Month: January 2024

Do we need to establish some times to draw aside, some CONSTANTS to be with God in 2024?

⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring(seed) I will give this land.’ SO HE BUILT AN ALTAR THERE TO THE LORD, who had appeared to him. 

⁸ From there he went on towards the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. THERE HE BUILT AN ALTAR TO THE LORD AND CALLED ON THE NAME OF THE LORD. (PROBABLY THE ONLY PLACE ON EARTH WHERE GOD WAS TRULY WORSHIPPED!) Genesis 12

Abram left Haran and set out for the land of Canaan as God told him. He built two altars on the land to God and worshipped him. Abram drew aside from the busyness of daily life to worship God on the land promised to him. I’ve heard it said that in building these altars Abram was drawing the land of Canaan into the Covenant with God.

Derek Prince and his wife travelled a great deal in serving the Lord, sometimes they ministered for months at a time. This meant they lived in different cultures, with different people, eating different food and hearing many languages. Part of their daily routine during prolonged Ministry trips was to share Communion together every morning, it was the Constant in their ever changing lives. They tried to keep God at the centre and give Him a place early (before Ministry engagements) in their lives. Continually giving out to others without rest and building our own inner strength is a sure way to burnout.

William Wilberforce, sometimes called God’s Politician, (he led the battle to abolish slavery in Britain) was in line for a cabinet post and by his own admission he had ‘risings of ambition,’ and it crippling his soul.

‘But there was a disciplined check and balance in Wilberforce’s life and in this particular situation that routine became indispensable. As biographer Gareth Lean says, “Sunday brought the cure.” For there came a regular time in Wilberforce’s private world every week when he rested.’ (Ordering your private world, by Gordon MacDonald)

“Blessed be to God for the day of rest and religious occupation wherein earthly things assume their true size. Ambition is stunted.” Wilberforce’s private journal

I have noticed in my own life that when I step away from focusing directly on a task, that many times the answer drops into my conscious mind. Stepping aside from daily life can bring a level of peace when the solution we’re seeking can manifest. God ordained times of rest to reflect on Him and the truly important things of life.

God bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

12 The Lord had said to Abram, ‘GO FROM YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR PEOPLE AND YOUR FATHER’S HOUSEHOLD to the land I will show you.‘ Genesis 12:1

Following God’s Call may well involve Separation (Country, People or Family) and also Sacrifice (Cost). Abram wasn’t told where he was TO GO, he was just told to get up and set out, perhaps in a general direction. God’s Call may seem ludicrous to those around us because we don’t have any details, (which is walking by sight) just the strong urge to step out in obedience. God’s Call should be progressive and may come at any season of our lives. We all have free will and often His Call may not be picked up. (Apparently Reinhard Bonnke was the Lord’s third choice as a missionary to the continent of Africa and he committed his life to evangelising it’s people for the Lord.)

²⁷ This is the account of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸ While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Genesis 11

Terah, the father of Abram had three sons, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeas, the land of his birth. He never left the physical place of his birth. Abram and Nahor accompanied their father to Haran.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

³² Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran. Genesis 11

Abram’s father moved the family in the direction of Canaan, the eventual place of God’s inheritance for Abram and his offspring. Our family may have moved ‘part of the way’ God has for us, but when the time comes God may ask and insist that we complete the journey to His final destination. Once again, others may not understand that we have been called to go further than previous generations. Being willing to step out and go further than the rest of our family may be a very difficult step for those who are committed to following the Lord.

Finally, Abram’s own call did come and he set out with his nephew Lot and his wife Sarai whose beauty almost caused him a lot of trouble. There is no doubt that God blessed Lot along with Abram, but eventually they did come to a place of separation. We also may walk closely with people for a time or a season, but God may not permit others to be with us (even family) when we finally step into the centre of God’s Call upon our lives. Separation may not be pleasant, but it may be necessary.

God bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

¹² Wealth and honor come from you;
    you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
¹³ NOW, OUR GOD, WE GIVE YOU THANKS,
    AND PRAISE YOUR GLORIOUS NAME. 1 Chronicles 29

This was the FIRST SCRIPTURE God gave me after I’d asked Him to come into my life as Saviour and Lord. To be honest I was probably more impressed with verse 12 at the time, the promise that God could powerfully bless His children excited and encouraged me. Many years later, God has been faithful and yet I believe that He has more for all of us and I’m still expectant to see His blessings in my lifetime.

These verses are part of David’s Prayer as Israel made provision for the building of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem. The reigns of King David and King Solomon are regarded by Jewish people as the high point of their nation’s history. David conquered their enemies and greatly weakened them. Solomon enjoyed wealth and wisdom like few other rulers on earth.

⁸ Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹ THE PEOPLE REJOICED AT THE WILLING RESPONSE OF THEIR LEADERS, FOR THEY HAD GIVEN FREELY AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY TO THE LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly. 1 Chronicles 16

Part of the reason why the people rejoiced was that their leaders had led the way in the giving and they had given onto the Lord. Many prophetic words today are announcing the Justice of Yahweh (J.O.Y.) coming to corrupt leaders, in Government and the Church. In the days of David the people knew that the leadership of the nation stood with them and rejoiced in the praise of God.

¹⁴ “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? EVERYTHING COMES FROM YOU AND WE HAVE GIVEN ONLY WHAT COMES FROM YOUR HAND. ¹⁵ We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow …”

David knew that everything that had been given for the building of the Temple came from God Himself. Men seem to have forgotten this today, we are only granted things for a short time here on earth. If we can see it with our eyes, then it’s temporary. 2 Corinthians 4:18

¹⁶ Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. ¹⁷ I KNOW, MY GOD, THAT YOU TEST THE HEART AND ARE PLEASED WITH INTEGRITY. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 1 Chronicles 16

God was about to open a door for His People to worship Him in Jerusalem, in a way that had never happened before on earth. We may be standing on the threshold of something even more momentous now. The manifest presence of God across the whole earth with mighty demonstrations of power. However, when God is present in power there will need to be corresponding integrity of heart.

In this year I want to focus more on 1 Chronicles 29:13, that God spoke to me so many years ago.

¹³ NOW, OUR GOD, WE GIVE YOU THANKS,
    AND PRAISE YOUR GLORIOUS NAME. 1 Chronicles 29

God bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

⁴¹ ‘Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place,
        you and the ark of your might.
May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
        may your faithful people rejoice IN YOUR GOODNESS. 2 Chronicles 6

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication ends with an invitation to the Almighty God to come and reside in the Temple built for Him by His people in Jerusalem and the God who created the whole Universe came down – Amazing! Much later the Lord Himself came as a man, without His Glory, to the very same place.

Amanda Grace shared on Elijahstreams that someone had asked her why Almighty God hadn’t just removed the devil after he’d tricked Eve and Adam in the garden. She said that she’d been given an answer to the question, ‘Because man would have been separated from God forever, without Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross!’ There has been great suffering in the world and God is often wrongly blamed for it, but we have to believe that our all wise and loving Father continues to work for the restoration of Christ’s Kingdom ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. That’s the only true hope for this world and it’s people.

¹³ The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, ¹⁴ and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. 2 Chronicles 5

Worship brought down the Presence of God so powerfully that the priests could no longer minister before Him in the Temple. This was repeated after Solomon’s prayer. We must hold on to the truth that we serve a GOOD GOD, who wants the best for His children in this fallen world. We know that we will face trials in the coming year, but God is with us in every situation and will bring us through and bless us as we walk with Him.

³ When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

 

²⁷ Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, … ²⁹ Why do you  scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honour your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ 1 Samuel 2

MISPLACED LOYALTY can rob us of our future and our Destiny.

Misplaced loyalty (or mistaken loyalty, misguided loyalty or misplaced trust) is loyalty placed in other persons or organisations where that loyalty is not acknowledged, is not respected, is betrayed, or is taken advantage of. It can also mean loyalty to a malignant or misguided cause. (Quote from Wikipedia, describing the negative side of Loyalty)

A HEALTHY LOYALTY IS NOT PASSIVE AND COMPLACENT, BUT ACTIVE AND CRITICAL. Loyalty is a fine quality, but in excess it fills political graveyards. (Quote from Forbes)

Don’t let a MISPLACED sense of obligation or loyalty KEEP YOU BOUND TO PEOPLE who don’t support you. ‪(Cherylhunter)

We have crossed over into the New Year of 2024, but perhaps we need to consider and assess what we’re bringing with us. There may be relationships and situations that have not been working well for us in the past year and it may be time to move forward into something new. Change is usually Challenging, but if the Lord is in it, then it will be for the best, no matter how difficult the step.

God had chosen Eli’s forefathers when they were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and given them a position of honour to serve Him, but now they abused their position and dishonoured Him. Our walk through this year and throughout our time in this world is never static, but always in a state of flux (the action or process of flowing or continuous change). There will be longer seasons when things will remain settled, but eventually circumstances will change.

¹⁸ At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. ¹⁹ When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Numbers 9

When we feel a dissatisfaction in our souls, God may be saying it’s time to move on. Sometimes through a prophetic word, or by circumstances or perhaps a scripture, better still by all of them. The important thing is to ‘Follow the Cloud of God’s Spirit’ and never be stuck in a rut! When it’s time to move on with God, then we must move or remain to our own detriment.

God bless and keep you today and throughout this Year. Hallelujah