Press Into His Rest

I received a Prophetic Word this morning, where the Lord said that He has "called and required a rested people". Saints, many of us are tired. Many of us are worn out. Many of us are weary in our well-doing (Galatians 6). God knows your pain and He's in touch with your fatigue. However, we must understand, it's not God's will for us to be tired, it's not His will for us to be weary; it's His will for us to have Rest. The will of the Father for His children is for us to rest in Him in and through His Son, Jesus the Christ. The challenge of this is that you have to Press into that Rest. The Rest of God in Christ is not just something that's going to be bestowed upon you, it's something that you have to press into.

I'm sure many of us are saying, "I've been pressing for a long time". I will not argue with that, but the question is have you been pressing in the right direction, and have you been pressing for the right thing? A lot of us have been pressing into Ministry. What is God calling me to do? What is my office in the Kingdom of God? Where is my next Ministry Assignment? These are all excellent questions to raise and significant issues to address, but don't necessarily represent His Rest. Some of us have been pressing into Relationships. Trying to work things out with our spouse, trying to iron things out with our children, trying to find out who our husband or wife is going to be. Once again, all of these relational issues are valid, but they don't necessarily represent His Rest.

Have you ever wondered why it was so easy for Jesus to do Miracles? Of course the obvious answer is, He was the Son of God. That, of course, is correct, but that's not why Miracles came so easy for Him. The reason why the Miraculous was second nature to Jesus is because every Miracle He did grew out of the Rest He drew from His Father. That's why He said in the 5th chapter of John that He only does what He sees the Father doing. Jesus' Ministry wasn't of "original design", it was strictly patterned after the Design of the Father. That's what made it easy! And that is still the blueprint for Kingdom Advancement today.

Saints, I would like to challenge you as well as encourage you, if you are tired today, if you are weary (emotionally, physically, relationally or otherwise), redirect your energy from trying to "work things out in the Lord", to working to enter His Rest. PRESS into the Word, PRESS into Praise and Worship, PRESS into Fasting and Prayer, PRESS into sacrifice and surrender. If you learn to press into the Presence of God and let everything you do grow out of your Rest-Relationship with Him, you'll have the Testimony of Isaiah 40; you shall mount up with wings as an eagle, you will run and not be weary, you will walk and not faint.

A Brand New Life

There are many people, including people in the church, that are dissatisfied with their lives. Whether it's financially, emotionally, relationally, occupationally, even spiritually; they feel like life is not what they want it to be, let alone what it should be. This is not the will of God. Jesus said that He came that we might have life and life more abundantly (John 10). With this being the case, we should not be discontent and dissatisfied with our lives for the long-haul. Even in the rough times, God is still blessing us (whether you feel like it or not). So why do we go through those bouts of not liking our lives, when God has been so good?

In part, I believe it has to do with the fact that many of us as believers have never tapped into the Brand New Life that God has ordained for us. The life of the believer in Christ is supposed to be a Supernatural Adventure. However, many Christians are stuck in the same cultural rut that most non-believers trod through. Once again, this is not the will of God. The Bible says in the 16th Psalm that in God's Presence there is fulness of joy, and at His Right Hand, pleasures forevermore. Does that sound boring to you? So what's the problem? We haven't grasped our Brand New Life, full of adventure, excitement, joy and peace.

In order to grasp the Brand New Life that God has ordained for us, we must first come to grips with the fact that the Brand New Life in Christ is "otherworldly". In other words, it is not of this world. That's a stop sign for a lot of believers because there're  still too many of us that want to be "accepted" by the world. Wrong saints. The Bible clearly states that God has ordained us to be a "peculiar people" (1Peter 2). You're not going to be a die-hard disciple of Christ and fit in with the world. That's not happening. So if you're willing to compromise the Brand New Life that Jesus secured for you with His Blood because you want people to "like you", then you deem yourself unfit for the Abundant Life that God has ordained for you to experience as a believer in His Son.

The next challenge I think that a lot of believers have that precludes them from experiencing the Brand New Life is "cultural conditioning". There are too many Christians that have "conformed to this world" as opposed to being "transformed by the renewing of their minds" (Romans 12). God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are Higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55). Therefore, in order to experience the Brand New Life that God has ordained for you, you've got to learn to think differently. And more than anything else, think like God!

Saints, believe me when I tell you, the times are a changing. Now is not the time to be stuck in secular, carnal thinking that doesn't reflect the mind-set of the Kingdom. Get in the Word, learn to deny yourself, let the Holy Spirit renew you in the spirit of your mind; and in Due Season, you'll experience the Brand New Life that God ordained for you before the foundation of the world.

Can You Pass the Test

As we continue to explore the question of Can You Pass the Test, there are two more individuals that we want to look at that God tested in regards to the execution of His Divine Will for their lives. The next person we want to examine is Abraham. Abraham is the Father of Faith, and by the Grace of God, he passed the Test. The first test that He had to pass was to leave His family (Genesis 12). The Lord told him to leave his country, kindred and father's house, to a land that He would show him. In other words, Abraham didn't know "where" he was going. But he went anyway. Saints, if you're going to pass the test that God has prepared for you, you're going to have to walk in faith and obedience. You're going to have to trust God, even when what He tells you doesn't make sense, and you're going to have to obey Him even when you don't want to and it's inconvenient to do so. Abraham passed this test. However, it was the second test that got him "over the hump" so to speak. God told Abraham to sacrifice his his only begotten son (Hebrews 11) and place him on the altar to God (Genesis 22). This was the final exam. God had promised that Isaac would be Abraham's heir. Isaac was the "promised child", and now God was telling Abraham to sacrifice his son unto Him. Saints, in order to pass your final test before your promotion, there's something that you have to be willing to sacrifice and surrender unto God that will represent death. It will be something that represents your heart. Something that is very precious to you. Something that will render significant pain in order for you to part with it. But this is the test. And Abraham passed! And to this day he's still being blessed, and his family because he was able to pass the test.
The last person we want to look at is Jesus. He too had two tests. His first test was in the wilderness when he had to endure Satanic temptation. Saints, there are some of us, before God can trust you with the powers from the age to come (Hebrews 6), that are going to have to endure Satanic testing. Not just "spiritual warfare" but actual satanic confrontation. I can't totally explain what this entails, but in essence it is a testing of your character. God "requires" holiness (1Peter 1), and in order to insure that the spirit of holiness is established in you, God will allow you to endure satanic testing so that the Divine Nature may be sealed within your being. Needless to say, Jesus passed the test. But it was the last test that makes us all shout Hallelujah! It was the Test of the Cross. Please understand, if Jesus doesn't pass His final exam on Calvary, everything else would've been in vain. Saints, we must understand, yes we have gifts, yes we have callings, yes we have anointings and yes we have assignments, but we also have a cross. There is a cross that God has called each of His children to bear, and if you're going to pass your Final Exam and be ALL that God has called you to be, you've got to bear your cross (Matthew 16). What is the cross God is calling you to bear? And, are you bearing it? Once again, this is not a subject that is frequently preached in the mainstream church, but it is an indispensable message for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. I pray that wherever you are in the University of the Kingdom, whatever exams God has designed for you to take, that you will have the Faith and Maturity, to Pass the Test.

Can You Pass The Test

If you are going to walk with God and have a significant role in the building of His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven, then you are going to have to be tested. This is not a subject that is very popular in the contemporary mainstream church because we don't like to think about the idea of our loving and merciful God actually "testing" His children. But yes, He does. God tests His children, particularly the ones He has chosen to use to His  Glory and to His Praise. Therefore, if you've been diligently seeking Him and you've been faithful over a few things, in order for you to receive the Promotion that God has ordained for you, then the question I raise today is, Can You Pass the Test?
The Bible is filled with examples of servants of God that the Lord tested in regards to their faithfulness and obedience to His Divine Will. As we explore this, I want to state on the front end that there are two components to the testing of God. In the natural it could be described as like a Mid-Term Exam and then the Final Exam, which of course determines whether or not you actually pass the class. I want to explore this concept from this particular vantage point because I suspect that there might be some of you that may feel like you've already been tested and, by the Grace of God, you've already passed. Your assessment may very well be correct, but there may yet be a "final exam" for you to take in order to get to where God has ordained you to be.
The first person we want to look at in terms of the Testing of God is Adam. A lot of times we may not look at it this way, but the commandment that God gave Adam and Eve regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, was a Test (Genesis 2). I believe that Adam passed the first part, but He failed the Final. We have to remember that there was no true concept of "time" in the Garden of Eden. Before Adam sinned, humanity didn't live in time, they lived in Eternity. With that understanding, it may have been a "very long time" that Adam lived in the Garden, number one before Eve was even created, and before she actually sinned. If we look at this narrative from that perspective, I believe (and this is my faith, not my doctrine) that Adam was tempted to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil before Eve was even created. There's nothing biblically to substantiate that, but that's my faith. If my belief is true (hypothetically) then Adam passed the first test. But the nature of the test shifted when his wife sinned. Yes, we know the story of Eve listening to the serpent and subsequently offering the forbidden fruit to Adam (Genesis 3). But I believe (and once again this is my faith, not my doctrine) that Adam was supposed to die for His bride like the last Adam did (1Corinthians 15). I don't have space to fully elaborate on that, but when Adam failed this final exam, he then digressed into disobedience and repeated the same mishap as his wife.

The Inevitability of Offense

If you're going to live in this world, one thing you can expect to experience is to be offended. It would be great if we could live in a world where nobody offends us, nobody ever hurts our feelings, nobody ever insults us, this would be great. But it's not reality. At some point in our lives, eventually and inevitably, somebody is going to offend us. As Christians, we need to be prepared for how to deal with this, because if we're not, it can result in dire consequences in our relationship with God. We need to be prepared for the Inevitability of offense.

When somebody hurts you, when somebody offends you, when somebody makes you mad, how do you handle it? Sometimes people offend us or hurt us and they're not even aware that they did anything to us. When you experience that sting in your soul that somebody has done you wrong or not responded to you or treated you in the way you expect or prefer, the first thing you need to do is forgive. That's the first thing you need to do, forgive. 

The reason this response to offense is so significant is because it keeps your salvation in tact. Jesus makes it clear that if we don't forgive others, the Father will not forgive us (Matthew 6). Is it worth going to hell because somebody walked by you and didn't say hello, or didn't let you in the driving lane? I know these examples sound trivial, but you'd be surprised how much energy people are consuming over trivial things like these because of the level of offense they feel when it happens to them. If you fit this description, you may have a deeper issue, more than you realize.

Forgiveness is the key to the Inevitability of offense. What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is the release of a debt. So if I owe you $20, if you "forgive" my debt, it means you're saying to me, I no longer owe you that $20. The debt has been forgiven. This is what God has done for us. Our debt of sin, what we owe God for the price of our disobedience and transgressions, has been forgiven and released because of the Blood of His Son Jesus. The Father expects us to do the same. When offense comes, and it will, He expects us to release that debt because He has released us from ours. It doesn't mean you don't acknowledge that you were wronged or that you were hurt, but you don't hold on to it, you let it go. So many people, including Christians, are suffering all types of physical ailments and disease in large part because they've been holding on to grudges and bitterness for decades. This is not the will of God.

The next time somebody "ticks you off," the next time somebody "dogs you out", the next time somebody hurts your feelings, intentionally or unintentionally, the next time somebody mistreats you or disrespects you, let it go. Forgive them. Don't hold on to that bitterness. Don't hold on to that resentment. Don't hold on to that hurt. Give that pain and hurt to God, and allow His Holy Spirit to heal the pain of your heart and soul. This is the Divine Will of God for us as His children. It is the best and only way to deal with the Inevitability of offense.

Blessed Success, Part 3

God has a Blessed Success that He has reserved for His people. This Blessed Success can be accessed through Covenant Relationship with His Son, Jesus the Christ, and His shed blood for the remission and forgiveness of our sins. Galatians chapter 3 points out that Jesus died, not only that our sins may be forgiven, but also that we might take advantage of The Blessing of Abraham, which is the root of the Blessed Success that God has made available for His children through His Son Jesus. If we can understand the terms of the covenant that God originally made with Abraham, we can access that same blessing in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In reading Genesis 12 the Lord says to Abraham, "And I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee, and make thy name great". The Lord goes on to tell Abraham in the 17th chapter of Genesis, "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect and I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly...and I will make thee exceeding fruitful and I will make nations of thee and kings shall come out of thee".  Hopefully this language sounds familiar, because it is basically the same covenant and blessing that God originally made with Adam in the Garden of Eden. God never intended for His people's success to be contingent upon work, it was always supposed to come from His Blessing. 

However, there are two keys to accessing this Blessed Success. The first one is obedience. In Genesis chapter 12, the Lord tells Abraham to leave his kindred and his father's house. If Abraham isn't obedient to the word of the Father, he forfeits the blessing. Blessed Success is contingent upon geographical obedience. If you're out of divine position, if you're not in divine alignment, you can miss the Blessed Success that God has prepared for you. 

The next key is obedience in the tithe. I've heard people say that the tithe is an Old Testament principle and is not applicable to the New Testament church. Yes, the tithe principle originated in the Old Testament, but it's not a part of The Law. And if you read the Book of Hebrews, you'll find that the tithe still has New Testament relevance. But the key to the Blessing of Abraham is found in Genesis 14. After Abraham defeated the kings that had kidnapped his nephew Lot, the scripture says that Melchizedek, king of Salem (referenced in Hebrews chapter 7) came to Abraham, and Abraham "gave him tithes of all" the spoils he received from the battle he had won. This, I believe, was the catalyst for the Blessing that Abraham received from God in Genesis chapter 17. You can't be blessed robbing God! If you're not paying your tithes and offerings according to Malachi chapter 3, as a child of God, you can expect to suffer financially. You're operating outside of covenant agreement. It's like a spouse who won't come home at night. The spouse doesn't care, if you will, about the neighbor down the street because they're not married to them. Remember, we are The Bride of Christ, so when you're in Covenant Relationship, there are consequences for not properly honoring that relationship. There are dire consequences, particularly financially, for not honoring God with the tithe.

I pray that at some level we've been able to glean from what has been shared, in order to take advantage of the Blessing of Abraham that Jesus died for us to receive. As a Christian and a child of God, you don't have to suffer lack. You don't have to be broke. You don't have to struggle financially. You can experience the Blessed Success that God has ordained for you from the foundation of the world.

Blessed Success, Part 2

God has granted to the believer in Christ the opportunity to experience what we call Blessed Success. It's not the success of the world, but it's a Divine Success that is rooted in one's relationship with Christ and the covenants that God established with our Jewish fathers. If a believer can learn how to access the covenant through their relationship with Jesus Christ, they can experience a success for which the world cannot compete. The root of experiencing this Blessed Success starts in Jesus Christ. The only way to operate in covenant relationship with God the Father is through faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ for the remission and forgiveness of our sins (Hebrews 9). This is called The New Covenant in Jesus Christ, under what we call the Grace Dispensation (Matthew 26, John 1).

What many Christians don't realize is that the New Covenant that God has established through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ is connected to the covenants that He established with the Jews. Don't be mistaken, Jesus is still Jewish. Even though He died for the "sins of the world" (John 3), His heritage remains that of the Hebrews. With that being the case, the promises of the New Testament are not in historical or even spiritual isolation. They are connected to the Jewish fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If the church can identify and access the original terms of those covenants and apply them to our covenant established in Jesus Christ, we will experience the Blessed Success that God has ordained for His children.

Let us establish very quickly that Abraham, The Father of Faith, was wealthy. This means in common vernacular that he was rich, very, very rich (Genesis 13). The extensive wealth that Abraham received did not come from his educational prowess or pulling himself up from his proverbial bootstraps. His wealth came from God. This is called the Abrahamic blessing or The Blessing of Abraham. Why is this significant? Because God uses Abraham's witness as a prototype for the condition of our faith (Romans 4). No one else in the Bible is described as "the Friend of God" (James 2). With this being said, if Abraham experienced this Blessing, this "success," then this is also the birthright of God's children today.

In Galatians chapter 3, the scripture says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ". Jesus actually died, not just that our sins may be forgiven, but that we might take advantage of The Blessing of Abraham. This is why something is wrong when Christians are content to be financially broke because it doesn't represent their rights in the New Covenant. All we have to do now is learn what the New Covenant consists of so we can learn to take advantage of it and be the beneficiaries of God's Blessed Success.