Good day all, I will like to share a lesson that was shared, I so very much reading the share about listening to one of Kenneth Copeland teachings on Wisdom.
In the teaching he said whenever he is challenged and he starts praying for healing without getting any result, he used to wonder why that the case was. Sickness? Pray – ‘faithing’ it and recieve. Is that it?
Personally, that is where my ‘understanding’ was at! I am NOT recieving, BUT I AM….
Kenneth Copeland while spending time with the Lord, recieved a ‘leading’ in his spirit that the first principle in getting results under most circumstance is to ask God for the ‘WISDOM’/way out of the situation.
A lot of times, we might be praying for healing while what is required is a word of wisdom from The Lord telling us what to do.
Kenneth Copeland gave a testimony of a situation where he had been asking God to heal him of some bodily ailment all to know avail, he set out on a three day fast asking God for the ‘wisdom’ way out of the pains. He said he kept on hearing ‘coffee’ in his spirit after the first day of seeking Gods face, he ignored the voice which got louder by the next day till he stopped and asked what the ‘coffee’ meant, that was when he was ‘led’ to realize that the coffee he was drinking was causing his body to react the way he was feeling and of course all symptoms stopped as he gave the coffee up.
You might ask the relevance of this to your case, I personally believe that it is time to ask God for His Wisdom and the way out of the current situation. It is touching to read Ecclesiastes 1-3 and realize that all has occurred before! Admittedly, not to you BUT give it a chance! Taste and see that The LORD is AWESOME! Want a HIGH? (🤔Hmm! Not THAT kind. Tsk tsk tsk!) A spiritual high.
As I look back on the past years as a Christian there have been times of great spiritual highs – experiences of the Holy Spirit, God’s Love, the joy of seeing people encounter Jesus for the first time, amazing answers to prayer and seeing the Kingdom of God advancing. On the other hand, there have also been times of spiritual lows – desert experiences, bereavements, disappointments, failures, temptations, opposition and exhaustion. In the sharings today we see how spiritual highs and lows are closely connected.
1. “Trust that ultimately suffering will end in victory.”
Psalm 22:1-11
This Psalm forms the background to Jesus’ cry on the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (v.1a). It is not a coincidence that Jesus quoted this Psalm (Matthew 27:46).
Psalm 22 lays a prophetic background to the cross and resurrection which we see fulfilled in Jesus. He was ‘scorned by everyone, despised by the people’ (v.6); mocked and insulted (v.7). They hurled insults at him, shaking their heads (v.7b). ‘ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, let the Lord rescue him” ’ (v.8a).
This accurately describes the suffering of Jesus (see Matthew 27:46,31,41,39,43) and yet it ends in victory.
The message of the psalm is about the importance of trust at the very low points (Psalm 22:4–5,9). Jesus, at the very lowest point of his life – crucified and God forsaken – trusted in God to deliver him. The apparent defeat of the cross turned out to be the greatest victory of all time.
We can/should pray:
Lord, help us even at the lowest points of our lives, when everything seems to have gone wrong, to keep trusting in you. Thank you so much for the times in our lives when we have cried out to you and been saved; trusted in you and not been disappointed. Thank you that, in the end, suffering does not have the last word. Thank you that we see in this psalm and in Jesus that the resurrection and the victory of God has the last word.
2. “Grow in authority through the battles and blessings.”
Mark 1:1-28
Mark is the shortest gospel. It covers three weeks of Jesus’ actions and twenty minutes of his words. It is the liveliest gospel; it races from event to event with an air of breathless excitement. It is the announcement of the good news of Jesus Christ. There is a sense of urgency. He cannot wait to tell us.
The favourite word is ‘immediately’. Jesus knew all about a pressurised life; He experienced both spiritual highs and lows:
At His baptism Jesus experienced a moment of great spiritual high. He saw a vision: ‘He saw Heaven being torn open’ (v.10b). He experienced the Holy Spirit: ‘The Spirit descending on Himself like a dove’ (v.10b). He heard God’s voice: ‘A voice came from Heaven (v.11a). He received an assurance of sonship: ‘You are my Son’ (v.11b). He knew deep down God’s Love for Him: ‘… whom I Love’ (v.11c). He enjoyed God’s pleasure: ‘With You I am well pleased’ (v.11d).
From there He went straight out into a spiritual low in the desert where for forty days He was tempted by Satan and his minions (v.12).
We must not be surprised by the spiritual attack that follows great spiritual experiences. We always try to warn people on the Alpha weekend that if they have had amazing experiences of God they should not be surprised by the attacks – in the form of doubts and temptations – that often follow. This is all part of God’s economy – it was ‘the Spirit’ who sent Jesus into the desert (v.12). In some ways, the battle gives us an assurance that it really is true.
Jesus emerged from this period of testing with an extraordinary authority.
• Authority in evangelism
Jesus preached the gospel and called people to follow him. Our number one priority is to cultivate a relationship with Jesus.
• Authority as a leader
When Jesus wanted someone to leave their job and work directly for the kingdom, he went up to them and asked (vv.17,20). The earliest disciples’ lives were changed completely from being centred on fish to being centred on people.
• Authority as a teacher
People were amazed at Jesus’ teaching because ‘he taught them as one who had authority’ (v.22). All The people were so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority!’ (v.27).
• Authority to heal
Jesus heals the man possessed by an evil spirit. He has authority to say to the evil spirit, ‘Come out of him!’ (v.25). People are amazed not only at his teaching, but at the way that he ‘gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him’ (v.27).
Pippa and I recently watched a video of Billy Graham preaching in Los Angeles in 1963. The film is in black and white. He preaches from the Authorised Version of the Bible. But even after nearly fifty years there is power in the message. What is most striking of all is the authority with which he speaks. This kind of authority is a reflection of the supreme authority of Jesus.
Lord, as we look back on our lives, we thank you so much for the spiritual highs that we have experienced. Thank you for the visions that you have given, for the experiences of the Holy Spirit, for the times when we have heard your voice. Thank you for the times when you give us a deep assurance that we are children of God, an awareness of your love for us and a knowledge of your pleasure.
Thank you also for the times of testing. Thank you that although these seem very painful at the time, we can look back and see how significant they are in preparing us for what lies ahead. May we grow in authority in our evangelism, leadership, teaching and healing.
3. “Pray and act to turn the lows into highs.”
Exodus 17:1-18:27
Moses had moments of great spiritual lows. The people ‘quarrelled with Moses’ (17:2); they ‘grumbled’ (v.3); they were ‘almost ready to stone [him]’ (v.4); the ‘Amalekites came and attacked’ them (v.8). Two things turned the lows into highs:
• Prayer and intercession
First, Moses prayed for himself. He ‘cried out to the Lord, ‘ “What am I to do” … [and] the Lord answered’ (vv.4–5). Second, he interceded for Joshua and the people: ‘As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were wining … so Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword … for hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord’ (17:11,13,16).
This passage reminds us of the power and necessity of intercessory prayer.
• Leadership and delegation
Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, gave Moses some excellent advice (18:19). He pointed out that if he didn’t delegate, he would wear himself out: ‘The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone’ (v.18b). Moses was humble enough and wise enough to listen to his father-in-law.
Trying to do everything ourselves is ‘not good’ (v.17). It is a bad form of leadership and leads to exhaustion: ‘You’ll burn out’ (v.18, MSG). It also leads to the underutilisation of other people’s gifts, time and ability. They are likely to get frustrated and so are we.
However, delegation in itself will not solve the problem. We need the right leaders. If we delegate to the wrong people, no amount of micromanaging will solve the problems. If we get the right leaders we can trust them and not interfere in what they do. We can release and empower them.
Moses follows Jethro’s advice. He uses three criteria when selecting and appointing leaders. First, he chose capable people (v.21a). We need people of ability in order to have confidence as we delegate. Second, he chose leaders on the basis of their spirituality – those who ‘fear God’ (v.21b). The third criterion was character. We need people who are ‘trustworthy’ (v.21c) – loyal, discreet and reliable.
Moses gave leaders a variety of responsibilities (‘thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens’, v.21c), presumably depending on their ability to cope. He delegated a certain amount of the decision making but not all. The simple decisions were delegated but not the difficult ones (v.26). The result was that Moses was able ‘to stand the strain’ and the people went home ‘satisfied’ (v.23).
Lord, help us to follow the example of Moses. Help us to make prayer and our relationship with you the number one priority in our lives. Help us also to learn to delegate. Help us to choose the right leaders. Give us wisdom and discernment. Help us to find capable people who fear God and are trustworthy. Help us to release and empower them so that we can ‘stand the strain’ and that ‘people will go home satisfied’ (v.23).
Exodus 18:9,17–19
Jethro was a very good father-in-law. He rejoiced over all Moses’ successes and offered advice where he saw there were problems.
Let us seek the face of God in waiting upon him to show us the wisdom we are missing either in how we have been asking or in what to do.
The answer must definitely come.
God bless all our labour of Love in this forum and may it be a testimony filled Season in Jesus name, Amen
I definitely have to place this here! So many times we read “And The LORD said…”, “The LORD spoke…” I could go on!
Wow! Where do I start? Speech? Animals have ‘brains’, they ‘learn’ – can they SPEAK? They communicate- Yes! Is language part of their ‘culture’? Communication is. Even if we attempt archeological research. Dare to go back to the ‘stone’ Ages and before. Animals were, they have developed since. No language?
Even in isolated clans separate from other populations by space. Humans are Humans – communication/language is a Human ‘way’. Even if deaf there are was to communicate. Writing/Sign language…
A method of communicating is there. 🤔 In God’s image we were created. Is there ‘race/differences’ in Heaven? Yes! Heirarchy:
This is very informative and leads us to some topics we have discussed in the past.
I try very hard not to dwell on this, but will start and say that the battle has already been fought and won. We are on the Victorious side! We live in victory, Amen.
We have pointed out that there is heirarchy in Heaven. Remember Lucifer was at the highest rank before being cast down.
Jude verse 9 refers to an event which is found nowhere else in Scripture. Michael had to struggle or dispute with Satan about the body of Moses, but what that entailed is not described. Another angelic struggle is related by Daniel, who describes an angel coming to him in a vision. This angel, named Gabriel in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21, tells Daniel that he was “resisted” by a demon called “the prince of Persia” until the archangel Michael came to his assistance (Daniel 10:13). So we learn from Daniel that angels and demons fight spiritual battles over the souls of men and nations, and that the demons resist angels and try to prevent them from doing God’s bidding. Jude tells us that Michael was sent by God to deal in some way with the body of Moses, which God Himself had buried after Moses’ death (Deuteronomy 34:5-6).
Various theories have been put forth as to what this struggle over Moses’ body was about. One is that Satan, ever the accuser of God’s people (Revelation 12:10), may have resisted the raising of Moses to eternal life on the grounds of Moses’ sin at Meribah (Deuteronomy 32:51) and his murder of the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12).
Some have supposed that the reference in Jude is the same as the passage in Zechariah 3:1-2, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, O Satan!’” But the objections to this being the same incident are obvious: (1) The only similarity between the two passages is the expression, “the Lord rebuke you.” (2) The name “Michael” does not occur at all in the passage in Zechariah. (3) There is no mention made of the “body of Moses” in Zechariah, and no allusion to it whatever.
It has also been supposed that Jude is quoting an apocryphal book that contained this account, and that Jude means to confirm that the account is true. Origen (c. 185–254), an early Christian scholar and theologian, mentions the book “The Assumption of Moses” as extant in his time, containing this very account of the contest between Michael and the devil about the body of Moses. That book, now lost, was a Jewish Greek book, and Origen supposed that this was the source of the account in Jude.
The only material question, then, is whether the story is “true.” Whatever the origin of the account, Jude does in fact seem to refer to the contest between Michael and the devil as true. He speaks of it in the same way in which he would have done if he had spoken of the death of Moses or of his smiting the rock. And who can prove that it is not true? What evidence is there that it is not? There are many allusions in the Bible to angels. We know that the archangel Michael is real; there is frequent mention of the devil; and there are numerous affirmations that both bad and good angels are employed in important transactions on the earth. As the nature of this particular dispute over Moses’ body is wholly unknown, conjecture is useless. We do not know whether there was an argument over possession of the body, burial of the body, or anything else.
These two things we do know, however: first, Scripture is inerrant. The inerrancy of Scripture is one of the pillars of the Christian faith. As Christians, our goal is to approach Scripture reverently and prayerfully, and when we find something we do not understand, we pray harder, study more, and—if the answer still eludes us—humbly acknowledge our own limitations in the face of the perfect Word of God.
Second, Jude 9 is the supreme illustration of how Christians are to deal with Satan and demons. The example of Michael refusing to pronounce a curse upon Satan should be a lesson to Christians in how to relate to demonic forces. Believers are not to address them, but rather to seek the Lord’s intervening power against them. If as powerful a being as Michael deferred to the Lord in dealing with Satan, who are we to attempt to reproach, cast out, or command demons?
To further understand heirarchy, read this. We will be blessed to take it from this point.