BIBLE STUDY-PENTECOST-FRESH FIRE MAY 5-29-2020

READ THE BIBLE WITH AMANDA GRACE

Acts Chapter 1 and 2 and Leviticus 23:

• Three Pilgrim holy days in the Bible.
• First Spring Passover.
• Second beginning of Summer Shavuot- Leviticus 23.
• Third Fall tabernacles.
• Seven (7) sabbaths shall be completed count 50 days to the end of the sabbath offer a new grain offering.
• First fruits of the Lord.

When you take the Passover in exodus and you count to the feast of Shavuot, Moses is going up the mountain to receive the law, later on this became the celebration of the law and the giving of the covenant from God.

When God gave the power of the new covenant the Spirit of God it was on the same exact day that they were celebrating the giving of the old covenant. God gave the Torah and the 10 commandments on the same day that God gave the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. Shavuot translated into Greek, because the new testament is written in Greek and begins with the book of Acts, it becomes Pentecost.

Shavuot is the feast of the harvest where they would go out during the summer and reap the harvest that the land had produced, so this is about the people going out to collect and work the harvest 2000 years ago when Pentecost occurred and the Holy Spirit arrived on the earth and the 120 in that upper room, including the disciples received the spirit and spoke in tongues, what happens next? The same as Shavuot, they are SENT OUT, instead of harvesting crops, they are now harvesting something much more precious, souls for the Lord! Salvation! We are saved today because of what happened at Pentecost, this truly started it all as far as the harvest bringing those into the Kingdom of God.

Now what would happen during the feast of Shavuot is they would bring before the Lord the first fruits of the summer harvest, 2 loaves of bread, the harvest of crops and they would offer it to the Lord, it was declared Holy. And because this was the first fruits, this was dedicated unto the Lord, anything else they would reap during the summer harvest was now considered holy!

Now before Pentecost, the Lord does something incredible, he offers His first, His firstborn, his one and Only Son, yes he was the spotless lamb but He was also the Lord’s first, His best, and Jesus, Yeshua died on Calvary, on Passover, shedding His blood, purchasing and redeeming us. This sets the stage now the PROMISE of a comforter comes forth after Jesus is raised from the dead AND ascends to heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father. Jesus taking His seat, now RELEASES The Holy Spirit to come. You see Passover has to occur before First fruits can ever happen, so Jesus had to die and be raised FIRST because God is a God of order, and as it is written in Leviticus, the order of the feasts, so it must be fulfilled!

We need to understand the Jewish wedding to understand the profound significance of Pentecost. Now The price paid by the father of the groom to the father of the bride was called mohar.

The mohar was not always paid in cash. Sometimes it was paid in kind, or in service. The Mohar has to occur before a gift can be sent to the bride from the groom. Jesus, Yeshua dying on Calvary was the Mohar it was the PRICE for the bride. In Jesus paying the Price He paid the MOHAR.

The mohar was originally the purchase price of the bride, and it is therefore understandable why it was paid by the father of the groom to the father of the bride. The Mohar HAS TO be paid By The Father of the GROOM, Therefore the Lord God Almighty, Yahweh, paid the MOHAR, the price for us by sending his First Born son to die on Calvary, purchasing us with the shedding of His blood. What a price a priceless price the Lord did pay. Now that the Mohar had been paid the groom can now send a MATAN a Gift to the Bride which we will get into in a moment….2000 years ago, when the new harvest, the harvest of souls was about to begin, because the lord would not tell you to do anything that he himself would not do, the Lord thy God took his own first fruits, no this was not a harvest of crops, he took 120 people in that upper room and he poured out His spirit, and by that the Lord does what is done with the crops brought before Him at Shavuot, those 120 were declared HOLY unto the Lord, they stood in the place of everyone that was EVER going to come into salvation, just as those crops and bread brought before the Lord, represented ALL the harvest that would then occur during that season. And if they were declared Holy, the 120, then everyone, who came from all nations and received Yeshua as their Lord and savior would be Holy as well. This is WHY they all spoke in other tongues, because they represented ALL nations that would ever come into salvation, to the Kingdom of God, so if they, the 120 are declared Holy, then we as well are declared Holy because we are part of that Harvest. Shavuot/Pentecost, that day in Hebrew was called the day of the Matan. So what is Matan, and why is this so significant, well in order to understand Matan in a Jewish courtship to be married, you must understand the betrothal first.

After the couple had undergone - Mikveh hwqm (immersion), each separately, they would appear together under the Huppah - or canopy - and in public they would express their intention of becoming betrothed or engaged. From ancient times - the wedding canopy has been a symbol of a new household being planned -Psalms 19:5 & Joel 2:16. While under the Huppah the couple participated in a ceremony in which some items of value were exchanged - such as rings, and a cup of wine was shared to seal the betrothal vows. After the ceremony - the couple was considered to have entered into the betrothal agreement. This period was to last for one year. During this time the couple was considered married - yet did not have sexual relations - and continued to live separately until the end of the betrothal. We see this time of betrothal illustrated in the gospels as reflected in the lives of Yoseph and Miriam-Matthew 1:18-25.

The Matan or Bridal Gift
Following this betrothal ceremony the groom would return to his home to fulfill his obligations during the betrothal. But just prior to leaving he would give his wife to be a Matan or bridal gift, a pledge of his love for her. It's purpose was to be a reminder to his bride during their days of separation of his love for her, that he was thinking of her - and that he would return to receive her as his wife. Matan means gift (messianicfellowship.com)

This gift was meant to strengthen the assurance of the commitment but also to beautify her

Now how does this tie in well…2000 years ago The bridegroom, the Messiah is separated from us in Heaven, so what does he do? He sends a GIFT to his bride, us, and the GIFT is the Holy Spirit to ASSURE us that he is indeed coming for us, to strengthen us and reassure us during our period of separation, as Jesus Yeshua is seated at the right hand of the Father.

And what does this GIFT, this glorious gift of the Holy Spirit, well it is t encourage and assure us, to make us more beautiful in the sight of the Lord, and to let us truly know that even though we do not yet see God with our eyes he HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU, He is coming back for you, we are betrothed to God. So the unsaved, can be compared to a stalk of wheat, ripe, and ready to be harvested for the Kingdom, because people have to come to a place where they have ripened and are ready to receive the gospel, are ready to receive Yeshua, Jesus.

Now interestingly enough, this ties in so well, the HEAD of the wheat contains the kernels or the wheat seeds. That kernel has 3 parts, 3 parts, 1 kernel, they are 3 but they are one. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, they are 3 BUT they are 1. And each of these KERNELS have the potential to be planted and produce a greater harvest of wheat. Just as we have the seeds we have the potential already inborn in us to do mighty things for the Lord on this earth, producing a greater harvest. Now this blew my mind, the Holy Spirit said to me as I was putting this teaching together, “I want you to go look up how many Kernels are in a head of wheat. Guess how many?!!! 50!!

Leviticus 23:15-16 You shall count from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf (tied bundle of grain) of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths (seven full weeks). You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord. 

The number 50 is also the jubilee, the Shemitah year,[Jubilee is] the institution described in the book of Leviticus 25:8-24 where it is stated that a series of forty-nine years [was] to be counted (there is considerable uncertainty as to the date from when the counting is to begin, but traditionally it is from the creation of the world) and every fiftieth year declared a special year during which there was to be no agricultural work; all landed property was to revert to its original owner; and slaves were to be set free. The name Jubilee is from the Hebrew word yovel, “ram’s horn,” the year being so called because a ram’s horn was sounded when it was proclaimed Leviticus 25:9 Since this verse says: “[Proclaim liberty] throughout the land for all its inhabitants,”(myjewishlearnngcom).

Okay, so now back to Pentecost:

Matthew 9:36-38 When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” The feast of trumpets comes next to be fulfilled, BUT right now we are in the harvest. This is the great harvest!

We all must be spreading the gospel and harvesting now is the time. And in the midst of what we see happening around the world and in the covenant nations of Israel and the United States of America, we as the laborers need to be out declaring the gospel, teaching the word, walking out our faith (which can be one of the greatest witnesses to a non believer). Right now when you see so much uncertainty, you may see churches closed HOWEVER the laborers are not closed, we have a voice, we have a mission, OCCUPY until His return. So this stalk of wheat represents those who need salvation and it is an enormous harvest right now. And a harvest like this will bring forth revival!

And the priest, the rabbi during first fruits would first lift up the 2 loaves, now there is something interesting about these 2 loves, 2 halves make a whole, we have 2 types of people, we have the firstborn Israel, and we have the Gentiles. 2 loaves, Jew and Gentile on this earth before the Lord. And here we have the great Commission, Jesus was leaving to take His rightful seat at the Right hand of the Father, but he was sending His anointing, the Holy Spirit upon His people.

What happened before Jesus went out and started in Ministry?

Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan [River], to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him [vigorously protesting], saying, “It is I who need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus replied to him, “Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John permitted [it and baptized] Him. After Jesus was baptized, He came up immediately out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him (Jesus), and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased and delighted!”

What happens? The SPIRIT OF THE LORD, THE HOLY SPIRIT, descends upon Jesus in the likeness of a dove and ANOINTS Him, and THEN He is commissioned to go out and work the Harvest, ministering to the people. So in a way this is like a first fruits. The FIRST BORN Son comes and presents Himself as the offering before the Lord and is ANOINTED BY the HOLY SPIRIT, and then COMMISSIONED to go out and minister. Likewise the 120 in that upper room first presented themselves before the Lord, then the Holy Spirit, the Matan, the gift as sent and anointed the people, and then they were commissioned to now go forth into the great harvest and bring souls into the Kingdom of God.

Now where is the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament? Because the Old testament, all the events was and is the foundation for the New Testament. Rabbi’s actually came up with the word Pentecost, they translated from the Greek and called this event Pentecost.

What Did King David Himself say?

Psalm 51:10-11 Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. There He is in the old testament, the Holy Spirit!

If we go back to the Very Beginning of the Bible:

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

So, right out of the gate at the very beginning of Creation you have the SPIRIT OF GOD spoken of, mentioned! The RUACH ADONAI The Spirit of God!! RUACH the wind, the Holy Breath, the Spirit And the RUACH was hovering upon the waters there was darkness there was nothing BUT the RUACH ADONAI.

In the Word of God from the VERY BEGINNING we see when the Lord is about to do something significant, something that shifts and changes things as we know it, you will see the Spirit of God hovering over it.

Now let us take this to the new testament for a moment because the new and old testament is knit together like a quilt it all goes together, it is interwoven. Let me take you to the tomb of Jesus, Yeshua for a moment we see Genesis 1 repeated in that tomb. What happens?

Luke 24:1-4 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared [to finish anointing the body]. And they found the [large, circular] stone rolled back from the tomb, but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed and wondering about this, suddenly, two men in dazzling clothing stood near them; and as the women were terrified and were bowing their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living One among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen. 

This is Genesis 1! On the FIRST DAY of the week there was darkness in the tomb, Jesus had been buried, and what happens, the RUACH ADONAI, the Spirit of God comes and HOVERS over the body of Jesus in the darkness of that tomb, and what happens next there was light the light of God, the power of God, speaks into the lifeless body of Yeshua and raises him from the dead! Now let us go back to the Old Testament where we see the Ruach Adonai manifest.

Numbers 11:11-12“Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have placed the burden of all these people on me? Was it I who conceived all these people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, Carry them in your arms as a nurse carries the nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’? Yes, Moses is tired he is 80 years old at this point hearing the complaints of 2,000,000 people!!! So yes He goes to the Lord and complains, he is tired, he is

with the people BUT He wants to help Moses, his faithful Servant, so this is what the Lord does.

Numbers 11:24-25 So Moses went out and spoke to the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered seventy men from among the elders of the people and stationed them around the Tent (tabernacle).  Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took some of the Spirit who was upon Moses and put Him upon the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied [praising God and declaring His will], but they did not do it again. The RUACH ADONAI The Spirit of God was taken and placed upon the 70 elders and immediately they begin to prophesy!

Acts 2:17-18 but this is (the beginning of) what was spoken of through the prophet Joel and it shall be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see (divinely prompted) visions, and your old men shall dream (divinely prompted) dreams. Even on my bond-servants, both men and women, I will in those days pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy. 

So this event is a foreshadowing of Acts 2 the day of Pentecost! Because you see in order for the Holy Spirit to come upon the 120 in the upper room to sanctify them as Holy the stage has to be set in the Old Testament of The RUACH ADONAI coming upon the people and causing them to prophesy, so this is a Pentecost moment in the Old Testament! The Lord takes His Spirit RUACH ADONAI and puts it into the 70 elders in which they are compelled to prophesy! Now why again did the Lord do this? To EASE the burden of Moses because Moses was tired, he needed help, there were 2,000,000 in this harvest if we look at them each as a stalk of wheat.

See in our Flesh we get tired, we get heavy, we get over burdened, and the way the Lord eases that and helps us endure as we walk out our purpose is the he sends the RUACH HAKODESH, the Holy One, the Holy Spirit, to ease the burden to enable us to endure through what we NEVER could do of our own flesh and strength, that enables us to do great and mighty things beyond the confines of this natural realm.

Let's move to the book of Judges:

Judges 3:5-11 And the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their [pagan] gods. And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the ^[a]Asheroth. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of ^[b]Mesopotamia; and the Israelite's served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

The First Judge Rescues Israel

But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord [for help], the Lord raised up a ^[c]man to rescue the people of Israel, ^[d]Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, and he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.  And the land was at rest [from oppression for] forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

In the ITES syndrome because all the people that ended in ites inhabited this area and their leaven got into Israel’s loaves and they began to intermingle and intermarry with these pagan people. They gravely sinned against the Lord and what does he do, he removes His hand of protection and gives the over to Cushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia, and the Lord allowed them to be oppressed under His rule for 8 years.

And Israel begins to wake up a little, because when you choose to rebel and NOT go by the leading of the Spirit you become OPPRESSED, and they cry out to the Lord, and what does the lord do he raises up a Judge by the name Othniel and what happens? THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, THE RUACH ADONAI, comes UPON HIM, so, hovers over him and he goes to war and defeats the Mespotamian King and rescues Israel. The Spirit is So powerful that once it comes upon somebody it is the great equalizer and the pagan nations who thought they had the upper hand cannot overpower whomever the Spirit is upon, they CANNOT WIN. So the Holy Spirit is given to us as well so we can go to war, so we can fight the enemy. There is proof of this in the New Testament.

2 Corinthians:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not ^[a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

The weapons of our warfare are NOT CARNAL BUT MIGHTY THROUGH GOD.Who is through God and the Holy Spirit!! The RUACH HAKODESH. He is a powerful and integral weapon of our warfare against the Kingdom of darkness! This is why he was sent by the Lord after Jesus Yeshua was raised from the dead and took Hid rightful seat at the right hand of the Father! God’s Spirit is WAY more powerful than Oppression, than any spirit that serves the kingdom of darkness. The Holy Spirit was sent so we could have VICTORY!

Luke 10:19 Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.Through the Holy Spirit, the Ruach Hakodesh we have AUTHORITY! The Hebrew Word for Tread or trample is DARAK, it means to tread, to MARCH! And when you march OVER something you are above it, you are moving forward and it cannot stop you, because it is being trampled, CRUSHED! DEFEATED!

The Spirit of the Lord compensates for the Flesh, and the deeper you go with the Lord in the Spirit, the less the enemy can lure you into carrying out the works of the Flesh! It overpowers the Flesh!

Judges 13 and 14 we see another example, Samson! Israel once again does evil in the site of the Lord and they are oppressed by the Philistines, so the Angel of the Lord appears to Manoah and His wife and say.

Judges 13:5 For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite [dedicated] to God from birth; and he shall begin to rescue Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”   

Judges 14 is where we see the arrival of the Spirit of God the RUACH ADONAI.

Judges 14:19-20 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of them and took their gear, and gave changes of clothes to those who had explained the riddle. And his anger burned, and he went up to his father’s house. But Samson’s wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.

Judges 15:14-15 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and the ropes on his arms were like flax (linen) that had been burned, and his bonds dropped off his hands.  He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out his hand and took it and killed a thousand men with it. 

What happens when the RUACH ADONAI comes upon him in both instances? Samson as 1 man is able to over power easily 30 then 1000 philistines just he and the Spirit of God! Man in the Flesh, and the powers of darkness lose whatever advantage they have When the RUACH ADONAI comes upon and Hovers over that circumstances and a SHIFTING Occurs and suddenly things shift in the favor of the servant of the most High God!

So the Holy Spirit always causes a SHIFT!You see the Lord loves to take the most unlikely of people and raise them up to defy the odds and bring Glory to his name!

Now back to Acts 3 now the the Holy Spirit the RUACH HAKODESH is in them and the disciples go forth and Peter heals a lame beggar and His ability to walk is restored, and they begin to have the Holy Spirit now speak through them.

Acts 4:32-35  Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all.  And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God’s remarkable loving kindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them, and bringing the proceeds of the sales and placing the money down at the apostles’ feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need.

Because when the Holy Spirit is truly upon you, you are about your father’s business, you are seeking first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness ALL these things are added unto you, not some, ALL!

So another aspect of the Holy Spirit is he ensures as you are doing the will of the Father and putting your Father in Heaven first that whatever you need to do the job at hand it is provided. However, there must be hard work, dedication, staying the course as the disciples did for the Lord through the Holy Spirit to ensure provision was there!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em7whlAvwjk

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WORD OF THE LORD MAY 5-4-2018

Word of the Lord: Teaching on Grace and Unexpected Prophetic 

So today, I’m going to talk about a very interesting topic – Grace.  How it is to be extended and when it’s at its most effective.  Because the Church touts grace, you hear all over, it’s like the Church and even some of the networks that have to do with Christianity have become top heavy with grace.  It’s almost like grace is being taught more than almost anything else in the Bible when really, the Bible is the complete, absolute Truth of God, then all facets of the Bible must be taught for it to operate effectively in our lives, right?  So, I’ll tell you how this happened and how the Lord showed me this.  Because the Lord gave me a revelation about grace, I perceive it to be the Lord and I want to share it with you.  This all started when I was on Facebook.  I saw a clip from a movie called the War Room and this is basically the clip.  There’s a women in an abusive marriage, so apparently the man is highly abusive, verbally.  And she’s talking with an older woman, I believe in her late 70’s about this and the older woman says to her, “well, you have to give him grace right now because God gave you grace and you’re not perfect, and you’re a sinner.”  So basically she has to stick through the marriage and be abused and give him grace because God is “a great defense attorney” and will come to her defense if she did this.  And I felt this righteous indignation swell up in me as if all at once I felt all the hopelessness of women that have watched this clip.  Because grace has been twisted so much that people don’t follow the spiritual laws of grace.  

When I began to get upset about this, I even called my Mother, I was so upset, and I told her how I felt about maybe about how some of the Church is teaching grace, about these movies, about what’s going on with this.  When I got off with her, I began to talk with the Lord about it because I was upset about it.  What He said to me was “there are spiritual laws for grace, and if you don’t follow those laws, it’s going to misfire and instead of being a tool for God’s good, it’s going to be a tool to enable evil.”  What do I mean by that?  Grace is its most effective, this is what the Lord showed me, I perceive this to be the Lord.  That grace is most effective, when it comes from up to down, not down to up.  What do I mean by that?  The Lord gives us grace, He is in the Superior position; we are in the inferior position.  We are His servants, okay, He is greater than us.  He is greater; we are lesser.  So when He extends grace upon our lives, it frees us, it is a tool and agent for change in our lives, it gives us peace, it gives us hope, so when grace comes from Superior to inferior is when it’s at its most effective.  The Good Samaritan, at that point, the Good Samaritan was in the Superior position, because that individual wounded on the road, was weak, and wounded and sick, so the Good Samaritan was in a position to extend grace.  A king can extend grace to their servant, a servant cannot extend grace to the king.  God can extend grace to us, we cannot extend grace to God.  In every example in the Bible of grace, it always came from a superior position to an inferior position.  

Even in the Book of Esther, Esther, she was taken to king Xerxes in the Royal residence in the 10^th month, in the month of Tibeth, in the 7^th year of his reign.  Now the king was attracted to Esther more than any other woman and she won his favor and approval more than any other.  Ok, so that grace, God’s grace for Esther to do that came from top to bottom.  Somebody that is in a financial stable situation can extend grace and favor to somebody who that’s not in a financially favorable position.  So, grace is its most effective when it comes from top to bottom, like a trickle-down effect, and this is what the Lord showed me.  Now what happens when you try to go from bottom to top with grace?  Let’s take the example of the War Room, now the way God made the hierarchy of marriage is the man is the head of the household and the woman, he’s supposed to love her and give himself up for her as Christ did for the Church.  And the woman, is supposed to submit to her husband because he’s got all her best interests at heart, he’s a good leader, he listens to the Lord and so she can trust him.  So now what happens when a woman is in an abusive marriage and she hears these grace teachings and she tries, now she’s in the weaker position at that point, he’s the victimizer; she’s the victim.  What do you think would happen if a gazelle tried to extend grace to a hungry lion?  On the food chain, the lion is at the top and the gazelle is down here.  What do you think the lion is going to do?  The lion is going to perceive that as weakness and the gazelle has basically handed itself over as a meal for the lion.  So when there is an abusive individual, we’ll say the man in this case because that’s how the War Room was set up.  The man is up here, he’s the abuser; the woman is being victimized, so she’s in the weaker position.  What happens if she tries to extend grace up to the victimizer?  What happens when someone in a weakened position opens themselves up to a predator?  The predator is going to take advantage of that and what happens in a case like this is that God’s grace is made an accomplice to evil.  

I once heard John Hagee say “to forgive someone without demanding a change in behavior is to make God’s grace an accomplice to evil.”  What does that mean?  It means when somebody is in rebellion and they are abusing you and you try to extend grace upward, instead of that grace being effective to humble and being an agent for change, what happens is grace becomes an enabler for the sin to continue.  So when the woman in the weaker position tries to extend grace to an abuser, the abuser sees it as an open door to continue abusing, because they’re not being told it’s wrong, they are being given permission that it’s okay.  And because they are seeing that vulnerability, a predator is going to pounce even more.  So instead of God’s grace being an agent for change, God’s grace ends up becoming an accomplice for evil when you go from down to up, or when you try to extend grace in a weaker position to an abusive individual.  Because they’re not going to take it as you forgiving, or you showing the love of God.  They are going to take it as you are weak and it will trigger something in their brain even more to abuse.  So the issue becomes with grace is that it was always meant to go from higher to lower in order for it to be its most effective.  You can forgive anybody; forgiveness a different issue.  Somebody wrongs you and you want to forgive them because God commands us to forgive, that’s fine.  However, with forgiveness, doesn’t mean you have to stay.  It doesn’t mean you have to let somebody keep ripping through your life like a tornado.  Take abuse out of it for minute, robbery, drug abuse, a destructive family member, a dysfunctional family member, it seems like everything they touch, they destroy.  You can forgive them and pray for them from a distance, but you don’t keep letting them rip through your life like a tornado, that is not extending grace, that is being foolish and making God’s grace an accomplice to evil.  You don’t want to do something like that, you don’t want to make God’s grace an accomplice for evil to continue.  God’s grace, when it’s used effectively, it’s supposed to suppress evil, it’s not supposed to enhance it.  There is a spiritual law with God’s grace.  For it to be most effective, we have to follow it.  What’s happening with some churches is they’re preaching like anybody can give anybody grace and anybody can do this, and what’s happening is grace is misfiring all over the place and backfiring and making the problem worse.  You can teach forgiveness, and teach people how to pray for their enemies from a distance, because you never hand yourself on a silver platter to your enemies, that’s not what God wants.  People get so trigger happy with Jesus that they walk into foolish situation thinking that God’s grace is going to cover them, while the Holy Spirit is screaming at them not to do it.  Because they are then putting themselves in the weaker position for the enemy then to use that grace as accomplice for evil to hurt them.  If you know a person is violent, unless God, and you know 100% God tells you to go near that person and witness to them; you pray for that person from a distance because then you are walking into the enemy’s playground.  And if you walking in without God going before you, like David never went into battle without God going before him, because he knew if went ahead of God, what he was doing was enabling the other side to get victory over God’s people.  So, the Church is so top-heavy on grace and these Christian channels are so top-heavy on grace; that they’re not teaching the other parts that go with it, like forgiveness and praying for your enemies and listening for the voice of God.  And having an open line of communication with God at all times, if I am angry and frustrated and I don’t understand, I tell God.  It doesn’t mean that I stop praising Him, but I tell Him and I tell Him how I feel, because that’s the most important is to have an open line of communication with the Lord.  What happens then with grace is that grace instead of being an agent for change, becomes an agent to enhance the wickedness in somebody and enable them and show them that there’s no consequences for what they’re doing.  And you’re basically giving that predator, or victimizer, or dysfunctional person permission to continue in their reign of terror, in their dysfunction, in their destructive patterns, in their destructive behaviors.  You can tell somebody you’re praying for them and you can love them from a distance, but when you get involved with a known victimizer and you encourage their cause, you are not only helping the enemy to further his cause, but you are making God’s grace an accomplice to evil.  People who are victimizers should not be encouraged in any way, shape or form.  Jesus never once encouraged a victimizer to continue in their victimization.  He never once encouraged the Pharisees to continue doing what they were doing to the people.  In fact, he avoided them at all costs.  You know why?  Because He knew they were victimizers, He knew what they were doing.  He knew their heart and what they were up to and He would much rather help people that wanted to seek the Lord  that point, that wanted healing, that wanted change, than to deal with people who were so power hungry, that they were willing to oppress people to continue it.  And Jesus knew that God’s grace would be an accomplice to evil if He did that, so He stayed away from the Pharisees.  It’s the same way with us, we have to make sure we are using God’s grace effectively and in the right scenarios, because I notice these movies and sermons always seem, most of the time to guilt women to staying in bad situations, under God’s grace.  Now, God’s grace is not for anybody to be a punching bag, emotionally or physically.  It is not for somebody to live in a demonic world of the occult, or witchcraft, or dysfunction or drug abuse, because those things will do more to hinder you than to help you.  I’m going to encourage all of you to go through your homes – anything that you have that is even slightly demonic in nature, CDs, books, videos, get rid of them.  They are hindering and creating more spiritual warfare in your life.  I have begun to do this in my own home to make sure that nothing is in it that is demonic in any way or that satan could use as a portal or an open door.  Because we don’t want to make God’s grace an accomplice to evil, we don’t want to give the enemy a freebie.  We really have to get stringent about who and what we let near us, what we let into our lives.  Wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove, and we really need to get stringent about this because the world is getting worse, and satan more and more is trying to destroy people.  And he’s doing it through a lot of different means, music, books, TV, video, idol worship, dysfunction, he’s got so much in his arsenal that he’s trying to use that we shouldn’t be falling for.  And yes, we’re going to get frustrated and we’re going to get upset, and we need to take it to the Lord and let the Lord deal with it.  And let the Lord give us instruction on how we are to deal with it, and what we are to do, because yes, there are times it’s going to feel like we’re in a pressure cooker.  I’ve felt that for the last few weeks, I felt like I was in a pressure cooker.  You feel the oppression, you’re in the middle of a battle, you’re in the middle of being assaulted, onslaught by the enemy and you have to fight and kick and claw your way through it by having an open line of communication with God, reading the Word of God, speaking the Word of God.  There are times I walk outside in the morning and I am so sick, and you know what?  I push myself to recite Bible verses, even though it may not sound the most happy and joyful, I’m pushing myself through the battle and I’m still reciting it and I may sound weak, and I may sound tired, but you know what?  I’m still persevering through, I’m still reciting those Bible verses, I’m still fighting.  And that’s how God’s grace works!  God’s grace when used effectively, gives you the strength to do what you could never do on your own, what you could never, ever achieve on your own, or accomplish on your own, or persevere through on your own.  So what God’s grace does is it truly gives us the ability and the strength to endure what humanly we could never endure by the grace of God, there go I.  And I have to do this every morning, and that’s when God’s grace is most effective, when it coming from the Lord, or superior to inferior.  In order to enable us to be all we can be, not to enable wickedness to be all it can be.  And that’s why it’s so important that you use God’s grace effectively, and that you use it in the right circumstances and that you know the spiritual law surrounding it, because there will be times when you are under spiritual attack and you’re in a bunker and you are praying for the missiles to stop, you are praying for the onslaught to stop.  You are waiting for a break in the battle. 

I will encourage you in that, as hurt as you may be, as upset as you may be, that you keep pushing forward in it, in the Lord.  Because there is a break in the battle coming very shortly.  As frustrated as I am right now, I can still feel it, and there’s a break in the battle coming shortly.  Break – through. Ok?  The enemy is fighting a lot of you so hard because he knows that sooner than we think, God is going to intervene, breakthrough is going to happen.  We are going to be freed from the pit, we are being raised up out of the prisons, we are being raised up out of confinement to do great and mighty things for the Lord.  And people that do the most amazing things for the Lord go through the most suffering, go through the most hurt, go through the most pain, get dragged through the mud.  Joseph, Esther, anyone in the Bible, Elijah, they all went through it.  So, I know soon breakthrough is coming and justice is coming.  That I know from the Lord – Justice is upon us.  People are going to be vindicated and see justice happen for those that the enemy used to try to attack them, and hinder and manipulate and take down their lives, justice is coming for you guys.  Know in the Name of Jesus today that justice is coming, that breakthrough is coming, that new beginnings are coming.  That the time and the hour is upon us for these things to happen says the Lord. 

Unexpected Word begins:

And the Lord thy God wants you to know this day, by the Power of the Blood of Jesus Christ, may only the Truth come forth.  And the Lord thy God wants you to know this day that I have loved you with an everlasting love, that I have never left you or forsaken you, My precious children.  And know this day says the Lord that I am intervening on your behalf.  That I see what you do not see, that I see the things in the secret places that nobody thinks I see says the Lord.  I see your pain, I see your suffering, and I have bottled every one of your tears says the Lord.  And know this day, says the Lord thy God, that I AM declaring victory over your life and that the Job-like battle, these long battles of suffering you have endured, there is a purpose for it says the Lord and I AM raising you up into that purpose and in this season says the Lord, I AM declaring victory for My children and I AM raising them up to do great and mighty things says the Lord.  Things they never thought they could do, things they never knew they could accomplish, strength they never knew they had says the Lord thy God this day.  That I AM bestowing upon them gifts, I AM watering those gifts, I am flourishing those gifts that I have put in them, the mantels I have placed upon their lives says the Lord.  And this day, says the Lord thy God, know that I AM your shield, your glory and the Lifter of your head.  I AM the God that knows all things, I AM the God that sees to and fro on the earth what is happening says the Lord.  Nothing escapes Me says the Lord.  I AM Sovereign, I reign on the Throne and I see My children’s lives from the end to the beginning and the beginning to the end says the Lord thy God this day.  And know says the Lord thy God that this year is the year of breakthrough for My children.  The year that is pivotal, the year of change, the year in the Name of Jesus says the Lord, that I AM raising My children up out of obscurity to speak with the fire of Almighty God says the Lord.  To speak with the wisdom of God, to speak with prophetic knowledge and Words that only God could give.  To speak with ministries and mantels that only I, the Lord thy God could give, and My children that have endured the most says the Lord, and have pushed and crawled and clawed when they felt like giving up, but they continued, even in their frustration says the Lord, they continued – suddenly says the Lord, suddenly, in the Spring and suddenly this year, says the Lord thy God, you will see Me deliver these precious children of Mine from the snare of the fowler, says the Lord, from their enemies, says the Lord.  From the father of lies, satan himself who has tried to shackle them, and hinder them and frustrate them and he has fought so hard against them says the Lord thy God because he knows they are a threat to his kingdom, that they are tools in My hands, that they are vessels that I fill and My Word comes forth, pouring like streams and rivers of living waters says the Lord thy God.  So know this day, the Lord thy God says I walk every step with you, I hurt with you, I love with you, I laugh with you, I rejoice with you, and this day says the Lord thy God, victory is at hand!  Deliverance is at hand!  Healing is at hand!  Those who have cancer, the Lord thy God says, I AM healing.  Those that have chronic illness, says the Lord thy God, I AM healing.  I am positioning those, says the Lord thy God, to be blessed financially, to further My Kingdom.  I AM blessing them to further My Kingdom and to help those that were once in their position says the Lord.  Justice says the Lord thy God, I AM bringing justice this year!  I AM bringing justice!  Those that have wickedly hurt their children, those that have tried to cover up their plots, those that have lied, those that have stolen, those in the Church that are preaching My Word, says the Lord, and behind closed doors, are doing every detestable thing in secret, I, the Lord thy God say, those plots will be exposed, those cover ups will be exposed, what is hidden, says the Lord thy God, I shall bring to light.  Thus says the Lord of Hosts this day.  And those preachers and so-called prophets, who have been in secret what I find detestable, says the Lord, those in politics, who have been doing in secret, what I find detestable, says the Lord, thus says the Lord thy God this day, I AM GOING TO RECTIFY AND RESTITUTION SAYS THE LORD THY GOD!  This year, I AM going to rectify says the Lord, and those ministers and in ministry that are doing every detestable thing in secret, and then coming out and touting My Word, and pushing My Word to further their agendas, and to fill their cup says the Lord, so they in secret they may indulge in the detestable things the Pharisees indulged in, thus says the Lord thy God this day, I AM exposing them this year.  And you will see major people in ministry, major figures have to step down says the Lord, because what they have done in secret is being brought to light now says the Lord thy God.  For there is a changing of the guard happening says the Lord, and I AM raising those up into those positions who will be obedient to Me, who love Me, who have open communication for Me, who desire to help others.  I AM raising them up into their positions says the Lord thy God, and I AM removing those who are just trying to fill their cups in their flesh with detestable things, using My Name, and My Word in a Ponzi scheme says the Lord in order to fill their own pockets and their own egos, and their own image and their own agenda.  And thus says the Lord thy God this day, it is enough.  I say enough, says the Lord!  I say Enough!  And you will see these things come to pass this year, thus says the Lord thy God as I speak this day through My prophetic voice.  And thus says the Lord of Hosts this day, I AM dealing with things in the government and yes, a particular foundation is going to be found to be covered in blood.  And I am rescuing those children that have been used and abused, by their parent’s agendas, and by the government.  And I AM intervening says the Lord thy God, and those scandals and those schemes that were running in secret will be exposed for the public to see, thus says the Lord of Hosts this day, in Jesus Name.

I didn’t expect that, but Praise God it came out anyway.  All Glory be to God.  Continue the good fight, continuing praising Him.  I can feel the Presence of the Lord, I can feel His Presence.  And even though in our flesh, we get tired, when you feel the Presence of the Lord, you feel refreshed, and I know He is here, and I know He’s watching and I know He is going to intervene.  So hold onto that Word and hold onto your seats because it is going to be a very interesting ride in Jesus Name.  

God Bless you guys, keep the faith.

WORD OF THE LORD-MAY 5-22-2020

Word of the Lord Given 5/21/2020 at -Approx. 5:30 a.m.

Delivered By: Amanda Grace

Who is Like God, Maker of heaven and Earth? Who on earth can withstand His Presence, there is none who could match His Holiness! Holy,Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! He is far above any principality power or might and he rules forever and ever, Amen.

And the Spirit of the Lord says this day, watch and pray! Watch and pray My children for a crucial hour is upon you says the Lord! The Spirit shall manifest in powerful ways! Arise My children! Arise, take up sword and shield, arm yourselves with My Word, ready yourselves for as areas of the earth shake, and you see quaking in many areas in the natural, my children shall arise strong in the Spirit! For what the enemy utilized, mobilized, and attempted to subdue you, with I the Lord, have reversed and utilized it to bring you higher in the Spirit, to elevate you in the natural.

For this is an hour where the enemy has launched an onslaught, a tiring onslaught of attacks against My children, against their minds, against their bodies, utilizing what is around them, stirring up chains in others to attempt to coil around My children as constructing serpents in an attempt to bring them back into old cycles, habits of the bloodline, and confusion, says the Lord.

The Enemy has launched an attack of oppressiveness and fatigue attempting to make things so heavy that taking even another step seems impossible. This is also meant to distract you, confuse you, causing you to question My power and attempting to tire you so your break your habit of communion with Me, time with me, of speaking the word says the Lord, for if the enemy can cause you to abandon your sword, to put down your sword, then your defenses weaken and he more easily finds and in, says the Lord God Jehovah.

DO NOT give the enemy the in, ask for grace and strength in greater measure for My grace is truly sufficient and you shall see that release and activation in your lives where you continue the course, as I the Lord your God order your steps. For the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord your God! Stay your course and press in in this hour My children, Press in!! For in Pressing in you are resisting. RESIST the enemy and he shall flee from you! Take up your sword, take up your shield, speak into the situation the word of the Lord, speak into the situation the LIVING, ACTIVE, POWERFUL, Words that are in My Word, shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel, for it is THE WORD MY Precious Son used to force a retreat on the enemy’s part when he was weak in the wilderness after fasting 40 days and nights, it was at his weakest the enemy came to Him attempting to bait him to come into agreement with him, so he could defeat the plan of redemption for the world says the Lord God Jehovah!! It was the Word that made him retreat! In this hour press in! Fast and pray! Draw closer to Me, praise Me, for that lifts the spirit of heaviness, that has truly come upon those in this hour, like a weighted blanket. Use the Sword of the spirit to cut it in two and force it to release and depart in Jesus name.

For many, as the world is contracting, as you see birth pains. My children are being positioned worldwide, who truly know Me and Know My Voice and speak MY Truth with a power and precision that only comes from the Spirit of Almighty God. They are being positioned and elevated, for those who seek and pursue after the things of this world before the plans of God shall see those things crumble in this hour says the Lord God Jehovah.

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL these things, not some of these things, ALL of these things shall be added unto you! And it shall in good measure when you truly put Me first, pursue Me first, honor your Father in Heaven before men. For I the Lord God know what the sparrow needs, how much more do I know what you need My children to do the task at hand. Would I withhold from My children what they need to be victorious in an hour where the world NEEDS to see the children of God arise amidst the chaos, the confusion, amidst the uncertainty, for I the Lord God do not submit to an earthly system, for My ways are far higher, I am not bound by economies and currencies, and earthly laws, and rules. I am so far above, Heavens perspective is what shows and reveals the whole from beginning to end, knowing everything you need for your appointed tasks on this earth and the ability to endlessly supply it to you My children for those who walk in reverence obedience and who truly seek the heart of the Father says the Lord of Hosts this day.

I am releasing healing in this hour says the Lord of Hosts this day! The enemy over years has attempted to chip away at My children’s bodies, minds, and souls in order to keep returning as a lion hunts prey, striking the weakest areas, attempting to completely to tire and stop the forward progress of My Children. I the Lord say this day, your God, Elohim, that I am releasing healing oil, anointing from My throne the weak areas of armor on my children shall be fortified, the parts of the body that are suffering shall be rejuvenated, restored, and brought into order. For there is disorder in the body of the church in more ways than one says the Spirit! The Lord your God is calling the body, is calling the court to order!!! There shall be much shifting in this hour in order to bring things in the lives of My children into order. However, with shifting there is friction, there is change, there is new order, entering a new season of your lives says the Lord God Jehovah! My church body cannot be in such disorder and work the harvest and move forward as fierce warriors, when much of the temperature is lukewarm. You need fire for revival, passion, seeking the Lord your God with a passion, BELIEVING that I truly can move mountains, part the seas, open canyons, make the broken places straight, cause provision to bloom in the desert, elevate you above the fray above the panic of the world says the Lord of Hosts this day. Believe MY children, for many of you will watch in amazement, as I birth forth a new life right before your very eyes, and yes there will be pressure, yes there will be some pain, there is the old that will depart, chapters will close, doors will open some will depart and others will be positioned in your lives for such a time as this to assist you for the position at hand says the Lord God Jehovah.

Know This day you serve a mighty God and that the infestations, and the things from years past that have attempted to make nests in your lives, that have attempted to usurp and steal, attempting a hostile takeover of MY PLANS in your lives, that rebellion shall be put done quick and hard says the Lord God Jehovah! The ghosts from the past shall now re emerge, you will not be swayed, you shall stand in the resolve of the Grace of Your Father in Heaven and know in whom you have believed as you, as the world suffers, My children shall receive flow in many areas, an oasis in the desert. My children shall be refreshed, for many are tired in the midst of fierce battles, hurting bodies and tired hearts and minds, I the Lord God Your righteousness shall pour out upon you from your head to your feet refreshing oil of gladness, the anointing of restoration, I shall rejuvenate your bones and just as Elijah was given strength and energy, By My Power and outstretched arm to surpass those on chariots, so I the Lord your God shall give you greater supernatural provision in every area to equip you for this next chapter, to ensure you have supernatural grace, strength, provision, resolve, energy, and supply to march through the landmines the enemy has attempt to plant and you shall not be touched my children says the Lord!

Oaks of righteousness amidst saplings and weeds says The Lord all of what you have endured will strengthen you for the particularly important tasks you have been appointed for says the Lord of Hosts this day.

Watch the capital of New York (Albany) watch those in the political arena reemerge as two- headed snakes with one head doing the talking for the other, that is unable to do the job at hand, however that serpent shall be caught and eradicated says the Lord God Jehovah.

Watch Detroit and Chicago, and  Ohio watch the swinging that occurs and how I the Lord God shall swing the pendulum back to My plans and purposes!! The rats are being found out and demoted, their nests exposed their feeding source cut off, a forced move will occur says the Lord of Hosts. Miracles will come forth out of Israel and it will cause a response from surrounding nations. A second shaking of China says the Lord, I shall continue to shake that government and the corrupt, events out of India. India key events out of India will change the channels of commerce, says the Lord for I the Lord am funneling out of China and new avenues with new countries shall open as China is deflating.  Italy shall deflate more, as they have created a vacuum with china says the Lord, they have turned to the wickedness of that government, they have turned to Pharaoh instead of toward countries highly Favored By Me the Lord, for religion leads that country in chains, that spirit of religion masquerading as the Lord their God has ensnared them, they need to turn fully to the Lord their God and cry out to Me and Me alone for their deliverance. There are countries that will thrive in the midst of economic paralysis they shall thrive and bring forth new commerce. The enemy is flooding the airwaves with enormous amounts of information that is skewed, seek me for discernment, so you can see the plumb line and what is folly in order to lure people into agreement with a scheme to save them and not Almighty God. This s a crucial time, walk circumspectly before Me seek Me while I may be found there shake be phenomenon from My power manifesting on this earth and I shall now cause all the grafting in your lives to bear fruits in greater measure, It doesn’t not matter my children what is shut down, if I the Lord can multiply loaves and fish and can bring forth fruit in your lives at miraculous speed, I can multiply what appears to be little and cause it to continually flow! 

Pray for flow My children, KNOW I am with you always even until the end of the age and I am set to do what man would deem impossible, insurmountable odds, I the Lord will crush that and bring forth a miraculous season that will testify of My power while the earth quakes, and  countries shake, you shall have blessed assurance in your Creator and will be a living letter read by ALL men, 

Shalom and God Bless you My precious Children, My peace I give to you in Jesus precious name, AMEN!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmJfyVBPIuY

WORD OF THE LORD-MAY 5-16-2020 & 5-19-2020 & 5-20-2020

5.16.2020-Word of the Lord-This was given Live on the McFiles on 5/20/20

Word/Insight from the Lord at sunrise

NOTE: Triangle relationship-heard

The Lord is God there is none like Adonai maker of heaven and earth. To His Kingdom there is no end! His light dissipates the darkness of the enemy and the world. The darkness of the enemy is layered in ungodliness, despair, interwoven with programmable actions presented as harmless choices, lucrative, as powerful. People get caught in the layers so they cannot see ahead and/or turn around and depart.

5.19.20 6:45 am Word of the Lord 

“set your mind on the things above for there is a different order when looking from heaven’s perspective”

The order is being changed. There is going to be a very sudden switch and the direction changed. You will see this occur to take influence. To disrupt the amount of influence they have because their current is contrary to the things of God. Their behavior does not align with the Lord’s agenda or His plan.

A detour. Those of you will go on into the plans of God and others will be detoured off so you can move forward in the plans of God. While others who have rejected God for their own plans will witness pits and problems they did not calculate or foresee. Because there are those afflicted by spiritual nearsightedness. They only care about what is right in front of them, what they want, wanting it now. However, because the Lord and His insight has been pushed out of the way to desperately pursue what is before them, a problem pit they cannot see, for they have tuned out the warnings given them. Will drastically throw a wrench in their plans taking them down a brambled road. They are attempting to push through a bramble, thorn filled patch, which brings the snare.

The devil, lucifer, right now desperately wants to lure you into that path by dangling bait before you that is tied to a wound from years prior. Lucifer wants to get those in agreement that they need to fix and oversee thee issues and the broken lives of others. However spiritual nearsightedness and need for control is causing those to see things on a superficial level by which circumstances should not be judged.

However, if they took a good look around, they would see their backyard, their life is a spiritual graveyard, where large headstones have been displayed. What has been lost by refusing to see what was before them and deal with the core root, giving life to every offshoot that has grown, now dominates their choices.

There are those carrying enormous amounts of baggage. They have become so sued to dragging it through every facet of life that it’s crowding out what the Lord desires. For that baggage is taking up so much space, For the things of God there is no room to dwell. That baggage contains years of every heavy burdensome oppressive event that was stuffed away and never dealt with. Now under the radar it dictates all the choices. Instead of god driven they have driven god out! There will be an impasse for those who continue wrestling the Lord. However, those who set their eyes on the Lord and truly walk with Him shall see a new way cleared.

WORD GIVEN: 5.20.20 4:26 pm

2 Samuel 5:17-2

War with the Philistines:

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to look for him, but he heard about it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out [for battle] in the Valley of Rephaim.  David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly hand them over to you.”  So, David came to Baal-perazim, and he defeated them there, and said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” So, he named that place Baal-perazim (master of breakthroughs). The Philistines abandoned their [pagan] idols there, so David and his men took them away [to be burned]. The Philistines came up once again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.  When David inquired of the Lord, He said, “You shall not go up, but circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall pay attention and act promptly, for at that time the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”  David did just as the Lord had commanded him and struck down the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.

It was a different set of instructions, what worked for the first battle was not going to work for this one. The Lord gives David a different set of instructions, and this one not only involves circling around and coming at them from behind, so hitting them to their backs, with the balsam trees concealing them as they go to strike. David COULD NOT strike until he heard the sound of the Lord marching before Him at the tops the trees, that is when David would know that the Lord had indeed gone out before Him. How the Lord positions you this time will be different than the times before, the instruction shall be different, the order shall be different, the timing shall be different. The Lord is circling around with you and the enemy will not see what the Lord is about to do in your life because you are being positioned behind the enemy, and he will be too busy trying to look in front of him for what is coming, and you will already be behind him and by the time he turns around it will be too late! Moving you into position this time will be the strategy of God and you just obeying the order and obeying the Lord.

NOTE: Heard Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel was an influential political and religious leader in Israel during the time when Jewish exiles returned from captivity in Babylon. He is best known for spearheading the rebuilding of God’s Temple in Jerusalem in the 6th Century B.C.

growing up in Babylon’s royal court and being educated in politics and military as well as in strong roots of Jewish faith. When Persia overthrew the supposedly invincible Babylon around 539 B.C., he apparently found new favor from the conquering king, Cyrus II. Under orders from the victorious Persian ruler, Zerubbabel was appointed “governor” over Judah and sent back to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. to lead the effort to rebuild God’s Temple there.

The actual return was a crushing disappointment. The returning exiles found Judah a wilderness and the Holy City a wasteland. Corruption was everywhere, even among the priesthood. The descendants of those who had escaped captivity were hostile to the newcomers, fearing that their Babylonian brethren might try to recover their former family properties.”

The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, ‘Let us help you build’” (Ezra 4:1-2 NIV). The Zerubbabel bluntly refused them, insulting them as he said, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord” (Ezra 4:3 NIV).

After that, the locals in Jerusalem did everything they could to frustrate Zerubbabel and keep the Temple from being built—and they succeeded (Ezra 4:4-5). The returning exiles were only able to lay the foundation for the Temple, but nothing else. It was not until about 15 years later, in 520 B.C., that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were able to convince Zerubbabel to resume construction in earnest. The Temple was finally completed around 516 B.C.

Regardless of whether or not Zerubbabel tried to lead a messianic movement for himself, he was involved with the coming of Christ. Both Matthew and Luke list this Babylonian-born, Persian-appointed governor of Judah as a forefather of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus. (see Matthew 1:12-13 and Luke 3:27).

People anointed by God from their youth, raised up in enemy territory, raised up in circumstances less than ideal, raised up in the midst of instability, war, devastation.

Finding new favor with leaders and coming into positions in this country for such a time as this Then [the Samaritans and others of] the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them [to deter them] from building, and hired advisers [to work] against them to frustrate their plans during the entire time that Cyrus king of Persia reigned, [and this lasted] even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Now in the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), in the beginning of his reign, the Samaritans wrote [to him] an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem [who had returned from exile]. Later, in the days of [King] Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated from Aramaic.

The Letter to King Artaxerxes Ezra 4:8-16

Rehum the [Persian] commander [of the Samaritans] and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows— then wrote Rehum the [Persian] commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,  and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the region ^]west of the [Euphrates] River. Now this is a copy of the letter which they sent to him: “To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men in the region west of the [Euphrates] River; and now: Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem. They are rebuilding this rebellious and evil city and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.  Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, then they will not pay tax, custom, or toll, and the revenue of the kings will be diminished. Now because we are in the service of the palace, and it is not proper for us to witness the king’s dishonor, for that reason we have sent word and informed the king,  in order that a search may be made in the record books of your fathers. And you will discover in the record books and learn that this is a rebellious city, damaging to kings and provinces, and that in the past they have incited rebellion within it. That is why that city was laid waste (destroyed).We are informing the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls finished, it will mean that you will have no possession in the province west of the [Euphrates] River.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoryl0RBg9Y