Staying in the Center of God's Will

As God's people, our destiny is to move forward with God, the Heavenly Father. As this is our task to remain in the center of His will, Epaphras even prayed for the saints in Colossi in this way (see Colossians 4:12).

Colossians 4:12:
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

This walk in the center of God's will requires to enter into a process of renewing of our spirit and mind at certain times. This progress is needed to be able to recognize God's will for this very time as well as to put it into practice in our personal lives (see Ephesians 4:23-24; Ephesians 5:10.15-17).

Ephesians 4:23-24:
… 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 5:10.15-17:
… 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. …

15 Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

One of the greatest obstacles we can find in this progress of renewing our minds is a lack of knowledge and the adherence to a worn-out structure (note: old church order), without being prepared to enter the new that the Lord has in store (see Hosea 4:6a).

Hosea 4:6a:
… 6a my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

The Walk in the Spirit and the Realm of the Throne Room of God

Therefore, we must be aware about the fact that God continually goes ahead and doesn't stop when He aims for leading His body into a new time of higher responsibility and authority.

This higher responsibility and authority is connected with the residency (note: to remain in the Spirit) in the throne room of God (see Ephesians 2:6 i.c.w. Colossians 1:12-14; Colossians 3:1-3).

Ephesians 2:6:
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, …

Colossians 1:13-14:
13 For he (note: the Heavenly Father) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 3:1-3:
1 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.

Since God is Spirit, it is essential to know what it means to walk (note: being, abiding) in the Spirit (see John 4:24a).

John 4:24a:
24a God is spirit, …

This walking in the Spirit includes living a life in obedience and faith towards God, wherein faith is “a firm confidence in what one hopes for, and the evidence in what one doesn't see”. (see Hebrews 11:1)

The realm of the throne room of God is connected with the apostolic and prophetic nature of God, because from here any commission - sent with a mandate - takes place first (see Isaiah 6:8).

Isaiah 6:8:
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

That is why it is no coincidence, that the apostles and prophets according to the order of God form the foundation of the church of which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone (see Ephesians 2:20).

Ephesians 2:20:
… 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

In the Tenakh it were the prophets who appointed kings and prophets and also in the time of the New Testament they gave instructions to the apostles and the people of God (see 1 Kings 19:15-16; Acts 21:10-11).

1 Kings 19:15-16:
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.

16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.

Acts 21:10-11:
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”

The Apostolic and Prophetic Being of God

The apostolic being of God is connected with the face of the lion and His prophetic being with the flying eagle (see Revelation 4:7a.d).

Revelation 4:7a.d:
7a The first living creature was like a lion, … 7d the fourth was like a flying eagle.
 

In this context, the lion's face represents God's kingdom and the eagle represents the divine commissioning and covering (note: anointing).

Apostles and prophets therefore have a so-called “covering mission” (note: through their God-assigned anointing) related to the kingdom government of God, as their ministries are associated with the throne of God. This connection clearly derives from the explanation of the word “throne”:

=> A throne is the seat of a high priest, military chief or king. It is also the seat of royal power and authority (see 2 Samuel 7:13; Psalm 45:7; Psalm 89:15; Ezekiel 1:26; Daniel 7:9-10; Revelation 4:2-3; Revelation 20:4a.12).
The Hebrew word for "throne" is “kiśśē'” and also means the royal seat of God in the form of sitting on the throne, which stands in heaven with the earth as a foot stool or in the temple in Jerusalem (see Job 26:9; Psalm 11:4; Psalm 97:2; Isaiah 66:1; Isaiah 6:1). The Hebrew root word of the word “throne” is “kāśāh” and means “to cover” or “to cover over”. <= (note: excerpt from the “Prophet`s Dictionary” by Paula A. Price, Ph. D.; page 558 and the Elberfelder Study Bible on the word “throne-kiśśē'” and “to cover-kāśāh”; word key number: 3749, 3750)

This is why it has been in God's interest that prophets had special mantles with which they had covered their potential followers (see 1 Kings 19:19 i.c.w. Matthew 3:4).

1 Kings 19:19:
9 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

Matthew 3:4:
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

One reason why some believers today are more inclined to be afraid of the manifestation of the apostolic and prophetic anointing is probably because it comes straight from the realm of the government of God, where there is no respect of persons (see Romans 2:11).

Romans 2:11:
11 For God does not show favoritism.

This means that God, as the only eternal king, communicates what He wants to speak to His church in this time by His anointed carriers and also confronts prevailing structures (note: church-political).

The Confrontation within the Church

Here it comes to confrontation within the church in order to bring, what has expired, to the place where it is coming to an end and to transfer the new from the outdated structure to the place, where God's revealing truth dwells (note: for this time or season).

This is connected with the created day of the Lord, enjoying Him with great joy (see Psalm 118:24).

Psalm 118:24:
24 This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

This confrontation is like Solomon's wise judgment, who as a king in the wisdom of God had assigned new life to the right place of origin (note: revelatory truth for the church for this time and season; see 1 Kings 3:16-28).

1 Kings 3:16-28:
16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me.

18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.

20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.

21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son – and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king.

25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

While God has established a new day of higher authority and responsibility, justice is established through His judgment and the presence of His Word. The consequence of this is, that the church wishing to go further in a religious mindset will not enjoy the benefit of being able to walk in the predestined promise. The church, on the other hand, that wants to go further in the revealing truth of God for this time and season, will be secured by God together with its promise.

The result of the Word of God will be that justice is implemented in the environment of the church moving forward according to the revelatory truth of God for this very time, so that truth will be revealed and life will be sustained (see Hebrews 4:12-13).

Hebrews 4:12-13:
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Any form of disobedience, untruth and false claims concerning possession will be confronted by God, such as placed in barriers and people, who do not repent also receive the reward for their behavior and decisions (see Galatians 6:7 i.c.w. Jeremiah 18:10).

Galatians 6:7:
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Jeremiah 18:10:
… 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

God draws our attention to the shortcomings within the church by saints, like the believers of Chloe began to point this out.

These believers from the fellowship of Chloe were in an apostolic alignment with Paul, so that he, as an apostle, drew their attention to divisions among the saints in Corinth and in love publicly addressed them. His intent was to maintain the flourishing state of the church in this region (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-12).

1 Corinthians 1:10-12:
10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

Conclusion

Referring to the judgment of king Solomon, it was above all to identify the true authority (note: true as representing no selfish love) and the new life of the church (note: the child depicting new life). This was only possible by the sword (note: the word used in spirit and in truth) and in this way, true love was finally attested and confirmed.

In this context of reflection, people in leadership and responsibility (note: leaders) within the church will be particularly challenged in this season.

 

This is about being challenged to engage with the heart in the kingdom government of God, which can also be accompanied by structural change from the ground up or undergoing a radical change.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

 

A while ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to my spirit during a meeting in our apostolic center Holy Place through a parable about vigilance against spiritual burnout.

 

I caught a glimpse of the soles of the slippers and saw that the area around the ball of the foot was worn down.

 

 

As I saw this, the Holy Spirit spoke to me instructing me to put the following corresponding questions to the saints present:

 

The Holy Spirit continued to speak correspondingly:

 

„Beware not to burst spiritually!

 

 

A phase of spiritual pressure in our lives may be beneficial for a while, as it is meant to help us gain greater capacity.

Here however, it is necessary that we move in the structure of the new wineskin, which contains a fresh or renewed comprehension of scripture, as well as walking in the anointing of the Spirit for this time. This is the only way we will be able to cope with pressure caused by the presence of the new wine (see Mark 2:22 i.c.w. Ephesians 4:23-24).

 

22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

 

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

… 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

 

=> The phase of pressure or expansion should not continue, as one might run the risk to spiritually “burst”.

Such an incident can occur with believers, when they attempt to expand their scope of responsibility or authority beyond what God has allocated to them, by personal intention.

It is indispensable that everyone of us takes care to stay within his or her area of spiritually given authority.

It is God's given grace that enables us to to stand firm (or secure) in the areas, we are called and equipped for.

 

If we willfully expand the borders of our scope of duties, a downward spiral is activated in our lives, because the power of the grace of God to cope with things does not work in such cases (see Deuteronomy 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:17).

 

14 Do not move your neighbour's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

 

17 “Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbour’s boundary stone.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

 

This means, everything outside our set area of grace can only be accomplished by our own strength or abilities, and it carries the risk of a spiritual “blow-out”.

 

When individuals and, in this case, especially leaders among the people of God try to manage more than the LORD instructed them to do, increased pressure, which they are not capable to withstand, is put on individuals or ministries in the Body of Christ.

Such an activity can be likened to a tire which is fit to burst: weak areas are exposed, while the vehicle continues at great speed, until ultimately the pressure is building up, causing the tire to disintegrate.

It poses a great danger for oneself as well as for fellow men in the immediate vicinity, should this activity not be identified in time.

 

 

In addition, there is a further danger to consider as people of God.

It is a spiritual burning out or „burn-out“, as we call it nowadays.

 

The prophet Elijah got into a similar state after hearing Jezebels threat, delivered by one of her servants. It caused him to flee into the desert where he isolated himself more and more from society, so much so he even wanted to die.

But all glory and honor be unto the LORD, who sent an angel and strengthened Elijah supernaturally, so that he was able to continue to carry out the plan of God (see 1 Kings 19:1-8)!

 

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”

8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he travelled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

 

 

A spiritual “burn-out” takes place when people are preoccupied with doing things for God, and in the process often miss the opportunity to do things with Him.

 

Every time, the enemy is unable to stop or hinder a positive process in the life of a saint, he takes a different course of action, by either coming with intimidation or an unhealthy drive which leads to works that are not born of the spirit (see James 2:17.22).

 

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. …

22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

 

It is the plan of the enemy to cause us to become active at a time where the LORD wants us in a state of BEING, as it was with Martha, when Jesus was staying in her house with her sister Mary and brother Lazarus (see Luke 10:40-42).

 

40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “LORD, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

 

 

To stay in the state of 'BEING' means to acquire the nature of the LORD and His character by the times of trust and fellowship we spend with Him.

If we take this to heart, we move from this place with a fresh anointing, and we minister from a place of rest (see Psalm 23:2). <= (note: this passage is based on a revelatory teaching from the Shepherd's Rod for the year 2003 by Bob Jones and Paul Keith Davis.)

 

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, …

 

It is God's desire to lead us into the fullness of His rest to reveal to us His manifold provisions. This can be seen in the green pastures and the still waters. God's provision for us is not one-dimensional but multifaceted!

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

 

Übersetzung: Margit Kelly