Was
remembering about a time long ago that amounts to a time span of at least
fifteen years up through this year, I would see people not amen God’s word but
just bobbing their head up and down as if to “agree with it”. It is as if they
would agree with pastor or said teacher they agree and yet they might not know
the word for themselves in their heart. We must be very mindful of what we
agree to especially in this day and hour!
But we are
not to be bobble-heads! God’s word will break every chain. We are to know what
is bound in heaven and what is loosed in heaven for that is what God expects
for us on earth! But you cannot just nod your head up and down to claim it. YOU
have to speak to bind something.
When Jesus
was baptized and then walked into the wilderness to be tried( as to His faith)
We find this in:Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these
stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “ It is written, “Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
God.” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle
of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the
Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it written: “He shall give His
angels charge over you,’ and “In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you
dash your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, “You
shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” 8
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him al
the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these
things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said
to him, “Away with you, Satan!” For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD
your God and Him only you shall serve.”
And the
devil left Him….and behold angels came and ministered to Him……
The tempter
came to point out identity, and not what one thinks they deserve. I cringe
every time I hear those commercial ads to signing up for Medicare so they, the
man or woman can get what they deserve. If you did not work for a paycheck these
many years how do you get what you really deserve? Is that not riding on
another’s coattails? Many people are thinking they deserve everything in a
department store and not pay for it, but do a smash and grab thing and sounds
likes, looks lie and is thievery!
Jesus has
spoken. He left His kingdom to expand through us. But we must speak as He spoke
and not be a bobble-head. Or point to another and speak: “Yeah”…what she said or
what he just said about the kingdom of God! No, we each are to speak God’s word
to Him.
We are to
abide in the Lord, abide in every word He spoke about His kingdom. And then we
should be ready for God’s thing to be revealed to us, in us and through us.
You know
with the birth of Jesus, we are reminded of a young lady, still in her teens
and being marked to be the mother of our Lord.
The history of Mary though goes beyond the pages but are found in Hebrew
history as coming from a family who lived within God’s word. Her father a
scribe wrote daily. He would be in the temple as God’s word was given and he
would take it home …the same thing and repeat it to the family. Mary was
wrapped up in God and His thing! This family only lived by that word of God. So
it should not surprise us that an angel came to Mary.
So when the
angel appeared to Mary, she was well prepared. She knew the word of God. She
knew the many generations that amounted to fourteen that spoke of the coming
Messiah.
Being in
His word is being prepared for what He has in store for you. So that you will
be ready for that next awakening in Him! But today you must bind and loose. You
must loose the Holy Spirit in your life and that of your family. You must bind
the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness, and wicked spirits
in heavenly places and tear down strongholds using the mighty weapons God has
provided for us in the name of Jesus. You are to bind that blinding spirit of
antichrist. You are to bind every spirit of the occult: astrology, every
familiar spirit and witchcraft. You are to bind sexual immorality, idolatry, obscenity
and profanity. You are to bind the spirits of alcohol, nicotine and drug
addiction. You are to bind worldly wisdom in any form----every oppose to the
truth, and to bind destructive, deceitful thieving spirits.
You and I
bind and loose. We bind the enemy in any form he is in within or close to us
and loose our brethren by the Holy Spirit from the snare of the devil who has
held them captive.
In the book
of Luke we find Christ’s birth, and the song of Mary. When Jesus is but eight
days old, Mary and Joseph take him for circumcision and then He is presented in
the Temple. Mary’s being bound in the word of God and following God’s
instruction, her steps were ordered in the Temple with Jesus. Here a strategic
word of God is given to Mary from Simeon when he sees God’s salvation.
Luke
2:25-35 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and
this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the
Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed
to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the
Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when
the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom
of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord,
now You are letting Your servant depart in peace. According to Your word; 30
For my eyes have seen your salvation 31 which You have prepared before the face
of all peoples, 32 a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory
of Your people Israel.” 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things
which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His
mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 “(yes, a sword will
pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be
revealed.”
Simeon
looked at Mary and spoke words that she would not fully understand until she
stood beneath the cross of her Son 33 years later. On that day she surely
remembered Simeon’s words, “A sword will pierce your own soul too” (v. 35).
Jesus said
to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the
disciple: "This is your mother." John 19:26-27
What sorrow
must have filled Mary's heart! She watched nervously as He was being nailed to
the Cross! What was the prophecy from Simeon in the Temple: oh yes, once more…
in the Temple (Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them & said to Mary His
mother, “ Behold, this Child is destined for the fall & rising of many in
Israel, & for a sign which will be spoken against. 35 “Yes, a sword will
pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be
revealed.”
It all
amounts to that acceptance or rejection of Christ, the real thoughts of one’s
heart toward himself and toward God that really becomes clear! And you find it
even now, when people are choosing to play and not seek the Lord.
But what
will we reject and what will we accept? Mary was found with the 120 in the
upper room praying. And the Holy Spirit to fill them and send them out for
purpose! What could a young Mary who just watched her Son die for man, those
who would receive Him, give to another? She came to live with John, who would
mark the way through history, boiled in hot oil and live to tell the word of
God. Mary was there. She was no bobble-head. She was there in the moment, in
each trial and tribulation that came to believers after her Son’s death and
resurrection and where are we found? Are we smoozing our neighbors or
relatives? Are we relaxing with an ale in hand when someone is racing toward
hell and we give them a wave, a toasting of the ale and bobble-head our way to
who knows where?
From Luke
2:25-35 we see people. We see those following the instructions for their Son.
We see a man Simeon who was the just and the devout waiting for the Consolation
of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. from verse 18, Simeon took up Jesus
in his arms…and blessed God speaking…..not bobbing his head….but speaking…. 29 “Lord,
now You are letting Your servant depart in peace. According to Your word; 30
For my eyes have seen your salvation 31 which You have prepared before the face
of all peoples, 32 a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory
of Your people Israel.”
Then
marveling at those things Joseph and Mary hear this: said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child
is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which
will be spoken against 35 “(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also),
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Those
thoughts, a dialogue with one’s self, to reason something over in the mind, but
the only thought is God’s word that we should adhere too. And He chooses to
fulfill it as is to His will and way indeed! Our hearts are to be set like
Simeon toward that relationship in prayer and word. We are to be set to hear
the voice of the Lord and know the way in which we are to walk. When we do, then
our feet are directed toward those moments of heaven meeting earth in specifics
like in that of Simeon holding Jesus in his hands. Mary heard the sound of her
Son’s voice and went to the home of John.
She would
be there to remind John of the ways of Jesus….to know the two loved Him greatly
and would see Him again. He would be there to tell her of the love He had for
many. He would tell her the adventures and the miracles seen when they went
from Capernaum to Jerusalem!
No
bobble-heads in that of Cana of Galilee. None are seen again in the wedding in Cana of
Galilee, a miracle indeed for families to meet in the marriage of a couple where the best of wine was seen and given. Where healings occurred like: those healed after Sabbath sunset in Luke
4:40-41, when the disciples were called to leave fishing for fish to fish for
men in Luke 5. And like Mary standing at the foot of the Cross. The life of
Jesus would be seen by His mother Mary. Trials and tribulations would occur.
There is always the mourning or
grieving over the specific trial. But there is also the mourning or grieving
for the expectancy of God’s good in it. Mourning that the past thing is over
and done with. But there is the mourning looking with an expectant hope God is
not done here. No one has arrived. We all have time here to make that
difference and somewhere on that path of obedience we will hear “well done thou
good and faithful servant!” We will know His voice and stay within His
presence, knowing victory is ours, peace is the place we stand and we will hear
the trumpet blast to rise to immortality!
Let’s be
bound in the love of God, telling of the adventures we have had in the Lord,
and let us keep loving and reaching for He comes quickly now….can you hear Him
coming….for those who delight we speak as He spoke, and do as he has done and
be ready to rise…to be ready for that next thing in God ……….Amen and Amen!
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
What is Fidelity
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