Servias Ministries Blog

Many people never make it past the First Commandment of Love. The First Commandment dealt with the "vertical" aspect of the Cross, our relationship with Our Heavenly Father above. The Second Commandment deals with that horizontal beam of the Cross. It is the horizontal aspect of Love for mankind.

Mark 12:31  And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.” NKJV

Can it be any more plainly stated by Jesus? There are no greater commandments than those that focus on Love. Yet most Christians will study and meditate on just about any other topic than Love.

Many Christians are somewhat bloodthirsty and want their enemies to suffer. We are to Love Our Heavenly Father, Love our neighbor, and Love our enemies. Who else is left? Many secretly want their adversaries who don’t align themselves with their doctrine or way of life to burn for eternity. Doesn’t this belittle the power of the Blood of the Lamb of GOD? Is the Creator helpless to find a way to make sure all of mankind is restored to HIM?

Most everyone wants eternal life. In the Gospel of Luke, we are given explicit details in attaining eternal life. An expert in religious law asks the specific question:

10:25  And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Many would have you believe that there is a laundry list of do’s and don’ts that must be checked off before you are allowed entrance into "eternal life." Jesus replied with a question (Don’t you just love it when He does that!):

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

The lawyer knows the letter of the Law:

27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

It is interesting that most Christians, as well as the experts in The Law, know these two Commandments. Head knowledge is not enough, Jesus further explains:

28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

"Do this" is the key. Talk is cheap; actions must back up those words. The lawyer now paints himself into a corner with his next question:

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Our ego wants to justify our current state and resists change. It wants the good life without sacrificing any time, energy, or money on others. It wants to keep you focused on scarcity rather than abundance.

As happened often, Jesus replied to the lawyer’s question with a parable- The Parable of the Good Samaritan:

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’

Jesus provides a clear and concise picture of assisting someone in need. Any reasonable person can figure out the essence of the lesson in the story. Jesus asked the lawyer a simple question:

36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

It was a multiple-choice question making it simple to pick the correct answer. The lawyer replied:

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Jesus provided a simple reply- Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

How complicated have we made entering into eternal life! It doesn’t require some complex formula that the ego would promote as the key. It doesn’t require you to memorize a bunch of Scriptures to achieve a certain level of acceptance. Anyone can achieve eternal life by walking in just two Commandments focused on Love. The Gospel is simple. Our ego makes it complex and difficult.

Most people focus only on the First Commandment focusing on the relationship with Our Heavenly Father. To bring Heaven to earth, we must move on to the Second Commandment of Loving mankind. We are to represent Our Heavenly Father to the world. We are to be the light in a world of darkness:

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light NKJV

Jesus’ focus was on mankind. His relationship with Our Heavenly Father was well established, and thus He now was able to fully represent the Divine Intent of restoring mankind to The Father. Our focus should be the same. We should be looking for opportunities to make a difference in other people’s lives rather than just focusing on ourselves. There are Spiritual Laws of giving that have been established to promote the Kingdom. Seed time and harvest work for both the evil and righteous. Often the evil do a better job of understanding basic laws and exploit them for personal benefit. How much more should the righteous understand the Law of Abundance and operate in it to meet the needs of all mankind!

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” NKJV

This passage contains a mystery. This mystery is counterintuitive to the ego’s way of thinking. Give, and you will be given more? This is contrary to the Law of Scarcity where you must hoard what you have and work harder to acquire more, never giving anything to anyone else. The mystery is that as you are a cheerful giver, giving out of Love, you will be supplied with even a greater storehouse to supply more. Your circle of influence will grow because you have been faithful over a little and proven that you can be faithful over much more.

Many like to view Luke 6:38 in only the context of finances. Though it is true for finances, it is also true of intangible resources. Consider the fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. As you give these fruit, an abundance of fruit avails itself to you.

The Second Commandment of Love is so simple. Put yourself in your neighbor’s shoes and determine what your neighbor needs. It may be a kind word, it may be financial assistance, or they simply may need some quality time with you. As you become sensitive to the needs of others, you will be given greater responsibilities for the deeper, more subtle needs. How do you know what they really need? As you mature in the revelation of Love, you will be able to hear the Father’s words more clearly as HE conveys the needs of others to you. Jesus conveyed this Truth in John 17:

8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. NKJV

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. NKJV

Jesus was given glory. Thus He gave this glory to the believers. Jesus Loved the those who believed and imparted His Love for their perfection. You can see how the flow works: Your vertical relationship with Our Heavenly Father flows through you and then horizontally to others. You must not stop the flow and end it with you. Let the Love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness flow to your neighbor and your adversaries. This is what spreading the Gospel is all about.

The Second Commandment was central to the Old Testament Law as well. The last five of the Ten Commandments focused on our relationship with others:

Deuteronomy 5: 17 ​‘​You shall not murder.

18 ​‘​You shall not commit adultery.

19 ​‘​You shall not steal.

20 ​‘​You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

21 ​‘​You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’ NKJV

All of these primarily dealt with self-preservation, the Law of Scarcity, or both. These commandments expose the "taker" as opposed to the "giver." You must ask yourself in which category your actions and words place you.

Most people submit to the Law of Scarcity out of fear. Ultimately the fear of death motivates their actions. Hunger precedes death. Lack of shelter and clothing places you at risk of death if left out in the elements. Bankruptcy can lead to hunger which leads to death. In the end, death is the issue central to the taker’s motive. This person has no confidence in the Love of Our Heavenly Father. He must fend for himself against all odds. At best, he considers Our Heavenly Father to be a distant GOD who cannot or will not deal with his personal issues. He has no revelation of the Love of Our Heavenly Father.

The First Commandment given to mankind to follow focused on Love:

Mark 12: 28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment." NKJV

In this passage, Mark included " with all your strength" whereas Matthew 22 omitted this phrase. When you add strength to the answer, you have removed any question of whether your actions are included in this Commandment. Strength represents activity, focus, resources, and intent. Our strength is our most fundamental attribute available for each of us to carry out an action. Our life’s focus should be directed toward Loving Our Heavenly Father with our complete being. Who deserves more Love and attention than our Creator?

Jesus divided our individuality into heart, soul, mind, and strength (body). He left no aspect of our individual being out. There can be no question of the importance of this First Commandment. When you love somebody, do you want to spend time with them? Do you focus your efforts toward making them happy and fulfilled? How much more should we focus our strength and resources to fulfill this First Commandment!

Our soul represents our individuality and survives physical death. We make our decisions within our soul and John encourages us in this area:

3 John 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. NKJV

Our soul can prosper and be purified by pursuing the fullness of Love:

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. NKJV

Peter establishes our individual accountability for oversight of our souls. Purifying the soul is done by obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere Love. Our hearts must be pure. Those with a pure heart shall be blessed and see GOD (Matthew 5:8) We must focus our strength on the purification aspect of our walk. We must steer away from those situations that place our soul at risk of further temptation to walk according to the worldly lusts. We must overcome the temptations just as Jesus overcame the temptations in the wilderness. Be assured that the tests will come and you will continue to be tested in the area until you have finally overcome that aspect of weakness.

You must purify your soul by obeying the Truth. How do you find out what the Truth is in a matter? By hearing Our Heavenly Father’s voice. When Jesus gave the scribe the answer to his question, He began by saying "Hear, O Israel". We must learn to hear Our Heavenly Father’s voice. We must quiet our soul, our mind, and our body to hear. We must turn our focus away from our "self" and place the focus on HIM.

Our mind’s job is to solve problems in an analytical and logical way. It records and administers information and facts as needed. When we give our mind a problem, it focuses on solving it. It will work on the problem while we are sleeping. It is a great servant when we keep it in perspective to serve us. Logical thinking in the mind analyzes the facts and predicts or projects patterns, consequences, and results. Without Spiritual insight, the mind will take you on a path based on observed patterns and signs. There are signs everywhere, and the mind will use the body’s full senses to observe and identify signs to support its logical conclusions.

Problems arise when we give or assign power to our mind rather than our heart. If given an opportunity, our mind will create problems to solve. It will move you to a life of greater complexity, and ultimately you will become a servant to that complexity, and you will become subject to it as a taskmaster. You will place yourself under the service of the created rather than the Creator. The ultimate path is toward bondage when you submit to control of the mind.

An example of complexity is man’s government. There are thousands upon thousands of laws and statutes to deal with all types of issues. If mankind operated in Love, there would be a need for only two Commandments, both centering around Love. The mind does not promote Love, it responds to whatever you guide it towards life and simplicity or death and complexity.

You will decide where your power resides. You will become a servant to Love or logic, life or death:

Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.

You give power and authority either to your heart or your mind. The one you give that power to will develop and strengthen and then one will serve the other. The stronger one will determine your priorities in life. Your heart can perceive the Law of Abundance and infinity. This law comes from the Divine Intent of Love. You can look up at the stars and the galaxies and comprehend the vastness of Our Heavenly Father’s creation. You begin to realize that scarcity is simply a perception created by the mind’s conclusion drawn from the limited facts gained by observation of the senses. The mind will always lead you toward the Law of Scarcity. Why? You only rely on limited senses rather than tapping into the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge from Above. As you move away from the power of the mind and strengthen your heart’s connection with the Spirit, you will begin to hear Our Heavenly Father’s voice, and HE will open your eyes to HIS vastness:

Psalm 138:1  I will praise You with my whole heart;

​​Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

2 ​​I will worship toward Your holy temple,

​​And praise Your name

​​For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

​​For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

3 ​​In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

​​And made me bold with strength in my soul. NKJV

Job was given a corrective interview by Elihu about the limitations of his mind and perception:

Job 37: 14 ​​“Listen to this, O Job;

​​Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.

15 ​​Do you know when God dispatches them,

​​And causes the light of His cloud to shine?

16 ​​Do you know how the clouds are balanced,

​​Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?

17 ​​Why are your garments hot,

​​When He quiets the earth by the south wind?

18 ​​With Him, have you spread out the skies,

​​Strong as a cast metal mirror?

Our Heavenly Father is perfect in knowledge so why should we pursue man’s incomplete knowledge and understanding when we have a Father who wants to instruct us personally? We must move our minds back to a position of service and let our heart prevail to command our path toward the fullness of Love. We determine what input the mind receives: positive or negative, blessing or cursing, health or sickness.

As a man thinks, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). We control what our mind thinks. We expose our mind to outside stimuli, and thus we decide our own path.

This effort is a process and is continual. We are accountable for our own mind, its content and it focus. Our mind will be self-serving toward the world or will be selfless in submitting to the Spirit. It is your decision. Paul states it like this:

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

To prove means to test, examine, and scrutinize, to recognize as genuine, or to deem worthy. Our mind does a fine job of analyzing and assessing. It will come to logical conclusions based on the information and facts provided to it. We must feed it the right information for it to function properly. If you never study Scripture, how can you know the good, acceptable, or perfect will of Our Heavenly Father? If you never spend time in your prayer closet, upon what revelation are you acting? You were led to this writing because your spirit needs a greater revelation of Love. I was led by the Holy Spirit to write this book for the very same reason.

Most of us have heard that our health is affected by our mind. Our mind is where our memory primarily resides. However, memory is functional in the body as well. Cells have memory, organs have memory, but our mind is where the primary clearinghouse resides. When our mind processes bitterness, it has a negative impact on the body. The immune system no longer functions properly. Cancer may form due to embedded bitterness over a loved one. Bitterness usually begins with words spoken in an unloving fashion. The mind processes these words and then begins to affect the bodily functions. The body develops a chemical imbalance, and then those renegade cells become active. As you renew your mind, you begin to deal with the embedded unforgiveness and bitterness in your body. Your physical body begins to recover and return to normal in response to the renewing of your mind. How long are you going to postpone the renewing of your mind? Give it up! Do you think you can Love Our Heavenly Father fully and completely and still hold a grudge? It’s not going to happen.

The soul is mentioned separately in the First Commandment. The soul is the total essence of all aspects of your love, awareness, experience and potential, emotions, abilities, gifts, and calling. Your soul is unique and special to you. In Isaiah 38, King Hezekiah was near death and without an heir. In Isaiah 38, Isaiah the prophet was led by the Word of the LORD to tell him to set his house for he would soon die. In response, Hezekiah spoke:

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, 3 and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. NKJV

In HIS great mercy and grace, Our Heavenly Father responded:

4 And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. NKJV

This was great news, Our Heavenly Father responds to our prayers and intervenes on our behalf. Prayer changes things. Hezekiah later admits to bitterness and its removal:

Isaiah 38:17 "Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back." NASB

As we submit ourselves to Our Heavenly Father, the solutions to our issues come forth and change the course of our life. We must protect our mind from dwelling on the wrong information that originates from the world apart from Our Heavenly Father.

Our heart is where our connection with Our Heavenly Father resides. It is at the center of our being. It is our spirit and should be in command of our daily walk. As we continually acknowledge this connection with Our Heavenly Father, our Love will mature. When you Love somebody, you want to spend quality time with them, and you want to expend your resources on them. As you spend quality time focused on Our Heavenly Father, your life will abound, your health will improve, and you will gain peace in your life:

Proverbs 4: 20 ​​My son, give attention to my words;

​​Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 ​​Do not let them depart from your eyes;

​​Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 ​​For they are life to those who find them,

​​And health to all their flesh.

23 ​​Keep your heart with all diligence,

​​For out of it spring the issues of life. NKJV

This first great Commandment is given for our benefit by a Loving Father who has your best interest at heart. Don’t delay in altering your walk if you have failed to honor HIM first and foremost. Jesus said " the LORD our God, the LORD is one. " There is none other. Don’t let any aspect of your life be allowed to distract you from this most primary Truth spoken by our Lord.

Most believers would answer "No" to this question. I would have to disagree by considering my own experience. In the spring of 1984, I was a very busy young executive helping manage a large wholesale distribution business. Fifty-hour weeks were the norm and sixty hour weeks were sometimes required. I constantly read my Bible, read Christian books and listened to teaching tapes of all types. Two weeks after a trip to New York I became sick to the point of making an appointment with my wife’s doctor. I didn’t have one since I had believed FATHER for Divine health for several years. In the five years, I had been employed at the company, I was the only one who never took off for sickness. FATHER told me earlier to slow down and rest, but I pressed on due to the demands of the job.

I went to the doctor, and his nurse took a sample of blood. The result indicated that I had the hepatitis A virus contracted from undercooked shellfish. I remembered the shrimp cocktail I ate at the Hilton Hotel across from the airport two weeks before my symptoms. The doctor demanded that I be checked into the hospital because of the severity indicated by the test. I begged him to let me stay home and do nothing but rest. He reluctantly agreed. He told me that I would be unable to work for a minimum of six weeks, but eight weeks was more realistic in my case.

I was upset at FATHER for letting me get sick, possibly unto death. HE responded, "You are void of MY Word." What? I studied my Bible, read books, listened to tapes, watch Christian TV yet I was void of HIS Word? HE explained with a question- "When was the last time you studied MY Word on healing?" I admitted that it had been a long time and then repented. I then asked, "What do YOU want me to do?". HE instructed me to immerse myself in healing Scriptures, teaching, and listen to an audio cassette tape on healing every time I laid down. I did exactly as instructed. The result was that my symptoms were gone in 11 days and I was able to return to work for half days per the doctor’s instructions. My doctor had no explanation for the miraculous recover but was unwilling to discuss Spiritual matters.

I shared the details of this story to let you know that even though you have studied Love, faith, hope, healing, and other such topics, you can lose the "life" or reality of those Truths to the point where they become on none effect in your walk. As we increase in our sensitivity to hearing HIS Voice we should ask HIM what we ought to study for HE knows what"levels" are in each area of our life.

During Jesus’ ministry, He dealt with people who had a long history with FATHER, yet they could not recognize HIS Son when He stood in front of Him. In Matthew chapter 13 Jesus spoke:

14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

​

​‘​Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

​​And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 ​​For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

​​Their ears are hard of hearing,

​​And their eyes they have closed,

​​Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

​​Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

​​So that I should heal them.’

Your heart can grow dull to the point where it becomes hard for you to hear and see. You were once on fire to do FATHER’S Will, but now your heart has grown cold. The Word was once alive in you, but now it has been reduced to knowledge without the life and power once associated with it. The cares of the world have entered in a plucked the life-giving word out of the soil.

The phrase "use or lose it" is appropriate on many levels. When a marathon runner finishes the race, there is a short time to recover and relax. However, he knows that he must continue to run "maintenance" runs or he will lose his edge. Too much time off would require him to make up with tougher training later. It is better to stay in shape than to start over and this is true for those who seek to walk in full Spiritual maturity.

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ chapter 2 we read:

2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;

3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.

4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

"First Love" is the exclusive Love which is first place in our hearts above all other things. It isn’t our initial, immature love we experience at an earlier point in our walk. My attention had shifted away from HIS Life-giving Word on healing and other things changed by focus and frame of mind. I allowed the cares of the world to enter in and take over my focus. Before long the life and revelation of healing had become inactive. I had to repent and then return my focus ON HIM. The Divine Intent of OUR HEAVENLY FATHER should be our first Love. If it isn’t then, we should repent else our light will grow dim.

When FATHER is our highest priority, our focus, time, and resources become available to HIM for HIS use. As a Loving Father, HE will give more to us more than we can possibly give into HIS work. HE simply wants to see good fruit come forth in HIS Sons.

Repentance means "a change of mind." We must redirect our mind’s attention to the deeper things of FATHER if we want to be chosen as HIS vessels of honor. As we respond to HIS relevant Word for the state we are in, our weaknesses are replaced by the power of HIS Word. We must focus on those areas which are the highest Spiritual priority.

A candlestick is intended to shine and illuminate the room. As an act of correction and discipline, FATHER allowed the glory to be removed when men lost the "first" love. They lost their anointing in the area of their calling. When I was diagnosed with hepatitis, it was a wake-up call for me. Past assumptions were removed from my thinking, and I learned a valuable lesson while recovering from this serious disease.

Now you must ask yourself the question- Do I walk in the revelation of Love and do I have good fruit as a result of this walk? Are you void of Love? I don’t mean the love that you show for your spouse, kids, or close relatives. Do you Love all of mankind? Do you truly Love your enemies? Is your faith energized by Love or are you like so many who wonder why their prayers go unanswered?

If you cannot answer the above questions with full assurance that you have fully aligned with FATHER, then you are void of HIS Word in this area. It is time to correct this before the repercussions due to this void impact you further. It is time to repent.

In Revelation chapter 2 John the Beloved disciple wrote what he heard and saw:

3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.

4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent."

FATHER’S Word does not change and is consistent through the Bible. This final book was written to HIS servants as written in Revelation 1:1. Do you see yourself as a servant of GOD? If so, then this final book was written to you and for your instruction. Patience and labor are good fruit, but without being motivated by Love, you must repent. The Greek word metanoia means "a change of mind."

This book is intended to change your mind concerning the importance of the revelation of Love. It is intended to move you to full repentance and refocus your attention on what is crucial to walking in the fullness of your calling. Yes, each of us has a very specific calling given to us before FATHER formed us in the womb. My calling is unique to me, and FATHER gave me specific gifts and resources reserved for my particular calling. As I embrace my calling, then Heaven pours out blessings that cannot be contained. If I fail to embrace my calling, then I move toward a life of scarcity and drudgery. The fruit doesn’t lie.

When you repent, your frame of mind changes and what was once impossible can now be seen on the horizon, and each day you get closer to its manifestation. You finally experience what the Scripture terms "Then suddenly" means. You now know firsthand the power of FATHER working on your behalf.

When Jesus showed up, lives changed. He was the manifestation of Love to be an example for us to follow. Consider those who lived with chronic disease for years without hope of returning to a normal life. But then Love showed and energized faith. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

"Faith working through Love" is faith energized, made effectual, made operational by Love. This is exactly what happened when the woman with the issue of blood came into the presence of Jesus in Luke chapter 8:

42 …But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.

43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,

44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”

47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Does this woman sound familiar? People today are spending thousands to find a cure for their chronic disease. There is a full infrastructure created to focus on cancer and other chronic diseases. This woman lived for twelve long years with her condition, and there was no hope for a cure until Jesus showed up. When the fullness of Love came into her presence, it activated her faith. It energized her faith, and now she knew that if she could just connect to HIS Love, she would be healed.

Power flowed out of Jesus into the woman, and it healed her. It was her faith that made her willing to step out and touch Him. Jesus responded, "Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” Are you willing to exercise your faith and embrace Love? If so, your faith will be energized, and you will no longer look at any mountain in your life as being an insurmountable issue. You will simply speak to it, and it will be removed.

The woman had a void that prevented her from receiving her healing. The physicians could not fill the void, and she had lost her livelihood attempting to find the missing ingredient to her healing. The Word manifested in the flesh, and she finally came into His presence. Thus the void was filled, and her healing came forth.

Let each of us fill our void with HIS Love. We will then see fruit come forth like never before and will walk out the fullness of our calling with unending gratitude that HE filled our void.

Do you see yourself as a giver or a taker? Most believers would answer "giver" to this question, but that may be based on intent rather than works. This particular topic is one of the most controversial subjects in Scripture even though Jesus expects us to be givers without any conditions attached to the gift. Agape Love is unconditional by nature thus our giving should be consistent with this highest form of Love.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul wrote:

6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  NKJV

One who is motivated by Love will be a cheerful giver because Love is the primary motivator in his heart and FATHER honors the intent of the heart. Those who try to "work the system" and give to get will find that FATHER will not be manipulated by the underlying greed found in that person’s heart. We are given a promise that "he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" and if we truly trust and have faith in FATHER’S Word then we will not be reluctant to give when FATHER instructs us to do so.

Cheerful giving requires faith in FATHER’S ability to interact with the physical realm. Even though it would seem obvious that FATHER can and will intervene in the physical, many people have difficulty in understanding that the Spiritual realm is higher than the physical realm and what happens in the higher realm evokes a response in the lower realm. FATHER moves upon men and women to carry out HIS plan whether they realize it or not. HE will open their eyes to a situation which will cause them to respond by taking some action ultimately resulting in a blessing to HIS cheerful giver.

Cheerful giving correlates to the law of seedtime and harvest. To reap a larger harvest, one must plant the appropriate seed. When a husband and wife give, they should be in one accord to qualify as cheerful givers. Giving has at its foundation the need to be in unity. We should be in unity with FATHER and our spouse to be most effective. If there is division in the family concerning giving, then it must be dealt with to determine who or what is causing the problem. We should ask FATHER to expose the problem so that we can clear the blockage before the gift is sent. We must not assume anything but let HIS SPIRIT guide us accordingly. Our timing may be off, or there may be some spiritual issue to be dealt with before we take action. We must also consider that we may not be the ones who are to give to a particular need. This is why it is so important to be connected with FATHER when giving. There are plenty of bona fide needs all around us, but those needs must be met in accordance with FATHER’S plan and purpose to be effective in our giving.

The love of money is the root of all evil and the term "love of money" can be replaced by the word "greed" thus greed is the root of all evil. Many of those who are rich by the world’s standard have acquired their wealth through greed and exploitation of the poor. They are masters when it comes to rationalizing why their actions associated with the accumulation of wealth is not associated with greed. FATHER has no problem with wealth accumulation but does have a problem with hoarding the wealth once accumulated. Many who are wealthy like to keep it to maintain their status within the community. They tend to believe their wealth is a result of being "special" and separated from the masses. In 1 Timothy chapter 6 we get a different view concerning those who are wealthy:

17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. NKJV

FATHER is warning the wealthy not to trust in their riches, and if we should heed any warning, this is the ONE in which we should pay close attention. Everyone else has an opinion about the future, but FATHER knows what lies ahead.

What is the point of accumulating wealth in this age? We are told those who do should do good and be ready to give and share. Those who are anointed to acquire wealth must realize that every person in the Kingdom is important to FATHER and we must not let others suffer as we are enjoying the fruitfulness of our particular calling. After the believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 4 we see a notable change of heart:

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. NKJV

Suddenly their possessions were no longer a priority in their lives for they were now of one heart and one soul. They now had revelation of the temporary value of worldly goods and understood the need to minister to those who lacked. As the Kingdom draws near on earth, I expect to see a similar change of heart among believers and as a result, the personal storage industry will begin to shrink. Hoarding will become a thing of the past. If we are no longer have a need for some item, then we will look for someone who now has a need rather than store the item based on some expected need in the future.

A person’s willingness to give is often determined by their level of faith and trust in FATHER’S willingness and ability to bless them. Throughout Scripture FATHER assures us that HE will supply all our need to according to HIS riches in glory by Christ Jesus yet people often prefer to trust the world’s methods of supply rather than FATHER even though HE uses the current system to move supply in our direction. It really gets down to who you trust to supply your need. The world wants us to exercise faith in their system which is based on scarcity and FATHER wants us to exercise faith in HIS Way which is based on abundance and sufficiency. To establish a pattern of giving, we should focus on increasing our faith and trust in FATHER, and for that to be totally fulfilled, we must get the revelation of Agape Love, HIS primary characteristic.

Paul warned Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6:

5 … men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of (financial) gain. From such withdraw yourself.

6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Paul urges us to withdraw from those who are destitute of the truth for light cannot fellowship with darkness. Men and women accumulate wealth and possessions in order to assure their remaining days on earth are to be lived in comfort. Some focus on providing an inheritance to their sons and daughters yet if they are also destitute of the truth, the wealth will be of no lasting value and will not guarantee future success. Often, the inheritance is squandered and the inheritors are worse off than before they received the proceeds.

The ego of the wealthy demands attention and thoughts of grandeur abound. They must have the best seats when being entertained and they thrive on the attention their wealth brings to them, often at the expense of those in need. They demand respect based on the size of their bank account rather than the fruitfulness of their life or lack thereof. Their path is headed toward destruction but they are unable to see what lies ahead because of their blindness.

When people become more focused on greediness because they no longer trust FATHER for HIS provision, they end up with regretting the path they have chosen. The world’s monetary system is designed to extract wealth from the individual for the benefit of the institution controlling the system thus the wealth is temporary by its very nature. On the other hand, FATHER’S wealth is enduring and designed to be a blessing because it is not corrupted by man’s manipulative efforts. FATHER’S wealth transcends our physical existence, unlike the world’s temporary wealth. When we become cheerful givers, we break the bondage which arises from greed.

How willing are you to forgive debt? Greed demands payment of every last cent whereas those with a giving heart are willing to forgive the debt when it cannot be repaid. The same question must be asked concerning interest on debt. The greedy demand the debtor pay interest on the money borrowed but the cheerful giver does not further burden the borrower with interest payments. If you really trust FATHER to be your provider then you know that HE will bless your finances as you bless others in theirs.

FATHER gave Moses ten commandments and included among those commandments is "Thou shall not covet". The word "covet" means to delight greatly in something or someone because of their perceived preciousness. When we move our focus and priority away from FATHER and redirect our attention toward a person or thing, then we may become guilty of coveting. Once we covet someone or something, idol worship may not be far behind. This is why we must keep the ego in check as we mature as Sons and Daughters of Our Heavenly Father. Becoming a cheerful giver is a form of resisting the ego.

Pursuing and embracing Agape Love solves many of the problems believers face today for it is the standard by which all actions can be compared. There are many alternative paths one can take which will ultimately lead to death and destruction, but FATHER gave us the clear path to take in order to become fully mature. Only through HIS Son can the path be found and only through Jesus’ example are we to overcome greed and truly be known as a cheerful giver. The means and the method have not been hidden from us, and the only hindrance to success is whatever we are unwilling to deal with once we have been given the Word. It is our choice whether we are to be known as givers or takers and doing nothing ultimately leads to hoarding, another subtle form of greed. Our actions will confirm our stated choice.

Jesus provided us with a parable referring to hoarding, and it is found in Luke chapter 12:

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

There is no difference between one who hoards and one who is known as a "taker." Both people are more concerned about self-preservation than others in need. I acknowledge there is a need to save and store up as we are led by The Holy Spirit. Joseph is an excellent example when he was given the directive to store grain for seven years in specific preparation for the coming famine. This is why it is important to hear FATHER’S voice when it comes to dealing with your resources. We must be open when FATHER says to give and trust HIM in meeting our future needs. HE knows when we will pass from this life to the next so why not let HIM guide us in our finances and resources?

Since we have been told that greed is the root of all evil, let us be willing to place our doctrines on the altar concerning this subject. Jesus was willing to give all for us so are we willing to give out of our abundance to others? Let it not be out of duty or coercion that we give but let us become cheerful givers so that the enemy will not gain a stronghold in our life and ministry.

All of us begin building a "Great Wall" of self-preservation at a young age. This wall is built out of fear and to protect self-interest. To walk in the fullness of Love, this wall must come down, and our interest must shift away from ourselves and focused on others’ wellbeing. A wall is meant to divide and as we focus on self-preservation, we build a wall and separate from others in varying degrees. We are unwilling to let others too close because of prior experience of being hurt when we have been vulnerable. The wall is built to defend against pain inflicted by others. Our wall must come tumbling down, the sooner, the better.

Jericho was the first city to be conquered by the children of Israel. The name Jericho means "moon" symbolizing the church which was intended to reflect the light of the sun or Son. Scripture provides us with appropriate examples that apply to our personal growth. Just as parables in the New Testament were a means for Jesus to convey wisdom and understanding for those with ears to hear, the Old Testament provides metaphors that parallel our human condition. These too are given to us to apply to our path towards maturity.

The children of Israel learned to hear and obey Our Heavenly Father in the wilderness. They spent forty years instead of eighteen months due to their unbelief and imbedded self-interest. The new generation who saw the miracles of being sustained by Our Heavenly Father developed enough faith to be led by Joshua into the Promised Land. The old generation could not overcome their trust in the bondage they grew up with in Egypt. Since they had only experienced bondage, they had no courage to walk according to the promises of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Their flesh prevailed, and their own internal walls remained intact.

The new generation was led by Joshua (Jesus) into the Promised Land and the first city to conquer was Jericho, a great walled city. A wall is built to create a division between those who might harm you and those whom you trust to look out for your best interest. The bigger the wall, the better. There was no way for the children of Israel to scale the wall and take the city for THE LORD. Our Heavenly Father sent an angel to lead them. Angels have the assigned power to strengthen us when we are given an obstacle we are unable to overcome in the flesh. The walls of Jericho needed supernatural intervention. Our personal walls may require the same.

Joshua 6: 1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. NKJV

Hearing and responding to Our Heavenly Father, Joshua now had sufficient faith to lead the troops to victory. What brought down the walls?

: 20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword. NKJV

The sound of the trumpets and a great shout were required for the walls to come down. In Scripture, the trumpet sound represents jubilee, the forgiveness of debt and redemption of property (Leviticus 25). Jubilee represents liberty from oppression.

Each of us needs freedom from personal oppression. Each of us has built walls of various sizes, shapes, and heights to protect us from being hurt and/or exploited by others. At various times people have offended us in some manner. Our parents may have abused us in some fashion, verbally or physically, schoolmates may have embarrassed us publicly, or our so-called friends may have compromised our trust in some manner. Nonetheless, we have been hurt by others. The more severe the abuse, the higher the wall. Our old man builds the wall to protect us from further abuse. The problem is that it creates an entrenched division with others and the result causes even greater division.

What is the solution to the wall-building? We must trust in the Love of Our Heavenly Father. We must be willing to let our walls come down. Our Creator will not hurt us, but moreover, HE will lead and guide us into peace:

Psalm 23: 1 The LORD is my shepherd;

​​I shall not want.

2 ​​He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

​​He leads me beside the still waters.

3 ​​He restores my soul;

​​He leads me in the paths of righteousness

​​For His name’s sake.

​

4 ​​Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

​​I will fear no evil;

​​For You are with me;

​​Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

​

5 ​​You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

​​You anoint my head with oil;

​​My cup runs over.

6 ​​Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

​​All the days of my life;

​​And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

​​Forever. NKJV

In order to be willing to let your walls come down, you must believe the above Psalm. Your old man wants to keep you inside your walls of bondage. Your old man wants to keep you convinced that everyone outside those walls wants to hurt you. One of the effects of the wall is to become judgmental. You judge everyone to have a suspicious intent, waiting to find some weakness to exploit. They become an adversary that you must keep at arm’s length. Not to close now!

The problem with the wall is that you don’t let Our Heavenly Father lead you to full maturity. You have placed yourself in a box of protection. Maturity comes with testing, and you have "protected" yourself from being tested.

The result is that you don’t change and your wall grows thicker and higher. You predispose yourself with pastimes that simply make no difference in anyone’s life, including yours. You subtly shun others from getting inside your personal space. You distance yourself from any meaningful relationship. You will not allow yourself to walk as an expression of HIS Love toward mankind. The walls must come down!

How were the children of Israel prepared to take Jericho?

Deuteronomy 31:7 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

How was Joshua empowered to take down the walls of Jericho?

Deuteronomy 31:7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. NKJV

How are we empowered to take down our walls?

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD! NKJV

It takes courage for us to let others into our inner circle. Our Heavenly Father is the first One to let in. Isn’t it ironic that we must decide to let the One who created us into our innermost being? When we do, HE will strengthen our heart. It takes a strong heart to overcome the old man in us. The old man, the ego, has developed much strength through the adverse circumstances of the past. We passively decided to give our old man reign over our life. The spirit of self-preservation and self love has prevailed and ruled us in the past. We have alienated friends who wanted to be intimate with us. Those with spouses have been robbed of precious moments of intimacy the heart longs for. If it weren’t for the Love from others, we might be fully isolated and lonesome. This state leads only to death and destruction.

The solution is to embrace Love. We must turn away from anything that promotes division in our life. Love unifies, Love shares, Love imparts life. Love is the only thing that can break through the walls built for protection. Love melts away the fear the built those walls. Over and over we are told to "fear not".

Joshua was told:

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. KJV

To Daniel HE spoke:

Daniel 10:19 And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” NKJV

We must overcome our core fears. This fear is where self-preservation gets its strength. When you focus only on yourself, you are not walking out your calling. Be assured that your calling will somehow be a blessing to others. We are likened to parts of the body supplying each other with the flow of life.

Jesus said:

Luke 6: 27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28  bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you NKJV

His words challenge the very wall built as a result of your "enemies". The people you are protecting yourself from are the same people you are to minister Love. The old man will argue against this commandment spoken by Our Lord, yet He died for you and me when we were yet His enemy, one of the many ungodly. The whole world was made of vessels of dishonor yet He was sent. Imagine if Jesus had built a wall of protection around Himself. Don’t you think it would have been impregnable? None would have been able to hurt Him.

Legions of angels stood ready to protect him awaiting His command. Instead, He built no walls of protection and openly became vulnerable on our behalf. He is our example.

Your fear of being hurt has been a more powerful influence than your assurance of the Love of Our Heavenly Father. Possibly your earthly father or mother was a poor example of Love of a parent. How long will you use earthen vessels as your excuse to maintain the wall? Yes, the wall requires a lot of maintenance, resource, and time. You will go out of your way to maintain it. You will perpetuate its influence at the cost of friendships and loving relationships. Your path will be littered with failed relationships, judging each one to have been flawed by their suspicious actions and never yourself to blame.

I say it again, it is time for all the walls to come down. It is time for you to change and quit using the past as your excuse to be the way you are. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 3: 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. NKJV

Yes, we all fall short of HIS standard yet by HIS grace we are redeemed. We must no longer love our flesh more than we Love Our Heavenly Father. We must take down that wall of isolation and let others see us for who we are- a child of the Most High GOD. We do not need to apologize for who we are. HE designed each one of us to be unique with a unique set of gifts and a unique calling. We must let our light shine forth.

How do you protect yourself from those who want to hurt you? Align yourself with Our Heavenly Father. HIS nature is Love thus your nature is Love. Love formed you in the womb. Love will bring down that wall you built for protection. Quit hiding from others out of fear of being hurt or maligned. Let Love prevail. Abide in HIS Love:

John 15:9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love." NKJV

HIS Love expressed in you will overcome your enemies. HIS Love will heal those deep-seated hurts at the core of your being. HIS Love will remove them and replace them with an unending Love for mankind. You will begin to see your enemies as potential brothers and sister who are simply blinded to HIS Love. As you minister Love to your enemies, you will convert them to friends.

Jesus spoke these words that we must embrace:

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." NKJV

These are the very same people who caused us to build our walls. I strongly recommend that you study, dwell, meditate, and finally accept these words. Until you fully accept this command, your wall will remain intact and your calling will be impaired.

Let the real you shine forth. Let Love flow through your thoughts, words, and deeds. Once your wall comes down, your journey through the Promised Land can continue. We must quit being overly intent to protect our own self-interest and consider others who need our ministry in their lives. Someone must step up and quit focusing on self. Will it be you?

Meditate on the walls you have created for self-protection. Are you willing to tear them down if FATHER asks you too? Do you remember how long those walls have been standing? Do you remember why those walls were built in the first place? Isn’t time to go beyond the hurt inflicted years or decades ago? What really can man do to us?

George Warnock shared the following:

Apollos, an eloquent teacher of the scriptures, had been to Ephesus before Paul, and had accurately taught the disciples about the Lord Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John. Then Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and explained the Gospel to him, and with this further enlightenment he powerfully preached the Lord Jesus, as the One that John had presented in his gospel of the Kingdom.

Then Paul in his journeys came to Ephesus and found the disciples, and asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit. They said they didn’t know anything about the Holy Spirit. They told Paul they only knew about John’s baptism. Paul explained the Gospel further, and they "were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus", the way the apostles had been baptizing ever since the Lord ascended. "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:6).

But writing to this same church later, we find the apostle Paul praying for them, that they might come still higher in the revelation of Christ:

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.." (Eph. 1:17-20).

"Filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (Col. 1:9). This wisdom and understanding gives us the assurance and peace, that we are walking in His way. It does not necessarily answer all our questions — in fact He may answer very few of our questions. But like our understanding of the universe in which we live. We know very little about God’s intricate workings in creation — but "by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Heb. 11:3). God did not make the worlds out of nothing. He made them out of things we cannot see — invisible things. Our whole way of life, if we are truly walking by faith — is full of strange and perplexing happenings — but He gives us wisdom and spiritual understanding to know that His ways are invisible — not meaningless nor indiscriminate. He works in our little world as He did in those worlds out there in space, with intent and purpose. And by faith we understand, because we know it is all clear in His eyes. And it is this spiritual understanding that causes us to say with His servant Job: "He knoweth the way that I take, and when He hath tried me I shall come forth as gold".

As the Spirit of God comes into our lives .. this is not the capstone. He has come to abide within us, and to lead us further into those realms in God that as yet we know very little about. The children of Israel were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, but most of them failed to know God’s ways, and to enter the land of promise (see 1 Cor. 10:1-5). We are still far from the mighty Baptism of Fire that the scriptures talk about. God does not want us to feel we have attained to some spiritual height of glory, just because of certain experiences we have had along the way. Rather, the Spirit of God has come to be our Helper and daily Companion here on earth, to lead us into all Truth, to explore those unseen realms in God — the lengths and the breadths, the depths and the heights of His glory and presence — until we are filled with all the fullness of God. He wants to invade our lives with His mighty presence, until all the dross of our carnal ways are consumed with His holy fire. He wants to purge us with those seven flames that burn before the throne, and look upon us with those penetrating eyes of the Lamb, that our whole body might be full of light, having no part dark (Lk. 11:36).

His gifts are precious gifts from the Father, sent forth to adorn and prepare the Bride for the Son. But like Rebekah, when she catches but a distant glimpse of Isaac, she is off the camel and on her way to meet him. As the day of His appearing draws closer, we are attracted less by the gifts, in anticipation of seeing the Giver. We would not minimize the importance of gifts, any more than we would minimize the importance of the flower on the vine. But when the petals begin to fall off, we know it is time for the fruit to begin to form. Those flowers that adorn your church are going to fade away. Those prophecies sooner or later are going to fail. Many times they are failing even now. Words of wisdom and knowledge cannot stay fresh and vital for long if we continue to pursue the gifts, rather than the Giver. God begins to dry up the flowers, when the season is about to change. There are seasons in God, and He wants us to be aware that a change is coming. Be glad if in your desire for God you are sensing a certain futility in church activities that once were vibrant with life. True prophecy will encourage God’s people to move forward, and to look for something more. And if you sense that hunger and thirst in your walk with Him, be encouraged! He wants to prepare in us a permanent abiding place for Himself. We need to let Him know we desire Him to come closer. Let us love Him more. Draw still closer to His heart. Do those things which please the Father, as Jesus did.

"If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love Him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him" (Jn. 14:23). Does this sound far out and strange? It is! But still this is what we must pursue, for we know it is the passion in God’s heart to take up His habitation in the humble and contrite hearts of men and women. He asks us to choose His yoke, and walk in abiding union with Him.

Wisdom is related to understanding, so we speak of them as close brothers. God tells us: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Prov. 4:7). It is good if we have a heart that is searching for wisdom .. rather than for some kind of gift that might make us popular and famous. Wise men of old sought for it, as a hidden treasure. So let us search for wisdom, as Job did. He writes a whole chapter describing His search for wisdom. He speaks of the hidden treasures in the depths of the earth, with all its precious stones, and sapphires, and gold, and jewels of coral and pearl, and rubies. Yet he is aware that what he is looking for is still beyond his reach. He continues to probe the secret of wisdom. He asks the sea, and the sea says, "It is not in me". He scours the earth for answers, and wonders if it might be found in the lightning and thunder. But it is not there. He does not find it anywhere in all of God’s wonderful creation. But finally he gets his answer from God: "Then did He see it, and declare it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. and unto man he said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:27, 28). O what a let-down, when men filled with worldly wisdom, are faced with a conclusion like that!

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Ephesians chapter 2:

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of HIS great Love with which HE Loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

How great is our Love toward mankind?  As we become mature Sons and Daughters of Our Heavenly Father, our Love should increase to the point where people will describe us as having the same great Love as Our Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus did not need to die for His sins or His sicknesses for He was sinless and had no sickness, He died for ours.  We should contemplate this Truth until it is completely revealed with all its ramifications in our consciousness.  Until then, we will not fully comprehend His great Love toward us.

Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 6:

35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

One of the greatest expressions of Love is to Love our enemies.  Jesus tells us our reward will be great as we Love, do good, and lend without hoping for a return.  Greed will not be found among us and no evil will be found in our hearts.  This is when our reward will become great.

Jesus died for the ungodly and set aside salvation for all who would accept Him once and for all.  There are no exceptions so no matter what people have done in the past, they can and will be restored upon their decision to accept Christ as their Savior.  How great is FATHER’S Love when HE has given such an opportunity which defies time and space.  Even the worst enemy has the right to salvation and restoration.  Let us continue our Spiritual ascent up higher to embrace this wonderful Truth in its fullness.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Ephesians chapter 3:

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—

19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

As we come up hither, The Spirit encourages us to explore "what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the great Love of Christ, and so He gives us HIS HOLY SPIRIT to show us things that our minds cannot comprehend .. to draw us closer to the heart of FATHER.  This depth of understanding requires commitment on our part so let us continue our ascension into the deeper aspects of Love and we will come to the point of fully expressing HIS Great Love to all of mankind.

I watched the following interview:

https://usawatchdog.com/military-tribunals-beginning-of-cabal-takedown-mark-taylor/

It is up to each of us to discern by THE SPIRIT what we watch and hear in determining its validity in our individual lives.  I do find the timing interesting of what was discussed in the interview.  This site is apolitical but we do promote the revealing of all Truth to come forth in all areas of society.  It is beyond our scope to determine how FATHER does it and who HE uses.  There are many examples in Scripture where HE uses heathen kings to bring forth HIS plan.  Cyrus is just one example.  The Truth is meant to expand the possibilities for all, not just a few.

David wrote by THE SPIRIT in Psalm 25:

14  The secret [of the wise counsel] of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them [through His Word] its [deep, inner] meaning.

Those of us who place complete trust and reverence in Our Heavenly Father will be led into the fullness of HIS Character, especially in the are of Agape Love.  Others will rely only on sense knowledge and its resulting logic thus they will be ensnared by their darkness in the area of understanding.

There is so much obvious perversion these days in all areas of society, the contrast of FATHER’S Wisdom and the wisdom of man is so clear to those whom FATHER has opened their eyes.  Mankind is continually redefining right and wrong to conform to their ever-changing values resulting in even greater confusion, the earmarks of Mystery Babylon.  FATHER’S Remnant continues to mature in the midst of all this confusion where the ultimate outcome will include exposing the sin and lawlessness of those who are blinded by their carnal nature.

Our Lord Jesus calls Himself "the faithful and true Witness" (Rev. 3:14). In His life on earth, and now in the heavens, He is the faithful and true Witness. Even in the earth He only spoke those things which He had "seen and heard" from the Father" (Jn. 3:32). He was God’s Testimony in the earth. "I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things" (Jn. 8:28). Jesus said of His disciples when He was about to go away: "And ye shall be witnesses unto me" (Acts 1:8).

We are being prepared to be faithful and true witnesses as was Our Elder Brother when he ministered on earth during that 3 1/2 year time period.  We too will only speak those things which we will have seen and heard in like fashion.  The Kingdom will come forth and overtake Babylon with the Truth and its related fruit.  Let us not be surprised when the Truth begins to flood the earth and expose the wickedness which has been hidden from the masses.  Mystery Babylon will fall quickly and many will be searching for the Truth from Above.  They will be seeking out wise counsel from those whom FATHER has chosen to be HIS mouthpiece in these turbulent times.  Let us not grow weary and let our patience prevail as Babylon’s fall comes forth.  In the meantime, we should continue communing with FATHER WHO will reveal HIS Word and Its deeper meaning.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Ephesians chapter 4:

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

16 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.

The five-fold ministry does not have a perpetual job but should at some point no longer be needed.  Ministry is not the ultimate end — it is rather intended to prepare us, nurture us, teach us, strengthen us, edify us "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ". And the apostle Paul continues to expound on this, showing us that the ultimate end of ministry is to lead the people of Our Heavenly Father into perfect Love.

Paul also wrote in chapter 2:

18  For it is through Him that we both have a [direct] way of approach in one Spirit to the Father.

19  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens [outsiders without rights of citizenship], but you are fellow citizens with the saints (God’s people), and are [members] of God’s household,

20  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the [chief] Cornerstone,

21  in whom the whole structure is joined together, and it continues [to increase] growing into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, set apart, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

22  In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Can a carnal-minded person exist in the presence of Our Heavenly Father?  Not at all, so we will be fitly joined together as we are perfected in Love.  When this perfection occurs, we will be in a glorified state and take on FATHER’S Nature.  Paul spoke of this in Romans chapter 8:

16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

And:

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Each of us should expect to be perfected in HIS Love.  As this occurs, we will become a fully acceptable habitation for Our Heavenly FATHER to dwell in.  Love is the pathway to glorification as Our Elder Brother is glorified.  We do not need to complicate this Truth by conducting various rituals expecting FATHER to respond to our actions as though by our works we will attain glorification.  We need not wait until some future date or feast day to begin walking in Love so that we will be qualified to be glorified.  Yes, Love will produce good fruits as a result of our relationship with FATHER but we should not count on works alone without the emphasis of Love perfected in our lives.  Love is the key to full maturity of the Sons and Daughters.  If Love isn’t the motivator, no matter how many works one does, they will be to no avail.