The LORD teaches the humble His way. Psalm 25:9.
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Shalom! Tomorrow, Sunday, March 15, 2020, is our meeting from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Kukui Plaza Diamond Head Tower Meeting Room on the second floor. This is a reminder as I already sent out the announcement last week, but I wanted to stress the importance of gathering together to encourage one another and pray together. A dark spirit of fear is taking hold in the world and we must oppose this by faith. We will take the dominion that the LORD has given us as the children of men and His children who have been given His Name, and together we shall rebuke the virus (we have authority over creeping things and all demonic powers) and take this down in the Name above every other name. Yes, anything you ask in Jesus’ Name, HE will do and the Father will give it to us. We are bringing out the Big Gun, and no weapon formed against us will be able to prosper.
Do you remember what David did when the pestilence attacked Israel and had already taken seventy thousand lives? He built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to the LORD and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. The LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back in its sheath. 1 Chronicles 21:26-27. But it was Satan that had masterminded the whole thing. 1 Chronicles 21:1.
And remember the direction Jesus, our Great High Priest, who has released us from our sins by His Blood and made us a kingdom of priests unto the Father, gave us on how to pray as His royal priesthood, “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My Name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:19-20. And, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18. There is no pestilence or illness in Heaven, it is bound there, so we can bind it on earth and loose healing and divine health.
Always remember what is most important! Our life on earth is an inner journey that you live until you become LOVE. And you become LOVE by walking humbly with our God.
God makes us a promise in His Word that He, the LORD, teaches you to profit and the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17. Trust Him to keep His Word and teach you the way. But just as any learning in life, you must apply yourself as a good student to make your way prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8.
God gives us some very effective ways to do this in His Word. But let us start with a basic foundation. He tells us in Psalm 25, which is all about asking the LORD for direction, which we all need, that He teaches the humble His Way. Psalm 25:9. The humble. Jesus told you that He is meek and humble of heart, and He is the Way to the Father. So the way to be an excellent student is to walk humbly with God. In fact this is just the kind of people He seeks, “He has told you, O man (in Hebrew “adam” which includes male and female), what is good; and what does the LORD seek of you but to do justice, to love kindness (chesed, which is unconditional love, like the Greek word “agape”), and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8. With the humble there is wisdom, Proverbs 11:12, and with humility come riches, honor and life. Proverbs 22:4.
He teaches the humble His Way. The humble one, the Hebrew word here is “anav.” The first time this word is used in Scripture is to describe Moses. Do you recall what God said about him? “And the man, Moses, was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” Numbers 12:3. And the LORD taught him face to face, just as you speak to a friend. Exodus 33:11. And Moses so loved learning from the LORD that his face would become radiant with the LORD’s own radiance. The LORD’s face shone on him and Moses’ face shone with that glory. That is the way your time with the LORD in prayer should be. The LORD even wrote out the directions He gave Moses on two tablets of stone with His own finger. And He did it twice because Moses broke the first set.
The LORD taught Moses for forty days and nights at a time and He spoke with him constantly as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt across the wilderness at God’s direction. The LORD gave him the first five books of the Bible to write and showed him all that had taken place at creation and after. And Moses sought input from the LORD constantly, asking questions and referring all his cares to the LORD.
The LORD gave Moses all the intricate plans for the LORD’s first dwelling place on earth, the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and all the instructions for the priesthood, vestments, and sacrifices. And the LORD told Moses of the Christ. Jesus told you that Moses wrote about Him. John 5:46.
And Moses told the LORD that if He would not go with him, Moses would not go anywhere. Exodus 33:15. And Moses prayed that the LORD would let him know His ways so that he would know the LORD and find favor in His sight. Exodus 33:13.
Moses was a willing learner and a humble man. When the LORD first introduced Himself to Moses and told him of his assignment to save God’s people out of slavery and take them to the land He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses saw himself as entirely incapable of having the skills, strength, and wisdom to do it. But he found out that if he walked with God and listened to what He instructed him, his way became prosperous and successful. God taught him to profit and the way he should go. No mortal man again has done the mighty works and miracles that God performed at the hands of Moses. Moses devastated an entire empire without an army or any weapons of war, parted the Red Sea, had manna and quail miraculously come upon the camp, got water out of rocks in a dry desert, and led a multitude of people out of slavery to freedom and taught them God’s Word.
And it all started when he was eighty years old. Yes, the LORD teaches the humble His way.
Being a good student, simply put, is being a disciple of God’s Word. And His Word is Jesus. And Jesus defined a disciple of His as follows: “If you abide (continue, remain, keep) in My Word, you are truly My disciple and then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32.
And God tells you how to prosper and be blessed in Deuteronomy 28 as follows: “NOW IT SHALL BE, if you diligently listen to and obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD God will set you high above all the nations of the earth and all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 28:1-2. And they include the following, “The LORD will make you abound in happiness and prosperity (in valuable, beautiful goods).” Deuteronomy 28:11. That the LORD will open for you His good treasuries to bless all the work of your hand. Deuteronomy 28:12. And to have all this you must not turn aside from His Word to the right or the left to go after other gods and serve them. Deuteronomy 28:14. Do you remember what the LORD told Joshua when he was about to lead the people in to conquer the promised land? “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9.
David sought constantly to learn from God and get directions. He prayed, “ Make me know Your ways, O LORD, teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:4-5. Now you have the Holy Spirit in you and on you to lead you to all truth and teach you all things. Be as eager to learn from Him as David was. And he had a very successful life.
Your life on earth is an inner journey that you live until you become LOVE. That really is all God is looking for. Do not worry so hard about what you have accomplished as far as outer works go in your life (remember, the greatest one among you is the one who serves the rest and the least among you is the greatest) for anything done without love is nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. It is just a noisy gong and profits nothing. Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. But even the gift of prophecy and the working of miracles make you nothing if done without love. 1 Corinthians 13:2.
God looks at the inner man of the heart more than the outward appearance and works. Love is spirit, it is not of the flesh. God is spirit and He is LOVE. So love is spirit and not flesh. Jesus came in the flesh, so love can be clothed in flesh, but the fruit of the Spirit is not the works of the flesh. You must grow up to perfect love.
And what is love? God tells us so that we will know very certainly who He wants us to become before He can take us across the Light line to be with Him, like Enoch. He had to walk with God three hundred years before he crossed to perfect love. Genesis 5:24. But you have much more advantage than he did. You have the written Word and the Spirit in you to teach you and lead you to love.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Do you see? Love is humble. It does not look only at self and self-interest, self-glory and ambition. It does not follow the flesh into anger, bitterness, offense, jealousy, abuse, lust, and evil. It leaves all that behind in a glory train of light that dissolves it all like the mist in the morning sun. Love frees you of encumbrances and sin. And how do you become LOVE? By walking with LOVE, that is, walking with God. God told Abraham to walk before Him in His light and he would be blameless. As you walk in the Light the blood of Jesus continually cleanses you.
Sin is just a lack of love. Sin does not receive or give love. Love never harms the neighbor. Love is the way to keep all the commandments without even memorizing them.
If you are speaking lies, gossiping, speaking malice and bitterness, and speaking out in derogatory ways to others, shaming them and blaming them, even if you feel you have good cause to do so, think again. You are not love. And you will have to keep wandering around the same mountain in the wilderness until you get past those things and grow up. Go forward walking in the spirit. You must always speak the truth, but you must speak it in love. Love kindness.
Attach to the vine of Jesus and you will prosper. You will bear the fruit of the vine to which you attach. And what fruit am I speaking of? The fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Grow this fruit on your branch of the vine and all will become LOVE in you.
Have you ever seen My holy angels? Their faces shine with love, Show faces of love. Radiant faces of love. Remember Stephen? His face shone like that of an angel as he spoke God’s Word in truthful love. All in Heaven shines with love. Love is light and light is love. His Light. Light be and Light was. And it can shine in your heart from the face of Christ—Christ in you, your hope of glory. The Father lights Heaven with His Glory and He is Love. Selah.
Humility is the ability to follow directions. That is, you do not always think you know better. Like Moses bringing out God’s people and conquering Egypt with a staff. Exodus 4:17. But Moses did. It all depends on who is wielding the staff. Think about that next time you take over and go contrary to God’s Word. It is hard to kick against the goad. Acts 26:14.
God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. 2 Peter 5:5. The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life. Proverbs 22:4.
This has been a bit long but I lifted it from my daily manna blog for Sunday. I loved it when the LORD spoke it in my heart.
Hope you are all praying your Psalm 91 card that you get at our meetings every day! It is the best vaccine for every disease, plague and illness that there ever was or will be. Perfect protection from all the enemy would bring against us in the perilous world that the devil, by Adam’s abdication, was authorized to impose upon the earth. But Christ has redeemed us from the curse and opened to us the BLESSING. It is yours, fight the good fight of faith and you will always win.
In perfect Shalom in God’s loving everlasting arms is where we rest,
Bonnie
