Posts Tagged ‘worldly kingdom’

UNIVERSAL LAWS

Posted: April 18, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Parents, teaching
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GOD HAS ESTABLISHED UNCHANGING LAWS THAT GOVERN ALL OF HIS CREATION.

THE EFFECTS OF THESE LAWS ARE PREDICTABLE, DO NOT VARY, AND ARE THE SAME FOR EVERYONE.

ONLY GOD WHO MADE THE UNIVERSAL LAWS CAN CHANGE OR OVERRULE THEM.

Alignment with God’s Universal Laws causes an easy flow of successful life as we flow with the order and empowerment of God.

Misalignment with God’s Universal Laws causes a stressful, difficult fight as one attempts to succeed while hindered by much disorder and destruction apart from the flow of God.

Moving in the same direction as the flow of God’s universal design produces good life. Moving across or against the lines of God’s flow brings great disorder as strong forces of God’s universal laws attempt to realign us with the direction of His flow of life.

Men study the effects of the universal laws and refer to them as laws of science or nature. Laws less understood by man, and not definable as science or nature may be referred to as mysteries or mystery laws.

Secular education is the study of the effects of the universal laws. We call these studies physics, biology, botany, chemistry, psychology, etc. Men combine and arrange this knowledge into logical systems of study to accomplish specific goals or works. These systems of study may be called engineering, agriculture, medicine, electronics, etc.

If we are to succeed in life and walk in the kingdom of God lifestyle, we must with the universal laws of God. Our every endeavor must be aligned with and in accord with these laws of creation or it will result in failure. Being aligned with universal laws and in accord with God’s plan assures good success in our life experience.

Natural man seeks to achieve success by using his intellect to devise systems for working with the universal laws of God. To the degree that he is able to understand and align with these universal laws, he succeeds. However, because natural man’s understanding of the universal laws is always incomplete, especially the “mystery” laws, he never totally succeeds and is always searching.

The effects of universal laws are obvious; but, the laws, themselves, are spirit and cannot be seen. They originate in God, Who is Spirit, and emanate from Him as spiritual energy. In John 3:8, Jesus compares spiritual things to wind. You can hear and see its effects, but you cannot see the wind or tell where it comes from or where it goes. All true science researched to its deepest origin disappears into the spiritual and can be investigated no further by natural means. It becomes a mystery and can only be understood only by spiritual revelation from God. Things that appear supernatural may be very natural according to the mystery or spiritual laws.

An example of one of these mysteries is the seed. How the living pattern of an oak tree, with all its limbs, life systems, bark and leaf definitions and majestic shape, is stored up in the simple light-brown matter of an acorn, is more than intellect can fathom. Another example is found in the basic function of cell multiplication. A biology textbook might say something like, “The cells decide to divide and do so,” which simply means, “we don’t have the foggiest idea why cells divide and multiply”. Let’s look at the atom as another example. Energy somehow changes form and becomes matter. How does energy get changed into electrons, protons, and neutrons? Where did the energy come from and who gave the command for it to change its form?

Universal laws were spoken forth by and continue to emanate from the Spirit, Almighty God. All creation came into being and continues to exist by the intelligent design and released power of the one Spirit, triune God.

Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Colossians 1:16-19: For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.

Hebrews 1:2-3: …has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power…

Jesus fully understands the universal laws, including the mystery laws, and has complete power over them. We have potential access to Jesus, His understanding and power through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus lives in us and we are led by His Spirit, we can live as Christ lives in the world. Jesus demonstrated His authority over universal law as He raised the dead, healed the deformed, the sick and the blind with a word or a touch. How many laws of science and nature bowed to the Master as He walked on the churning sea, or with a word quieted the raging storm?

Jesus demonstrated His understanding of all things as He spoke forth fathomless, kingdom wisdom and the unraveling of mysteries in simple stories about ordinary things. The riches and the depths of wisdom are yet being revealed from these simple parables. Unlocking this wisdom and applying it in our lives can be very productive.

God, unlike natural man, has perfect understanding of all His universal laws. In Christ we have the potential to hear and obey the Spirit of God. Walking in the Spirit produces a life fully in alignment with the universal laws.

Universal laws are universal scientific realities of creation. For our understanding, they must be distinguished from the directive, instructional, behavioral laws given to man by the written or spoken Word of God. The instructional rules or laws are given to help us align with the universal laws of creation.

Rules or Instructional Law

If obeyed the instructional law will cause people to be aligned with His universal laws of creation, even if they don’t understand about the universal laws. Specific rules are for people who may not understand the greater principles of the universal laws. In the Old Testament, rules or instructional laws were given, which, if obeyed, caused the people to live more successfully.

For example, the Old Testament people of God were told not to eat the fat of the meat. They knew nothing of cholesterol or any of the other potential health hazards of eating fat. However, if they obeyed the instruction, they prospered. They were also told to rest the land every seventh year, which allowed it to replenish itself. Again, they may not have understood fully about fertilizers, etc. But, if they adhered to the instructional law, they were more prosperous. They were also instructed not to closely intermarry. They did not understand genetics, but God did.

Joshua 1:7: “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”

The instructions from God are not for the purpose of limiting His children’s fun or to prevent us from gaining wealth. On the contrary, His rules are keys for our success in life. They will bring us into alignment with the universal laws and enable us to really enjoy life. A life of obedience to God is a very exciting and prosperous adventure and is characterized by inner peace, real joy, and the fruits of righteousness.

In the New Testament, Jesus explains the instructions more clearly. He gives more in-depth understanding of the intent of the rules. He teaches principles which, if understood and obeyed, will bring us to real success and prosperity in all areas of life. He speaks of purity and righteousness that exceeds rule keeping, and flows naturally from a power source of inner love for God and man. He speaks clearly of a self-sacrificing lifestyle and a deeper level of commitment, which leads to abundant life. He also speaks clearly specifically commanding us to love one another, love our enemies and love God with all our heart. However, He also speaks plainly of the hatred of the world coming against us. He speaks these things plainly and directly.

Yet, the deep and great mysteries regarding the rule and dominion of earth are spoken figuratively and in parables that can only be received by spiritual revelation. The great understanding of how to flow and work with God’s universal laws, some of the most valuable instructions of the kingdom of God are veiled in symbolic language and appear as foolishness to the natural man.

By the gifts and leadership of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual man can receive the revelation of Christ Jesus and His kingdom principles, which will align him with universal laws and produce good success in his life.

Ephesians 1:17-19: ….that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the workings of His mighty power.

Receiving Jesus’ revelation of the kingdom of God can bring us practical keys of spiritual wisdom. These keys and principles can help us determine every situation in such a way that it will bring us into alignment with universal law that leads to an abundant, victorious, overcoming life. Few men, if any, have fully tapped into the revelation of kingdom living. However, all who have come close discover that all things are becoming possible to them and that victory is their normal way of life. They also become aware that they are misunderstood and misjudged by those who are not yet hearing and applying kingdom wisdom.

We are about to attempt to reach into and touch the ancient wisdom of God, the deeper, hidden mysteries of the kingdom of God. It is the knowledge of this wisdom that makes the difference between the extraordinary and the ordinary. Probably most of us have wondered at some time why some men achieve greater levels of accomplishment than we can even think while others, with equal or perhaps even greater natural ability, struggle desperately for very meager achievements. Not everyone will hear the kingdom wisdom that can transform their lives from the ordinary to the extraordinary and can bring them to levels of life they have not even dreamed of.

“He, who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

HARLOTRY OF BABYLON

Posted: April 14, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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There are two great, ruling cities from which mankind can receive patterns for life. We have previously written regarding the great ruling city of God, New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ City. The other great ruling city is Babylon, the Harlot of the devil, which has planted its harlot patterns throughout the current world system. Babylon’s patterns have produced great riches for some. She is extremely enticing and beautifully clothed in wealth. Yet, inside, she is full of filth and abominations, a habitation of demons.

Babylon must fall. This great religious and political system with all its patterns of life is judged of God and is coming down. Before the patterns of New Jerusalem can rule, the patterns of Babylon must be dissolved. The people seeking to enter the city-of-God lifestyle must have the Babylonian patterns and ways broken, removed from their lives, and replaced with New Jerusalem patterns. The Babylonian system has been deadly to the saints of God. Many have fallen and many are in captivity to Babylonian ways. God’s people are warned to come out of Babylon lest they share in her sin and receive of her plagues.

Revelation 17:1-6: Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: “MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

Revelation 17:15,18: And he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” And the woman whom you saw is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 18:2-4: And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”

What a great contrast between the harlot city of Babylon described in the book of Revelation (chapters seventeen to nineteen) and the beautiful Bride-City of God, New Jerusalem, described in Revelation (chapters twenty-one and twenty-two). The beautiful Bride of Christ lifestyle is filled with the glory of God abiding with man and man living in God’s very presence partaking of a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. Tears are wiped away and curses broken. Men and women are thankfully serving God and joyfully praising Him.

Just as there is a natural Jerusalem and now a spiritual New Jerusalem coming forth, there was a natural Babylon that was destroyed and now a Mystery Babylon that is being destroyed. Many patterns that began thousands of years ago in old Babylon are traceable throughout ancient history and up to the present time. Ancient Babylon was the first great-walled city after the flood. Noah’s great grandson, Nimrod, built it. Noah begot Ham; Ham begot Cush; and Cush begot Nimrod.

Babylon became the birthplace of idolatry that spread throughout the ancient world and was passed to empires and civilizations throughout history. Nimrod and his wife, Semiramis, were the first people to be worshipped as gods. Although different names were used in various cultures, they were similarly worshipped in much of the world, and can still be easily recognized in many religions today. These patterns were subversively planted into the Christian religion. Churches today are still affected by them. This nation (the good old U.S.A.) and much of the world are primarily ruled by the patterns of ancient Babylon. The patterns found in Nimrod and Semiramis of ancient Babylon are very similar to the dynamics of worldly families, businesses, churches, and political governments of today.

Genesis 10:8-12a: Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen.

The word “before” in the statement “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord” could be translated “against”. Nimrod was a mighty man “against” the Lord. By some means, he and Semiramis tapped into the darkness of mystical and occult powers. A departure from the patriarchal faith had occurred. It is represented by some profane history that Cush had become a ringleader of apostasy. Nimrod added mystical, demonic powers and knowledge to his natural strength and became a powerful force on the earth, conquering all those around him.

Nimrod was the first to wage war upon his neighbors, the first to train troops with exercise and hardship, and the first to build towers and walled cities for battle. Nimrod exercised strong control over men. They were enticed with unbridled self-gratification. Everywhere Nimrod went there were extravagant parties with orgies, dancing girls, music, games, and anything that brought self-gratification. Nimrod also controlled others by locking up the mysteries of science and sorcery that he had discovered and releasing them to men only when they were under his control. He used confession of sins and faults to control. When he had enough information on others and they were awestruck by his great display of magic, he could easily control them.

Nimrod was suddenly cut off in the midst of his glorious career. Mystery surrounds his disappearance, but it is believed he met with a violent death while on one of his expeditions. Semiramis, whose feminine beauty hid her immoral, manipulative, deceitful self, had usurped her husband’s attributes before his death. At his death, she fully took over her husband’s place.

Semiramis, in her licentious ways, gave birth to a son after Nimrod was gone. She told people that Nimrod had reappeared in the person of a posthumous son. She held the son up as God and the people worshipped him. They worshipped her as the mother of God. Eventually, she became the predominant goddess overshadowing the son. Thus, through deception and manipulation she took over the assets and attributes of Nimrod and continued her lavish lifestyle.

Semiramis was seen as both the mother and wife of her husband. Nimrod was seen as the husband and the son of his wife. She was revered as the “Mother of God”. The image of the “Mother of God” with the child in her arms spread throughout the idolatrous world. Semiramis is said to have finished the wall of Babylon and thus became the goddess of fortresses and towers. The “Diana of the Ephesians” mentioned in the New Testament with her crown of towers is identified with Semiramis.

Babylon became known as a great center of extravagant wealth and revelry, a monument of glamour to the accomplishments of man, a place of harlotry and sorcery, a place of great wizardry, great human knowledge and discovery, and a place of competition and contention. However, its primary characteristic was spiritual harlotry.

Spiritual harlotry is seeking to fulfill our own needs and desires apart from God. God is our provider and desires to meet our needs in every area of life. If we look to anything or anyone else to meet our needs, we are looking to another god and are involved in spiritual harlotry. Harlotry and idolatry are very closely related. Harlotry is looking to an idol (another god) for what our Heavenly Father should provide for us. Spiritual harlotry is selling our purity to meet our needs. It is self-seeking and self-serving.

It is easy to see how the bad heart-tree is a harlot tree. Spiritual harlotry is seeking to meet the needs of our life-structure on our own, instead of trusting God to take care of us. The good heart-tree is a bride tree, in which we are able to trust God to meet all of our needs and satisfy our wants.

Babylon is a harlot system, a means of meeting human needs and selfish wants apart from God. Babylon is ruled by a spirit of harlotry and is characterized by competition, immorality, and sorcery.

HARLOTRY IS SELF-SEEKING AND SELF-SERVING:
It is seeking to meet my own needs and desires apart from God.

COMPETITION IS SEEKING POSITION OR CONTROL:
Some characteristics are: Contention, Strife, Thieving (taking), Lying, Deceit, Manipulation, Seduction, Control, Dominance, War (fighting), Overlord, Tyrant, Backbiting, Murder, Greed, and Covetousness.

IMMORALITY IS SEEKING PLEASURE OR ENTERTAINMENT:
Some characteristics are: Lust, Fantasy Lust, Fornication, Sexual Perversion, Unclean, Overeating, Overplaying, Overworking, Over-resting, and Reveling (partying).

SORCERY IS SEEKING POWER OR DIRECTION:
Some characteristics are: Occult, Witchcraft, Hypnosis, Mind Control, Mind Power, Humanism, Intellectualism, Astrology, Psychics, and New-Age Junk.

Much of the world has taken giant steps into Babylonian harlotry in recent decades. Games and “playing” have become a major part of the western world. Gambling lotteries and casinos have spread widely across the land. Sexual perversion and recreational immorality are accepted as normal behavior. Psychics are now openly viewed by many as a valid source of direction for their lives. Competition has intensified as people struggle for control in families, businesses, governments, tribes, and nations. Computer and video games, gambling, spectator sports, recreational drugs and alcohol, entertainment, and other recreational industries probably already represent the largest segment of production in the western world. Are we seeking from another god what our true God desires to supply?

WORLD WAR

Many skirmishes and wars continue to be fought within the Babylonian world system. Men and nations compete for the assets of the world to gratify themselves. There is no end to the struggles for positions of control and possessions in the Babylonian jungles of social structure.

However, the greatest war of all time is the all out win or die worldwide war between Babylon and New Jerusalem (the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light). The war is between the harlot and the Bride way of life ruling the world. Christ Jesus has already won this war and has provided victory over the evil Babylonian kingdom of darkness. The full manifestation of this victory waits for the hearts of mankind to align with Christ Jesus. This involves human beings turning from their harlot lifestyles and becoming the righteousness of God in Christ. The pure, holy, glorious Bride of Christ is the fulfillment of the victory Christ Jesus purchased with His own blood.

Therefore, the war is now within the minds and hearts of mankind, especially those who are called by His name. The god of Babylon strives with much success to limit the faith of the people of God. His greatest tool is spiritual blindness to kingdom of God reality. When God’s people cannot see and cannot hear Him clearly, false concepts can be planted that prevent true faith from developing. What man believes in his heart determines the release of the rule of the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of light.

The war is about faith to believe that the kingdom of God is now available on the earth. The enemy has destroyed the faith of most religious people. They simply do not believe that the kingdom of God that Christ came to purchase can manifest now. The enemy has perverted the word of God and caused most people to believe the planet is to be destroyed and not redeemed. The enemy wants you to have no faith for the kingdom of God now and no hope for the planet to become restored.

This blindness and loss of faith in the kingdom of God is not new. Works of Babylon were firmly implanted in the church before the fourth century. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the English Bible was translated, there was almost no revelation of the kingdom of God on earth. This present life and world were seen as hopelessly evil and lost. The planet would have to be destroyed, a new planet created, and Jesus bodily returned for there to be any of God’s kingdom on earth.

This led to what I consider to be the most grievous of translation errors in our English Bible. In 2nd Peter the translators deviated from their own translation rules to cause the word to say the “elements” of the earth will be burned up in judgment. Going back to the original language, it is absolutely obvious that without any doubt Peter was speaking of the rudimental elements of evil that would be completely destroyed.

The word translated “elements” is “stoicheion” (stoy-khi’-on), which means something orderly in arrangement, a basal, fundamental, initial serial, and constituent. In other words, “stoicheion” means the basic, foundational, principles of an order. In this passage it specifically refers to the foundations of the evil order affecting earth, not the physical elements of the planet.

This is the only time this word is interpreted to mean physical elements in the Bible.

“Stoicheion” is used seven times in the New Testament; in every case it refers to basic principles or rudiments, either of the doctrines and oracles of God or of the evil world order. In no other place is it interpreted as referring to the physical elements.

(For a detailed study of this passage see Chapter 7 of the book The Seventh Millennium.)

God is looking for a kingdom people.

God is calling forth a people that will break through the Babylonian darkness, and renounce their harlot lifestyles, and renew their minds to the mind of Christ by the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God waits for God’s people to change their mind-set from seeking life and pleasure from other gods to a pure love relationship with Christ Jesus our Lord and King.

Will we become the Bride or continue in our harlot ways? The world waits to see the reality of the New Jerusalem lifestyle and the love and power of the real kingdom of God. Multitudes will come to the real thing; however, multitudes will continue to seek other gods until they see something more real than what the church has produced in past centuries.

In prayer renounce the Babylonian ways in your own life and rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus. Ask Father to fill your heart with the life and concepts of the New Jerusalem lifestyle.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

THE HEART-TREE (Continued) DEALING WITH THE BAD TREE

Posted: April 12, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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THE HEART-TREE (Continued)

DEALING WITH THE BAD TREE

Most people in the world today are at some stage of this life-structure. It is the only life-structure available to those without God; and many Christians are, to some degree, in bondage to the bad heart-tree life-structure. We have not known fully the ministry of Jesus to set the captives free, give sight to the blind, proclaim the opening of the prison, set at liberty the bruised, and heal the brokenhearted.

We have tried to deal with bad actions by demanding that individuals simply stop doing the bad deeds. That is like getting a baseball bat and knocking the fruit off the tree. It may help for a while, but not for long. The tree is still there and will soon produce the same fruit again.

Then we became a bit wiser and decided we had to deal with the lust. Getting rid of the lust is like getting out a pruning saw and cutting off the limbs of the tree. It will help a little longer; but, eventually, the limbs will grow back because the trunk of need and rebellion is still standing.

Now, we get out our chain saw and cut down the trunk of the tree. We tell people to stop their rebellion and to control their fear and pride. It takes a little longer this time; but you guessed it. The tree will grow back from the root. Even when we tell them to dig out the root of bitterness by forgiving everyone from the heart, we are leaving them with a damaged heart. The gaping hole and torn soil left after extracting the root is open and fertile for the next seed of rejection that comes along. The seed of rejection will be planted in their heart-soil and will begin the process all over again. Until the soil of the heart is healed, the ministry is not finished. That is why Jesus said, I am come to heal the brokenhearted.

Luke 4:18-22 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable (favorable) year of the Lord Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Matthew 3:10: And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 15:13: But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.

Isaiah 61:1b: He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound …

The ministry of Jesus to heal the broken heart is brought forth today by the Holy Spirit to heal the inner wounds in our spirits and souls. The soul includes the mind, will, and emotions. Jesus will heal the hurting memories in our mind, our shattered emotions, crushed will, and wounded spirit.
We appropriate the ministry of Jesus through prayer. In sincere prayer we begin to turn from the old life-structure and speak forth its cutting down, rooting out and healing of the heart-soil.

The first work of appropriating the ministry of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is recognition of our bad lifestyle and truly repenting. No longer blaming someone else, we must truly repent and turn from our actions.
Ask Jesus to help you remove the entire heart-tree from the roots to the fruit. In faith, speak the end of the life-structure in the name of Jesus.
Command all the powers of darkness to be gone from you in the name of Jesus.
Forgive everyone who may have had a part in planting the old life-structure.
Ask Jesus by the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with His love. Believe when you pray and you shall have it.

Isaiah 61:3-4: … to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.

We must then replant our heart-soil with the seeds that will produce a kingdom of God life-structure. The good heart-tree will grow as naturally as the bad one and will produce beautiful fruit in your life. All the love and affirmation needed is in the intimate presence of God. Come to Him with empty heart-soil and ask Him to plant His life-structure in your heart-soil.

The seeds of unconditional love, acceptance, mercy, grace, and forgiveness flowing through affirming attitude of God will plant the root system of the love of Jesus with all its beautiful tributary roots filling your heart.

GOD’S KINGDOM PATTERN

THE GOOD TRUNK

Always, without exception, the trunk of the tree that grows upon the root of the love of Jesus is SUBMISSION. A walk of obedience and submission to God and to authorities that He has set in place will naturally flow from hearts filled with the love of Jesus.

Remember that this is not something we can work up by striving within ourselves. It is planted in us and naturally grows from the seed of love. It is an easy yoke of freedom.
The trunk of our life-structure of submission and obedience is characterized by FAITH and HUMILITY. We know that we are loved. We know God loves us and that He is able to control those over us and around us so that His love will eventually flow through them as well. Therefore, since God loves me and those over me and around me love me, all my needs will be met. I don’t have to worry about taking care of myself by myself. It is easy for me to have faith, to trust and believe. So, I feel secure, confident, safe, self-assured, and considerate of others.
I also know that God has supplied my needs, not myself. So, I feel HUMBLE, thankful, and meek. This leads to a gentle, caring, and yielding attitude toward others. The central characteristic of the good heart-tree life-structure is a sense of ABUNDANCE, a feeling of having all we need and more. It doesn’t matter how much or how little we have, we feel no sense of lack, no driving wants or frustrating needs in our heart.

Psalm 23:1: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires (or wants) of your heart.

Philippians 4:19: And my God shall supply all your need (or lack) according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

THE GOOD LIMBS

The limbs of our life-structure grow out of the overflowing abundance of our life. Our desire is no longer to take from others, but to give to others from the overflowing rivers of living water from within. The limbs of our tree on which our life-fruit is to be borne are Desire to Give, Desire to Serve, Desire to Minister, and Desire to Build Others.

THE GOOD FRUIT AND THE SEED

The attitudes, words and actions of our life-structure are GOOD DEEDS and GOOD SEEDS. We are free to do what we want to do according to the desire of our hearts. All we do and say is giving in nature and brings blessing to those around us. Our work becomes fun as we let the love of God flow to others through the things we do.

The seeds we sow in the heart-soil of others around us are exactly the same that were sown into our own heart-soil. Love, acceptance, mercy, grace, and forgiveness are sown through an affirming attitude. The kingdom of God is reproduced in the hearts of our wives, husbands, children, and others.

Remember again that the wonderful life-structure of the good heart-tree is not something we can fake. And it is not something we can make happen by trying to do it. No amount of human effort or sacrifice can enable us to have faith, humility, a sense of abundance, desire to serve and give, intimacy with God, or good actions and deeds.

We must receive the seed of the resurrected life of Jesus the Christ. A tree grows from a seed. Natural growth will occur in our heart-soil when the seed is planted and maintained. There must be cleared, quality soil available in which to plant the seed. If another tree occupies the soil, there is no room for the new tree to grow. The new tree must be watered by the Spirit and fed by the Word.

THE GOOD BIRDS

Certain kinds of birds are attracted to the good fruit of the Good Heart-Tree. They are SPIRITS of enlightenment. Truth, wisdom, understanding and revelation come to dwell in the limbs of our Good Heart-tree. We are open to receive the light of God, which flows readily into our lives. We can hear and obey the direction of God for our lives. We are able to have intimate communication with God. His truth is revealed to us from His Word by His Spirit. We can hear and understand spiritual truth with clarity. Deeper reality from heaven is revealed to our open hearts. We have enlightened ability to discern truth from error.

Isaiah 11:2: The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Ephesians 1:17-18a: … that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened …

1 John 5:6b, 4:6b: And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

NO WALLS

Not only are we open to the heavens and able to intimately relate to God, we also are able to intimately relate to others. We are open and transparent. There is no need for a wall of defense. We are able to give and receive love from others. Since we are giving and receiving love from others from the side, and relating to God openly from above, our lives are filled with life. There is no opportunity for loneliness, boredom, or depression to overpower and defeat us.

Ephesians 2:14: For He Himself is our peace, Who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division …

1 Corinthians 13:13: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We may suffer persecution and enter into difficult times of darkness. Tests and trials may come, and we may again battle with the enemies of our soul. But, love will never fail. Hope, though it may grow dim, will never go out. And we will emerge from the battle with stronger faith, more filled with the light and life of God, more solidly convinced of His love, more prepared to manifest His glory and rule and reign with Him.
THE DOUBLE HEART TREE
James 1:8 …he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Have you ever felt that your life, since becoming a Christian, was much like a roller-coaster ride? If you haven’t, perhaps you have known someone that was on fire for God for a season and then was lower than dirt for a season. Then, they would get back up to the mountaintop for a while, just to slide back down again into the same old trash only sometimes worse than before. Unfortunately this is a much too common scenario among Christians. It certainly was a picture of my early years as a Christian.
There is a tendency among some Christians to accept this as normal, It is reality for us to meet challenges and sometimes feel less than living on the mountaintop. But it is not needful for Christians to fall back into the pit or the ways of the pit from which Jesus redeemed them. The enemy loves to use our backsliding to beat us with guilt and to punch holes in our faith. He tells us, See, your not saved; you’re a rotten, stinking sinner, a hypocrite; you can’t serve God.
We must be missing something somewhere. The roller-coaster Christians may have received Jesus as savior, committed their life to Him as much as they knew how, and followed the instructions from their church as best they could. In other words, they have planted the good seed in their heart and cared for it as best they could. And their good tree has experienced a good measure of growth. So, what is wrong? Why are they so double-minded and unstable?
The double-minded heart-tree is one in which the good heart-tree has found enough soil to begin to grow, but the bad heart-tree has not been cut down and uprooted.
These Christians may function in one tree for a period of time and then suddenly switch over to the other lifestyle. They may switch to the good tree on Sunday and back to the bad tree on Monday. Or they may live in the good tree Sunday through Friday and switch to the other on Saturday night. They will live all the way, one way or the other depending on which tree they are functioning in. This is not a blended mental condition. It is a sudden change from one set of life patterns to the other, much like changing channels on a TV set.
Sometimes they may be in the good tree for six months, a year, or longer and then suddenly shift back to the old structure and surprising everyone around them, including themselves. Some event or situation may trigger a seemingly automatic shift. The individual may not have made a conscious decision to change. It just happened before they realized what was going on. When they are in one tree, it is like the other one never existed. They may wonder, how in the world could I have thought that way? How could I have ever thought all that wild stuff was fun? Or How could I have thought all that church stuff was so great? They are unstable in all their ways and tossed about.
The answer is to get the bad heart-tree forever cut down, rooted out, and the soil healed in order that the good tree can take over the whole heart and flourish. When the old life-structure is gone, there is great freedom to walk continuously in the good heart-tree life-structure.
Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

OUTER DARKNESS

Posted: April 4, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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Matthew 25:30: “And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Revelation 21:27: But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes abomination or a lie.

Matthew 8:12: “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The illustration we used earlier of the king-dome helps me to understand about outer darkness. You remember the gigantic glass dome filled with the presence and light of God. The light flowed out in all directions and dispelled the darkness. Everywhere the light is, the darkness must flee. But everywhere the light has not yet reached, the darkness remains. Envision the light reaching out in a large circle around the dome. As far as it reaches, there is light; at the point where the light stops, the darkness begins. These outer regions from the dome could be referred to as “outer darkness”.

The powers of darkness lurk in that darkness around the light, waiting to do their dirty work. They concentrate in the area around the light to try to prevent people from entering the king-dome light. That is why Jesus said the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. There is a “pressing” involved in entering the kingdom – not a violence from or force toward, God, but a violence from the enemy and a pressing or taking it by force by those who enter.

Luke 16:16: “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”

Matthew 11:12: “And from the days of John the Baptist till now, the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”

If disobedience is found in us, even though we are sons and are well into our journey in the light toward the Holy City, we are returned to outer darkness for more suffering. God loves us and is faithful to allow us to repeat this cycle as many times as is necessary to bring us to purity and holiness as mature sons of the kingdom. The devil is predictable and will always be waiting for us in the outer darkness to inflict fresh pain upon us until we are able to reckon ourselves dead to self that Jesus may be manifested in us. Then, with repentance and fresh love, we return to our journey into the light toward the Holy City of God.

This does not mean we are eternally destroyed. The powers of darkness mean their dirty work for our death; but, God limits what the enemy can do to His children and all these things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). It is not for our death; it is for our purification.As we walk closer and closer to the dome, the light becomes brighter exposing impurities or imperfections that we could not see in the lesser light.As these imperfections are exposed, we always have two choices. We must repent and allow the light to purify us further, or deny the fault and blame someone or something else. If we do anything other than quickly repent, we again are on our way to outer darkness for more pain and suffering. In the pain of outer darkness, we may think something like this, “It sure didn’t hurt this much back in the light. I believe I will become obedient.”We repent, die to self some more, and are returned to the light on our journey to the king-dome.

I am very sorry to say that, in my own experience, it has required many of these cycles to deal with my independence. The secret is to very quickly and humbly repent. If we do not quickly repent, while we debate it in our minds we are already slipping back toward the darkness.

It is very easy, once we are out of the suffering stage, to begin again to feel our muscles and go back to the independent stage. We think something like, “Wow! I’m glad that’s over. I’ve got it now. It’s all working again now. I can really do it this time”. Here comes the man of faith and power for the hour. Guess what stage we are just about to enter again?

Revelation 21:27: But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes abomination or a lie.

Matthew 8:12:“But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 22:11-13:“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Revelation 7:13-17:Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore, the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 19:8:And to her (the Lamb’s wife) it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

The wedding garment we must have on is “the righteous acts of the saints.” True righteousness is the white robe washed in the blood of the Lamb. The wedding garment customarily was furnished by the host, the lord of the feast. The man who is not wearing the garment is without excuse. It is by his independent thinking that he elects to refuse the offered garment and provide his own. Self-righteousness in its purest form will not be good enough to enable us to walk into the Holy City. The Pharisees did not make it. The spirit of Pharisee will not enter the kingdom walk and, unfortunately, will hinder all that it can from entering. Religion and its pharisaical laws and traditions are part of the darkness that must be pressed through. The kingdom disciple can expect violent resistance from people affected by the spirit of Pharisee.

Matthew 23:13:“But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for, you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

As we enter and continue our progress, we must continue to become less and less that Jesus the Christ may live in us more and more. Christ living in us provides all the love and power of heaven to work God’s obedience in us. This is the only garment, the white robe of fine linen that we must wear on our journey to becoming “New Jerusalem”, and living the overcoming life.

Keep on Pursuing Love,
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

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