spiritual Nugget at theNutrition Luncheon LIPIDS Fats and Oils. Water: It’s Importance for the Human Body The pH Miracle
Genetically Engineered Food Enzymes
(Back to Top)
John 19:25-27 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdelene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, “Woman behold thy son!” 27 Than saith he to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
I always thought this was somehow a little strange. Why would Jesus do this? Did He need to? Mary and Joseph had four other sons and at least 3 daughters! And do not be fooled they were raising their children in an Orthodox Jewish home, adhering to all the Laws and honoring God. Hebrew men take responsibility for their widowed Mothers!
How do we know there were other children after Jesus? Let’s look to the Word of God.
In Matthew 13:55, 56 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
Jesus has all these family members and what? So—where are they? If they were there that day at the cross, it is not recorded.
Does this mean that Jesus didn’t trust Mary’s other sons to take care of her? They were all devout Jews! They would surely take care of their mother! And we see throughout the gospels—Mary and the brethren—so we can surmise that they already were taking care of her. Jesus was about His Father’s business since He was 12.
So here it is. Jesus’ family members are not there while he is being crucified! Were that ashamed? Did they believe he was the Son of God, the Anointed One? Did they believe like the Pharisees, when they said in Mt.27:42 “He saves others, himself He cannot save.”
Were they angry because He spoke against the Sanhedrin and the rulers of God’s people?
Let’s look into this:
In Matthew 10:34-36 it says, 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
We also find in Psalms 69:8, 9: 8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
Now because Jesus fulfilled all things that He spoke and that God spoke, it is no wonder that these scriptures are clearly evident in his own life.
We know from the Word that Jesus and his family obeyed the Laws of Moses and celebrated all the Feasts of the Lord. So it stands to reason that if his the siblings of His own household, those reared in the same home, did not even come when he was being crucified—it is because they were at variance with him.
I submit to you this day that the Bible is the Word of God and is Light, Life and Truth. But that means that it is also SPIRIT.
RELIGION! It stifles the Spirit of God! When you have religion, you know thatte is a God, you feel like if you do all the right things you might be able to please God. But you can be doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons.
And it has always been a problem! When the Spirit of God spoke to Simeon and told him he would not die until he saw the salvation of God’s people come in the flesh, Simeon knew the time was soon.
He was a religious leader in the same time frame as the Pharisees and Saducees. And Simeon knew the Lord when he saw him at 8 days of age, without the benefit of miracles and signs. How?
Because of the Spirit of God! He had a relationship with God and not just religion! Let’s look at the religious leaders that were around at the same time as Simeon was preparing his heart to receive the salvation of the world:
1) There was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. John the Baptist. But was he a recognized leader in the church? NO. Jesus said John was of the Spirit of Elijah.
a) there were those who believed in John’s message and were his disciples. They were out there laboring with him in the wilderness.
b) These people heard the Spirit of the Lord to know that the Messiah was coming
c) They were to prepare the Way of the Lord in their hearts and as many of the people as they could reach.
d) REPENTANCE is how this is done and ewhen you are walking in repentance, the Spirit of Elijah is upon you too.
2) THEN there were the other religious leaders of God’s people: they were formally recognized as leaders
a) They had their own agendas and did not hear the Spirit of the Lord to know that the Messiah was coming! They did not tell the people to repent! They weren’t repenting either. (But the timeline of Cyrus told them clearly that the Messiah was due to arrive in their time.)
b) They had traits that were not of God, such as:
1) Hypocrites, actors, wanted to be the focus at gathering and in the streets
2) Wanted to have places of honor and be called Master and wear special clothes that set them apart from the people.
3) They felt they were elite and better than the “little people”.
4) They oppressed the people, taking the offerings to give them a cushy lifestyle. Forced others to work and they would not do physical labor
5) They made false vows because they swore by the gold of the
So, maybe Mary and Joseph’s sons and daughters had religion as laid out for them by the Pharisees and Saducees and Scribes.
So I submit to you today—That is Dead Religion! If you was the resurrection power of Jesus Christ to be in your life you must go to the cross!
Back to Mary. She is at the cross, yes—but to watch Jesus suffer and die! Jesus knew she needed more and He was determined to make sure that she got it!
She had to die to herself. This is a difficult thing to do. She needs help to do it! She even had to die to what she thought God was going to do with her son!
Now let’s look at this more carefully. Jesus looks down from the cross in the midst of His pain and agony—each breath a tremendous labor, and says, “Woman, behold thy son!” This is a dying statement and according to Jewish beliefs, carried a great deal of weight! It STILL carries a great weight in most cultures today.
You know that His mother was going to listen to her dying son, her eldest son! Yes she was! And what was Jesus doing?
I believe Jesus was providing a Spiritual teacher for His mother. He was making sure that she would understand the ways of the Spirit of God. And He was positioning her to receive…
She needed to be there in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost! Do you think her other sons would get her there? Maybe not!
When Jesus came back from Heaven, after providing the perfect sacrifice and applying His perfect blook to the Mercy Seat in Heaven—do you think that He showed himself to his family? Did they recognize Him? We don’t know. The Word doesn’t say…
But His disciples saw Him. More than twice…
So Jesus was putting His mother into the hands of one who would make sure she would get the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire! John was the spiritual disciple. He had the prophetic eyes for life. Jesus put His mother into his hands. Into the hands of John the Revelator!
She needed to receive the Spirit of God! And so did her children! It wasn’t enough to know who Jesus was! She of all people knew that He was the Son of God! She risked being stoned to death by her own people because she was pregnant while only engaged to Joseph! So She KNEW!
She needed more than just knowing. More than knowing the Laws of God and the religious practices based on those laws! They do not save us!
But I tell you when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary a deposit was made. It was the fullness of the god-head bodily. You can read that in Ephesians. Oh yes and He is the son of God!
Jesus’ family was not saved! However they were familiar with Him, maybe too familiar. You can be born into a Christian home and not be saved. Let’s look at His family a little more…
His family was around when John the Baptist, their cousin, was put into prison, and Jesus did nothing. They saw Jesus hanging around with publicans and healing Centurian’s servants, and lepers and the unclean. Eating and drinking with tax collectors. John was beheaded and Jesus did nothing. Maybe they thought His ministry was too extreme…we don’t know. All we know is they did not stand beside Mary at the cross.
Yea! His good family was probably home preparing for the Passover Feast! They didn’t realize that the Son of God is the Passover Lamb!
Oh don’t miss this folks! Without the Spirit of God behind the works you do they are dead works! Without the Spirit of God within the Word of God it cannot bring the resurrection power we all need to have eternal life! I mean the eternal life of our soul!
(Our spirits are made alive when we receive the Lord into our hearts.) But I submit to you this day that there is more! Now that you are familiar with Jesus—GO further!
I submit that there is a Baptism of Fire! The Spirit of God is still moving as He did when He came to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost! And when He came upon Jesus in the tomb! YES! The same Spirit!
So, if you are sick and tired of following blind guides, hypocrites, and materialistic elitists, then come to the cross and repent!
You too can become a disciple laboring in the wilderness and the Spirit of Elijah will be with you too! Repent of religion!
OK. Now there is one more thing. In John 19:28 the next verse after the 5th saying, it says, After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
ALL THINGS were now accomplished! His family and loved ones were now positioned to receive the Holy Spirit!
Turn over to Acts 1:14. Let’s read it, These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.
So now we see Jesus’ planned positioning of Mary who also brought along the brethren. We can be sure that the disciples told Mary how that Jesus rose from the dead. The incidents we can all read regarding the resurrection and how He ascended right before their eyes! That would do it for most people!
I believe the brethren were persuaded by the testimonies of the Apostles and their Mother. (remember, no one on Earth knew more than she who He was!)
Prepare your heart! Get into position for you and your family to receive the fire! Bring the fire to as many people as possible! Prepare ye the Way of the Lord! Receive His Spirit for resurrection POWER!
Introduction: Demonic powers only have the authority we give them! How much or little depends on the depth of our deception. The depth of our deception depends on how much sin we allow in our lives. Deception leads us to sin and sin opens the door to further deception. A horrible vicious cycle if left unchecked. But we have the BIBLE: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The answers are all in there but it is our job to discover them.
1) Ask amiss due to our lusts. Lusts, Covetousness, fighting and wars. James 4:1-3 1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Wrong motives James 4:3
2) Unforgiveness Matthew 6:14-15; 14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:25-26 25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
a) We must not take this lightly. If we do not have forgiveness towards those who hurt us we risk having our prayers hindered, which means that our relationship with God is injured. Is the person worth that?
3) Adulteries, friendship with the world. James 4:4, 5 continues; 4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
4) Regarding iniquity in my heart—Psalms 66:18 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
a) This is different than being deceived and not knowing or understanding our sin. This is the willful act of disobedience
5) Refusing to hear truth. Proverbs 28:9 9He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination..
6) Refusing to humble one’s self. 2 Chronicles 7:14 14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
7) Forsaking God 2 Chronicles 15:2 2And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
8) Provoking God Deuteronomy
9) Hardheartedness Zechariah 7:12-13 12Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. 13Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts: .
10) Lack of Charity Proverbs
11) Hypocrisy Luke 18:9-14 9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
12) Dishonor of companion I Peter 3:7 7Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
13) Unbelief Matthew 17:20 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew
14) SIN James 4:1-5 SEE: # 1 above
John
15) Showy prayers Matthew 6:5 5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
16) Vain repetitions Matthew 6:7 7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
17) Being discouraged Luke 18:1-8 1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
18) Worry and anxiety Philippians 4:6 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
19) Doubting, Double-mindedness James 1:5-8 5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
I Corinthians 12:4 says, 4Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
(Let’s start by taking this much apart for study: The Trinity is seen in these verses to give us a foundation of truth for which to build. I have emboldened and/or underlined to easily see the points.)
Verse 7 is clear; the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. Every time we see one of the Apostles lay hands on another and pray for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit they invariably begin to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. This is the manifestation that profits withal. With all means with all other gifts given…
Some fall into confusion with the next couple of verses figured in, but it is not confusing if we take the verses apart and clearly examine them.
8For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
These are among the other gifts that were given. There are others we can see as the verses about the gifts continues.
In verse 10, the divers kinds of tongues and the interpretation of tongues are stated as gifts and are not to be confused with the manifestation of the Spirit that is given to every man to profit withal. This divers tongues is used by God to show the power and unity of the Spirit of the LORD in the assembly. It usually occurs when there are unsaved in the assembly and it is a sign to them.
This is how that should work: First, everything should be done decently and in order. So, at an opportunistic time when there is a break in activity, then the LORD will move through someone to speak in tongues out loud for all to hear. Then another person gives the interpretation in the common language of the congregation. (Obviously, in
This Word that is brought forth should be something that glorifies God and edifies, exhorts and encourages salvation and faith in God. When an unsaved person witnesses such an act of God it promotes faith and a desire for salvation. It is a sign that THAT is how the Spirit of God is moving among His people at that moment…for salvation. (It could also be for someone to return to God who is in a backslidden condition. That is still salvation.)
Let’s look at the verses where the Holy Spirit is come into a person so we are not relying on my statements alone. (Baptism into the Spirit)
In Acts 8: 14-17 shows us that the Apostles held services to lay hands on believers in order for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Let’s read it: 14Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
How did they know that the people received the Holy Spirit? What was the evidence? There had to be an outward sign or they wouldn’t KNOW.
We have to believe that not All of God’s people are faking tongues and dishonoring God! I know I am not! There is an outward sign—and it is speaking in tongues. In the book The Holy Spirit and You, by Dennis and Rita Bennett they interview an Instructor of the Deaf, a teacher. On page 60 they give a testimony of a Mrs. Wendell Mason of
Their account continues: “Similar testimony comes from many others who work with the deaf. It would be absolutely impossible for these handicapped people to imitate a language, or to be speaking words remembered from their “unconscious” mind (as some skeptics have said in trying to explain away speaking in tongues) since they have never heard a word in their lives!”
Now, a couple of chapters later, in Acts
WHY TONGUES? Why is this the manifestation to profit a man withal? Why is this the evidence?
Anyone who has an understanding of the human brain must then know that the speech center of the brain is the dominant faction of it. It is connected to all facets and every other center of the brain.
Our ability to communicate with one another with rational speech is the fundamental part of being human. It differentiates us from the rest of the animals on this planet. (Just a moment to go on a short rabbit trail--If you really wonder about that consider this: Could it be that the animals once did speak? I mean, Eve did not run away in fear when the snake spoke to her. C.S.Lewis believes that the animals spoke before the fall. He proves it out in a dissertation within one of his teaching books. He shows that the entire planet suffered with man and woman in the curse of the Living God.)
Proverbs 18:20-21 says, 20A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
In Psalms 57:8 the tongue is considered the glory of the body. 8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
The word glory there is translated as glory but is the metaphor for the voice.
Of course! Since how else does a man glorify God except by the use of his voice and his ability to praise Him with instruments? (AND in the laying down of one’s life.)
Additionally, in Psalms 16:9 we see again the metaphor of glory for voice; 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
New Testament examples of the tongue and its importance…
In James 3:1-7 says, 1My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. 2For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 4Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James explains in chapter 3 verse 8; 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
So, if we allow God to take control of our tongue we are giving Him the rights to the center of our brain power-our very will--admitting that we in and of ourselves can not tame our tongues, as the Word of God so rightly says. Remember, we are trying to be holy as He is holy…
I believe these are all reasons why the evidence of having the baptism of the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.
The speech centers dominate the brain and I don’t see how God could do much about the physical brain unless He got hold of the speech centers. He gives us the mind of Christ when we get the baptism of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is the essence of the Lord. It is why He needed to go to the Father so the Holy Spirit could be sent to the world! The Holy Spirit is the “living soul” of the Son of God. The living soul is the “fullness of the Godhead bodily” in Spirit as one with the soul of the sinless Messiah.
~Selah~
There is one more reason that I think is important to recognize. The day that the Holy Spirit was poured out in human history is the exact day that the Law of God was given to humanity through Moses, the servant of God, some 2 thousand years prior.
It was the Day of Pentecost. 3,000 men and women were ordered killed for their sin against the Living God. The merciful God then added 3,000 souls to the Kingdom on the same day when He poured out His Spirit on all flesh for the 1st time.
2,000 years before the Day the Law was given to Moses, the
Hebrews 11:32-40 says: 32And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
THE PROMISE of verse 39 is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within man’s heart! It is not the big house by the water and the 10 million dollar jet to travel the world in so as to preach the gospel of prosperity!
In Ephesians 1:13-14 we read more about the Promise: 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
On page 23 of The School of the Holy Spirit by Pastor James Lee Beall he submits the following to be essential to eliminate fear: “This is very important, men have made the divine Holy Spirit into the strange and queer. It was not so in Jesus and will not be so in us. The character of the Holy Spirit was clearly revealed in Jesus and did not make Him strange or off-centered. The true Holy Spirit working in us will be exactly the same in character. When we learn this, we can give ourselves as a vessel to be used by the Holy Spirit without fear.” He then gives 7 basic truths regarding the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 19:6 we see how God set a divine appointment for some believers to receive His Spirit: 1And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at
The baptism of repentance is what baptizes us into the Body of Christ. When Jesus told His disciples about the Holy Spirit in John 14:18-31, we read: 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. 29And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. 30Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. 31But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
In verse 21, I have underlined for effect that the Lord said He would manifest himself to us. They were already His…but they needed more. He was preparing their hearts to receive…
Acts1:2-5 says, 1The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
If the disciples didn’t need something more than Jesus why did He tell them this?
Please realize that there are ditches on either side of the Lord’s Highway and both equally blaspheme the Holy Spirit for which sin there is no repentance. It is just as serious to reject the baptism of the Holy Spirit as to receive and then reject Him for other spirits; spirits that manifest in weird ways that are not within the parameters of the character of the Lord.
There are some very good books to explain the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the following are a few that I know first hand. One major reason I like these particular books is because these authors are Pastors and teachers who did not believe because they were taught incorrectly. But the Lord intervened and once the Spirit Baptism happened to them they had no choice but to believe. (Gerald Derstine was a Menonite for crying out loud!)
The Holy Spirit and You……………….….Dennis and Rita Bennett
The School of the Holy Spirit………….….Pastor James Lee Beall
The Holy Spirit……………………………Brother Gerald Derstine
The Gift of the Word of Wisdom…………Norvel Hayes
I. Worship: 1st reference: Genesis 22:5 5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
A. Abraham was teaching his son to know how to worship his God who is the one true God. It consisted of offering a burnt offering.
1. We must remember that this is before the law was given to mankind. It shows that God has been speaking to men to give them direction and to fellowship with them. (Of course Noah and Enoch are other examples).
B. Isaac is found here in Genesis 22 verses 6-10 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
1. Isaac is willing to be the sacrificial lamb—there is no verse that shows the boy objected to his father of the arrangements.
2. Isaac is the picture of Messiah and is what we should aspire to which is stated in Romans 12:1 to be our reasonable service…
C. Giving up our own efforts acknowledging that the LORD is the only One who can win over an adversary because we must understand that our battles are not physical but spiritual…
1. King Jehoshaphat shows this form of worship in II Chronicles 20 verses 18, 19 18And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. 19And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of
2. II Corinthians 10:3-6 reveals, 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
II. There are many forms of worship and many ways to war in the Spirit.
A. In songs and with instruments
1. II Chronicles 20:20-29 20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 25And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. 26And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. 27Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to
B. Declarations, Proclamations and commands
1. Declare His doings or works Psalms
2. We can use the various Names of the LORD and declare His position as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Ruler over all…Psalms 120:17-22 reports: 17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in
22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
3. John
4. Declare our unrighteousness: Psalms 38:18
5. Declare the attributes of the LORD: Ps. 88:11 lovingkindness,
Ps.50:6 righteousness, Ps. 40:10 faithfulness, His glory, Ps. 96:3 says, 3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
6. Command: Isaiah 45:11 says, 11Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One
of
a. We are to do as we saw the LORD Y’shua do. He commanded spirits, the elements, etc.
b. Joshua commanded the sun to be still in space until they were victorious over the enemy. Joshua 10:12
III. Calling Those things which be not as though they were…
Romans
A. We are to call forth the things that the Lord directs us to according to the plans and purposes He has for someone or something for the Kingdom’s sake.
IV. Binding and Loosing The Keys to the
reveals, 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
A. Peter is an apostle and at this point he doesn’t have the baptism of the Holy Spirit as is easily seen in the next few verses when Y’shua tells him to get thee behind me Satan…
B. When he denies the Lord he also does not have the Baptism
C. Once he is empowered, he is the one that brings forth the Word of God to the Rabbis and learned holy men who were gathered in
1. This day 2,000 yrs. Prior was the very day that the LORD gave the law unto Moses and because of the disobedience of the children of God 3,000 people were killed at the direction of God.
D. The foundation of the church is built on the apostles and prophets
1. This means that they are given the spiritual authority to do the prayer work required to break the strongholds and build the church or work of God.
2. They are servants of the church and not elevated above it. As foundations they are beneath it. When money is thrown at their feet they are not supposed to keep it. What happens is that if they do keep it their prayers for the work and the work itself becomes corrupted by temporal things like money.
3. When someone who is not an apostle or prophet starts a work or church the Lord will send one to come along side the Pastor to do the spiritual warfare to establish the work.
4. Binding and Loosing is a powerful tool or key of the Kingdom
a. Binding the enemy and loosing one of the 7 Spirits of the Lord into the situation or over a person’s life. Isaiah 11:2 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins
b. Binding a person to the will of God and loosing the enemy from them…both ways are correct to the best of my understanding of the Word.
V. Fasting combined with our prayers equals power
A. We have the example of the Lord’s disciples who were given authority over all the enemy still could not cast out a demon from the boy who had epilepsy. They didn’t understand why not and the Lord reveals that this kind come out by fasting and prayer. The actual account is found in Matthew 17:14-21; 14And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
B. Fasting can take many forms: from food, drink, sleep, to even laying down our rights to respond out of a sense of righteous judgment.
1. How should martyrdom be done? Is it only in the physical? If someone does something horrible to us what do we do? Mt. 5 tells us. It is easy to love those that love us…the LORD wants us to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us. A fasted lifestyle is one in which we lay down our right even if we are the so called door mat. It is for a sacrificial offering…a fast of our rights.
2. Daniel’s fast for the people of God was to give up the rich foods of a King which were his for the enjoying as decreed by that King. Moses started his ministry by foregoing the riches and lifestyle of a King’s Kid and remembering his slave heritage. 1) Praise God for who He is. God’s power is especially released SOME GUIDELINES TO GIVE FOCUS AND IMPACT TO OUR PRAYERS FOR SPIRITUAL LEADERS (Back to Top) The examples in scripture are so many that it is difficult within the confines of this study to list and study them all. There are some that HAVE to be discussed. Psalms 22:3 says, 3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of This verse is definitive! This form of praise is tehillah, which is a hymn. It is so pleasing to the LORD when we praise Him in the midst of the impossible and horrible that He personally inhabits the praises and the person is delivered. In the 1st part of the psalm we read how David asks why God has forsaken him. He tells God that he has not responded to his cries. He then goes on to remind God of the fact that he has been praising Him and that he can not be delivered of his own strength. At one point in the psalm David begins to prophesy about the Messiah! That is how much the LORD inhabits his praises! 2Chronicles 20 the whole chapter is significant and we already discussed it! Jehoshaphat is overwhelmingly outnumbered and cannot possibly win the battle. After a prophetic Word from the LORD he then knows what to do. He assembles the singers… 20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of We read this and can easily neglect to see the enormity of the faith of the singers! Can you imagine going out before the army, no weapons in hand, no armed guards in front or on the side of you and the army you are facing are not children but formidable foes! They were skilled warriors! And they outnumbered your army by a staggering amount! Is your faith this secure? It is one thing for the King to assemble and send, another for the prophet to prophesy, but it is entirely another thing to be one of the singers! This story is very encouraging to the “regular person of God’s people”. If we can have the faith to believe God in the face of such odds, we WILL have the victory! And it is up to us! It takes submission to the authority God has placed over us, i.e. the humbled King in the story and our pastor in this life. Also, verse 20 shows that we need to heed the Word of the prophet which is the Word of the LORD in order to prosper. Also, we are established as we believe God. The form of praise in verse 21 is halal. The form in verse 22 it is tehillah. In Acts 25And at There’s that tehillah praise again! This time they have been stripped, beaten, shackled and brought to the bowels of the prison where the stench of rot and disease had to have been overwhelming. Their death was imminent. They began to praise God! He inhabited their praises! Declared to all the powers that He was for them! The Earth shook and foundations of the prison were shaken! This is real!
through worshipful song. II Chronicles 20:22 says, “As they began to
sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy and they were
defeated.”
Praise God for the privilege of engaging in the same wonderful
ministry as the Lord Jesus, as you cooperate with Him in prayer
relating to the affairs of men. “He ever lives to intercede for
them.” Heb 7:25
Praise God for who you are in Christ Jesus. It is because of the shed
blood of Jesus and our acceptance of that sacrifice for our own sins,
that we are able to enter boldly into the Throne Room of the Almighty
and make known our petitions.
2) Ensure that your heart is clean before God by giving the Holy
Spirit time to convict should you have any unconfessed sin. Psalm
66:18 says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not
have listened.
(There are really as many as 10 reasons that our prayers are not
heard. They can be found in the scriptures, and I will discuss them
later in this teaching.)
3) Acknowledge that you can’t really pray effectively without the Holy
Spirit’s enabling. “…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for” Rom 8:26b
4) Deal aggressively with the enemy. Come against him in the
all-powerful name of the Lord Jesus Christ and with the sword of the
Spirit- the Word of God. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you” James 4:7
5) Die to your own imaginations, desires and burdens for what you feel
you should pray. The need for this act of the will is clearly stated
as follows: “…lean not on your own understanding” Pro 3:5b; “he who
trusts in his own mind is a fool” Pro 28:26a; and finally- “For my
thoughts are not your thoughts” Isaiah 55:8a
6) Praise God now in faith for the remarkable prayer time you are
going to have. He’s a remarkable God and will do something consistent
with His character.
7) Wait before God in silent expectancy, listening for His direction.
“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own
devices. If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow
my ways” Psalm 81:11-13; “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for
my hope is from Him” Psalm 62:5; “But as for me, I will look to the
Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
Micah 7:7
8) In obedience and faith, take action on what God brings to your
mind, BELIEVING. “My sheep listen to my voice and they follow me.”
John 10:27. Keep asking God for direction expecting Him to give it to
you. He will. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should
go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8
We must make sure we don’t move on to the next subject until we’ve
given God time to discharge all He wants to say to you regarding the
present focus, especially when praying in a group. It’s not necessary
for everyone in the group to receive directional revelation. But it is
necessary for all to cooperate with those who do, providing the Holy
Spirit witnesses in each heart that the directions are coming from
Him. Guard against any one person dominating the prayers.
9) If possible, have your Bible with you should God want to give you
direction or confirmation through His Word. “Your Word is a lamp to
my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105
10) Get involved with the Word of God and understand the “Keys of the
Kingdom”. Bind and Loose. Understand by the Spirit of God what these
mean. Search the scriptures.
11) When God ceases to bring things to your mind for which to pray,
finish by praising and thanking Him for what He has done, reminding
yourself that “…from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To
Him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36
1) Thank God for spiritual leaders and for the high price they’ve paid
to be in leadership. It’s always high. We’re instructed to honor our
spiritual leaders. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church
well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is
preaching and teaching.” I Tim 5:17
2) Pray that God will comfort and encourage spiritual leaders, and
heal their wounded spirits and hurting hearts. Psalm 147:3
3) Ask God to pour out His supernatural grace and patience upon
spiritual leaders. Bind the spirit of pride, loose the spirit of
humility…etc. Speak into their lives via the Holy Spirit, while
standing against the enemy on their behalf.
4) Ask God to give leaders clear understanding that the underlying
purpose in all their trials and testing is to conform them more to the
likeness of the Lord Jesus as they live in obedience to God’s Word.
Romans 8:29
5) Pray that wayward and fallen leaders will not only receive
discipline in repentance and humility, but also have faith for their
complete restoration and usefulness at the appropriate time.
David prayed; “Let a righteous man strike me-it is a kindness; let
him rebuke me-it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it”
Psalm 141:5
We pray that the leaders involved in giving and receiving correction
and discipline will be motivated by David’s prayer: “May integrity
and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You” Psalm 25:21
We also pray that the following qualifications of leadership will be
evidenced: “He has showed you O man, what is good. And what does the
Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with you God.” Micah 6:8
6) Pray that spiritual leaders will find that their greatest
fulfillment is in having a more intimate relationship with the Lord,
rather than in ministry accomplishments.
Pray that worship and praise to the Lord will become an integral part
of their lives.
Pray that leaders will make ministry to the Lord a priority over
ministry to the people. Luke 4:8
Pray that they’ll understand that submission and constant obedience
to the Person of the Holy Spirit is the pathway of sustained power.
Eph 5:18
7) Pray that the Fear of the Lord will be upon spiritual leaders. “To
fear the Lord is to hate evil.” Pro 8:13a; “through the fear of the
Lord a man avoids evil.” Pro 16:6b
(All fascination with sin or rationalization of sin comes from the
lack of the hatred of sin, hence, a lack of the fear of the Lord.)
Bind the spirit of Baalim and Loose the Spirit of the fear of the
Lord. Bind the spirit of Jezebel and Loose the spirit of wisdom and
the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
8) Pray that spiritual leaders will see the need to study God’s
character facet by facet and His ways form His Word as a basis for
their own lives, leadership, and teaching. Without this revelation,
distortion of truth and unwise actions will be the result.
Most spiritual leaders’ problems stem from a lack of a knowledge of
either the character of God or His ways…or from disobedience to
revealed truth. One can understand and explain a person to others
only to the degree they’ve taken time to know the person’s character.
It’s the same in relation to God. Jeremiah 9:23-24
Pray that spiritual leaders will be convinced by the Holy Spirit that
it’s more effective to speak to God on behalf of men than to speak to
men on behalf of God.
Pray this so they will be motivated to fulfill their priestly role of
intercession and realize as Samuel did that failure to do so is
sinning against the Lord. “God forbid that I should sin against the
Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” I Sam 12:23
9) Pray that spiritual leaders will have vision for both worldwide
revival and world evangelization AND be personally involved in
intercession for them.
Pray that leaders will be prepared for the inevitable, awesome
visitations of the Holy Spirit that accompany revival, and for the
great end-time harvest of lost souls. “The Lord will lay bare His holy
arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth
will see the salvation of our God.” Isaiah 52:10
Pray that leaders will have a deeper understanding of the ways of the
Spirit in revival so they will not resist His workings, particularly
when those workings are unpredictable and unusual.
10) Pray that spiritual leaders will have a desire to be real, and
have a holy hatred of hypocrisy, starting with themselves.
Pray this so that leaders will want to be transparent and honest and
will never project an image other than what God knows them to be. Pray
that leaders will choose never to preach a truth unless they’re living
that truth; in other words, that their lives will validate their lips.
Romans 2:21-27 says, “21 Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal,
dost thou steal?
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou
commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit
sacrilege?
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law
dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you,
as it is written.
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if
thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law,
shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the
law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress
the law?
Pray that God will expose those who resist His conviction.
11) Ask God to give leaders a burning desire and spiritual ambition toole
models. Only being like Christ will release the manifestations of the
strength of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the meekness of the
Lamb of God at the appropriate times. Both are necessary and are made
possible only through consistent submission and obedience to the Holy
Spirit with the right motive of the heart. “To this you were called,
because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you
should follow in His steps.” I Peter 2:21
12) Ask God to reveal to them any resentment or anger they may be
harboring toward God or toward people for the price they have had to
pay to lead.
13) Pray that they give needed correction and discipline with
humility, mercy, and compassion, balanced with uncompromising firmness
according to biblical standards.
Pray that they in turn will receive needed correction and discipline
in humility and repentance. “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke
will be at home among the wise.” Proverbs 15:31
14) Pray that spiritual leaders will have the humility to recognize
that they’re only one of a number of other ministry functions, (Eph
4:11) and that they were never meant to do it all.
Pray that they’ll have faith to release others to function in their
complementary ministries. Romans 12:3-8 15) Ask God to bring
spiritual
leaders to a commitment to being unifiers of the Body of Christ, and
to use them mightily as such. According to John 17:23, unity is a
vital key to world evangelization, and Psalm 133:1-3 tells us that God
commands His blessing when we’re experiencing the biblical standard of
unity.
16) Pray that God will reveal to spiritual leaders all sins of presumption:
In placement of people in positions within the church
In determining what speakers to engage, and what engagements he/she
should take
For God’s direction in all matters pertaining to money and spending
In all things they would seek guidance –even in small matters.
How did Jesus tell us to pray? He gave the Lord’s Prayer to us. It
is a guideline on how we should pray. Let’s examine it:
Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. So we see that
we are to pray to the Father and we are to recognize His holiness and
the authority His Name has. We are also saying that we understand
that He is in the Heaven of His home, where His Throne of His Kingdom
is.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, in Earth as it is in Heaven. We
are to pray that the Earth will be made manifest into the Kingdom of
Heaven. (or vice-versa). That is the new Earth that we read about in
the book of Revelation. He tells us that Heaven and Earth will pass
away but His words will never pass away. Pass away does not
necessarily mean they will cease to exist, but more likely become
something better.
Give us this day our daily bread. This is the provision of God He is
talking about. We are not to care or concern ourselves with even the
clothes we will wear. That doesn’t mean we should not want to look
nice and neat. We are ambassadors of Christ, so we should attempt to
look our best at all times. But I submit that this is also showing us
that we are to be as the Israelites were instructed to be in the O.T.
We are to have enough for each day and no more and no less. (Manna in
the wilderness.) Y”shua tells us that He is the Bread of Heaven. So
we are to study, meditate upon and learn to memory the Word of God.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us. Interesting to note is that this sentence is a
continuance of the last. It is clear from scripture that if we have
aught against someone, we are to leave our gift at the altar and go
and make amends with the one, then return to worship. This is because
we cannot receive from God if we have a problem with someone and
refuse to forgive.
We also read in the parables where the Lord is showing us about the
servant who was forgiven a great debt that would take his lifetime to
repay. (if even possible, and probably not.) But then in the next
moment, he is unwilling even upon begging and pleading, to forgive a
much smaller debt from another servant. [We should discuss this
because of its importance.]
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
This is another addition to the sentence. I submit that the Lord will
allow us to be led into temptation if we are walking in unforgiveness.
It is the way a person’s heart becomes hard and their love turns
cold. We also are not in a position to be delivered from the evil
because we are operating in the Anti-Christ spirit. I say that
because Y’shua came from the Father to place His perfect blood on the
mercy seat in Heaven which could only be done by God. And therefore
provided the sacrifice required to forgive sin; the sin of Adam and
the sins of any man who appropriates it to his own life.
So, in other words, The Forgiveness of God towards man = Jesus! So
operating in Unforgiveness is the spirit that is directly opposite
Jesus! = Satan!
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and
ever. Amen. So when we pray we are to recognize and declare that the
Earth is redeemed back and is again in the Kingdom. And all power and
all glory is His forever and ever. So Be It!
**********************************************************************
When we say the words directly from the Word of God and recite the
Lord’s Prayer as it has come to be known, it has power because we are
Speaking forth the Word of God.
One of the most important things to know is that when we praise the LORD when things look terrible, hopeless, or impossible—it pleases the LORD. It shows Him that you have faith in Him to deliver you. It is acknowledging that He is the only One to be praised and the only One able to deliver you!
We don’t actually see Judas exposed until the last night of the Lord’s life.
At first read, one could think that as Jesus gave Judas the sop of bread, then Satan entered into him. Let’s look into it more closely.
Jesus protects his own from the enemy. That is a fact. However, he can just as easily remove his protection and then a person is out there all alone to battle the enemy and that is not a scenario for winning. Winning is actually impossible. We are a little lower than the angels…I believe that Jesus removed his protection from Judas when he gave him the sop of bread.
Let’s look into the Gospel of John first for some enlightenment.
John 13:20-27 says, 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
Okay, let’s examine for a moment verses 20 and 21 above. Jesus was troubled in spirit about sending out the twelve. Why? He just finishes saying, He that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me and so then Jesus can send them out to be received and to spread the good news of the Gospel. He sent Judas out before, why not now?
He can’t send them out until the betrayer is exposed. He only does what he sees the Father do and says what the Father says. The Father desires to dwell with men by His Spirit. He desires for them to dwell in Him. He will see His Son ratify the New Covenant with his death on a cross. The Lord Jesus was about to take the Cup of the New and Everlasting Covenant, The Cup of Redemption, explaining the breaking of his body. This was the Covenantal Agreement being sealed with man.
Judas could not be a part of this.
Judas was already a betrayer in his heart. How do we know this? We have to go back to verse two of the same chapter. To present a clear picture we can begin in verse one, John 13:1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
Now the scriptures are clear; Jesus is the discerner of hearts. No one can know what is in the heart of a man except him. (Also, a Word of Knowledge can bring a glimpse of something that is in a man’s heart as we witness in Acts in the case of Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it, at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.)
All throughout the Bible we are shown that Jesus is the one who searchest the reins and the hearts of men. So Jesus is not sitting at the Passover Feast wondering who will betray him, he already knows. Even though Judas allowed the Lord to wash his feet, he did not change his mind. He was determined to betray the Lord. I say that because I believe that the washing of the feet is one way the need for repentance is shown to us by the Lord.
I believe that it is similar to the Lord putting his finger on sin in us. Even when we wash one another’s feet as he asked his disciples to do, something miraculous happens and we are often acutely aware of something we forgot to ask God to forgive us for either doing or not doing.
The call of the one doing the washing is to intercede for the sin in the other. That is what the Lord did and what he asks us to do also.
John 13:9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
Here I am going to take a little rabbit trail for a minute. The Lord just tells them they are clean, except of course for Judas. They are now able to go to the Father in communion with Jesus. But let’s see something that happens here before communion.
In verses 23-25 we see a flaw or shortcoming of Peter’s. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
Peter doesn’t trust his relationship with the Lord as much and he believes John is favored more. (some other gospels give an account of the disciples’ conversation after Judas leaves they were arguing over who will be greatest in the Lord’s Kingdom.)
I believe that Peter was often trying to prove his devotion to the Lord as we can read later on in the chapter when he tells the Lord that he would die for him.
The Lord knows our hearts and he let Peter get sifted like wheat and betray him three times so that Peter would learn that the love of God is perfect and is perfecting us. We are to be devoted to the Lord because we are so in love with him we would rather die than betray him. Peter did learn this love for the Lord without being concerned how others are loved by the Lord. And as history records, Peter did choose to die for him.
Peter’s true triumph was in receiving the love of God. When he realized just how much the Lord truly loved him is when he understood who he was in the Lord, and consequently, also in the Father. He did great exploits!
Okay, end of rabbit trail. Back to the study.
11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
So, the Discerner of hearts sees that Satan has entered into Judas with the plot of betrayal. We see in verse 18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
Here, Jesus states, ‘one lifted up his heel against me’. Since Jesus always speaks the scriptures and uses illustration we see the prophetic scripture in Genesis of the enemy’s heel bruising his head. Some have taken it to mean that it references a horse that kicks the hand that feeds it. Not enough difference to discuss since that is what Satan did too.
The disciples that remain after Judas leaves are the ones the Lord chose. He chose them because the Father gave them to him. He knew who they were. They would learn who they were in Christ. They would spread the Gospel to the four corners of the Earth. They would do great exploits!
I submit to you this day that because the New Covenant was sealed with man before his death, and ratified and made manifest with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are the chosen. There are truly still ones that He knows He has chosen.
The ones who are concerned with holding onto and controlling money, or have another idea of what the Messiah should be doing are in the company of Judas. They are being exposed right now because His return is soon and very soon.
The chosen will be doing great exploits fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 11:29-32
29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
These verses speak of the company of Judas. Satan has indignation against the Holy Covenant, and puts in the minds of many to forsake the Holy Covenant, pollute the sanctuary and place the abomination that makes desolate, which takes away the daily sacrifice.
What? The daily sacrifice in the end times, (remember that the prophecy in Daniel speaks about God’s people in the end times), is found in Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
When a former disciple forsakes the Covenant, and does according to what is in his heart, refusing to REPENT, no matter how many times the Lord put His finger on the sins, he then is set up for the abomination that makes desolate. This is when a principality, (NOT a simple demon or demonic influence but a principality enters into the inner sanctuary of a man, taking the place of the Holy Spirit after He leaves when the man forsakes the Holy Covenant.)
How do I know that it is a principality? Ephesians says, it is because we are made heirs with Christ, and are made sons of God. That is Princely. When a man who is born again desires to rule over or have power over people, it is because he would like to be set up as a king here on Earth. That is what is lifted up in his heart—not Jesus. This spirit has accomplices that attack the man’s soul, such as desire for riches, materialism and elitism.
When a person allows a principality to come into their holy place—the Holy Spirit vacates, making the person desolate—TWICE DEAD.
When Jesus Christ applied his blood on the Mercy Seat in Heaven the Bible says that the curtain in Heaven was rent from the ground up and in
Why is the Lord exposing the Judas’ of today? Why now? I submit to you that it is because He is about to seal His Name in the foreheads of His own for the work of His Kingdom here on Earth. Read Revelation. And yes, we are in the end times.
We are living in perilous times and we need to walk very close to the Lord. No matter what you are going through you must not forget who you are in Christ. Never take the Holy Spirit lightly! Never commit pretentious sin, trampling on the Blood of Jesus.
I beseech you, read the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelations—The Letters to the Seven Churches. We are all churches. Where do you fit in?
If you feel that you did something or didn’t do something that has rendered you disqualified from the destiny you were promised by the Lord then REPENT!!!
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO REPENT !!!
Receive His love, get into position for the great exploits He has for you to do!
When an individual desires to bring a true offering of worship to the Most High God, one must look to the Word of God to discover what offering would be pleasing to Him.
That is the first course of action. The reason is that our own ways are not His and something that we feel would be a perfect sacrifice is not at all what He is looking for from us.
The first time we see the word worship in the Word is when Abraham brought Isaac to the
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
What is different than the offerings that Cain and Abel made unto the God of Creation? Why is it not called worship when they brought their sacrifices to be accepted by the Lord?
Sacrifices and offerings are very different.
Worship is even more costly than sacrifice. It is obeisance, acknowledging that God deserves so much more than we have to give, bowing down low with one’s life, not merely during a ceremony, ritual or a dedicated time of service. It is a lifestyle of walking in the Spirit with the Messiah, ever mindful of the presence of His precious Spirit; listening for instruction, heeding His direction and giving up all of our rights in any given situation.
Isaac was made to carry the wood to the altar that he was then asked to climb upon and become the burnt offering as he and his father worshipped the God of the Universe, El Elyon.
We have a hard time applying this principle to our lives. I know I have struggled with it in many various situations, with family, friends, and co-workers. When someone does something to me and I know that they are wrong and it hurts, I have many choices as to how to react in my mind and then respond with my actions.
I am getting somewhat better at letting a brief moment go by before I reply or respond, if only to call on the Name of the Lord for help…Yashua! Help! Sometimes it is all that is necessary to quench the fiery dart of