Let greatness arise for nation which aligns with God's plan

I wrote this three hours (as published in my other blog) before today's result came out. Read my watchman’s notes at the end of this blog. How to read today’s event by spiritual watchman. Domino effects.

How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
How like a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The princess among the provinces
Has become a slave!
2 She weeps bitterly in the night,
Her tears are on her cheeks;
Among all her lovers
She has none to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into captivity,
Under affliction and hard servitude;
She dwells among the nations,
She finds no rest;
All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.
4 The roads to Zion mourn
Because no one comes to the set feasts.
All her gates are desolate;
Her priests sigh,
Her virgins are afflicted,
And she is in bitterness.
5 Her adversaries have become the master,
Her enemies prosper;
For the Lord has afflicted her
Because of the multitude of her transgressions.
Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy.
6 And from the daughter of Zion
All her splendor has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
That find no pasture,
That flee without strength
Before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and roaming,
Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things
That she had in the days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,
With no one to help her,
The adversaries saw her
And mocked at her downfall.[a]
11 All her people sigh,
They seek bread;
They have given their valuables for food to restore life.
“See, O Lord, and consider,
For I am scorned.”
19 “I called for my lovers,
But they deceived me;
My priests and my elders
Breathed their last in the city,
While they sought food
To restore their life.
(quoted partially from Lamentations 1)

Watchman’s notes: 

do not look at the surface of events. There are many spiritual implications like a domino set in motion today by one specific nation of the world. The Lament is not for that nation. It’s for the subsequent events of nations who will follow and the spiritual impact on the whole not the part. Another group will emerge. Watchman to read the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to see the big picture. Who are the allies and who are rising after this event. The change will take place. Spiritual events will take place. I have no specific words except that the Bible prophecies of the great power struggles and allies should be re-read to understand. Come out of the historical interpretation paradigm. It’s not as what the historical theologians had thought. Read the Book of Daniel and put in the names of the new nations or group of nations.

What do Christians do? watch and pray just as Jesus has told us to do.
Prayer: that the nation/nations that the Lord has raised to become great will become great by aligning with God’s words and His best plans for them.

a tale of two cities: a choice

This is the time to mourn. The church must wake up and mourn. I am talking to the church as a whole on earth, not just America, China, Europe, Africa, Asia, Third world or first world. I am calling out to both the traditional evangelical and the Spirit-filled and Bible believing-all who believe the reality and truthfulness of the words of God both Old and New Testament, from Genesis to revelation. This is the time to wake up from narrowness and exclusiveness. Just look at Jesus. The example He set while on earth! Look at the apostles, Peter’s call to the Gentile’s home, Paul’s call to the world of demons (idolatry-infested world), and all the apostles and disciples of the first church who were scattered all over the world before Christianity. No, I am not talking about missionaries going now to the foreign worlds. I am talking about your own home ground your own nation wherever you are if you can read English and this blog. Wake up and stop one thing before you go out and evangelize. Stop your physical mind’s prejudices. Look at Jesus. What He did not do and what He did. Be led by the Holy Spirit as you read.

My spirit urged me to summarize what Jesus did not do:
1. He did not ask a man of other faith to kill anyone (regardless what they believed in or their lifestyle was)in the name of God.
2. He did not condemn anyone except the religious hypocrites who stopped people from coming to Jesus and believing in the Good News Jesus brought to all mankind.
3. Even so, Jesus did not kill or send anyone to kill the hypocrites.
4. He did not condone anyone judging another.
5. He did not agree to using physical force (violence) to resolve injustice within a nation.

A summary of what Jesus did:
1. Jesus came to save sinners and healed the sick.
2. Jesus put forgiveness as number one consideration, even for His enemies.
3. Jesus associated/socialized with sinners.
4. Jesus showed love and compassions.
5. Jesus gave life.

By agreeing with the thieves who came in to steal, kill and destroy lives, the church becomes accomplice to murder. Don’t you ever realize that in the spiritual realm the territorial spirits fight among themselves? Their number one ruler does his own harvest of souls by pitching his subordinates one against another.

You may ask, when the time is so bleak and you need to choose between two imperfect candidates for your national number one, whom should you choose? Didn’t the Bible show you the history of Israel, in the bleakest time when they were besieged by the strongest enemies and their own weakest kings ever? What did God ask prophet Jeremiah do? Jeremiah became the national number one traitor because he gave his countrymen an oracle that they were to choose the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar instead of choosing the Egyptian king Necho II. There was no other option. God told them to choose Nebuchadnezzar. Did Nebuchadnezzar do a good job in finishing off the other enemies of God? He did. On the other hand, Necho II failed in his attempted conquests.

The Israelites refused to listen to the divine oracle and thus suffered defeat and were still taken to Babylon for a season to be cleansed, healed, to recuperate and restore their spiritual strength just as prophesied. These deportations are dated to 597 BC for the first, with others dated at 587/586 BC, and 582/581 BC respectively. After the fall of Babylon to the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, exiled Judeans were permitted to return to Jerusalem and Judah of Israel. The temple of Jerusalem and the walls were re-built. Worship of the true God resumed.

This is a record of the history of God. When Christians read God’s history and look at what Jesus did to demonstrate how things in this world are done, we will know what to choose and who to vote for. We shall always align with the plan of God even in the bleakest time in our own history. Look at Jesus and look at the two choices, which do you think is more like Nebuchadnezzar? Who do you think will bring your nation out of its weakling’s position? Who is the strong man? Who will be given the might to defeat the many foes inside and outside? Was Nebuchadnezzar a godly man? Not at the beginning. But in the book of Daniel he finally encountered the reality of the God of Israel, our God. And Nebuchadnezzar turned over a new leaf.

Jesus demonstrated this equally seemingly unusual choice by choosing the chief tax collector, the ungodly rich man Zacchaeus in the land of Israel as his host for a dinner party. The Son of God Himself gave this honor and privilege to a person disliked and even hated by many fellow Jews. In today’s term, a most un-Christian person. What happened after he encountered Jesus? He was transformed and saved. He did lots of good deeds to his fellow countrymen.

Summary: Look at the divine records.

heart condition matters in the causes of sickness

Sickness has been a major concern in the history of mankind. Here is a common scene in Biblical time. Lots of people bring their sick relatives and friends for healing by Jesus. Even today many seek healing everywhere. Jesus says sickness actually comes from within a person. Today we continue on this topic by reading at random the example of David, how he became sick when he allowed himself to be controlled by his emotion: anger (against self and against God) and fear (fear of failure; fear of further tragedies; fear of being punished for wrong doings), self-condemnation (self-doubt, low self-esteem), distrust of God (unbelief of God's goodness), indulgences in sexual and worldly desires and lusts (of the flesh, eyes and pride of life).

Read the whole history of David and you will find more examples of what was inside him that defiled him. Do not think that David's complaints about his sickness is spiritual. David was a man of flesh even though he sought after God. One thing we can learn from him is he did not give up. He repented and got well again. But he really suffered in body and in soul. He also gave his honest accounts of the causes of his illness and how he finally resorted to spiritual remedies.

 1Chronicles 13:11 David was angry (with God) because the Lord's anger had burst out against Uzzah (the priest who was killed when he violated God's holy law). David was probably also angry with himself as he did not follow God's law too when he ordered the moving of the Ark. 13:12 David was now afraid of God, and he asked, "How can I ever bring the Ark back into my care?" He indulged in self-doubt and self-condemnation after the tragedy of the death of a priest in the course of his duty of obeying David' command to bring the Ark on a bullock cart! David consulted before he decided how to move the Ark. But he consulted the wrong persons. He consulted his officials, including the generals and captains. (13:1) He did not consult the priests. He mixed up flesh with spiritual matters. 14:3 Then David married more wives in Jerusalem. He decided to put aside God's matters and pursued his own personal enjoyment. This episode is an example of how David lived his life as a carnal king.

 The above recorded a historical event in David's life.

Let us now read some psalms at random and i parts and see what kind of sickness David had suffered in his lifetime, physical and mental (mind and emotion):

Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man. 22:14 My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. 15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me or dead. Psalm 30:6 When I was prosperous, I said, "Nothing can stop me now!" 7 Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then You turned away from me, and I was shattered. Psalm 31:9 My body and soul are withering away. 10 Sin has drained my strength. 13 I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. Psalm 32:3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Psalm 38:3 Because of Your anger, my whole body is sick; (David first blamed it on God) my health is broken because of my sins. (David soon admitted that his own sins caused the sickness and not God) 4 My guilt overwhelms me-it is a burden too heavy to bear. 5 My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. 6 I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief. 7 A raging fever burns within me , and my health is broken. 8 I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from my anguished heart. 10 My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind.

power of Jesus' name

Before Jesus left this earth He left His name with His disciples. They will pray in His name and speak to obstacles in His name, even command evil spirits to leave. Today we use His name a lot but do not find the same power manifesting as in the early church’s time. Why?

Reading some passages from the Bible we can learn more about His name and the power therein. There are much more significance in using His name than we often think. All Scripture are quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

His name gives hope

Matthew 12:21

And his name will be the hope

of all the world.”

Power of His name gives life

John 20:31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

In His name, prayers get answered and requests granted

John 15:16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

John 16:23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.

John 16:24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

We are identified and separated as His people by His name

1 Corinthians 1:2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

Our belief is in His name

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.

His name is written and has spiritual significance

Revelation 19:12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.

We are identified finally by His name written on us too

Revelation 22:4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.

What does the name of Jesus do? Sins forgiven.

Acts 10:43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

Words with real power do transform lives

Words must come with real and visible power to transform. Words of God do that when the believers of Jesus carry the power of the words and the Holy Spirit into the harvest. In Acts 13-14 (quoted from Holy Bible NLT version in parts here) Paul and Barnabas demonstrated this truth. I shall quote only the parts wherein Paul preached a powerful sermon in Antioch of Pisidia (in today’s Turkey).

Acts 13:30-38

30 But God raised him from the dead! 31 And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.

32 “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, 33 and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus:

‘You are my Son.

Today I have become your Father.[a]’

34 For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’[b] 35 Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’[c] 36 This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. 37 No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay.

38 [d]“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.

Footnotes:

13:33 Or Today I reveal you as my Son. Ps 2:7.

13:34 Isa 55:3.

13:35 Ps 16:10.

13:38 English translations divide verses 38 and 39 in various ways.

Acts 13:46-52

46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. 47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said,

‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles,

to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’[a]”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.

50 Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. 52 And the believers[b] were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes:

13:47 Isa 49:6.

13:52 Greek the disciples.

Acts 14:1-4

Paul and Barnabas in Iconium

14 The same thing happened in Iconium.[a] Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. 3 But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

Footnotes:

14:1 Iconium, as well as Lystra and Derbe (14:6), were towns in what is now Turkey.

Jesus has given these keys for harvest

When Jesus looks at the fields He sees a sea of people to be led into the Kingdom of God. He sees how best the Father’s will can be fulfilled. He has given the keys to what His followers must do to work with Him, using His resources: His name and His authority and power. The power of His words. The power of the Holy Spirit.

Reading from Luke 9 (57-62), 10 (1-20)
The Lord (Jesus) now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places He planned to visit. These were His instructions:

The harvest is great, but the workers are few. See what God sees. Focus on His perspective. The time? Now.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields. God is the One who sends. He has lots of reserved workers. Just call Him. A prayer away. Use more of prayers than using our cell phone.
Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Beware. There are wolves out there, even in our midst.
Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. No excessively cumbersome equipment. No need the latest tech. Use prayer.
And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. No distraction. No disclosure of God’s confidential strategy to the enemy. Speak less and pray more. Beware. Watch and pray.

Prerequisites: (Luke 9) Focus on the spiritual and not physical. Kingdom of God becomes their focus.

Get Out of your comfort zone: no more concern with your usual physical needs, e.g. routine living, stability, shelter, bed, regular sleep.
Forget your past pattern/tradition/ritual: no more concern with your usual practices, e.g. physical preparation, continuing association with past duty, physical aspects of life, what others think of you.
Let go of your present relation/emotion: no more concern with even things that matter to you: sentiments with the past, meeting others’ expectations.

The real invincible equipment that each disciple carries: power and authority of Jesus over spiritual and physical realms (both seen and unseen worlds.) Use His words -The power of God’s words. Be led by His Spirit. Sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. Let the Son of God manifest in us.
In practice, Jesus has given these examples in Luke 10 of what the disciples would encounter in real life. They would not lack the physical supplies they needed. But their focus continued to be on the spiritual reality. Jesus told them that what they proclaimed in the spiritual realm would become real in the physical realm.
The positive supernatural power of the phrase “MAY GOD’S PEACE BE WITH YOU” proclaimed by the disciples based on the authority given by Jesus is real and tremendous.
Only the disciples can carry the blessing of this phrase on their mission.
The blessing is real and brings tangible outcome in the physical world.
It will go to the house that genuinely opens and grants hospitality to the disciples.
But the recipients in the house must respond correctly: they must be in peace and not in strife. They must supply the disciples all they need during their stay including free lodging and food –as an obligated payment for their work.

The disciples have Jesus’ authority over all the power of the spiritual enemy, and can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure them. Evil spirits have to obey them. They can do miraculous work in the town that welcomes them: heal the sick and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ healing words

speak the words of God

Here are just some random words (from the Gospel according to Matthew) spoken by Jesus on healing. there are many more. Please read the whole Bible or at least the Gospels for the words of God sent to you for your healing. God sent forth His words and healed the Israelites.“people do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt.4:4)
“you must not test the Lord your God.” (4:7)
“you must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.” (4:10)
“repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. “(4:17)
“if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. “(6:14)
“that is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. “(6:25)
“do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” (7:12)
“you can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate.” (7:13)
“only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter.” (7:21)
“I am willing. Be healed.” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. (8:3)
“Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the servant was healed that same hour, (8:13)
“Follow Me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” (8:22)
“Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then He got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. (8:26)
seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” (9:2) “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” (9:6)
“healthy people don’t need a doctor -sick people do.” (9:12)
“Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.”
“Do you believe I can make you see?” (9:28) “Because of your faith, it will happen.” (9:29)
“Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” (10:7-8)
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (10:28) “So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (10:31)
“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” (10:38)

(Bible verse in NLT version)