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mfblume
10-13-2014, 09:35 AM
To me, spiritual maturity is coming to the point where we leave the wilderness of our walks and enter the Promised land of Canaan. Saved people are all out of Egypt. The blood saved them. However, between Egypt and Canaan is a wilderness. And Canaan does not depict heaven since there's no giants and walls to overcome in Heaven!

The spies of Israel brought back huge grapes of Eshcol, requiring two men to carry them back. BIG FRUIT!

But there was also BIG FLESH in the land. Giants.

The big flesh that we have to overcome is OUR OWN! We've been delivered from SIN when we were saved, but that does not mean we've overcome the flesh in our lives yet. Overcoming our flesh is a mark of true spirituality.

God's will was for them to enter Canaan.

When the spies saw the obstacles in the land, they feared and spread the fear to the others. God was enraged.

Joshua and Caleb spoke up and agreed the giants were bigger than they were, but it was not just them versus the giants. GOD WAS WITH THEM.

We face struggles that are bigger than us! And they ARE bigger! But we totally forget the fact that GOD IS WITH US, too. He's bigger than giants. When we can keep in mind the fact that God is with us, and it is His will to step into whatever it is we are threatened from stepping into, that God will intervene, then we have learned to walk after the Spirit.

Most believers never enter this realm. They treat their struggles in the way the world does -- a world that doesn't know God. If the threat is bigger than they are, they don't deal with it. God's will is never enjoyed by them.

The enemy will not sit there and watch us enter God's will. He will raise up threats that are bigger than us. But that';s when we must remember that God is with us, and He's bigger than anything. So, we step forward and go on anyway.


It wasn't until the doubting element of Israel -- the older generation -- died off that the newer generation entered. It's not until the doubting element of our flesh is overcome that our NEW man can enter the full will of God and enjoy all the cross paid for, and not just salvation from sin.

There's more IN THIS LIFE RIGHT NOW to enjoy, than just being saved and holding on til Jesus comes. But we have to have faith and overcome our OWN FLESH.

mfblume
10-13-2014, 09:43 AM
Daniel's lions' den was very much like the tomb of Jesus.

Daniel 6:17 KJV And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

Matthew 27:60 KJV And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

Matthew 27:66 KJV So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.


That is no coincidence. The Holy Ghost was giving us a message!

Any struggle we go through is like the enemy's threat of death against us. Picture every struggle like a test of faith of Daniel in the lions' den. But those struggles that are intended by the enemy to slay us, are so much like the tomb of Jesus in which He died but resurrected out of!

We're one with Jesus since we've been baptized into His death. That means when He resurrected we did as well! And when we enter a tomb-like struggle, with Jesus at one with us, we know we can have victory, if we just exert faith in it all. The faith we need to remember is that we are one with Christ. The last time Jesus was in a tomb like the struggle I'm now in, He resurrected out of it in victory over death! I arose with Him! So, He's here with me now, and we're just going to resurrect out of this one all over again!

Then, BOOM (!), God sees that faith in our unions with Christ, intervenes and anoints us, and we overcome the struggle.

Most of the lions we must overcome in such struggles are our own fleshly fears. We stress out since the lions are stronger than us. But JESUS IS WITH US, as He was with the Israelites ready to enter Canaan to overcome the giants.

Let's resurrect out of ever den of lions we enter. They're only tombs. And Jesus is with us -- THE TOMB BREAKER!

Pressing-On
10-13-2014, 09:55 AM
Great message!!!!!!!

:cheer

mfblume
10-13-2014, 11:38 AM
The Bible is FULL of such truths in Old Testament stories.

Sisera was captain of the enemy army. Jael was a woman in whose home Sisera stayed. During the night, she drove a nail through Sisera's temple piercing his head and killed him.

The nail always points to the cross. The nail in the head speaks of our carnal minds that need the truth of the cross to destroy it so we will believe in faith and overcome the enemy rather than doubt and remain defeated all the time.

God cannot anoint and intervene in our situations when we always doubt and fear when attacks occur in our lives. He wants to, but our unbelief hinders Him. We have to take a step of faith and use the understanding the New Testament provided for us and destroy our carnal thinking.

The manner in which we do that is by really coming to grips with what we are taught about being crucified with Christ. We died to sin through Christ's death, having been baptized into His death. When Christ died, we read in Romans 6:9-10 that He died ONCE to sin, having no more need to die to sin any longer. And after that single, solitary death, he now lives in Kingdom dominion and victory. Likewise, verse 11 says, we died to sin with Christ and are also alive unto God all because of our baptisms into His death.

We have victory over sin now, too! That's why we read that we're seated with Christ above all powers at the right hand throne of power where He is seated since He ascended into glory after His resurrection.

When we know we are one with Him and seated with the one who is over all powers, imagine the faith we will have when we face troubles in our paths! That truth of the Word will kill the carnal mind of doubt and fear, and encourage us to overcome anything! God waits to see that in us. And when He sees us face struggles with THAT IN OUR MINDS, he anoints and empowers and steps in to do wonders!

Disciple4life
10-13-2014, 12:37 PM
:thumbsup :happydance :nod

mfblume
10-13-2014, 05:58 PM
I especially like the story of Esther where the gallows for hanging that were made by Haman for Mordedcai, Esther's uncle, wound up being for Haman, himself! Haman is the enemy.

The link to the cross here is that the gallows in the Bible were not contrived with a noose for the neck. They were gibbets, which were for hanging a person by their hands, just as Jesus was hanged on a cross.

The enemy Haman instituted a law that remained intact after his death. That stated that the Jews would be killed on Adar the 13th (sort of like a Friday 13th, ;) ).

Esther 3:13 KJV And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

Esther 8:5 KJV And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:


Similarly, although the devil was defeated by the cross, he still got man into a mess with the law of sin and death that so many Christians are defeated by.

In Paul's teaching in Romans 7, he explained how fleshly effort to serve God does not work. He said the law of sin and death functions whenever we use fleshly effort to please God. That is where Paul stated that the good that he willed to do was never accomplished, but instead the evil that he hated would occur instead. Paul was not saying this is the plight of Christianity and that we will never be free of that defeat. That is what most think the chapter teaches. No. Paul was speaking in the place of someone who did not know better when he wrote that. It was a literary tool to get across a point.

Paul said that this LAW was powerful and very effective against Christians. But if a Christian would learn THE HIGHER LAW, the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, the law of sin and death could be overridden!

When the king heard Esther's plea regarding the law Haman initiated, the king could not revoke it. Similarly, God cannot change the fact that the law of sin has a right to slay us if we try to serve God in the flesh. But the king told them they could see another law put into effect and he would authorize it with His name! This represents going forth against this law of sin and earth to see it nullified by acting IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

What it is to do something in the name of Jesus is to not go in our own power, but in the conscious awareness that we are one with Christ by the work of the cross. We have HIS POWER upon our lives to depend upon. Holy Ghost power! And when we TRUST GOD to empower us by faith to live and serve Him, we are not relying upon our own strength to serve God. This renders the law of sin and death ineffective.

The law Esther and Mordecai initiated to counter the law of Haman was for every Jew to take up arms and FIGHT BACK. Come against this law of Haman bearing arms, with the authority of the name of the King.

Esther 8:11 KJV Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,


The victory was so overwhelming that people WANTED TO BECOME JEWS afterwards!

Esther 8:17 KJV And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.


When we go forth in reliance upon the Spirit to fight back against the defeatism of the law of sin and death, this HIGHER LAW of the Spirit nullifies the law of sin and death and our lives will shine in righteous behaviour. People will want to be Christians when they see this in our lives!

Romans 8:2 KJV For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.


Walking after the flesh is trying to serve God and do good things IN FLESHLY WILL POWER alone. Not many know that, they think walking after the flesh is only giving into the lusts of the flesh. Not so. In the context of Romans, it is trying to serve God using fleshly power by resorting to rule-keeping with no faithful reliance on the Spirit to strengthen us with power beyond what is natural, that we might overcome fleshly lusts in our selves!

KeptByTheWord
10-13-2014, 07:22 PM
Bro. Blume, you have an amazing talent of seeing spiritual insights in simple biblical stories! This is a very powerful spiritual insight that you have shared.

If only every soul who has decided to follow Jesus could understand the reality of the overcoming power availed for us at Calvary!

One of my favorite verses is in Philippians 4:13 where Paul says "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." It is because I recognize and know my weaknesses and realize that abiding in Jesus and trusting in HIS strength is really the only strength that I truly possess. That thought has helped me through many times of fear, and to realize that it is in my darkest hour, and weakest moment that I can depend on the strength of Jesus to get me through. And He always has.

MawMaw
10-14-2014, 04:00 AM
Thank you Bro. Blume for sharing these encouraging
messages! :nod

Aquila
10-14-2014, 05:59 AM
Great message!

Carl
10-14-2014, 06:25 AM
Ditto, this reminds me of some of the old testament teaching from the past. Just don't hear someone delve into it like that much anymore. Thank you Brother Blume.

mfblume
10-14-2014, 08:02 AM
Kind words, folks. Thanks.

When Esther took advantage of the HIGHER LAW PRINCIPLE, the same thing occurred with Daniel. A law was made to disallow anyone from praying to any God except the king of Babylon. But after the lion ordeal and Daniel's deliverance, we read a HIGHER LAW, like the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, was in effect, that overrode the previous law.

Dan 6:26-28
(26) I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
(27) He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
(28) So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

mfblume
10-14-2014, 08:18 AM
The Philistines camped at ERPHESDAMMIM when the battle with David slaying the giant took place. EPHESDAMMIM means BOUNDARY OF BLOOD.

1 Samuel 17:1 KJV Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.

Shochoh was on one side, and Azekah on the other. Shochoh is derived from a word which means to FENCE IN. Azekah is also dervied from a word that means to FENCE ABOUT.

All of that was in the land of Judah. JUDAH MEANS PRAISE.

So here we have the enemy facing David in a land called PRAISE, between FENCED IN and FENCED ABOUT, at BOUNDARY OF BLOOD. Do you think the enemy had a chance? lol

When David chased after Goliath, he did not run on his own merits or goodness. The armour of Saul that was offered to him was MAN-MADE. This speaks of man-made strength and righteousness, as though OUR BEST can defeat the enemy. Everyone knows flesh cannot defeat satan. That's why Saul and the rest with their MAN-MADE righteousness could do nothing against the enemy and wouldn't ever try.

But David ran in the name of the Lord! In Jesus' name means we stand IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, not our own. It is not of our works that we're saved, and it is not of our fleshly abilities that we will ever defeat the enemy. GOD STEPS IN when we go forth IN HIS NAME and power.

Being IN JESUS' NAME means to be dead with Christ, buried, risen and seated with Him on the throne in heavenly places! We have resurrection life since we're IN CHRIST! That puts us beyond the boundary of blood! Satan cannot cross the BLOOD LINE.

All the devil could do was kill. He had the power of death. (Heb 2:14). But we died and resurrected with Christ. Satan can only go so far as death, and we went beyond death to resurrection life. Satan cannot handle that, So death is marked by the blood line. We are beyond that where satan cannot go.

Like the blood around the doors of the Hebrews in Goshen, the destroyer could not cross the bloodline. Like Rahab in side the house where the red cord was in the window, destruction could not reach Rahab.

Being in Christ means we're in His death and resurrection, and across the boundary of blood where satan cannot harm us, and where we actually destroy his power!

mfblume
10-14-2014, 09:38 PM
Israel faced the Gibeonites in the promised land after conquering Jericho and Ai. These people lied to Joshua saying they were from a far country whose wine bottles burst due to the distance they traveled over so much time, and their bread was mouldy. They lied because they would be destroyed should Joshua know they were of the land.

Bread and wine.....

Hmmm...

Christ's work of the cross was symbolized by bread and wine.

Josh 9: (4) They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; (5) And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.

The old shoes also imply feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace.

Eating the bread and drinking the wine of communion speaks of believing the truths of the cross. Mouldy bread and broken wine bottles would speak of a false message of the cross that offers no life. It's like a counterfeit to the fruit of Life, in the form of the knowledge of good and evil.

Jesus resurrected so as to not see corruption. Spiritually, the bread would not be mouldy nor the wine bottles broken.

Satan offers something so close to truth, but lifeless. What is more religious sounding than knowledge of GOOD AND EVIL? But it's knowledge and not life! So many believers are legalistic and have the knowledge of good and evil. No life in them. Self improving self, instead of the Spirit.

Here is where Joshua failed:

JOSHUA 9 (14) And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

We need to go to the WORD to deal with questionable issues.

What is interesting is that the GIBEONITES were part of the people called HIVITES. The name HIVITE is a derived form of EVE, or EVE-ITES. Eve had the same problem Joshua did. She fell for the counterfeit, lifeless, fruit. And it's how the devil saved his own neck. Had Adam and Eve eaten fruit of life in their innocence, they would have driven satan out of earth like God did from heaven. Satan had to "plug" humanity up with the false fruit in order to save his own neck and not be overcome.

Similarly, the enemy survived in Canaan when Israel entered through the false "fruit", so to speak.

The corrupted version of the cross is self improving self in legalism. It is no threat to the devil, since the enemy's whole principle was being one's own god as he tempted Eve with. "Ye shall be as God."

the truth is our flesh cannot improve itself, and mouldy bread and broken wine bottles simply depict corruptible flesh, not the true flesh and blood of Christ. And such false christianity depicted by mouldy bread and broken winebottles, that depicts legalism, rides upon self improving self in legalistic means.

Only God's LIFE and SPIRIT can save us, not ourselves and our religious good works.

After three days (a spiritual reference to the cross again), Joshua learned the truth about the deceivers.

Joshua 9:16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

A three day time period that equals the time Jesus was dead and then arose speaks of really coming to grips with the GOSPEL MESSAGE. It's like we experience the three days when we come to the full revelation of what the cross is all about in truth when it comes ot our salvation. Legalists, for example, can be said to have never come to the THREE DAY understanding of true resurrection life.

And when he learned the truth of the liars, he turned the bad situation into a good one, like we can do with our failures. He made these people carriers of wood for the sacrifices made at the altar.

Joshua 9:27 And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

The message is that we can turn our errors and lessons learned from them into the means for FUEL FOR SACRIFICE and WORSHIP!

Joshua realized the truth after THREE DAYS. Three days is when Jesus resurrected from the dead. Three days after they made a league with the deceivers was the time they arrived at their city GIBEON.

A ONE Day or TWO Day understanding of the cross is incomplete. It only involves the death and burial. No emphasis on the RESURRECTION LIFE that is represented by the THIRD DAY REVELATION, because the third day was when Jesus resurrected by the SPIRIT. Lack of the full three days’ experience of Jesus will leave out the ALL-IMPORTANT NOTE OF RESURRECTION LIFE, which is ETERNAL LIFE that cannot die. THAT is the LIFE that defeats the devil who had the power of DEATH.

Let’s fuel our need to rely on Jesus by these mistakes. It is wonderful that MISTAKES CAN BE TURNED AROUND TO BECOME SOMETHING BETTER if we love God.

Romans 8:28 KJV And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Make your mistakes FUEL to burn your hunger and desire to rely on God.

KeptByTheWord
10-15-2014, 10:31 PM
I think the biggest obstacle in our Christian walk with the Lord is overcoming our flesh, its temptations, and our sin nature. These spiritual parables and ideas that you are bringing forth from the scriptures help to illuminate just how much victory Jesus won for us at Calvary. Powerful stuff!

Pressing-On
10-16-2014, 07:37 AM
Israel faced the Gibeonites in the promised land after conquering Jericho and Ai. These people lied to Joshua saying they were from a far country whose wine bottles burst due to the distance they traveled over so much time, and their bread was mouldy. They lied because they would be destroyed should Joshua know they were of the land.

Bread and wine.....

Hmmm...

Christ's work of the cross was symbolized by bread and wine.

Josh 9: (4) They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; (5) And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.

The old shoes also imply feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace.

Eating the bread and drinking the wine of communion speaks of believing the truths of the cross. Mouldy bread and broken wine bottles would speak of a false message of the cross that offers no life. It's like a counterfeit to the fruit of Life, in the form of the knowledge of good and evil.

Jesus resurrected so as to not see corruption. Spiritually, the bread would not be mouldy nor the wine bottles broken.

Satan offers something so close to truth, but lifeless. What is more religious sounding than knowledge of GOOD AND EVIL? But it's knowledge and not life! So many believers are legalistic and have the knowledge of good and evil. No life in them. Self improving self, instead of the Spirit.

Here is where Joshua failed:

JOSHUA 9 (14) And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

We need to go to the WORD to deal with questionable issues.

What is interesting is that the GIBEONITES were part of the people called HIVITES. The name HIVITE is a derived form of EVE, or EVE-ITES. Eve had the same problem Joshua did. She fell for the counterfeit, lifeless, fruit. And it's how the devil saved his own neck. Had Adam and Eve eaten fruit of life in their innocence, they would have driven satan out of earth like God did from heaven. Satan had to "plug" humanity up with the false fruit in order to save his own neck and not be overcome.

Similarly, the enemy survived in Canaan when Israel entered through the false "fruit", so to speak.

The corrupted version of the cross is self improving self in legalism. It is no threat to the devil, since the enemy's whole principle was being one's own god as he tempted Eve with. "Ye shall be as God."

the truth is our flesh cannot improve itself, and mouldy bread and broken wine bottles simply depict corruptible flesh, not the true flesh and blood of Christ. And such false christianity depicted by mouldy bread and broken winebottles, that depicts legalism, rides upon self improving self in legalistic means.

Only God's LIFE and SPIRIT can save us, not ourselves and our religious good works.

After three days (a spiritual reference to the cross again), Joshua learned the truth about the deceivers.

Joshua 9:16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

A three day time period that equals the time Jesus was dead and then arose speaks of really coming to grips with the GOSPEL MESSAGE. It's like we experience the three days when we come to the full revelation of what the cross is all about in truth when it comes ot our salvation. Legalists, for example, can be said to have never come to the THREE DAY understanding of true resurrection life.

And when he learned the truth of the liars, he turned the bad situation into a good one, like we can do with our failures. He made these people carriers of wood for the sacrifices made at the altar.

Joshua 9:27 And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

The message is that we can turn our errors and lessons learned from them into the means for FUEL FOR SACRIFICE and WORSHIP!

Joshua realized the truth after THREE DAYS. Three days is when Jesus resurrected from the dead. Three days after they made a league with the deceivers was the time they arrived at their city GIBEON.

A ONE Day or TWO Day understanding of the cross is incomplete. It only involves the death and burial. No emphasis on the RESURRECTION LIFE that is represented by the THIRD DAY REVELATION, because the third day was when Jesus resurrected by the SPIRIT. Lack of the full three days’ experience of Jesus will leave out the ALL-IMPORTANT NOTE OF RESURRECTION LIFE, which is ETERNAL LIFE that cannot die. THAT is the LIFE that defeats the devil who had the power of DEATH.

Let’s fuel our need to rely on Jesus by these mistakes. It is wonderful that MISTAKES CAN BE TURNED AROUND TO BECOME SOMETHING BETTER if we love God.

Romans 8:28 KJV And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Make your mistakes FUEL to burn your hunger and desire to rely on God.

:thumbsup :thumbsup

mfblume
10-16-2014, 08:40 AM
I think the biggest obstacle in our Christian walk with the Lord is overcoming our flesh, its temptations, and our sin nature. These spiritual parables and ideas that you are bringing forth from the scriptures help to illuminate just how much victory Jesus won for us at Calvary. Powerful stuff!

By far, our own flesh and the fear is engenders is the BIGGEST enemy we will ever deal with. We have all that we need through what Christ did on the cross for us. It sounds corny, having been said so much, but really it's true - the only thing we should fear is fear itself.

I think a lot of it is due to the fact that the most important things done at the cross were invisible things. Things the word alone can show us - how we died with Jesus and were buried and risen with Him. If we stood there that day, we would not see the vital events that occurred. So, all we have is His Word, and that requires faith.

Pressing-On
10-16-2014, 08:55 AM
By far, our own flesh and the fear is engenders is the BIGGEST enemy we will ever deal with. We have all that we need through what Christ did on the cross for us. It sounds corny, having been said so much, but really it's true - the only thing we should fear is fear itself.

I think a lot of it is due to the fact that the most important things done at the cross were invisible things. Things the word alone can show us - how we died with Jesus and were buried and risen with Him. If we stood there that day, we would not see the vital events that occurred. So, all we have is His Word, and that requires faith.

IMO, I believe we hold fear because we know what we are capable of and we know what others could also be capable of.

Also, when "all things work together...", a situation or issue that arises is on God's timetable. Since we don't control those things, it brings an element of fear that we know we shouldn't have, sometimes we are able to put that down, but other times the waiting can mess with our minds.

When dealing with fear over a situation, God brought to mind Daniel in the lion's den. He asked me - "What was Daniel's greatest fear?" My first thought was the lions, but God responded, "That there was no way out."

A lesson learned. We can fear there is no way out, but God will make a way of escape if we will trust Him. I'm sure Daniel had no idea how long he would be in the den with the lions. That was on God's timetable.

KeptByTheWord
10-16-2014, 05:52 PM
When dealing with fear over a situation, God brought to mind Daniel in the lion's den. He asked me - "What was Daniel's greatest fear?" My first thought was the lions, but God responded, "That there was no way out."

A lesson learned. We can fear there is no way out, but God will make a way of escape if we will trust Him. I'm sure Daniel had no idea how long he would be in the den with the lions. That was on God's timetable.

Awesome nugget right there Pressing-On!!!! So true that fear is our worst enemy, because our eyes are limited to the now and present. Our faith, though gives us eyes that trust the future, even though we can't see it, because we know our Lord does.

I love thoughts like these - they are good nuggets to store away for the moments and times when you need encouragement instantly.

A favorite nugget of mine .... Being a disciple of Christ really means being called to a life of adventure - you never know what He is going to allow, or what He is going to take you through, or what He is going to ask you to do... but one thing for sure.... He has a plan! Yes, serving Jesus is most certainly a life full of adventure!

Pressing-On
10-16-2014, 05:57 PM
Awesome nugget right there Pressing-On!!!! So true that fear is our worst enemy, because our eyes are limited to the now and present. Our faith, though gives us eyes that trust the future, even though we can't see it, because we know our Lord does.

I love thoughts like these - they are good nuggets to store away for the moments and times when you need encouragement instantly.

A favorite nugget of mine .... Being a disciple of Christ really means being called to a life of adventure - you never know what He is going to allow, or what He is going to take you through, or what He is going to ask you to do... but one thing for sure.... He has a plan! Yes, serving Jesus is most certainly a life full of adventure!
Amen! The waiting game is what got Saul into trouble. He was tired of waiting and offered the sacrifice himself.

KeptByTheWord
10-17-2014, 10:56 AM
Amen! The waiting game is what got Saul into trouble. He was tired of waiting and offered the sacrifice himself.

And exactly so MANY times our troubles are caused by this very thing. We are impatient, and try to take into our own hands a situation, and make something happen, when if we would just continue to wait on the Lord and his provision, we wouldn't have to deal with the sad outcomes of our own interventions.

For example: Look at what happened to Sarah when she became impatient with the fact that she had not conceived, even though the Lord had made her a promise. She implored her husband to conceive a child through her servant. That child, and his seed, have continued driving a wedge between the seed of Sarah and Abraham ever since.

May God help us all to remember that taking things into our own hands is a very dangerous thing.

Pressing-On
10-17-2014, 11:19 AM
And exactly so MANY times our troubles are caused by this very thing. We are impatient, and try to take into our own hands a situation, and make something happen, when if we would just continue to wait on the Lord and his provision, we wouldn't have to deal with the sad outcomes of our own interventions.

For example: Look at what happened to Sarah when she became impatient with the fact that she had not conceived, even though the Lord had made her a promise. She implored her husband to conceive a child through her servant. That child, and his seed, have continued driving a wedge between the seed of Sarah and Abraham ever since.

May God help us all to remember that taking things into our own hands is a very dangerous thing.
Amen! You are reminding me of Moses and how he hit the rock instead of speaking to it, like God had instructed him. Impatience with God's plans and the people we deal with involved in those plans.

mfblume
10-25-2014, 06:57 PM
Speaking of Moses hitting the rock, the cleft of the rock stands for Christ's death. Jesus is the rock. When the Song of Solomon has the king calling to the woman he loved, we read words that mention she was hidden in the cleft.

Song of Solomon 2:10-14 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely

Christ the rock was smitten in his death. We are baptized into that death and so it can be said that standing in the cleft is standing in the place of death with Christ. The king called to his love to leave the cleft of the rock. This is like the call to go beyond death with Christ so we can walk in this newness of life. So many believers are saved and died with Christ to see their penalty for sin paid, but they do not go further into the heights and depths of living a resurrected life supernaturally in the here and now. They battle doubt and struggle with faith for overcoming struggles. They're stuck in the cleft.

And if we read the words of Song of Solomon carefully, we can see hints of the dove bringing the olive leaf to Noah and informing him the waters are gone and the flowers appear.... Olive trees... And it's time to leave the ark to enter the newness of life. The flood's over.

And so the cleft of the rock corresponds to the ark. Both speak of entrance into the death of Christ. Peter flatly stated entrance into the ark to be saved by water is baptism. And it's vital. But it's a means to the end of entering newness of life next!

Thank God the dove of the Soirit leads to all the fullness of what the cross did for us.

mfblume
10-29-2014, 09:38 AM
Elisha prayed for a woman was barren that she might have a son, due to her kindness to the man of God in providing him lodging. She had the child. He died. She ran to the prophet and asked why provide her a son if the boy would only die later.

The event happened in the field where the lad worked with his father.

This speaks of a child of God come into the kingdom who begins to work for the Lord in the field of the world to save souls. The enemy attacked the boy's HEAD.

They carried the boy to his mother, she stands for the church.

When we begin to work for the Lord to actually do something for the kingdom, the enemy is not going to sit still and watch. HE WILL ATTACK OUR MINDS. The attack in the head of the child speaks about the MIND under assault. Some folks spiritually DIE as a result. They cannot understand why this happened and why God allowed that. They quit on God and church and DIE.

There is one way to recover.

Elisha said put the boy in the place where Elisha slept. Elisha stands for Jesus in this type. The place where Jesus laid was the tomb in his death. We have to go back to the place where Jesus laid in death, for that is the death that saved us.

2Ki 4:34-35 KJV And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. (35) Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.


Elisha put mouth to mouth, hands to hands, and eyes to eyes. This typifies PERFECT IDENTIFICATION of us with the Lord in His death as us on the cross. He so identified with us in His death, so that it would be considered OUR deaths, that it is like his eyes were ours, his mouth was ours and his hands were ours. His death was ours!

And when we go back in our lives in our faith-filled hearts to the time we died with Jesus when we were saved, we will realize we also have resurrection power that He had! God sees that faith and empowers us with victory as we reach out and claim that victory!

And when the boy sneezed 7 times, sneezing is clearing out the head. 7 means perfect. Our minds will be PERFECTLY cleared out from whatever lies proved fatal to our Christianity!

We are more than conquerors, THROUGH CHRIST. That is, through his death as our deaths. It is so because His resurrection is also ours. Since death is our last enemy and the largest one, resurrection that overcomes death can certainly overcome any lesser attack we experience in life as believers!

KeptByTheWord
10-29-2014, 12:08 PM
Excellent insight into this popular bible story, Bro. MB!