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Category Archives: Holy Spirit
Daniel the Great
01 Monday Nov 2021
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“The King said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, are you able to make known to me the dreams which I have seen and the interpretation of it? Daniel answered the King, The [ mysterious] secret which the King has demanded neither the wise men, enchanters, magicians nor astrologers can show the king;
But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what it is that shall be in the latter days (at the end of days). The dream and the visions in your head upon your are bed are these: ……. ”
Daniel 2:27 – 28 AMP
In the 6th Century BC during the Babylonian reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, lived a youth born into Jewish nobility whose name was Daniel. The King had asked the head eunuch to bring to his court youths from Israel that were “without blemish, well-favored in appearance, and skillful in wisdom, discernment and understanding, apt in learning, knowledge, competent to stand and serve in the king’s palace – and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans” Daniel 1:3-4 It was the King’s intention to train these children up in the way of his own culture and for them to serve in his kingdom court. Daniel was in this group of Jewish youths that had been taken from all that they knew – loved ones, temple, rabbis, friends – and brought to a nation with a completely different set of rules, laws, gods and cultural way of life. It is in this context that we must study just how remarkable Daniel truly was-
Upon their arrival, the king set out out to change the palates of the young Jewish boys by serving them his “dainties” or rich foods and wine. Daniel wisely requested of the king’s eunuchs that he and his friends might not defile themselves (Dan. 1:8), but that instead might be allowed to consume a diet of vegetables and water. The eunuch consented but placed a restriction of 10 days on the request. After the 10 days, the young men were noticeably looking better and “had taken on more flesh” ( had gained weight). God rewarded their obedience to his laws by “giving them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all kinds of visions and dreams.”
“And in all matters of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king asked them, he found them ten times better than all the learned magicians and enchanters who were in his whole realm.” Daniel 1:20 AMP
One night King Neb (who was given to violent rants and raging ) had an unsettling dream. He called in all of his wise men; the enchanters, sorcerers, diviners to come to the palace to interpret his dream. If they were unsuccessful in the interpretation – then all of them would be killed and their homes would be covered in camel-poo; a “dunghill”.
Daniel, after speaking to the king’s guard to gain understanding, then went to the king to ask to be allowed to be given more time to hear from God. “Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of Heaven“. Daniel 2:19 Daniel then gave God all praise and worshipped Him for answering the request of the king in the interpretation of his dream. He gave an accurate interpretation to the king, thus saving his friends and the wise men from certain destruction. The dream occurred in the 2nd year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign when Daniel would still be considered a youth having only been in Babylon one full year.
Throughout the life of Daniel, there were a number of well known biblical accounts of hardship, persecution, and near-death experiences. God would continuously move to save Daniel, his friends; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and at least in the beginning, other wise men in the inner court of the king. Well into his 80’s, Daniel remained true and his convictions steadfast to his God. There probably was not a Jewish temple in Babylon. Daniel & Friends worshipped God and not the idols of that day. How did Daniel maintain this spirit of excellence in the matters of the spiritual without consistent formalized training and the support of teachers and rabbi’s in his surroundings ? The only answers that I can derive from reading the book of Daniel is his strong, intimate relationship with God through a discipline of prayer and remaining in close fellowship with friends and fellow Jewish believers.
From quite an early young age, Daniel must have been introduced to the stories of his forefathers; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the great history of the people of Israel. Even as a youth, Daniel’s knowledge of God’s laws and commands were on display as he was decisive in matters of diet, maintaining a consistent discipline of daily prayer, honoring those in authority and possessing overall a spirit of wisdom and discernment in many matters. His childhood exposure to prayer would unveil living proof that the Great God of Israel would hear and respond if he released his needs and desires to heaven. Although the scriptures chose not to pull back the curtain on Daniel’s earliest upbringing, we can be confident that he was brought up in a culture that deeply esteemed and revered the One True God of Israel.
It is important to note that the Holy Spirit did not dwell within Daniel. He (Holy Spirit) was not released until after the resurrection of Jesus, hundreds of years later. (see Acts 2:1) In fact, Holy Spirit did not dwell within Abraham, Sarah, Esther, Ruth, King David, Joseph, Isaiah nor any other Jewish Old Testament Hero. The scriptures state that God was with Abraham, David, and Joseph but His Spirit did not reside within them. Old Testament heroes did not have the advantage of the Spirit’s power and might to help them accomplish the will of God as the redeemed do today.
Hundreds of years later, the beloved Spirit’s power flowed effortlessly through Jesus and his disciples in frequent displays of healing that were demonstrated across entire regions, displaying God’s heart and the depth of His concern for the oppressed. This is the same Spirit-power that raised Jesus from the dead, Who would heal the sick and the infirmed, and deliver the mentally ill and the addicted. Healing, which is typically associated with Jesus, is documented in the Old Testament, occurring in specific, infrequent circumstances and by God’s direction. The first mention of prayer occurred when Abraham was directed to pray for Abimelech and the wombs of the women in his household were healed. Genesis 20:17 ( https://sacredramblings.com/2015/12/05/prayer-and-the-law-of-first-mention ) It is interesting that God never directed Daniel to pray to heal Nebuchadnezzar in the 7 years he turned the king into a yard animal. Daniel 4:25-25
Now more than perhaps ever, it is the disciplined, excellent spirit displayed by Daniel that is required to impact our broken and failing world. It is time to stand and to wisely lead in our marketplace, in our families, and in our communities and our governments as servants of hope and agents of God. We must not only be know-ers of His word but unconfused, confident doers. Daniel was uniquely gifted by God to be His prophet for that season. It is doubtful that Daniel asked God for foretelling of futures or the ability to interpret dreams – that is why it was a gift – but it was the obedient, strategic utilization of these gifts that carried Daniel to greatness. It is the knowledge and use of your own gifts that will carry you to yours.
Sacred Ramblings
Daniel the Great
All Rights Reserved 2021
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To my Readers:
I have been “rambling” on Sacred Ramblings for 10 years because I believe that the Holy Spirit reveals insights and knowledge that the Lord would like to be made known. In researching these posts, I do not refer to commentaries but depend solely on the bible and Holy Spirit. ( I am also a TBN-aholic as well as an avid reader). This blog is utilized as a simple platform to release my work as a labor of love and expression of my thoughts on scripture, my favorite topics being the work of Jesus and emotional healing. There are many articles in my archives that stand alone and I encourage you to find ones under your topic of choice and read what the Lord has given me.
Please know these posts are never edited by anyone so at times I understand may appear abit rough as many take10-12 hours to write. It has always been my hope that the readers of Sacred Ramblings will have takeaways that provide important insights on a given topic that would be of assistance in their daily walk. ( Writing is also therapeutic and beats working in a garden.)
And finally, WordPress has changed the editing to a frustrating block format that has made inserting photo images, quotes and other visual aids much more difficult. I hope to master this change at some point in my lifespan but at this time, can make no guarantees. It is my hope that the content, on its own merit, carries each post.
I am honored that you read my Sacred Ramblings –
Thank you,
Tracy Gatewood
The Sacred Rambler
The Urgency of Faith
12 Monday Jul 2021
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” So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ the Messiah Himself.” Romans 10:17 AMP
“But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”. Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17 NKJV
Recently (like very ……… this morning in fact) I heard a respected evangelist state that the ONLY way someone can have faith is through hearing the Word of God. This means that a person cannot have faith for anything unless they can attach a person (Jesus), or a scripture verse to their circumstance. I found this comment to be very interesting.
Faith is a very powerful force for without it, we cannot please God, in fact it is impossible. (Hebrews 11:6 ) Because we are living in such challenging, even urgent times, most all of us need to have an All Access Pass to Faith.
Well what is faith ? I use this definition from the Amplified: The leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, Wisdom and goodness. The assurance, confirmation and title deed that are possessed when we trust Him.
So what do the unchurched have in their emotional arsenal since they cannot possess true faith ? They have HOPE. Hope is a confident expectation of good in every situation. Hope is a great thing to possess. Actually I believe that Hope is probably second only to faith however hope is based in emotion which is tied to the Soul. (Mind, Will, and the Emotions) Although very useful, being hopeful can still be like being ‘positive’ . No One paid a price for your Hope but a BIG price was paid for your Faith. Faith is tied to the Spirit. Hope Helps but Faith Wins.
Faith is actually anchored into someone real – JESUS. One can actually bolt themselves onto the knowledge that they are God’s Beloved and He is working behind the scenes to bring all circumstances to good for those that love Him and that are called according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28 ) (News Flash: We are all called according to His purposes if we have accepted His Son as Savior).
The understanding that the only way to obtain true faith is through hearing the Word of God should expose renewed urgency to the cause of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As if it were not already urgent enough, for people to actually mentally survive natural disasters, losing homes, deaths of loved ones to Covid or other maladies, and economic misfortunes – the only way to survive these extreme challenges is to rest in an unwavering faith, secured by the most powerful substance available and that is the Blood of Jesus.
To gain understanding of the payment made with the Blood of Jesus is to realize the level of sacrifice directed by God the Father to the only One that could make the exchange for our sin to save me and you. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin. (Luke 1:26-38) This allowed for a bypass of the blood line of Adam, which was a bloodline of sin. Jesus’ bloodline was required for Him to be without any sin – He had to be perfect. This was the only way that He could qualify to be the once and forever sacrifice to God on behalf of you and for me.
Jesus accepted this assignment while in Heaven from the beginning of time. He was not murdered, He laid down His life. He was/ is omniscient (all knowing) and knew exactly what would happen to Him. This is just one of the many, many reasons that we worship and exalt the name of Jesus. He is Lord and Savior of all and He earned the office of Christ – the Anointed One. This is why He was called Christ Jesus after the Resurrection, when He officially ascended into the office.
1 In many separate revelations [[a]each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets,
2 [But] in [b]the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].
3 He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the [c]out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,
4 [Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs.” Hebrews 1:1-4
Faith is a gift reserved for those in relationship with the Almighty. Let us remain acutely aware that the sharing of our faith in Jesus is the only conduit by which the people that do not know Him, may access the sustained promises of the Divine.
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2021
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
The Distraction That Destroys A Destiny
10 Saturday Jul 2021
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” And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Him and said to Him, Teacher, we desire You to do for us whatever we ask of You. And He replied to them, What do you desire Me to do for you? And they said to Him, Grant that we may sit , one on Your right hand, and one on Your left hand, in Your glory, (Majesty and Splendor). But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism (of affliction) with which I am baptized? And they replied to Him, We are able. And Jesus told them, The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit at My right hand or at my My left hand is not Mine to give, but (it will be given to those) for whom it is ordained and prepared.” Mark 10:35-40 AMP
In the Greek there are two primary meanings of the word compete, or competition. One means strive or to out-do, the other relates to taking part (as an individual or team) in a competition. The first has a total focus on self – the other implies a desire for excellence to be the best, a leader, in a particular category. The latter could be a team with a business or athletic team, unified with a specific purpose. No stand-outs or rockstars, but a crew of souls rowing in the same direction to a rhythm that only they can hear.
In the above passage, the two disciples, James and John attempted to get the inside track on acquiring the most important real estate anywhere – the seats to the left and to the right of Christ Jesus. After all, isnt it always about location, location, location? What better location of power and authority could there be other than being seated in Heaven right next to Jesus Himself. Jesus informed James and John that these location decisions were not His to make but those of the Father. The Father is always the One that decides then orchestrates promotion, both then and now.
At times, I feel like I live in what must be the most competitive place on the earth. Where ‘for-no-reason’ competition abounds, including on the low end of the scale stomping the gas peddle when the light turns green to be first or racing below the yellow turning to red street light to be the last car through an intersection. These actions are irritating but the competition that I see among people is far more unsettling and a life disrupter of the highest order. A zero sum game with a goal that goes nowhere is to desire to be someone other than yourself. This seems to occur mostly in people (hate to say it but mostly women) that believe they have fallen short of a desired outcome for their life, or people going through a season of failure. There are a number of reasons why no one should succumb to the spirit of competition (envy).
It is the Holy Spirit that fashions and then enables specific gifts, skills and talents bestowed on each individual –
” All these (gifts, achievements, abilities) are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same (Holy) Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually (exactly) as He chooses. ” 1 Corinthians 12:11
Notice that the gifts, achievements and skills that one possesses are …. as He chooses. The Spirit of God Himself has designed each person with precision and in a way that He has desired them to be equipped and outfitted for life.
“And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [ Who is served]. And there are distinctive varieties of operation (of working to accomplish things), but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all. But to each one is given the manifestation of the [ Holy] Spirit the (evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit) for good and profit. ” 1 Corinthians 12:6-7
If the Spirit of God, the exact source and force of power that hovered over the earth to form it ‘In the Beginning, has fashioned each person with very specific skills and gifts that are placed there to benefit them for both good and profit, why would people not focus on perfecting their own gifts ?
For it is the Holy Spirit Who knows the specifics of God’s plan and purposes (Romans 8:27-28). He also is the One that determines your assignment (Acts 13:2-4). Spending times of intimacy in prayer, reading God’s Word and listening are the best ways to get to know His plans and what He wants for your life, through what He has given you. What is magnificent, is that the God that created the Universe even has a specific plan and purpose for each life. Remarkable!
Yet there is one more crucial element to understand about your plan, purposes and giftings. It is Jesus.
Because of the completed work based on Jesus’ sacrifice, every person that embraces Him as their Savior can look “unto Him” with expectation of finishing well and being a success in the eyes of God. Your victories are based on the knowledge of what Jesus did for you, over and above your own natural abilities and certainly over the natural abilities of others. The natural is important – these are how God has equipped you – however they are less than the supernatural transformation and breakthrough that will come when focused on Jesus.
God can and will place you into position to utilize your greatest gifts, skills and talents and can suddenly, even supernaturally open doors on your behalf.
These open doors are ‘doorways of grace‘ that cannot be forced but swing from their hinge in the perfect time and pre-ordained season to utilize your gifts for higher purposes. (At times ,this means in other geographic areas for the purposes of “special forces”.) Your personal experiences are also very beneficial in the decisions of plans and life purposes. Many people have lived through serious difficulties and the successful navigation of these unique experiences can be used to minister to many that are currently walking that road.
There is danger in the distraction of remaining mentally focused on a perceived competitor – always looking to the left and the right, overly concerned about the abilities of another. Striving to always be in competition is very counter productive and is guaranteed to steer a person off course – away from God’s desired direction. This will sound too simplistic but focus on Jesus and let everything in the periphery fade to black. Keep Jesus in the forefront and concentrate on what He has given you to do – this is the way to win your race. When people feel that they are not where they should be or experience failure, the spirit of competition can creep in and steal or derail God’s best, veering the unsuspecting off course. Envy, listed as one of the 7 deadly sins, is the root cause of the spirit of unhealthy competition. It is critical to remain vigilant against this spirit.
There is no reason to envy the abilities of others when the Father has something just as wonderful for you. The purpose of these skills, gifts and abilities that are knitted into the fabric of each person by the Holy Spirit is for the use for service of others. If you are properly engaged in serving others, there simply is not enough time to look at anything else. Serve well friends, serve well.
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2021
The Distraction that Destroys A Destiny
Sharing Link: https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2UC
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
Available on Amazon and through Parson’s Porch
Related Article: The Assignment
https://sacredramblings.com/2011/12/22/the-assignment/
The Spirit of Truth
07 Sunday Feb 2021
John 14:17 AMP
“ The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you constantly and will be in you.”
In the Church today, there seems to be some confusion surrounding the role of the third person of the Trinity. Holy Spirit is not the Holy Beater, nor is He the Holy Chastiser – He is the Spirit of Jesus, Who raised Christ Jesus from the dead and Whom was released at Pentecost 50 days following the resurrection. In Acts, The Apostle Peter explains the how behind The Who:
Acts 2:38 – 39 AMP
“And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise (of the Holy Spirit) is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, (even) to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself.”
The word ‘repent’ in Greek is described as Metanoia: to change course or direction. It does not suggest condemnation nor guilt which many modern churches teach. Jesus paid for guilt on the cross – Isaiah 53:5 ” ….. for He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities”. The Spirit of Jesus is a GIFT that is freely imparted through the acceptance of Christ. The Holy Spirit points us to answers held within Jesus. Jesus did not come to earth to condemn or judge, but only to save the lost. The reason people go to hell is not because of personal sin – Jesus has forgiven each of us. (1 John 2:1-2) People are condemned to hell because they do not accept Jesus as their payment for a sin debt they can never pay nor do they accept Him as their Lord and Savior.
John 15:26 AMP
“But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He (Himself) will testify regarding Me.”
There is a True North, or a “true Truth” that has been established on the earth by God the Father. This “True North” is available to all that hear the voice of the Shepherd and that will read God’s Word. The absolute truth of God’s laws and principles slice through clutter and confusion, clarifying difficult topics with application to all things past, present and future. God, in His mercy, also dispatches The Gift of His Spirit with periodic customized messages direct to our own spirit that bring clarity and truth to challenging circumstances, shining a light on the way forward. There is a reason that Jesus said that we should be glad that He was going away because something better was coming. The Cavalry has now truly come but you must get to know Him, spend time with Him and cultivate His presence.
So what is Truth ? Recently I had a discussion with someone that presented a narrative on circumstances of which I had observed at close range. What was true in his mind was 180 degrees from how I viewed the exact set of circumstances. He had crafted his own truth-narrative to cover for failures that he would not own. (We are all capable of espousing creative narratives to protect our egos and reputations.) To him, the facts he stated were unequivocally true – to me they were a ridiculous lie. It was pointless to challenge his story as it would only end in an argument and nothing I said would change his mind. I decided to pray that the Spirit of Truth would take care of the matter.
Another word for Truth is also “reality” – the Holy Spirit can be considered the Spirit of Reality, God’s kingdom reality – which is the only truth that matters. There is also a term called ‘universal truth’ which means what it says that a particular truth would be universally accepted by most people or a category of people (We’ll use Christians). For example: It is universally understood and accepted by all Christians that Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit, therefore bypassing the Adamic line of sin. Although we cannot ask Mary how this happened and discern for ourselves through first person testimony, we believe the Word of God and accept the account as being true. In the above illustration regarding the opposing narratives, there is no universal truth to which to refer and it comes down to character and perception. Fortunately, with the Spirit of Truth, we can always depend on the excellence of God’s character and His nature and trust that He is only delivering to us His “true Truth”.
John 16:13 AMP
But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole truth, the full Truth). For he will not speak His own message (on His own authority); but He will tell whatever He hears (from the Father; He will give the message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears (from the Father) and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come (this will happen in the future). He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take care of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (disclose, transmit) it to you.
Pray for a strengthening of your personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to make Himself known and shown to you. Honor the Spirit and acknowledge Him when He confirms or discloses (transmits Spirit to spirit) information from God to you. He is doing it for your betterment and to glorify the work of Jesus. He truly is a Gift from the Father and paid for with the Blood of the Son.
For further study: The Spirit of Truth | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
Prayer University
Session #14
Sharing Link: https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2SM
All Rights Reserved 2021
The Weapon of Praise
21 Monday Sep 2020
Posted in America, Armor of God, Christianity, faith, Fear, God, Holy Spirit, Keys to the Kingdom, Leadership, Nation, peace, Prayer, righteousness, The Bible, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Unity, Worship
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Driving home after a long day, my radio tuned to a worship music station, praise music saturated every inch of my vehicle’s interior. Despite the frustrations and strife of the day – the negative emotions clinging to my soul fell away, as a welcoming spirit of peace wafted through my mind, lifting up and away all the tensions of the day. This effortless transference of peace was sent special delivery from the courts of heaven. Peace is a gift bequeathed to us from Jesus, by Jesus Himself, as reward when we focus on Him.
II Chronicles 20:21-25 AMP “When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy (priestly) garments as they went out before the army, saying’Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever’!
And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were (self) slaughtered; For (suspecting betrayal) the men of Ammon and Moab rose against those of Mount Seir utterly destroying them. And when they had made an end of the men of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. And when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped!
When Jehosophat and his people came to take the spoil, they found among them much cattle, goods, garments, and precious things which they look for themselves, much more than they could carry away, so much they were three days in gathering the spoil.
On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah. There they blessed the Lord. So the name of the place is still called the Valley of Beracah (blessing).
Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, Jehosophat leading them, to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord.
And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.”
I believe the Lord has provided a spiritual tactic designed to strategically dismantle dangerous mayhem. This is an interior piece of the puzzle given just to believers who are forced to confront a unified tsunami of opposing forces that incite strife, division and evil across the globe. The piece? The Weapon of Praise. A powerful tool that can be enacted outside of the four walls of the church, strategically positioned in external outposts at the forefront of the lines of battle.
In today’s society, the media is weaponized, some departments of our national intelligence community appear to be weaponized, and even certain members of the conservative movement are weaponized – but these are not spiritual weapons of warfare from heavenly places.
In II Chronicles, The Lord provides for us an example of ‘battle’ in spiritual places, instructing us to ‘battle’ with praise to Him then promising to deliver us from our enemies. Seems simple. So why aren’t we using it?
With the clashing of swords in this Hebrew year of 5777 (Authors Note: we are now in 5781, this post was written in 2017) , we are witnessing unprecedented levels of lawlessness and civil unrest, and not witnessed since the 1960’s. During the latter part of the Obama administration, the cities of Ferguson, Baltimore and Miami – were hosts to incendiary levels of rage and violence incapacitating city governments, in some instances, destroying the livelihoods of people that they purported to defend. Now the American people are clashing over its very history and heritage.
But what about praise? Jehosphat sent his worshippers praising God while walking ahead of these armies, each wearing priestly garments saying ‘Give thanks to the Lord for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!’ I have a theory – and as yet untested on a modern day battlefield; to release praise music in advance of or during demonstrations to disengage these spirits of violence. Like opening a fireman’s hose on a raging fire, the aggressive flames of emotional spirits of anger, hatred, aggression, murder and rage, could go silent.
I ponder why the impact of praise music would be any different within the atmosphere of my own vehicle than on any modern day battlefield. Imagine the impact of Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe, Christy Nockels songs released prior to a demonstration or during the fray in the heat of the battle – singing the name of Jesus over and over and over again – above these protests. It is Jesus Christ Himself that has bequeathed us Peace. Would He not send us His Peace if we proactively sought it? Peace is a spirit. [ July 2017 The Spirit of Peace: http://wp.me/p1zoxs-24p ]
ll Timothy 1:7 AMP
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
To effectively confront the societal enemies of our time we must come from a secret place of ‘power, and of love, and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control’. The songs of praise set us into another dimension – apart from fear, self righteousness, and our human tendency to dissect the what’s and how’s of every situation. Praising God is a declaration that He is trusted as our defender (Jehovah Nissi). Praise positions our minds for right instruction and divine strategy from Him in how to move ahead in these troubling and even dangerous environments.
Could Jehosophat have understood that the instruction from God to send the ‘Praise Team’ ahead of the armies would result in a strong confusion and in-fighting among the enemy camp? Could Jehosophat foresee that a win of his armies positioned his people for a significant wealth transfer? I doubt it. He simply followed God’s orders and won….. BIG.
We must engage in praise to God while listening for the the Holy Spirit’s direction for ourselves and our nation amidst the clamor and chaos of today. He is surely speaking.
** The Weapon of Praise is a repost and was originally written in 2017.
Tracy L. Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2020
The Weapon of Praise Sharing Link: http://wp.me/p1zoxs-2iC
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
The Father That Answers Prayer
01 Friday May 2020
“When the disciples saw it, they marveled greatly and asked, “How is it that the fig tree withered all at once”? And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and (really) believing you will receive. ” Matthew 21:20- 22 AMP
“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will open. For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11
“If you live in Me [ abide vitally united in Me } and my words remain in you, and continue to live in your hearts, ask, whatever you will and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine”. John 15:7-8
The first recorded prayer teaching of Jesus was the Lord’s Prayer. Recently, I spent a great deal of time reading various books or chapters on the Lord’s Prayer. There is an almost dizzying amount of information. In case you need a reminder of the Lord’s Prayer, please read further:
vs 8″ Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner (boldface mine) therefore pray …….. ”
” Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever and ever AMEN. ” Matthew 6:9-13
My emphasis on the word ‘manner’ above is to illustrate that the intention of the Lord’s Prayer was to be used as a guide or template on prayer, and not a substitute for one’s own personalized prayer while communing with God. The Lord’s Prayer, as a guide, begins with praise and honor to the Father, asking that things that are in heaven will also be available to us here on the earth. The prayer acknowledges that God is Holy – uncommon, set apart and separate from the world. “Give us this day our daily bread” acknowledges that provision comes from His hand, followed by a request of forgiveness from God as we forgive those who have sinned against us. We ask to be protected from being lead into temptation (Pls note: God will never lead us to be tempted – Jesus was lead into the wilderness to negotiate with Satan but that was prior to His death and resurrection) and we are to ask to be delivered from all evil.
I greatly admire the works of several theologians and have numerous books written by Andrew Murray in my personal library. Here is an short excerpt on what Andrew Murray says on the Lord’s Prayer:
Give us this day our daily bread – When the child has yielded himself to the Father in the care for His name, His kingdom, and His will he has full liberty to ask for his bread.
The Father in heaven will care for the child who has given himself up in prayer to His interests. Consecration to God and His will gives wonderful liberty in prayer for temporal things. The whole earthly life is given over to the Father’s care.
You may note that Andrew Murray believes that there are conditions to having your prayer needs met –
The following is another assessment of the Lord’s prayer – an excerpt from another Andrew, this time Andrew Wommack:
Notice that verse 11 is not a question, because there is no question mark. It’s not saying “Oh God, I know I don’t deserve it, but would you please give me a crumb so I won’t starve and perish today”? No. This is a demand. Its not an arrogant demand in the vein of “God I’m forcing you!” but more like a child who comes into the kitchen asking his mother for something to eat. Give us this day our daily bread –
God wants His will to be done here on earth as it is in Heaven – His desire is for no sickness, disease, poverty, despair. God does not cause bad things to come upon His people – we have an enemy, the devil, that is the root cause of evil. God wants His believers to be so bold that they just reach out and take their request by faith! He is a Father of love, a family man that seeks good for His family. When life does become challenging, we have His presence to walk us through it.
If I knew unequivocally how to have God answer all prayer, every one – I would be the most famous Christian leader of all time. I do not have that answer but I do know how to move the needle closer on the “acceptance” spectrum.
1) Change the focus of your prayer from primarily petitioning for your personal needs over to praise and loving God. He knows your needs. If you do incorporate personal petitions, do so confidently and declaratively, showing God that you understand that His Son has paid the ultimate price. You may be dying but praise God that He is healing you, because His Son has paid for it and thank Him.
2) You must have a Sonship perspective on prayer rather than a servant perspective. With Sonship, you are an Heir with Christ (Romans 8:17) and the Father has made spiritual promises that He will not deny. You approach the Father’s throne of grace surrounded by and clothed in Christ Jesus and His righteousness. The Holy Spirit is within so you are approaching the throne accompanied by two of the Deity; one surrounding, and one within. This should build faith and provide encouragement in your prayer time. You are not praying alone.
3) We must come boldly and bravely to God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) to obtain mercy and find grace during every time of need. A confident expectation at the throne of God is a major condition for answered prayer.
1 John 19 – 23 AMP
“By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him 20 whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands]. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God; 22 and we receive from Him whatever we ask because we [carefully and consistently] keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight [habitually seeking to follow His plan for us].23 This is His commandment, that we believe [with personal faith and confident trust] in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and [that we unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, just as He commanded us. ”
We are not to be weighed down by guilt and shame and were never designed to carry these emotions. All guilt and iniquity (iniquity means to go your own way – and presumably in a direction that was out of the will of God) was taken on the body of Jesus while on the cross. Shame and guilt strike at our identity, keeping us from believing that God will answer our prayers. This is a performance-based perspective and not a grace based perspective. Jesus has paid for your sin. Your flaws and sin have been washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Isaiah 54:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes (that wounded) Him we are healed and made whole”
“For as many as the promises of God , they all find their Yes (answer) in Him (Christ). For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him (in His Person and by His agency) to the Glory of God. ” 2 Corinthians 1:20
All the promises that God has given us pertaining to healing, health, provision, peace, purpose and power are found in Christ. Our responsibility is to say AMEN to Him and walk boldly as Sons and Daughters that will declare with Him in Agreement that He has given us everything that we need. We are to rest and live in the knowledge that Jesus has paid for us to have what is needed in our lives.
At the end of His life Jesus cried, Tetelestai – ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED – Tetelestai means the account has been reconciled. The debt has been paid.
So if Christ has paid the way for your healing, your health, provision, peace, purpose and supplied the power – we now pray from a position of victory and never from a defeated, begging, pleading stance. We also must pray God’s Word, phrasing our petitions regarding our circumstances to align with His promise then allowing time for the manifestation of the promise.
After consuming volumes of information on this subject, I believe that God answers all prayer that is within His will. Why would God give us prayer to use if not to our full benefit? There are however times that our prayers are not in His will. When Jesus prayed in the garden to have “this cup pass from Me” – the cup did not pass from Jesus, as it was not the will of His Father to stop what was going to happen involving His scourging and the crucifixion. If anyone had the power to have any prayer answered, it would be Jesus Himself. He submitted to the will of His Father which was to allow the crucifixion process to continue. The fact that Jesus prayed and even asked His Father, rather than command a legion of angels down to rescue Him, speaks volumes about His heart attitude toward God.
In this dark hour, Jesus could not stride boldly to the throne of grace because there was no throne of grace as it did not exist without Him. Jesus is ALL truth and ALL grace. (John 1:17) There was no grace until Grace Himself gave Himself – Tetelestai!
Personal Testimony and excerpt from Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
“I was in the living room of my friend’s condominium and simply walking across the room when suddenly and with no warning, an explosive impartation dropped into my spirit. I stopped in my tracks and watched as if a scene on a movie reel, a Technicolor Jesus, hanging from a cross, His head dropping. A saw His spirit leave His body. I somehow knew that He had released His spirit of His own will and that His life had not been taken from Him. No one person or culture of people had killed Jesus. It then began to be revealed to me by the Spirit that we had been given everything we all need in this life because it had been purchased for us at the Cross. This came to me like an impression in my spirit. God was unlocking His rich treasury and showing me a very great mystery on a divine movie screen.
The understanding that we already own our healing, our provision, our peace, and our sanctification, all through Him, that His body and His blood has paid for everything that we need was coming to me for the first time. I later learned how He became our righteousness and made us to be righteous in the sight of God (Romans 3:22-26). We need only walk with expectation in receiving these benefits. Our only requirement is to pray, be diligent, rest and have faith in Him. I could not believe what I was seeing in the spirit and had never heard this taught before nor thought that I had read this in the bible. I had never been reading the bible through the lens of grace!” (excerpt page 85 )
Prayer University
Session #2
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2020
Sharing Link: https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2I9
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus (2015)
Twitter: Tracy L Gatewood
Lord Teach Us to Pray !
22 Wednesday Apr 2020
“ Then He was praying in a certain place (boldface mine) and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord! Teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ ”
Luke 11:1
To attempt to instruct on prayer without deferring and submitting to the Master Teacher would be the greatest disservice to anyone desiring to learn. Jesus’ teachings on prayer are foundational and after all, Who would have a better understanding? As the Chief Intercessor, He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and His primary role is to intercede on our behalf.
If you are on a sincere journey to understand more about prayer, I encourage you to stop now and pray to Jesus in humility, asking Him to open your eyes on what He wants you to learn regarding HIS practice. This will require you and me starting over and learning afresh with no preconceived notions, templates or agendas. Today, I ask Christ to begin unlocking the rich mysteries and treasuries of prayer for us each day while we are meeting together in prayer school.
Luke 11:1 specifically mentions that Jesus was praying in a certain place – our first duty will be to establish a place of quiet to commune with Jesus, to hear from Him, allow to be taught and thereby develop a trusting relational fellowship; one so close that you will hear and distinguish His voice. The goal is for you and for me to ABIDE and to learn to rest and perpetually DWELL in Him.
The unstated objective of prayer is having power with God more than men. This objective cannot be overstated nor minimized and prayer is what achieves this power. Powerful prayer moves mightily from a combination of relationship with Him and through our ever deepening revelation of the Father’s nature and characteristics. Christ is the Breath of Prayer and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Prayer and they together will lead and guide us. Jesus sees our hearts and therefore what He desires to accomplish in and through us as we submit to His leadership and ask Him to teach us to pray but we must be able to listen.
” And when you pray, go into your (most) private room, and closing your door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret and the Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open. “ Matthew 6:6
God wants us to dwell or abide (spend time from a position of rest) with Him in the secret place – the place that delivers from the storms of life. This is THE place of protection; where one Abides in the Shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1) The Hebrew meaning of shadow is protection: from disease, terror, darkness, anything that comes against His children. Abiding with the Father is where you find true connection and will draw strength from Him. This only comes through acute focus on God, His Word and looking with expectation unto Jesus – the Covenant Son.
But there is more, much more – His Spirit has been poured into your spirit so YOU now are the dwelling place of God, the Secret Place is YOUR spirit, secured by the death and resurrection of the Son. The Secret Place is contained by the boundaries of your spirit – the true secret place is deeply within where you sense or feel the faint movements of confirmation or His jolting warnings as He shows you the way and how to walk in it. This is only revealed by devoting time in building a relationship with Him yet even then, He sometimes will hide His pathway to have you seek His will with everything within you. Ask, seek, knock! Take heart, if you seek you will eventually find.
To understand God is to know Him as a receptor of Light. As an ear receives and understands sound and an eye receives and processes images, translating them into objects or people – God is a Receptor that receives on a frequency of thanksgiving, high praise, righteous petitions, repentance, acknowledgement of His Son and His Spirit, intercession for others and petitions for ourselves. God is a Spirit and our highest form of communication with Him is spirit to spirit.
When we accept that His Son, is His Son and the only payment for our sin debt, we pass through a glorious invisible veil to what He has for us and it is here that He delivers us the GREAT reward of His Spirit. He actually makes a way for us to have what He desires for us through Himself. God as The Triune, is completely contained in perfection.
In the secret place is where Christ Jesus, the Anointed, will breathe on The Spirit, instructing as The Truth, teaching you the fundamental attributes of His Father, your Father – His Fatherhood and His Fatherliness through demonstrations of His infinite and immutable devotion and love for you. This love for His children is the cornerstone from which all prayer must be grounded and established. While on earth, He was the only one that addressed God as Father and He returned to make known the truth that God was and is a family man. Without the knowledge and confidence of God’s deep love there can be no trust and assurance that He desires to answer all prayers of His will. Without the knowledge and confidence of His deep love, one cannot fully accept that He is truly working things to the good for those who love Him and will walk according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28)
So in our opening session, we have learned the following truths:
1) We need a consistently quiet place to commune with God and to hear from Him
2) The journey of prayer is lengthy as it takes time to build and develop a relationship.
3) This prayer journey must occur with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and is not a solo flight.
4) Your own spirit is now the Secret Place where He dwells. (This is a New Covenant truth.)
5) God loves His children and is a true ‘family man’ (but really a Spirit but you know what I mean). #Godisafamilyman #GodthefirstFamilyMan
And off we go ……………………………..
#PrayerUniversity
Session 1 4/20/2020
Lord Teach Us To Pray
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2020
Twitter: TracyLGatewood
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Website: Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and
Meeting Jesus
The Process of A Process
01 Wednesday Jan 2020
For the past few months I have had this unsettled feeling in my spirit that comes as part and parcel when I embark on the process of transition. I am feeling that it is time for a change, a move, a desire to go to something else.
One day this week as I was waking up in bed, and just as the sun was beginning to rise up and claim the morning, I began to ponder these unsettled feelings. As my mind began to track back through this decade and then rewind through previous decades, I noticed something interesting, well at least interesting to me. Since growing into adulthood, with every single change in a decade, I have moved to another city, and typically to another state. I have undergone many of my life’s most profound seasons of change while journeying through the ‘9’ and into the ‘0’ . 1) From an Alabama high school senior to Virginia-bound college freshman, 2) a career upgrade requiring a move from Alabama to Atlanta, 3) freshly single and broken in Atlanta to single yet still alive returning back to Alabama, 4) then 10 years later single and broken again (not marriage related!) and still in Alabama with a return to my hometown, and now this new decade (still single ha!) but strong, self employed and now stabilized in a foundation built upon Christ Jesus.
This week, I was reading a book on the life of King David. One of the chapters went to great lengths to show the process that David went through before God opened the door for him to become King. Even (and especially after) David became Israel’s second King, he continued to experience trial after trial. He was trained through so many trials that when he encountered his most serious they did not consume. We all know that David was by no means perfect but undeniably a great leader possessing a connection to God as His Beloved, that was and may still be unmatched. Only God knows this but throughout the process, David strengthened himself in the Lord and no other. This is a great lesson for all of us.
As I move through life, I see there are no shortcuts; neither in business nor in ministry nor apparently as David’s life illustrates, in kingdom management. Its all process, process, process. My life compared to King David, although not without some steep almost vertical degrees of difficulty, has been by comparison, simple. David got an early start as a giant killer and in doing so got an early leg up to be groomed for a great destiny. Despite being raised in the church, I was a late bloomer to Jesus and to the understanding of true faith. How I wish I had not lost those precious years circling in the weeds of life, unaware that there was a divine GPS to guide me along a righteous path but again I say – it’s a process, and don’t let anyone convince you differently. There is no microwave growth in Christianity – its water, son-light and roots growing deeper and deeper and deeper into the verdant soil of the Divine.
I have noticed that doors, particularly meaningful spiritual doors, swing open on just one or two hinges. These doors cannot be pushed, kicked or broken down – these doors swing wide with no known pressure. Again reflecting on David, he was thought the least of Jesse’s sons and was not even presented to Samuel. David was out in the field, diligently doing his job, minding the sheep and BOOM – a life changing encounter came out of nowhere, an encounter undeniably from the hand of God.
And the word of the Lord came to Nathan (the prophet) saying –
11 Samuel 7:8-9 So now say this to my servant David, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over My people. And I was with you where you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name like that of the great men of the earth.”
Some of the most important opportunities that have come my way, those of which I can take no credit, have emerged from out of the blue. These “doorways of grace” glided open easily with no striving, occurring only in their proper time and season. There was no planning, foresight or known cause for God’s invisible, provident breath to blow these doors of opportunity open wide. But there is something of importance to note: When these doors swing open we must be ready to move as they are on a hinge that snaps back and will slam like that old wood frame screen door on your grandmothers house. Whap! I can still hear that door slamming closed on a few opportunities that I did not walk through due to fear, self doubt and over thinking but because of the goodly nature of God – I, like you, can rest in His second chances.
Not typically associated with “fun”, the process of being in the process is certainly punctuated with times of enjoyment but rarely would anyone describe the work involved as “fun”. “Fun” relates to entertainment – if being constantly entertained is what it took to become great then one would not have to journey through “a process” to arrive. Entertainment is typically reserved for endeavors that engage the soul on a surface level but never engage with the spirit – as it takes The Spirit to successfully navigate The Process. Are you still with me ?
As I write this on the first day of the year and even a new decade, I remain expectant of what and where the process will take both you and me. As we look backward to 2010 and consider where we have come – remain encouraged. I am not where I wish to be but definitely have made significant progress in the 10 years spent (some would consider) in this wilderness, a place where I never desired to grow content or become familiar. When I look in the mirror I am reminded that although “my youth is being renewed as the eagles” those eagles are definitely older eagles – I’m no eaglet! But God has given me a greater peace for the process. Perhaps this is to become my desire for 2020 that I wish for you and for me: Peace.
Happy New Year!
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved
1/1/2020
Related article: My Journey with Jesus Part Two http://wp.me/p1zoxs-gR
Tracy Gatewood is the author of Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus (2015)
Twitter: TracyLGatewood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracyGatewoodWriterTeacher
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Why Jesus Could Not Drain His Swamp
25 Wednesday Sep 2019
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah ] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and the recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed and broken down by calamity], 19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound) (see also Isaiah 61:1.2). 20 Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing (attentively) at Him. 21 And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing.
These are words of Jesus teaching in the temple in Nazareth on the Sabbath to the priests and to His people.
Jesus proceeded to explain to the crowd that a prophet is not accepted in his own town or welcomed in his own town (country) and then provided examples: vs 4:26 Elijah the prophet overlooked the widows of Israel during a 3 year period of famine and was sent to Zarephath in Sidon, and vs 4:27 Elisha the prophet did not heal the many lepers in his native Israel but chose instead to heal someone in Syria.
vs 28 And when they heard these things; all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage.
In fact they became OFFENDED. Jesus was merely the son of Joseph and He was saying that He had come to deliver them as captives. “Is not this Joseph’s Son”? Luke 4:22 The word Offense is Skandalon and in the Greek is defined as follows by Strong’s:
(skándalon) is the native rock rising up through the earth, which trips up the traveler, hence, of Jesus the Messiah, to the Jews who refused him” (Souter); “properly, the bait-stick of a trap, a snare, stumbling-block” (Abbott-Smith); “the stick in the trap that springs and closes the trap when the animal touches it” (WP, 1, 46).]
Did you know that when people become offended at the works of Jesus; ie healing, deliverance, supernatural signs – this disconnects the flow of the anointing within the one who carries the anointing? It is a focus on and faith in what He has done that provides the conduit and pathway from one person to another. This is why the devil’s favorite play is to orchestrate offenses.
So even if you are a Christian and embrace the works stated in scripture of what Jesus did and what you as well have the power to release – if you reject the vessel that is carrying the message – you disconnect the vessel from the anointing and the divine ability they have to pour into you.
Mark 6:3-6 Is not this the Carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses and Judas and Simon ? And are not His sisters here among us? And they took offense at Him and were hurt (that is they disapproved of Him, and it hindered them from acknowledging His authority and they were caused to stumble and fall. But Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor (deference, reverence) except in his own country and among [his] relatives and in his (own) house. 5 And He was not able to do even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly people and cure them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in Him). And He went about among the surrounding villages and continued teaching.
We have all heard of the spirit of Anti Christ. No one refers to this as the spirit of “Anti – Jesus”. Why? People in Jesus’ time were not against Jesus as a Man, but they became offended at Jesus in His position as The Christ – they were offended by the abilities that He displayed through the power of His anointing. This offense and absence of faith prevented Jesus from doing much to release them, leaving Him to teach and heal, not to His own countrymen, but across the surrounding areas. Christ Jesus, is a title, ‘The Anointed One Jesus’ which He was awarded following His death and His resurrection; the single act that ratified the new covenant. Christ Jesus now holds office in the triune Godhead.
Following His baptism by John and a 40 day wilderness journey where the devil showed up at the end to try to tempt Him in all number of ways (and failed), Jesus returned first to His own people, only to be rejected by the religious. The people of Israel had taken the bait of Satan, becoming hooked into unbelief through the bait of offense. Jesus threw in the towel to act on behalf of His own because the people refused to see who He was or acknowledge that He had been sent with an anointing to heal, deliver and restore. This act of disrespect was a tragic miscalculation.
A religious spirit is a counterfeit to the work of the Holy Spirit – the “religious” cannot duplicate the supernatural, nor can they understand it, so they seek to either discredit or even destroy a person that moves in this and that is Spirit-led. The religious are either puffed up or self righteous, believing that their own lengthy prayers, which are never spirit led, are working. It was this same spirit of religion that was responsible for putting Jesus on the Cross, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” screamed the religious rabbi’s of the day. They of course could not kill Jesus, no one could kill Jesus. He allowed Himself to be (for 3 days) and even then He dismissed His own spirit to return to His Father when His work was complete.
I am teaching on this subject so my readers will understand the power and consequences of remaining in a state of offense. Not only a prospective receiver of a gift through an anointing can deflect the gift through offense but a person carrying the anointing can have it blocked from release if they remain offended.
Moral of the Story: Remain Unoffendable.
Blessings!
Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
2019 All Rights Reserved
Twitter: Tracy L Gatewood
Instagram: tgatewood1
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
Did you learn something? If so I would love to hear from you! Please tell me what you learned and also what topics on which you would like for me to focus.
Tracy Gatewood 