Working the Land

Are we ready, James? Okay. Guys, we've been talking about Gilgal and we are moving on

from Gilgal now. Once you were past Gilgal, you would enter into your inheritance or the

land that was rightfully yours. So just pay careful attention to this introduction because

it's usually introductions are just lead-ins and not all that important, but this one is

a little important. As you enter into your inheritance and if you want to find out what

your inheritance is, you'll have to get CD number 3482 from... No, I'm just kidding. You'll have to

just get that CD. It's vein acid. He's going to set up a library, by the way, so you can borrow

these CDs whenever you want and return them. So as we enter into our inheritance, I want us to know

that it is possible to labor in the wrong land. As you enter into your inheritance, it is possible

for you to labor in the wrong land. And what do I mean by land here? Your land is your business,

your land is perhaps your vocation, your family, your ministry, your mandate, your mantle, your

church. All this is your land, everything that concerns your life. If you're married, it's your

family, your ministry, your church, your vocation or your occupation, your mantle or mandate, and

your business or whatever you're doing right now. All this is part of the land and as you enter into

your inheritance, it is possible to work or labor in the wrong land. See, Jesus could have been

working as a carpenter. He could have been employed as a rabbi, perhaps as one of the political leaders

bringing down Rome. He could have tried doing things by being part of the religious order,

but he knew what was his and so he went towards it. It is possible to work in the wrong land and you

must discern the land that is yours. So remember this guys, you must discern the land that is yours.

Discern the land that is yours. Once you discern the land that is yours, you must buy that land,

not lease it. You don't lease the land that is yours. Meaning once you find out, aha, this is

what God has at present or God for the rest of my life has begun to allot to me. Once you see that,

don't visit it occasionally. We have that in India. I don't know whether you have it here,

where you buy plots and plots of land and every once in a year you'll go have a look at the land

and come back. No, no, no, no. Once you discern that the land is yours, you buy it. You don't

lease it. You buy it. Meaning you take whatever treasure you have and you pour it into this one

piece of land. Everything that you have. I was listening to this pastor talk about a man who

wanted a piece of land and had to give up his, forget the story, it's too long. So buy the land,

sorry, whatever you have, pour everything into the land. Remember the man who bought the piece

of land in the Bible. He saw a land with treasure in it. He wanted it. He took everything that was

his and sold it so that he could buy this one land that belonged, that he wanted. Everything will be

worth it. And thirdly, once you buy the land, the process is not over. Once you buy the land,

you have to possess the land. Once you buy the land, you have to possess the land. I read somewhere

that people have bought land in Dubai, parcels of land in the middle of the ocean, artificially

created islands for 10 to 45 million. They have bought the land but because the market has collapsed,

they don't possess the land. They've got a piece of sand in the middle of the ocean with nothing on

it. I mean you can do Castaway Part 2 on that island. That's about it. So you discern the land,

you buy the land and then you possess the land. This is why I said this introduction is important

because we may be talking about this for the next few weeks and I'll always refer you to this

introduction. You can ask after the intro and we'll talk about that. The other thing we need to

understand about land is it is not the size of the land that matters. Is it your piece of land? Is

it your allotted piece of land? That's what matters because your land will bring a produce

that is abundant. If it is your land, it will bring abundance. It's not the piece of land you

cultivate. It's the piece of land you cultivate, not the size of the land. It's the piece of land

that you cultivate that brings an abundance, not the size of the land. Not the size of the land.

Each one of us... Guys, let me put it this way. You want a real-life example. I have absolutely no

ambition to run a church of more than 500 or a thousand people even though that would mean a

greater number of souls to touch, a greater number of people to teach, a greater salary,

perhaps a laptop computer and SUV and stuff like that. It doesn't matter. It's not the size of the

land. It's a piece of the land that you cultivate. If this were to remain this way for the rest of

my life and it is not going to because of the prophetic word that we heard over this house

through Eddie just day before yesterday. But should it remain this way? You know, this would

be the land that would bring abundance to me and I don't mean abundance in money. I mean abundance

as in satisfy abundance. I've spoken to Eddie so I just repeated that. So and I'd suggest that you

get to it quickly. Otherwise, by the time you possess the land, you'll have very little time

to cultivate it. Get to it quickly, meaning do everything you can to discern the land, to buy it.

Do everything you can because if you do not get to it, if you do not actively and we'll talk about

how to seek it, actively seek it then what will happen is by the time you actually buy it, you'll

be 85 which in Gisela's case gives another 30 years but not necessarily in all your cases. So

you'll be 85 and you wouldn't know what to do. You're not 85 yet. Okay. Not by far. I know you

were younger than Gisela. I just had to take an age that no one was here. So get to it otherwise

by the time you possess it, you'll have very little time to cultivate it and today what we're

going to talk about is time sharing in the wrong land. Time sharing in the wrong land. Do you know

what time sharing is? Time sharing is when a certain property is allotted to you for one week

or two weeks a year. It doesn't belong to you but you can go vacation there. Now unfortunately,

time sharing in the wrong land can be so detrimental to your physical and spiritual life here on earth.

And that's what we're going to talk about. Any questions? Yeah, that's why I said get to it. We

have to discern the land allotted to us. I mean as soon as Israel entered into the promised land,

they were told, hey, tribe of Dan, this is your portion. Hey, tribe of Judah, this is your portion.

Hey, Levites, you have no portion. I'm your portion. Everything was allotted. Now if God does that in

the old covenant, how much more in the new covenant where we are covenant children directly

from Abraham? There's no gap. This is yours. I mean like I have so encouraged us to figure out

your inheritance for 2010. What has God got for you in 2010? And to just visit it for a second,

how do we find out? We go over everything that has been spoken over us over the last two years. We

go over scriptures that have leapt out of us. We go over themes that have persisted and we develop

on written form so that it's not in here. Your here is not as bright as you think it is here.

So it's better to have it written and then look at it and then you have an inheritance. You have

an idea of, I cannot tell you how marvellously it works and it is not a specific example. It's a

generic thing that works wonderfully. God said it to Habakkuk. Put your vision on a billboard.

Set it up so that people can see it. I saw it today. I went over it again today. I hadn't done

it for the last 10 or 12 days. I went over it to see what's happening because other portions are

being added to it. If you haven't done it yet, I encourage you to.

Hey, by the way, she is officially been booted out of Emmanuel.

That's the usual booting thing. They give you flowers when they boot you. Go ahead.

I'm just kidding.

Yeah. You can't be in the wrong family. What I meant is your land is your family.

So if you, okay, you should have taken another week at Emmanuel.

So, okay, how does it, how does it apply to families? How can families be working in the

wrong land? I don't know. We'll have to come back to that. I hadn't thought of that.

I don't know. I hadn't thought of how it works. Yeah.

Yeah, I'll come back. I'll try to figure out an answer either towards. Yeah, go ahead.

Yeah.

Be part of that would apply to the church as such. But when I wrote family, I actually meant

like physical family. So let me see if there is a rational to that.

There is. There is. I just don't remember it. So what we're going to do is we're going to read

First Kings 13.

First Kings 13.

You can see that you're dying to read. So live and read the whole thing. Yes.

Any time today. Page 296.

First Kings 13. By the word of the Lord, a man of God came from Judah to Bethel,

as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. He cried out against the altar by the

word of the Lord. Oh, altar, altar. This is what the Lord says. A son named Josiah will be born to

the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings

here and human bones will be burned on you. That same day, the man of God gave a sign.

And this is the sign that the Lord has declared. The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it

will be poured out. When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at

Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and he said, these him. But the hand he stretched

out toward the man shriveled up so that he could not pull it back. Also, the altar was split apart

and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.

Then the king said to the man of God, intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that

my hand may be restored. So the man of God interceded with the Lord and the king's hand

was restored and it became as it was before. The king said to the man of God, come home with me

and have something to eat and I will give you a gift. But the man of God answered the king,

even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you nor would I eat bread or

drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord, you must not eat bread or drink water

or return by the way you came. So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to

Bethel. Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel whose sons came and told him that the

man of God had done there that day. They also told their father that he had said to the king,

what he had said to the king. Their father asked them, which way did he go? And his sons showed him

which road the man of God from Judah had taken. So he said to his sons, saddle up the donkey for me.

And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it and rode after the man of God. He found

him sitting under an oak tree and he asked, are you the man of God who came from Judah?

I am, he replied. So the prophet said to him, come home with me and eat.

The man of God said, I cannot turn back and go with you nor can I eat bread or drink water with

you in this place. I have been told by the word of the Lord, you must not eat bread or drink water

there or return by the way you came. The old prophet answered, I too am a prophet as you are.

And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord, bring him back with you to your house

so that he may eat bread and drink water. But he was lying to him.

And so the man of God returned with him and ate, drank and drank in his house.

While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet who had brought

him back. He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah. This is what the Lord said,

you have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept command that the Lord your God gave you.

You came back and you ate bread and you drank water in the place where he told you not to eat

or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.

When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back

saddled his donkey for him. As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him.

And his body was thrown down on the road with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

Some people who passed by saw the body thrown down there with the lion standing beside the

body and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.

When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said,

it is the man of God who defied the word of the Lord. The Lord has given him over to the lion

which has mauled him and killed him as the word of the Lord had warned him.

The prophet said to his sons, saddle the donkey for me and they did so. And then he went out and he

found the body thrown down on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. So the prophet picked up the body

of the man of God, laid it on the donkey and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him

and to bury him. Then he laid the body in his own tomb and they mourned over him and said,

oh my brother. After burying him, he said to his sons, when I die, bury me in the grave where the

man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones for the message he declared by the word of the

Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of

Samaria will certainly come true. Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways,

but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. And anyone who

wanted to become a priest, he consecrated for the high places. This was the sin of the house of

Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.

Quite a story. Can I have the mic back?

We will talk about that. Guys, before we talk about that, some families that labored in the

wrong land, Lot lost two sons-in-law and his wife because he chose to labor in the wrong land.

Another family that labored in the wrong land, Eli's family. Eli and his sons,

Hophni and Phinehas, ended up dying. Eli died too because when they were allotted a portion and were

asked to take care of it properly, they did not buy and pour everything into it, but began to

play the fool with the piece of land. Lot's family is one such family. Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,

another family. I could name a few more, but those are two families that labored in the wrong land.

The family then becomes a unit where they go and labor in the wrong land and not the family being

the land. When it comes to the family, it's not so much the family being the wrong land because

once you're married to your wife, she's not the wrong land, but it's them being in the wrong

situation because the family has chosen to work in a certain way. That's how you would see it.

This story is quite a story and I was surprised that God wanted to deal with this story because

I've always avoided it with great skill. To begin with, on your sheet of paper, we see

different titles so we'll deal with each of them. First, we need to understand the story. We need

to understand who Jeroboam was. Jeroboam was the king of the northern tribes of Israel. Israel by

now had been divided into two. There was Judah and there was Israel. Judah was one tribe. The rest of

the 11 tribes were called the northern kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam was the king of the northern

tribes of Israel and he was not a nice guy. His mother's name was Zerua. Zerua means leperous.

His mother was a leper. His mother's name was Zerua. It's in 1 Kings 11, 26. You find that his

mother was leperous. Now we take the Old Testament and examine it from the eyes of the New Testament

and Jeroboam is a system. Jeroboam is a system. Here is a king who represents a system and the

first thing we know about the system is that it is leperous. It is born out of leprosy. It is

leperous meaning it is isolated. It is isolated. It is cast out.

It is a loner. It's that kind of a system. So the first thing we understand about Jeroboam,

the system that Jeroboam represents, is that this system is isolated. It is cast out and

it usually works on its own. It's a loner. No, Jeroboam actually means I will content for the

people or I will plead the cause of the people. That's what the word Jeroboam means. Jeroboam has

nothing to do with I will contend for God or I will contend for the cause of God. Jeroboam means

I will contend for the cause of the people. That's the second part of the system where it's a system

that contends for the cause of the people. Guys, pay attention to this because you have to figure

out if areas of your life are absorbed in a system like this because if it is, it's a wrong land.

It is leprous meaning what spawns this land is something that is cast out, something that has

come because it's been splintered, because it's been divided, because it's been isolated from

normalcy. I would say to you that you will spawn Jeroboam if you choose to be isolated. I guarantee

you that. Let me say that again. You will spawn Jeroboam if you choose to be isolated.

I always say this, you cannot live together alone.

This is the system. It can apply to a church, it can apply to your life, it can apply to most

anything. For instance, if you are part of a church that contends for the cause of the people,

then it is a system that is typical of Jeroboam. If you are from a group or a group of people or

a church or a family that is isolated or you are part of a church and choose to be isolated,

you will spawn Jeroboam. It's just natural.

Lepers were always outcasts and so I would say very often churches that come out of splits or

that have removed themselves or are cast out or that have broken off and decided to build themselves

without being sent will spawn a Jeroboam-like system.

Content for the cause of people, it's when the aims are not God's. The aims are how can I make

Anne happy and how can I still make Matt happy while making Anne happy and making sure that she

doesn't know that I have made them both happy because now if she finds out I'll have to make

her happy and he may not be happy about it. And then there's James. So Jeroboam contends for the

cause of people and he did things for the cause of the people guys. He did amazing things. He

decided that now that I've become king I'll set up an altar at Bethel and I'll set up an altar at

Dan. Why? Because then people won't have to travel all the way to Jerusalem which wasn't really very

far. They will stay at Dan and Bethel and then he thought they have a real altar at

Jerusalem so I'll build a golden calf and I'll say children of Israel come worship this golden

calf. Remember Aaron created this in the desert? I now legitimize it as king and then he built

another golden calf at Dan and he said come worship this and so he made objects of worship

that were both palatable to the Israelites and the Canaanites.

A Jeroboam system will make everything attractive, engaging, appetizing to your needs or the soul.

People pleases.

Another thing that Jeroboam did is he decided that the Levites don't have to be priests.

He said you know what don't want an order called Levites who are set apart and sanctified for God's

worship. Anybody can be a priest. So he decided anyone who wants to be a priest come come you

want to be priest come everybody. Oh you don't need to be separated no need of holiness no need of

being sanctified before God everyone come. Made it an open friendly non it was there was no need of

separation there was no need of a lifestyle of that was separate to be a priest.

That's another thing Jeroboam does. Then he went a step further he decided that the feast of the

tabernacles is a feast that celebrates rest dependence on God and the harvest. Let's put

away that feast let's come up with a new feast that will celebrate just the harvest the work of your

hands. So he reinstituted another feast in the place of the feast of tabernacles.

Began to elevate the work of your hands as opposed to rest independence.

This applies tremendously the the the system of Jeroboam applies tremendously to churches guys

tremendously to churches. A little less to our individual lives. You have to find out with regard

to your individual lives do you prefer going to easy places to receive easy food regardless of

what area of your life it is. Would you rather be challenged would you rather be in your face by

God and by people or would you like some soft place to go to you know the best way to go to

soft places don't get engaged with people stay isolated no one will check you.

The less engaged a people are the more the lack of restraint.

When a vision begins to unite people restraint comes in

which is why as long as we can have church loosey goosey it's fine it'll be okay you can't step into

my space I can't step into your space your sin is your private matter what you do with your life is

your own. I got a news flash for you that was never how church was meant to be it was not meant to be

controlling but it was never meant to be the way we have made it.

This system dilutes beliefs so that they can be more palatable more engaging more appetizing.

This system builds golden carbs we talked about what golden carbs are months ago a golden calf is

anything that we create here on earth with our own hands that's what Aaron did in the desert he took

gold and with his hands he brought out a golden calf and he said to Israel here is your God while

Moses was faced to foist with the living God so much so that the mountain shook while that's

happening on the mountain here is a man creating a golden calf it's ridiculous but a golden calf is

that which is created with human wisdom and human hands so here's my question to you is there a

geroboamic system in your life where you and I still create things with our hands and our human

wisdom when you have financial troubles when I have an issue with my family and my friends

when I have an issue to deal with when I am struggling with something or when there is a

sickness what is your first resort is it human wisdom and human strength or is it the God of

Abraham who met you on Mount Sinai? Let me throw another one which will make us uncomfortable at

times how many streams do you drink out of? Do you drink out of Jerusalem, Dan and Bethel or have you

decided that Jerusalem is the primary altar that I will go and drink from?

You cannot drink out of multiple streams and expect the water to be less than muddy

your source

spiritual source what is your spiritual source is it Benny Hinn plus

Morris Cerullo plus Jacob plus Eddie plus four other prophets visiting plus

everyone who appears on it's a new day what is it what is your primary stream what have you decided

is going to be your plumb line what is it going to be?

No that's not wrong what I'm saying is I wish it was a plumb line like that where we have a primary

stream it's usually not the case we've got multiple streams I had multiple streams in my life for most

of my life oh by the way if you thought this was a nice message it's not

when you find that water is salty at one stage sweet at another stage

taste of almonds at some other place and then has coffee mixes in another place

where there's absolutely no sinking now I mean I know the taste of water from my tap every morning

there's a constancy to it

So when you have to just start getting mixed with that kind of thing when you're teaching some

foreign students?

Yeah yeah and none of the people I mentioned do I have a bone to pick with okay

so these were not deliberately chosen names these are names that rolled off my tongue because they

are names that are well known you heard of Jacob right? Jacob who? Okay Jacob who okay

any questions on Jeroboam before we go on if you want to find out more about Jeroboam you can

read first kings 12 the last few verses and you'll see that all I was saying all I'm saying is true

guys this is not about attendance okay it is not about attendance I mean why are Tino and Suhani

not here why can't Amrit come every week because they have kids that cannot come and stay here

through the night this is not about attendance it is about figuring out where your primary source is

a lot of this applies to church and again I say to you very very very very emphatically but very

gently that your life is affected by the corporate body that you have sewn yourself into so you have

only one or two choices either sew rightly so that you benefit or don't sew yourself so that you are

like a wind sock that turns whichever way the wind blows that's just the way it is

questions

don't be there's not a bowling alley okay if you feel like nine pins stand up and say no I don't

agree just because I say it a little strongly does not necessarily mean that it's correct

so if you don't think it's correct challenge me on it

how does it apply because I know what you're saying but I don't sort of see in my life

how I would be taking from multiple streams or if you're not somebody sort of like at this church

sort of church hops and goes all around the different churches looking and looking most

people here are sort of stable in acts 29 so good math so now when the next group of people come

and we increase in size you have principles to teach them yeah this is not about finding fault

with your life if you are feeling that you are at fault either deal with it or come and talk to me

then come and challenge it but sort it out sort it out I mean there are times when I've watched

stuff that people talk about on the demonic and we were sitting at white spot and we're talking

about it and it contradicts the bible but if you're famous and you say it it's good

many truths are created by repeating them over and over again they're still false but they are

passed off a truth because if you repeat a truth 20 times on on a channel it becomes a truth

what if iguanas really didn't fall off the tree and I told you a lie and you tell it to 20 other

people but they did fall off the tree let's move on to the prophet from juda

guys I'm I'm passionate about this gerobo multiple stream thing because it is important

for us in this house to recognize this guys your lives will be affected by what you are

what you are choosing to be a part of yeah yeah

no I think it's be aware of the systems that are around that can dilute and adulterate what

god is trying to do in your life right now do not be a drinker from many streams

it's not the way it works never the way god wanted it

I would take geroboam's life as an example other places where paul talks about you have 10,000

guardians but you have only one father why is it that when you accepted what we taught you

why is it that you're now opening your doors and letting anybody come and teach you things

that are completely contrary to what you were taught don't you know that even if an angel comes

and teaches you a message other than that was first preached with you and that you recognize

this truth that you should not even listen to the angels I don't know where it is but it's I'll get

it it's yeah came and said this to me yeah

yeah let's talk about the prophet from juda now this guy from juda we call him the judian prophet

the guy who came riding on a donkey man he was perhaps as courageous as Elijah Elijah went on

mount caramel and he challenged the prophets of Baal and Jezebel this guy who is from juda

rides 10 miles into enemy territory if you want to call it that because they were kind of at

kind of at they were not friendly with each other and he goes up to the king who has assumed

the role of a priest and is now burning incense on an altar to the golden calf and he goes up to

the king and he begins to tell the king that you are doing this is I mean just imagine that guys

it's like going up to one of the kings in the middle east and in the middle of a service and

telling him he's doing wrong and the king gets hopping mad he takes up his hand and he's going

to strike the guy when his hand begins to wither so this was a man of not this was not a he may

just be called the judian prophet but he was a guy of courage almost on par with Elijah he confronted

the king for his idolatry and then he stands firm against flattery he stands firm against the king's

wrath he stands firm against the lure of money that was offered to him by the king he stands

firm against it this guy was like what do you call that no like he had substance he had he had

he had substance man he was not some kind of a wishy-washy prophet who just turned up from nowhere

what else does he do guys look at his prophetic word look at the accuracy he tells the king that

300 years from now on this very altar the bones of false priests will be burned and then he says

there will be a king who arises and that the name of the king will be joseiah you know how much later

it happens 300 years later but he was so accurate in his prophecy that he names one of the six

people named in the bible ishmael was named jesus was named joseiah was named and a few others were

named a john was named and there are two more there are only six people that have been named

in the bible and this prophet was in charge of naming one of them he says 300 years from now

there'll be a king called joseiah and on this altar that you have built there will be bodies

that will be burnt it happens 300 years later he doesn't use the word 300 but he prophesies it

he doesn't use the word 300 but he prophesies it and it's for a time in the future

it was an accurate prophecy he was an accurate prophet

he seemed to know the ways of god you know the the word used in this chapter is the word of the lord

came to me and the hebrew usage of the word of the lord has been used seven times in this chapter

it's only used 12 times in the old testament out of it seven times it's used in this book

but that's just a thing on the side he seemed to be intimately acquainted with the ways

the heart and the character and the words of yave

and he seemed to have government governmental authority man when he said

when the king raised his hand to strike and the man said whatever he said the guy's hand withered

that's like peter when he said for a time now you will be blind and in act chapter nine or ten the

guy who was a sorcerer he goes blind it's like that he had that kind of power so it's quite

something that this man had this kind of power power and that at the king's displeasure without

saying a word his hand withered off and then at the prophet's pleasure he the hand was restored

so this was no ordinary man so when we think of this man being deceived please understand that

this was not an easy thing to happen this was a powerful man of god who ended up the way he ended

up it's strange such a strange story any questions

how what happened i mean how come a man who knows the voice of god who knows his ways and character

who has this kind of power in a matter of less than an hour and a half or two or three hours is

completely undone why how okay true true and that's yeah yeah so let's talk about the old

prophet from bethel we'll call him the old prophet from bethel now the old prophet from bethel was

perhaps from samuel's school of prophets samuel used to have samuel used to do this

journey where he would go from misbah to bethel to gilgal and he used to have this

journey that he used to do while he was the judge in israel and it is supposed that he established

schools there elijah also had schools in bethel later on so this man could have been trained he

was a resident of bethel he could have been trained by samuel it is possible

let's put it this way he had an idea of what it was to be the prophet of god he did have that idea

he perhaps was trained in one of samuel's schools in bethel but he had lived the strange thing is

if he had those abilities as a prophet he was living under geroboam yet he hadn't spoken a

word against geroboam so much so that god had to send a prophet from juda to speak to geroboam

here is a man who has an ability who is prophetic who has learned what it is to prophesy perhaps

under samuel he is called the old prophet right away he's not referred to as a diviner as in the

case of belim he's called a prophet and so here is a man who had the ability and yet lives in a

system that has the capacity to dilute anything and he lives in that system and he doesn't say

a word against it so much so that god now has to send a prophet from juda to bethel because this

man had now become part of the system he was part of a defective system and in being part of the

defective system he had taken on the standards of apostate israel

it happens easily guys this is why again gosh you know that i'm not after you in this church i do

not want membership you know that i say i do not want and i say axe 29 does not want membership

that is not the point so do not worry about membership here but guys it is important that

we lock into a place where you know without a shadow of a doubt that your inheritance will

prosper because if you don't then that which is within you can lie dormant in a system

that will change it to look like itself

so connect to the right places guys

this man was cocooned in a climate of defiance i mean jeroboam defied god openly he didn't have

any problems defying god in every which way he was defying the god of israel and surprisingly

does god who put him in that position to be king actually it's how it happens is samuel goes and

tears off a piece from this man's robe and says here this piece is juda and it will stay as separate

and these 11 pieces will be the northern kingdoms so cocooned in a climate of defiance in having

multiple places of worship in a system that manipulates in a system of soulish religion

in a system that profanes the precious precious this prophet absorbed the values and the nature

of the kingdom he was living in guys there are many men and women of god

uh who have half finished lives and go to their graves because

they never entered into the proper land but tried to thrive in a land that was not allotted to them

i'm telling you the truth

it is the saddest saddest thing

any questions

i could i can never understand i could never in the past understand sadness like this

i could i can never understand i could never in the past understand sadness like this

but it is so sad when this happens

we'll figure out in 20 minutes we'll figure out

what if they think they are in the proper land i would say to you that anyone who is

has a heart that's pursuing god will always have sufficient speed bumps warning signs

invitations to step out of the boat that is the hardest part the reason people see this

invitations to step out of the boat that is the hardest part the reason people stay in the land

they are in is because to step into the land they are supposed to it requires a stepping out of the

boat that is why people don't do it i delayed stepping out of the boat because i was afraid

i could have come into the land i was supposed to sow in that was in that was my inheritance

perhaps earlier and i did not because i was scared

there are many i told you this there were 33 pastors who came to attend

the teaching we did when sue heidi and i went 33 men came and out of that 33 three have

have expressed a genuine desire to step out 30 went back saying it is not possible and before

we started the training i told them with all seriousness i said please leave now because if

you hear what i'm going to say from here on you will be responsible for what you hear so leave now

and they laughed said no no we can handle it and i said i'm not kidding you leave now because you

will be held responsible for what you're going to hear and they said no it's okay and they stayed

there and when it was done when we asked 30 of them will not go will not step out of the boat

because if they step out of the boat they will anger their physical fathers they will anger

their congregation they will lose their source of secure income they will lose their congregations

there's too much of a cost to pay so they will not so to answer your question there will be

opportunities for those who are gang ho or not gang ho those who are have decided i want to pursue

all the inheritance god has for me these people will have opportunities invitations speed blocks

warnings to help them step out of the boat into the land what seems like water becomes terra firma

under your feet when you step out of the boat so with that group what is some examples of them

stepping out of the boat that they refused to do all these things i told you they would lose all this

no but what what what was what was the actual thing that they had to do like they would have

if they began to live by the teachings that were taught they would have to change everything

everything was set according to this system pleasing man having multiple options so that

everyone is happy diluting things yeah but so what do they stop doing that or they start like

what is that you would have to change it man like it's like it's like if you told someone how to

paint and they've been painting wrong all their lives and you say paint the other way if you want

to work here and they say no there's nothing you can do it's teaching a new way of doing things

doing things i had to learn it i'm still learning it we had to learn it with regard to the money

thing that happened but i could have said no no no that's too dangerous a thing if we want to

give eddie or if we want to give anyone we'll keep raising because if we touch the money that

comes into the church that will upset our budget and if it upsets our budget i may not get paid

i cannot afford that so let's not do that it's a fair thought remember budgets only pay off your

debts we don't live by budgets or savings we live by

selfless right on girl

now let's look at the intent of each of these men let's look at the intent of each of these men

what was jero bohme's intent in inviting the priest inviting the prophet to dinner he says

come come come to my home and eat with me what is his intent

after the man's hand was healed he says come home have dinner with me what was jero bohme's intent

what is the king's intent to bring him on his side why the word that was spoken was harsh so

the hand is restored now and he says come home for dinner so why would jero bohme what is his intent

he wants to get into that system jero bohme wanted the prophet to enter into his system

table fellowship or dining was the ultimate expression of friendship guys

in that culture and even in many other cultures today to enter into table fellowship was ah you're

my brother now and what the king was trying to do he had just heard this tough prophecy that he saw

the altar split which was like the desecration of an altar that he had promoted amongst the people

now he had a black face among in front of the people i mean imagine he's erected an altar he's

got a golden calf in the background he's worshiping it and in the middle of that by the hand of god

the altar splits and the ashes fall it's like you've lost any ground to stand on

the hand is healed he says come because he knew the moment the man came and ate with him he would

now have saved his face in front of the people because the people would have said aha the prophet

went and dined with the king so things are okay too he was trying to draw the man into his system

that's what jero bohme's intent was

what is the judi and prophets intent in not eating it's kind of obvious

it's kind of obvious

yeah god told him not to and the prophet refuses to dine with the king knowing that one it would

violate god's explicit directions and two if he ate with the king it would

indicate approval for the king's method and behavior so on one hand he wouldn't eat with

the king because he god specifically told him go finish your work do not eat or drink go back and

not by the same way very clear instructions so one it would be a violation of the instructions

two the moment he ate with the king he would be indicating his approval of the king

this is why paul later on in the new testament says with some people do not even eat with them

because your very association with them would be a sign of your approval on them

what is the old prophet's intent why did he call this man over for dinner we're not talking about

whether he lied or told the truth but what do you think was the old prophet's intent why did he call

the man for dinner

by lying

to see what the outcome was

right on see the old prophet was part of the defective system of jeroboam

what he was doing or his intent because he knew everything his sons came and told him what had

happened and what the judian prophet had spoken that he is not to eat he's to go by a different

way he knew everything there was nothing hidden from him he goes and invites the judian prophet

home because he knew that if this invitation worked and the man came and ate with him then

immediately the land would know that this prophet did not obey explicit word of god given to him

therefore it would question everything else he said on behalf of god to the king

disqualify him it would question the validity of anything the man said by having him come and eat

it would be a violation of god's word and if this prophet can throw aside god's word and eat that

means even the other stuff that he said to jeroboam at the altar could be suspect the whole idea was

to invalidate

but what about the prophetic word the word would be rendered useless it would bring question

it would it would bring question on the word of god it would

but that's only part of it it's literally like moses striking the rock three times

and being stuck away from the

inheritance we we cannot satisfy bits we are very selective in our obedience

here is a place where a man spoke two things he said let's read those two things go to first king 13

the first thing he said was this oh alter alter

oh sorry guys the the yeah sorry verse three he cried out against the altar by the word of the lord

oh alter alter this is what the lord says a son named joseiah will be born to the house of david

on you he will sacrifice the priest of the high places who now make offerings here and human bones

will be burnt on you that is quite the fact that the lord said that he will sacrifice the priest of

the high places who now make offerings here and human bones will be burnt on you that is

quite an indictment of what jero-bom was building jero-bom was offering israel an altar to the golden

calf saying this is your god and here comes a man saying this altar is pathetic it is useless it's

abominable and then he goes on to say later on in verse eight but the man of god answered the king

he said I will not eat bread or drink water here nor would I eat bread or drink water here

for I was commanded by the word of the lord you must not eat bread or drink water or return by

the way you came so there are two sets of words delivered by god to this man he decides the old

prophet's whole intent was if i can get this guy to come and eat at my table then he has completely

disregarded what he said was a word of god if that is the case then now the other part can also be

jero-bom can be questioned that was the intent of this old prophet where now a man who once

used to speak for god goes to undermine those that speak for god the whole intent was to disqualify

the judian prophet and what he said that was why he went about doing this because he knew what had

happened you live under a defective system you live under a manipulative soulish system regardless

of whether it's a house or whether it is our lives I guarantee you it will cocoon you and

you will become part of it it's just natural it's impossible to live in a cesspool and not

become part of it you begin to smell of it you begin to smell of it

the intent of the old prophet was to compromise the word of god by compromising the judian prophet

let me say that again the intent of the old prophet was to compromise the word of god by

compromising the judian prophet the moment the judian prophet disobeyed god's words the rest of

what he said was also suspect especially in the eyes of jero-bom guys here is a king who's just

received a word and he's thinking to himself okay so the guy said this and that he breaks that so

this isn't as serious as it looks because he just broke what he said god told him specifically so

what kind of prophet is this who disregarded that so easily so why should it happen to me and these

were spokesmen of god guys this was the only way god spoke in those days so that was the intent of

the old prophet

old prophet

no but word would spread there like crazy i mean before this man could even cross the boundary his

sons had come and told him so guys if you turn your page here's a question what was the

under the title trap here's my question how did the man of god end up in this terrible predicament

why how or why i didn't even know how to frame the question what is that one thing that set the trap

going the lord said the message from the angel but what is the one thing before that that initiates

this whole trap what is it that springs this trap the question i use in that is going to

what is it before that

what is the one thing that could have completely caused this not to happen

a man was told and this was a common thing in the old testament guys god would give these

directions and this man knew the distance between bethel and juda is 10 miles that's all 10 miles

this man was told to go give a word finish the word not eat or drink and go home by a different

way there were other prophets that were told this elijah tells a young prophet go to jahoo

prophesy on him as soon as you finish prophesying flee

lord's wife was told come out but as you come out do not for a second look back this man knew how

this works embedded in this command of god is a simple there was a simple understanding that you

go finish you leave this man on a 10 mile journey decides to sit under the shade of the orc of

gerobo you know this orc was one of the few orcs on that way they say that this orc was so specific

that it was they could have almost called it the orc it's like hey let's meet at let's meet at

gm place everybody knows gm place so let's meet at the hollow tree everybody knows the hollow tree

in sandy park it's not hollow anymore but it used to be that way before it's like that he was found

sitting under the shaker shade of the orc in the land of gerobo had he had left early the sons come

and tell the old prophet the old prophet saddles a donkey and goes chasing after him hoping that he

will catch him there was no need to be caught in deception or caught by the deceiver but he made

the mistake of sitting of sitting under an orc in the kingdom of gerobo which he knew was a kingdom

that was abominable and was waiting the wrath of god if it was a long journey it is understandable

it was a 10 mile journey had he not camped the old prophet would never have caught up

with the devil

no i would i would not even look at the world or at the devil immediately i would just look at our

lives and because this is pertaining to our lives not the world and i would say that any

thing that begins to compromise me because i have now sought to sit under the shade of the orcs in

gerobo's territory is something that i have to deal with

yeah the old prophet could be i could come as an old prophet to you and i could lure you into sitting

in a land time sharing in the wrong land i could do that

because at that moment i am living under a system that is so deceptive that deception has become

part of me so i would love to deceive you i think i'm doing the right thing in fact god uses me later

to correct you but deception has become part of my life because i live under a deceptive system

it's the same principle we we are not to look at the world in this guys we have to look at

ourselves when you begin to time share in a land that is wrong let me assure you that deception

will catch up with you and we'll talk about that some more we'll talk about the principles that

we can draw from this any questions before we go on let me finish the line and then you can ask

questions guys the reason the lion was brought in was simply this one the lion was merely to guard

the body of the prophet so that it would not return to the land that he came from and get

buried there because the old prophet after he lies speaks the truth and he says because you have not

listened to god your body will not return back to the land that you came from so when a lion usually

stands next to a body it's highly unlikely that someone will have the guts to go take it for a

burial so part of the reason why the lion was there is so that this body is not taken to the land it

came from secondly the reason god sent the lion to attack this man and he's lying on the floor

he's not ripped apart and the donkey donkey is standing there is because god wanted to show

jero-bombs kingdom that what this man spoke was actually true the the way this man died made it

very obvious that this man was sent his his death was a miracle his death was a sign

let me let me put it this way the the prophet was killed in this fashion so that it would make it

obvious that it was not an accident but the hand of god in both disciplining him and in the validity

of the word spoken let me say that again the prophet was killed in the fashion that he was

killed in to make it obvious that it was not an accident no one who saw that scene would go back

and say poor guy got attacked by a lion anybody who would look at it would say man and that lion

was there and he was just standing there next to the prophet's body and there was a donkey and the

lion and the donkey were happy and the lion and the dead prophet were happy and no one was eating

up anybody and it was a sign that this prophet was punished because he disobeyed god's word and if

this is how god dealt with this prophet then we know that this prophet was sent from god and

therefore it validates everything else he spoke to so in that one death in that one miraculous sign

of death god was achieving two ends one he was bringing forth discipline to show that this man

did break the word and therefore he has died a death and two he was saying this was no accident

i did it to him to show you that what he was spoken before was also true

and his grave 300 years later his grave was still there it reminded people of what happened when you

go to second kings 23 you'll find it joseph looks at the grave and he says whose grave is this and

they said this was the grave of the prophet who was killed by a lion 300 years later he was still

remembered for what he did in splitting the altar and for prophesying that on this altar the bones

of priests will be burnt and you know who burnt it joseph and he was still there and he was still

alive so in his death he became a prophetic voice i plead with you may your deaths not be a prophetic

voice i have seen far no not far too many i've seen few too many whose death has been a lesson

to learn from i do not want my death to be a prophetic voice to axe 29 and i pray god that

you do not canonize me and what i mean by that is don't just talk about how wonderful i was

i'm telling you man i'm so tired of of the of the whitewash that happens with people when they die

is god taking you home or something

may my debt never amount to a prophetic warning to my children if it does may you not canonize me

but learn lessons from it let me put that again and i really put this down as one of the principles

we can draw may my debt never amount to a prophetic warning to you and if it does may you not canonize

me but learn from learn lessons from it if for whatever reason i mess around and squander my

inheritance and i die early before my time and god will make it obvious to you then may you not

say what a wonderful guy he was but may you learn from the lessons of the mistakes i made that cost

my death

when we canonize people after they die know we make them what they are not and we do not learn

from what happened to them

any questions guys i want to live and i want to live right and i plan to be around as long as he

wants me to and i expect to know when he's going to take me home

and i want to live and i want to live right and i plan to be around as long as he

wants me when i expect to know when he's going to take me home

yep

i don't know i just know that 10 miles was

And if it's hot, then it's quite natural to take a break under a tree on the way back.

That's a law.

True.

But I would look at it this way.

He comes from a prophetic tradition where prophets knew what it was to walk naked for

a year without bearing their loincloths and mud walls, sleeping on one side, shaving their

heads and burning one third of it.

They knew what it was to serve God.

This man was a man of courage.

He had the metal for it.

Let me just finish.

I'm just trying to prove a point.

And he also knew what was inbuilt when God said, go, do what I have told you to, do not

eat or drink, take a different route and come back.

He knew that it did not involve stopping.

It was something most prophets knew.

I would say I was making allowance for him if it was longer.

I could understand a guy if he had to travel miles like Joseph and Mary did or something.

But for a 10-mile journey, no.

I was riding on a donkey.

But let's assume the sun was hot and he ran out of water.

But the reason I offered the 10 miles was out of my sympathy for him.

Maybe he was getting the donkey.

This is a strange church.

We begin to sympathize with the donkey now.

At one point when Chris was reading it, she said, and then the donkey said, yeah, it's

on the tape.

Yeah.

So I was making allowances for him.

Why would he stop at a just utter defiance of God?

He made a mistake.

He made a big mistake.

And it's a mistake we make.

We seek the shade of oak trees in a land that is wrong.

And I can tell you, I've done it.

I can tell you, you've done it.

So what are real life examples?

We are coming to that in 15 minutes.

Hey, Elijah did the same thing.

Finished this big thing with Jezebel and then was frightened by a whisper.

Peter, the ultimate apostle, stood and spoke to 3000, had the keys of the kingdom of heaven,

opened the keys, opened the kingdom of heaven for the rest of the world.

And then because of the fear of people, Jerobo, they plead, Jerobo means to plead the cause

of the people.

Because of the fear of people in Galatians 2, 11 to 13, Peter, when the Jews come, moves

away from Paul and Barnabas and goes and sits with the Jews so he can eat with them and

pretend that circumcision is the ultimate goal.

Fortunately in that case, Paul stood up and said, what the heck are you doing?

And Peter later said, he says hard things.

So it happens on a regular basis, man, to sit under the shade of the oak because the

shade of the oak is pleasant.

It must have been a hot day.

Principles.

Guys, Jeroboam is a human system.

We've talked about that.

It is effective in churches.

It is effective in our lives.

Check and see the things that you and I do because we plead the cause of people.

I just want to share something that happened on Friday night.

Anne and Elmer and I were meeting with a group of people and because the conversation was

very jovial and fluffy and nice, I told Anne and Elmer, let's break bread with these people

and see what God wants to do with them.

As I saw the conversation going and the Lord had said break bread with them, I thought

to myself, I'll sound like a real holy guy if I bring up this whole breaking of bread

thing.

So Anne came with the bread and the grape juice and I said to Anne, don't worry about

it.

I went home and I'm driving home and I knew what I had done.

I pleaded the cause of the people.

I saw how they were.

I had heard what God had said, but I went with what the people wanted.

I'm driving home, the Lord said, you know, you did miss out on an opportunity because

I wanted to have these people speak into your life and then I wanted you three to speak

into their lives and now the opportunity is gone.

And there was such hurt in my heart for not because of just missing what I did, but the

reason I missed out on it for.

It was because I pleaded the cause of the people.

And so I called them up, I apologized to them and told them I repented what I had done.

Then fortunately I was able to call those people up and finish what God wanted to do

with them.

I would have been far more effective if the three of us had done it together.

Check in your lives how much of your life is shaped by the cause of the people in your

lives in opposition to what God wants to do.

Guys, regardless of how gifted you are, if chunks of your life are spent in Jeroboam

like territory, then your life and mission will be undermined.

Regardless of how gifted you and I are, if chunks of our life are lived around Jeroboam's

table, if that's where we spend most of our time, and by Jeroboam what do I mean?

All those things I told you in the beginning, that kind of a system that is manipulative,

that is soulish, that pleads the cause of people, that exalts the work of your hands,

and that brings to nothing rest and dependence on God.

Are you a self-made man or woman?

I have great pity for people like that.

Am I a self-made man?

Then I am the worst off from this lot here.

Anyone who is self-made works by the power of his hands when God is calling us to rest

and dependence.

The feast of tabernacles is not a part of my life if I am a self-made man.

And so on it goes.

Moving on, what Jeroboam didn't achieve directly, the old prophet did through deception.

Hey guy, you know when to change the tape, right?

Okay.

What Jeroboam didn't achieve directly, the old prophet did through deception.

It's like Balaam guys.

I suggest to you that whenever there is a frontal attack on your life and you repulse

it, do not get comfortable because there is always a subtle second or third attempt that

is coming.

Let me say that again.

Whenever there is a frontal attack on your life, be it your marriage, be it your finances,

be it your children, be it your body, whatever it be, whenever there is a frontal attack,

know that after you have overcome it, do not sit easy like Elijah did because there will

be a second or third subtle attempt.

Balaam could not achieve what he wanted through cursing Israel, so he brought Moabite women

to seduce Israel and got the same results.

Jeroboam could not get the Judean prophet to come for dinner, but he did achieve that

through another pawn in his kingdom who did exactly what the man had avoided the first

time.

There is a subtler second or third attempt that will be made.

That is when you have to stand up.

The other thing I want to say is be careful, and this is an important one, be careful when

you minister to structures that are defective or old.

Be careful when you interact with structures that are defective or old or when you minister

to structures that are defective or old because after you have tried tearing down those structures,

they will turn around and will try to fit you in through money, fame, flattery, dilution

or fellowship.

Let me say it again.

When you minister to old structures that are defective, and now I am talking about ministering

as in terms of your spiritual mandate or the church's ministering to old structures, whenever

you minister to old or defective structures, be aware that once you have tried tearing

things down in that old structure, it will turn around and try to make you a part of

it through money, fame, flattery, and through fellowship.

They will have a tendency to fit you in after you have tried to tear it down, and it will

happen through money, fame, flattery, or fellowship.

May I also say to you that there are many great women and men of God who were trailblazers

and were supposed to have gone miles and miles by now who initially came to destroy structures

and now have become a part of that structure through fame, through money, through fellowship

in a land that was wrong.

Many many many many many.

And God forbid that that should happen to me or you.

It was very easy guys.

The other thing we got, we might actually finish in 15 minutes.

The other thing, the Judean prophet was sent, the old prophet went.

In verse 1, we see that the Judean prophet was sent.

In verse 14, we see that the old prophet went.

Unfortunately, the sent one failed to discern the went one.

It's very sad.

The sent one failed to discern the went one.

Why?

Because the sent one disconnected from the mandate of the sender.

Let me write that down.

It's not just a play on words.

The Judean prophet JP was sent.

The old prophet OP was went.

The Judean prophet JP was sent.

The old prophet OP was went.

The sent one failed to discern the went one.

Because the sent one disconnected from the mandate of the sender.

A sent one should always be aware of went ones.

A sent one can discern it.

There have been people who have come to Acts 29 who were not sent who were went.

And we have denied them a platform.

A went one is one who comes on his own, not in the name.

We sang that song sent.

We come not in our name, but in the name of the Lord.

We represent not our fame, but the fame of our God.

We are not here to grow in riches or to seek the things of the world.

But we are here to grow in the stature of the one who rules the world.

The point is there are some people that are sent and you know when God is sending someone

and you know others who go because they have abilities, talents, giftings.

But they have never been sent to you at that time.

And when that happens, be very aware.

Do not accept what went ones have to give you.

Or if you accept it, accept it with great discerning because even donkeys can be used.

That is why when people say they will, you may not hear of it because I don't tell you

about it, but when people say they want to come to Acts 29 and perhaps they can share

something, very often I'll come up with a reason why they, why it won't work out.

Because we need to recognize those that are sent to us.

And it is possible to discern it.

You just know it.

Usually God will tell you ahead of time or God will tell you when the guy is speaking

or there will be something in what he's saying that resonates with what is inside you.

Like when you went to the church of Bristol with Pastor Jerry and he said that you were

to teach that day and it surprised him and it surprised his wife.

That was the case where this man did not know me.

Jerry, Pastor Jerry did not know me.

I came off the streets and yet in his heart he heard God saying, you are not to speak

today.

You're going to go up to that man and ask him to speak.

And he took a risk that I would be, I perhaps would not have taken.

I would have liked to take him, but it would have been difficult.

Yeah literally.

And that's how that whole relationship began.

But he was a man who discerned that Jacob was not coming in his name.

I knew the night before that I would be preaching there.

So while I'm flying into Bristol, I'm writing my notes for the next morning sermon.

And yet I didn't go and say, God has given me a word for your church.

I need to preach because if you're sent, then God who is the sender will open a door.

If you're went, you will have to open a door.

The went one came and said, no, no, no, it's okay.

Come for dinner because an angel came and told me that that that that that that that

you'll have to force open the door.

Sent ones need to discern went ones.

Recognize the ones who are went to you.

So you're discerning with what they offer you.

They will prophesy truth.

Then they will prophesy lies.

They will mourn and bury you and claim you as their own.

Went ones will prophesy the truth to you.

That's why I'm I'm wary of vent prophets and there are many of them around.

Went ones will prophesy to you after prophesying to you.

They will prophesy some truth and then there will be some lies.

Then they will mourn for you and then bury you and claim you as their own.

Guess who this Judean prophet was buried next to the whole prophet.

What's the reason for his death?

We understand why a wrong land is so, so dangerous to us.

Why it is important to know the field you are to cultivate and why you need a filter

around it to know who to let in and who not to let in.

Over the next week or perhaps two weeks, it'll become clearer in terms of how to keep our

land intact or keep what this land means in terms of inheritance.

It gets clearer.

It'll get clearer in the next three weeks and then if you keep listening to it, it'll

get clearer and clearer and clearer.

Like I said to you, I have to go and listen to these CDs because many of the things that

I'm saying are not in my notes, guys.

So I'll have to listen to it and in my car I'm sitting as if I'm listening to someone

else and I'm saying, oh shucks, that is an amazing point because I know that it has nothing

to do with me.

I'm being straight with you right now.

Guys, in Acts 29, if you want to speak God's word, then you've got to speak it publicly.

Please don't side up to someone and say I have a word for you when you have an opportunity

to speak it publicly.

If God says something to you and you do not have an opportunity to come and speak it here,

do come and either tell me about it later or tell me about it four days later or it

doesn't matter, but do make it known.

This is not because we want to control what is said.

It is because there is safety and order in it.

There are times when James has had a word or Ryan has had a word for someone and the

first thing James and Ryan did was to come to me after the service before the person

left and they came and said, do you know, this is what I think God is saying, can I

go and say it?

There are other times where Heidi has had a word or Anne has had a word and they go

and speak to the person, but they will come back and say, hey Jacob, I felt the Lord saying

this and this is what I said to the person.

It's not because they need to.

It's not a control thing or a monitoring thing.

And anyone who has come and done that, I've said, great, awesome man and I encourage.

But the point is there is safety and order in it and that's how it needs to be worked.

If I say something to a woman here in private or if I minister in a certain way, you know

what, I go and tell either Anne or Heidi or Chris or Wayne about it because I need to

be responsible too.

So in this house, either speak it publicly or if it comes later, do come and talk about

it because you are went if you do it on the side.

We don't want parking lot profits here, right?

We don't go up to people just before they're going to get into their car to give them a

word.

We have a house here.

Speak it out in the house.

If it is a rebuke, then you definitely need to come and talk about it before you rebuke.

Questions on that?

Disagreements, challenges, inability to understand that, feel free to ask right now.

There's no difference.

Okay, I get your question.

If it's directional, if it is something that you think is prophetic, then it should be

If you don't, it doesn't have to run through me.

You can go to Chris or Heidi or Wayne or Anne or Elmer and speak to them, tell them.

You don't have to necessarily tell me, but someone else needs to know.

A word of God that is given in a body, unless it's a rebuke or unless it's something that

has to do with something private, has to be shared in the house.

This is not a private tete-a-tete.

Doesn't have to necessarily come to me because I could be talking to somebody and the person

may be leaving.

So take someone else with you.

Guys, the other thing is, I don't think there are very rare opportunities when I have prophesied

on someone without someone else standing next to me because there has to be someone else

who can hear what you're saying so that it can be weighed.

It is a biblical precedent.

Has to be someone else who can weigh it.

So take someone with you.

Everybody's busy.

Take Chris.

You want to prophesy with Ryan?

Say, Chris, I have a word for Ryan.

Could you come with me?

Let's just pray for him and speak over him.

Ryan cannot turn around and say, that's not what you said because there's another witness

and you cannot turn around and say, but that's not what I said because there's another witness.

Everything has to be verified and weighed by two or three.

It's a biblical model.

Any other questions on that?

Guys, if you think this is not right or if it's chaffing, if it's chaffing for the right

reasons, apply powder.

But otherwise, tell me if you do not agree.

Please understand the same applies to me, guys.

I will practice it by the same method.

I do this, so I'm not saying something that I don't do.

I'll come and tell you.

I'll tell someone in the house.

Okay, moving on then.

I got three more points.

Oh no, two more points.

Guys, don't let the deception or deceiver catch up with you.

It only happens when you decide to sit under the shade of the oaks of Samaria or Jeroboam.

Don't let deception or the deceiver catch up with you.

It only happens when you sit under the shade of the oak of Jeroboam.

You know the word sit there that is used in the story actually is a Hebrew word called

yashab, which means to settle or to marry.

The word sit used in the story is the word yashab, which means to settle or to marry.

So do not settle down under the oak of Jeroboam in an area that you know is wrong, in a territory

that you know is wrong, in a system that you know is wrong, in a lifestyle that you know

is wrong.

Do not time share there.

Do not vacation there because I assure you in that short vacation, the old prophet will

catch up.

He will spin a yarn, deceive and your death will be the prophetic sign for the rest of

the people.

What a shame.

Don't let deception or the deceiver catch up with you.

Only happens when you decide to sit under the shade of the oaks of Jeroboam.

Catch up with you.

Catch up with you.

So what is your oak guys?

What is your oak?

How do you find out?

Where is it that you sit most under that you know is a vacation spot you shouldn't be sitting under?

What is it?

May I tell you that one spot you may not think of is no man's land.

It is where when we decide not to commit to something, that's one favorite vacation spot

for most Christians.

You don't have to commit to it.

You don't have to.

It's neither here or there.

It's like no man's land.

Is there a no man's land in your life when it comes to different areas of your life where

you're not committed to God but you're not running away from him too.

You're in the middle somewhere.

Surprisingly the Bible says reckon yourself dead to sin.

Consider yourself a slave to righteousness.

There is nothing between dead and righteousness.

Either you're dead or you're a slave.

I'm surprised that the no man's land that I vacation in in some areas of my life.

I mean I'm doing pretty decent as a Christian.

No man's land is an area where Lord I love you Lord but I love you from the spot.

Does that mean hockey?

Well is that the example you're thinking of?

No.

You and I need to talk.

Oh but the game with Phoenix was so cool man.

Burroughs had a hat trick, his second hat trick.

So it's no man's land for you hockey and lane watching?

No.

Moving on.

What is your no man's land?

Where do you find yourself most often sitting?

Which oak tree do you most often sit under?

Is it uncontrolled imagination?

Is it suspicion?

That's a surprising one.

I was surprised that God wanted that to be brought out.

Is it suspicion?

Do you spend a lot of time under this oak tree called suspicion?

Where you're suspicious of your friends, your boss, your wife, your child, your father, your mother, your church.

Continuous suspicion.

Is it an oak tree of isolation where you spend all your life living together alone?

Which is an oxymoron if you didn't realize it by now.

Is it lust?

Is that a favorite oak tree to sit under?

Is it self pity?

Is it control?

Is it bitterness?

Or here's another one.

Is it always looking for the speck or the plank in someone else's eye?

Completely oblivious to both of them in your eye.

That'd be a whole forest of oak trees, man.

So which oak tree do you most often sit under?

Guys, the strange thing with things that are holy and things that are unholy is this.

And it's in Haggai 2.12.

Let's assume that this napkin is holy because this bottle is holy.

Now, Haggai 2.12 says this.

If something unholy touches you, are you unholy?

Yes. But if something holy touches you, do you become holy?

No.

It's just the way it works, guys.

When you live in an environment that is polluted, you will be affected by it.

But just because you're not polluted, if you go and touch an environment that is polluted,

doesn't mean the whole thing changes.

Meaning it doesn't work both ways.

God asks Israel, does meat, meat, and meat have a different nature?

God asks Israel, this meat is holy.

If it touches you, do you become holy?

No. But if you touch a dead body, do you become unholy?

Yes.

I think I'm confused you good enough.

Turn to Haggai 2.12.

So glad God knows how to put these words properly.

Man, that should be confusing on the tape too.

Haggai, Haggai 2.12.

It's just in any age.

Yeah.

Okay, starting. Here goes.

Ask the priest what the law says.

If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment,

and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil, or other food,

does it become consecrated?

The priest answered, no.

Then Haggai said, if a person defiled by the contact with a dead body

touches one of those things, does it become defiled?

Yes, it becomes defiled.

So it is with these people and the nation in my sight.

And then it goes on.

The principle I'm trying to get at from Haggai 2.12

is that it is impossible to live in a defective system.

It is impossible to live in a vacation spot in the wrong land.

It is impossible to time share a property that you know is not in the land allotted to you,

and come out of there without problems.

Let's turn to Proverbs 4.

I just remembered a beautiful scripture that God will put as a nail in this coffin.

Jacob, in the Amplified it says,

holiness is not infectious, but unholiness is infectious.

Nice. Holiness is not infectious, but unholiness is infectious.

Now turn to Proverbs 4 or 5.

I'm not sure.

Let me see.

It talks about taking fire in your pants.

Yeah.

You know, that's exactly what I thought of when I read it, Joan.

Where is it?

It says, can you take coal in your lap and not get burnt?

Shucks.

I just saw it the day before yesterday morning.

Yeah.

Okay, too bad.

Father, please find it, Lord.

Okay. While someone looks for it, we'll move on.

When I say someone, it usually means one person, not all of you.

So, Joan, if you can just look for it.

Yeah, it takes too much time.

Next they'll be accusing me of hockey, planes, and iPods.

Sorry?

Proverbs 4.14.

No.

6.28. Okay, now the game begins.

Yeah, 6.27.

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burnt?

The obvious answer from December 25th's bomber is no.

Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?

So it is who sleeps with another man's wife.

So let's rephrase that.

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burnt? No.

Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? No.

Can someone who vacations or time shares in a wrong land come away untouched or unfunished? No.

Finally, guys, if you're unable to leave the shade of the oak that you are presently under, please call for help.

We meet here every Thursday for ministry from 9 to 9 anytime you want to.

So if there is an oak that you have been sitting under and you've gotten so attached to that oak tree and you're a tree hugger now,

I'd suggest that you call for help. Do not wallow in your vomit.

I've had people pull me out of my vomit so I know that it works when others stand next to you.

Finally, the last point.

Guys, Psalm 37.23 says, God orders our steps.

The steps of righteous man are ordered of God.

So I want us to know this, that when it comes to living in the right land and not laboring in the wrong land,

on one hand, God orders your steps.

Tell me something. How do you order somebody's steps?

Let's get real. This God is not someone who speaks vaguely.

He says, I do not speak in obtuse riddles. I say things clearly.

So when God says, I order your steps, how does he do it?

How do you order your child's steps? How do you, Mr. James, order your child's steps?

What do you do?

Teach. How? Direct. With voice, with help, with hand, with gestures, every which way you will order the steps of your children.

God is saying, Jacob, you have been made righteous. You're a righteous man. I will order your steps.

God orders our steps. We should be confident of this in 2010.

It is a great confidence to know that God orders my steps in 2010.

But here's where the other part comes in. God orders our steps, but we establish them.

God orders our steps, but we establish them.

For instance, last Sunday, Sarah was running after Travis.

Travis was ordering her steps, but Sarah was not established enough in them,

and I think she knocked herself against the wall and came crying.

Big deal. Nothing happened. I hope you didn't make much of a fuss about that.

But the point is, oh, you did. Okay.

The point is, Travis ordered Sarah's steps. Sarah did not establish her steps and crashed into the wall.

It's the same way, guys. Every day of the rest of your life, God will order your steps, but you have to establish them.

How do you establish them? You establish them by examining them, pondering on them, looking at them, saying,

okay, I have seen what you have said. I will walk in it even though I see two or three steps at a time.

That's how you do it. Every time.

You know, this $10,000 that we got yesterday,

I know what God wants to do. I have an idea of what God wants to do with a portion of it already.

I haven't told anybody yet. When we sit together to talk about it, we will.

I have an idea because God has already ordered part of what we need to do.

Now, will we do it or not? That is completely up to us.

We have to ponder what God has said, and it will depend on whether we establish that.

Isaiah 7, 9 says the same thing. Isaiah 7, 9 says, have you received a prophetic word?

A prophetic word is spoken by God, but it is established when you believe it.

Isaiah 7, 9.

A prophetic word that is spoken is not established till you believe it.

So do not blame a prophet if the word doesn't come true.

First ask, did you believe it?

God orders the steps, but we need to establish them.

You know, let me read you something from the message.

Here's a father talking to his son in Proverbs.

Dear friend, or a friend talking to a friend.

Dear friend, pay close attention to this.

My li... and then he goes on.

Let me tell you something.

Let me tell you how to have good sense so that you'll keep out of trouble.

The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet.

Her soft words are oh so smooth.

But it won't be long before she's gravel in your mouth,

a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.

She's dancing down the primrose path to death.

She's headed straight for hell and taking you with her.

She hasn't a clue about real life, about who she is or where she's going.

So my friend, listen closely.

Don't treat my words casually.

Keep your distance from such a woman.

Absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.

You don't want to squander your wonderful life

to waste your precious life among the hard-hearted.

Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?

Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?

You don't want to end your life full of regrets,

nothing but sin and bones, saying,

oh, why didn't I do what they told me to?

Why did I reject a disciplined life?

Why didn't I listen to my mentors?

Why didn't I listen to my friends?

Why didn't I listen to my family?

Why didn't I listen to my mentors?

Or take my teachers seriously?

My life is ruined.

I haven't one blessed thing to show for my life.

Why am I reading that?

Because guys, it's one thing to have our steps ordered.

It's another thing to establish them.

Here is a father telling his son, listen, don't go down that path.

Ponder your path, Proverbs 5 says, before you take them.

Our steps are already ordained by God, but decide to walk in them.

Establish what God has ordained for you by walking in them.

God has established it by believing it and walking in it.

This is why you need an inheritance that is legible for you to look at

so that you can begin to do this, guys.

So that I can begin to do this.

Every time I say you, you understand that I'm saying me too.

Life is plotted in the gap between ordering and establishing.

God orders, we establish.

Life happens between these in this gap.

This is where life happens.

Fascinating.

Everything in your life for 2010.

God orders.

And just as you do with your little children, you can hear his instruction.

I guarantee you.

I only say to you, do not be like the horse or the mule who needs bit and bridle.

No, no, no and go, man.

But between him ordering and between you establishing,

that's where everything happens.

That's where faith happens or does not happen.

That's where obedience happens or does not happen.

That's where discernment happens or does not happen.

And that's where patience happens or does not happen.

Good for you.

Because I know you're sensitive about Sarah.

So that's why I said what I said.

Well, that means that there's no life after established.

If you say everything happens between the orders and established,

then you've got a whole bunch of happen after the establishment.

After you establish, you walk in the steps.

But I'm saying, you walk in the steps.

You walk in the steps.

You walk in the steps.

After you establish, you walk in the steps.

But I'm saying your life is determined.

Let me change the words.

Life is determined between ordering and establishing.

Life is determined there.

You guys who failed at this Abraham, guys who failed at this Jacob,

guys who failed at this Peter, guys who failed at this David,

guys who failed at this, tell me when to stop, Moses.

Well, that means everybody failed at it.

So that's...

Not Jesus.

Yeah, Jesus championed this.

Yeah, and he had the same advantage as you, Diana.

I'm not arguing that.

No, I know. I'm just making a statement.

I really don't understand this.

I mean, I understand it to a point.

But the whole point of the establishing is the abundant life that God has given.

Yeah, so let's say life is determined between your steps being ordered

and your steps being established.

So if I'm given an order, will I have the faith to believe it so that it be established?

If I'm given an order, I might have the faith to believe it, but will I obey it?

Faith without words is dead.

If I'm ordered something, will I have the discernment to know when the false...

or when the old prophet comes my way and tells me something else?

When I have been...when my steps have been ordered, will I have the patience to see it complete?

Or will I, like Abraham, go after Hagar?

Because according to how I determine life between ordering and establishing,

either I have Ishmael or I enter the...or I am denied entry into the promised land

and so on.

It's endless.

So it is determined here.

So God orders our steps, but after ordering, what do you do with faith, obedience, discernment and patience?

Depending on that, your steps will either...

Depending on that, you will establish what God has ordered or you will leave it unestablished.

That's how it works.

What's discernment?

Discernment.

Discernment?

Yeah.

I have discernment before...

Could be.

I haven't put it in any order.

It could be shuffled around.

Yeah.

Go ahead.

So instead of saying life happens between orders and establishments, life is determined.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Life is determined.

And that's how things are established, guys.

That's how things are established.

Did you do the same thing with the time and the season?

Who did it right?

Abraham.

Joseph.

All the guys I said failed also succeeded.

Abraham, Joseph.

Abraham succeeded when he was said, you will be the father of many nations.

He had the faith for it.

He was fully persuaded, so he was obedient.

When he looked at the stars at times and thought his son would come through Eliezer, he reminded himself that that's not the way it would be.

When the vultures came to eat up his sacrifice, he thought he would be the father of many nations.

When the vultures came to eat up his sacrifice, he went and chased the vultures away, which was a way of signifying that what God had told him was still alive and the vultures that would try to deaden his vision would not get their way.

He was patient.

At 99, he bore a child.

Let's take David.

David had sufficient faith to know that he would be a king.

He went through years of running as a refugee but was patient and still stuck with it.

He was discerning enough to know that even though he had saw it as his mercy and could have killed him in a second, that he chose not to and let him go because he would become king authentically.

And David was obedient at the same time.

He was very disobedient to it.

It can go on and on and on with everyone who failed.

There are stories of success too.

So God orders the steps and we establish it.

Psalm 37 23.

Yeah, Psalm 37 23.

The only two guys who really get a good mention from God are Daniel and

Daniel doesn't.

There's one more guy who God actually even goes to the extent of saying even if they prayed for this, I wouldn't listen.

What God is trying to say was these two guys are really neat.

But even if they prayed, I wouldn't listen.

No, it was someone else.

I forgot.

Yeah.

Maybe it's I mean, Job Job really messed up, which is why we have three additional chapters in Job.

Otherwise, Job story would have ended up ended up in Job 38.

He was pretty upset with God.

Daniel and somebody else.

I don't remember who the other guy was.

They are supposed to be pretty decent.

What about?

He'd be an example of a man who definitely vacationed in the wrong land.

Yeah, poor guy.

Yeah, there are many different historical takes on what Judas, why Judas did what he did.

But as long as we stick with the scriptures, we can just assume things from that.

We know.

Guys, as usual, don't know how to conclude.

So feel free to go if you have any need for prayer.

Matt wants to say something.

I'm sort of been making progress on finding a computer and recorder to record the worship.

So something I presented the church to think about the vision I've been seeing is like when Jacob worships and he's got a set set list of songs, but then Holy Spirit comes in, maybe a piano part comes or a drum part and they start making it up and people speak in tongues and pray out in the audience.

So I've seen like handing around a microphone and then when people have words like in the middle, sometimes he stops and they'll have a word like God smart enough to use the computer that he can layer the speaking and people's words and their prayers and their stories and their testimonies with the music and the piano.

And like people could have it as a CD in their car.

If we record the whole thing over like a whole year, we can have like just a prayer CD or there's a healing seminar or people that you know how to do it.

Oh, yeah, I know how to.

Well, God is he knows.

Yeah, but I need so I need a laptop and to figure out all the most equipment to buy like microphones and stuff.

And for the people to start thinking about even when it's worship to if you're doing prayers in your own language, just speaking or the different people that sing.

And yeah, so I think it'll be awesome, but I need the equipment.

I need the laptop and need to know what to buy.

And then I need everybody's cooperation to like take the mic and like it's some people who are like Jacob.

He's the leader.

It's hard for other people saying to maybe be recorded, but it's good to know that with the computers you can edit out mistakes like Wayne.

Yeah.

And so like people that sometimes in the audience or the audience, the congregation, people, you'll hear them.

They're singing but not very loud because they don't really want everybody to hear because it's kind of hard.

But if we can get lots of people praising and worshiping out loud and then all record it and then people can have it in their cars or whatever.

OK, so Father, you heard it.

And if this is I don't think this is something that we can't do.

I just want us to know when to do it.

So let it come together in terms of equipment and in terms of time.

And if the church needs to do anything about it, do let us know.

Or if laptops have to appear for Matt out of the blue, so be it.

But we just acknowledge this idea before you right now.

We don't sense any thing that doesn't fit of us.

So made now evolve in your time and may Matt have the enthusiasm and the ability and the skills required for it.

Yeah.

Yep.

His rap.

His rap.

Start producing that stuff.

Yep.

Yep.

Yep.