In times of challenges and distress, no matter what form they take in our lives, we as saints in Christ Jesus must stand on the rock-solid foundation of the truth of God’s Word. Otherwise, it can become terrible or unbearable if we do not do so, and therefore we must cultivate fellowship with our Heavenly Father in the Holy Spirit.

 

Here, the focus for us is on the ear and tongue of a disciple (cf. Isaiah 50:4-5).

 

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.

5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.

 

Cultivating a relationship with our Heavenly Father is like building a house on the rock, which will stand firm despite adverse influences in life (cf. Luke 6:47-48). 

 

47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.

48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

 

 

In this context, the Holy Spirit emphasized the truth found in Acts 21, where Paul was staying in the temple in Jerusalem and was harassed by Jews from the province of Asia, who incited the people against him and wanted to kill him.

 

As a result, the Roman commander and his soldiers went to Paul, so that the incited crowd stopped beating him. The commander had Paul bound with two chains and led him to the castle for clarification. It is said that Paul was carried by the soldiers on the steps because of the turmoil of the people (cf. Acts 21:33-36).

 

33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.

35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.

36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, ‘Get rid of him!’

 

In a prophetic context, the affliction of Paul, who in this context represents the apostolic power, led to him being brought into the movement of the angels to speak to the enraged people from a higher realm with the communication of God in the form of Hebrew, which was preceded by a great silence (cf. Acts 21:39-40).

 

39 Paul answered, ‘I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.’

40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic [Note: in Hebrew]: …

 

The bringing of Paul into the castle is intended to call us as the people of God to enter the apostolic presence of the Father, who is our fortress and, in this environment, gives us the apostolic strategy to be applied in the life of the Spirit (cf. Psalm 18:2).

 

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

 

In addition, the wearing of the spiritual armor represented by the Roman soldiers is of particular significance, preceded by the call to increase in strength and mighty power in the Lord (cf. Ephesians 6:10-17).

 

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

When God calls us to increase in power and strength, He wants us to cultivate the six elements of God’s armor that He has given us. These consist of truth, righteousness, readiness for divine communication in the form of the good news of peace, faith, salvation, and becoming active in the dynamic power of God’s Word.

 

The good news of peace is the ‘Gideonian activity’ under the presence of ‘YAHWEH-SHALOM’ (cf. Judges 6:24).

 

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

 

 

It is the great silence that relates to God’s communication, as the disciples experienced in the boat when Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea. This silence stood in great contrast to the state of mind and external circumstances in which the disciples found themselves (cf. Mark 4:39).

 

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

 

The realm of angels is revealed by the commander and his subordinate soldiers, who worked together with the steps and in this way revealed their ‘carrying power’ before the people in Jerusalem. Angels are ministering spirits sent forth to serve those who are to inherit salvation, to whom we as disciples in Christ belong (cf. Hebrews 1:14).

 

14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

 

Furthermore, it is the angels of God who take possession of the steps to contribute to a spiritual exchange, as was evident in the case of Jacob when he was on his way to Harran (cf. Genesis 28:10-12).

 

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran.

11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.

12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

 

The Hebrew word for ‘steps – מַעֲלָה’ encompasses the movement of ascending light in the form of time, which is the cycle of the ‘hour’. It is the ‘hour’ that refers to the moment of God’s visitation (cf. Acts 1:7).

 

7 He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates [Note: hour] the Father has set by his own authority.

 

God’s heart is also revealed in the fact that when we feel as if we are stuck, the Lord sends His angels to lift us up and carry us into a new realm of the Spirit. This happens so that we can speak from this new realm with the revelatory truth that the Lord gives us to share with others (cf. Psalm 91:11-12).

 

11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 

It is a determination in the realm of His wisdom and knowledge, which includes the unknown and hidden, to correctly recognize the coming promise and to encourage others (cf. Colossians 2:2b-3 i.c.w. Genesis 28:13-15).

 

…, 2b in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.

14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’

 

 

Based on the Word of God, we know that trails in the form of testing in faith produce patience and perseverance. It is perseverance in faith that leads to perfection and integrity, so that no fault can be found in us in our spiritual walk before God, ourselves, and people (cf. James 1:2-4).

 

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

From this we can learn that trials are part of our life as disciples and that in challenging phases of our faith life we should allow the Holy Spirit to bring about refinement in us so that we can enter a greater realm of glory in our life of faith. This expansion and extension of our capacity to persevere, wait, and hope for God’s grace leads us into greater glory, which comes with greater responsibility and authority (cf. James 1:12).

 

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

 

Thus, we remain focused and aligned in everything we do, increasing our patience and faith as we go through difficult situations, phases, and trials.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel and Tina Glimm

 

 

 

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel und Tina Glimm