#77

I've been seeing the number 77 a lot recently.  Not only seeing it, but receiving it, hearing it, and accidentally typing it!  One of the more unique ways that Yahweh speaks is through numbers. These messages often point to future acts--so their delivery usually have prophetic significance.  God wants us to know what's going on!

John Paul Jackson on Numbers

Numbers typically relate to symbolism.  For example, this "77" theme was confirmed through a friend, who prophetically delivered Genesis 41 to me:

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

There's a lot of symbolism here!  But what is the message for me, at this point of this current season? Basically, it's to save money!

That's the main message, but not the only one.  God often weaves several elements into one message, into one symbolic theme.  Notice that He gave Pharaoh a very multifaceted dream that delivered one prophetic instruction.  Several things converged to give one main instruction--one main call to action.
77 is also one of the numbers representative of Yahshua.  Why?  Because He was born of the 77th generation after Adam.  Redemption complete!  Fittingly, Jesus Himself instructed us to forgive our brother 77 times (Matthew 18:22).  That's an appropriate command to be given by the One who brought forgiveness to all!  Yahshua's command here is one of just many that subliminally pointed to Himself

Our Heavenly Father gives us numbers to speak holistically to every arena of our lives.  He uses numbers as a sort of comprehensive prophecy, to meet us where we're at right now.

God will speak to you through numbers, if you're open to it.  He'll give you a sign.  He'll show you and re-confirm to you the Spirit's streams of teaching in your life.

Contentment

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."  

~1 Timothy 6:6

There is a contentment out there that only comes from God.  This expression of contentment comes when we live in the reality that Jesus is enough, when we live in peaceful union with Him.  Godliness and contentment go hand in hand, because being like God means being with God.  And being with God is always enough!

Contentment is knowing that there is always something to be thankful for.  There are so many precious promises that God has made known to us.  We may not know the future, we may only see in part (1 Cor. 13:12), but we do know that the word of Yahweh stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).  

"He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield."          ~Psalm 91:4

It's worth being knit to God.  It's worth constantly feeling His peace, His presence.  He's the Comforter, and He makes everything easier.  He makes it easy for us to draw near and experience Him.  He makes it easy to feel safe and secure.  

We were made to crave this sense of togetherness, where the Holy Spirit has hemmed us in on every side (Psalms 139:5).  We were created to feel swaddled!  This is what our Heavenly Father wants us to want.  He wants us to experience true security.     

Contentment is eternal life, and eternal life is to know Yahshua (John 17:3), to enjoy His protection. He'll give you just as much joy as you want, and He'll give you peace along with it.    

You are on the ancient path (Jer. 6:16); you have arrived in the promised land (Hebrews 4:9); you were known since before the world began (2 Tim 1:9).  Isn't that wonderful?  Enjoy it today.  

Living in Thanks

"I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of Yahweh"   ~Psalm 107:22

So many things in our lives can be sanctified by thanksgiving.  Whether we are waking up in the morning, working, or folding laundry doesn't really matter--we can experience the holiness weaved into each moment by awakening to a state of thanksgiving.

When we call on the name of Yahweh, we're really also calling on all that goes with it.  We are calling on a force greater and more noble than ourselves.  We are calling for a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude to overtake us.

So many rituals in the Old Testament point to future spiritual parallels found in the New (Colossians 2:17), It's our job, not God's, to become appropriately thankful for all the things He's already done.  Thanks offerings are still a part of the righteous person's walk.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."

We're no longer on the other side of the fence, offering sacrifices to a distant, overarching God. Yahshua has come!  Instead, we can let Christ in us commune with the Father in the same way He did while on earth in bodily form.  We're one with Him, and He's one with us, even One with all who believe.  Thankfulness can be our natural state of being.  It's part of our calling, and it's a medium through which more specialized aspects of our Father's plans are directed.  God doesn't always make things easy, but He does make things easier.

...But Willingly

"Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but willingly, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness"  

~1 Peter 5:2

"Not under compulsion, but willingly".  The Holy Spirit has been bringing up that short phrase again and again.  It doesn't just have to do with giving, or praying, or even shepherding.  Our Heavenly Father wants our every act to be done, not under compulsion, but willingly.  

When we do anything for God, we're giving Him something.  Our time, talent, attention--whatever it is, it's a gift to Him.  We choose to sacrifice our own plans and commit to His.

"With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, Yahweh, for it is good."        ~Psalm 54:6

It's our free will offering that Yahweh wants.  Remember that the natural came first, and then the spiritual (1 Cor. 15:46).  He wants us to willingly offer up ourselves and all the gifts He's given us. And He wants us to do so thankfully!

"When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf."

~Leviticus 22:29

It's not enough to just go through the motions in our service to God.  We need to be willing, and thankful.  We can present to Him our acceptable sacrifice (Romans 12:1).  Once we have aligned ourselves with the knowledge of Messiah and His sacrifice, then we can gratefully present ours.  Our life can be full of choices where we happily choose our Father's perfect will.

The Joy of Yahweh

"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"    ~Matthew 25:23

We all know that this verse relates to our graduation to Heaven.  But like many verses in the Bible, this one can be taken both literally and symbolically, naturally and spiritually, personally and corporately.  God often inserts two meanings into what He says (Psalm 62:11).

See, we can enter into the joy of our Master know!  We may only experience a small measure of the joys of Heaven, but we can still experience Heaven on earth today.  And that's a prerequisite to our calling here and now.

"This day is holy to our Elohim. Do not grieve, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength."    

~Nehemiah 8:10

Living in Joy makes everything easier.  Hope gives us joy, and joy gives us strength from God!  I believe that the power of the Spirit actually gives tangible, physical strength and health.  There was a period of time last year where I was not eating a nutrient dense diet.  And every morning, when I went for a walk and sang to God, my legs became uncontrollably itchy.  They would tingle all over. I'd experienced that before--as a cyclist taking high-dose vitamin B tablets.  God was restoring my vitamins and minerals, and I felt it!  All this was possible because I made the effort of believing to enter His Joy.

Forgiveness, repentance, boldness--it's all made easier by joy.  If we have joy, our attempts to do things for God become a lot easier and a lot more fruitful.  Joy is restful because it increases our confidence in our Heavenly Father.

If we are in a state of really believing, then joy will be evident.  Remember that Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit convicts us of belief (John 16:8).  If we believe, then any thought about Jesus, any thought about His sacrifice, any thought about His plans for us will bring us joy! The reality of living in God has to become greater than anything else, so His Joy can our be our joy and His contentment our contentment.


What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

~Oswald Chambers

The Faith of God

"Yahshua answered and he said to them, 'May the faith of God be in you.'"                      ~Mark 11:22

Most translations of the above verse say 'faith in God', but that's not the most accurate translation. See, in recent times scholars and translators have discovered that the many verses that talk about our 'faith in Jesus' should really be translated as 'faith of Jesus'.  It's more about what God thinks about you!

This is one thing that I've been learning recently.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to be able to conceptualize what it would look like to have His faith--the faith of His Son.

If we constantly rely on our own faith in God, we may get burnt out.  Having faith in you own faith is not enough.  That leads to striving and pressure!  God wants us to experience His faith overwhelming and swallowing up our own.  This is what Reese Howells referred to as "the grace of faith" (Reese Howells: Intercessor

Just Imagine how situations would break out and how lives would change if we could just get out of the way and come to know the Faith of God.  What would Jesus do?  That's what Yahweh would like us to walk in.

It helps to see people as He sees them--as true sons and daughters who have wandered away from ever coming to know their true potential.  Jesus was moved with compassion (Matthew 14:14), and you can be too!

Check out how this verse flows when translated more correctly:

"Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through the faith of Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."

~Galatians 2:16

Prophesying The Word

Prophesying over someone is an interesting thing.  In general, the more faith you have, the more clearly you can receive from the Holy Spirit and give prophecy to someone else (Romans 12:6). General prophetic words are good, and so are specific ones! Yet there is a safer, 'easier' way to prophecy that can sometimes be overlooked.

"Then Yahweh said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.'"  Jeremiah 1:12

The written word of Yahweh stands forever.  It is the most sure word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19).  It cannot fail, because God Himself is watching over it.

In a sense, the written Word is an example of 'self-fulfilling prophecy'.  Our Heavenly Father fulfills it!  The promises of God are a self-sowing seed.  They are enough, and they will bear fruit without any outside human help.  These written promises are the "smallest seeds" that, even without observation or assistance, soon blossom and provide covering for the oppressed (Matthew 13:32).  

Once we've released the Word as prophecy, we've done our job.  We don't have to think about it.  We don't even have to pray about it (although those things are wonderful). This kind of prophetic word is inhabited by the Wind of the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit can take care of things from there.

If we prophecy over someone out of love, just imagine how much more Love the Father has for that person. And how much more eager is He in intending to show it!  He takes it from there. There is a trust activated after we release personal prophecy.  We need to know that God is faithful--more faithful than we are.

This is all something I've been learning.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit will tell me a verse, like "Psalm 33:8".  I don't have that verse memorized, but He does (He's got a better memory, too)!  And whenever He shows you something, it usually pertains to something you're going to right now. 

Prophesying Proverbs 24:4 over someone is a perfect example of this kind of thing.  Whether you prophecy a verse you know, or a verse number you don't know, God is going to back it!  He's the One who brings the important to your remembrance.  He's the One who teaches you how to prophecy, and He's the One who teaches you how to pray.

Who knows, Prov. 24:4 may just be a life verse for that person.  It may guide them in 30 years when they're opening up a Bed and Breakfast.  The important thing is to hear the passion of the Spirit.

Just an Update: Rest

Back to the blog.  Vanessa and I have both been busy since my last post back in September!  She's working on a music video, and I'm trying to learn guitar, so I can play with her in the future.  Fun!

God's been teaching us to rest.  He's showing us that what we do doesn't really matter--at least not compared to what He did.  It's a fresh measure of grace.  He's showing us how to switch from a work mentality to a rest mentality.

"Yahshua answered:  this is the work of Elohim: to believe in the One He has sent"

John 6:29

That's the work of God!  See, the only work we do is having faith in His Son.  And at the point that we have faith, we can enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:1).  The only work we have to do is enter into the promised land, and since we're already there in God's eyes, all we have to do is believe it. Anyone who chooses to believe can live in Heaven on earth.  You have already arrived.

I'm not saying that life is easy or perfect.  I've had a very up and down last few months.  There have been times when I'm not joyful, when I don't feel like praying, or when I feel depressed.  And those things are unusual for me.  But the difference is that the pressure is off.

Yahweh has been luring me back in (Hosea 2:14).  Even though many days I haven't tried to 'press in' or pray in tongues all day, God is still there. He's speaking to me more clearly than ever, showing me things to come.  He's giving me beautiful dreams and visions.   

All this is not because of me.  All I've done is get bogged down in my weaknesses.  But God sees His Son in me.  I don't have to impress Him; I get to be impressed by Him!

The future is still bright.  It's brighter than ever!  Our hope is in His Glory--which is Christ in us. (Colossians 1:27)

From now on, I'll continue updating the blog.  Hopefully almost every day.  God's always doing something amazing, so I'll try to document some of that!

  

 

Communion: It's Different

Communion is awesome--yet it's also not for everyone.  We need to walk on the right path so that we can take the Elements faithfully.  We need to be woven into Jesus by the Spirit.  If we know the truth, then we'll have been set free.  If we've already been set free, then we are free to take communion!

Communion is for Believers:  It's through our belief that we are justified (Romans 10:10).  If we have the faith of God, then we will be blessed in our doing.  In other words--If you know Jesus, remember Him thru communion.  Receive what He's done with thanksgiving and reverence--Yahweh does not give as the world does (John 14:27).



Communion is a Proclamation:  When we partake of the Elements, we are proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).  And when we proclaim God's will in faith, it is established for us (Job 22:28).

So as we take communion, we are having Jesus' death established--fulfilled-- in our new life.  We realize that One died for all and that therefore all died (2 Cor. 5:14).  We proclaim Communion as the most sure Word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19)--the most reliable prophetic word.  It is the most powerful positive confession.  We proclaim that God really did send His Son for us.



Communion Requires Discerning the Body:  We need to treasure what Jesus has purchased--our brothers and sisters, for whom He died (1 Cor 8:11)!  We need to be perfected in forgiveness and love (Matthew 5:48).  And because God's already done the perfecting, we just need to choose to yield to it.  This means having the faith to discern that Jesus is enough.

We need to acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:2).  With that, He destroyed the sinful nature once and for all (Romans 6:6).  Let's receive the grace of freedom from sin (Romans 6:18). We are a sacrifice of Holiness!  We have received the sinless body of the Lord.



Communion Requires Discerning Yourself:  The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and of righteousness (John 16:8).  He shows us a wonderful paradox--we were sinful in the flesh, but now we are flawless in His Spirit.

If we are convicted of our own righteousness, if we know that Christ is in us, then we can turn from sin and understand how we need to yield to God's growth.  We can discern how we've went wrong and see communion as a marking point of change.  It's so important to remain in His purifying fire.


Communion is Seperate: Do you know what the word 'Holy' means?  It's original meaning is different, set apart, other.  We are a holy priesthood, a chosen nation (1 Peter 2:9)!  We have been selected and set apart by God, and communion can activate our living like it.

The Holy Spirit is saying come away, He's saying come out of oppression.  He's saying be in the world, just not of it (John 17:16)!  Communion is a spiritual force that draws us away from the world and into the wonderful, sacrificial Love of our Saviour.  It's a blessing for those who are worthy, and a curse for those who are not.  It's a torrent of God's love for those who believe, and the cup of His wrath for those who do not (Matthew 26:42).  When we receive the needed belief, we receive the abundant blessings!

Communion: It's Important

And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.…

Communion is so important, yet it is so overlooked in much of the church today.  We are ignorant of communion and all of it's glory to our own loss.

The receiving is in the believing.  Let's choose to trust Jesus when He said that His flesh was real food, and His blood real drink!