This is a wonderful and exciting time to be alive and witnessing some fantastic things God is doing! Many of the clouds that have kept His plans secret are being blown away, revealing the grace, freedom and wholeness that is our inheritance. As we begin to explore some of the practical ways we can enter into His rest, we need to keep a few basic guidelines in mind:
1) Truth is a Person — Jesus Christ Himself. Though we will be referring to the scriptures, we will not be looking to the Bible as our primary source for truth. Our goal is to encourage the reader to hear from the Living Word directly and internally. Most of us realize that you can make the scriptures say whatever you want, which is one of the reasons there are so many denominations and translations today. The scriptures have been translated into over a thousand languages, each with their own subtleties and emphasis necessitated by the language. So our goal is to become acquainted with that witness, that “a-ha” within that testifies that what we have heard or read is Truth.
2) None of us has all the truth. Therefore some of what we believe must not be true. We must be willing to admit and let go of the misconceptions we have about God, ourselves, others and what He’s doing in our lives, and let Him change our hearts, minds and behaviors to line up with what He says is True.
3) Most of us don’t know what we believe. Much of what we believe has been passed down; it’s okay to question it. That which is truth, from God for us at this time, will stand the light of day. That which doesn’t, well, it wasn’t bringing us life anyway. So let it go!
4) We need to be practical — God is! There are things we can do, and stop doing, by which we can cooperate with what God is doing. God wants us involved in what He is doing in our lives, in this world, and in His plans for this time frame.
5) Wholeness, freedom and life are God’s provision for us — NOW! God wants us whole, complete and entire, and will not cease his efforts until we enter His rest.
6) We are often fighting the wrong battles. We’ve been distracted by battles that have already been won, yet are not taking up the sword where we need to.
7) A lot of what we have chosen to believe is because it fits our temperament, how we feel, our history, and how we perceive our identity. As our perceptions change, our beliefs will also change.
8 ) We are all dealing with the same basic problems. There are only two kinds of people in the world; those that are spiritually dead, and those that are spiritually alive. Once we get beyond this, we can look at what is really keeping us from entering into life: the flesh.
9) How Do You Spell “Success”? Let’s face it, this is really the bottom line. And we’re not talking about what organized religion calls success: achieving our goals, not “sinning,” fulfilling our calling, perfecting our gifts or being in full-time ministry. Our true calling is to “live in the spirit,” yet we often don’t even know what that means. For our purposes, living, moving, walking and having our being in the spirit will be referred to as depending on God, for our very life, for the meeting of our needs, and for guidance, direction, assurance, etc. For most of us, we have no idea what it would look like to truly live the Christian life. What would it feel like? Would we think differently, act differently? We need to discover how God defines success.
10) Is what you’re learning practical? Can you apply what you’re being taught to your daily life? We want to be able to stop going ’round the mountain, from one crisis to another, and finally learn how to walk daily as the overcomers God says we are. Sure, there will be times when we don’t feel happy, or our circumstances are bad, but is there something we can actually do to live in that promised peace and rest today? YES! And it’s simpler than you might think.
11) Man likes to make complex what God has made simple. One of the things we will be doing is to unravel and bring into the light some of the things being taught in organized religion that are contrary to what God says is Truth. So keep your ears open for what the Spirit is saying to you, the church, and when He bids you to come up hither, Come!
12) Accept what God reveals, even if it doesn’t answer all your questions or doesn’t seem to fit in with your other beliefs. We like to understand everything before we accept it, and will try to carry to logical conclusions that which God has only revealed in part. God has the right to teach us on His timetable; He operates strictly on a need-to-know basis. If and when we need to know something, He’ll teach and reveal it to us. Rest in what He is in you today!
13) Is what you’re believing working for you? Or are you counting the days until you can be whisked away to your reward, that place of perfect peace where you can finally rest and enjoy freedom, confidence and the acknowledgement of God; “Well done, good and faithful steward. Here is your reward”? This is not what God intended for us — He has a purpose for our time here, and it is my firm conviction that if we don’t learn it here we will have to learn it in the next age to come.
14) Religious Jargon. One of the first things we’re going to do is to try as much as possible to stay away from religious terms, and instead re-phrase the concepts into something that will hopefully mean something to all of us. So though we will occasionally refer specifically to a scripture verse, in order to encourage the Spirit making these things real on a personal level we will not be trying to “prove” these things by the written word. We trust that the Lord will witness to you personally what He wants you to know; that which is not from Him will be washed down the drain anyway, so even if you find you can’t accept some of what is written here, we hope you enjoy and are challenged by some differing perspectives.
INTRODUCTION
One of the most divisive issues in the church continues to be regarding tithing. Many mis-understand the term, its use in the scriptures and its meaning for the church today. We will be looking at the topic from as clear a perspective as possible, based on the scriptures. The act of tithing is clearly delineated in the scriptures, but a misunderstanding of the ways the term is used in scriptures and what happened at the Cross and Resurrection has caused many Christians to continue to be brought under the heavy weights of the Pharisees.
The scriptures can generally be broken down into the following time-frames: 1. Pre-Codification of The Law (before the law was written down); 2. The Codified Law (the written law); 3. Additions to the Law (included in post-Torah books of the Bible), 4. The Transition (when Jesus taught under the law), 5. The Fulness of Times: Grace! (from the Resurrection until whatever comes next).
For clarity sake, and to see the progression of God’s unfolding plan, we will review the scriptural usage and function of the tithe and tithing within each of these time frames. The scripture verses being discussed are included for clarity sake. References are in The New King James Version unless indicated; please feel free to refer to additional references and versions as desired.
Because your enemies know their days are numbered. The world system has a ‘life’ of its own, and joins the devil and your flesh in sometimes desperate, often subtle measures to keep you from becoming free and whole. Knowing you are a target will keep you alert to what is going on in and around you as part of training your soulical and natural senses. The best way to counter any attacks, or even threats, is to embrace them as additional opportunities to depend on God and learn to rule and reign on this earth now.
By now you’ve heard me say that there are two kinds of people in the world, those that have been rejected and those that have been rejected more. The good news about rejection, at least here on earth, is that because it is something we will always face, there will likely come a time that it won’t bother us as much as it likely does now. I know, that’s not saying much, but accepting the inevitable – that becoming one with God doesn’t prevent rejection, pain and struggle – hopefully adds to entering that rest of the present. Without the dichotomy of the right and left hand of God in our lives, without the pain, joy stands alone and is taken for granted. And we lose the appreciation for the one and the gratitude for the other that is a hallmark of our relationship with the Eternal.
“The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name.” (Isaiah 49:1)
Jeremiah knew this experience, and stated, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,” (Jer. 1:5). What a glorious, marvelous understanding that all of our life is in the hand of God, known unto Him, and He alone can direct every step. We are fitted into His purpose of the ages in perfect timing because He knew us before ever we were brought forth from the womb. He set us apart to be apprehended and perfected, every part of this plan was fully known unto Him before we began our earthly sojourn.
Paul also repeats this same truth in Gal. 1:15-16, “It pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace to reveal His Son IN me…” But perhaps none saw it any clearer than the Psalmist, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days of my life were written, before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16, Amplified). When we consider that the Lord has called us from the womb, set us apart unto Himself even then, and has absolutely ordered our pathway to this point, then we are able to view our entire past, mistakes and all, without any condemnation, because we realize that He has, and is, using it all for our development, to work in us the wonders of His grace.
Along with the supportive knowledge that we were known of God from our very beginning, comes the next statement that He even made mention of our name. Modern research has discovered that sometimes a child has been mis-named and it causes inner frustration because their being is not in harmony with their name. In the new creation realm we shall, also, have a name. God knows that name, and is preparing us to qualify so that we shall bear it in joy and victory, and in all the nature and character that shall be to His praise.
This week let the Lord draw your attention to any feelings or emotions that may be out of proportion to the circumstance. Regardless of the trigger or stress, if an emotional response lasts longer than 24 hours or is out of proportion altogether, it likely indicates a wound. Ask the Lord if this is a wound He’s ready to heal, and if so, follow the normal procedures to get it taken care of quickly. As always, test the voice to make sure it’s the Lord: “Lord, is that you?” Listen for the voice of the Shepherd in contrast to the voice of the butcher.
Have a great week!
This morning’s Prepare Radio Program focused on keeping focused, by developing goals in all three realms, spiritual, supernatural/soulical, and natural. We’re reminded that as spiritual beings, we no longer have to achieve goals, since we are spiritually complete and one in Him. So spiritually our goals are going to relate to the other realms, supernatural/soulical and natural. Specifically, our spiritual goals will reflect our learning to live as spirit beings in our relationship with God, with our selves (soul), and with others. Next Saturday we’ll look at setting goals in the soulical realm, remembering that freedom = healing.
Click here for this morning’s podcast, and feel free to post any questions or comments on the show.
Don’t rush your decisions anytime, but especially this season. There are factors that have not yet come to the surface, so your conclusion that you have all the information you need may be premature. Ask the Lord if it’s time to make the decision, then ask Him for wisdom. Don’t “sign on the dotted line” until you’ve heard from Him, whether with a specific answer or the assurance that you are heading in the right direction. “Guessing” is NOT the same as “Deciding.” Every decision is an opportunity to gain confidence. Be Bold in pressing in for an answer.
This week pay attention to the details and don’t let the little things slip through the cracks. Pay special attention to legal documents; if you have second thoughts get a second opinion. Listen to your inner warning bells and don’t let yourself be rushed into anything. Be patient this week — and remember you have authority both over your emotions and over time itself. Stretch it where you need to, condense it as well. This is a great learning opportunity regarding discerning subtleties in learning to trust your own judgment coupled with spiritual discernment.
Peace, rest and strength are always available — don’t hesitate to access these resources as needed.
Blessings, and have a great week.
God’s idea of healing may be different than ours. Often, we just want to deal with the symptoms, we just want to feel better or get out of a stressful situation. But God wants to get at the root-causes. “Getting Healed” means being freed and restored from unhealed wounds, whether in the body or the soul, not just the unhealed wounds or afflictions in our physical bodies, though that’s certainly included. But very often the wounds, the burdens, the afflictions that we are carrying in our physical body are the result of wounds in our soul that have not yet been healed.
We are always in the process of being healed. God wants us to be active participants in that process, and He doesn’t want us to settle for anything less than complete healing. Knowing that it’s His idea for us to receive healing, we can actively rely on Him, assured that He will provide the training, He will provide the teaching, and He will provide the insight and the light to show us how to depend on Him for healing. All we need to do is show up for class.