“The LORD will lighten my darkness.” 2 Samuel 2:29
“The deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10Archive for offenses
What was Herod’s deal with the wise men?
Why did King Herod send the three wise men on a government sponsored trip to find baby Jesus so that he might destroy Him as recorded in Matthew 2:1-13? Scripture reveals that he was an insecure man with a huge ego and very power hungry to boot! Not much has changed in the worldwide political arena huh? Yes, the spirit of Herod is alive and well today! Many men and women today feel threatened and resist the thought of submitting the status they’ve created in thier worlds into God’s power! They have even gone to extremes like Herod and killed off any potentially fruitful thing that may usher in any kind of surrender to authority in their lives that threatens their own power! Oh! By the way, Herod” means: “The son of a hero”, or, “the glory of the skin”. Needless to say, his father was NOT the kind of “hero” you’d want your children to admire and imitate! The details of this part of the history of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ are commonly overlooked perhaps because of their negative exposure, candor and impression man has had on such a marvelous event.
The kind of drama Herod created while he ruled is what Hellywood (opps, I mean Hollywood!) movies are made of! He was scandalous, treacherous, and an unscrupulous ruler as Matthews 2:1 & 2; 7 & 8; 12 & 13; 2:16 portrays him. Interestingly, not even the very manipulation of man by satan in high places can thwart the divine plan of God! Just that truth in itself should give us sufficient stamina and boldness to live for God without distraction! But the sad truth is that man without the proper rule, influence and guidance from God results in a heart that is desparately wicked and continually deceitful as Jeremiah 17:9 claims. The plain truth is that man cannot do any righteous thing that truly brings honor and glory to God without divine inspiration and intervention at some level! Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:10-12: 23 scripturally confirms this truth.
There are three divinely instituted truths we must comprehend and engraft in our being regarding the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. First, we find the Lord’s counsel of buying from him gold tried in the fire (Revelation 3:18) is a prerequisite to the reality of the deeper things of God in our lives. That is to say the truths and beauty of God become precious as gold only after the fiery trials and tribulations of life in the flesh has ran their course! Second, why the Lord exchanges beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning (Isaiah 61:3). Its God’s all-enduring love that flows from the highest mountains to the lowest valleys will still make a way for sinful man toreconcile himself to him. Let it be known that the love of God will overcome the deepest hatred hell itself can manifest! Finally, the divine order of the natural running its course so that the spiritual can reign. In St. John 12:24 and 1 Corinthians 15:33-53, with a focal point of verses 46 and 47, we see a universal truth God himself initiated, and Satan does not know how to effectively deal with! You can’t do anything for God spiritually until the flesh, the natural, is out of the way! King Herod and his evil desires had to die with him in order for Jesus to do his work in the flesh completing it in the Spirit! Its hard to get someone to turn their back on the world if they are not tired of it!
Jesus said; “Be of good cheer, I have overcame the world!” in St John 16:33! Considering That Jesus knew that we would suffer great offenses and tribulation, I find the circumstances of King Herod and his evil intent cautionary to my task of doing the will of God in my life, not detrimental. The lion may roar (1 Peter 5:8), but through responsibilty and vigilance in obedience, faith and knowledge of God’s word, the Lord will deliver me as he did Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-24! The spirit of Herod may still live, but the Lord Jesus Christ is mightier than any thing hell can send against God’s church! Just remeber the end of the book of Revelation, we win!
The comfort of the Holy Ghost…
What a beautiful phrase of encouragement spoken under the anointing of the Holy Ghost! Just as times were in society if you were not Roman in Acts 9:31, gluttenous for the wealthy, desparate and hopeless for the poor, great tolerance for unrighteousness and immorality and financial pressures can cause one to realize that in apathetic times such as these, its good to pursue godly encouragement and enjoy the comfort of the Holy Ghost! The three elements of this comfort are found in Romans 14:17. They are; “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” As matter of fact, they are what constitues the Kingdom of God! A dear man of God used to ask how I was, and I’d respond that I was ‘fine under the circumstances”, then he’d tell me that my problem was that I was “under the circumstances and not on top of them!”. At first, I interpreted his words of wisdom as “constructive criticism”, but life experience has taught me the true value and deeper meaning of his advice.
When we endure circumstance without godly interpretation we have a thousand reasons for not doing what should be done for God in our lives and so many others to point at for failures, hurts and offenses in our life experience. “Godly interpretation” is knowing what promises apply to each circumstance, as well as which which scriptures gives instruction, interpretation and encouragemt of the three elements of the Kingdom of God. This may require great addition to the knowledge base we have of God stored in our minds, Romans 10:17:; 11:33; Colossians 1:9 & 10. Or perhaps a redirection of things sought after pertaining to the kingdom of God, Matthew 6:33. Maybe even a change of heart in the intensity of our relationship with God, Matthew 22:37 & 38. Circumspectly, the more sensitives you are in the Holy Ghost, the more comfort you will receive! It is my observation and opinion that in our present age of information we suffer more wordly distraction and carnal fulfillment than ever before thus resulting inreceiving no comfort in the Holy Ghost.
The comfort of the Holy Ghost is embraced, nurtured and increased when God’s people are focused on His will in daily decisions. A thorough consideration of God’s will in our daily decisions can be found in the post of this blog titled: “Will you now!? Maybe you wont!” The comfort of the Holy Ghost is sustained in knowing that assurance from God that his will shall be done for our good, in everything, Romans 8:28. Maintaining your citizenship in the Kingdom of God keeps us surrounded with that comfort. Consider the wisdom given in the post on this blog titled: True illegal aliens aren’t citizens of His Kongdom!” The comfort of the Holy Ghost is knowing that you are a friend of a friend that laid down his life for you! Jesus calls us such in St. John 15:12-14. You must know that when the serpents of this world would try to inject their deadly venom into your soul, you must look to Jesus crucified and lifted up for your punishement, St. John 3:14 & 15; Numbers 21:7-9, and do as the apostle Paul did in Acts 28:3-5, and shake’m off into the fire with the confidence of Like 10:19!
Finally, The comfort of the Holy Ghost is knowing who you are in Christ. You are His child with great promise according to Romans *:16 & 17; Hebrews 12:5-8. You are soldiers, so remember your instructions as given in 2 Timothy 2:3 & 4! HEY! Whose battle is this anyway? Ah, yes, the answer is in 2 Chronicles 20:15; Ephesians 6:12; 1 John 4:4 and St. John 16:33! Remeber! The Lord exchanges beauty for ashes! There may be mourning for a night but joy cometh in the morning! In the midnight hour, at the darkest possible time, Paul and Silas praised and worshipped their way out of prison! Ah! and don’t forget Daniel’s three friends! Everyone got burned who tried to put them into the fiery furnace, but they came out unscathed!! My God is a GOOD God! Yes he is!
