High and lifted up

There has always been a kingly and a priestly anointing on God's people. In the Old Testament, men, like David and Hezekiah, were anointed to serve in an office as king or priest. In the Old Testament there needed to be a man that kept the Word close to him, which was the king, who would inevitably lead God's people accordingly. Likewise the priest lived an untainted live, as close as he could, that he might minister between God and man. So the two offices have always been and the two should be in harmony for the people to have the blessings joy , and peace on every border.By the spirit we are to do this today. John the Revelator wrote in Rev 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, vs 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" He has made us kings and priests unto himself. That is overwhelming when you think about it. Now jumping back to the Old Testament again to the story of one of Israel's greatest kings. He had a long reign and did right in the eye"s of the Lord and was very prosperous. But in his prosperity his heart was lifted in pride and this king, whose name is Uzziah, went into the temple and started offering incense on the incense alter which he was not anointed to do. Azariah the priest went in with eighty other priests and confronted the king. The king was angered by this and while the incense were still in his hand God struck the king with leprosy. He spent the remaining years of his life in a separate house because of his disease. This kings disease was on his forehead which speaks of the thoughts. Spiritually reflecting a corrupt mind.This was the highest authority in the land of Israel and he was diseased. A taunt and an insult to the religious ways of the Hebrew people. Now in Isa 6:1 "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple." In the year that this shameful king died. In the year that this mind that was so corrupt died. In the year that this authority that had no authority died. Isaiah said he saw the Lord sitting, High and lifted up, and his righteousness, his glory, his presence, his train, or skirt, his character filled the temple. Hallelujah! When we get to the place where our old thoughts die and our old ways die, the diseased man of the past die, we too will see the Lord in his glory. Let's die to the will of the flesh. Die to our Adam nature and be resurrected to the new man that see's the Lord in his strength. We are waiting for a move of the spirit but let me say we need not wait but humble ourselves and pray. Let this carnal man die and it's desires and we will see the Lord high and lifted up and his train will fill our temples. Praise the Lord Jesus!

The Sign of the prophet Jonah

Mat 12:39 "But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: vs:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. vs:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here." Jesus had not yet went to the cross. He had not yet traveled the journey to hell. He had not spent the three days and three nights in the earth yet. When this would be accomplished though it was going to be a matter of faith. For a sign was something supernatural transforming in the natural. What Jesus was referring to was something that had already happened in the natural. As we look further we see that in the 8th chapter Jesus was with his disciple's in a ship and there was a great storm that came out on the water. These were seasoned fishermen and yet they were exceedingly afraid. They thought they were going to die. This particular story is the only place in the bible that records Jesus sleeping. Jesus was in the lower part of the ship fast asleep. The waves were beating across the ship as though to take it under, the disciple's came to Jesus and said "Don't you care that we perish?" He rose up from his rest rebuked them for their unbelief then turn and spoke to the wind and the waves. Suddenly there was a great calm. This was the sign. Jesus could walk on the water or he could command the water. Even the wind obeyed the voice of the Living Word. Jesus was on the ship walking in obedience to the will of the spirit, Jonah was on the ship running away from the will of the spirit. Jonah had no power over the storm, Jesus has all power of all storms. The similarity of the two stories is amazing. Both were in a ship asleep. Both were surrounded by mariners fearing for their lives. Both had a commission to speak to a people to repent. One was in rebellion, one was in obedience. Yes, Jesus was referring to his going to the pits of Hell for three days and three nights but that wasn't the sign. A sign would be an extraordinary event to relay a message. The message here is very clear. Jesus has power over every storm even those in our minds that no one else see's. So next time your back is against the wall, and your ship looks like it's going down. Look up, call to Jesus! He has authority over all! Amen!

The Blood drops

The story in I Samuel 17 which tells of a young shepherd boy from Bethlehem-Judah, son of a man named Jesse. This young boy had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the King of Israel, as he had been instructed by God. But the boy was at this time still living under the care of his Father and he was still tending his father's sheep. While watching over the flock he had encountered a bear trying to steal one of his father's sheep and a lion also but both times the spirit of God moved on him and he was victorious over the lion and the bear. This story unfolds with the army of Israel on a mountain and the army of the Philistines on another mountain. While a champion, a giant named Goliath, came out on the field there in that valley and cursed the God of Israel and his people morning and evening. This went on for forty days. This story is where the boy David, the one that would become the greatest King Israel ever had, a man after God's own heart, defeats and slays this giant. This is one of those stories so familiar from Sunday school lessons and sermons of this miraculous victory of a young boy defeating the warrior giant Goliath. As you know, if you've heard or read the story, that David slew this giant with a single stone chosen out of the brook and slung through the air with a sling. But it is the place that all this happened that I want to bring to light. The very first verse in this chapter ( 17 ) tells that they gathered in a place called "Ephesdammim" meaning boundary of blood drops. What a type and shadow this is , as is the whole of the Old Testament. Look at this from a spiritual significance. Jesus went to the cross and bled for our sins and sicknesses to set us free and destroy the works of the devil. The giant of our sins, if you will. That giant of disease, that giant of oppression, that giant of bitterness. That giant that tempts, torments, afflicts, discourages, and attempts to destroy is defeated at the boundary of blood drops. We are saved by the blood. Redeemed from every giant of the enemy. Hallelujah! The Old Testament is so rich in shadows and evidences of the sacrifice at Calvary. The everlasting gospel. Thank you Jesus for the boundary of blood drops where the enemies of the kingdom of God cannot cross over. Amen!