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Nehemiah and the Lord's recent word, 1 of 3

3/18/2023

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Hi all,
​
In last month's e-newsletter I shared one of the things the Lord spoke to me concerning 2023, in part:
 
“Strengthen what remains...Strengthen what you have...For many, this will be a year involving a course correction...” 
 
Nehemiah's experience repairing and rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem is similar to what the Lord said to me for this year. Strengthen what remains, and a change of direction. 
 
Nehemiah - and a little history first
When Solomon died the nation of Israel split into 2 nations. The northern nation was known as Israel, and it was mostly 10 tribes who made Samaria their capital. They are called 'the northern kingdom'. They made their own temple and priesthood in Samaria which is north of Jerusalem, and most of their kings were evil. 
 
In 722BC Assyria conquered Israel/Samaria and captured most of the population, resettling them in other nations under Assyria's control. Then they brought other people from those nations into Samaria and settled them there. 
 
Over the decades the remaining Jewish population inter-married with the gentile refugees that Assyria had settled in the land, leading to half-breed Jewish people generally called 'the Samaritans'. They were very much hated by the 'pure blood Jews', and would not even talk to them. (II Kings 17:5-18, 24; John 4:9)
 
The southern kingdom was known as Judah and consisted of 2 main tribes, Judah and Benjamin. There were also the Levites who served in the temple, and remnants of the tribes of the north who loved God and wanted to worship in the temple following the laws of Moses. Most of Judah's kings were good. But the nation fell away from the Lord, and were conquered by Babylon in 587BC. 
 
Almost there, but just a little bit more history...
Babylon carried away most of the Jewish population to Babylon. Among these captives were Daniel and Ezekiel. Jeremiah had prophesied they would be captive 70 years, 1 year for each of the sabbath years they had refused to keep. (Jeremiah 29:10-14, II Chronicles 36:13-21)
 
As mentioned above, Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 587BC. The ruler Cyrus decreed in 539BC the temple could be rebuilt, in the well documented, 'Edict of Cyrus'. Zerubbabel then led 50,000 volunteers to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, and the temple was finished in 517BC, exactly 70 years from destruction to restoration.
 
Decades later the walls surrounding Jerusalem were still in disrepair, leaving the temple and city open to attack. Nehemiah was the king's wine bearer, and asked permission to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. His request was granted in Nehemiah chapter 2, and the wall was completed in just 52 days; 445BC. (Nehemiah 6:15)
 
For our lives...
Many have gone through life-changing things in the last 2 years. In some ways it is similar to the ups and downs that Israel and Judah experienced over a much longer time. There were moments of confusion, conflicting prophetic words, prophets of various 'streams' of their faith prophesying opposing things. Friendships were broken, families and friends moved away or had to move due to circumstances - there are many similar things in our day. 
 
Nehemiah wants to return to his roots. He wants to build up the defensive walls of the city. There are people all around him that don't understand what God has done in his heart and what he is trying to do in life. The walled city of Jerusalem represents our own lives. Outside the walls of our life is 'Judah', which are relatives, but not living within our 'city walls'. Those outside our 'walls' must be a lesser priority for us. 
 
It is also in Nehemiah 2 that we learn of 3 men who are important for our study, for they tried to get Nehemiah to stop working on the wall. Their methods are what Satan uses against you and I today. Nehemiah's example provides an example for us concerning some of the things the Lord told me for 2023.
 
The names of the 3 men are:Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. 
Sanballat (Sinballat) was governor of Samaria to the north of Jerusalem, and his name means; (the Samarian god called Sin) "Sin will give you life." Or, "sin has vilified (made you evil)." 
 
Tobiah means 'pleasing to Jehovah', and lived in the area around Jerusalem. He joined Sanballat to try to stop Nehemiah. Geshem lived to the south and east of the city. His name means 'hard rain', used in Israel of the fall and winter rains which can be overwhelming. He is known as "Geshem the Arabian", an Arab chief of those who lived in the area around Jerusalem. 
 
Nehemiah was surrounded by those trying to distract him from what the Lord had called him to do. Do you ever feel like that? 
 
Nehemiah was trying to strengthen what remained. The broken wall was still there, but it needed fixed. That's how our lives are quite often, or it feels like that. If you were with Nehemiah you could see the wall, where it was, the foundations in some places was the only thing left. 
 
Nehemiah 2:10 says 
"When they heard of it (Nehemiah coming to repair the wall), it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel." 
 
The first thing to notice is that very often, any change of direction will make some people unhappy. These are people you would think would be happy for you, but they aren't. For personal and selfish reasons, they don't want you to 'rebuild your walls' of protection - they want full access to your life as they have had for some time. They now see you asserting yourself as shutting them out. It wasn't that Nehemiah was shutting them out, but by rebuilding the walls it meant he was setting the terms by which they could have a relationship with him. We need to do that - set the terms with some people rather than them dictating to us the terms of the relationship. 
 
Maybe you are rebuilding your life, changing, and putting up a guard against those who are toxic or just not good for you emotionally and spiritually. But there is protection and provision from the Lord when we set our priorities right, when we wake up and realize we must first be strong within ourselves so that we may give out to others. This is time to strengthen our own 'Jerusalem' and get those walls built. 
 
We will pick it up there next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org
www.kwowi.org
Email me at cwowi@aol.com

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According to your faith 4 of 4, Go back to the original

3/11/2023

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Hi all,
Have you ever felt like the Lord gave you a promise for a loved one, perhaps years ago, but now that person is not walking with the Lord? Have you ever wondered if you should continue to pray or give up hope? 
 
For example:A mom had wonderful things prophesied over her son when he was still young. But now the boy is a man in his twenties, and living like the world, not wanting anything to do with the God of his mother, and of his youth.
 
Yet she felt the Lord told her certain things in her heart about the call and purpose of his life - what does she do? Where does 'according to your faith be it unto you', enter this situation? 
 
Every person faces circumstances contrary to their faith. Unexplained things. A child that gets deathly sick, a cancer that quickly takes a loved one. A tragic accident involving Christian teens. A job they thought God gave them and a few months later the company goes out of business. 
 
Any number of things are allowed to happen by the Lord that we love so much, without any explanation from Him. What are we to do? How do we 'stand on the Word' when everything seems to have gone the opposite direction? 
 
II Kings 4:8-37; the story of a woman who showed kindness to Elisha. 
He passed by she and her husband's house regularly, and she showed him hospitality. Eventually they added a room to their house that he might spend the night as needed. 
 
Elisha wanted to do something for her, and his servant, Gehazi mentioned they had no children. Elisha told her that 'next year according to the time of life you will embrace a son'. She told him at the time not to tease her, that he had better be right. Verses 16 & 17 tell us she did conceive and gave birth to a son as Elisha had prophesied. 
 
Verse 18 tells us when the boy was grown, he was working in the field with his dad, and evidently became overheated, complaining of pain in his head. He died a few hours later. We need to remember the word of promise that Elisha had given her in v16, and that many years went by for the son to be 'grown' and working in the field with his father. 
 
The power of the promise has not diminished over the years
Verses 22-28 tell us she laid the young man's body on the bed in Elisha's room, then only telling her husband "It is well", she saddled a donkey and raced to find Elisha. When she found him she said:"Did I ask you for a son? Didn't I say don't deceive me? Didn't I say don't tease me?"
 
In other words, she never asked for a son, she never asked for a promise from the Lord about him. Did God give her a word about having a son only to take him a few years later? She was rightly upset! The good news is Elisha raised him from the dead.
 
For our purposes we take the side of the mother of this young boy. She wasn't trying to get pregnant. When the man of God asked if God could do anything for her, she said she was fine. It was God's idea to have Elisha prophesy she would have a son. Now circumstances conspired to take her son of promise away.
 
What would you do? 
According to your faith be it unto you. Would you say, "I don't understand it, but my son is dead. I guess that prophecy was just for the few short years we had him." Or would you do as she did, thinking that God would not have given the word to her had He not intended that baby to grow up to become a man and outlive his parents - and she was going to make sure that word came to fulfillment in her son's life!
 
Do you have promises closely held in your heart about a loved one? Does it look like those promises aren't happening in their lives? Do you ever wonder how the Lord will bring about what He promised to you? 
 
Are you going to shrink back and say, 'Oh well, maybe I heard wrong'? Or will you be like the woman above who held onto the original promise and stand firm in the knowledge that the Lord will bring it to pass? Even if that loved one has to go through many sins before they give up and give in to the Lord, His promise will happen.
 
Jairus and his daughter
In Mark 5:23 the man Jairus came to Jesus saying:"My little daughter lies at the point of death, I beg you to come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed, and live."
 
That was the point of faith - if Jesus came to lay hands on her then she would live. As they were walking to his home a friend came and told Jairus that his daughter had died, so there was no use bothering Jesus about it. In v36 it says:
 
"Immediately when Jesus heard the news, He said to (Jairus), 'Be not afraid. Only believe."
 
What was Jesus telling Jairus to believe? It was the original point of faith:If you come and lay hands on her she will live. Once Jesus agreed to come to lay hands on his daughter, it really didn't matter whether the girl was alive or dead, with fever or dead, because Jesus said He would come and lay hands on her and she would live. 
 
When Jesus told him:"Don't be afraid. Only believe", He was telling him to believe the original request - come lay hands on her and she will live. Sometimes we have to go back to the last time we knew that we knew the Lord had given us a word for someone or some situation, and rest in that word - even if it was given years ago. 
 
It was the same with Lazarus in John 11. Once Jesus had determined He would visit Lazarus, it really didn't matter if Lazarus remained sick or was dead. Jesus is greater than any circumstance, so it didn't matter whether he had already been dead 4 days once he got there, or 4 minutes.
 
Go back to the last thing you know the Lord showed you, revealed to your spirit. Go back to that last promise you know that you know He gave you - and rest. He gave that word seeing the future, and yet He still gave it.  
 
Let us recognize much of life is 'according to your faith be it unto you'. When faced with surprises in our life we can either expect to see 'all things that pertain to life and godliness' supplied, or we can bow to the circumstances. Whatever happens will be according to your faith. Let us choose faith over fear, the promise over the circumstance.
 
New subject next week, until then, blessings,
 
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org

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According to your faith 3 of 4, God tests us?

3/4/2023

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Hi all,
God doesn't test us with evil, but He does test us. Within the test we find an opportunity for growth according to your faith. 
 
In James 1:2 we are told to; "...count it all joy when you fall into various tests/trials/temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith exercises consistency."
 
Notice he said to count it joy, which is a fruit of the spirit, meaning he isn't talking about 'be happy', which is an emotion. To count a trial/test/temptation as joy, you have to be in the fruit of the spirit of Galatians 5:22-23. We are to take our struggles to the Lord, and handle it spiritually, not a religious happiness and putting on our best Sunday morning church face. 
 
Note:The reason I wrote 'fruit of the spirit' and not 'fruit of the Spirit', is because of the context. There are no capitals nor punctuation in Greek, so we only know by context if he is talking about the fruit of the Holy Spirit or the fruit of the born again human spirit. Because the context is the war between the works of the human flesh and the human spirit, it is clear the fruit of the spirit is the human spirit. We might also say the Holy Spirit IS love, joy, peace and so on. Fruit is therefore offspring of its parent tree. So the fruit of the human spirit is appropriate. 
 
And to make sure everyone understands, James said in v13:"Now let no man say when he is tested/tried/tempted that God the Father is doing it to him. For God is not tested/tried/tempted with evil, and neither does He test/tempt/try anyone with evil." 
 
How does He test us? The sacrifice of Isaac.
In Genesis 22:1 it says:"And after these things, God did tempt Abraham." A better translation would be, 'God did prove Abraham'. In other words, the Lord was going to put Abraham into a situation that would prove Abraham's faith and integrity, prove what was in his heart, as well as show his commitment to the covenant they two had made. 
 
We might say that it certainly looks evil to ask Abraham to offer Isaac as a human sacrifice, but the other side is that God was proving what was in Abraham's heart. Even Abraham realized the outcome before it started, telling his son in v8 that 'God will provide a lamb (Lamb)', when in fact the Lord provided a ram for the sacrifice.
 
Abraham knew what was going on. He knew in covenant each covenant head, the ones who make the covenant, must give their most precious possession to the other. He also knew the Lord had appeared to him and told him his son Isaac would have children, which had not happened yet. So he knew either God would provide a sacrifice or his son would be raised from the dead, because Isaac was named by God as the one to father the nations. Hebrews 11:17-19 speaks of these things. 
 
It was because his heart was proven that he from earth loosed his son of promise, that the Father God from heaven was loosed to offer His son of promise as the final sacrifice. "Because you have done this, not withholding your son your only son, that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you..."
 
Settled then, God does test us to prove what is in our hearts. 
Psalm 7:9 talks of Him testing 'the reins of our heart', and Hebrews 4:12-13 reveal the Lord Jesus is the Living Sword of the Word who critiques our soul and spirit, thoughts and intentions of the heart. 
 
He allows situations that give us the choice to accept or reject the challenge to grow. But the challenge to grow doesn't present itself with a big neon sign saying, "If you choose this path you will grow in the Lord!!! Choose me! Choose me!"
 
The opportunity comes with fear on one side and faith on the other. The key is having a revelation first, that the Father will provide if we make the right decision. 
 
Pharaoh and Moses
There are at least 17 verses in Exodus telling us Pharaoh hardened his heart, and a couple that say God hardened it. How did God harden Pharaoh's heart? By giving him the opportunity repeatedly, to do the right thing. He kept sending Moses back to him. 
 
Amy Grant's 1991 song; How Can We See That Far includes the lyrics:"The same sun that melts the wax can harden clay". The Lord kept sending Moses back to Pharaoh, who had the choice the whole time whether to cooperate or not. He chose poorly. 
 
In John 6:1-13, feeding 5,000; the miracle of the loaves. 
John 6:5 says:"He said to Philip, where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? This He said to Philip to test him, for He knew what He would do." 
 
Any question coming from the lips of Jesus has to be a legitimate question. The miraculous provision later revealed had to have been there right then when Jesus asked Philip the question. The provision was hidden in the question and response. 
 
If Philip had answered in line with the miraculous. In order to have faith, Philip had to have seen some things that would make Jesus consider that maybe, just maybe, Philip would look past the circumstances to faith. 
 
What had Philip seen? He saw these things leading up to that question:
Jesus discerning (honesty) of his friend Nathaniel. John 1:45-46. He heard Jesus tell Nathaniel he would see angels ministering to Jesus. The turning of water into wine in Cana. The cleansing of the temple and ensuing teaching and discussion. Learned what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, including v16. Baptized people in John 3:22-36, heard Jesus teach. Saw the woman at the well and 2 days in Samaria where Jesus had told her about her whole life and the whole village believed. 
                                                                                                                                            
He was there when the Nobleman's son was healed in 4:46-54. He was there when the lame man was healed at the pool of Bethesda in 5:1-15. He heard all of chapter 5 with Jesus teaching about His Father. In 6:1-2 he saw multitudes healed. 
 
So with all that, the question:'Where are we going to buy bread for all these people to eat?', doesn't seem so out of place. Jesus we are told, was testing Philip. 
 
Let us ask ourselves:Have we seen enough miracles in our lives over the months or years, to be able to make the choice for faith? Have you like Philip heard enough teaching, observed enough of His miracles, witnessed His faithfulness enough in your life up to today, when He asks your heart, "How are you going to handle this bill?" or "How will you handle this news", how will you answer? According to your faith be it unto you. 
 
And that's where we'll pick it up next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

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According to your faith, 2 of 4, Hiding behind fear

2/25/2023

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Hi all,
We often hide behind our fear while telling ourselves and others we are in faith. Sometimes we hide behind fear and blame whatever our troubles are on the devil, our rebukes doing no good whatsoever.
 
The phone bill
Back in the days before cell phones we had land lines. With land lines, if you called outside your area there was an extra charge based on each minute you talked. If you called someone a long way away it cost you more.
 
I couldn't pay the bill that first month, and the phone company let it go until I couldn't pay the second month as well. The total of about $600, which is the same as $1600 today. A relative was in trouble and I spent hours on the phone giving guidance and support. Our phone was shut off. Bye bye phone because I didn't have the money to pay it. 
 
Where was my faith? I thought I was "believing the Lord" for the money to pay the bill, but no 'miracle' money came in to pay it. I was helping someone, giving good and godly advice - why wasn't the Lord there for me? What happened?
 
The truth is 
I was afraid to call the phone company to work out a payment plan. In part, I didn't feel like I could truthfully tell them when I'd have money to pay them. I didn't know if they would demand it all at once, or if they would accept payments over a few months. I was afraid of what might be. What they might say. What I couldn't commit to. So I didn't call.
 
All this time I was 'believing the Lord' for the money to pay the bill. Later I learned if I had called they would have worked with me on a payment plan. My fear was for nothing, and what I thought was faith, was really me hiding behind my fear.
 
I've seen people do this with doctors. Afraid the diagnosis would be horrible news, or cost them money they didn't have. In some cases people died because they wouldn't go to a doctor because they were afraid of the office visit charge and any tests that would be done. 
 
I've seen people delay home repairs, car repairs, and more because of fear what the total might be, so they 'believe the Lord' and think prayer will move God to do something. They never think that maybe the Lord wants them to deal with their fear and trust Him. Then when something worse happens, they are forced to deal with it and unfortunately, suffer the consequences of their fear-fueled delay. 
 
Going through the fear...
I wish I knew then what I know now about II Peter 1:3-4, as I mentioned last week. "All things that pertain to life and godliness have been provided...."
 
We are all growing and learning. Back in the early 1980's I didn't know all things that pertain to life have been provided. I had not yet learned to make that tough decision in the midst of pressure, to stand and ask the Father to reveal His provision, based on His Word. 
 
The difference between having the phone cut off in the 1980s, and Chris and I about 15 years later having a miracle provision as a man took our cows to sale when our truck broke, is that I learned to go through the fear, learned to deal with the circumstances.
 
I learned the Father's provision is most often just on the other side of the fear. 
 
There was a lady in our church with an 11 year old son. Her son got sick with a bad fever, and for her, money was scarce. Even when she had it, she didn't like to spend it. After the fever lingered for a few days many of us urged her to go to the doctor, but she was 'believing the Lord'...
 
After another week went by her son became so weak something was clearly wrong and we insisted she take him to the doctor. Her fear for his life became stronger than her fear of the doctor's bill. The virus had gone to a heart valve, and he needed immediate open heart surgery to replace the valve. 
 
The bill in about 1989 was $65,000 to put a mechanical valve in the boy's heart. When sitting next to him you could hear it click as his heart pumped blood. His mom was thrilled that because of her income and that he was a child, the hospital would use charity funds to pay the bill - she didn't owe anything. 
 
We were amazed that she so rejoiced over this, when all she had to do was at the first be willing to pay or make payments for a doctor's appointment and all that trauma could have been avoided. And because of her actions, he beat her to heaven by several years - glad they are there now, but he should still be alive and living a good and fruitful life like his sister is. 
 
All that because his mother didn't have the faith in her Heavenly Father to go through the fear to see His provision on the other side. 
 
The two blind men...according to your faith be it to you...
People want God's provision, but it is according to faith, not according to fear. Faith requires a revelation from the Father for the situation. Fear argues against logic, fear argues against common sense. Fear only delays an action that then causes much more difficult consequences. 
 
When Jesus wanted to turn water into wine, He first had them collect and then fill 6 stone water pots, THEN the miracle happened. When Jesus wanted to fee 5,000 men plus women and children, He organized to have them sit down in groups of 50s and 100s, THEN the miracle happened. 
 
Fear asks why bother gathering the stone pots. Fear asks why go to the trouble of organizing the people into groups of 50s and 100s. Faith doesn't appear wise to those in fear. But faith deals with the natural circumstances realizing provision is on the other side of the fear. 
 
And that is where the test of our faith is focused. We will pick it up there next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

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According to your faith be it to you. 1 of 4

2/18/2023

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Hi all,
​
In the late 1980's I was the pastor of a small church in a rural community in eastern Colorado. Though the church was doing well, it was an agricultural town and winters were touch. By January our income after the church paid our rent and utilities was $15. ($40 US today). By the last week of the month we had no food.
 
Around 4pm (16.00) Barb asked what I had in mind for dinner, because she literally had nothing in the pantry, nothing in the refrigerator, nothing in the freezer, to feed us or more importantly, our 3 little boys. She opened the refrigerator in desperation showing me. She opened the cupboard to reveal bare shelves. She was rightly concerned. 
 
I replied:"I don't know, but I know I am doing what the Lord has called me to do, so I know He will provide." I told her I had peace in my spirit, I had double checked my motives, the Father gave me peace, so I stayed focused on the peace in my spirit. But she was mom, so she had a right to know where dinner was for her 3 boys.
 
She was willing to go with my peace, though it is her nature to second guess situations:Was it really the Lord that brought us there? Did He want John to get a job (though my hands were full with the church)? What was wrong with John that he would risk his family for what, faith? Was it pride? What are we going to do? All these were questions any wife and mother would have in that situation. But in the end, she trusted me.
 
This was the point of 'according to your faith be it unto you' - The choice was simple:Trust the peace or take matters into our own hands with 'Plan B'. 
 
About 20 minutes later a family from our church pulled into our drive in their big Chevy Suburban, which was at the time the largest SUV made. It was loaded full with groceries and even fresh milk from their dairy farm. In 10 minutes our refrigerator and cupboard went from completely empty to completely full. 
 
Barb was thrilled as you can imagine. This couple had an idea float into their minds late that morning they recognized as the Lord; to buy us groceries. We lived out on the prairie of eastern Oklahoma so it was an hour drive to a store.
 
They drove over an hour to the store to load their vehicle, then an hour back AND they stopped at their house to get fresh milk on the way to our house - they were thrilled to be so used of the Father, and we were thrilled they had obeyed. In 10 minutes we went from empty to full. Amazing grace.
 
God's provision was already at work when Barb and I were talking and making the choice to trust the peace in our spirit. If I hadn't had a revelation in my spirit and the accompanying peace from the Father that He had dinner supplied, it would have been foolish. But I had a peace, so I stayed in that.
 
I was being moved from revelation, from peace in my spirit. This was faith, not foolishness. According to your faith be it unto you. Many times people have a revelation, have a peace from the Father, but fear creeps in, they second guess themselves. 
 
They fall back on their own strength and working out their own 'Plan B'. Because they give in to the fear instead of subduing it by the peace in their spirit, they never see the miracle - and then wonder why God let them down. 
 
"According to your faith be it to you" Matthew 9:27-30
This is stated only once in the New Testament, but it is repeated many times in different ways and terminology.
 
"And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed him, yelling loudly, saying, You son of David, have mercy on us. And when he had entered the house, the blind men came to him:and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I have the power to do this? They said unto him, Yes, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you."
 
Why did He say, 'According to your faith'? 
This was not a sovereign move by the Lord. This was according to the faith of the blind men. Why was it 'according to their faith'? 
 
First, they called Him the Messiah by calling Him the Son of David. This is perhaps the most well known of Jewish terms for Messiah, and Matthew starts his gospel in 1:1 stating that was what he would demonstrate in his gospel:"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham.." They had a revelation from the Father exactly Who Jesus was. They had faith. 
 
Key point #1 - a personal revelation
This is the very key to anything we do called 'faith'. We first get a revelation from the Father about it. If we hear bad news, we check with the Father to see what His instructions and provision might be. When Peter exclaimed; 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God', Jesus said he knew that by revelation from the Father. The whole kingdom flows from and functions in revelation from the Father. 
 
I've shared how II Peter 1:3-4 has been a foundation for me for decades:"Accordingly, His power has provided all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to glory and virtue."
 
That's either true or it isn't. He has either provided all things that pertain to life, or not. Year ago I let that revelation float over me and through me, exciting my spirit. He has provided EVERYTHING that pertains to life. I would never have to worry again. 
 
A test of my faith
I was taking 5 cows to be sold at a barn about 40 miles away (70km). I had Chris in the seat with me, but for some reason I left his wheelchair at home. At a stop light about 10 miles from our house (18km) the truck quit. I had just enough momentum to roll to the side of the highway. 
 
Remembering II Peter 1:3-4, I said:"Father, all things that pertain to life and godliness have been provided, so please reveal your provision, because we're stuck!" Just then a red pick up truck coming the other direction, slowed, cross the median, circled in front of us and asked if he could help. 
 
Explaining the situation to him, he said he would take our cattle to the sale barn - I was amazed. We rolled the truck away from the trailer, hooked it to his truck, we lifted Chris into his truck and away the 3 of us went. He brought us back after we had dropped the cows off and I was able to call our middle son to come and get us. 
 
According to your faith be it unto you. I had revelation from the Word and from experience, the kind of faith that comes by considering the Father's faithfulness through the years. Based on that ongoing revelation and His record in my life, I simply made the choice to act according to my faith, asking Him to reveal His provision. And He did. 
 
Next week about times I missed it, and more from the Word...until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
 

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Weaving life, Be careful what you pray for, 4 of 4

2/11/2023

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Hi all,
​
In our study of the Lord weaving our lives together to accomplish His will, we now come to our last example.
 
It is about not feeling compelled to press Him to get every single detail of our heart fulfilled, of knowing when to say 'enough'. There are times we pray and press and grunt and groan because we want God to get everything exactly perfect, with the results often being less than what he had expected. 
 
King Hezekiah is just such a case 
He was a good and very remarkable king of Judah, so brilliant and yet so flawed. He seems to be a person trying to do what is right, believing the best in people, which got him into trouble a few times - just like you and me! Not satisfied with the Lord's work in his life, he pressed for more, and many suffered as a result. If only he had been able to rest in the Lord and let things be. But no, he had to press forward, press God for more.
 
A little background information
Hezekiah is king of Judah and the prophets Hosea, Micah and Isaiah are active in the land. He was born in roughly 741 BC, became king at 25 and lived at total of 54 years, dying in about 687 BC. His reign is well documented in the archaeological record, for he made the pool of Siloam (John 9) which in our day is being made open to public tours. 
 
It was against Judah and Hezekiah the Assyrian king, Sennacherib assembled his thousands. The Lord sent a single angel we are told in Isaiah 37:36, who killed 185,000 of the enemy army. Humiliated and defeated, Sennacherib returned home.  
 
You just can't make this stuff up
After the defeat of the Assyrians, Isaiah 38 records Hezekiah became sick to the point of death. The Talmud, which is a collection of oral law (Mishnah) and history/commentary (Gemara), gives the back story.
 
It reveals Isaiah told Hezekiah he was sick because he had failed to marry and have children according to the divine order of things biologically and as king to produce an heir. So God allowed a sickness that would result in his death.  
 
But when Hezekiah prayed and repented fervently, the Lord changed His mind before Isaiah had even left the palace grounds. (An example of a prophetic word not coming to pass because God changed His mind in response to prayer) Isaiah 38:5 records the Lord telling Isaiah He had answered his prayer and given him 15 more years (to produce an heir). 
 
These 15 additional years are what our story is about. 
Hezekiah recovers, and according to the Talmud, married Isaiah's daughter, Hephzibah, which means 'the Lord delights in her' (II Kings 21:1). Do we have the picture? Isaiah prophesies the king will die of a sickness, allowed upon him because he had not fulfilled the royal and biological duty of having children. When he repents and is given 15 years to be able to fulfill that duty, he marries Isaiah's daughter, making Isaiah their son's grandfather.
 
What happened in those 15 extra years? 
Isaiah 39 tells us one of the things that happened is Babylon sent 'princes' or ambassadors to Hezekiah to congratulate him on his restored health. 
 
Believing the best in people, and rationalizing that Babylon was a far distance, Hezekiah showed the princes of Babylon the whole of the royal treasury. All the temple treasures, all the national storehouses of gold and silver, even to the royal storehouse of spices and food. It gave Babylon an exact estimation of Judah's strength. Isaiah told him he was foolish to reveal that to a potential enemy, and the nation would later suffer for it. Isaiah 39:3-7
 
What else happened in those 15 years?
Manasseh and Hephzibah had a son:Manasseh, again, making Isaiah Manasseh's grandfather. II Chronicles 32:33 and 33:1 tells us Hezekiah died when his son was 12 years old, so he became king at age 12. 
 
II Chronicles 33:1-10 tell us young Manasseh did evil, bringing back all the gods of the pagans, even setting up pagan altars in the temple of the Lord. Verse 10 says the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. I feel sorry for his mother Hephzibah, for she was wife to one of the most godly kings ever recorded, and mother to one of the worst kings in the history of the nation. 
 
Verses 11-16 tell us Manasseh was captured and sent to Babylon, where he truly repented, coming to know the Lord. He was also returned to rule the land. In his repentance, he undid the evil he had earlier done, tearing down all the pagan altars and restoring the temple and altar of the Lord. He commanded all Judah to worship the God of Israel. 
 
But...
In between the time he took the throne at age 12, and the time he came to know the Lord, he did a horrible thing. He hated Isaiah his grandfather. Why, we don't know. He would have certainly known he was the product of those 15 years where his father was expected to produce and heir - perhaps in his eyes he thought he really wasn't wanted, wasn't really loved, just used to keep the family line going. 
 
If so, we can understand his anger at first his father and then his grandfather. It was after all Isaiah who told his dad he was going to die if he didn't that a son. Whatever the reason, his hatred came full force upon his grandfather. 
 
This is what happened 
Not only in the Talmud, but referenced in the New Testament:Isaiah fled from Manasseh into a hollow in a cedar tree, but was discovered. Manasseh ordered the tree cut down with trapped Isaiah inside, sawing Isaiah in half. Hebrews 11:37 makes a reference to this in the 'hall of faith', saying of various unnamed faithful who had suffered for their faith:"They were stoned, they were cut in two, they were killed by swords..."
 
This great man Isaiah, grandfather to the king, friend of his father, died a martyr. What heartache his mother must have felt to see her son murder her father! Manasseh did later repent and that is good, but the nation suffered horribly before Manasseh repented. 
 
What if Hezekiah had just said 'okay' when he was told he was about to die?
Be careful what you pray for. The Lord was still able to weave His way in those 15 years, though with heart ache for all. We repent vertically and God forgives us, but the injury we cause or is inflicted upon us is on this earth, horizontally. Being of the earth, it must be walked out, experienced, dealt with. Yet in all these things the Lord is still at work, still moving forward in the lives of all who desire Him. Ever the One who weaves His will into the fabric of our lives. 
 
Are there areas we have insisted on having our way with the Lord? Have we at times pressed and demanded until finally we see the Lord has answered, only to discover things didn't work out the way we thought? And then we often wonder why God allowed it to happen, forgetting we were the ones who insisted He give us what we want. 
 
Consider the possibility that some of the things you are going through now are to prepare you for what you prayed for.
 
Take the big picture approach to life, we are already in eternity, which means there will be as the Bible says, ages to come. Look for Him weaving together everything, our victories and defeats, moments of wisdom and foolishness, and you will see grace. Lots and lots of grace. 
 
New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
 

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Weaving Life 3 of 4, helping a prostitute get settled

2/4/2023

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Hi all,
Have you lived long enough to understand how a tiny, everyday decision can have a life changing effect? Sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. When it is bad we talk of of the 'law of unintended consequences'. When it is good we look back and say 'That was God'. 
 
The singer Jewel has a song called 'I Do' and one line observes:"Life can take a long time if you make the wrong choice." We can repent, but we still have to walk it out. Forgiveness is about the vertical, how God loves us and forgives us. But the other component is the horizontal, the consequence, the impact of our decisions. We can be forgiven of the sin in the vertical, but the injury in the horizontal must be lived to its conclusion - redemption or destruction. 
 
And sometimes we look at a situation and access it properly, understanding the time and season, and are waiting for our chance.
 
The Moabite woman named Rahab was just such a person, in such a time
The whole of the newly formed Israeli nation was a short distance from her home on the inner wall of Jericho. Joshua sent 2 spies to gain intelligence for the upcoming battle. They stayed at Rahab's. 
 
The Hebrew word translated here as 'harlot' or 'prostitute' is 'zonah', which can be translated 'innkeeper', and there is little doubt that was one element of why the 2 spies spent the night there. But both Hebrews and James* call her a 'harlot' or 'prostitute' and the Greek has no variability in its meaning:She was a prostitute. In her inn keeping duties it seems she picked up a cash on the side. *Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25
 
When a lie is honored
But the New Testament tells us she had great faith in the God of Israel, and it was counted to her for righteousness. And she was very brave. She lied to the authorities when she hid the 2 spies, and made them promise that she and her household would be spared. 
 
Let me take a side-trip here to talk of her lie. The king of Jericho asked in Joshua 2:3-4 for her to turn over the spies, but she told him they were no longer there and she didn't know where they went, when in fact she had hidden them inside. 
 
In Exodus 1:15-21 we see 2 Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, being told by Pharaoh to kill all the male newborns by throwing them in the river. They feared God more than Pharaoh so they disobeyed. When called before Pharaoh they lied, saying the Jewish women gave birth faster than the Egyptian women. Verses 20-21 tells us God blessed them for their actions and gave them each families, or 'gave them houses' (families). 
 
In both cases the people involved obeyed God rather than man, for the 'royal law' of God outweighs man's law. Similar behavior can be seen in the hiding and rescue of Jews from the Nazi's of World War 2. I've visited both the home of Anne Frank in Amsterdam and the home of Corrie ten Boom in nearby Haarlem many times, and am amazed at God's grace in those difficult times. 
 
Deception and lying were required to protect the people from the Nazis. Stories all over Europe of heroes helping the Jews are told of falsified documents, and even fake health reports, all with the more honorable intent of saving lives against unjust and ungodly laws that would have all the Jewish people murdered. 
 
This isn't intended to be a full study of the topic, just food for thought. Back to our story...
 
The taking of Jericho, the saving of Rahab
You know the story, how Joshua circled the city, the walls fell, and Rahab and family were saved because she hung a red 'cord of redemption' out her window to identify her home for the conquering army. 
 
Matthew 1:5 tells us a man named Salmon married Rahab in a wonderful story of redemption. Some speculate he was one of the 2 spies that stayed with her, seeing her heart, her potential, her bravery. We don't know, but we do know Salmon and Rahab married and she had a son named Boaz.
 
It was this Boaz who met a beggar woman, a widow named Ruth who was from Moab, the same area where his mother was from. Ruth was under the tutelage of Naomi, herself widowed, and Naomi encouraged Ruth to do something quite remarkable for her day:She told her to propose to Boaz rather than waiting for him to get around to it.
 
In Ruth 3:1-11 we find Naomi tells Ruth to wait until Boaz is asleep, then lay down at his feet and put his clothing over her. Today in Judaism there are variations of this. One is for the groom to cover his bride with a cloth, and another is to have both bride and groom wrapped around their shoulders binding them together with a prayer shawl, a tallit. In ancient days the groom would throw his robe over his wife, symbolizing their unity and that he is now her 'covering'. 
 
By instructing Ruth to lay at the feet of Boaz and cover herself with his clothing, she was proposing to him. This is confirmed when Boaz reacts in v11:"Fear not, I will do all you ask..." This means Rahab became Ruth's mother in law - how wonderful of the Lord to give this godly widow a new husband, and more than that, a mother in law from her homeland!
 
Boaz and Ruth went on to have a son named Obed, who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David. David's great grandmother was Ruth, his great-great grandmother was Rahab. 
 
Who would have known when the prostitute name Rahab sized up the situation, believed in the God of Israel, protected the spies, and married into the family of Israel, that she would be the great great grandmother to David, and therefore in the lineage of Jesus? Who would have known? The law of unintended consequences - for the good. 
 
What we see in the lives of Rahab, Naomi and Ruth, is that in spite of the difficult circumstances each did the right thing. The moral thing. The results of doing things the right way in the midst of difficult and even life-threatening circumstances, was life. God was able to weave together all the happenings into something beautiful. 
 
What we see in this story is God's ability to change a prostitute's life and to honor her by being in the lineage of the savior. We see the Lord being gracious to a grieving widow in a strange land, giving her a husband, and mother in law from her home country. We see the Lord weaving the events of multiple lives over decades to bring His will to pass on the earth. He is doing the same in our lives, among our loved ones. Trust Him. Trust amazing grace! 
 
Our last example next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

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Weaving life 2 of 4. Promises and a long memory

1/28/2023

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Hi all,
This is the story of God's long memory; His ability to keep His promises. If you feel the Lord has given you promises about a loved one, but you don't see it coming to pass yet, this will encourage you. If you are wondering if something promised to you will ever happen, this will encourage you. 
 
The time is roughly 1,400 BC 
Exodus 17 tells us Israel had just emerged from the parting of the Sea as a brand new nation, only to arrive at Rephidim which means in Hebrew:'Resting place'. One problem:They had no water. 
 
The Lord told Moses that He would stand on a rock, and instructed Moses to hit the rock one time with his staff, and it would give water. The symbolism is beautiful. The rock and the Lord standing on it is a type of Christ Jesus. The striking of the Rock 1 time with the staff (Word of God/prophecy) was a type of the cross, resulting in water (the Holy Spirit) being poured out from the Rock. The water quenched the thirst of the people. 
 
Later, in Numbers 20:8, Moses would come upon another situation like this, and the Lord told him this time to merely speak to the rock and it would bring forth water. The first example required the Rock to be struck as a type of Jesus on the cross, but salvation is believing in the heart, then confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. 
 
That's why this 2nd time he was just supposed to speak to the rock to bring water. Because he got caught in the strife of the congregation he hit the rock as he did at the first, in a severe violation of what he knew of the Lord, His plan of salvation, and was in fact rather an insult in the face of the Lord. That sin caused the Lord to judge him, forbidding him from entering the Promised Land. The more you know, the more slim the grace in some things. 
 
Immediately after Moses hit the rock and water came out 
Israel was attacked by their cousins the Amalekites, in Exodus 17:8. Genesis 36:12 tells us Amalek was the illegitimate son of Esau's son, and it was his descendants that attacked their cousins the newly formed Israel. It was an ambush we are told. 
 
It is here in Exodus 17:10-15 the battle between the cousins was so long and hard that it raged all day. We are also told as long as Moses kept his hands raised Israel prevailed, but when he got tired and let his hands down, Amalek started to win. 
 
The solution was for Aaron and Hur to have Moses sit on a rock, and they held his hands up. Again we have foreshadowing of salvation:Moses means 'drawn out' as he was drawn out of the river to answer a higher call, seating himself in rest on the Rock. 
 
Furthermore, Aaron means 'strength' or 'exalted' or 'strong' and the root of Hur (harar) means a source of heat or to burn. The derivative means 'hole or cavern', as where one would build a fire to warm the place, the source of fire. 
 
So we have the one drawn out seated upon the rock of his salvation, exalted on the one hand as he burns with zeal for the Lord with the other, wining the battle! It is here we see a redemptive name given the Lord, Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord my victory banner. 
 
As a result of Amalek's ambush verses 14-16 tells us the Lord promises Moses He would be at war with Amalek through all generations until they are completely wiped out. 
 
Flash forward 400 years to about 1,000 BC
King Saul reigns, and once he becomes established the Lord tells him to go to war with Amalek in I Samuel 15:1-3 telling him:"I remember what Amalek did to Israel, lying in wait along the way when he (Israel) came out of Egypt...therefore go to war and destroy the sinners the Amalekites (v18) all of them and all they have..."
 
But Saul spared the life of king Agag of the Amalekites and his family, and the best of the animals. Though Agag was later executed that day, it is clear some of his family survived. How do we know this? 
 
Fast forward again, 600 years to about 480 BC
We are now roughly 1,000 years after Moses, 600 years after king Saul, and we find a certain man named Haman who hates Jewish people. You know the story; Haman plots against the Jewish people, laying a trap, not realizing the queen is Jewish. Through her boldness, risking her own life, the plot is revealed and Haman is executed on the gallows he had prepared for Esther's uncle Mordecai. 
 
We may wonder why the book of Esther is in our Bible. It is the only book of the Bible not to mention God, and it doesn't feature the birth of any notable people in the lineage of Jesus. I submit one of the reasons the Lord made sure to have it in our Bible is to show the Lord's long memory and faithfulness. 
 
Haman is identified 5 times in Esther as 'Haman the Agagite'. (3:1, 10; 8:3, 5; 9:24) Agag you will recall, was the king that Saul had spared some 600 years earlier. His surviving family kept the name alive, all the way to the book of Esther, still bound by that hatred for cousin Israel. 
 
Haman the Agagite was of the same hatred held by Amalek against Israel so long ago in the original ambush. It was the Lord's poetic justice that Haman had also laid a trap, an ambush for the Jewish people, and once again the Lord prevailed. The feast of Purim celebrates this, the Lord's final victory over the Amalekites. 
 
Our lesson? 
Many of us have received promises of the Lord concerning everything from our own lives, to the eternal destinies of loved ones. We sometimes get anxious or worried when we see circumstances contrary to the promise.
 
The circumstance are not an indicator about the progress of the Lord's word to you. Hebrews 11:13 lists several people of great faith, concluding:"These all died in faith not having received the promises..." 
 
Whether you live or die has no bearing on the promises of God coming to pass. You're already in eternity, so if you have a promise or call on your life and it isn't going to happen in this age, give it 200 or 500 years. His Word will come to pass. 
 
He will do what He promised you, so rest in that. Just stop trying to figure it out, and rest. Come to the end of yourself, and rest. Quit. Stay in His peace. Go back to the original promise and find that peace again. Let Him handle it.
 
He will do it! He has a long memory and is not a man that He would lie. 
 
Another situation next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com


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Weaving life 1 of 4, Careful who you offend

1/21/2023

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Hi all,
The longer I live the more I see the Father God weaving together all the elements of life to reveal His involvement in every detail. 
 
It is as if He 'winks' at us in subtle ways which if noticed, is like He is saying 'I am here'. These 'God winks' give us assurance and confidence in His ability to weave together the fabric of our lives. 
 
Meant it for evil?
This series examines the lives of 4 situations the Lord used to get His will done, sometimes in spite of themselves. Sometimes it isn't until after the event(s) that we are able to look back in review and see His hand at work. 
 
An example is Joseph who we first see as an arrogant 17 year old. In Genesis 37 he has the nerve to share prophetic dreams with his family, including his jealous older brothers. Though much younger, he was their boss and clearly their father's favorite. They sold him into slavery, lied to their father telling him he had been killed, and then went about their business for the next 13 years. 
 
You know the story:Sold to Potiphar, promoted to run his household, falsely accused, imprisoned, promoted to run the prison, interpreted dreams, brought before Pharaoh, put in charge of securing Egypt for the famine foretold to arrive 7 years later. 
 
When his brothers came to Egypt to buy food in year 2 of the famine*, Joseph revealed who he was. In Genesis 50:20 Joseph comments as he looks back over these events:"You thought it for evil, but God meant it for good." *45:6
 
The Hebrew is more clear and can be translated this way:"You thought evil but God overruled your plans with His own thoughts, turning it for good." Another translation puts it this way:"You meant it for evil, but God wove it together to make it good." 
 
This series is about how God weaves things together
My hope is that it will cause us to pause and look back, then look at the present, to see His hand at work weaving together the elements of our lives.
 
Situation 1:David and Bathsheba
In II Samuel 11:1 we are told 'in the spring when kings go out to war' David sent his army out, but he stayed in the city. This is the first clue something is about to go wrong - he was not where he should have been, not doing what he should have been doing.
 
The result was that he had some leisure time on his hands, and as happens with many men when they are bored, his thoughts turned to women. He saw Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, bathing on her roof top. 
 
You know the story I'm sure:He took Bathsheba, after their tryst that got her pregnant, had her husband put in the front of the army so he would be killed. This freed him to marry the widowed wife. Nathan confronted him, and his sin was forgiven - we have Psalm 51 that he wrote in his repentance. Verse 10 in particular stands out:"Create in me a clean heart in my O God, and renew a right spirit within me." 
 
Who is watching? 
At this time King David had several royal advisors, chief among them was Ahithophel. Ahithophel's wisdom was legendary and he was deeply trusted by King David. 
 
David's son Absalom rebelled as II Samuel chapters 15-17 tell us. Ahithophel became involved in the plot against David, purposely giving him bad counsel that played right into the hands of the rebels. Eventually however, the rebels did not follow his advice and knowing the cause was lost, committed suicide by hanging himself. 
 
He had helped start the whole thing by encouraging Absalom to rebel, counseled him on how to do it, planned the killing of the king, and ruined any possibility at reconciliation. Why? 
 
The devil is in the details
There is an American phrase that other nations have also have, or something similar:The devil is in the details. That expression is used to explain that a plan looks great, but the real work and real troubles come in the implementation of the plan. In this case the saying is quite literal:The devil really was in the details of the plot against David.
 
We are told in II Samuel 11:3 that Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam. That's interesting enough, but when we read II Samuel 23:34 we read Eliam's father was none other than David's favorite counselor, Ahithophel. That means Bathsheba was Ahithophel's granddaughter. 
 
Why did Ahithophel rebel against King David? 
Because he was right there to see the whole ugly truth. His boss the king taking his granddaughter for his own, destroying any respect he held for him. His granddaughter's husband murdered so that the king could hide his affair and her pregnancy. He carried that offense in his heart where it became hatred, eventually plotting the death of his boss the king. 
 
The point of each of the 4 situations we will examine is how God weaves things together to get His larger will done, sometimes in spite of ourselves. It isn't about Ahithophel and Absalom and their plot. 
 
No, it is about God the Father's ability to give us Solomon, the wisest of all men of the Old Testament. It's about how in spite of David's sin, in spite of his deceit, the Father God still gave us Solomon from a marriage begun in the worst of circumstance. 
 
That Solomon had a close and loving relationship with his father (David) and mother (Bathsheba) is evident in the first 9 chapters of Proverbs. 
 
In those first 9 chapters Solomon is quoting what his father told him. Proverbs 1:1-8 make it clear:
 
"My son, hear the instruction of your father, don't forsake the law (torah) of your mother."  (He repeated the command not to forget the words of his mother in 6:20)
 
Throughout the first 3 chapters he says 'My son' repeatedly, as he quotes his father King David. And in chapter 4:3-5 Solomon wrote:"I was my father's son, tender and beloved in the sight of my mother (Bathsheba)....He taught me saying...my son...get wisdom and with wisdom get understanding..." 
 
Is it any wonder growing up in this loving family with such devoted parents telling him to get wisdom, that when the Lord appeared to the young king asking him what he wanted, Solomon said he wanted wisdom and understanding? (I Kings 3:1-10)
 
Let us be encouraged that no matter how badly we mess things up, no matter how bad the circumstances were that we caused and what came of those circumstances, the Lord is still capable of accomplishing His will.
 
More than that, to bring blessing out of our mess!
 
Look for the Father weaving the threads of your life together, and remember that David died before he saw his son ascend to the throne of Israel. The Lord was faithful in spite of David's carnality, in spite of his sins, to accomplish His will. It took longer than David's life to bring it to pass, but He did in fact bring His will to fulfillment. 
 
Get our eyes off ourselves, praying 'bless this mess', and tackle life trusting in the Father's ability to weave things together to be a blessing. 
 
New example next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
 
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Elijah & Elisha, 3 of 3

1/14/2023

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Hi all,
Elijah and Elisha have now left Gilgal in II Kings 2, and arrive in Bethel. Bethel means 'house of God'. 
 
Bethel is where Jacob saw a vision of angels ascending and descending. (Gen 28)
Later in Jacob's life in Genesis 35:1, the Lord would appear to him and tell him to return to Bethel, reminding Jacob he had gone there when he fled the wrath of his brother Esau (before they were reconciled) - and met God when least expected. 
 
Isn't that so like the Lord? Like Jacob, sometimes we find our destiny when we are running from it. We find 'the house of God' in the midst of fear and conflict, in the midst of running away from something or someone; and we run right into God. 
 
Elijah asks Elisha if he wants to stay, but he refused. Refreshment at Bethel is nice, but Elisha had to keep moving to find his destiny. Even God can't steer a parked car. 
 
They arrive in Jericho - the place of victory. 
You will recall that years earlier Joshua had led Israel into the Promised Land, only to find the walled city of Jericho. We can see the progression for Elisha:From Gilgal the border area in the north, walking south to a place of weeping, further on to the house of God and refreshment. Now to Jericho, the first border land Israel experienced, the first battle which God won for them, a type of the first battle He won for us after we were born again. The walls seemed insurmountable, but God did it for you, He brought down those walls! Such joy!
 
Elijah asks him to stay. Nope. No way. Elijah tells him the Lord is sending him to the Jordan river, and Elisha says he will go too. II Kings 2:6
 
Years before when Joshua was leading the young nation out of the wilderness, the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the Jordan. The waters parted and they entered the Promised Land on dry ground between the waters (Joshua 3:15-17). 
 
So here we find the last stop for Elijah and Elisha, and once again the waters part as Elijah takes his outer coat and slaps the water. As they reach the other side a whirlwind of fire divides them and Elijah is seen no more. His coat falls to the ground, and Elisha picks it up to make it his own. II Kings 2:8
 
Elijah represents all the prophets and prophetic words of the Old Testament. On the Mount of Transfiguration it was Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the prophets) who spoke out of the law and prophets to Jesus about His death. (Luke 9:30-31)
 
Elijah is directly linked to John the Baptist, who, Jesus said, was a type of Elijah. (Matthew 11:14) This means Elijah was all about bringing Israel to repentance. If Elijah then represents repentance, Elisha represents salvation and life in Christ, 'the next step' after repentance, which is 'faith towards God'. (Hebrews 6:1-2)
 
Elisha did 2x the miracles of Elijah, and most of them were 'social' miracles. 
Most of the miracles Elisha did were not personal healings that affected no one but the person healed. Most of his miracles were what we'd call 'social' miracles, which is a type of Jesus and where our own attention for 'miracles' should be directed.
 
II Kings 4 starts with the widow with 2 sons, left heavily in debt by the unexpected death of her husband. Elisha had her use every container she owned and could borrow, and miraculously the oil was multiplied to fill every container. She then sold the oil to pay off the debts. A grieving family could live debt free, a 'social' miracle.
 
A large group had made a pot of soup only to find it was poisonous and making them sick near death. Elisha supernaturally neutralized the poison so they could eat their soup.
In II Kings 5 we have the leprous Naaman, general of the whole Syrian army, get healed, bringing safety to the whole nation of Israel and setting Syria in awe of the God of Israel. 
 
In II Kings 6 a group is cutting wood to build some homes, and the axe head flew off the handle into the water. Elisha made the axe head float so it could be retrieved, benefitting everyone so they could continue their construction projects. 
 
Most of the church wants a 'personal' or self-centered miracle rather than one blessing whole groups of people. 
 
Certainly miracles are personal, and individual. With the ministry of Elisha which is a type of Jesus and the body of Christ, we see miracles directly benefiting groups of people, and the nation. 
 
Consider Jesus fed thousands by multiplying food not once, but twice. He turned water into wine not for an individual, but for dozens gathered for the wedding feast. The man with the withered arm once healed, could return to work to support himself and his family. The widow of Nain's only son had died which would have left her destitute, so Jesus raised him from the dead. 
 
The man with legions of demons was terrorizing the whole town as he could not be bound even with chains - Jesus delivered him bringing peace and salvation to him, and peace for the whole region. The healing of the Centurion's chief servant brought order once again to this important officer's home, and so it goes. 
 
In Acts 9 the seamstress Dorcas was raised from the dead after mourners showed Peter all she had sewn for local body of Christ and how important she was to them. In Acts 20:8-12 Paul raised a young man from the dead who had fallen asleep because Paul kept talking - of course the Lord would raise him from the dead! So no one could blame Paul or the Lord for his death, and for the whole body to see the power of God.
 
Miracles are first and foremost a confirmation that Jesus is Who He claims to be Miracles are heaven's confirmation of the message of the gospel. (Mark 16:20) Secondly, miracles are for family, friends, coworkers and friends in the faith. Lastly, miracles are strictly singular, for the individual only.  
 
What I've shared here in this last part is some of what the Lord shared with me during a visitation a couple of years ago when He said home churches would be the main place miracles would be found. Part of His reasoning is that when you have a small group of people walking through life together, when one is blessed all are blessed, when one hurts all hurt. So His priority is as seen in scripture as listed above. 
 
The season is now upon us in the body of Christ that the miracles we see in our midst, will be individual yes, but in many cases 'social miracles', for the whole body and those affected most. Times are coming when food will be multiplied for families and larger 'church' meetings in homes. Miracles like jobs and provision will be seen more commonly. When we change our priorities to those of the Lord's priorities, we'll start looking for Him in different places than we have in the past, and we'll see miracles in ways we haven't seen in the past.
 
I hope this has been interesting and thought provoking - blessings! New subject next week, until then, 
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

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