Someone came to our Friday Bible study and asked Pastor Don about binding and loosing spirits.  What I love about our Bible studies is that when a question comes up Pastor Don is able to speak about it, using the Bible, and at the drop of a hat come up with many scriptures to support the teaching.  I pray that one day I have that kind of Bible knowledge.  It also makes for interesting Bible studies, because there is a spontaneity that occurs when that happens – very energizing.

Pastor Don first quoted from his book Christianese (pp 65-66) You can read this book online here. It will bless you for it defines many of the terms that we use, not realizing that many around us do not understand what they mean. Someone had the book at Bible study, and Pastor Don read the following passage:

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“Exorcism:

A specific event or encounter to accomplish deliverance through spiritual warfare; prayer of binding and loosing, casting out, removal of curses, forgiveness, salvation, recommitment to Christ and covering in the Blood and Name of Jesus. Covering someone means to pray a prayer that dedicates, protects or commits their person to a protector; i.e. Jesus and good angels.

In all of the Gospels, Jesus gives the born again believer the authority and the ability to do spiritual warfare, to deliver people from demonic presences, as well as fight against the forces of darkness. In the Bible this is described as defeating satan, stepping on scorpions, combating the dominion of darkness in high places, prayer warfare, binding and loosing of demons, casting out of demons. All of these terms refer to using prayer and Faith to overcome the actions and work of evil. The book of James tells us, “resist the devil and he will flee”. Further Scriptures point us to the fact that we have been given dominion over the forces of evil. That does not mean us individually, but that the Name of Jesus, His authority, His power, and His angels work in our behalf against evil. His Name brings the absence of fear when confronted with supernatural forces. The Name, coupled with Faith in God’s Word and His promises to us, causes the demonic forces to be defeated. It is a bold statement, but nonetheless true. Demonic forces only have authority over the believer who will yield to their authority and allow himself to be dominated.

The Name of Jesus and the belief in the gifts that Jesus has given to believers is sufficient to withstand the onslaught of the evil one. The Name of Jesus means in the authority, purpose and Person of the Messiah, the Anointed One and His Anointing. The Name used without relationship will not result in a demonstration of power.

***The use of the Name of Jesus identifies a person as having a right to access the Power of God and be a part of what the Spirit of God wants to do.

Therefore, training and detailed study of the Word is necessary to raise a believer’s experience and Faith to the point that he knows how to use the Name of Jesus to protect himself and do spiritual warfare.

This requires learning to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and to move in cooperation with Him. If a believer has his personal sin confessed and the power of the Holy Spirit is present and is moving through him, a demonic force will always be dominated by the believer. Faith in the Name, the power, and the promises of God will not be held hostage to familiar spirits or demonic presence; whether oppressed or possessed.”

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Then we went to the Bible to gain further understanding.

Matthew 16:19 (Jesus speaking)  “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:16  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

Prayer of agreement

Matthew 18:17-20 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. (18)Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (19) Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

Notice it says where 2 or 3 are gathered in MY NAME. Jesus was delivering this message about the Kingdom of Heaven and different aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven.  This was not just limited to ecclesiastical authorities (like priests and pastors) , but this involved everyone in the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is dealing about a spiritual reality, and we want to tie up, bind something so that it makes no effect.  Kind of like you bind up a robber or a murderer so that they can no longer do harm against you. 

What is tied up down here on earth is tied up in heaven.  We receive power in the natural realm from the spiritual realm.

In verse 18 it tells us WE have authority, this is not just clergymen.  The authority of clergymen has no greater authority than our ecclesiastical authority. We can all do this. 

When Jesus left the earth, He gave authority to everyone who said they were a disciple.  Jesus delegated authority to fishermen with no education, regular people who put their shoes and socks on just like us.  Anyone can do what Jesus does if they are a disciple. Anything in earth can be bound up, with spiritual backup.  We bind in the natural, Jesus binds in the spirit. 

We are all addicted to something – TV, stuff, drugs, booze, our sorrow, our desire to criticize, talking, gossiping, chocolate.  If we add to the flesh addiction a supernatural element it becomes a demonic presence.  The physical addiction takes on a whole new dimension.

Pastor Don told us that his wife loves her coffee with whole milk.  If she got to the point where she had to carry her specific brand of coffee, had to bring a cooler with whole milk, the coffee pot she loves to use,  and all of the other things she may want to add to her coffee, she would be bound by this, and unable to freely travel or move around. 

This kind of bondage can happen in all realms of existence.  There are spirits of gambling.  If a man of God stops going to a casino to gamble, if there is a supernatural element to his addiction of gambling, the man may start making risky trades on the stock market, buying penny stocks. This may be legal, but it is still a form of gambling – taking an unnecessary risk. 

We could bind a person on earth, lock them in their room, and throw away the key.  They are going to be frustrated, and even though they are pent up, the spiritual force will still be affecting them.

If we decide to stop smoking, a spiritual force may be there putting temptation in our path and frustration in our path to cause us to “need” to pick up that cigarette.

If we commit to something on earth, but there are problems in keeping that commitment we may have a bad spiritual authority over it. Sometimes we bring a sin to the Lord, but then a negative spiritual force finds a new way of pulling the us down into the same sin.  We live on earth in the flesh. We have to speak God’s Word to our situation.

Romans 4:17  (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.  We need to call those things that do not exist in the flesh as though they did.

Mark 11:22-25 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

We bind on earth if we pronounce it, if we speak it on the earth, we have spiritual authority to bind the force against us.

Matthew 18:18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

You have to bind it and speak it in the NAME OF JESUS.  Your Word and faith releases energy on the earth, and it is bound in Heaven.

We can bind financial stuff. Pastor Don said that if every time we sow a seed (donate or give to help as God directs) if you keep getting choked financially, or if your financial solutions or jobs do not produce financial freedom, it may be that something is holding back your blessings.  We need to examine our sin walk.  Examine our faith to believe that we have authority to say to the devil, loose my blessings.  What is loosed on earth is loosed in Heaven.  You need to tell the devil to take his hands off of God’s property.  God loosens in Heaven and tells the devourer to leave your finances alone.

Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”

Someone asked about praying in agreement, and what happens if you are alone with no one to pray in agreement with you.   Pastor Don said that we can be in agreement with the Holy Spirit.  And when we pray, when we are in agreement in prayer with others and the Holy Spirit – where 2 are on earth agree, it will be done for them. We can pray in agreement with the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Don pointed out that we need to know what the person is praying or believing for, because to be in agreement you need to agree.  If you are not in agreement, how can you pray the prayer of agreement.  Sometimes husbands and wives are not in agreement. 

Pastor Don then told the women in the Bible study a bit about men and women’s temperaments.  He told us that women want to be heard (men are not to comment, just listen attentively).  And men want to be respected.  He then had us laughing when he said ask your husband, “Honey, what do you think?  How can I do this?”  He then told us we have to give our husbands respect and listen to their opinions.  Men want their opinions heard. He told us not to disagree after your husband expresses his opinion.  He knows what He is speaking about for after that we congratulated him on his 39th wedding anniversary which was August 15.

God repeats himself in verse 19 – talking about agreeing on earth.  God doesn’t say something more than once if it isn’t important to Him.

Matthew 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

When two or three are in agreement on earth, gathered in Jesus’ name, then He is in the midst of them.  The Holy Spirit will not bother correcting the situation if people are not in agreement.  Pastor Don then told us that even if the wife is 100% right, she can be 100% wrong.

1 John 5:14-15  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

The key is that we have to ask in HIS WILL. According to the will of God, and then we know He hears us and that we have those petitions.

We want to align ourselves with God’s will for our lives, for that is the best for us.  God knows the whole situation.  God is sovereign, and only God has the vantage point to see the whole puzzle.  God has the whole picture, we only see certain pieces.  Things may not turn out the way you think they should, but God sees the whole picture, and He is working out something more than we can perceive. 

Pastor Don gave an example of seeing someone who is homeless, and praying that God intervenes in their case.  But we don’t know the whole picture.  Sometimes someone has to hit bottom, to be totally destitute, to have nothing so that they realize that they NEED GOD.  And God may permit the tough times just so the person gets what is the better thing, the relationship with God.

Another example is someone who realizes that jobs are scarce in Kingston, and think that they have to move to another city to survive.  But if we stay were God wants us to be, and if that is Kingston, even though jobs are scarce, God will prosper us.  We can become richer than ever, but it may not always be monetary riches.

We bind and loose on earth.

Then Pastor Don gave us another situation of binding and loosing in a different context.

Matthew 16:16  Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Simon Peter is given the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Only God could have given Jesus that revelation.

Matthew 16:18-19 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

If Peter gets this revelation that Jesus is the Christ, he did not get it from earth, God only knew that secret in the spiritual, but it wasn’t realized on the earth until God showed it to Peter.

What is bound on earth will be bound in heaven.  Where is heaven?  Anything above your head is heaven.

So we need something to unlock the power of heaven, the prayer of binding and loosing.

Matthew 16:20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

They are to tell no one the secret to what the key is. The Key is who is He? In this Jesus was talking to the DISCIPLES, not just the Apostles, and not just Peter, but to all the disciples or else verse 20 would not be there.

Who do we know is the authority of who binds and looses and steps into spiritual authority?

Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

He gave the keys to the kingdom to his disciples. If the Church is built on Peter, then it was not a firm foundation because Peter still made major mistakes.

Matthew 16:22-23  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”  But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

The church would be built on weak shoulders, for Peter was listening to satan and his opinions, rather than God’s will.

Matthew 16:17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Peter had the revelation of who Christ is before anyone, the Father revealed the truth to Peter.  This truth belongs to everyone, but we can only access it by faith and the NAME OF JESUS.

Our Bible study was over way too soon, we never got to Hebrews, but this answer was a blessing.

Have a great week!

Heather

Apostle Lafayette Scales

Pastor Scales and his wife – Theresa.

Pastor Scales brought us back to Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvelous things!

We had many in attendance who were not there the prior night, so Pastor Scales reviewed what he taught last night. He reminded us that this prophesy of Joel was meant to inspire the Southern Kingdom before they were brought into captivity.  To let them know that their captivity would be 70 years, and if they repented they would be brought back into the land. The people had been resorting to idolatry, mistreatment of the poor, and lack of obedience to God.  Because of that, God brought a warning to the people in the form of a swarm of locusts. These locusts ate up first all the grass and green stuff, then the next swarm ate the roots and the stalks down to the roots, and then another swarm ate up all the roots.  The land was in total desolation.  They were given a word of God.

Joel 2:21-22 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;  for the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit;  the fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

Notice that God tells the people twice to not be afraid. 

Joel 2:23-26 Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust,  and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. 

Praise!

Joel 27-29 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;  your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,  your young men shall see visions.  And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

Joel prophesies a day of restoration.  GOD NEVER SENDS A NATION INTO CAPTIVITY OR TRIALS WITHOUT A PROPHETIC WORD TO KEEP THE PEOPLE STABLE. Trials don’t last, but people do. The people will come through this as restored individuals and a restored nation.

Restoration is the return of something back to God’s original intent.  This is not only for a person’s own life, but for everybody in the Nation of Israel. 

Babylon held many of the Israelites captive.  One of the kings, Belshazzar was disrespectfully using the temple utensils for a party in Babylon, when God wrote on the wall. No one could interpret the writing except Daniel, and the message was: Daniel 5:25-28 “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEK: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

In one night the Medes and Persians came and overran Babylon.  The Israelites were still in captivity but Daniel was counting the time and the 70 years had passed.  Daniel prayed to God, telling God that the time is up. 

God is a God of circumstances and works in history – HIS STORY. God’s dealing with mankind, events, circumstances, and conditions reveal a supernatural God. 

God restores, which means brings back to use.  Former things are brought back into the original state that God intended.  God restores marriages – making them healthier and happier than before the break.  If you are bankrupt, God can restore your finances.  If your finances don’t meet your need, it must be your seed – sow your seed to reap a harvest.

Pastor Scales told us that often we have no problem believing for salvation and forgiveness for sins, but think it is too difficult for God to deal in our other circumstances.  Yet it is no harder for Him to deliver us from our sins than it is for Him to deliver us from financial difficulty. His church is an economically diverse church.  He told us that one day one of his members had only a dollar in her purse, and she sowed that last dollar as a seed (something no one in the church knew), praying to God for her needs.  One of the members of Pastor Scales’ church came up to him later and anonymously asked Pastor Scales to give this woman money anonymously, a check for $8,000 dollars.  The man told Pastor Scales that that woman always greeted people with a smile and that God had asked him to give her this money.  That Wednesday she went to church, and Pastor Scales called her to the office, giving her the check. She whooped and hollered and couldn’t wait to get to the sanctuary to share her good fortune and it was then that the people learned that she had given her last dollar on Sunday.  Pastor Scales told us that from that point on people were very friendly, smiling at each other. 

He told us that we need to treat everybody in church as if they are somebody. For they are, and we never know how God might help us through them.

(Heather’s comment:  if you are in Columbus, Ohio, you can go to Pastor Scale’s church.  He is the Pastor of Rhema Christian Center when I went to this site I noticed that there are study notes from previous sermons – I want to go back and explore this surprise blessing!)

How does God restore?

He wants to pick us up and clean us off.   Fix something so that it never needs to be mended again – marriages, finances, relationships, possessions, etc.

Restore what was broken or rent. Restore means to make something what it ought to be – we often want things better for our kids than we had when we were growing up. When things are fractured, God can mend the broken bits and God makes it according to His original plan for us. It is better than before we were broken.

Restoration is making something fully ready for service.  Restoration repairs something broken– family, finances, relationships, career, reputations, etc. 

Pastor Scales told us that only the broken are masters at mending. He gave as an example an athlete who hurt his ankle during a game, one of the coaches came out and grabbed the ankle, causing the athlete to scream in pain.  The head coach came out and said, let me help him, I have hurt my ankle before.  The head coach was so gentle that he did not cause more pain or damage to the ankle for he knew how to handle it.

Galatians 6:1  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Pastor Scales told us that God wants to restore people when they have been spiritually broken, or caught up in sin.

When you have been broken in an area you tend to handle broken people better than in areas where you weren’t broken.  You handle people differently for brokenness produces compassion. You how how it feels to have been abused, separated, having the devil mess with you.  You don’t blame a person, you realize that they acted ignorantly or made bad choices.  We were broken once because of our own bad choices.

Pastor Scales reminded us that at one time he had trouble with his finances, and his pastor reminded him to tithe to establish a covenant with God. At that time if he had used all of his income he could not meet his bills, so he decided what did it matter if he took 10% to tithe to God.  God challenges people in Malachi to test and prove God in the matter of tithes. He does not tell us to test him in other areas, but in the tithe we can.  Offerings are over and above the tithe.  When we tithe it lets God into our finances.  It is remarkable how when you give out to God in obedience, how he brings finances back in.

Then Pastor Scales showed us some pictures of restoration in the Bible.

Genesis 14:14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

Abraham and Lot were related, but there was not enough land to sustain the two groups in one spot, so Lot and Abraham separated.  After the separation kings came together and overran the area of Sodom where Lot chose to set up camp.  The kings took everyone captive.

How many of us realize that our kingdom is overrun by kings?  Kings like drugs, crime, etc.  When Kings overrun our communities everyone suffers.  They take our area captive.  This is not right and we need to go and get our communities back.

Pastor Scales called all the men in the congregation forward to the altar. He then said this was like what Abraham did, calling forward 318 trained servants.  What would happen if all the brothers in the church gathered together and went and made their presence known in a community.  If the sanctified and partially sanctified went forth. 

We were laughing when Pastor Scales told us what a partially sanctified person was.  His example was how one of the sisters in the church brought her unsaved boyfriend to church with her.  Pastor Scales did not know that this person was in the congregation, but his sermon had to do with shacking up with others, and her boyfriend thought Pastor Scales and his girlfriend had worked this out among themselves and he was the target.  It was not helped by the girlfriend shouting, “Preach it pastor” at telling points.  After the service the man came forward and started to get into Pastor Scales’ face, and Pastor Scales did not back down.  After awhile some of the men came forward to encourage the enraged man to leave the church, asking if Pastor Scales wanted them to do something more to protect him.  Pastor Scales used that as a teaching moment of how not to respond with rough stuff in God’s Kingdom.

He told the men at the altar, we want restoration and at times we need to fight for it as men.  Women want a romantic warrior like David. David could romance God, worship, be gentle and kind, and still take down Goliath. 

He told the men that sometimes we just need to show up.  Can you imagine 318 men in Kingston and the surrounding area showing up – perhaps all dressed in black – men in black. This would have presence in the community.  He is talking about taking back and restoring.  This is similar to what Abraham did.

Abraham got all his men together and managed to restore and retrieve all that was stolen, and they received even more. Abraham had contact with the first priest mentioned in the Bible, Melchizedek. Hebrews 7 tells about that.  (Heather’s note, Pastor Don taught extensively about that in our Friday Bible studies. Here is the first of the studies.)

This was a social justice issue that Melchizedek was ministering to.  He came to Abraham with bread and wine in hand and Abraham tithed to him.  This Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek was the priesthood Jesus ministered from.  Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi or descended from Aaron.  He was of the tribe of Judah, a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.  He was not a priest of the tabernacle. He was not a priest of the Temple.  He was not a priest of the synagogue.  He was not a priest of the cathedral.  He was not a priest of the church.  He was another kind of priest, a priest of the community.  When you read the scriptures you will find that Jesus did not do many miracles in the Temple or Synagogue.  He did many of his miracles out in the community, changing water to wine, the woman with the issue of blood, blind people healed, demon possessed people freed, leprous people healed. He was a priest in the community. 

Some things never change in the community until we take the priesthood from Melchizedek into the community.  We bring Jesus to bear on drugs, the occult, false religion.  If we are miseducated (not taught correctly), no education (people refuse to learn) and under educated (people not challenged to their full capacity – for example if people get labeled early, and become stigmatized by the label. Pastor Scales told us that all children can learn, but not all children can learn the same way.  We often use a Greek model of teaching, but not all children respond to that. Some people are audio oriented, others are visual, and some are hands-on learners.  Pastor Scales told us that he learns best by kinesthetic learning.  He needs to use all of his senses to learn something.  So learning was harder for him until he learned his style – then he realized that he had to sit at the front of the class so he could see, take copious notes, and use other helps to get him to learn.  He had to work very hard to just earn a “B”, but once he realized his learning style his grades improved.  He said that one advantage of kinesthetic learning is that when you learn something, you learn it for good.

Jesus used kinesthetic learning to teach us about him.  In the book of John we see that people saw, heard and handled Jesus.  Praise God that Jesus teaches us kinesthetically.

God can restore our community. The men of our congregation were prayed for and sent back to their seats.

God can restore our possessions – sometimes we seem to work very hard and get less.

Genesis 15:13-14 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

God prophesied to Abraham that his descendants would be four centuries held captive, but then God would bring them out of captivity with possessions.

GOD WILL NOT LET YOU GO THROUGH TOUGH TIMES WITHOUT A PROPHETIC WORD.

Pastor Scales told us that we all know the Exodus story or have seen the movie so he would bring us to a scripture that details this.

Psalms 105:37 He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.

He told us that we know the story and then proceeded to delight us with a rendition of it – I wish you could hear it.  I suspect if you wanted to you could call Living Word Chapel (see link on left) and order a CD of the teaching, it would be well worth your effort.

The people would leave Egypt, after 400 years of slavery with silver and gold, AND there would be NO FEEBLE ONES, no weak or sick ones.

After Joseph died a pharaoh came into power that did not know the great works that Joseph did for Egypt.  The people grew in size from 70 to well over a million.  The Egyptians were afraid that there would be an uprising, so they started making the Israelite’s lives difficult.   At that time Pharaoh wanted to have all male babies killed.  Moses was born and his mom put him in an ark (like Noah was in an ark) and Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, brought into Pharaoh’s house and God arranged for Moses’ mom to be paid to nurse him. He was able to learn the laws and history of the Hebrews.  As he grew older he wanted to see the people free.  He ends up killing a slavemaster who was beating one of the Israelite slaves – this caused him to flee to the wilderness, and he spent 40 years in the Midian desert.  When the time God prophesied had passed, Moses was called out of the wilderness, and God sent great persecutions on the Israelites.  The people would be sent out with great possessions.  They ultimately had to take a lamb and put blood on their doorposts and lintels (making a cross) and it represented the bloodspots on Jesus – his head, hands and feet.  Death passed over.

Then God told Moses to tell all the women to collect gold, silver, and valuable things like fabrics. Pastor Scales told us that it was good that he sent out the women because women knew the difference between diamonds and cubic zirconia.  Women know how to shop, men know how to hunt.  Men, when they go to a mall hunt the seek their prey (item), kill it, pay for it and drag it out.  When women shop, they don’t mind going up and down the aisles and the stores, shopping for things.  So the women were a natural here. 

These people were slaves for 400 years, and God was able to – IN ONE NIGHT- restore their finances.

The Egyptians had no right to enslave the people, set them free, and say we are straight now.  They owed the Israelites their wages, so the Israelites left loaded down with stuff.  At first Pharaoh was happy the Israelites were leaving, but then he noticed that much stuff was gone, and he quickly swapped grieving for his dead son to anger and a desire for revenge.  God then performed many miracles, splitting the Red Sea and drowning Pharaoh’s army. 

Miriam said that it was time for a worship conference, she and the women danced.  Moses, who told God he stuttered, was able to sing and dance and worship God.

Is restoration possible for today?  In or life and time governments have restored things to people. Pastor Scales reminded us of the Japanese who were interred in war camps just because they were Japanese, and 120,000 of these detainees were awarded $100,000 each for their denied freedom and and inconvenience and loss of property. The government paid reparations.

The European Jews received a settlement from Germany called the Luxembourg settlement, and the world court went against Germany to win reparations for the European Jews. The Holocaust survivors received reparations and money in response for the suffering they and their families received.  Germans are still paying back for World War II, there are so many Mercede’s cars in Israel because low rates for the purchase of these cars is part of war reparations.

American leaders made 120 treaties with the Navajo, and broke them all. Today Navajo families get checks from the Department of Indian affairs in reparation for the broken treaties and stolen land.

Why do you think it is impossible for your God to restore what has been stolen from you? In the Old Testament the Israelites were told that they had to pay back 7 fold what they stole.  God can bring back what was taken from us with interest.

Israel was paid in one day for 400 years of servitude.

In Christ we are Abraham’s seed and heirs of the Promise of God.

1 Samuel 30:1  Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire,

David returns to Ziklag on the third day, to find the city burned with fire.

1 Samuel 30:2  and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.

their women, children, and possessions were taken captive by the enemy.

1 Samuel 30:3-4 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Pastor Scales asked us if we ever were in a situation where we cried until there were no more tears.  Most everyone raised their hands.

1 Samuel 30:5-6 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

When the devil attacks, he wants to kill the leader.  David was a shepherd, and satan caused David to be greatly distressed.  Sometimes when we face our stuff, we feel like we have to face it alone – as David did at this stage.  What we need to do is learn to encourage ourselves when we are alone. 

Pastor Scales said that one day in church he was having the members tell each other how good they looked.  After the service one woman was crying because she told him that she was alone at home and there was no one to tell her how good she looked at home. He told her that she had a mirror and that she could tell herself that she looks great, tell herself, “You’re looking good girl. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, a marvelous Work of the Lord.”  He then told us that we are not fat – fluffy- so admire your fluffy self in the mirror.  He told us if we are upset we are big, lose the weight, if we can’t lose it, then flaunt it.  We have to learn how to encourage ourselves when things are tough or we are depressed.

1 Samuel 30:7-8 (8 is the Key verse)  Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”  And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

RECOVER ALL!!! There are times when we need to pursue the enemy and recover our sons, daughters, spouses.  To get up and fight for our family.  We do not want the devil to have our sons or daughters.  They may be pursing sin for a season, but not for life.

God tells us that we need to PRAY. Pastor Scales told us that one mom in his congregation had a son in college who was beginning to hang with the wrong crowd drinking and taking drugs.  She kept praying and and although the child was not wanting anything to do with God at the time, the Holy Spirit picked him up (at a distance – the mom was in another city across the country) and slammed him against the wall, he hit the floor talking in tongues.  When this happened, the boy was at a party with his friends, smoking drugs and drinking.  The tongue talking and spirit filled words would not stop coming out of his mouth, and it was interfering with the “fun” of the party. His friends kept trying to get him to quit speaking out in tongues, and eventually took him bodily out of the party and deposited him in his dorm room.  After two days of being ministered to by the Spirit, he came out totally changed.  His mom’s prayer changed his life.

Sometimes we are at our Ziklags and God can make a move of God.

Pastor Scales thinks that when Paul was knocked off his animal the Holy Spirit was not all that gentle.  We are to never give up, keep praying until something happens.

P – pray
U – until
S – something
H – happens

P – Proclaim
U – until
S – something
H – happens

P – Praise
U – until
S – something
H – happens.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. God’s Word will not return void.

Psalm 138:2   I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
God puts His Word above His Name.

Our prayers, praise and the Word brings the Word from the Spirit realm to the earthly realm.  God can blow the dust off our marriage vows and bring joy and happiness back in the relationship.

Believe God. Prophesy the Word.  Speak to those dead bones like Ezekiel did – let them come back – add flesh to them, life, God can restore them.  He can restore families, marriages, finances, people who got caught in sin, reputations. 

David pursued the enemy and recovered EVERYTHING. Even the men who stayed in camp to protect their stuff shared equally with the spoils. Everybody shares in a season of restoration.  Everybody gets to put on victory.  We may not be the best intercessor or prayer warrior, or warrior, but we can still tap into the season of restoration, restoration of our finances, relationships, possessions, families. God can even repair our name.  God can turn around our situations. 

Joel tells us in Joel 2:25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you.”

God can restore the years that the locusts ate. God restores us not only in the Spirit, but in the natural.  Have faith, God is on High, no matter what the circumstances look like God can restore.  He can make us shine.

We then prayed.  After that Pastor Don spoke so powerfully. He told us that there were many in the room that still had trouble believing in God’s restoration.  We stood quietly, soaking in the truth, and applying it to our lives, letting the Holy Spirit minister to us. I have to be honest and tell you that this was a powerful word in season for me, and touched on an area that I still struggle with.  But God shaved off another layer of unbelief from me, and touched me profoundly.

I sure hope that one day you can hear Pastor Scales preach in a church near you – trust me in this, it is well worth going to hear his teaching.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by pastors who love the Bible, share that love, and teach the whole Word of God. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Heather

Pastor Scales wanted us to turn to the book of Joel.  He told us Joel was a minor prophet with a major lesson for this time and season.

You need to know that Pastor Scales had us laughing through the teaching, he has a wonderful sense of humor.  He said that when we get to Heaven Joel is going to ask us, “Did you read my book?”  And now we can say, yes a few verses of it.

To set the stage for Joel, Pastor Scales told us that the Nation of Israel was divided between two kingdoms the Southern Kingdom – Judah, and the Northern Kingdom.  Both nations set up kings and both nations sinned against God.  There were prophesies given to the kings of both of the kingdoms.  We could use a good prophet today to speak to the leaders of our countries, to bring a Word of the Lord to our leaders.  God used prophets to speak not only to Israel, but also to people from nations that surrounded Israel.  God wanted them to stop idolatry, injustice, and opposing God’s laws.

Not only did prophets bring a Word of the Lord, some spoke of the coming Messiah.  Some spoke, others like Ezekiel were demonstrative prophets, acting out what God wanted to show the nation of Israel.

In 722 BC the Assyrians brought the Northern Kingdom into captivity, the Southern Kingdom held out a little longer. Joel spoke prophesies to the Southern Kingdom. Jerusalem was the center of Worship for Israel, yet there was idolatry in the nation, in the priesthood and in the temple.  The people oppressed the poor.  They violated moral and ceremonial laws.  Joel told the people that they would go into captivity, but if they repented, that their captivity would only last 70 years and God would bring them back to their land.

With that background information, Pastor Scales led us to

Joel 2:21  Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvelous things!

This is a remarkable prophesy because this comes after Israel has suffered from locusts that came to the land and ate all the green plants, the bark, the stems, the roots, and the land was barren. And in the face of this plague of locusts, God’s judgement on the land, Joel tells the people to fear not.  Judgment does not come all at once, all of a sudden.  But in stages.  We see indications of the coming judgment, for example the economy failing, the families falling apart, nothing we do works any more, little nations overwhelm our nation.  The prophets in our land say that hard times are coming.

And yet, Joel tells us to fear not.  Even though these things are occurring, we are not to fear.

Joel 2:21-22  Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; for the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

Even though the circumstances show the land barren, Joel tells the people to be glad and rejoice, for open pastures are springing up. All the destruction happened, the people deserved it, and yet God is establishing the restoration of the land. Even with the curse of Judgment, the people of God need not fear. 

There was judgment in Egypt, while it was dark in Egypt, there was light in Goshen. When the water turned to blood, the people had water.  And then God delivered the Israelites with blood. God will preserve us through this.  We have a BIG GOD. In the midst of destruction, we can make it!!!

Pastor Scales told us that he was born in 1951, and his parents lived through the time of the Great Depression.  He talked about commodity foods – powdered eggs, and meat in a can (wasn’t sure what the meat was, but it was all purpose, could be cooked many ways or eaten cold), and navy beans that you had to soak in order to eat – cooking them with ham hocks. He talked about how as kids they were never hungry, and when company came over there was always enough to eat of this simple fare.  It wasn’t until Pastor Scales went to visit friends in the suburbs and saw what they served, that he realized that they were po’.  He said that they were not poor – they couldn’t afford the last two letters, they were po’. But God provided enough, helped to break the loaves and fishes to stretch the food.

The Word is in our mouth – Fear not.

Pastor Scales went to Africa, around the time of Apartheid, and spoke with a local pastor.  The pastor had a piece of land, and said that God was going to give him a church building.  He described the building to Pastor Scales, and at the time the land was cleared and there was a huge tent for the members of the congregation to meet.  Pastor Scales could see the building as the pastor talked.  His sermon was going to be Genesis 1 – and all the Holy Spirit would let Pastor Scales say, was “In the beginning —–God.”  The Holy Spirit did not let Pastor Scales say more, so for about 20 times he said, “In the beginning —-God.”  People started anticipating this, so Pastor Scales would say, “In the beginning….”  and the people would say, “God!”  After awhile, he said that before there was anything, there was God.  And if you have God, you have everything. 

Joel told the people, fear not, your empty valley will spring up leaves, grass, bark, and roots.  There is hope for the future. Joel spoke of the valleys blossoming, even when circumstances did not show that.  We are told not to fear.  Faith neutralizes fear.  Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Our faith can see things that are not even there.  No matter how crazy or devastating it looks, we can see a day beyond this.  As BELIEVERS we ought to BELIEVE.

Pastor Scales told us that one day he got on a plane on a cloudy and overcast day, and as the plane rose in the sky, getting over the cloud cover, the sun was shining. There is sun behind the clouds.

Faith will paralyze fear. Fear is:

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real.

God is with us,

Joel 2:23-24 Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

When things are tough, you can still rejoice, sing and praise God. Even in the dry and lean times you can praise God.  Pastor Scales told us about how he came down with the disease sarcoidosis many years ago, and was hospitalized in great pain. At that time Hosanna Music came out with a CD that had the song “Give Thanks.”  Pastor Scales laid in the hospital room listening to this song and singing, raising his hands and praising God through he pain:

“Give thanks with a grateful heart,
   Give thanks to the Holy One,
Give thanks because He’s given 
      Jesus Christ His Son.

And now let the weak say “I am strong.”
   Let the poor say “I am rich.”
Because of what the Lord has done for us
Give thanks”

He was pumping music into his head, kept singing and rejoicing and praising God.  Sometimes you can cry through your thing, walk through your thing, or sing through your thing.

He also sang the song, “His eye is on the sparrow.”

“I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.”

God is God and he never changes.  He is with us in our situation. He is master of our circumstances, He is worthy of our praise.  We need to believe those things not seen.  He (God) is worthy! Yes, we can hurt, cry, get mad at our circumstances. When people would ask Pastor Scales about his situation, he would say, “This stinks but I trust the Lord.” God never wastes an opportunity to teach us.

In the Garden, after the disciples were sleeping, when the guards came for Jesus, Peter cut off the servant’s ear.  Jesus used that as a teaching moment, “We don’t cut off peoples ears in the Kingdom of God.”  When things are good He teaches us, when we are under pressure, He teaches us, when we are in pain He teaches us, when we mess up He teaches us.

Pastor Scales told us that when he is going through a situation he asks God to teach him what God wants him to learn so that he does not have to go through the situation again. Let’s get an A on the lesson, and then God can bring us to the place that God wants us to go. 

Sometimes when we mess up we do not feel like coming to the House of God, but we want to run away.  We really should run to the House of God, and not fall prey to the nay sayers.

Job’s friends were not prepared for the devastation that Job faced.  When they came to visit Job they sat for a whole week and said nothing.  When they opened their mouths they did not have the right words to say.  Job, in the midst of his distress declared, “I know my redeemer lives.” 

Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah  `

Joel 2:25 “ So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you.”

The people would go into captivity, yet God would restore what had been lost.  Our God is a God of Restoration, and He would bring the land back to it’s fullness. He can restore marriages, family, friends, children, our identity, those circumstances where people have spread false rumors about us. He can restore what was lost. He can make us as we are supposed to be.

Pastor Scales told us about how in his town there is a club that goes to junk yards and buys old cars and restores them.  They put in restored auto parts and spruce up the cars, and later gather at places and open up the hoods of the cars and sit and admire the cars.  Sometimes the cars that are restored are worth more than when the car came out of the factory.

When God restores you, you have more value than you had in the beginning, more worth.

People will see that you have changed from what you were a few weeks, months, or years ago.  Don’t give up on a church or on a member who is going through tough stuff.  God can restore.

It is a day of restoration.  God can fix you up and return you to where you should be.  He can straighten out all things from your name, to your reputation, your stuff, your contracts.  After we let go, God restores.  He can fix us up, and renew us.

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

He can restore our joy.  If there is trouble in our marriages or relationships, God can restore them, and return joy.  We, like David, can pray that God restore to us the joy of our salvation.  God is committed to restore relationships. We can come to God in prayer and He will help us to restore Joy even in a fractured relationship.  God wants to restore relationships with Himself and with others. 

Pastor Scales told us a joke about a man who was sick.  His wife brought him to the doctor, and the doctor told the wife in private that her husband would die unless she cooked him three wonderful meals a day and had passionate love for her husband.  The husband, on the trip home from the doctor, asked the wife what the doctor said, and she said, “You are going to die.”

God can restore relationships, bring back the laughs and the good times.  Joel prophesied that even though they deserved the consequences they received, God would restore.   God promised to restore David.  God will restore relationships.

You may have done crazy things and offended everybody, but God can still restore joy, the fullness of joy.

Proverbs 6:31 Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; he may have to give up all the substance of his house. 

God wants His worship atmosphere to be pure.  In the Old Testament, when someone stole  from another, not only did they have to repent and restore what was stolen, they had to return the stolen thing and pay a penalty – 7 fold. God made many of the rules to keep the worship atmosphere right and pure.  When people are stealing it violates the other person, and then there is tension instead of a good worship atmosphere. God wanted to restore right relationships with the people. 

Pastor Forte said that this is the day when you need to ask God, “I want my stuff back plus a penalty.” Justice is a principle of God.

He told us that people were borrowing his books and CDs and not returning them. One Sunday he preached about the 7 fold restoration and told the people that if you have borrowed something from someone and kept it a long time, you owe the person the return of the item and a gift card.  People thought Pastor Scales was looking at them, but over the next few weeks he received many of his books and CD’s back with gift certificates.  And all over the church people were returning tools and things to other members with gift certificates.

He told us that it is hard to worship and reach the third Heaven when you are harboring resentment because someone borrowed your chain saw and did not return it, or borrowed an item and kept it.  God is committed to restoring property, and when people keep your stuff it interferes with the worship atmosphere. Leviticus and other books in the Old Testament have many statutes and laws that have the real purpose of keeping worship pure.

Joel 2:25  “ So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you.” 

God will restore the years that the locust ate, God will restore everything and anything.

EVENTS – things that suddenly come up.
CONDITIONS – a lingering kind of situation
CIRCUMSTANCES – things and thoughts that you thought you were through with, but they keep coming back again and again.

Pastor Scales told us that years ago he got into economic debt and prayed to God to remove that debt. God told him that he did not get into that debt overnight, and that if God quickly removed the debt that Pastor Scales would only go back into debt.  Instead God gave Pastor Scales a plan, to list all debts from the largest to the smallest and to stop buying things.  Then Pastor Scales was to throw all his extra money at the smallest debt, when that was paid to use the leftover money to tackle the next smallest debt. He talked about a sofa that they had that all the stuffing was falling out of it, and they threw a cover over it, fake it until you make it.  In the midst of paying off the debts, at one point Pastor Scales asked God how long this would last.  But over time, they were doubling and tripling payments. 

God can restore, even the stuff we created ourselves.  As they began to end their debts, then things started falling apart in and around their house and car. Tires would burst and need to be plugged, then they needed new tires.  A water heater sprang a leak, and then the furnace died.  Pastor Scales thought the devil was loose in his house.  When the repairman came to fix the furnace, he asked Pastor Scales how old the furnace was – it was 25 years old, and a furnace is only supposed to last about 15 years.  So God had sustained the furnace 10 extra years.  It was a blessing of God that things outlasted their warranty. We need to praise God for things that outlast their warranties.  He then asked the congregation how many of us have things that have outlasted their warranties – microwaves with dials instead of buttons, old TV’s with coat hanger antennae, etc.

God can restore cash, confidence, credibility, reputation, stuff that we messed up and brought onto ourselves.

God is committed to restoring family, relationships (parents, kids, relatives, husband, etc), crazy folks in the family.  He said that crazy folk do crazy things.  Pastor Scales has some crazy folk in his family and on Labor Day he invited them to his house.  Some of them do not want to have anything to do with God.  He doesn’t preach at them, but God shines through him to touch their lives.  Once he caught someone smoking herb, and when they saw him they put it behind their back.  Pastor Scales wanted to know how long they would keep it there, so he kept talking to them until they shook their hand in pain as the herb burnt their fingers.

He then told us that if we do not invite these people into our lives (wisely – not inviting a pedophile to sleep in his house with his teenage daughter), how can they be touched with God?

God can restore your health.  When Pastor Scale had sarcoidosis, he had symptoms from 1985-1988.  After that he was completely healed.  Once God restored his health the condition never came back. 

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

God can restore people completely, even if they have committed moral, legal, ethical, and sinful failure.  The Sprit can help to restore a person, fix the person up so that they can complete God’s original intent for them, and restore them as a possession in the House of the Lord.

Pastor Scales told us about a church member who Pastor Scales had to speak a word of correction to.  The person, as many people do when they receive correction, did not take the correction well and left the church in anger.  They never came back. One day Pastor Scales was pumping gas into his car and he saw that person.  The person had a bottle of beer in his hand. Pastor Scales looked beyond the beer, and said to the person, “We miss you. We need you.”  The person came back to church, and sat in the back of the church, racing out after the benediction.  The next week they sat closer to the front, still racing out.  The third week they returned, and went forward for prayer.  The prayer team loved on him and prayed for him.  Later the person told Pastor Scales that he could not get his words out of his mind, “We need you.”

You never know when you are given a word by God to share with someone – it may not even be a Word from the Bible, but a loving sentence can restore people who need restoration.

Peter three times denied Jesus, cut off the servant’s year.  He later decided that he was disqualified for ministry and went back to fishing. He wasn’t that great of a fisherman, needing Jesus to tell him where to place the net.  Jesus came back and said,

John 21:15-17  So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”  He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”  He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Peter denied Jesus three times, and Jesus three times restored him, and put him into ministry.

God wants people to be restored.

Ask God to put the right words in your mouth when you see a brother or sister who has left the church – ask God to put words of restoration into your mouth. And love those who so desperately need loved back into the church.

Joel promised Joel 2:25a  So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten….

Pastor Scales said that this is a season of restoration and he prayed for those in the church who needed restoration in their lives in any area.

What a blessing this teaching was.  I pray for all of you who need restoration.  God can restore all.

Have a blessed day!

Heather

According to Webster’s dictionary the word “purpose” is defined as: 1. something (as a result) or 2. resolution (verb).  In Roget’s Thesaurus the noun, “purpose” is listed as intention, determination, resolution, resolve, end, aim, view. As defined in Vines’ purpose is “boulema” (Greek) which means a purpose or will. It is akin to “boulinai” to will, wish, purpose.  A deliberate intention.  This word occurs in Acts 27:43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, (purpose), and also in Romans 9:19 (will) You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”  and (desire) 1 Peter 4:3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

Juma then looked up pose (n) Posture, aspect, figure (Rogets Thesaurus)  And in Websters. it means 1. Assume a posture, 2. sustain a posture, and purpose.  This word was not found in Vines.

Basic – stand as a statue or a model.

Com-pose – to create or put together.

Pur-posed – God purposed man before the foundation of the earth, in the spiritual realm in Genesis 1:27-31 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. This happened on the 6th day.

Genesis 2:1-7 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

When you set out to build a house, before you lay the foundation, you have a plan for the house, a picture in your mind of what you want to build.  Then you draw an architectural drawing of each stage – the foundation, walls, windows, etc.  It takes thought, and the plans need to be well thought out. 

God had a picture of man prior to creation.  Then He went about creating man in His image.  Genesis 2 give more details about the creation of man.  And breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:18-25 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.  So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said:  “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The woman (help meet) was of one flesh. Male and female was created by God in the unseen, spirit realm.  God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul (in the flesh).  God imposed him on the earth. Impose is a verb that means according to Websters 1. establish as compulsory and 2. Take unwarranted advantage of burden, inflict, take advantage of, palm off.

God had purpose before the foundation of the earth, before the earth was created and the rest of the things on the earth were created, God saw man.  He saw male and female in the Spirit.  Then man was in the flesh without woman, and God imposed, established as compulsory man and woman.

When satan came into the Garden of Eden (the first Heaven on earth), it caused man to be deposed.  According to Websters, Depose means to remove (a ruler from office), the Thesaurus mentions uncrown, unseat, oust.

Genesis 3:1-24 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”  Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”  So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”  And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”  Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”  And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”  The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  So the LORD God said to the serpent:  “Because you have done this,  you are cursed more than all cattle,  and more than every beast of the field;  on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed;  He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”  To the woman He said:  “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake;  in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”  And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.  Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Death enters, Juma prayed:  ”Thank you Lord for our Savior Jesus Christ, through whom we are born again, and thank you for a picture of the finished product of your purpose for mankind.”

When Eve listened to the lies of satan and ate from the tree of knowledge this was the Fall. Death came into the world. The purpose for mankind is to look to Jesus for God’s purpose. We can see pictures of Jesus in the Living Word, and it shines in our heart, showing us where to go and what to do on earth.  Purpose is the precept before concept.  The concept bridges it.  God created man for a purpose, and also gave man purpose.  Everything in life has a purpose.  If our purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.  You will abuse God’s purpose for lack of knowledge.  If you want to know the purpose of a thing, you should never ask the thing, ask the creator, the maker or the manufacturer of the thing.  The purpose can only be found in the mind of the maker of the thing.   We, on a worldly level ask each other.  We need to be asking God.  Speak the Word to Him and stop and let Him answer through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word of God.

The purpose can only be found in the mind of the maker of the thing, and purpose is the key to fulfillment.  God created man for His purpose.  He also created man with a purpose.  God created man because He wanted children, sons and daughters.  God created man for Himself, to be His family, His offspring, to receive His love, and receive His grace, and all that He can do, to be an object of His love.  To share His authority. He made Earth for us to share authority, created born again believers to execute righteous judgment, just like He did on earth.

Our purpose – God created us with a purpose to fulfill on earth. Who am I and what is my purpose?

The Old Testament portrays the coming Messiah who will execute God’s righteous judgment and our end should be the same, to do what Christ is doing and to reflect on the earth His rule from the unseen to the seen.

God created man to expose His personality, to manifest His nature, to expose what He is like, to manifest His character.  God wanted sons and daughters who are like his first born to share his authority. He never wanted to rule by Himself.

GOD IS LOVE.

He wants to share love with all those He loves. God is not selfish. God made earth for us to share His authority. Love made Him want to share His authority. He created the New man (born again believer in Jesus) to execute His righteous judgment, just like Jesus Christ did on this earth.  All of the prophesies in the Old Testament tell of the coming Messiah who will execute God’s righteous judgment on earth.

Ephesians 1:7-12 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

The dream God gives to us for our purpose is not to lie dormant. He reveals to all of us our purpose.  God gives us the vision as His child, He can see us doing this or that, and wants us to do it.  We wait in faith for God to carry out His purpose, but we don’t wait passively. We want to become actively involved, and not let the visions and dreams lie dormant. Dream big for God.  Do something about it.  Accomplish for God, doing what God asks us to do an all levels –at home, at church, in our back yard, in our neighborhood, school, etc. Do something about it and you will accomplish it.  You will succeed for Him, God. It is not about rushing out to start preaching and teaching all over the world.  It’s about what God asked you to do in your own local church or backyard, then go on from there. 

Consider the life of Joseph. You might say, I know God spoke to me, I just don’t know how I can fulfill my dream.  Joseph’s dream could have become very distant at many stages.  In the pit waiting to be sold as a slave, working as a slave, thrown into prison on false charges, his dream could have been shattered.  Joseph didn’t know how his dream would come to pass, but he remained true to the Lord and held onto God’s promise.  Approximately 13 years after he entered Egypt as a slave, he stood in Egypt as a prime minister, controlling the nation’s food supply in a time of famine. 

Now we do have an enemy who can at times make our God given dreams seem so blurry that you can hardly see them.  You might say in these difficult times, I can’t do anything.  I know God spoke to me, but I just don’t see how it’s possible to fulfill my dream.  We all at some time or another will be confronted with challenging obstacles.  Holding onto God’s word in trying circumstances and difficult situations is the only way to success.  When the devil has shattered your dream, reach down by the grace of God and pick up those shattered pieces and allow God to put the dream back together.

A dream becomes a reality because someone wants it to become a reality.  They believe it can be. It’s those who believe who set out to make their dreams come true.  When everything around you seems to be falling apart, keep looking to God instead of looking at the problem. Focus on His word instead of your feelings.

The power of God’s Spirit and Word alive in your heart can resurrect the most distant dream. Be encouraged knowing that your God given dream is still alive.  Brush the dust and cobwebs off of it.  Don’t give up on your dream and stop comparing your dream with someone elses’.  Focus only on the dream God gave you.  Believe in the dream He gave you. Believe that God is faithful to keep His promise. Be thankful and stay committed to God.

Go boldly to the Throne of Grace to voice your desires to God to obtain mercy to help in your time of need.  Know that defeat isn’t part of Jesus’ nature and should not be part of your nature either.  Because of Calvary, no problem is unsolvable.  And renew your commitment to God and go after your dream, the one He has given you. Put away thoughts and feelings of failure and hopelessness. Believe God and walk in victory as you achieve your dream.  God has made you more than a conqueror.

We want to fulfill God’s purpose for us corporately, and individually.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

What a powerful, powerful message for me. Praying your day is blessed, mine sure is.

Heather