Hi all,
Why does the Father use the unsaved to bless the saved?
When Barb and I were first married, and from time to time in years following, her parents would bless us with money gifts, and later a car. At that point they didn't know the Lord, and it was during one of these times I asked my angel after he had brought a message to me:"Why does the Father use the unsaved to bless the saved?"
His answer was simple and direct, with a look of 'how is it you don't know this already?' on his face:"That they not come empty handed before the King!" Barb's parents did believe on the Lord before they died, and we've realized all those good things they did for us and others, went ahead to be credited to their account - such is the Father's goodness that He does that often.
The idea of not coming empty handed before a king, THE King, is not new. Even in today's cultures one visiting another often brings a gift for the host or hostess. In Romans 12:1 we are told to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable worship." In the OT times love offerings were considered gifts for God. Jesus referred to this in Matthew 5:23-24 when He said if you aren't reconciled to a person, 'leave your gift at the altar and go and be reconciled...' Even today heads of State will give gifts to one another, or in modern times gifts from one government to the other.
"That they not come empty handed before the King." We are not to simply add Jesus to our busy lives and schedule, we are to present ourselves to Him as a gift in thanks for His Ultimate Sacrifice for our salvation. The trials and tribulations of our lives are, as we overcome them and become more Christ-like, are somehow transformed into heavenly material that we not come empty handed before the King.
Our lives and our growth in Christ are recorded in heaven
David wrote in Psalm 56:8 that his tears were kept in God's bottle and were written in His book. Malachi 3:16 mentions the 'book of remembrance', and in Judaism it is understood each person's life is written in such a book. Additionally, there is the book of the living that has the names of believers written therein.
Peter says in I Peter 2:5 we are living stones, and in The Revelation 21:14 the founding stones on the heavenly city have the names of the apostles written on them. The Lord somehow turns our lives in Him into heavenly material. In I Corinthians 3:11-12 Paul says the only foundation is Jesus Christ, but we each build our lives on that foundation, either gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and stubble.
He then tells the carnal and envy filled Corinthians to stop dividing into little groups in strife with one another, calling envy, strife, and divisions as wood, hay, and stubble that will be burned away when they stand before the Lord - but they'll still be saved he said in v15.
We should endeavor to overcome and grow up from petty strifes, divisions and other works of the flesh, for when we do so, our victory turns those works of the flesh into love, joy, peace and things which are in heaven, gold, silver, and precious stones. Let us not come empty handed before the King.
Why angels listen to us?
Many times I've been ministering in an auditorium church or conference, I see an angel present for every single person present. It happens in house church regularly, even among 6 or 10 or 20 people. The first time it happened I was ministering in a church with about 60 people present, and there were about 60 angels standing in the aisles, at the back, filling every space someone could stand - while the congregation was seated in pews.
I asked my angel why they do that and he said:"We learn! We learn from your perspective!" It reminded me of one of the first times the Lord 'introduced me' to my angel, and I asked him how he felt about me being in charge of him in the age to come (I Corinthians 6:2-3). The look on his face was immediately horror that I should ask such a thing:"It is right! It is proper! (then softening) "Remember, we know Him as Creator, but you know Him as Savior."
Angel prevents an accident
I had officiated at a funeral that day and was driving home. The road was a 2 lane country road in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. It was winding, up and down and around, and I happened to get behind a huge RV (motor home) that was struggling up the steep road.
I pulled out for a peek to see if any cars were coming from the other direction then back in, then out again, and seeing the road clear I started to floor it, when suddenly my angel swooped in from my left, but in the air with both arms extended and palms toward me:"STOP! DO NOT PASS RIGHT NOW!". I immediately pulled back behind the slow RV.
But I had to know why, so I pulled out just enough for me to see around the motor home, and saw a man in a car pulling out of a driveway, and he only looked to his left for traffic coming from the direction he was turning - he never looked to his right to see if someone might be passing slower traffic, which would have been me and we would have met in a head-on collision.
I was SO relieved and said "Thank you Father for that protection", and began wondering as we poked along, how many accidents happen that we will never know this side of heaven, because people disobeyed an urging from the Lord or their angel, not to do this or that. And I wondered how many lives He has saved because people though perhaps not seeing their angel, felt that heaviness not to do x thing, or they sensed going in this direction didn't feel right inside, or they couldn't get a peace about this or that trip?
Sense of humor
Angels do find us amusing, though their loyalty is to the Father and they would take us out in a second if He so commanded. They have no emotional attachment to us, or I should say their emotional attachment is submitted to the Father's will. I was changing planes in Dallas, Texas, and as the plane slowly rolled to the gate, I suddenly saw my angel in the aisle of the plane. "Watch your head on the way out" is what he said.
I thought that was odd, but when you are in the Spirit it just all seems so normal, I thought 'okay' and quickly shifted my attention to the plane rolling to a stop, standing and getting my carry on luggage from the overhead compartment, and stood in line waiting for the doors to open.
As I made my way to the front of the plane the flight attendant and pilot stood by the cabin thanking passengers for flying with them as we turned left to leave the plane. As they said 'thank you' to me, I turn my head to them and said 'Thank you, have a nice night", as I turned left to walk out - and promptly slammed my head against the door frame of the airplane, knocking me backwards and to the ground.
The muscles on the back of my neck were scrunched up like a cramp, and as I knelt on the ground trying to recover myself, I slapped my right hand on the back of my neck and said out loud:"In the name of Jesus be healed!" And then struggled to my feet. The pilot and flight attendant were insistent that I stay down and let them call for medical help, but I told them I was okay and said "Thank you though" as I walked onto the jetbridge.
There in that wide place where the jetbridge turns right to connect to the terminal building, was my angel, doubled over in laughter, shaking his head as he laughed at my misfortune, saying through his laughter:"I told you to watch your head!"
There have been many times Barb and I have heard or sensed or somehow knew, the Lord and/or our angel(s) laughed at us for doing or saying things they thought funny. I'm sure many readers have too, but perhaps not heard of anyone else so until now have just thought maybe it was their imagination thinking the Lord or an angel was laughing at them or with them.
More next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
Why does the Father use the unsaved to bless the saved?
When Barb and I were first married, and from time to time in years following, her parents would bless us with money gifts, and later a car. At that point they didn't know the Lord, and it was during one of these times I asked my angel after he had brought a message to me:"Why does the Father use the unsaved to bless the saved?"
His answer was simple and direct, with a look of 'how is it you don't know this already?' on his face:"That they not come empty handed before the King!" Barb's parents did believe on the Lord before they died, and we've realized all those good things they did for us and others, went ahead to be credited to their account - such is the Father's goodness that He does that often.
The idea of not coming empty handed before a king, THE King, is not new. Even in today's cultures one visiting another often brings a gift for the host or hostess. In Romans 12:1 we are told to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable worship." In the OT times love offerings were considered gifts for God. Jesus referred to this in Matthew 5:23-24 when He said if you aren't reconciled to a person, 'leave your gift at the altar and go and be reconciled...' Even today heads of State will give gifts to one another, or in modern times gifts from one government to the other.
"That they not come empty handed before the King." We are not to simply add Jesus to our busy lives and schedule, we are to present ourselves to Him as a gift in thanks for His Ultimate Sacrifice for our salvation. The trials and tribulations of our lives are, as we overcome them and become more Christ-like, are somehow transformed into heavenly material that we not come empty handed before the King.
Our lives and our growth in Christ are recorded in heaven
David wrote in Psalm 56:8 that his tears were kept in God's bottle and were written in His book. Malachi 3:16 mentions the 'book of remembrance', and in Judaism it is understood each person's life is written in such a book. Additionally, there is the book of the living that has the names of believers written therein.
Peter says in I Peter 2:5 we are living stones, and in The Revelation 21:14 the founding stones on the heavenly city have the names of the apostles written on them. The Lord somehow turns our lives in Him into heavenly material. In I Corinthians 3:11-12 Paul says the only foundation is Jesus Christ, but we each build our lives on that foundation, either gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and stubble.
He then tells the carnal and envy filled Corinthians to stop dividing into little groups in strife with one another, calling envy, strife, and divisions as wood, hay, and stubble that will be burned away when they stand before the Lord - but they'll still be saved he said in v15.
We should endeavor to overcome and grow up from petty strifes, divisions and other works of the flesh, for when we do so, our victory turns those works of the flesh into love, joy, peace and things which are in heaven, gold, silver, and precious stones. Let us not come empty handed before the King.
Why angels listen to us?
Many times I've been ministering in an auditorium church or conference, I see an angel present for every single person present. It happens in house church regularly, even among 6 or 10 or 20 people. The first time it happened I was ministering in a church with about 60 people present, and there were about 60 angels standing in the aisles, at the back, filling every space someone could stand - while the congregation was seated in pews.
I asked my angel why they do that and he said:"We learn! We learn from your perspective!" It reminded me of one of the first times the Lord 'introduced me' to my angel, and I asked him how he felt about me being in charge of him in the age to come (I Corinthians 6:2-3). The look on his face was immediately horror that I should ask such a thing:"It is right! It is proper! (then softening) "Remember, we know Him as Creator, but you know Him as Savior."
Angel prevents an accident
I had officiated at a funeral that day and was driving home. The road was a 2 lane country road in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. It was winding, up and down and around, and I happened to get behind a huge RV (motor home) that was struggling up the steep road.
I pulled out for a peek to see if any cars were coming from the other direction then back in, then out again, and seeing the road clear I started to floor it, when suddenly my angel swooped in from my left, but in the air with both arms extended and palms toward me:"STOP! DO NOT PASS RIGHT NOW!". I immediately pulled back behind the slow RV.
But I had to know why, so I pulled out just enough for me to see around the motor home, and saw a man in a car pulling out of a driveway, and he only looked to his left for traffic coming from the direction he was turning - he never looked to his right to see if someone might be passing slower traffic, which would have been me and we would have met in a head-on collision.
I was SO relieved and said "Thank you Father for that protection", and began wondering as we poked along, how many accidents happen that we will never know this side of heaven, because people disobeyed an urging from the Lord or their angel, not to do this or that. And I wondered how many lives He has saved because people though perhaps not seeing their angel, felt that heaviness not to do x thing, or they sensed going in this direction didn't feel right inside, or they couldn't get a peace about this or that trip?
Sense of humor
Angels do find us amusing, though their loyalty is to the Father and they would take us out in a second if He so commanded. They have no emotional attachment to us, or I should say their emotional attachment is submitted to the Father's will. I was changing planes in Dallas, Texas, and as the plane slowly rolled to the gate, I suddenly saw my angel in the aisle of the plane. "Watch your head on the way out" is what he said.
I thought that was odd, but when you are in the Spirit it just all seems so normal, I thought 'okay' and quickly shifted my attention to the plane rolling to a stop, standing and getting my carry on luggage from the overhead compartment, and stood in line waiting for the doors to open.
As I made my way to the front of the plane the flight attendant and pilot stood by the cabin thanking passengers for flying with them as we turned left to leave the plane. As they said 'thank you' to me, I turn my head to them and said 'Thank you, have a nice night", as I turned left to walk out - and promptly slammed my head against the door frame of the airplane, knocking me backwards and to the ground.
The muscles on the back of my neck were scrunched up like a cramp, and as I knelt on the ground trying to recover myself, I slapped my right hand on the back of my neck and said out loud:"In the name of Jesus be healed!" And then struggled to my feet. The pilot and flight attendant were insistent that I stay down and let them call for medical help, but I told them I was okay and said "Thank you though" as I walked onto the jetbridge.
There in that wide place where the jetbridge turns right to connect to the terminal building, was my angel, doubled over in laughter, shaking his head as he laughed at my misfortune, saying through his laughter:"I told you to watch your head!"
There have been many times Barb and I have heard or sensed or somehow knew, the Lord and/or our angel(s) laughed at us for doing or saying things they thought funny. I'm sure many readers have too, but perhaps not heard of anyone else so until now have just thought maybe it was their imagination thinking the Lord or an angel was laughing at them or with them.
More next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
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