Servias Ministries Blog

… for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

As a student of economics, there is one thing I am convinced of: no economist has a clue what to expect this year.  There is a raging global battle in the unseen and there is nobody in control except one- Our Heavenly Father.  There is absolutely no way that man can get his arms around the current economic picture.  Who can tell us what the true value of assets are on the balance sheets of the banks throughout the world.  It’s like silly putty in your fingers remolding itself continually.  The lack of regulation in the financial industry has created an accounting nightmare and if accounting standards were truly enforced, many of the largest banks would be insolvent.  The Fed knows this and will keep interest rates low so those banks can create profits to mend their balance sheets.  This is at the expense of the innocent who diligently saved their money and did not succumb to the temptation of larger houses and bigger autos when all of their peers were temporarily feeding their egos at the expense of their future.

The Federal government failed its citizenry by exposing the uneducated and inexperienced to the wiles of the financial industry.  We failed as a society to comprehend where blessing comes from- above.  When man operates according to his own understanding, he operates in darkness and like a magnet he is drawn into destruction.  As each of us fails to pursue the “light” from above, our focus quickly switches to self-interest.  When a whole population does this, judgment comes on a corporate level.  This is where the U.S. is today.

You only need to look at the content of daytime talk shows to ascertain the condition of America.  Sin abounds at all levels.  Promiscuous behavior has infiltrated our schools at an earlier age than ever before… nothing seems to be sacred anymore.  Man’s philosophy of “anything goes” has replace Biblical Law.  As a student of Biblical Law, it is clear to me why Our Heavenly Father established those 613 commandments and statutes.  For example, tattoos have become the rage among the masses.  The Scripture warns against tattooing, why?  With the understanding gained In our EDS project, we  know that metallic substances interfere with the bodies ability to heal itself.  For a tattoo to last, metal or similar substances must be introduced into the ink to assure a lasting mark.  This substance acts as a “toxin” to the body and interferes with the “electrical” system.  Even though it may be subtle, the long term effect is not positive.  Our ego would tell us that it is not a big deal and that everyone is doing it.  However, when the books are finally reconciled, our body will reach a tipping point and no longer be able to fight off sickness and disease.  Then we will wonder why it happen?  Our ignorance and defiance of the Law has ramifications.  Does Our Heavenly Father need to justify every statute to us?  Should the “created” demand answers from the Creator?  What an act of defiance!

The financial system has broken about every Biblical Law you can imagine.  Can you find a financial institution that operates by “Love thy neighbor as yourself”?  A Kingdom Treasury should operate by the mandate of Love and do what is best for those in need.  Man’s idea of a “treasury” is to extract wealth in every possible means that it can get away with.  A great example is the recent change in law toward the credit card industry.  This industry has been abusing cardholders for years.  Finally, the regulations were changed.  However, the change would be delayed for several months giving the industry time to modify its agreements and find new loopholes to exploit the leveraged cardholder.  Are the lawyers today any different than they were in Biblical times?

How long can this lawlessness prevail?  Is the U.S. too big to fail?  Students of history know that the U.S. is at risk of collapse by simply comparing the U.S. to the Roman Empire.  The parallels are striking.  Our Heavenly Father is patient but ultimately demands righteous judgment to correct the lawlessness when it reaches epic proportions.

What can I do?  Start moving towards the “Light”.  Jesus told His disciples that HE is the light and that whosoever believeth on HIM should not abide in darkness.  Spend quality time each day in your “closet” seeking Our Heavenly Father’s perfect plan, will, and purpose for you.  Pursue Love and it will take you through these tumultuous times ahead.  Practice walking by faith, spread hope, do good things for your neighbor.  Be kind, look for ways to positively effect others without expectation of payment.  This system might fail but Love will remain!  Jesus said, “Whosoever believeth on ME should not abide in darkness.”

Jesus spoke specifically about the ego twice in Matthew, both times to His disciples.  This provides us a specific understanding about operating in our calling.

He spoke to His twelve disciples and gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Matthew 10:38   "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Matthew 10:39   "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Jesus revealed to the disciples the need to “die” to the flesh.  The cross was indicative of the death experience where the ego needed to be placed in order to operate on Kingdom business.  In this chapter, Matthew named the disciples and they had received their calling to go and preach to the lost sheep of Israel.  Clearly, there was some preparation needed as Jesus commanded them to go with the “power” or anointing He had conveyed to them.  Do you want to be found worthy of The Lord?  If so, the ego must be dealt with.

Again, Jesus reminded the disciples of the need to lose their life, being prompted by Peter whose ego was still a problem with him:

Matthew 16

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

22   Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"

23   But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

24   Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

25   "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

26   "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Peter failed to understand and submit to “Love”.  Love was going to the cross so the whole world would be reconciled unto Our Heavenly Father.  Peter unknowingly wanted to prevent the earthly calling of Jesus Christ.

How would you like for the Son of the Most High God to call you an “offense” or a “stumbling block”?  No thank you!  Our egos are our stumbling blocks to fulfilling our calling.  When we operate by our ego, we are an offense to Heaven, we are as an adversary or Satan.  That was a pretty tough statement made to Peter but I believe it got his attention.  Peter was rebuking Our Lord even after spending notable time with Him.  This was the first reference by Jesus of His impending death and resurrection.

A wise man looks for profit that is long term at the expense of short term profit versus short term profit with long term losses.  Temporary profit is worthless if the result is ultimately loss.  Most people today are short term thinkers.  Instant gratification has infiltrated our society and psyche.  Peter’s “act now, think later” attitude caused a severe rebuke from Our Lord.  Peter failed to understand Love and the necessity to slay the ego.  The revelation came after Peter denied Christ and the cock  crew three times, he wept bitterly.  He finally understood the necessity to slay the ego.

Intent is an anticipated or planned outcome or action.  Our Heavenly Father’s will is His intent and it is the highest level of intent.  His will as Creator cannot be changed by the created.  His will has various levels contained within.  To my current understanding, there are twelve levels of His will or intent.  Lower levels are classified as revocable (or conditional) whereas the seven higher levels are irrevocable (or unconditional).

The next level of intent deals with the functionality of the universe.  Everything was created by intent, there were no mistakes.  It is amazing how man can view a sub-microcosm of the universe and develop a hypothesis only to sell it as reality.  Man’s reasoning does not allow for the unexplained.  He views 1% of reality and leaves out the 99% of the unseen.  Great scientists were always looking for GOD’S great plan of the universe and were given revelation that ultimately became accepted and operational theories.  You can attempt to redirect the intent of an animal or plant but your time and energy will be wasted.  Our job is to embrace the intent of the universe and its contents which in turn will promote life.

Another aspect of intent is found within the community of mankind.  The interaction of intent can become quite complex.  Our Heavenly Father created laws to help us deal with the intent of mankind as it interacts.  None of us can change the intent of another person.  We can reveal and expose intent but it is up to each individual to change the intent of the heart.  In the Old Testament, man’s intent to be destructive was met by death whereas in the New Testament his destructive intent was changed by “conversion”.  The intent of the “old” man passed away and was replaced by the intent of the ‘new” man.

At a personal level, intent is what you have set in motion… the seeds you have planted.  This intent is set into motion and will continue to fruition unless you take some action to change direction.  Our intent grows into maturity just as a seed grows into a mature plant.  When others such as your parents see a positive intent, displayed as a characteristic in you, they will often “water” the seed and encourage its growth.  If the child is artistic, the parent will give art supplies as gifts at Christmas.  Destructive intent is handled differently.  The parent immediately begins a remedial process to discourage destructive behavior, its source being wrong intent.  Those seeds must be plucked up and exposed so that they don’t produce death and destruction.

The Battle of the Doctrines

There has been much debate concerning the free will versus sovereignty issue.  Serious Bible students will all agree that Our Heavenly Father is sovereign, after all, HE is the creator.  The Creator has full and complete power over the created.  No question!  On the other hand, Scripture is full of conditional alternatives given to the created for a choice to be made.  Why?  The answer has to be “Love”.  Love offers choice whereas sovereignty requires a predetermined outcome.  If GOD is Love, then choice must be given to love or not to love.  Without this choice, there would be no joy in the outcome.  Every parent and grandparent understands the joy of choice by the child to desire fellowship with them.  When the person “willingly” responds in love, there is no condition placed on the response.  That falls into the category of agape Love, the highest level of Love.

Problems arise when a person’s intent conflicts with the three higher levels of intent mentioned above.  Our Heavenly Father’s intent supports life and the living.  If your intent is destructive, you can be assured that it will not be successful as it conflicts with Our Sovereign Heavenly Father’s intent.  This is true with the intent of the functions of the universe.  You may intend to fly when jumping off a building, but the intent of gravity will win out.  Thirdly, when your intent conflicts with the community around you, strife and division result.  Generally, nobody wins the battle at this level.

What’s the Answer?

To be successful, work with the intent at all levels.  As you seek to understand Our Heavenly Father’s intent, simply align your intent with His.  You can be assured His intent will be successful since He is sovereign over all things.  Dwelling and meditating on His Word brings you closer to His intent.  What is His intent?  Love!

The universe is a big place, both the seen and the unseen.  When Our Heavenly Father spoke to Job, He gave Job an idea of how big the universe is and that there is an overall balance to the universe that will be maintained.  Job’s troubles were not at the center of the universe.  As we open our eyes to how the universe is designed and how it operates, we would be wise to align our intent with the laws that keep the universe in balance.

Driving down the wrong side of the road does not make sense.  However, people will attempt to “buck” the intent of the community and expect blessing.  Wrong!  Some people will use credit cards and over-extend themselves, then blame the credit card company for its actions.  Irresponsible behavior does not support life and the living.  Wrong intent will be met with resistance each and every time.

We must look inside our heart for those “seeds” of intent that cause us grief and destruction.  When you think those evil thoughts, you must deal with them at their source.  “To the pure, all things are pure” is a two-edged sword of personal analysis.  Our outward actions are a result of our inward beliefs.  “To the impure, all things are impure.”  When we judge others, we reveal the intent within our own heart.  When we attempt to control others, we reveal what’s in our heart.  You know your thoughts.  Only you can honestly review or analyze what is proceeding from your heart.  Yes, you can put on an acceptable front for others and deceive people into thinking you are a saint.  However, Our Heavenly Father knows what is going on inside your “Holy of Holies”.  The Holy Spirit will convict you of your thoughts and intent.  Love cleanses the heart of bad seed.  As we purse Love, our intent begins to conform with the highest level of intent- The Love of GOD.  When this happens, our intent conforms to HIS intent and the intent of the universe.  The result is life, growth, and blessing.  Revelation is only given to those whose intent aligns with the higher levels of intent.  Why stay in the dark?

In a recent post, we looked at the nine spiritual gifts Paul mentioned in the twelfth chapter of 1st Corinthians just prior to his identifying the 16 attributes of Love in the next chapter.  Following the Chapter of Love, Paul admonishes us to pursue the following:

14:1   Pursue love and be eager for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

14:2   For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit.  

14:3   But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.

Paul starts this chapter with the command “Pursue Love”.  Does it get any plainer than that!

Prophesying is speaking GOD given revelation under the direction of the Holy Spirit to people.  The ultimate purpose of the Divine revelation is to reconcile man back to Our Heavenly Father.  It is lawful and Love based.  All of the corporate gifts of the Body of Christ act in unity and do not conflict with each other.  Praying in an Unknown Tongue does not build up others and thus should not be a public based prayer except where it is used as a “gift” to those gathered with an interpretation for all to receive its blessing.  “Tongues” and interpretation conforms to the Law of the Double Witness. and often occurs as a confirmation or affirmation to those gathered in attendance.

Paul prayed in “Tongues” (I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you) but explained the necessity of order when among other brethren.  Consider this, when you pray in “Tongues” it is a perfect prayer without your soul interfering.  The Holy Spirit knows what is needed and communicates it through your agreement.  Then, as Paul recommends, ask for the interpretation of that “Perfect” prayer.  Doesn’t this allow you to pray about something when you are not sure of what to pray?  Doesn’t this open up the universe of intercessory prayer and allow you to be a conduit to the Most High God?

In the Pentecostal era, “Tongues” was abused just as it was in the Church at Corinth.  This is why Paul provided guidance in the understanding of praying in “Tongues” that there be no confusion of this or the nine spiritual gifts mentioned in the twelfth chapter.  Let everything be done in order and maturity.  When the spiritual gifts operate in Love, the Kingdom is brought forth.  Denying a spiritual gift to operate is simply due to a lack of understanding.  Judging a person who does not speak in “Tongues” is also a sign of immaturity and lack of understanding.  Be thankful for the gifts but moreover be thankful for the Gift Giver.

Strengthening, encouragement, and consolation should be our goal to minister to our fellow man.  As we speak the words in Love that we hear from Our Heavenly Father, we can expect them to be fruitful in the lives of those who listen.  Love will remove blindness and deafness among the people and the corporate result will be the expansion of the Kingdom on earth.