OUR FATHER'S KINGDOM WILL DISPLACE THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS AND USHER IN JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The book of Isaiah chapter 16 verses 4- 5  says this;

Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer.”

The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. 

In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.

This prophecy recorded by the prophet Isaiah foretells the pivot point of history where the kingdom of darkness will be rapidly dislodged from the the earth and all the strongholds that the powers of darkness held over the territories on earth and in the hearts of men will be brought down.

All the infrastructure of oppression, destruction and aggression will vaporize in the face of the incoming throne of love that will be established for a man from the house of David.

This new kingdom will be one of justice and righteousness.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO WILL BRING DOWN THE ENEMIES OF HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR LOFTY PLACE

The book of Obadiah chapter 1 verse 4 says this;

Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

This verse parralells Isaiah chapter 14  verses 14 - 15 where the king of Tyre is brought down into the pit from where he had perched himself above the clouds;

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

Obadiah's account describes the conquering and the takeover of the territory of Edom ( the kingdom the oppressors of God's people ) and the chapter culminates in verse 21 saying this;

Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

 Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SHOWS HIS POWER TO HIS PEOPLE 

The book of Psalms 111 verse 11 6 says this;

He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

This verse, embedded in a Psalm that extols and praises God for his awesome works and great majesty, reveals one of the ways that God shows His great power to His people.

He gives the land held by other nations into the hands of His people. Territories held under the sovereign jurisdiction of other people are brought into the subjection of the Lord's own people by His great power.

Other ways that Psalm 111 reveals how the Lord makes His power known are;

• Providing food for His people
• Providing redemption for His people
• Providing wisdom for His people
• Providing understanding for His people

Bless the Lord.

Amen.

9

OUR FATHER WHO IS HUMBLE AND RELATES TO THE HUMBLE WHO TREMBLE AT HIS WORD

The book of Isaiah chapter 66 verses 1 - 2 says this;

 This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.

Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?

Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.

This passage declares the sovereign supremacy  of God over the heavens and the earth.

As the ultimate creator of all things, He is not dependent on anyone or anything anywhere in the realms of heaven and earth.

From among all the people who He has made, the ones on whom God's favour will be shown are those who walk in humility and whose spirits are contrite and who tremble at the word of God.

The alignment being described here is one where those who voluntarily choose to be humble and contrite before God and heed His word with fear, will not be cowering before a tyranicle power but rather humbly relating to a great one who is lowly of heart Himself. As Zacharia chapter 9 verse 9 says;

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

And again in Mathew chapter 11 verse 29;

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Amen.

OUR FATHER PRESCRIBES OUR RESPONSE TO THOSE AFFLICTED BY JUDGEMENT

The book of Isaiah chapter 21 verse 13 says this;

 (Verse 13) A prophecy against Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, (verses 14 - 15) bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives. They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle.

This passage, titled by the prophet Isaiah as 'A prophecy against Arabia' starts with a call to the nomadic people who camp in the remote brush lands of present day North West Saudi Arabia, to provide water and food to those who are fleeing through the desert to get away from the regime that had declared open war on them with their swords drawn.

Following onto verse 16 and 17, the splendor of Kedar, which is in western Saudi Arabia potentially in the region of the cities of Mecca and Medina, will diminish and after a year, will have completely dissipated.

This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.

As people flee north during the pitched battle in the center of Arabia, they run into the inhabitants of the north western parts of the country who are urged to provide food and water to the escapees.

Amen

3

 OUR FATHER WHO MADE ALL THING CAN BLESS HIS PEOPLE BEYOND WHAT THEY CAN IMAGINE.

Psalm 115 verses 4 - 5 says this;

May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SENDS HERALDS TO COUNCIL HIS PEOPLE TO RETURN TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

The book of Amos chapter 2 verse 11 says this;

“I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazirites from among your youths.

Is this not true, people of Israel?” declares the Lord.

The people of God had become morally lax and instead of exhibiting the honor of God, they dishonored Him by treating people poorly and conducted their lives is disgraceful ways.

To help them out of this morass,  the Lord their God sent them prophets and Nazirites to assert the high standard to which they should have been holding.

 Instead of heeding those who came with the charge from heaven to straighten out, they induced the Nazirites to break their vows by drinking wine and they forbid the prophets from prophesying.

Verse 12 says it this way;

“But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

Because of their rejection of God's efforts to rehabilitate them, the judgement of God will befall them and they will have no defense against it and no means of escape.

As verse 13 -16 says;

“Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.

The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life.

The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.

Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.

16

OUR FATHER WHO FREES HIS PEOPLE FROM BONDAGE

The book of Isaiah 14 verse 3 says this;

On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 

Verse 4 continues this way;

you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: 

How the oppressor has come to an end!

How his fury has ended!

This pivot point marks the day that the people of God are freed from their oppressors.

The king of Babylon, who had imposed suffering and turmoil and unrelenting harsh labor on God's people, is suddenly dispossed of his position and cast down and God's people will exclaim in triumph that the time of hateful  oppression has ended.

The king of Babylon is defanged and the power he held is stripped away from him leaving him weak and helpless.

The Lord, on the strength of His righteousness and justice, is victorious over the powers of darkness and His faithful ones are vindicated.

Amen.

8

 OUR FATHER WHO RENDERS THE OPPRESSOR POWERLESS

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 15 says this;

There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm branch or reed.

Parallel to Isaiah chapter 14 verse 3, the power of the kingdom of darkness is brought to nothing.

The Lord is victorious over the oppressor and His people are freed from the hold of bondage.

The expression in this verse that goes ' head or tail, palm branch or reed' speaks of the totality of the kingdom. From the highest rank to the lowest rank, all are rendered powerless and they cannot enforce their oppression at any level.

Victory is absolute. 

Amen.

14

 OUR FATHER WHO GLORIFIED HIS SON

The book of Isaiah chapter 6 verse 4 says this in the KJV;

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

The NIV says it this way;

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

The prophet Isaiah was shown a vision and he saw the Lord on a throne high up and exalted  and the train of His robe filled the temple.

And a striking class of beings with six wings named Seraphim in the text, were calling one another saying these words found in verse 3;

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;  the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices as they said these things, the door posts  ( and the thresholds) moved (or shook/trembled) and temple was filled with smoke.

What the prophet Isaiah is reminiscent of what Ezekiel the prophet wrote of in the book of Ezekiel chapter 1. Ezekiel saw the Lord in great glory on a throne and he saw beings who were similar to Isaiah's seraphim but with two differences. 

Ezekiel's beings had four wings while Isaiah's had six. 

Ezekiel's beings were called cherubim while Isaiah's were called seraphim.

In both cases, the prophet, upon witnessing the scene of the glory of God, was overwhelmed in terror of they saw. 

Isaiah wrote of his response; “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Ezekiel wrote;

When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.

Holy is the word of the Lord.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO RESCUES HIS PEOPLE FROM OPPRESSION

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 13 says this;

The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her peoples have led Egypt astray.

Revisiting this verse, we examine the categories  of the enforcers of the oppressive regime who are targeted by the Lord to force them to relinquish control over His people.

Firstly, there are officials based in the town of Zoan (otherwise known as the princes of Zoan) and these are the ones who oversee the area of Goshen where the children of Israel lived. They are struck with foolishness.

Secondly, there are leaders ( or officials ) from the city of Memphis ( also known as the city of Noph ) who are deceived ( or deluded ). Memphis was a capital city of Egypt and those who were administrating the affairs of the people of God from afar are struck with deception or delusion. Their understanding of reality is distorted and so any policies of control they try to establish are misguided.

Thirdly, the cornerstones of her people are the leaders whom the people of Egypt trust to guide them during crises. With the propagation of foolishness and delusion through the ranks of the Eyptian officialdom, the leaders make bad decisions and the path they lead Egypt down is wrong and the children of God are able to depart from their oppression.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WARNS US ABOUT THE DANGER OF FALSE DOCTRINE THROUGH HIS SPIRIT

The book of 1 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 - 2 says this;

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

This passage begins with an unusual predicate saying that the Holy Spirit clearly ( or expressly in other versions) says that some will abandon the faith and follow after deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

The clarity by which the Holy Spirit spoke highlights to us how urgent and how costly this type of breach into the body of Christ is.

Through the vector of hypocritical liars whose consciences are seared into a state of insensitivity, deceptions and demonic doctrines are injected into the minds of believers and can have the effect of causing them to drift away from their original beliefs and towards fruitless and destructive beliefs and practices.

Examples given by Paul of these false doctrines are dietary restrictions and constraints placed on marriage that are made to seem like spiritual practices but are distractions from the path of righteousness by claiming to be alternateawa sources of righteousness.

Paul advises Timothy in verse 6 that these infestations can be displaced by merely pointing them out to the people;

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, a you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 

As long as all doctrine is held up for examination, the false doctrines that attempt to sidle into the general body of belief will die off.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO FAVORS THOSE WHO RESIGN THEMSELVES TO WHATEVER FATE RESULTS FROM SERVING HIS KINGDOM

The book of Esther chapter 4 verses 9 - 11 says this;

Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

This passage is preceded by the account of the efforts by a man named Harman  to destroy the people of God.

He had manipulated the legislative machanisms in the kingdom to enact a law that would permit the destruction of the Jewish people.

When the plot came to light, Esther's uncle Mordecai sent a note to her in the palace of the king to urge her to go to the king to plead for the lives of the Jewish people.

In response, she sent a note back informing her uncle that she could not approach the king in his inner court  at any time but had to wait to be summoned. Any person approaching the king without an invitation was likely to be subjected to the death penalty unless the king lifted his gold scepter to spare the intruder.

Mordecai sent a note back to Esther to implore her to take action inspite of the risk because she herself would not be spared the judgement against the Jews and it was likely for the reason of the existential threat against the Jews that that she was placed in the position she was in.

Esther took Mordecai's charge to heart and she called for the Jewish community and her staff to undertake a three day fast alongside her to prepare for her attempt to get an audience with the king.

She braced herself by saying, 'If I perish, I perish' and after the fast,  she went to see the king in the inner court and as she approached, the king lifted his gold scepter to spare her and she was able to plead with the king for the lives of her people.

Amen.

12

 OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES PROTECTION FROM THE OPPRESSOR THROUGH HIS PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah chapter 16 verse 4 says this;

Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer.”

The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land.

This verse, an excerpt from a prophecy that foretells of a terrible time of judgement that is to fall on Moab, advises God's people to be a shield for the people of Moab as destruction comes for them as they escape the calamity in their own country as refugees.

The counsel to God's people is in keeping with the mandate given to them to be a refuge for the lost and a people to whom those seeking reprieve can run.

In this verse, it is foretold that the oppressor of Moab will be terminated and the destruction will stop. The ones who bring aggression into the land will disappear. 

This prophecy, topical in its scope, speaks of an aggressor who takes over a territory and begins to carry out a program of destruction on the citizens. The people of God respond with concern over the treatment of the citizens and when they take action to protect them, the regime of destruction is suddenly struck from the territory they have gained and they vanish.

The engagement of God's people to help the oppressed is an unassailable counterforce to the efforts of the kingdom of darkness.

As Mathew chapter 16 verse 18 says;

 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Amen.

8

OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO RESCUE US

The book of Isaiah chapter 50 verse 2 says this;

When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer?

Was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?

By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.

This passage, preceded by a summation of the separation of mankind from our God because of our sins and transgressions, expresses the concern of the Lord Jesus when He arrived on earth to reconcile us to God, that He was not met by the  faith of the people expecting His salvation.

The Lord asked the people if they felt that His arm was too short to rescue them or that He was not strong enough to save them.

He assured them that He was indeed powerful enough to save them because at a mere word, He could instantly dry up the sea and the rivers.

He assured them, that He has the power to cover the whole of the heavens in darkness as it says in verse 3;

I clothe the heavens with darkness and make sackcloth its covering.”

This harkens to the book of Revelation chapter 6 where the sun is turn black like sackcloth.

The Lord Jesus, speaking in Luke chapter 18 verse 8 asks a similar question about when he arrives on earth for the second time;

I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

May He find faith in us.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGEMENT FALLS WHEN A THRESHOLD OF LAWLESSNESS IS REACHED

The book of Genesis chapter 19 verses 4- 5 says this;

 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 

 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

This passage illustrates the condition of bondage and lawlessness that a society can degrade to. 

Visiting angel's had come to the the city and were being hosted by Abraham's nephew Lot. The whole population of men of the town, inflamed by a predatory spirit, hunted down the guests of Lot and demanded that they be made available to them to exploit.

To have a civil atmosphere that condones or encourages the rape of visitors is one that has reached close to the point of obliteration from the realm of the spirit.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO RESCUES HIS PEOPLE FROM THE OPPRESSORS BY MAKING THE  FUNTIONARIES OF THE REGIME INTO FOOLS

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verses 12 -13 says this;

Where are your wise men now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned against Egypt.

The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her peoples have led Egypt astray.

In Egypt, hierarchies of advisors were in place to give counsel to the goverment to ensure that the power structure was maintained and to ensure that the existing political establishment was entrenched and stable.

With good advice, the kingdom could avoid pitfalls of unrest that could potentially emerge during times of natural and economic calamities.

However, Egypt happened to have chosen the Lord's own people to be their slaves and to oppress them into total submission.

The Lord, hearing their cry, began an endeavour to extricate His people out of the grip of the Egyptians.

This undertaking had many facets including the direct application of debilitating natural disasters to the land of Egypt ( famously known as the 10 plagues of Egypt ) which were designed to both weaken the kingdom's economy and resolve. They were also designed to humiliate the god's of Eypt by demonstrating that there was a higher authority than they in respect the natural phenomena that occurred in the kingdom of Egypt.

Besides these phenomena, other forms of pressure were applied to the kingdom and in this passage, we see the advisors of the Egypt being stripped of their wisdom and converted into fools.

The effect of this deprecation of the wise men of Egypt is that Egypt was unable to understand what was happening to their country and they could not predict what coming next and thus could not tell the nation what to prepare for.

Another effect of the absence of wise counsel was that the kingdom of Egypt was easily deceived by any rumour or notion that swept across the country from Memphis to Zoan. 

The people who were being counted on to guide the people correctly through the barrage of plagues, instead led the citizens of Egypt astray and as their condition  worsened, they were unable to do anything else but to relinquish their slaves and the children of Israel were released from bondage.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER FROM WHOM SEPARATION RESULTS IN THE FAILURE OF EVEN THE BEST EFFORTS OF MEN

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verse 10 ( purple ) says this;

You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.

Therefore, though you set out the finest plants  and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.

Continuing in chapter 17, we see that the people Israel had forgotten their God and their direct experience of the consequences of this is that their most careful efforts to bring forth a crop of grapes failed so that their hopes of being able get reprieve from the disease and pain that afflicted them using their wine, were dashed.

Those who undertook to oppress God's people and plunder what was theirs are met with a sudden terror and they are evicted from the territory. As verse Isaiah chapter 17 verse 14 concluded;

In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone!

This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO WILL RAISE A REMNANT

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verse 3 says this;

The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,” declares the Lord Almighty.

A day of judgement will fall on Israel and Damascus bringing an end to the era of military and political success in both Ephraim and Aram. 

However, there will be a remnant that will emerge from Aram that will be as great as Israel was at its height.

This remnant will look to their maker and will abandon all idols and the accoutrements of idol worship. They will sincerely turn to the Lord and in doing so, will show forth His  power and glory.

This passage points forward to a time when the remnant of gentiles will forsake their pagan practices and honor the God of Israel and their interactions with the God of Israel cause them to rise is glory equal to that of Israel when Israel was in harmony with their God.

Thank you Lord for making a way for the whole world to be saved and added into you kingdom

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHO FREES HIS PEOPLE FROM BONDAGE

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 14 says this;

The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.

When rescuing His people from oppressive regimes as He did when saving the children of Israel from Egypt, the Lord uses multiple ways of weakening these regimes and this verse details one of them.

The functionaries of the regime are bathed in a spirit of dizziness which negates their sense of equilibrium and they stagger in confusion and directionlessness in all the activities that they are tasked with.

When the officials of the regime are in this state, the whole country careens from one political crisis to another and becomes increasingly unstable and debilitated. 

They can be likened to a drunkard staggering in his own vomit where inebriation removes all the sensibilities needed to escape even a small pool of vomit.

In this state, along with other pressures brought against them such as economic stagnation and the loss of logical guidance from their policy advisors, the regime loses its grip on the Lord's people who are then freed from bondage.

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGEMENT WILL FALL ON THOSE WHO EXCLUSIVELY PREOCCUPY THEMSELVES WITH THE PURSUIT OF WEALTH 

(for May 25th 2024)

The book of Isaiah chapter 23 verses 1 - 2 says this;

A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them.

Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched.

The port cities of Tyre and Sidon, for their preoccupation with the pursuit of wealth and comfort, are judged and brought to ruin.

All their business partners such as the fortress of  Tarshish (thought to be near Gibraltar) and the traders of grain from Egypt who depended on these two porta for distribution are left stranded with  no reliable places left to sell their products.

Tyre and Sidon are faced with a judgement of 70 years of ruination such that they would be in the same condition as Babylon was after Assyria left it in shambles as verse 13 says;

Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no account!

The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin.

After their season of judgement is over, these two ports will have their fortunes revived to serve the purposes of the righteous people of God as verses 17 and 18 says;

At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 

Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO DWELLS IN US

(May 25th 2024)

From Psalm 132

I will not rest

Sleep will not touch my eyes

Till You live in my heart

I will not rest

Sleep will not touch my eyes

Till Your Spirit dwells in my life

Lord welcome to Your resting place

I am clothed with Your righteousness

May Your faithful ones be blessed and sing for joy (x3)(x6)

OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGEMENT WE SHOULD CRY OUT IN SACKCLOTH AND ASHES TO MITIGATE

The book of Isaiah chapter 22 verse 9 says this;

You saw that the walls of the City of David were broken through in many places; you stored up water in the Lower Pool.

This verse is an excerpt from a passage that condemns Judah for looking to their own strength and even seeking power from the enchanters of the forests when judgement was brought upon them.

When the people of Judah saw that the walls of Jerusalem were damaged, they rebuilt them using materials from houses they tore down within the city and they filled a reservoir of water in a pool to prepare for the siege.

Instead of crying out to the Lord in sackcloth and ashes to gain forgiveness and ask the Lord to relent from judgement, they worked to defend themselves against the Lord's destruction and they shored up their city against Him and they made merry and feasted on meat and wine as verse 13 says;

But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! “Let us eat and drink,” you say, “for tomorrow we die!”

As revealed to Isaiah, this cynical and fatalistic conduct by the people of Judah would not be atoned for until their dying day ( verse 14 );

 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM IS ESTABLISHED BY HIS OWN HANDS (May 23rd 2024)

The book of Joshua chapter 6 verses 4 - 5 says this;

Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 

When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

The fortified city of Jericho was the first settlement that the children of Israel confronted when they crossed the Jordan river into the promised land.

The city was impenetrable by conventional means due to its thick and high walls and because of the threat of the approaching Israelites, the gates were securely barred.

The Lord instructed Joshua to have the armed men march around the city for six days accompanied by the ark of the covenant being carried by the priests with seven of the priests carrying rams horns.

Our passage instructs that on the seventh day, the army and the priests were to march around the city seven times with the horns being blown and when a long blast of the horns was heard, the army was to shout loudly.

This action would then cause the walls of Jericho to collapse.

Heeding the instructions of the Lord in the natural realm results in the machanisms of the spirit realm deploying weapons borne without hands and the victories of the kingdom of God are assured.

This action without human hands to defeat the enemies of the kingdom of God in a final confrontation is foretold in the book of Daniel chapter 2 verse 44 - 45 which says;

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 

This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHO MAKES THE WISE MEN FOOLISH (May 22nd 2024)

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 11 says this;

The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings”?

This verse, within a chapter discussing the different  ways that the Lord handicaps the oppressors of His people, speaks of the method of rendering the officials of the country into fools and affecting the counselors of the leaders so that they can only offer senseless guidance.

The oppressive kings are led astray because those who give them advice represent themselves as 'wise men' who are guided by the ancient Kings but in this arrangement, their interactions are intercepted and their wisdom is replaced with nonsensical options.

These wise men, having been summoned to help the oppressors deal with the fall out of the plagues of judgement that they have already suffered, are deceived and the whole oppressive system they are trying to preserve continues to weaken under the pressure of God's judgement against them.

As Romans chapter 1 verse 22 says, 

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHO RESPONDS TO INTERCESSION (May 21st 2024)

The book of Amos chapter 7 verse 3 - 4  says this;

 So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said.

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land.

This passage in an excerpt from an interaction that the prophet Amos is having with the Lord regarding the judgments that are to be brought against Israel for their pride as Amos chapter 6 verse 8 says;

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”

The Lord had first shown Amos a vision of a pestilence of locusts being brought to Israel but Amos had implored the Lord not to bring that form of judgement considering how diminutive Israel was.

In response to Amos' plea on Israel's behalf, the Lord relented and the invasion of locusts was cancelled.

The next vision Amos saw was a judgement of fire that was capable of drying up the great deep as well as incinerating the land.

Responding to this vision, Amos implored the Lord to withhold that judgement and the Lord relented again.

Ironically, the political leaders of the time began to work against the prophet Amos by spreading false accusations against him to get him banished from the land but they did not know that it was Amos who was interceding on their behalf to get their judgements annulled.

Lord please give us wisdom not to undermine the very ones who are interceding to avert judgement against us.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES REST TO THOSE WHO ARE HIS (May 21st 2024)

The book of Hebrews chapter 4 verse 9 says this;

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;

The Lord, upon finishing the work of creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted a day of rest for humans to emulate and this actual day of rest was a metaphor for a day that God's people could rest from their work of trying to achieve righteousness through works of the flesh but rather could now rest in the righteousness provided by God.

When Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery and towards the promised land, they harboured unbelief in their hearts and rebelled against God. The Lord swore an oath that those who rebelled would never enter His rest and they perished in the wilderness never to enter the promised land.

However, much later after the rebellion, the Holy Spirit spoke through David in Psalm chapter 95 verse 8 of a present day (today) that is available to those who remain obedient that they might obtain the promise of rest;

Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.

The promise of rest to those who steadfastly believe still stands and therefore let us remain believing as people of God so that we will rest from our works just as God did from His as Hebrews chapter 4 verses 10 - 11 says;

 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

Amen.

6

From Psalm 6;

Turn, Lord, and deliver me

Because Your love remains forever

Lord hear my cry for mercy

By grace accept my humble prayer

Heal me Lord, I am in anguish

All night long I lay in tears

O Lord, my God, don't let me perish

That I may ever proclaim Your praise

OUR FATHER WHO REVEALS HIS INTENTIONS TO HIS PROPHETS

The book of Isaiah chapter 20 verse 4  (in purple text) says this;

Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame. 

Continuing with the prophecies in chapter 19 about the subduing of the kingdom of Egypt, chapter 20 describes the final ruination of Egypt when they are all, young and old, herded together by the Assyrian Empire and marched barefoot and naked into captivity.

This prophecy was cemented by the dramatization that Isaiah the prophet was asked to perform by moving around stripped and barefoot for three years as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush.

The enactment of Egypt's march into captivity by Isaiah was a warning to Egypt regarding their oppression of God's people and that it would result in their humiliation and exile from their land

This passage also shows Isaiah to be an international prophet where his utterances and enactments pertain not only to Israel but to the nations and empires around them.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO SAVES HIS REMNANT FROM THEIR ENEMIES

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verses 11 - 14 says this (in purple text);

You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.

Woe to the many nations that rage—they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar—they roar like the roaring of great waters!

Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale.

In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.

This passage, in the context of a series of prophecies against the cities in the area of Israel, Isaiah records that Damascus will face destruction as will Aroer. The fortified city of Ephraim will be destroyed but there will be a remnant left in Aram that will have the same level of glory that Israel did.

Israel herself will be weakened, emaciated  and ransacked and all her agricultural efforts will fail and they will be subjected to diseases and incurable pain.

However, there will be a remnant left there as well that will turn to their maker and not regard the idols that had been set up in their land.

The remnant of the land, being blessed by God, will be under pressure from those around them who will rage against them with the roar of mighty waters. Those faithful to the Lord will be subject to plundering and looting by those who did not.

The Lord will bring upon the enemies of His people a rapid judgement that will strike them in the evening with terror and by morning, they will be gone.

As verse 14 says;

In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.

12

OUR FATHER WHOSE STANDARD IS JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

The book of Amos chapter 5 verses 6 - 7 says this;

Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

There are those who turn justice into bitterness  and cast righteousness to the ground.

This passage, in the context of judgement being brought down on the people of Israel, counsels them to "Seek the Lord and live".

The Lord's kingdom is one of justice and righteousness and when justice is replaced with injustice and righteousness is repudiated, the judgement of an unquenchable fire will sweep through the land and will devour the civilization.

2

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES HIS PEOPLES ENEMIES

The book of Obadiah chapter 1 verse 9 says this;

Your warriors, Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau’s mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.

Because of the violence that Esau did to Jacob, Edom is brought under judgement and it is so unprecedented that the warriors become terrified.

The hill country territory occupied by Esau's descendants will be overrun and the inhabitants will all be cut down.

This prophecy could be interpreted to reveal the struggle between Essau and Jacob in terms of the internal struggle between the flesh and the spirit that all believers experience.

If we take Esau and Jacob to metaphorically represent the flesh and the spirit respectively, this prophecy in Obadiah explains Jacob's (the spirit's) the ultimate victory over Esau (the flesh).

As verse 10 says;

“Because of the violence you did against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you [completely], And you shall be cut off forever.

Amen.