Everything! Many times I have been given the fulfillment of promises from God. Then they also had to be laid on the altar or at the feet of our Lord at the cross. Why?
God wants to see what value we place on His fulfilled promise versus us obeying to keep Him first. He must be first above all- our call, our lives, our families, our stuff. The Lord must have preminence in all things….
Abraham’s willingness to lay down his son, Isaac, as a sacrificial offering in obedience to God is written for our example…. Now we know God provided, YHWH, the offering by having a ram get caught in a thicket so Abraham did not slay Isaac.
( We know the ram was the symbol of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God).
The testing of Abraham’s faith was proven…. He knew God would raise Isaac up but he knew he was to obey God above all. So he was willing to lay down the promise of God which was his son, Isaac, on the altar….If Abraham was bewildered on this request from God, he did not act on it…. He only saw the Lord and followed His Word…..
Many times we choose to grab everything we have within us to keep the fulfilled promise of God in our reach……. God wants us to want Him more than anything, even the gift that was given through His grace…..Even if it does not make sense to let go.
Abraham shows no reasoning out of the command…. He showed the God kind of faith that Jesus Christ urges us to have….. Abraham knew if he sacrificed Isaac as God instructed, God had to raise Isaac up from the dead. The promise of Abraham’s lineage was in Isaac as God had spoken.
So God speaks to us and then we receive the promise….. Then time goes on and we cherish the promise because God granted it to us. This fulfilled promise is so special….
Then the Lord speaks and says let go of the promise….. We immediately think that cannot be our Lord…. He gave us this promise….. Why are we to let go, Lord?
Many times, we have what is good, but the Lord wants to take us in to His best, His fullness…. So we let go, we die to what was, and embrace what is new in the eyes of the Lord…..
We maybe are holding the promise as the center of our lives instead of the Lord’s gaze as our focus….But as we live and grow in the Lord, we know the way. As we ascend to the heights that He has called us to, we must lighten our load of what we do not need to climb.
As we grow in Him, we learn the Lord is all we need to keep going…. Everything else is held in very low esteem to keep up with the way He has called us.
Paul and Abraham are our forerunners in the way of the cross and living in Christ. Paul speaks so often of contradictory statements- For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries, ( 1 Corinthians 16:9).
We think all should go smooth and fantastic, if there is a great door of opportunity opened…..Absolutely not when we are advancing the kingdom of God. I have come to realize I am on track or target in God’s will if there is great opposition. Darkness always hates the Light of God…..
So the altar or the cross resembles we go through hell to bring heaven to this earth…..We bring the Promise of God in the name of Jesus Christ and His Spirit to breath Resurrection Life to the world….. by the Living Word of God….. There is life and there is death. So that the death of Jesus Christ may be manifested through us as well as the power of the Resurrected Life of God. His Resurrected Life revives us over and over again…..Just when we think we are on our last leg as I am sure Abraham felt as he strapped his son, Isaac….. But look!!!!!!! God, the Great I AM- Our God.
The Altar or the Cross and the Promise….We bring Life and Peace and live through chaos…… Life and Death…. as we live on and on as the power of the Word strengthens in us His Resurrected life. We die to the old or the flesh and power of His Word is recreating us……. YHWH— The Great Provider, our God.
There is only One Thing which we should desperately hold on to with all we got during the coming days….. The Lord Jesus Christ…. Once we learn He is all we need….. What we have today can be given tomorrow with out a blink of an eye….. If we cannot let go of things quickly here today…… We must start to discipline ourselves to let go and make room for the next move from God in our lives…
Sometimes I wonder how much we miss our Lord because our gaze is set on things and certain traditions we keep so it as a stockade blocking His Gentle Presence. We block His entrance in the Fellowship He promises to each one of His children.
We are a vessel of the Lord…. He pours in us, Himself, to be poured out…. When we realize all we have and have become belong to Him and is for His glory and not ours,….. I wonder if jealousy would die….. I wonder if covetousness would die……. I wonder if comparing our worth with others would die….. Would we come to realize all we are and have are from Him and for His glory? There is peace in the Truth.
If there is anything in our life that we believe we cannot live without,….. pick one this week….. If it is appropriate to give it away, let’s do it….. If it is appropriate to get it out of our lives, for it does not give God glory—- Let’s kick it out. If it is something we allow to stand in importance before the Lord, let us lock it in a closet for a week….. or turn it off for a week….. Let’s give God the time instead….. ( I am not talking about husbands, wives, children, pets, etc….of course!).
Lord, we come before you, with our hearts open before Your eyes of fire…. We want to live in and from Your gaze. We also want our gaze to be fixed on you…. Lord, we already know what we need to remove from our hold or our gaze…. We know there is nothing hidden in our hearts from Your sight. Thank You for giving us the strength to lay it down at Your feet at the cross….. We know we die to the world, and the world dies to us in greater measure. May we fulfill the plan You have carved for us to follow by Your Spirit…..We lay down the little for the greatness of Your plan to be lived out by our heart. We ask this in Jesus name.
Lord, we die daily to the world and open up our hearts wider for Your Resurrected Life to dwell within….. For as it is written, Christ within is our hope of glory….. Lord, give us Your Wisdom to understand Your way of the Cross. May we die daily and live fully unto You. We thank You and ask Your will be done in us in Jesus Name. Amen.
We do not know what the future holds, but we do know we have a future in Christ. In Him, is where our hold must be in the approaching days…. Our relationship with the Lord must be our all. We can loose all but Him….. This must be our mindset. The Lord does provide, and His Provision is Christ. He must take Preeminence in our lives.
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, ( Philippians 3:7-11).
As we lay down all; die to the world in all ways, things and customs…..etc…We allow a lot of room within for the power of God, the Holy Spirit, to make all things new. Christ within our only hope of glory.
If we really believe that He makes all things new….. Why do we hold on to what we know, think and things which are contrary to or blocking Him?….. Should we not just lay them down, give them up or give them away? Allow His Spirit to prove the power of the Living Word within us…. Then we may attain to the resurrection from the dead as we see the coming day approaching?
We die. Then we rise in Him over and over again in our walk in Him….. We die to our old traditional ways of knowing Him and we die to the lies we have been told about Him and we gain freedom…. for whom the Lord sets free is free indeed!
So why do we hold on to what we know and is comfortable? FEAR…. of the unknown… Our minute by minute future is unknown to us but known to the Lord. Remember He has our days numbered and fashioned before we were born…..even in our mother’s womb…. Let us trust His great Love. Remember, we already live in eternity as we partake in time………. Every time we doubt and fear, we give the devil his way and believe him! Oh, Oh….. Satan’s days are numbered also so why do we want to give him any satisfaction?
Why do we fear our Lord making all things new? Do we think He might not do a good job? ( We have done so great a job up to now that we need a Savior? Hmmmm.)
Let us remember to live by the Living Word of God: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new, ( 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Do not fret, My children. Do not allow yourself to be like the drowning man who held on to all his precious belongings in parcels, and yet, when I came to rescue him. He could not reach out with his hand to grasp My Saving Hand. He refused to let go of his belongings to get My help. Therefore he perished.
Remember life is more than what you have on this earth. Set your eyes in the Kingdom of God where nothing perishes. But alas, will you allow your hearts to betray you in the end? Your hearts will lead you to death and yet, if you come to Me, I will bestow on you life eternal. Can you believe in Me that you shall not want? Can you take Me at My Word? Follow Me and you will see…..What I give you is free. You will walk in My liberty.
What you have is from My hand. What you want will be given by My hand also. Be hungry and be full of need……I Am will fully feed you. My Food will fill and carry you throughout the days you walk on this earth. See the baby bird helpless as the parents come and feed…. as I Am is to you.
What you are hungry and seeking after is what you will receive…….Seeking the earth’s treasure will allow you to forego the True Treasures in heaven. I Am has spoken to all to seek the first the kingdom of God and all else will be given to you.
Why do you fear I Am won’t supply? I Am your Heavenly Father and I know what you need. I Am the YHWH, the Great Provider….. Is the Gift and the Promise not what you are seeking? Alas, the rich young ruler, also, went away down heartened. He could not part with his old parcels to make way for Me- the Life found in Me…. He could not believe that I Am is his Greatest Treasure…
What do you see in Me? If you have come to Me. You have tasted the Cup that is never empty. If you have come to Me, you have eaten of the Food that sustains you forever. You have come to see I Am as your Treasure. Your wealth will never diminish or fade away for I Am. You will never lack any needful thing, I Am says.
Children, you will follow your heart wherever it leads you…. If you keep your eyes seeking Me, your hearts will overflow with the blessings of My Kingdom. I Am will manifest to you all you need. Do you believe I Am? This Promise shall be done to you according to your faith…..There are two kingdoms. Your heart will reflect the kingdom you partake. But there is only one kingdom’s Food that fills and never will you hunger or thirst again….
I Am has your path set for you, just for you. If you lack Understanding, ask I Am… I will supply your need. If you lack Wisdom, I Am will supply all your need. If you lack health, I Am will supply your need. If you lack trust, I Am will supply your need so you may grow in the knowledge of I Am.
As we walk, My thoughts will become yours. My ways will become yours. Our Fellowship is found in Heavenly Places.
Open your hands, which is your heart to Me. I Am takes your gaze unto Me with knees knocking….. Trust Me and take My out stretched hand. Those things you hold on to will fail you. I Am promises I Am will not fail you nor leave you through this age or for all eternity…. You must come to Me and leave all behind….. Will you?
I Am wrote to My children in Laodicea. Their ways took after the world’s and not Mine. They were mistaken in their gathering….. I Am is gathering souls and not things. They were not living by My Kingdom, My ways…..Their heart betrayed their walk with Me.
May this way not be found in this generation…..Gathering all souls and hearts are I Am’s concern, let this be found in you..
Please hear and obey My instructions…… All My children are disciples because My children are willing to be taught. Let go what you cling if it is not Me.
The weight of the world’s care will drown your heart…. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
My hand is outstretched now. Will you let go to grab Me? I Am loves you….. My arms are still outstretched to embrace you….. Let go, you will see what wonders you have when you just let go to have Me.
Receive My Love and you will be embraced in freedom of My care…..Receive Me and learn what is your greatest need….. Be it done unto you according to your faith. Come unto Me. I Am calls you daily, listen, My children.
Selah!
When Christ is our all and all, rejoice! We have within all the Riches of God’s Kingdom. His Spirit no one can take away….. nor the gates of hell can prevail against us because He is within…. We are His and He is ours. Rejoice- Get up and spin around before our God…. as He rejoices over His children!
But then as we lay down all and leave all for Him, He has promised us to restore and He does! He trusts us to keep Him the Main Thing in our lives and to continue to serve Him…. because He has a hold of our heart that no one can enter to deceive…..Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions- and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first, ( Mark 10:29-31) .
You can count on the Words of the Word of God, Jesus Christ, because He does deliver all His word as well as you can count on the persecutions from people as the blessings of God comes and lives within! When the Lord is within, His bounty comes all over us and around us and then through us….. He Is Our ALL and in ALL…
Praise His Great Name Forever! Rejoice for the cross and the Promise are working mightily in us!
Selah!
