In 1 Kings 17:1-10 we are told of the prophet Elijah, who by the command of God foretold a three and a half year period of drought toward King Ahab, the current king of Israel at that time.

After Elijah prophesied the words of God, the LORD spoke to him to turn east and go to the brook Kerith, which he did. There God provided for him for a certain time through the water of the brook and the support of the ravens until the water of the brook dried up (cf. 1 Kings 17:1-7).

 

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” 5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

 

Thereupon Elijah was told by God to leave the region of the brook to go to Zarephath, which was near Sidon. There the LORD had commanded a widow to care for Elijah. By the command of God, Elijah made his way from the brook Kerith to Zarephath (cf. 1 Kings 17:8-10a).

 

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. …

 

 

This situation clearly shows that Elijah was spiritually trained to deal with challenging circumstances. His focus wasn't on the drought, but on the Word of God that the Lord spoke to him.

 

Especially in so-called ‘desert experiences’ or ‘periods of drought’ (note: challenging life situations, crisis) it often happens that the Lord wants to reveal our promise to us. Here God doesn't react primarily to our cry for help, but to the call of our promise, similar to what Hagar experienced in the desert near Beersheba when she stood a bowshot away from her son Ishmael, raised her voice and wept, but the angel of God listened to the voice of Ishmael (cf. Genesis 21:14-18).

Genesis 21:14-18:
14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.

16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.

18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

 

=> When the Holy Spirit leads us through a wilderness experience (note: challenging life situation) and begins to show us our promise, we will have an opportunity to mix the word of promise with faith or to choose to enter into fear over the resistant forces that we will have to face in our quest for God to manifest the promise. One of the greatest dangers of our wilderness season is that we may choose not to mount up with a mind to war over our promised inheritance. In the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings, a whole generation was led astray by the leaders, who discouraged the people from entering into war over God’s promise for their lives.

 

When we find ourselves in the wilderness, we always have that same choice. We can trust in God’s faithfulness and be filled with anticipation or we can give in to fear and be filled with anxiety. We have to remember what God has done in the past and choose to believe He will provide again or we can focus on our problem and grumble in unbelief. We can lift up our hands in praise and commit our lives to Him or we can throw up our hands in despair and try to find our own path. We always have a choice, and the choice we make determines our future. <= (note: excerpt from the prayer letter of Chuck D. Pierce, Glory Of Zion International Ministries from the 26.10.2017)

 

Coming back to Elijah now, his inner man (note: spirit and soul) was not clouded by the circumstance of drought, so that he was able to see with enlightened eyes of his heart and hear with the ears of a disciple. This enabled Elijah to discern the situation correctly and act according to the will of God (cf. Ephesians 1:18 i.c.w. Isaiah 50:4).

Ephesians 1:18:
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, …

Isaiah 50:4:
4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.

Moving forward with Christ, the Signs of the Times and the Speaking of God

It is of great importance that we don't settle down on a ‘section’ on the way of our promise just because we have experienced the provision or supernatural manifestation of God there. Instead, we should listen to the instruction of God with enlightened eyes of the heart and ears of a disciple in order to act accordingly.

Even if the Lord has spoken to us before, and we have followed what He has instructed us to do in a particular season, it is necessary in all this to recognize the signs of the present time, as Jesus said, and to listen to the Word of God in the form of revelatory truth for this season (cf. Matthew 16:3).

Matthew 16:3:
… 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

 

These two things (note: signs and revelatory truth of the Word of God) are closely connected, because God can reveal His direction for the future through any condition, so that our future and even that of our fellow human beings is secured.

 

We shouldn't idolize at any time a place, an object, a person, … that is connected with the supernatural intervention of God, by wallowing alone in the experience and trying to proceed in the same way as God did in the past.

 

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't remember good experiences, but rather that we should continue to go forward with Jesus Christ in gratitude for what God did in the past (cf. Psalm 103:2).

 

2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – …

 

An idolization can take place if we give a ‘name’ to the things connected with the supernatural event of God and merely put our focus on them instead of listening to God's voice and His instruction at that time. By giving a name, we create a kind of ‘identity’ that reveals a certain level of relationship which can be tricky.

 

As a warning example, we should remind ourselves of the exalted bronze serpent on the staff that God told Moses to make in the desert because of the snake bites from the fiery snakes. The purpose of this was to save from death anyone who was bitten by these snakes and looked at the exalted bronze snake. This exalted bronze snake was later lifted by the people of Israel to an idol called ‘Nehushtan’, which was later destroyed by king Hezekiah (see Numbers 21:7-9 i.c.w. 2 Kings 18:4).

 

7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

 

2 Kings 18:4:
4 He (note: king Hezekiah) removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)

 

On the basis of the enlightened eyes of Elijah and his spiritually open ears, he correctly recognized or discerned the situation of the drought according to the instruction of God.

 

In connection with the relocation of Elijah, who left the brook Kerith and went to Zarephath, taking a distance about 128 km up to 144 km away, which lies near Sidon on the Mediterranean Sea, this means that he didn't idolize the place of God's provision, but instead continued his way.

 

The brook Kerith is geographically located in the heritage of the tribe of Manasseh (cf. Joshua 13:29-33) whereas Zarephath (note: near Sidon) is located in the territory of the tribe of Asher (cf. Joshua 19:24-31).

 

Elijah thus changed from the southeast to the northwest and from the region of a flowing water (note: brook) to the region of a ‘sea’ (note: the Mediterranean).

 

Furthermore, his relocation was related to ‘taste’, as Elijah shifted his abode from fresh water to salt water. In a spiritual context, Elijah moved from one level of heaven to another in accordance with the will of God (note: supernatural realm).

 

This is because every ‘heaven’ is associated with a body of water and there is also a crystal sea before the throne of God (cf. Revelation 4:6a).

 

6a Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. …

 

Thus, the geographical relocation of Elijah by the command of God indicates that we shouldn't focus on circumstances that affect us from an earthly perspective, but rather discern them spiritually (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:12-14).

 

12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

 

Elijah saw the withered riverbed of the brook, which caused the Word of God to be stirred up in him, so that he continued his journey to the next destination.

 

God's purpose was to meet Elijah in a new way, bringing him into a new spiritual realm of ‘taste’ so that he could see the LORD in a new way (cf. Psalm 34:8).

 

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

 

God led the prophet from the region of fresh water to the region of salt water, and from the provision of ravens (note: symbol of the provision of the bread of the angels; cf. Psalm 78:24-25) to the provision of the widow (cf. 1 Kings 17:9b-10)

 

… 24 he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.

 

… 9b I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”

 

 

When Elijah was at the brook Kerith, he was trained in perseverance and order by the revelatory truth of the Word of God, since raven symbolize, among other things, perseverance (cf. Genesis 8:7).

 

… 7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.

 

The name ‘Kerith’ means ‘separation”, which is also a reference to the power of the living Word of God, which leads to a holy transparency related to prophetic revelation (cf. Hebrews 4:12-13 i.c.w. 1 Samuel 19:24).

 

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.

 

24 He (note: king Saul) stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

 

Accordingly, the stream Kerith is a reference to the place in the heavenly realm where the Holy Spirit teaches us the truth of the power of the Word of God in connection with the spiritual order of the inner man. Here the angels are also at our disposal, who give us the Word of God like a ‘scroll’, so that we may internalize it in order to walk in the power of the truth of the Word of God (cf. Ezekiel 3:1-2 i.c.w. Revelation 10:9a-b).

 

1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

 

9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. …”

 

The river or brook structure is an indication of the outpouring of God's presence, which has an apostolic character (note: sending forth) and cannot be directly compared with the center of God's throne room, because the crystal sea is before the throne of God and it is the river that flows in the heavenly city of Jerusalem (cf. Revelation 4:6a i.c.w. Revelation 22:1-2).

 

6a Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. …

 

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

 

Elijah was aware of the command of God at the dried up brook, namely that a widow would take care of him. To do this, however, he had to change from the brook to the sea, which is also an indicator that through the truth of the Word of God established by the Holy Spirit (note: revelatory truth) we enter the place of God's government as the throne room (cf. John 7:38-39a; John 16:13 i.c.w. Revelation 4:6a).

 

38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. …

 

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

 

6a Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. …

 

The sphere of the throne room of God is a place that is ‘seasoned’ with the presence of His holy being, which is a consuming fire (cf. Mark 9:49 i.c.w. Colossians 4:6; Hebrews 12:29).

 

49 Everyone will be salted with fire.

 

6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

 

… 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

 

This supernatural ‘spice’ is equal to ‘salt’, which means God's truth spoken in purity and conviction.

 

Elijah went to Zarephath in accordance with the will of God (note: ‘Zarephath’ means ‘melting house’), as he arrived at the city gate of Zarephath and thereupon, according to the Word of God, met that widow (cf. 1 Kings 17:10).

 

10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”

 

Thus God gave His prophet Elijah access to the city and to the widow's heart, to help her to enter into the renewing of her inner man (note: transformation => Zarephath => melting house).

 

The renewing of the inner man leads to a greater power of the Word of God being present in the life of a believer which equals substance and authority (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16 i.c.w. with Joel 3:10).

 

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

 

10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”

 

 

To make it clear once again that challenging circumstances can lead to the fact that people don't perceive the voice of God clearly or even at all, although God has spoken, is shown by the behavior and statement of the widow towards the prophet Elijah as they met. It is said that God commanded the widow to care for His prophet, but her posture was contrary to what God had said (cf. 1 Kings 17:11-12).

 

11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it – and die.”

 

This widow had an earthly focus, namely anxiety and fear of the future, which resulted in not hearing God's command properly or even not at all. But glory be to God that Elijah came to her as a prophet and spoke the will of God so that she could obey the divine and sovereign command. As a result, she secured her life and her promise of the future (note: son) (cf. 1 Kings 17:13-16).

 

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.

14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ ”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

 

 

This reveals to us that when Jesus Christ is ‘hungry’, we should already have something ‘in the house’ to give Him first whenever He asks for it, and not focus on us and what is important to us.

 

It is not enough to just ‘appear green’ to the world outside, but to really present fruit (cf. Matthew 21:18-19 i.c.w. Galatians 5:22-23).

 

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.

19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things.

 

Therefore, by being with the right saints in the right place, doing the right thing at the right time, we can flow in God's strategy and thereby guarantee success (note: doing the will of the Father).

 

It is similar to the twenty-four elders before the throne of God and the trees of righteousness planted by the ‘water’ in the structure of the tree of life, which is Jesus Christ (cf. Revelation 4:4 i.c.w. Revelation 22:2; Psalm 1:1-3; Jeremiah 17:7-8).

 

4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

 

… 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

 

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.

 

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

 

This relocation of Elijah reminds us that our faith, through the truth revealed by the Holy Spirit, brings forth in us the obedience to overcome distances and resistance in faith (note: trust), in order to come more deeply to the place of God's government (note: government authority) assigned to us, which transforms unbelief into hope in our environment and regions (cf. Jeremiah 29:11).

 

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

Our Heavenly Father desires us to take the truth already established in us by the Holy Spirit to a higher spiritual place that is filled with the light of God's revelatory knowledge.

 

This is because God is spirit, and as saints we are called upon to walk in the spirit, as well as seek the spiritual sphere of eternal rulership where Jesus is, sitting at the right hand of God (see John 4:24a i.c.w. Galatians 5:16a; Colossians 2:2-3)

 

24a God is spirit, …

 

16a So I say, walk by the Spirit, …

 

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.

 

It is the plan of the adversary to stop us from taking God's truth in us to a higher spiritual place in the heart of the eternal rulership of God.

 

 

We receive truth when we take the truth of the Word of God already established into the light of His presence. This becomes apparent, as God is light and there is no darkness in Him. This truth is wrapped in His light, and it is revelatory truth (see 1 John 1:5 i.c.w. Psalm 36:9).

 

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

 

9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

 

In connection with the shift of the truth in us to a higher spiritual place, there first needs to be a depth or profoundness that can usually be likened to a valley beside a high mountain. The deeper the valley, the higher the mountain.

 

It is therefore no coincidence that God, the Father, sent His son Jesus Christ to earth, to us, to fulfill His plan. At this Jesus Christ died as a righteous person on the cross of Calvary, thereafter He went down to the world of the imprisoned souls, proclaiming the truth, and then He sat at the right hand of God as King of kings (see 1 Peter 3:18-19 i.c.w. Mark 16:19).

 

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits – …

 

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.

 

Thus Jesus Christ prepared the way into the spiritual dimension of the Heavenly Father (see John 3:16; John 14:6 i.c.w. Galatians 4:4).

 

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

Galatians 4:4 (The Jewish New Testament from David H. Stern):

… 4 but when the appointed time arrived, God sent forth his Son. He was born from a woman, born into a culture in which legalistic perversion of the Torah was the norm, …

 

In doing so, the God of Israel clearly revealed Himself as Father through His son Jesus Christ.

 

It was difficult for the people surrounding Jesus Christ to recognize the revelatory truth of seeing Him as the Father, because they had different expectations. This becomes apparent, among other things, in the remark of Philip, a disciple of Jesus, who didn't recognize the Father in Jesus Christ (see John 14:7-9).

 

7 f you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

 

 

On the basis of the scripture from John 14:7-9 we also see that our own concepts or expectations lead to a kind of imprisonment of the truth of the Word of God in us, similar – in a sense – to Peter who was put into prison by Herod (see Acts 12:3a.4).

 

3a When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. …

4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

 

In this context, Herod is an indication for the spirit of control who plans to imprison the circulation of God's truth in an old time. This becomes apparent by the four squads of four soldiers each (note: demonic alliance, which needs an old time for a prison), ordered by Herod, for each one controlled a quarter of a day in order to stop the truth from leaving (note: the old time frame).

Peter's arrest and imprisonment by Herod during the time of the Unleavened Bread (note: Passover) didn't happen by chance (see Acts 12:3b).

 

… 3b This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

 

This time frame is associated with the release of the people of Israel from the slavery of Egypt which was accompanied by much resistance from Pharaoh, and also with the crucifixion and victory of Jesus through His death and resurrection.

 

Here we can see that the time of the Unleavened Bread is a phase where the adversary tries to stop the people of God or the truth and plan of God.

 

 

It was Peter who received revelation from the Heavenly Father that Jesus Christ is the living son of God (see Matthew 16:16-17).

 

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

 

And Satan wanted to hinder the power of this revelatory truth through Herod.

 

Peter's revelatory knowledge caused Jesus to clarify the substance of Peter's testimony, calling him an unshakable rock that would have the power of the kingdom to allow and disallow (see Matthew 16:18-19).

 

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

 

 

In order to free the truth from the prison of control, we need to be willing to receive the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation as a bright light, who awakens our inner man to ringing in the hour of birth for the revelatory truth in the power of cooperative intercession (see Acts 12:5.7 i.c.w. Ephesians 1:17-18).

 

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. …

7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

 

… 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, …

 

Therefore, spiritual hunger and thirst for God's revelatory truth need to be present within the church of Christ, so that we enter as a whole into a higher truth of God which is filled with revelation and deliverance. This hunger and thirst equals true asking, seeking and knocking, and this will give a true spiritual result (see Luke 11:9 i.c.w. Acts 12:13).

 

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

 

13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.

 

By Peter's rescue we can see how Satan in a spirit of control tries to block the truth in individuals, as well as in society through “Herod's regime”.

 

This becomes apparent in the locked prison door and the closed iron city gates which were opened through the supernatural presence of God in form of an angel, without Peter having to touch them (see Acts 12:9-10).

 

9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.

10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

 

 

The spirit of control works closely together with the religious spirit which doesn't define itself by the relationship with God, but merely by the power of intellect, and by this resists the spiritual work of God (see 1 Corinthians 1:21).

 

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

 

Speaking in spiritual context, the spirit of control causes great tiredness, aiming to stop the truth of God in a believer to get to a higher place of revelation (see Acts 12:6).

 

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

 

 

The higher spiritual place of revelation helps to turn the written word of God (note: Greek, „lọgos“) into a spoken word of God (note: „rhēma“) for a particular situation.

 

On the basis of the presence of the bright light (note: angel => in this context symbolizing the spirit of wisdom and revelation) together with Peter who girded himself with a belt (note: symbol for truth; see Ephesians 6:14a), had shoes on his feet by now (note: symbol for the presence of peace; see Ephesians 6:15) and was dressed in a robe (note: symbol for the anointing allocated him by God), Peter became the revelatory truth with power and peace for the praying saints in Mary's house.

The light of the revelatory truth in Peter intensified, because he first met the “first love” (note: “Rhoda” means “rose” => “first love“; see Acts 12:8.12-13).

 

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. …

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.

13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.

 

It is the “first love” that is connected with the bright light and the high place, because the letter to the church in Ephesus speaks of considering the first love in order to thus prevent the lamp stand from falling from its raised position (see Revelation 2:4-5).

 

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

 

Being confronted with challenges and tests in the times where God wants to move the truth of His word in us to a higher place, is inevitable. If, however, we pay attention to the help God sends, things that previously seemed impossible, suddenly become possible (see Luke 18:27).

 

27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

 

As a result, the truth we already carry inside of us comes into a greater influence of light, causing the truth to intensify and even showing itself in a new facet, we previously have not known in this way.

 

It can be compared to the time where Jesus, after rising from the dead, revealed Himself over a period of forty days in various ways in His resurrection body (see Acts 1:3).

 

3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

 

Here Jesus Christ appeared to various people in the following facets:

After these supernatural encounters Jesus Christ ascended to heaven before the eyes of His disciples on the Mount of Olives.

 

 

On the basis of the above mentioned supernatural encounters we can see that some people did not recognize Jesus Christ, despite the fact that they were with Him over many years and had a personal relationship with Him.

 

In light of this we are called upon to renew our spirit and mind to be able to perceive Jesus Christ in our time in the way He meets and speaks to us, so that we may fill our environment with the light emanating from us.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm

 

Übersetzung: Margit Kelly