Wednesday, July 9, 2014

HEAD NOT TAIL


Head Not Tail

Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."  And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:  "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.  Therefore may God give you  Of the dew of heaven,  Of the fatness of the earth,  And plenty of grain and wine.  Let peoples serve you,  And nations bow down to you.  Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you.  Cursed be everyone who curses you,  And blessed be those who bless you!" Genesis 27:29

"And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them." Deuteronomy 28:13

When Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of faith, blessed Jacob, he expressed the will of God for His chosen ones of prosperity, protection and prominence. If God didn’t want His people to have the best in everything, He would not have given them the best His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and His wonderful Counselor, the Holy Spirit. Everything else that God gives His people is only gravy on the table of abundance. If poverty was God’s will for His people He would not delivered and blessed and made head, not tail Naomi and Ruth and He would not have healed Job and restored to him double all his losses! But God’s word is unchanging:

So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. “The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth 2:10-12

Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.” Ruth 3:18

The story of Ruth in the bible is not just the story of two desolate and poverty stricken widows who God Himself gave full rest, refuge, redemption, reward and renown, but a testimony of what God wants to do for each one of His children.  God wants to make each one of His children rich and to bless them mightily in all things. For His word is unchanging:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

God loves His own very deeply. He is not concerned for the future because He knows the future. It is bright and beautiful for those who are His. He is not going to allow anything to come between them and their promised future. He is not fickle or unreliable. He doesn’t change. What He has promised is written in Gold. They are pure like the Ten Commandments He has given to men on tablets of stone. They are unchangeable.  The road of life might be rocky and full of pitfalls but God Himself is on the road with them. His word is unchanging:

“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. “Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.  “But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

“For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. “You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

“So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. “No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

“I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. “And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. Exodus 23:20-28

God has made a covenant with His people to be their God and a God to them. He has made a covenant to be their provider, defender, helper and everything they need. He has promised to abundantly bless and prosper them if they will listen to and obey His voice and walk in His ways. For His word is true:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  “of sin, because they do not believe in Me;  “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  “All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. John 16:7-15

The Helper, the other One, whom Jesus sent in His name will guide them into all truth. He will speak to them what He hears from the Father. He will tell them of things to come. He will glorify Jesus by taking of what belongs to Jesus and sharing it with and giving it God’s true ones. For all that belongs to Father now belong to Jesus and hence they belong to God’s true children.

All of heaven riches and resources are theirs because God, Himself, is their shield, rock, refuge, strength, friend and their exceeding great reward. They are to be of good cheer. For in the world they have tribulation but their brother and friend Jesus Christ has overcome the world. For God’s word is true:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus Christ overcame the worst that the world, the flesh and the devil had thrown at Him. He is literally the Victor and the “more than a conqueror.” As a result all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth including the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty.  For all that is in heaven and in earth is the Lord’s including the kingdom of God and He is exalted as head over all. As God’s word is true:

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,  And His kingdom is from generation to generation.  All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;  He does according to His will in the army of heaven  And among the inhabitants of the earth.  No one can restrain His hand  Or say to Him, “What have You done?” Daniel 4:34-35

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,  The power and the glory,  The victory and the majesty;  For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;  Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,  And You are exalted as head over all.  Both riches and honor come from You,  And You reign over all.  In Your hand is power and might;  In Your hand it is to make great  And to give strength to all.  1 Chronicles 29:11-12

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,  and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:4-6

Jesus Christ is the ruler over the kings of the earth and He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.  All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing and He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.

To Jesus Christ belong the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; as all that is in heaven and in earth is His. Both riches and honor come from Him and in His hand is power and might; to heal, deliver, make great and to give strength to all.  Hence He desires and wills and works to make His trusting ones also the victory and more than the conquerors in all things.

As a result, God’s true ones are not to be concerned about the obstacles in their path. They are to take each one as it comes and do what they do best—stand! They are to take authority over it and persevere until it is out of their path by the Spirit of the Living God. For God’s word is true:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints- Ephesians 6:10-18

The answers of life are not in men’s wisdom or the world’s system. It is not in the abundance of what one possesses. It is in Jesus Christ, His truth and His wisdom and person in one’s spirit. This closer walk with God and His person brings a person into a position of unity with Heaven that is yet untapped and totally miss-understood.

God doesn’t want His teachers and preachers to point to themselves but to God. He wants His sheep to turn to Him and He will give them their marching orders. Then, they will find victory in battle and they will do the right kind of service to Him. They all have a part in His great plan and purposes. Yet, God is left with a weak and hurt people. This will not be forever. He is coming through to strength His people and unite them in a way unprecedented in the history of the church. He has ordained it from the beginning. The church, His body, will learn to learn and hear His voice and follow their true shepherd. This day is coming and all will see it.

But His true ones are not to be shy. They are to ask God what they will and He will do it because He loves them so much. He has promised to do whatsoever they ask in Jesus name. They can come to His throne boldly and He will hear their prayers and He will deal with their concerns. For they have His promises, His person and Him.  Hence they can walk in the assurance of God’s Presence in their life. For as God walked with Noah, Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Elijah, and Jesus so now He walks with them.  God in Christ Jesus has given to us His P’s. The P’s of His presence, promises, person, power, protection, provision, prosperity, providence and promotion:

His Presence - God is always with His own. He has commanded them to be strong and of good courage and not to be afraid, nor be dismayed. For the LORD their God is with them wherever they go and His presence goes with them to give them rest and victory.

His Promises – Every promise and every line in the bible is theirs including that no weapon which is formed against them shall prosper and those who rise against them shall become a nonexistent thing.

His Person - God is a Good God who is for them, with them and not against them. He is on their side no matter what they are facing. There is no searching of His understanding. His ears are open to their prayers and His eyes are upon the righteous to bless them.

His Power – When God’s true ones have His presence, promises and power they can trust Him to use His power for their good in all kinds of circumstances and situations. Just like God did for Jesus on Calvary when He raised Him from the dead, gave Him victory over all His enemies and seated Him at His right hand.

His Protection - God is the shield and exceeding great reward of His true ones, as well as He is their rock, refuge, strength, tower security and inheritance. He will bless and promote His own and He will deliver and honor them.

His Provision
- God has promised to meet and supply all their need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus and He unlike others is able to keep His word.

His Prosperity
– God is not poor or stupid and neither should His children be. He is their security and inheritance and provision in the deserts of life. He is their hiding place! He will move out every mountain and deal with every enemy and dispel every lack in their life. Their prosperity will come upon them as the dawning of a bright and new day. They will not be able to contain their joy and ecstasy at the provision and security He is providing. He will multiply back to them a hundred fold all they have done for Him.

His Providence
- The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and though he fall God will not allow him to stay down but will lift him up.

His Promotion – God has promised that for those who set their love upon Him He will deliver them and set them on high because they have known His name. He has promised to make them head and not tail and above and not beneath. They shall call upon Him and He will answer them. He will be with them in trouble and deliver and honor them. With long life He will satisfy His true ones and show them His salvation.

As a result, the psalmist stated it very well about those who put their trust in God alone and not others for their deliverance:

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry.  The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.  The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous.  The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.  The LORD shall reign forever- Your God, O Zion, to all generations.  Praise the LORD! Psalm 146:5-10

For after all is said and done God has not changed. He still is a miracle working God who gives the best to those who ask Him for the best. He gives His all to those who give Him their all and believe Him for His all. His word does not change to His true ones:

“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them-the children of Israel. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.  “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:2-9

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

WALTER KAMBULOW
EXTRACT FROM Called To Inherit A Blessing
http://walthope.tripod.com/called.htm

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