“If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1Pet 4:14)

As a true believer, there is a peculiar pain that you must experience. From time to time the devil will use people to ‘insult’ you, not because you do bad things, but because you please God and the Holy Spirit ‘rests’ on you. If you do not understand this scripture you may become discouraged during these attacks and think of backsliding. This is the devil’s plan. But you should resist the devil and he will flee from you!

This strange pain comes to the born again Spirit filled believer who has allowed the Holy Spirit to ‘rest’ on him. The word ‘rest’ in Greek means to repose, to remain undisturbed, to stop working, to take it easy, to refresh, to take or to give rest. This is the picture of a mature believer who loves the Holy Spirit. Let me put it this way: Jesus found rest and peace in the house of His friends, Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Others mocked Him or demanded miracles from Him. But in the house of His friends, He could be Himself and He was loved sacrificially. In the same way, the Holy Spirit searches for Believers who allow Him to be Himself without demands, troubles or manipulation. The devil hates this glorious intimate fellowship and will use religious people to attack these humble believers.

In Greek, the word ‘insult’ means to be defamed, reviled, upbraided and taunted. Insult means disrespect and scornful abuse. It means to slander and to bring shame.  One of the names of the devil is ‘the accuser of the brethren’ (Rev 12:10). You need to prepare your mind for these prophesied insults. Do not be surprised when they come! Regard them as a blessing. Thank God for this sign, though painful, that the Holy Spirit of glory rests on you. This pain of persecution cannot be healed by mere human sympathies or kind words. Pray to the same Holy Spirit to comfort, encourage and strengthen you in your ‘inner man’. He alone understands your pain. He alone can heal your broken heart. His comfort is deep and total. It comes ‘packaged’ with a Spirit of wisdom and revelation. You will understand the foolishness of the world and the love of God like never before. Be grateful that even in the midst of the storm the Holy Spirit rests undisturbed on you. Finally, in all things give thanks!

“A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out” (Lev. 6:13)

One of the symbols of God’s Spirit is fire. Jesus Christ is the Baptizer with fire (Mt 3:11, 12). Just like John was baptizing repentant people in the water, so the Lord Jesus Christ will baptize your spirit in a river of holy fire. The purpose for that is to cleanse and purify your faith. Everything you say that you believe must pass thru God’s fire. If your words are true, they will come to pass. If your words are lies, they shall be burnt and you shall be called a liar. It is like gold passing thru the fire. Nothing can produce spiritual purity, anointing and power except this baptism of fire. In the Old Testament the priests were in charge of the fire at the tabernacle of God. This fire was miraculous. God Himself sent the fire on the sacrifice. But the maintenance of that holy fire was the duty of the priests. Even when they traveled the priests had to carry the fire burning with them. The priests received three main instructions about this holy work. There are two additions and one subtraction:  +sacrifice + wood – ashes!

(We too can learn from this)

*They should always place a sacrifice on the altar so that the fire will burn it. Without a sacrifice on the altar the fire becomes ‘idle’ and it is a danger of quenching. For example: a new born baby must be placed at his mother’s breast to suck. The breasts are ‘stimulated’ to produce milk. If not, the glands will stop working and the breasts will dry up. In the same way, the sacrifice ‘stimulates’ the fire. If the fire is quenched the priest is in serious danger. He has failed his work of God. He may be tempted to produce a ‘man-made’ fire which is called ‘the spirit of religion’. This will surely be rejected by God. Many churches and Christians have become lukewarm because of neglecting God’s true anointing and fire. We must daily present our bodies as a living sacrifice on the altar of God. Let God’s fire burn in your bones! You may feel uncomfortable but this is how God’s work is done! Take care of your body the best way you can (diet, exercise etc). Do this not to become stronger, healthier or more beautiful, but because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ‘walking’ on earth. Take care of God’s temple!

*They should always place wood every morning so that the fire can burn. You need to daily study the Bible and pray. That is added material (‘wood’) to the fire.

*Every day the priests should always take the ashes outside the camp to a ‘clean place’. The priest who does this special work should be clothed so that the ashes will not stick to his body. These ashes represent the end result of the work of the Holy Spirit. At the end of your ministration (singing worship songs, preaching, giving help to the needy etc) the people are to give glory to God and not to you. But if you receive the praises of people, the holy ashes will stick to your naked body and God will be angry with you. Another reason why the ashes must be removed is because they will quench the fire. The altar must be clean so that the fire can burn brighter. Yesterday’s work is gone! Today is a new day to serve God with a clean, submissive heart!

“Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord” (Rom 12:11). May the Holy Spirit help you desire a pure heart, anointing and power for ministry! May your heart continue to burn for the Lord Jesus Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! May revival come!

“Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river… So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time… So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh… Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.” So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41)

Pharaoh had a dream. It was not an ordinary dream. God was talking to him about his future. The survival of his country Egypt was at stake. Pharaoh’s sleep was interrupted. He ‘woke’ up. He was supposed to think and pray about the meaning of this strange dream. But this state of being awaken did not last long.  He went back to sleep. In Hebrew the word ‘sleep’ means to be slack, negligent, stale and spiritually lazy like an old dying man. To be stale refers to old dry bread; it is food no longer fresh and not pleasant to eat. This is the description of Pharaoh’s spirit who was not sensitive when God was talking to him about his very destiny. Please observe God’s patience in dealing with spiritually sleepy men. God comes back the second time with another dream. This time Pharaoh wakes up and cannot go back to sleep. ‘His spirit becomes troubled’. The word ‘troubled’ here means God knocking at the door of his heart. It means to shake, to fear and to become agitated. As unpleasant as this troubling is, this is the correct reaction to God’s Word. We must fear God and tremble at His Word. We should not sleep like the foolish virgins when God is near. Troubled and afraid, Pharaoh does not rest until he finds the solution to his problem. Somebody must remind him of the forgotten dreams and interpreted them. His magicians could not help him. He presses on until he eventually finds Joseph who gives him an answer of peace. Joseph is a type of Christ, who is the Prince of peace.

What is the lesson for us? When God speaks to you, thru dreams, thru visions, thru the Bible or thru prophetic utterances, pray that you may hear and respond immediately with the fear of God. Your spirit should feel agitated. Do not ‘ignore’ God! This is not the time to go back to sleep. You must seek God with all your heart and you shall find Him. The only True and Living God has revealed Himself thru His Son Jesus Christ, who is the ‘heavenly Joseph’. You must pay the price and find Jesus! Men in your church may have put Jesus ‘in prison’. They may tell you that Jesus does not exist. Your freedom may be in bondage. Your peace may be in chains. Your hope may be lost. This is work of the evil spirit of religion telling you that there is no hope for you and you should go to sleep. Do not listen to lies! Get us! Stay awake and pray! Go to the Cross! Find Christ! Fight for your soul! It is the Holy Spirit who is troubling you! You cannot fight Him! The Lord Jesus Christ shall come and help you! I am a witness! I know! Awake you sleeper and Christ will shine on you!

“Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:31-33)

These are the words spoken by our Lord just before He went to the Cross. He challenged His disciples to believe that He alone is the Savior of men. His disciples were ‘scattered’ and left Him alone to die. In Greek, the word ‘scattered’ is ‘skorpio’. It means the sting of a scorpion, so painful, that men run away and scatter abroad. Peter, who represents all of us, ran away from Jesus and even denied knowing Him. The devil, the evil ‘scorpion’, has done his worst. But Jesus encourages His disciples by reminding them of who He is. Jesus is Lord! Even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful. Even when we fail, Christ can never fail! He is the victor over sin, sickness and death! Salvation was done by Jesus Christ alone. We ran away. We cannot share in His glory as the only Savior of men. The glory is His alone, the Lamb upon the throne, slain for the salvation of sinners like you and me. I believe!

Jesus is preparing His disciples for what shall come. His words are eternal. In this world we shall have ‘tribulation’. In Greek, the word ‘tribulation’ means to be hard pressed, to be stressed or to be squeezed into the mold of the world. The world is the system of men who live without Christ. The people of this world hate God but love religion. They strive against one another. ‘Dog eats dog’ is their strategy to succeed. They have bitter envy and selfish ambition in their hearts. They lust for sex and material things. The devil is ‘the god of this world’. He will try his best to make you backslide, for you to enter the world system and to live like them. The devil will try to teach you how to seduce, manipulate and intimidate others so that you ‘succeed’ in this world. Resist the devil and he will run away from you!

What shall we do then? What is our hope and shield against this flood of evil in our minds? It is the peace of Jesus Christ that ‘passes all understanding’. Jesus left this peace to us on earth! This is not the natural peace you may have when all things go well. The supernatural peace of Jesus becomes stronger when things go wrong, when hearts break and tears fall. Filled with this peace Jesus went to the Cross. He died in peace. He rose from the dead in peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace! Our Lord is the greatest Champion who has ever lived. This is His anthem: ‘I have overcome the world!’ Never forget that! Thru His peace Jesus has overcome the world system of greed, lust, envy and wickedness. Peace is stronger than them all. In Him alone we find this peace. ‘In Me you may have peace!’ That is why in Christ, we too, are champions. No matter how loud the world shouts about its success, anyone outside Christ is a loser!!! Do not be intimidated by then! But anyone inside Christ is a winner! We move from one triumph to another, from one testimony to another! Victory is our portion! Jesus says: “Be of good cheer!” Thru all things in this life, be strong, faithful, courageous and confident of the God you serve! There is no one like Him! Give God the Glory! Child of God, I say to you: Be encouraged today! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! May the peace of God fill your hearts today and forever! In Jesus name, amen!

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

The prayer meeting was very good. We prayed and praised God with songs and dances. Then there was a prophetic word: Wait for God alone! “My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from Him” (Ps 62:5). My soul, position yourself to seek God, to wait for God! Do not wait for men or for money. Wait for God alone. Waiting is worship! God will not disappoint you. God works on behalf of them who wait on Him. As you wait for God, miracles will happen. There shall be miracles of acceleration. God will increase the speed of your breakthrough. The money you make in one year, you shall make in one week. Do not wait for the healing. Wait for the Healer! Do not wait for money! Wait for Jehovah Jireh. God loves our children. They will not suffer what we have suffered. They will not repeat the same mistakes we have made. Their lives will be better than ours. Give thanks for the breakthrough! Give thanks for the healing, for the provision and for the protection! it is permanent! We danced in the Spirit a dance called ‘permanent’. We give thanks!

“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1Cor 5:7)

Today we had a wonderful Holy Communion service. As commanded by the Lord, we were careful to ‘remember’ Him.  One of the symbols of our Lord is the Passover Lamb. The story is found in the Book of Exodus 12. The people of God have been in Egypt for 430 years. At the beginning things were good, for Joseph was the Prime minister of Egypt. But after Joseph died, the new Pharaoh enslaved the people of God. For the past 80 years the Egyptians killed their sons by throwing them into River Nile.   They lost their sons, their hope, freedom and joy. They tried different methods to free themselves but all were in vain.  At the fullness of time God intervenes in their lives by sending a deliverer, Moses. He confronts Pharaoh speaking on behalf of Jehovah God: “Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve Me” (Ex 9:1). Pharaoh refused to obey God’s command. Sending one plague after another, God judged the gods of Egypt.

Finally God tells Moses that the time to leave Egypt has come. This night is the Passover night. He commands His people to do three things:

1. To kill a lamb! The sinless male lamb and eat its flesh with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. This meal must be eaten in a hurry, ready for departure. That night they shall be free. Just like that! The road of suffering and bondage was long but deliverance comes suddenly!
2. To apply the blood of the lamb! It was to be applied on the door posts. That will be the sign that God will Passover that house and show mercy.
3. To stay inside their houses! That night God will pass throughout the land of Egypt and kill all the first born sons in any house where the blood was not applied. In this night of judgment there shall be no hope, no life and no salvation, except behind the Blood! This night God tells His people to make plans for a life outside Egypt. Freedom, just a dream for so long, has become sight. The people bowed their head and worshipped. Worship starts in Egypt but it shall be free outside the land of slavery! (Start worshipping God in the middle of that your trial, for God will take notice of it and heal you, so that the worship will continue!). Just imagine that: in the middle of the night, the Egyptians start wailing: your neighbors, your ‘friends’, your bosses… You are hearing all these cries but you cannot come out to help. This is divine retribution. For 80 years the Egyptians have thrown the male children of Israel into the Nile. Now God pays them in like manner. Pharaoh begs Moses to leave and go away. Suffering was long but salvation comes suddenly. Just like that! No time to waste. God commanded them to celebrate this night of darkness and prophetic dawn.

This is the ‘sermon’ of the Holy Communion! No matter what happens, stay inside Christ! Like Noah and his family were saved from the flood of Judgment, so we must stay inside the Ark called Christ. Any form of rebellion will be punished with the rest enemies of God. In Christ there is life! Outside Christ is only death! Do not backslide! Christ, our Passover Lamb was sacrificed for us. For this sacrifice to ‘work’ on our behalf, by faith, His Blood must be applied on our souls. Have faith in God! Worship the Lamb who was slain that men may be free! Halleluiah!!!!