Call of the Spirit Publications

I was privileged to speak at my church on a Wednesday night recently. I spoke about “Covenant Lifestyle” (living a life aligned with the promises and directives of the Word of God). In my message I mentioned “finding yourself” in Scripture, like Jesus did when He quoted Isaiah 61 to the people of Nazareth in their synagogue (see Luke 4:16-21). Paul also received revelation from God regarding the path of life he was to follow when he ran across Scripture in Isaiah; “I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6b) he quoted this at the beginning of his journey in Acts 13:47.

One might argue that “this verse was prophesying about Jesus” and they would be correct. The Holy Spirit will oftentimes cause a verse of Scripture (or, in this case a portion of a verse) to ‘jump out at you’ while you are reading His Word and fellowshipping with Him – this is also called revelation, or quickening (when something from the Word of God grabs your heart—comes alive on the inside of you). Please don’t shrug those instances off and forget about it. Many times this is a powerful way the Lord speaks to us.

I was stirred up again just last night regarding the Body of Christ—all of us—taking our place in the gifting and callings we all have from God. I was reminded of the call to “find our place” and to get busy ‘being about our Father’s business.’ Every one of us has been graced by God to be a part of the overall Body of Christ. “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary” (1Cor. 12:14-22, bold mine for emphasis). ALL MEMBERS ARE NECESSARY!

There is an urgency from the Father regarding finding (and taking) our place in the Body. I believe the demonic activities we are seeing taking place on this planet are greatly occurring because the Church (Body of Christ) isn’t fully walking in her authority – being the restraining force we truly are. “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way” (2Thes. 2:7). This section of Scripture clearly indicates that the Body of Christ acts as a ‘restrainer’ to wickedness. Because we have focused more on doctrines that end up dividing us instead of walking in the unity of the faith – Salvation comes through believing on Jesus, for “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, and Habakkuk 2:4) – we have become weakened and not much of a threat to the realm of darkness!

Another weakening we suffer from is comparing ourselves with one another. Somehow we want to function in something are we’re not equipped for (graced). So, because we aren’t graced (ordained by God) to function in a certain thing, we get frustrated and give-up on doing anything for God. Remember the discourse Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing?” (1Cor. 12:16-17a)? God had Paul write these things to indicate the importance WE ALL HAVE in the Body of Christ. Regardless of what we have been graced for, we have a purpose that is not being fulfilled when we don’t: 1) find out what that purpose is, and 2) we don’t walk in it with contentment.

I’m hearing the Spirit of God say: “There are things that won’t be accomplished until the one who is supposed to accomplish them does so.” In other words, there are things ordained by God for a particular individual to accomplish that will not happen until that individual does them. Katherine Kuhlman testified that God chose her to that particular ministry because the individual He originally called to it refused to obey the calling. We all will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ – those who are Christians (the Body of Christ) that is – and give an account for what we did while in the body (living life here on earth). Paul wrote: “each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1Cor. 3:13-15). I don’t want my life – the things I did while in this body – to amount to a pile of rubble, I want to hear the Lord say: “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” This portion of Scripture in First Corinthians is talking about getting done what God ordained for us to do. He had equipped each of us to do something in His Kingdom.

Romans 8:19 says: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Another way to say this is “All of creation is waiting for the individual members of the Body of Christ to take their place and function in their anointing (which is God’s grace).” I’m here to tell you, my brother and sister, that true fulfillment, true peace, true joy is simply waiting on the other side of our obedience to that little wooing we all have deep inside our inner-man which is coming from God – Who so loves the entire world, that He is wanting to give us to them and wrap this age up, bringing us to Heaven and begin the rest of eternity!

The Lord started giving me revelations (insight) into the grace of God and its involvement in the life of the Believer back in 1987 while I was attending RHEMA Bible Training Center (its name back then). Since then the revelation continues to grow – to the point where I see something about grace in almost every Scripture I read!

I recently told a dear friend of mine that I only have one message, but that The Lord has given me multiple ways to express it. I’ve learned that a good ‘teaching-gift’ (which is an ‘equipping’) will reiterate things repeatedly, and many times in different ways to get a message across. Well, this is one of those ways the message of God’s grace is coming across to every reader who reads these articles. Paul said something similar writing to the Ephesian church: “if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” (Eph 3:2-4, italics mine for emphasis).

Let’s break this down a bit: the word ‘dispensation’ is from the same Greek word which is also translated ‘stewardship’. So we could read it like this: “if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.” A stewardship is a granted responsibility given from one to another to use or take care of whatever is granted. In this case it’s the grace of God. Now for some revelation; part of the grace Paul had was the overall message to proclaim what Jesus accomplished through His death-burial-and resurrection. But, if you’ll notice, Paul said to the Ephesian believers that understanding would come to them as they read the “mystery” he wrote to them regarding Christ. Do you see it? Paul had grace that brought him the message of the mystery, and enabled him to speak it to others (in this case through writing it in a letter) and that that message was saturated with grace to understand (partake of) it. This grace was part of Paul’s ‘equipping’ to accomplish his assignment he received from God.

Peter wrote something interesting along these lines: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Pe 4:10-11). There’s a lot in these two verses we’re going to unpack now. First I want to bring out that Peter said “each one” has received a gift – that means everybody in the Body of Christ has something (a grace from God) that will contribute to the overall success of the Body – which, ultimately, is the fulfilling of the Great Commission. The Great Commission is supernatural ministry, requiring the grace of God (God’s intervention through man – God working together with…).

Peter equated the word ‘gift’ to being “the manifold grace of God” (manifold meaning many sided or faceted). So, we are all graced by God to accomplish something within the parameters of the Great Commission – cast out devils, lay hands on the sick and see them recover, make disciples of all nations – all by the “stewardship of the many sided (faceted) grace of God,” our equipping. My brother and sister, we are not in this alone. We’ve not been given instructions by God to do something He has not equipped us to do.

“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God” – Peter goes on to say. We could say ‘the oracles of God’ would be inspired speech (something we didn’t think up, but coming from within – by inspiration of God). Paul said this activity would minister grace to the hearers: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Eph 4:29). So, our words – what we say to each other – can bring an empowering to the hearer (or, the negative is true also; we can bring someone down by what we say to them!). On a sort-of side note, this is part of what we contribute to one another: “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph 4:16, italics mine for emphasis).

Paul worded it this way, writing to the church at Colosse: “holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God” (Col 2:19). Are you starting to see the importance that each one of us take our place in the Body of Christ and allow for God’s equipping – which we all have – to function in our lives? Don’t look at Billy Graham and think ‘I could never win souls for the Kingdom like that.’ He had his own equipping that he functioned in. Do you know that you and I will receive the same rewards on that Great Day that Billy Graham will for simply obeying the promptings of God – which could look like ‘offering a cup of cold water to someone in the name of a disciple’? If that’s what God has asked of you. Don’t think an assignment from God will take you to another country and live in a hut (if that’s what He has called you to, He will equip you for it – that’s called grace!).

Now, back to Peter’s admonition (which, by-the-way, came through/by the grace of God) “If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies.” Did you catch that? Peter equated God’s grace to ‘the ability which God supplies’ – and, I might add, we all have a measure (portion) of! “That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” That’s what I’m talking about! Bringing glory to God through/in our everyday lives!

So, how do we do this on purpose? As with everything in the Kingdom of God, it takes faith. One cannot function without awareness of what’s available. It’s been said like this: ‘Faith begins where the will of God is known.’ Hebrews 11:6 says it’s impossible (did you catch that? not possible) to please God without faith! The Book of James tells us ‘faith without corresponding actions is useless’ (see Js. 2:17-20). What I’m saying is this: once we’ve been made aware of something regarding Kingdom operations, then we are responsible to act on it (or, be doers of the Word). This responsibility is called ‘stewardship’ – we all have our part to play.

I just heard this: “Revival comes through the hands and mouths of those who willingly respond to the wooing’s of God in their hearts.” God won’t force anyone to cooperate with Him. However, He needs us to work together with Him these last days to reach this darkened world in which we live. It’s going to take demonstrations of the Spirit – which are accomplished through willing vessels – to awaken the world around us that there is a God Who so loves them, and desires them to come to Him. These demonstrations (which are done by the grace of God) include healing the sick, casting out devils, praying for the healing of our land, etc.

My great hope and desire is that each one of us takes our place, using the grace of God – everywhere we go, every day (time is short, I can almost see Gabriel holding the trump-of-God in his hand, ready to give forth that blast to call us home!). We all have an equipping from God to accomplish His Will in our lives.

Let’s look at one last example before we wrap up this teaching. The parable of the talents found in Matthew: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey” (Mat 25:14-15). We’ll not discuss this entire parable. I wanted to bring out that the ‘tasks’ each servant received was according to their “own ability.” Each one was equipped to take care of business. God will never ask, or require something of anyone that He hasn’t equipped them to do so. [A little side-note: if something doesn’t seem to be working, perhaps the timing isn’t right, or the ‘talent’ (ability/grace) isn’t fully developed yet – I’ve been studying these things for nearly forty years now, but they are just now ‘coming forth’ (so-to-speak).]

Finally, we see in the Wilderness account regarding the construction of the sanctuary “And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the LORD has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded” (Exodus 36:1). I bring this up because God had already given these men “wisdom and understanding” (we could say ability, or grace) to do the work He was asking of them.

We all have something to contribute to the ‘building’ of the Kingdom. What do you like to do? Give to ministries that ‘go’? Bake for fundraisers? Talk to people about Jesus? There’s a myriad of functions that together make for light-work (yes, I said light – Jesus told us His yoke was easy). What are you good at? These are all indicators that point to what God has graced us to do. Me, I like to write. Just the title “Equipped” rose up within me and I mulled it over in prayer. I then fired-up my computer and began typing. I’ve also learned that walking (conducting) oneself in what they’ve been called upon to do is the place of greatest joy/peace/and everything else the Holy Spirit brings to us all. He is the Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29), so this talk of grace could be equated to talking about the involvement of the Spirit of God in our lives!

I have been in a season of transition recently, having lost my full-time job and finding my days filled with plenty of time on my hands (of course looking for another job). I did not want to flounder around and simply enter into employment just because that was the right thing to do. So, I determined to seek the Lord for His direction – His perfect will for right now. Having walked with Him for awhile I know His leading comes – primarily – as revelation, or an illumination from the heart (spirit, inner man) to the head. The Bible says “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130), plus “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105), and “In Your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9b). In other words, when we look into the Word of God (His light) we can expect to see light (revelation/illumination of what we are in the dark about).

With these Scriptures in mind I started saturating myself in the Word of God. I’ve heard Brother Copeland speak of the benefits of becoming totally immersed in the Word of God.

1. It is the most anointed Book that exists! The anointing is where the “light” comes from.
2. The Source of anointing, the Holy Spirit, authored it, and He lives inside every believer – His indwelling will bear witness to the leading of God – “In Your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9b). [See also Romans 8:16 and 1Jphn 5:10.]

So, I concluded that exposure to the Word of God would result in the revelations I need from the Lord to will lead me into His will for my life.

LAST DAYS

Let me further explain this decision. Deep within my heart – and rising up daily – I have a sense of urgency that we are in the very last of the last days, and there is a dire need to be accurate in God; accurate in decisions we make that affect the directions of life we head in, like:

• Marriage – who we join ourselves with in covenant.
• Church we attend – it’s important to sit under an anointed ministry that preaches the uncompromised Word of God!
• Associations – friends in our inner-circle, “Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals” (1Corinthians 15:33, ASV). Notice I said ‘inner-circle’. These are people we open our hearts to and receive from their hearts as well.
• Job – this is the one that hits home for me right now. With the understanding (revelation) I have of God’s grace, I know I can only expect the fullness of His grace in my life as I’m positioned in His Will – doing what He wants (and needs) me to do.

Our precious Heavenly Father knows of everything we have need of and has promised in His Word that He would supply all of them, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). That is a promise of God that is yes and amen, in Him. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2Corinthians 1:20). Furthermore, we become partakers of His divine nature through the promises He has made in His Word.

• “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Peter 1:2-4).

Did you catch that? Grace is multiplied and peace is multiplied through the knowledge of God and His Son Jesus (knowledge comes from His Word); His divine nature is available to partake of through the knowledge of His Word, which spells out the “exceedingly great and precious promises.” These promises become a ‘covering’ for us that shield us from the darkness around us.

SUPERNATURAL PROTECTION

Throughout the entire Bible we see accounts of God protecting His people from the surrounding dangers that threaten their existence. My favorite is the 91^st Psalm. It begins with “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Notice this person dwells in the secret place, it doesn’t say they visit occasionally. Going to church once, or twice a week won’t qualify anyone for the subsequent protection. Let’s continue (I’ll just point out a few things), “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence” (Psalm 91:3). Pestilence can be termed plague, or sickness. This ‘dweller’ can expect deliverance (protection) from any plague or sickness that may be making its rounds in the neighborhood.

“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day” (Psalm 91:5). We could say “You shall not be afraid of terrorism!” Another promise that spells this out is found in Isaiah 54, “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you” (Isaiah 54:14, underline mine for emphasis). So the righteous one, who dwells in the Most High can expect to be protected from terror. But, remember, this provision is only available to the one who chooses to make the Most High their refuge and fortress!

This ‘dweller’ can expect angelic intervention, “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (v.11). Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews that angels are “all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Yet, Psalm 103:20 reveals that angels are “mighty ones who carry out his orders and obey his word” (NIrV). Other versions of the Bible say it like this: “angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word” (NKJV), and “angels, that are mighty in strength, that fulfill his word, hearkening unto the voice of his word” (ASV). The point is the angelic hosts are activated (put into motion, or are motivated) by God’s Word. The conclusion would be if the Word of God is not spoken they have nothing to ‘hearken unto’ (obey its commands).

TO SUMMARIZE

We could conclude this supernatural protection belongs to, and is available for the one who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. Let’s say the same thing in a different way. Supernatural protection (any provision granted in the Word of God we call ‘promises’) is available to the one who dwells in the Word of God, since God and His Word are One! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). Who is this talking about? Jesus! Jesus took on flesh. To dwell in the Word is to dwell in Jesus! Now for the revelation that hit me this morning during the worship portion of our church service. When we are born-again we get baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1Corinthians 12:13); He is the Head, we are the Body.

The Holy Spirit, at the new birth, makes us new creatures (2Corinthians 5:17) and places us in the Body of Christ where the Father pleases. This ‘placement’ is the act of being ‘baptized’ into Christ’s Body. Well, if it’s Christ Jesus’ Body, and He’s the Word made flesh, then we could say that we have been baptized into the Word!! Everything God has promised is His Word, and we have been baptized into! Let that sink in! You and I have been baptized into:

• “by whose stripes you were healed” (1Peter 2:24)!
• “heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29)!
• “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37)!
• “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17)!

We could go on, but the point is we have become partakers of God Himself at the time we called on the name of the Lord to be saved (if you’ve not made that choice, all you have to do is invite Him in, and ask Him to be your Lord!).

Scripture says when we were made new creatures the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2Corinthians 1:21-22). We’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit, Who is also our “guarantee”! Dictionary.com’s second definition of guarantee is, “an assurance that another’s obligation will be fulfilled.” The Weymouth New Testament renders this verse: (God) “has put His Spirit into our hearts as a pledge and foretaste of future blessing.” I like that, the Holy Spirit is our foretaste of future blessing – that’s the blessings that belong to us! “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2Corinthians 5:5). In the same letter Paul tells us a second time that the Spirit of God is our guarantee (foretaste of Heaven’s blessings). If these two references aren’t enough, Paul writes much the same thing to the Ephesian church:

• “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).

I hope you are hearing this with your heart! We who have been born into the Family of God have been baptized into His Word of promise – they all belong to us! We are united in the Word, and the Word in us!

If you’re not shouting yet, read on! Talking about the Priesthood of Jesus, Paul writes in Hebrews “by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). Did you see that word “surety”? That’s the same thing the Holy Spirit is—guarantee! Surety is a guarantor of a promise, or obligation. The NIV puts it that way, “Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.” In plain English, He’s going to see to it that we become partakers of everything He shed His blood for!! He watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12, ASV); He’s not a man that He should lie! Has He not said, and shall He not make it good? [See Numbers 23:19.] “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips” (Psalm 89:34).

CONCLUSION

Someone reading this might ask, “Well, if we have been baptized into His Word, and He watches over His Word to perform it, then why….” And a myriad of questions could fall into place here. Just like, “If God is so good, then why is there so much bad happening in the world?” I will have to answer, as I have in so many of my other writings with this one word: choices. In the beginning God gave dominion of the entire planet to His son, Adam. He and his wife Eve were the parent-set that would produce the entire human race. Their choice to give Satan entrance into this world, then relinquishing their ruler-ship to him made him the god of this world (2Corinthians 4:4)—that’s how evil and corruption took over.

Jesus became a Man to pay the penalty for that sin, and got it all back for us, but it only comes by the choice to make Him Lord of your life. That choice is only the beginning, however. Everything He paid for we have to take possession of by faith – just like the children of Israel had to take possession of the land of promise God had given them. But, hey, it’s His faith! He’s the author and finisher (perfecter) of it! In Mark 11:22 Jesus said to have the faith of God (margin rendering), then He gave it to them by speaking the Word! So, we have everything we need to be completely successful in life! We’ve been baptized into the Word; the Word (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit are our guarantee of the blessings of Heaven; the angels, who have been assigned to us heirs of salvation, listen for and act on the spoken Word – the Word we have been saturated in and with!! Hallelujah! The choice is ours! “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

READ IT – LOVE IT – LIVE IT!

This morning my Scripture reading from my devotional was verses 9-10, and 14-16 of Psalm 91. Since that’s my favorite Psalm (and perhaps my favorite chapter of the entire Bible) I read the entire Psalm. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psa 91:1). I love the sound of that! But, what does that mean to “abide under the shadow of the Almighty”? Let’s read a bit further: “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’” (Psa 91:2). That sounds great! A refuge is a shelter or protection from danger according to Dictionary.com. [As my custom is I like to look up words that jump out at me!] So this dweller in God is protected from danger in a “large fortified place” (definition of fortress).

Now, before we go on, [I hope you have your ‘shouting-clothes’ on!] I must tell you that I believe the Bible; I receive the promises as my Father (Jehovah God) talking directly to me! If this precious Book is nothing more to you than a collection of stories, historical events, or even religious speech that really doesn’t amount to much, don’t even bother finishing reading this. You won’t ‘hear’ what I’m saying – and you certainly won’t get to shouting!!

Okay, fasten your seat-belts. When I read this next verse I knew I was going to write this Encouraging Word. “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence” (Psa 91:3). Pestilence means “a deadly or virulent epidemic disease” (Dictionary.com). Are you hearing what the Holy Ghost is telling us? “Surely” – that leaves no room for doubt. If God says surely, then you can stand on what He’s about to say! He’s not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19).

Let’s go on: “He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday” (Psa 91:4-6). That’s the second time He mentions pestilence; and, He says “You shall not be afraid” of it! Watch this: “A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you” (Psa 91:7). Are you hearing this? Let me do a Mike Leach paraphrase: people can be dropping like flies all around you, BUT IT WON’T COME NEAR YOU!! – Why? – For one thing, because you’re abiding in God. The thing that’s killing others would have to get through Him to get to you! That’s NOT going to happen! “Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked” (Psa 91:8). The wicked are simply people who aren’t in covenant with Jehovah. In other words, they have not accepted the Sacrifice of Jesus, making Him Lord of their lives. Writing about them to the Ephesian church Paul said those folk have no hope (see Ephesians 2:12).

Let’s continue: “Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;” (Psa 91:9-10). There it is again. This time He calls it a plague: “an epidemic disease that causes high mortality; pestilence” (et al). I could rest my case at this point, but why stop when we’re having so much fun? In case you’ve lost count, that’s the third time God promises to deliver us from sickness, disease; an epidemic disease no less. Are you catching on? The Almighty God is issuing an invitation to abide in Him so He can protect us from Covid-19 (and any other trouble the devil is planning on the horizon)!

In Matthew 24:7-8 Jesus tells us that there would be “famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” calling it the “beginning of sorrows”. Don’t let that be a discouragement to you! Peter wrote that we should “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1Peter 3:15). Don’t you think remaining positive that God will always take care of you, and that you have no fear of any pestilence that shows its ugly head is one hope the people around us will question about? Abide in Him and you’ll be convinced of that! [Can I throw in a little side-note here? Just because the Lord foretells of something that will happen does not mean it’s by His hand, or of His will!]

Let’s finish up: “For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot” (Psa 91:11-13, underline mine). There’s a lot here, but I wanted to group it as one thought. The book of Hebrews defines angels as “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (1:14). Both Galatians and Romans specifically tell us that if we have called on the name of the Lord to be saved (Born-Again), then we are in on that inheritance. But, just like everything else in the Kingdom of God, the provisions (promises) don’t just fall on us. Like the Israelis, who had to take possession of their Promised Land, we have to take possession of the promises of God as well! That is what is meant in the third and fourth chapters of Hebrews when we are instructed to labor to enter into His rest. We don’t work for the promises—they are given by God. We do have to renew our minds so that we would be transformed to partake of them.

For the purpose of this teaching we’re talking about abiding in God. That’s a life-style. It’s not an occasional visit, but a dwelling – where one lives! “There is a Place in God where one sustains their life” (I just heard the Lord say that!). The blessedness we’re talking about that’s enumerated in this precious Psalm are the benefits for this ‘dweller’. [Paul also wrote, “having done all to stand—STAND”!] Sometimes there’s a fight to stand. But, it’s the good fight of faith.

Now for the response of our Father: “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation” (Psa 91:14-16). I don’t have the nerve to comment any further! The precious Father has said it all!

Let me encourage you today. Stop fearing what is going on in the world. It’s not going to get any easier – but then, so what? When you’re in Him, and He’s in you; when you’ve truly entered into His rest by abiding in Him, all hell can be breaking loose all around you. Remember, it shall not come near you; neither shall any plague come near you. I’m believing God that we (those of us who are hearing Him speak to our hearts these last hours) will rise up strong, push back the forces of darkness, and be the deliverers God is raising up to reap the precious fruit of the earth! – Even so, come Lord Jesus!

“Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.’ And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice” (1Ki 19:11-12).

I’m beginning this exhortation with this particular Scriptural citing because, like Elijah, we are all faced with much noise and activity, ‘preaching’ to us directives that will steer our lives. If we are not careful we will be steered into ultimate disaster instead of God’s promise of victory. Just because something is being proclaimed loudly, or flashy, doesn’t mean it holds the final say, or is the best route for us to take. Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, said “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification” (1Co 14:10, KJV). In other words, there may be a variety of people talking, some with high ranking positions (doctors, politicians, news anchors, school teachers [and their leaders]—even close acquaintances) that will speak their minds on the current outward circumstances of life. Some will have credible resources to back their claims; others will just be blabbing unfounded opinions of what others are saying. It’s up to us, individually, to decide what (or whom) we are going to believe and order the activities of our lives by.

As in our opening Scripture, Elijah was presented with a variety of ‘messages’ – the first was a “great and strong wind” which tore into the mountains and broke the rocks into pieces. WOW! Surely that had to be God talking, right? I mean, He’s the Almighty. When He’s on the scene the earth quakes and rocks split, so it had to be Him. Yet the Scripture goes on to say, “the LORD was not in the wind.” – Let’s do a ‘rule of thumb’ here – ALWAYS look to Scripture to interpret Scripture. In other words, look for the Holy Spirit’s commentary on something BEFORE embracing it as a message from God (more on that in a bit).

Let’s get back to Elijah’s encounter. “After the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.” Here is another magnificent display of power that God was NOT the Author of. A side-note: people who are written about in the Bible did not have the benefit of Scripture available to them like we do, so they did not have the Holy Spirit’s commentary (or insight) into something. When there was activity going on that could not be naturally explained they attributed everything to God. Take Job for example; he faced all kinds of trouble, so he said (in his ignorance) “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away” (Job 1:21). It took a supernatural visitation of God to straighten out his theology: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2). We have this entire account recorded for our learning and admonition, Job and his ‘friends’ did not.

Remember the question Jesus posed to His disciples? “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets’” (Mat 16:13-14). Have you ever thought about their response? Why were people saying Jesus must have been John the Baptist (who had recently been beheaded), or Elijah, or Jeremiah? These were all dead prophets; their assumption was somebody from the other world had to have come back to life for the supernatural activity Jesus displayed to take place. They had no concept that Jesus was conducting His ministry in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and the Covenant of Abraham. – That, my brothers and sisters – is what religion will do to limit God’s activity in the earth (see Psalm 78:41)!

Back to Elijah; “after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.” Are you kidding me? All of these spectacular displays of power, and God was not in any or it? That’s what the Bible says! Stick with the Book. Another side note: (if you’ve read after me, at all, you’ve already read the following; but, it bears repeating) there are two main rules I’d like to get you to govern your thinking when it comes to Scriptural doctrines:

1. Look to God’s commentary regarding what He has said about something to obtain His interpretation of it. Another way to say it is use Scripture to interpret Scripture. Jesus used this method in His wilderness trial when the devil told Him to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, citing that God would give His angels charge over Him to protect Him (Psalm 91:11). Jesus responded: “It is written again, Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matt. 4:7). So, by quoting this last Scripture, Jesus gave us the criterion for ‘judging’ (or, interpreting) Scripture: stay within the confines of what God has already said about something. 
2. When the Spirit of God is speaking (or actively doing something) He will always point to the Lordship of Jesus!
3. “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1Cor. 12:3). This verse is letting us know that if the Holy Spirit is speaking He won’t speak bad things about Jesus, but will exalt His Lordship.
4. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1Jn 4:1-3).

This last verse tells us to “test the spirits whether they are of God.” How do we “test the spirits”? John tells us: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.” Let me do a Mike Leach paraphrase: every spirit that magnifies what Jesus has done by coming in the flesh, every spirit that exalts the Lordship of Jesus IS OF GOD! Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave by His coming in the flesh. “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb 2:14-15 underline mine for emphasis).

What is this Scripture saying? By coming in the flesh, by dying the death of the cross, by being raised from the dead Jesus destroyed the very thing that has kept Mankind in bondage—DEATH (or, for the purpose of this teaching, the spawn of death, which is sickness, disease and the like)! What does that have to do with this present crisis? Covid-19 is a curse that brings death. Jesus has redeemed us from the curse (see Galatians 3:13). Furthermore, He has been given THE NAME that is above EVERY name:

• “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php 2:9-11).

Corona virus (Covid-19) is a name – and it must, has to, does bow to the Name of Jesus! This, my friends, is the still small voice that will obliterate all fear of this pandemic. When Elijah heard that still small voice he was strengthened to run his race.

If you’re still not sure whether this has come to us by the Hand of God, let me quote two more Scriptures (if these don’t convince you, then you have no hope!):

• “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
• “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (Jas 1:17).

Corona virus (or any other disastrous activity) is NOT a good or perfect gift; so, it’s not from God and therefore can (and should) be resisted. Be assured of this: if you are going to take your stand with God, He will back you up! I can hear the Lord say, “Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?” (Isa 50:2). I like the way the Message Bible puts it: “Do you think I’ve forgotten how to help? Am I so decrepit that I can’t deliver? I’m as powerful as ever.”

In closing, I’m not saying to completely disregard everything being said regarding this pandemic. Just judge it in light of what Jesus said that we are in this world, but we are not of it. “[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col 1:13, AMP classic edition, underline mine). Did you get that? We have been taken from the authority and dominion of darkness and positioned into the Kingdom of God. We are citizens of Heaven, not subjects of the realm of darkness! Bless you all! Let’s all grow in God! Jesus is Lord!! –ML

“For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, ‘This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,’ And, ‘This is the refreshing’; Yet they would not hear” (Isa 28:11-12).

I began with this verse because I wanted to point out that speaking in tongues was prophesied long before the Day of Pentecost occurred. Jesus also prophesied in the Great Commission that we should speak in tongues: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;” (Mark 16:17, italics mine).

Before we go on I’ll make this statement: Speaking in tongues is a Kingdom benefit, NOT a Salvation requirement (there have been doctrines that have stated in order for one to be saved they must be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak with other tongues – that is not true! Salvation belongs to the one who believes with their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom 10:9-10).). – Scripture must be the foundation for all believing where the Kingdom of God is concerned! [While we’re at it, the Law of Doctrine is: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2Cor.13:1). In other words one must have at least two, and preferably three (the more the better) instances where something is mentioned in order to qualify for doctrinal belief.]

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1Co 12:1). The word gifts is italicized which means it was added to help clarify what’s being said. We could render this verse to say ‘Now concerning spiritual matters, or things pertaining to the spirit (the unseen realm).’ This particular teaching is talking about speaking in tongues, and some benefits that come with it. The first benefit I’d like to mention is speaking mysteries (things we simply do not know): “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries” (1Co 14:2). This last portion is what I want to emphasize here. “In the spirit he speaks mysteries.” These ‘mysteries’ are things we do not know, or have any knowledge of – but God does! He’ll give us ‘utterance’ (words) by His Spirit to pray for/about something we have no prior knowledge of.

Another Scripture that speaks to this is Romans 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom 8:26-27). First, the word “weaknesses” is simply speaking of our inability to produce results – because we simply do not know how or what to pray for as we ought. Speaking in tongues makes our physical tongue available to the Holy Spirit to pray/speak to God about something we don’t have knowledge of. The second thing I’d like to emphasize is the last phrase: “because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Did you notice “the will of” is italicized? That means it wasn’t in the original Greek text. If we take it out the phrase would say: “according to God.” – Did you catch that? Let me do a Mike Leach rendering for clarity: speaking in tongues (or, praying in tongues) is equivalent to God Himself doing the speaking/praying! [He knows how to get results!] He’s giving us the words to speak by unction, and we speak them as we yield to Him. [Unction is how the Holy Spirit communicates with our spirit-man; it’s internal. Not like He’s speaking ‘words’ directly to us, but it’s a knowing in our spirit-man that is communicated Spirit to spirit.]

The next benefit I’d like to talk about is found in the second part of our opening Scripture: “‘This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,’ And, ‘This is the refreshing’” (Isaiah 28:12). Speaking in tongues brings one into a place of rest, and causes a refreshing in their lives. It can be co-related to charging up a battery. “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (1Cor.14:4a). The word “edifies” is from the Greek word that means to ‘construct, build up, or edify.’ It will cause a ‘refreshing.’ Jude 20 says it like this: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” For the purpose of this teaching, when we talk about ‘praying in the Holy Spirit’ we are talking about praying in tongues – they’re synonymous terms.

So far we’ve learned that speaking in tongues enables one to:

• Pray about/for things they don’t have knowledge of.
• Supernaturally enter into rest and be refreshed.

So, you might ask: how does one come to speak with/in other tongues? – I’m glad you asked!

Let me reiterate, being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a requirement to enter the Kingdom of God, or to be a part of the Family of God. But, it does require that one has already been Born Again (made a New Creature). I did not digress from the question: speaking in tongues is the evidence of having been filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s like buying a pair of shoes; the tongues come with them – it’s not a separate action (it’s all one ‘package’). Back to the question of how one comes to speak in other tongues. Like everything in the Kingdom of God – you only have to ask to be filled with the Spirit! Then believe you have received. Jesus said it this way: “how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13b).

Here are some Scriptural examples:

• “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4, underline mine for emphasis).
• “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God” (Acts 10:44-46a).
• “he (Paul) said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ … And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:2, 6).

I want to point out two things here, 1) in each instance the people were already believers in Christ (Born Again); 2) when they were filled with the Holy Spirit they all spoke with/in (other) tongues. Perhaps this teaching should have been called “Being Filled With the Holy Spirit.” But I felt the need to emphasize speaking in tongues because there has been much confusion regarding this practice. It is certainly one of the greatest tools God has given to His Body to excel over darkness these Last Days! I like to say it this way, ‘The Word of God is the Wood for our fire, and speaking in other tongues is what adds fuel to that fire.’

Speaking in other tongues will enhance your worship experience. There are times when one may want to express to their Heavenly Father a love and devotion that escapes the natural limitations their mind and known language can afford. Tongues makes possible this expression, because it comes directly from the heart (spirit-man) the urge for intimacy with God can be satisfied through this benefit. This practice of speaking in tongues also helps one to differentiate between what is of their soul and of their spirit – like making a decision: an emotional one will come from the soul of man; a choice from the heart (spirit-man) stands to be a safe one. Speaking in tongues aids in making that difference.

I’ll not belabor this point, but what we have been talking about is NOT the gift of tongues mentioned in 1Cor. 12:10, 28. Those two verses are speaking of the manifestation of the Spirit called “kinds of tongues” or “varieties of tongues” which are for public ministry (service). These tongues sound a lot like the ‘speaking in tongues’ we’ve been talking about, but are limited to the will of the Spirit. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: … But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1Cor. 12:7, 11). This is what is called a ‘gift of the Spirit’ and functions as He wills, and is used – primarily – for public ministry. Where confusion could come in is in verse 30: “Do all speak with tongues?” implying, ‘no, not everyone does.’ Yet, Paul declared “I wish you all spoke with tongues” (14:5a). Then he said: “do not forbid to speak with tongues” (14:39b).

In conclusion: speaking in other tongues is a Kingdom benefit that anyone in the Kingdom can ask for and expect to operate in their lives. It enables them to commune with God in such an intimate way that their worship skyrockets and the desires of their heart are released. It also connects one with an energizing Source beyond description. It enables one to pray out mysteries that only God knows! It will enhance one’s understanding of the Scriptures. It will sharpen one’s spirit-man to the point of differentiating between their soul (mind-will-emotions) and their spirit-man (who they really are). This all is a result of being baptized with the Holy Spirit (filled with) and speaking in other tongues.