"The Least Likely Choice!"

“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7)

The youngest son of Jesse was anointed King of Israel as a shepherd boy. He was not even in the house when the prophet Samuel came with the oil to complete his assignment. He was in the field tending the sheep. David was the least likely choice. How many of us were like David? How many people told you that you would amount to nothing? Who said that you were worthless, meaningless and irrelevant?

David was King of Israel from the foundation of the world. The WOG says, “...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love;” (Ephesians 1:4). Whatever gifts and/or talents you have, whether latent or active were bestowed upon you intentionally by God in eternity to be manifested in the fullness of time to advance the Grace KOG for His glory.

David was a king tending sheep. He was fighting off predators of all shapes and sizes (including lions and bears) as a type and shadow of what he would walk out in the kingdom of Israel after Saul’s reign was terminated by God because of rebellion. He was a writer, musician, philanderer, warrior and legend.

God is after the corporate man and we must all be on one accord as we ascend into His Presence. The corporate body is in constant rebellion with the Lord God. The Body of Christ is in turmoil over carnal lusts of self promotion and fame. The Body has been rejected because of apostasy and only the remnant is quelling the wrath of God.

The Spirit of David that was unleashed upon his return with the Ark of the Covenant when he worshipped God with dance was a tribute to the God of Abraham’s selection of him as the least likely to lead His people, but God’s first choice.

“...So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”  (Matthew 20:16)

 “The Bastard Spirit”

“A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.”

            (Deuteronomy 23:2)

The Bastard Spirit is transferable. The father who rejects his son (child) is a bastard long before the birth of the son that he rejects. A bastard is not a child with parents that are not married; it is a child that does not know his father.

Spiritually, a bastard does not share the privileges of God’s children. He functions outside the Kingdom of God (KOG). In fact, if he never accepts Christ as King, he will never enter into fellowship with the Lord God.

Sonship presents a stark contrast to bastardom (kingdom of bastards) in that the resulting relationship between God and man culminates in intimate fellowship, trust, love, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (HS). The bastard is not a son and is useless in the KOG.

Sonship is the reward for faithfulness to the Father and governs the ebb and tide of the liberty realized through the grace of God in offering up His Son for our wretchedness. 

"The House of Envy!"

“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

(James 3:16-17)

This is a very familiar scripture in the bible that most often references only verse 16 but I thought it was important to show the transition of how God responds to envy through tearing down rebellion and infusing wisdom into the heart, mind and spirit of the Believer. The fruits of His labor are manifested in verse 17.

Cain was wrought with envy and jealousy. He was a victim of his own pride. The sad truth is that he had no choice. He was under the influence of his father the devil. The WOG says that Satan was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44):

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Envy is defined as a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.: synonyms: jealousy, covetousness, resentment or bitterness. It is a desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else).

Envy is a catalyst for rebellion. Envy is a major element or ingredient in the recipe for rebellion. Cain’s name translates to “spear” in Hebrew. Perhaps he was a spear through the heart of God for his transgression against his brother Abel.

God cursed Cain and banished him to the Land of Nod. His descendants did not survive the Great Flood and his name went on to live in infamy. His house of rebellion still stands until this very day!

"The Results of DISOBEDIENCE!"

In the spiritual world there is a hierarchy of demons directly assigned to idols (idolatry) and sin. These sins include pride, envy, greed, sloth, lust, anger and gluttony. The demonic angels assigned to these spirits have names: Lucifer (pride), Asmodeus (lust), Satan (anger), Beelzebub (gluttony), Belphagor (sloth), Mammon (greed) and Leviathan (envy) and they all have a directive to keep the immature Christian bound in fear so that they can steal his faith!

The prevalence of sin is the result of disobedience!

To meet any need through dishonesty or trickery is lust. Lust is a sin and sin equates to disobedience of God's Word. Disobedience opens the unsuspecting Christian up to emotional wounds and "seducing spirits." These spirits can be either subtle or profound; many times the individual experiences both.

These seducing spirits include, but are not limited to:

• rebellion: witchcraft and sorcery, both literally and figuratively (i.e. manipulation of a weaker vessel through influence, fear and/or intimidation to get them to do your will).
• carnal state of mind or carnality: these spirits place their victims under siege at night even while they sleep with perverted thoughts, images and suggestions;
• unforgiveness: these is a very destructive and dangerous spirit because the spirit of unforgiveness cuts the individual off directly from fellowship with God;
• bitterness: cuts of the grace of God and His protection; it gives access to every demon in hell to invade your temple (physical body, mind, soul and spirit).

As you grow in faith and break the shackles of bondage to fear in order to navigate safely through the waters of the spirit realm, you will have to have the Holy Spirit leading and guiding your every step. These demons work in concert with your "deception" to manipulate and distort your present realities. The Lord God is your "present" help to help in your time of need. 

Don't allow the calamities of life to drive a wedge between you and the Lord. Much of the adversity we encounter in our lives is a direct result of our unrighteous choices; not God punishing us. God didn't hand you the crack pipe, place you on the street corner to deal drugs or hold a gun to your head to get you to rob that bank! It was you or your sphere of influence. Be wise about the company you keep and whom you call "friend."

Demons know exactly what you like and they have keen insight into the heart of mankind and possess the ability to manufacture any IDOL you want to worship...Selah.

"The COST of COMMITMENT!"

"...And a man's enemies will be those of his own household."  
                      
                                                                             (Matthew 10:36)

Make no mistake about it; "Christ brings division!" In the Kingdom of God, you cannot straddle the fence. You have to choose one side or the other. It is the nature of Christ to be confrontational; the gospel of peace is in reality a sword of judgment, tool of discernment and a wrecking ball of perdition.

Who could govern this rowdy, heartless and selfish generation of wickedness but the Spirit of Truth? No one but the Lord God!

As Christ comes, He is not seeking to pit you against your neighbor physically. He is not looking to get you to hate your wife or kids in the natural sense. In essence, it is His nature that is warring against the nature of the Prince of Darkness that resides in each of us. So the two factions collide in the "spirit realm" and the Savior seeks to root out and destroy any remnant of evil that lurks in the recesses of our heart, mind, body and soul.

The "enemy" He is referring to in the Gospel of Matthew is two-fold. It is the enemy that lives "within" the person and, also, the enemy that hovers "outside" the physical body. The enemy within and without is both spiritual and physical. These enemies are thoughts and deeds. They are spirits and doctrines. They are beliefs and fears and doubts and desires.

The "household" in this scripture is also exists within and without. It is your physical and spiritual household. In the life of a heathen it is a prison, but in the life of a Believer it is a mansion. Less we forget, Christ is the architect and you are the builder...if you build to specification, you will live but if you modify His plans you will die! This is the cost of commitment.

"...or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that is in you, that you have from God, and you are not your own?"                   (1 Corinthians 6:19)

"DEEPER!...."

The Eternal Word...(1 John1:1-10)

What was heard, seen and touched by mankind is indelibly imprinted upon the heart, mind, body, soul and spirit of every Believer who has encountered the One True Living God! You cannot have fellowship with the Lord God and walk in darkness. If you say that you have fellowship with Him and willfully sin against Him, then you make God a liar!

The persistent quest of the Believer is to go "deeper" in Him; to gain access to His marvelous Light and to break the shackles of bondage to the flesh that so easily besets us.
If we diligently pursue:

A Deeper Joy

it will lead to...

A Deeper Love

which will lead to...

A Deeper Walk

which will create in you...

A Deeper Desire

to go into Him to find...

A Deeper Truth

that will manifest ...

A Deeper Cleanse

of unrighteousness and create...

A Deeper Certainty

that He is the King of Glory; the Lord God...Strong and Mighty!

"The CONTRADICTION of FAITH!"

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

                                                                                        (James 2:20)

Faith and works have a symbiotic relationship meaning they compliment one another; they go hand in hand. There must be a clear understanding that faith and works are indivisible. You see my friend, faith is a verb. It is an action word. It is a mobile, hostile and agile weapon against the "works" of the enemy. Faith is a living organism and is in direct opposition to the human experience which requires, no, demands "proof" for everything before it makes a move:

"Contradiction is defined as a combination of statements, ideas or features of a situation that are opposed to one another; a person, thing or situation in which inconsistent elements are present; and/or is a statement of a position opposite to one already made."

Works provide the individual with the mechanism to establish himself/herself as a Believer in the Word of God and confirms their faith in God before the evidence or "proof" shows up to confirm what they already know and believe. This is yet another contradiction. Why would you move in a direction to do something that would require a major sacrifice without proof? This is inconsistent with "normal" human behavior. 

Faith destroys all the paradigms of "normal" human behavior, thought, reason and philosophy. Works is the means by which the Believer arrives at the destination of faith. Faith requires movement. Faith is ambulatory. Faith is dynamic, not static. Faith is the barrier to the non-Believer in spiritual exile because of the need for proof and "safety."

Faith will cripple and paralyze lazy Christians who want to hide behind their prayers and church meetings and titles while being vehemently opposed to moving out from being the church walls to serve God's people in the marketplace. In this space, this is where the contradictions become evil and wicked and dilute and corrupt the influence, integrity and witness of the institutional church and has given birth to several generations of fools!

Selah...