Desires (One) Introduction

Good morning

Since we have finished with the messages on the book of Esther, I sat before the LORD this morning asking what I should teach about today. The reference to Galatians 5:16 came very clearly to mind, but I told the LORD that I have taught on it a lot in the past and it will sound as if I play the same note over and over. I then felt I had to have a closer look and it was then that the LORD made me aware of how I should approach it. This will be a series again and we start at Galatians 5:16-18 as an introduction.

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”

As I said we have looked into this intensively earlier in the blog, but the emphasis was on walking in the Spirit, in other words how to be led by the Holy Spirit. This time the Holy Spirit wants us to look at the desires of the sinful nature. You may tell me that it is a negative approach and that we should focus on Jesus. It was my first thought as well, but if the Holy Spirit did not consider it important; He would not have had it listed in so much detail. He would have just mentioned the words ‘desires of the sinful nature’ and have left it there.

However, to be able to overcome our enemy we need to know our enemy. How many of us just read verses 19-21, not really taking in what we read, or shy away from it since it makes us feel uncomfortable. We do not want to face our sinful nature, but rather compromise with it to release the pressure it puts on us. Fact, however, is that the sinful nature is in conflict with the Holy Spirit and as long as we yield to it, we cannot live effectively by the Spirit. We therefore need to identify the desires of the sinful nature that are a problem to us and deal with it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Note that this passage talks about the ‘desires’ of the sinful nature, in other words they are not necessarily deeds yet. James 1:14-15 states “one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” These desires that Paul mentioned to the Galatians are therefore a stimulus towards sin and can be controlled by redirecting our attention through being in the Spirit, listening to what He wants and applying it in our lives.

The problem we have is that we are naturally sinful and the sinful nature needs no encouragement. When we act uncontrolled we naturally act sinfully, which is why part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:23). The Holy Spirit owns this fruit and if we walk by Him, this fruit is available to us. Therefore we do not need to yield to the desires that the sinful nature presents to us in an attempt to get us to sin. We can walk by the Spirit and therefore control these desires.

It is an intellectual exercise by which we need to make a decision, and like any well made decision, it should be based on information. Therefore we need to understand the desires of the sinful nature in order to identify them when they approach us and then overcome them. This is why the Holy Spirit wants us to look at them in the next few messages. I am also curious as to what the LORD is going to reveal to us.

Lord, thank you for revealing these desires to us in the days to come.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

The Conclusion of the Book of Esther

Good morning

In Esther chapter eight and chapter nine we read the conclusion of what happened concerning the danger the Jews were in.

We see that Mordecai was rewarded for his faithfulness and his caring attitude, as was Esther. But we also see that the Lord did not miraculously bring peace for the Jews. The obvious consequence of Haman’s plot had to follow its course, since the people’s minds have already been poisoned by Haman’s evil activities, and to change the minds of these enemies of the Jews in such a short time simply was not practically possible.

But the solution was reasonably simple - fight with the power of God’ support and get rid of those who may cause a recurrence of a similar situation in future, such as Haman’s sons. We read in Esther 9:1-5:

“On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful. The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.”

Mission accomplished. A little further on we read how they set specific days aside for celebration. When we started this series about the book of Esther, we said that the Lord knew what was coming and that He had to set up His people to initiate the protection of His assets – the Jews. Had Mordecai been selfish and non-caring, Satan would probably have succeeded in his plan.

In the same way Satan and his demons have plans with individuals and corporate structures close to all of us, and as the Salt of the Earth we are the only people the Lord can use to counter Satan’s plans. We therefore need to be faithful. Sometimes prayer is sufficient, but sometimes we need to do something about it. We need to pray right by asking according to the LORD’s will and by doing spiritual warfare. The next few messages will be devoted to this.

The Jews called days of celebration because of their victory over their enemies. How much more enthusiastically will we not celebrate the LORD if we constantly receive testimony of His victories over the works of the enemy of humankind, through the power of the name of Jesus Christ to whom all authority belongs?

“The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working],” (James 5:16 Amplified Bible).

Lord, thank you for using us when you need to get something done. I am available.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

On This Christmas day...

May the Christ in Christmas be loved today as much as He loves us. May glory be brought to His name as we think of Him, live for Him and be obedient to Him. May His peace be your portion as you enjoy His amazing presence and cuddle up in the warmth of His care for you!

I want to thank everyone who has heard the words that the Holy Spirit spoke through me this year and applied at least some of it. Sometimes I wished the Lord has given me an easier assignment, but actually enjoyed being His voice of truth to His people.

We wish you a wonderful Christmas day in the presence of the Lord and your families.

Henry, Julia and family

The Christmas Story According to John

Good morning

I will continue with the last part of the book of Esther after Christmas.

Christmas is a wonderful time where Christians adopted pagan celebrations to merge with a celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth. It is a special time where the world can be made aware of the existence of their Saviour and it is good that we have a holiday period and at least one day a year where most business pauses.

You may, however, know or not know that Jesus was actually born during the feast of tabernacles, which is in September each year. Some churches don’t give too much attention to Christmas, but make a big thing of the Feast of Tabernacles together with the Jews, the LORD’s beloved nation.

It is just a pity that the awareness we give the world of Jesus’ coming to earth is mainly taken from the gospels of Matthew and Luke, telling the story of the baby in a manger, the shepherds and the wise men who brought three kinds of gifts to Jesus. Although it is a lovely story and creates a beautiful atmosphere for Christmas, John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, actually brought us the true Christmas account. Jesus loved John for the same reason than David was a man after God’s own heart – to John Jesus, and what He stood for, was everything. This is strongly reflected in his gospel and letters and this was also the reason why he was chosen to receive the revelation as recorded in the book of Revelations.

So how did John record the Christmas message?

John 1:1-17

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’” From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.”

Do we give this Christmas message to the world?

Lord, thank you for what you came for. Help me to tell the whole Christmas story.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Esther (Nine) Counter Evil

Good morning

The story of Esther reads like a modern day movie where the villains’ plans backfire on them. The movie makers must have learnt from the LORD, for He really arranged for Haman to be properly exposed. When I read Esther chapter seven I just had to laugh again at how clever the Lord worked things out to the benefit of the righteous, who seek His face in times of trouble.

King Xerxes walked out of the room just at the right moment to give Haman an opportunity to get into the position the LORD needed him to be, in order to support Esther’s claim. He then walked back into the room again just at the right moment. There is no such thing as coincidence – just God-incidence. I believe many of the difficult modern day crimes that were solved, many inconsistencies ‘accidently’ discovered, bright ideas that make life easier and get the gospel out, such as television and the Internet, and so on had the LORD and the angels under His command involved. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being,” (Revelation 4:11).

The question is what classifies as ‘all things’. How about the bad things? Man is capable of horrible feats and we have much evidence of it. We only have to look at weaponry, war vehicles and armoury, certain perverted tools, and so on to wonder about my statement. How about television and the Internet with its sexual; and in many ways insane and evil programs and websites – how could that have been created by the LORD?

We have two factors here – man and Satan. Man has received the ability to create, but that ability came from God and is directed by the LORD as He wishes, sometimes without the awareness from man as to His intentions. But man also has his own will and has therefore the ability to pervert what the LORD intended to be beautiful. Satan has no ability to create. There is the little joke that Satan tried to create a bird and ended up with a fly and a mosquito. All he can do is kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) and he instigates man to pervert all the good things that God created. If you look at anything that is bad, you will find it has a good origin or a good alternative purpose.

The Lord allowed Israel to be carried off by the Babylonians to be a light to the foreign nations, a form of evangelism to show off His power and glory though His people. Haman was instigated by Satan to counter this ingenuous plan, but the LORD, though His faithful people, exposed Haman.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men,” (Matthew 5:13). What does salt do? It makes a difference. To learn more about this you may want to have a look at http://saltprayeroffensive.blogspot.co.uk/. In the same way that Esther and Mordecai teamed up with the Lord to return the bad, which Satan attempted to create, to the good that God originally created, we need to team up with the LORD to do the same as Salt of the Earth (see mentioned article).

We really need to change our religious ‘bless-me-Lord’ attitude into an attitude of being available when the Lord needs a soldier to counter darkness, together with Him, through prayer and obedience.

Thank you, Lord, for showing me when you need me.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Esther (Eight) Exalt Yourself and Have a Fall

Good morning

I simply love the story in Esther chapter six and when I read it again this morning; I had such a laugh at how the Lord arranged for Haman to be humbled. Jesus said in Matthew 23:12: “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted,” and this is exactly what the Lord has arranged for Haman.

We need to be so careful of how we think of ourselves. We are cautioned in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you,” and we need to check ourselves continuously. It is natural for man to become proud and conceited and therefore part of the sinful nature that resists the Holy Spirit. He therefore makes it His business to keep anybody who is serious about the Lord humble.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:7: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” A very ‘dangerous’ worship song to sing and mean is called ‘I Surrender All’. The Lord tends to take us by our word and answers our prayers. He will therefore ensure we stay surrendered and humble, for it is not His desire for us to follow in Haman’s footsteps.

Haman had this incredible desire to be great and it is inborn in the nature of us all. Satan knows it and makes it his business to try and get us to exalt ourselves. He even tried it with Jesus. “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ^‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” Yielding to fame, pride, selfish wealth and so on is worshiping Satan, since he is the master of those things so prevalent in this world, of which he is god.

The Lord, however, loves us enough to make sure we do not yield to pride if we asked Him to help us. Pride will not get into heaven and the Lord’s standards are very high. I have asked the Lord to keep me humble and every time when I have just a hint of thinking I am cool, something happens that brings me down to earth. In the LORD’s presence there is only place for His glory, as it will be in heaven as well. So if we want to be in His presence, we need to forget about our glory.

Haman prepared something to glorify himself and was so absorbed by himself that he was blinded to the consequences of his selfishness and this led to him being humiliated in order to exalt the man he despised. This is God’s humour. He hates pride and if we become proud, resisting His promptings to stay humble, He will take drastic steps to humble us, for He loves us and wants us in His presence.

Lord, please help me stay humble.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

A Sunday Special

Good morning

Today I felt the Lord simply wants us to have the following word. I will continue with the teaching on Esther in our next message. However, when you read this, listen carefully to what the Lord tries to tell you through this message, search your heart for any of the mentioned issues that may still be in your life and test yourself whether you actually do what this passage in Colossians 3 tells you to do.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

^“5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

^“12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

^“15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Thank you Lord.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Esther (Seven): The Origin of the Plan!

Good morning

Firstly I want to apologise for the typo in my previous message. I wrote ‘Esther chapter two’ in the link instead of chapter four. The link however would have taken you to chapter four. I only discovered it now.

In Esther chapter five we see the first stages of the Lord’s crafty plan taking form. We also see a clear distinction between the Lord’s wisdom and the devil’s arrogance. As we heard last time, Esther first spent some time in prayer and fasting to come up with a strategy as to how to handle the situation. We need to hear how the Lord wants to approach a situation and we need his wisdom and knowledge. Even Jesus did not approach anything without consulting His Father.

Then we also need not put the LORD in a box. This is something that happens quite a lot in today’s church. We either follow deadly tradition or see what another church does and we copy them. We try to liven up the church by getting a charismatic visiting speaker and we do all kinds on worldly activities to make church interesting. However, there is none more interesting and original that the LORD. We just need to hear from Him how He wants to do things and we are well on our way to a ‘super charged church’.

After the three days of prayer and fasting Esther came up with a plan. She knew she could not just walk up to the king and tell him about Haman and ask him to reverse his edict. Haman was too high up in the hierarchy and the power of the lie in Satan’s kingdom of darkness was too strong. They had to be exposed. Also note that the LORD did not move in with supernatural power and zapped Haman. He chose to lead Esther into victory by His wisdom, gained through faith and prayer. Then the result would be a deepened faith and a more intense relationship between her and the LORD, because Esther had walked a path with the LORD in this situation.

We always look for a miracle or a big bang emotional manifestation of the LORD that goes along with goose bumps and falling over in church, do we not? But that does not deepen our relationship with the LORD and does not really create faith. Hearing from the LORD, and seeing Him responding to the application of what we have heard from Him manifests His power and create faith in us. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ,” (Romans 10:17). This message mentioned is the message we receive directly from the LORD, through His Word, during prayer as we seek His guidance. This is what Esther had when she approached the king – a strategy (as heard though the message) and faith to execute it.

We also see a clear distinction between the Lord’s wisdom and the devil’s arrogance as mentioned earlier. In verses one through eight Esther introduced the first stages of her plan calmly without revealing too much. She applied several principles of wisdom that the LORD gave us in the Bible, one of which is found in Matthew 7:6: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” Trusting the LORD she quietly put the plan He had given her during prayer and fasting into practice – step by step.

Haman on the other hand acted in anger and arrogance, which is typical of someone controlled by the sinful nature and the devil. We see it in verses nine through fourteen. Acting this way in haste is never a good idea, but it is usually the case when we act in the flesh that is instigated by Satan. He sets one up and when you have blown it all, he laughs whilst departing leaving you with the consequences. “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint,” (Isaiah 40:31).

The LORD is very clever and able to lead us with much wisdom. He is not a clown that puts up a show at church so we could clap hands at His powerful manifestations. He is a friend interested in the development of our faith and holiness though continuous interaction with Him.

Thank you Lord.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Esther (Six): God, the Provider of Courage

Good morning

When I read Esther chapter four once again, tears welled up in my eyes. It was not an easy time for the Jews, just as they actually never really had it easy and we must pray for them regularly and support them.

Once you have read this chapter from the link above or in your Bible, I would like us to put ourselves in our current life in Esther’s position. Esther faced a dilemma. She was in an ideal position to intercede for her people with the king, but she had to choose - it was either she or the people she loved. When she eventually got the information out of Mordecai why he was in sackcloth and ashes, fear grabbed her heart. She realised she had to do something to help, but if she broke the rules, her comfortable position would be at risk and she probably would have faced death. Her first reaction was an excuse – a cop out. “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold sceptre to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king,” (Esther 4:11). She basically told Mordecai that she would like to help, but have to stick to the rules.

How often are we relieved that rules of society and even the law relieve us from being obedient to the LORD’s instructions. They state that we should not offend anybody, and since we feel we need to obey our authorities, we conveniently abide by the rules – do not rock the boat and your life’s boat won’t be rocked. Does the persecuted church obey the law of the country stating they should not serve the LORD? This initial attitude of Esther would not have made any difference to the destiny of the Jews. Unless she stepped out, breaking the rules and risked having her boat rocked, they would be destroyed. Unless we do something and risk having our boats rocked, people go to hell. That is exactly what Satan wants and which is why we get persecuted, for then we are too afraid to obey God. It is also why all these laws and social rules of not interfering with other people’s beliefs were made, so Satan could have a handle by which to prevent the Kingdom of God to advance.

However, soldiers are usually brave and face danger all the time in order to accomplish what they came to do, and we are called to be soldiers in God’s Kingdom. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer,” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). This is why Mordecai did not spare his words when he challenged Esther in verses 13-14: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” How often do we challenge one another this honestly?

Esther then realised she had to do what she came to do, no matter the consequences. I love the way she approached it though, for she realised that in the light of the rules and laws only the LORD would be able to minimise the risk of failure of her mission. She knew that only fasting, prayer and intercession would make this task possible – Esther 4:15-16.

When we know we have to do something that could make life difficult for us, our sinful nature will also present an excuse, which we should wave away and then enter our conquest bravely with the help of the LORD through prayer, fasting and intercession. We should also be aware of other people’s challenges and encourage them and intercede for them. We are on earth as an army working together as a body, and not as individuals to selfishly meet our own needs.

Lord, please give me grace to be brave in Jesus.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Esther (Five): The Force Behind Haman’s Genocide (Part Two)

Good morning

In our previous message from chapter three of the Book of Esther we have discussed Satan’s involvement.

We are in a spiritual war. Even before the creation of the world Satan used to be called Lucifer and was of extreme beauty and in charge of music in heaven. Then he got proud and decided that he should actually be god and recruited a third of heaven’s angels to support him in his ‘campaign’ to take over heaven. God, who cannot stand pride, kicked him out of heaven and from that moment became Satan’s arch enemy.

When the LORD created the earth and man and appointed man to rule over the earth, Satan saw the opportunity to get onto equal grounds with God. Here was his ideal break to have his own kingdom. He knew that if he could only get man to do two crucial things, he would have man under his power and would have rule over the earth. He actually learned from his own history.

If he could get man to disobey the LORD, the LORD would have to keep his promise and man would die in their relationship with the Lord. When he, masqueraded as a serpent, told Eve in Genesis 3:4-5: “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,’” he was actually right. They did not die on the spot, but their life has been limited and more importantly, they died spiritually, separated from God, which is why the rest of the human race is born with a spirit which is dead towards God and need to be reborn and receive a revived spirit.

Apart from them having died spiritually towards God, man has received what Satan had mentioned. They have received the ability to understand good and evil and they have received another detrimental thing that would destroy many relationships and lives in times to come – pride and the desire to be their own God.

The second crucial consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobedience is the fact that they had lost the authority that the LORD had given them over the earth and it went at the time to their conqueror, Satan. He took control of the earth at that moment and got what he wanted – his own kingdom. It was there where the war started, a war between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of light, and which is the war we are involved with as well. Through the ages man was the object of this warfare. They either followed Satan, and acted against everything the LORD stands for or they followed God in resistance of Satan’s strategies.

This is why I said that whenever God’s kingdom is involved, Satan has a hand in there somewhere. It is, however, not always him or his demons that tempts us to sin, since our sinful nature (flesh) also works against us as the Bible mentions at various occasions. Satan has also been overcome on the cross, which means that Jesus rules over him now and therefore whoever remains in Jesus has regained authority with Jesus over Satan and the earth, and has been restored to the authority Adam had, but only in Jesus. This is why Jesus said in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing,” and James in James 4:7: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It is only in a position of submission to the LORD, in other words in declaring our dependence on and our availability to Him, that we have the authority Jesus has.

I hope we now have a better understanding why we need to be aware of Satan’s reality and why we cannot ignore him.

Lord, help me to submit to you completely.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Esther (Four): The Force Behind Haman’s Genocide (Part One)

Good morning

In chapter three of the Book of Esther Satan made his move.

Was it Satan, though? Yes it was Satan. Some sections of the church (i.e. some churches) seem to try and ignore Satan’s existence, telling us we shouldn’t give Satan too much credit. But that is exactly what he wants, for if we are not taught to be aware of him and to be on the lookout for him, it is the ideal conditions for him to function in. ‘Ignore me and pretend you do not see me, so I can mess up your life as I like,’ he would say.

To Jesus and the apostles, as recorded in their writings, Satan was very real and they were quite outspoken about him. If they warned us repeatedly against him and did not consider it giving him too much credit, why do we do it? I think the problem is that the church tries to please people too much. It is not acceptable to talk about horrible things in sociable surroundings and the church seemed to have become a social club in many respects, rather than an army training camp as it is meant to be.

In an army setup it is not considered giving the enemy too much credit if you talk about their strategies. It is called being alert and proactive. The fact is the enemy did accomplish what they have, had they gained some ground or won a battle. It is no use ignoring that fact or sweeping it under the carpet, fearing that we will give them too much credit. They deserve that credit and the army will have to find a way to prevent it next time. One thing the army has learnt from it, though, is the way the enemy functioned and they will know how to stop them next time.

We need to acknowledge when Satan has won a battle and learn from it, so it would not happen again. Jesus and the apostles gave us all the tools and strategies in the Bible that we can use to fend off Satan’s attacks. The only thing we need to learn from experience is what opens the door for his attacks, how and when he attacks and how to prevent it. Just as we should be zoomed in on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, so we must be aware of gaps where the enemy may find access to our minds and souls.

In the case of Haman, as in chapter three of the book of Esther, Satan knew Mordecai would not bow before Haman, since Mordecai was a godly man and would only bow before the LORD. Satan, however, had a greater plan just as the LORD had a greater plan. He wanted to destroy the LORD’s beloved people, so he created a setup. He knew Haman’s heart and probably also prepared him for this opportunity by pumping him full of pride. This he does with anybody (also today) who are susceptible to it. He gradually adds to such a person’s life power, wealth and success, causing them to grow in pride. Then he arranges a position of power for that person, so he could be used as Satan’s handle to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). There are many examples in history – mostly dictators like Hitler.

So Haman was set up and indoctrinated. Then he received the position of power Satan wanted him to have and the scene was set for Satan’s ultimate plan – the destruction of the beloved people of his arch enemy, God. The trigger for this genocide would have been a Jew, one of the LORD’s beloved, who refused to give Haman honour. Satan would have barked in Haman’s ear: ‘Did you see that wretched Jew, Mordecai, did not bow before you. Maybe you should make use of this opportunity to destroy all the Jews.’ As recorded in verses 3-6, the royal officials were used to assist in this task.

You may now tell me it has got nothing to do with Satan. People do things like that. Is it coincidence that it was the Jews, God’s beloved, that were targeted? Is it coincidence that it was the Jews that were targeted by Hitler? Is it coincidence that Christianity was and is still targeted by communism? It is a spiritual war we are involved in and people are only pawns in the hands of the spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12).

Lord, please open my understanding of the spiritual realm.

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Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

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Esther (Three): Mordecai in the Lord’s Greater Plan

Good morning
 

When we read chapter two of the Book of Esther we see another role player that the Lord had put into position to accomplish His purposes - Mordecai. He was obviously sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and when he saw the opportunity he acted on it. I guess one can see it from two perspectives. Either he approached it from a carnal and self-centred angle in that he did what he did in a crafty way to get Esther on the throne and him in a favourable position so they could both be looked after, or he realised the LORD’s hand in this because he was a godly man and followed the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Either way the LORD was in control. Whether we acknowledge the Lord’s hand in what is happening in our lives or not, He is still going to be faithful and accomplish what He wanted to. It may just take longer and be harder on us, but “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 1:4-6). If Mordecai had carnal ideas of elevating himself and Esther, the Lord used it to accomplish the purpose of preparing the way for saving His people.

The Bible doesn’t tell us that Mordecai was a godly man, but it was most probable because the Lord usually use godly people. Mordecai showed character and loyalty when he reported the plot to assassinate king Xerxes to the king. There was a danger that the soldiers or their colleagues could have killed Mordecai for telling on them. How loyal are we to the LORD and His purposes? Can we look back and be glad that we have heard the Lord’s guidance and were obedient when He relied on us.

The LORD first had to build credibility for both Mordecai and Esther, which is why He arranged the year in which Esther could have gained favour with king Xerxes and everybody she had met, and why He arranged for the alert Mordecai to observe the plot, so Mordecai could obtain favour with the king. As with Joseph and Daniel the LORD first needed the king to trust Mordecai and Esther. Esther revealed a humbleness and dependence on Mordecai’s guidance, which would have reflected in every area of her life and would have made her appealing to those who considered her as queen, inclusive of king Xerxes.

What do we learn from this? Nobody exists without a purpose set by the LORD. He has His plan and we all fit into that plan in one way or another. Satan’s strategy is to divert us from that purpose by distracting us with many worldly things that appeal to our flesh. Had Mordecai not stayed alert but got distracted by the high position he ended up in the later chapters of the book, and had Esther not stayed devoted to her higher calling, but enjoyed the indulgencies of palace life, the purpose of the LORD to save His people would have suffered.

How many plans of the LORD suffer because we indulge in things that are not part of His plan for our lives? How alert are we to do what the LORD expects of us? Are we doing what comes natural within our gifting or do we try to follow other people’s ideas? If for example you are gifted to serve, why do you want to teach, or why do you feel guilty when you are not able to give as much as those who are gifted for giving?

Mordecai and Esther, as Joseph and Daniel, were in the right place at the right time. If we walk in the Holy Spirit we are in the right place at the right time, even though it may not always feel like that as Joseph would have testified.  Can you say you were born for a time such as this? Do you live as if born for your purpose?

Lord, help me to be available for whatever you need me to do.

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Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

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Esther (Two): The Lord’s Greater Plan

Good morning

 

We are looking at the book of Esther Chapter One. The LORD intended to help the Jews and get the corrupt Haman and his buddies sorted out, since He knew what was coming. The Lord is never taken by surprise and the children of Abraham, whether physical as in the nation of Israel or spiritual as in us the body of Christ, are always His primary purpose why He does what He does. He wants everybody to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (1Timothy 2:4).

Therefore the LORD had to make space for Esther to move into a position where she could be of help to her fellow countrymen. As with Joseph the Lord needed an insider in enemy territory. For that to be accomplished, Vashti had to be removed from her position as queen. I may get some disagreement from readers in this regard, since the question is the usual: Did the LORD arrange for Vashti to be removed as queen or did He only use this opportunity, which opened in any case, to get Esther into this strategic position? One day we will have to ask Him, for the LORD is sovereign and He may do as He pleases according to His own standards of love and righteousness.

The point is, Vashti probably did not understand why this had to happen. She could have had many valid reasons why she did not want to obey king Xerxes’ commands. She could have felt that she was host to the women to whom she gave the banquet and it was not appropriate to leave them, or she could have known what the king was like when he was drunk and did not want to face the humiliation among all the drunken men. Fact is, she was sacked as queen and probably felt it was completely unfair. There she was acting the good one and king Xerxes in her assertion was wrong, yet she drew the short straw.

How many times did something happen in our lives and we felt it being not right and we blamed God for being unloving and unkind and not caring and so on and so forth. Joseph had to feel the same, as we have mentioned in our previous message on this topic. We must never forget that everything the Lord does is for the sake of His greater plan. The saints of old were violently persecuted so we could have religious freedom, one person in a family or in a persecuted church may suffer, so that another could be saved or get an open door.

In the persecuted church leaders often get arrested and when they end up in prison, they share the gospel and many people get saved. Because of that, they are moved to another prison where they just repeat the process and more people get exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the time when they got arrested neither they nor their families probably understood why it had to happen. The church members probably reasoned that they were of such incredible value to the church and well loved, and look now. They may ask why God allowed them to be arrested. But God had a greater plan. Maybe He had another leader in mind for the congregation that would take them into another phase of His plan with the church.

We often see in the movies how one hero distracts the enemy to allow for another hero to accomplish the goal they have set before them, and often the first hero suffers because of that. That is the way the Lord also works strategically. We do not always understand what He is doing and do not see the end purpose. “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known,” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

If we ask the Holy Spirit to help us think the way the LORD thinks and if we obey His commands so He could reveal Himself to us (John 14:21), we will not panic when things do not go the way we anticipated. We will know the Lord knows what He is doing and we will rest in Him.

Lord, I want to obey you in a close relationship, so you could reveal yourself to me.

 

We support a mission. Have a look at the work, which you may become part of HERE. You may also want to look at the Website.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Priorities (Part Two)

Good morning

Being slightly overcommitted caused me to forget that I was halfway through the two part series called ‘Priorities’ when I started with the Esther series. I don’t know how many have noticed it. Therefore I will complete the ‘Priorities’ series today and continue with the Esther series next time.

If you remember we are discussing Matthew 6:33. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The Lord knows us as human beings – our sinful, carnal nature and our natural tendency to first focus on our own interests, in other words our self-centredness. Remember He is our Father and being a father myself I have clear understanding on how He sometimes must feel, since I often had to encourage my children to focus on their responsibilities when it came to work, whether it be schoolwork or chores. If you are a parent, you will probably understand what I am referring to, unless you have the ideal children. A rule in our house is we first finish our schoolwork and chores and then we relax and play, and if I read the Bible correctly it is the Lord’s household rule as well.

How many of us, however, are so busy with our own interests that we never get to the Lord’s work. We just quickly read a few verses from the Bible or a daily reading and say a prayer and off we rush into our busy daily schedule. I have discovered that the Lord has something for us to do in His Kingdom, on top of our intimate relationship with Him. This is not only a once a month or once every few months responsibility at the local church. It is not even a weekly chore at the Sunday service, but a daily first thing in the morning responsibility. We need to think Kingdom needs, pray Kingdom needs and do Kingdom needs.

We have opportunity to share the gospel and encourage others as we live our daily lives in the store during shopping, at work, at a club we are involved with, and so on. We have opportunity to encourage one another, visit people in hospital and in the prisons and so much more. Facebook for example allows us to encourage and equip one another, and so does other social media.

The time to plan this and pray it through is first thing every morning. This is what Jesus did. He wouldn’t have been able to do the miracles and maintain the schedule He did, had He not been in fellowship with His Father during the early hours of each morning.

I often imagine the Lord with His proverbial hands in His hair, shaking His head whilst saying: ‘Henry, what are you doing now? When are you going to learn your lesson and follow my guidance?’ Every time we are frustrated about what our children or other people are up to, we need to remember the LORD probably feels the same about us. He looks at our lack of commitment and wishes He could just get us to give first priority to His needs.

I have been watching Angus Buchan’s program ‘Grass Roots’ and He said two precious things I immediately memorised and stored up in my heart. He said ‘The chief purpose of man is to glorify the LORD and enjoy Him for eternity,’ and he also quoted Saint Augustine who said: ‘Love the LORD with all your heart, and then live as you please.’ In other words, if you love the LORD, His opinion and will shall determine what you do.

We can do what we like and live our lives as we wish once we have done our ‘chores’ for Father God out of love that involves our whole heart.

Lord, help me to give you first priority in my life.

Have a look at the following material on the Sermon on the Mount: Paperback  or E-book.

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Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.