Regrets

Gen 31:32 MKJV
(32) With whomever you find your gods, let him not live. Before our brothers, choose what is yours with me, and take it to you. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

Have you ever said something that you REALLY wished you could take back? Jacob had been accused by Laban of stealing his idols (insert laughter here). I guess that would be akin to having cable taken away... In ignorance, Jacob said something brash. He said, "I hope the one who stole your idols dies!" He didn't know that the love of his life had taken his idols.

If you recall, Rachel died early - in childbirth. Do you think Jacob blamed himself? Can you see why he was wrapped up so emotionally with Joseph - Rachel's first born? What is the lesson?

We may not know the weight of our words on this side of heaven. This is one reason that Jesus taught us to speak simply yes, or no. Do not swear by the powers that be, one way or the other.

Men, lead your homes. Be the king and priest over what God has given you to steward. Ladies also are given authority in the home, and at times are the spiritual leader. It is my belief that with this spiritual authority comes the responsibility to BE in charge, spiritually. It's not a title. It's an office to hold and operate. What is said in your home should filter through the office of king and priest before it is established. Teenagers, for example, swear a lot, typically, even if under their breath. Where would we be if we were held to the oaths we made? Thank goodness for a spiritual authority in my life that said, "No. Not in my house. Not on my watch." Placing yourself under a spiritual authority gives you a 'stupid' buffer.

Let's look at it this way. If I am the spiritual leader of my home, and I swear to God Himself that I will never tell another lie, then I'd better not tell another one. If I do, I'm dealing with God, through Jesus (fortunately) who was the one who told me not to swear in the first place. Jesus is the best mediator I could ask for... and God is FULL of grace and mercy... but I would rather avoid the 'you idiot' look from my creator when the time comes. However, if I've sworn the same oath and my dad is my spiritual leader and he looks at me cross-eyed and says, "Don't even think about it", then he has spared me the idiot look from my Creator, and has buffered me from the consequences of my ignorance. No regrets.

A True Intercessor

In order to be a true intercessor between God and man, heaven and earth, one must be as relevant on earth as you are in heaven. I'm going to illustrate this - think it through carefully. It seems like a 'duh' example... but it's profound to me.

Matthew 14:29-31 MKJV
(29) And He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
(30) But seeing that the wind was strong, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me!
(31) And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him; and said to him, Little-faith! Why did you doubt?

For Peter, the only Truth he cared about when he stepped out of the boat was Jesus. Jesus was his hero. Jesus was someone he trusted. Jesus told him to get out of the boat. Peter did. When Peter did that, he was doing NOTHING in the flesh. He was walking a spiritual walk which - by default - has dominion over all earthly rules. The key to this walk for Peter - was Jesus.

Then Peter looked away. He utters perhaps the shorted prayer in the Bible. HELP! Jesus reached down and grabbed his arm. For Peter, his walk at that moment failed. He went immediately from walking in the Spirit to walking in the flesh. How did he survive this? Jesus! Jesus is the answer in both situations. Jesus is the answer when the Spiritual walk is thriving, and He is the answer when it fails.

Hebrews 1:3a
(3) God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together.

By His word, He can hold you together between your two worlds - the world of the flesh and the world of His Spirit. It is His perfect power that makes Him the perfect intercessor. As we become more like Him, our power of intercession for others also grows. We think more like he thinks - staying above the waves and helping others stay up, too.

Wash It, Then Burn It

Lev 1:4-9 LITV (4) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it is accepted for him to make atonement for him. (5) And he shall kill the son of the herd before the face of Jehovah. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall bring near the blood and sprinkle the blood on the altar all around at the opening of the tabernacle of the congregation. (6) And he shall skin the burnt offering, and shall cut it into pieces. (7) And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. (8) And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall arrange the pieces, with the head and the fat, on the wood on the fire, which is on the altar. (9) And he shall wash its inward parts, and its legs, with water. And the priest shall burn as incense the whole of it on the altar for a burnt offering, a fire offering of soothing fragrance to Jehovah.

This is an incredible passage. It immediately raises questions, most of which begin with 'why'.

Why did he lay his hand on the head of the sacrifice? In the Old Testament, the priest transferred the sin of himself or the people upon the sacrifice by laying his hand upon his head. If you do a search on this throughout the Old Testament, you'll notice it was NEVER good when God's hand was upon a person or a people. "...and God's hand was heavy upon Pharaoh."

In the New Testament, when the priest laid hands upon someone, life was transferred. Healing. What (who) was the difference? Jesus. It was truly a divine reversal. To that point, the Law stated separation from lepers. Grace stated healing for lepers. Again... Jesus!

Next... WHY! Why cut a sacrifice into pieces, take the legs and take out some of the inner organs... wash them... and throw them on the fire? Because any sacrifice to God must be clean on the outside AND on the inside. No dirt! No sin! Again... lets shift to the time of Jesus.

Joh 13:6-10 LITV
(6) He then came to Simon Peter. And that one said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet?
(7) Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing, you do not yet know. But you will know after these things.
(8) Peter said to Him, You may in no way wash my feet to the age. Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.
(9) Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.
(10) Jesus said to him, The one having been bathed has no need other than to wash the feet, but is wholly clean. And you are clean, but not all.

Do you see it? It's the same picture. We are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. Peter was such. But Peter had need to be washed - by the Priest. Peter was already clean on the inside - as only Jesus can make us. So Peter says, "If you must, then, Lord wash all of me!" And what did Jesus say? "Peter... I don't NEED to wash all of you. Only that which has been in contact with the world." The feet!

Don't miss the point, though. It wasn't really about Peter's gnarly feet. It was a demonstration to Peter that once made clean by Jesus, we are truly clean. However we can all get pretty dirty in our worldly dealings. The trials of life hammer us... get us down... make us... tired. They drive wedges between us and God that keep us from drawing near to Him. You might call them 'virtual wedges', because nothing truly separates us from God once we are His. It's a perception that the enemy uses. The cure? To get our feet washed. We do this for our brethren because Jesus did it for us. We are... priests.

Be Dangerous

1Sa 2:18 MKJV
(18) And Samuel served before Jehovah, a child girded with a linen ephod.

From the beginning of his life, Samuel was destined to be a priest of God. He was brought up in the Temple from the time he was weaned, and learned - even from a very lame priest, Eli - the ways of God.

Samuel dealt with lameness most of his life. Saul, Israel's first king, had a problem with loving himself more than he loved God. This was something Samuel could not and did not stomach.

1Sa 15:31-33 MKJV
(31) And Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshiped Jehovah.
(32) And Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him daintily. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
(33) And Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel cut Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.

As we can see, Samuel was a dangerous man. He was not to be trifled with. We know he was raised as a priest, but here he steps in and does what the king should have done. He operated as both priest - and king.


1Ki 18:39-40 MKJV
(39) And when all the people saw, they fell on their faces. And they said, Jehovah, He is the God! Jehovah, He is the God!
(40) And Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape. And they took them. And Elijah brought them down to the torrent Kishon and killed them there.

Elijah was another dangerous man. He had just offered a sacrifice to God before an audience of 450 priests of Baal, 400 prophets of Asherah, and the people of Israel. This was a priestly service. Immediately afterwards, he did that which the king should have done - exercised judgment upon the false prophets.

These are two examples of the manafest power of God in men who are willing to be as God called them to be. There is not a more powerful person on earth than a king who is also a priest. Are we to go out and destroy the wicked of the world? No - that is no longer our calling. Our battle is not with flesh and blood. However, there is a serious lack of authority being thrown against the spiritual strongholds in physical places and in real people. It's time to stand and be men and women of God. Study the verses above - where did fear fit into the equation of Samuel and Elijah?