Afflictions are our servants

Afflictions are our servants

I. Reasons for the afflictions

Whatever is the reason that you suffer affliction, you need to know that is never bad for you, if God’s allowed it in your life. God never judge you, just to judge. He doesn’t have this kind of attitude like „You did something bad, so you deserve this punishment „ when He judges us. No! If this would be the case, He would never died for us. He doesn’t punish us just because we deserved it, but He punishes us with that purpose that it’ll eventually make us better.

He sees that there are impurities that keep us away from His precious face, so He uses punishment to deliver us, from those things that stand between us and His manifested presence.
He uses afflictions to make us better. There is a purpose in His judgement and also in His dealings with us.
„Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” (Eccl. 7:3) Affliction is our servant to make us better, make us more like Jesus. Also even Jesus “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;” (Hebr. 5:8), but never forget “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” (Eccl. 7:8)
Suffering worketh for your good. „And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

A. God will cause us to prosper even when we are in afflictions.

1. Gen. 41:52 - „And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

B. God hears our cry in our afflictions, and He will deliver us

1. Ex. 3:7 - “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;”
2. Ex. 3:17 - “And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.”

C. We need to eat the bread of affliction, to remind us to where we coming from, and to keep us humble

1. Deut. 16:3 - “Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.”

D. It makes your heart better

1. Eccl. 7:3 - “Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.”

E. It makes you worthy for the call

1. Matt. 5:4 - “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

Comforted means: to call near, invite, invoke

F. You’ll have great reward in heaven

1. Matt. 5:10-12 - “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

G. 1. Our bonds that bind us will be burned in our afflictions

a. Dan. 3:20-27

“And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.”

2. Also other people will glorify Jesus, because they’ll see Jesus deliverance in our affliction

a. Dan. 3:24-30

“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”

H. We learn obedience through sufferings

1. Hebr. 5:8 - “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;”

I. He chooses us in afflictions

1. Is. 48:10 - “…I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”

J. Our sufferings are for others

1. Col. 1:24 - “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:”

II. Suffering is good

God uses wrath to remove wickedness so that righteousness can shine. God does not desire to punish people for sin. He allows the natural consequences to disobedience to occur so that they will repent and be redeemed from the penalty of sin. Chastening caused Israel to cry out (Book of Judges), and He sent a deliverer. In this way, wrath is a form of pressure designed to direct our path toward God.

A. Hebr. 2:10 says, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in
bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings.”

B. Hebr. 12:4-13

“Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”

Suffering causes us to let go of our carnality and thereby make more room for the presence of God. Rom. 8:18 – “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Everything that is not of Him will be subject to wrath of God.

Suffering For The Glory

I enjoy reading through the life of David because so much of his life is relatable to situations of our own. He is a great example of a man with a true heart after God and an understanding of the true mercies and grace of God.
In 2 Samuel 5 we see two similar situations in David’s early life as king of his conflict with the Philistines. Both times the Philistines came up against David and both times he faithfully went before God to ask not only for a word of assurance of victory, but first of all, permission to face off with the enemy. We should be choosing our battles with the knowledge that the victory is already in God’s hands. WE shouldn’t be going after something if it is not in God’s timing or will.
The first situation was simple; God granted favor and David saw an easy victory. When our walk is young in the Lord, He surely tries to encourage us with small victories. But what I really want to talk about is the second battle. Just as before, David went before God, which is a great example of recognizing our place. Easy victories can boost our confidence so that we think we can handle situations without having to go before God because we’ve faces similar situations before, but our walk with Jesus is not an easily learned formula, it is a growing relationship, built precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. David was right in his decision to go before God because if he didn’t he would have missed the specific instructions to ensure the victory. God told David to go to down to the Mulberry trees, wait, and watch for God to move. The “mulberry tree” in the Hebrew translates to the weeping tree. God was sending David to a place of weeping, sorrow. This is where we should really take heed. As I have learned, our afflictions can be boiled down to three causes: Satan, ourselves, and God. If you are giving yourself to Jesus everyday, keeping your heart right, then Satan can be easily bound (resist the devil and he shall flee). We are also subject to the repercussions of our own actions, reaping what we sow. God is always merciful, but sometimes whatever you started just has to cycle out, or go full circle. It’s the third cause that we tend to forget or deny and that is the hand of God. More than not we blame Satan, in a sense glorifying him, giving him a lot of honor where it is not due. Mark 4:17 says: affliction and persecution arises for the word’s sake. It’s our affliction that works in us the glory of God (2 Cor. 4:17). He is purging the things from us that are not of Him to make more room for His presence in us. Even if Satan’s hand is in it, who’s to say that he isn’t acting under the permission and will of God, as in Job’s situation. We have to believe that as His children, He has our best interests at heart, not for our own glory, but for His glory. The intention of bringing David to a place of sorrow was merely God’s chosen path to a predestined victory.
Once in that place, David was instructed to just wait and watch. It’s so easy to get discouraged in the place where we’re at because not only is our soulish man being pressed, but the timing is rarely what we think it should be. Remember the words of 1 Cor.: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” The perspective of our situation may be different than that of God’s but He knows us better than we know ourselves. No matter what our view is, God would never ask anything of us that we were incapable of, maybe not of our own accord, but through Him: Luke 18:27 - But he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. The place of sorrow is bearable because God wants us to see it through. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” It’s not the affliction that tries to outdo us, it’s the temptation to veer from the affliction. The priests were meant to bear the burden of the ark. We aren’t to be loosed of the afflictions, but made strong enough to bear them and eventually overcome them. God is not looking for strategists, always planning and scheming their way out, He’s looking for overcomers, who will see it through to the end, even if it is a place of sorrow.
What was David to do while he waited? Watch! He was watching for the move of God, through the mulberry trees, aka; his sorrowful situation. A sure sign of our victory being close at hand is the movement of God in the midst of our situation. But the only way that is possible is if our eyes are toward Him (Colossians 3:2 - Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.). David’s eye s had to be kept up, off of his enemy and surroundings. This can be hard when things seem to be closing in. Can we keep our mind set toward the things of God’s heart rather than the onslaught of the things of this world? I don’t care what great revelation of the word you may have, or how many years you have walked with Jesus, when it comes down to it, can you still hold to the simple truth of obedience in your situation. God moves in a wind through the treetops, an easy thing to miss if your eyes stray for but a moment. Our human nature is to keep a watch on the enemy, but David’s place of sorrow was not the enemy’s doing at all, it was all God’s plan.
The most encouraging part of this word is the fact of seeing God move. Not only do you know that it is a sign of near victory, but because you’re waiting on God to move first, it means that He is going before you. What greater shield against the enemy than the almighty power and glory of our God! All David had to do was follow that movement to victory. Every time I read this story in the Bible, it’s encouraging because it is such a great example of God’s intentions behind our suffering and afflictions. We could easily live “the good life” and God would love us regardless, but we truly have the heart of God, then we know that His heart is that all would share in all that He has. The suffering and victories are not for ourselves, but out of our love for God and for the sake of those around us.

A mist from the earth

Gen. 2:5-7 - "And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: FOR THE LORD GOD HAD NOT CAUSED IT TO RAIN UPON THE EARTH , and there was not a man to till the ground.

6 - BUT THERE WENT UP A MIST FROM THE EARTH, AND WATERED THE WHOLE FACE OF THE GROUND.

7 - And the LORD God FORMED MAN OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

In the beginning, God didn't rain down from heaven, but from out of the earth went up mist to water the whole earth. And out of this ground He created man. this mist brought refreshment to the whole earth, and without this mist nothing could grow, and stay alive. In man there is an ability to water the whole earth, but after the fall, and because of the wickedness in man, because of the defiled ground, God has to pour out His glory, rain from heaven, from above. But our desire is to be the vessel of God again, filled with the rain of God so that He can flow through us and His rain can come out of us, rather than just fall upon us. So the "mist" of God can go up from us, and heal, nourish, refresh the whole earth.

God's Great Plan

1. Cor. 15:36 says, “Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:”

After God created the earth and all the beasts on the earth and saw that it was good, He said; “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”. God saw that it was good; that all of his creatures had companions and He wanted to have a companion also. God’s great desire is to have a people that can have fellowship with Him. So He started that great journey of the creation of His “mate”, who is perfect, holy as He is, and a spiritual being like Him.

This journey started at the Garden of Eden. He created the first Adam. He created a seed. He wasn’t the finished product, he was just a seed of a greater spiritual man, a true companion of God. That "seed" contained the great potential to become a holy, godlike companion to God. But still, it was only a seed, a natural seed (1. Cor. 15:44 - “It is sown a natural body…”) and not the plant, the finished product. Everything starts with a seed.

1. Cor. 15:36 says, “Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:” Although Adam was perfect, he wasn’t perfect as God is. That "seed" was a corruptible seed, a seed that could perish, and we see that it sure did. but God had a plan for this even before it happened and that plan was the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. Adam fell, but it was part of the process of the birthing of the holy people of God. He had to die so that he could be "quickened". “Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:”

“…by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin…”. Adam fell and sinned so death came. His falling wasn’t the end of his relationship with God, but it was a beginning of a journey to the greater relationship with God. Yes, it was the end of a certain relationship with God, but it wasn’t “the end”. The seed has to die, before it can be quickened, and become a quickened spirit, it has to die before it can become something greater, and can put on a greater “body”.

God wanted somebody like Him, and He is Love. He wanted somebody to love Him, because His being is Love. Why do we love God? “We love him, because he first loved us” (1. John 4:9). But how does He show His love towards us? “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8), "Commendeth" in the Greek means: to introduce, to exhibit. So Adam was perfect in the sense that he never sinned before the fall, but was he perfect as God? Jesus commands us to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48). I believe that Adam didn’t experience God's unconditional love before his fall. How could he know that God loved him no matter what, if he had never done anything that would make him unworthy of God's love? He shows His love toward us in that, while we were yet (still) sinners, Christ died for us. God’s love was introduced to man after the fall, by Jesus’ sacrifice and without knowing and experiencing this love, we can’t love. “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” (Luk. 7:47). This being said, how much did Adam experience love before the fall? God is love. Adam was perfect, but was he like God? God is love.

I wrote all these things so we can look on our sanctification in a different way, so you can see the glass half full and not half empty. What I mean is that; the daily dealings we are going through are not because we fell and need to make it right, but it is simply just a stage of our growth into becoming God’s perfect companion. The seed has to die! So you don’t need to be upset if you mess up because God created the seed and He knows it’s tendencies and He knows that it’s just a station and not the destination. Just get up, repent, receive God’s love, the sacrifice of the Lamb, and go on to perfection.

Let me go back to 1. Cor. 15:36-54

v.36 "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:"
v.44 "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
v.45 "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit."
v.46 "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual."
v.50. "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."
v.54 "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

Our flesh (our present state) is mortal, but God is immortal.
We are natural, but God is a spirit.

The only way we can even start to become His true companion, if we have a spiritual body (glorified body). I am not saying we can’t have communion with Him before, of course we can because our spirit is saved But I am talking about seeing Him face to face and continually dwelling with Him, and seeing Him as He is.

The only way we can be quickened, or have a spiritual body, is if we die (v.36). Sin brings forth death. The first Adam was natural, made out of dust, so he had to die in order that God could quicken him, and make him spiritual. God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, knowing that Adam will fall. He used evil for good. Our natural body, our fleshly nature is destined to die. The finish line is our perfected spiritual soul and body.

First is the natural, and out of it’s death comes forth the spiritual. This is just the course of life.
The seed first dies, then comes out in a more glorious form.
Death is a servant to make us God’s true companion. His hand hath formed the crooked serpent, He created good and evil.
Death is just a vehicle to take us to something greater.

The fall of Adam wasn’t the end, but actually the beginning of our redemption and the creation of our spiritual being.

Adam (the first Adam) was the seed that God sowed, but unless he dies, he cannot bring forth fruit and his body cannot change into a spiritual body. The second body, much more glorious.
God exhorts us to be perfect (perfect=complete in labor, growth, mental and moral character), complete. He is prompting us because we’re not complete yet, we haven’t finish yet. We must go FORWARD to perfection, not BACK to perfection. This also shows us that the natural man is just a birthing stage of the perfect godly man and not a step back. Everything with God is onward and upward. God doesn’t want to restore what was, He is doing a new thing, He’s creating His companion.

This encouraged me because I’m amazed at how God the Father planned all these things, before the foundation of the world, to the completion of His creation just so that one day He will have a companion. He decided to go through all these heartaches and betrayals so that one day he can behold His true and holy people. Glory to our precious Jesus!

Gift or inheritance?

Genesis 25:5 - "...Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac" "But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts..."

There are difference between the sons of God. Abraham had Isaac and also other sons, still Isaac received all that he had. There is a difference between the Bride and the rest of the Body of Christ. All of them are the children of God, but not all of them is the Bride, therefore the reward is not everybody's.

Only the Bride receives the inheritance, the reward of the Father. What happens with the rest of the body? They can keep their gifts, because the gifts of God is without repentance. They still have the gift of eternal life, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23). They will go to heaven, but will miss out on the precious reward. They could have their other kinds of gifts on this earth also until the perfection of the saints, like the gift of prophecy, gift of tongue, etc, but still they can't enter into their inheritance. ( "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matt. 7:22-23)

Gift is something that we just receive, and never be taken from us, but the inheritance is something, that has to be earned to be received. Col. 3:24 - " ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done..." Inheritance is something that we can miss out before we receive it like Esau did.

We need to be an over comer to receive it. And these are the things that we could receive if we overcome:
a. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life..." - To these will be given resurrection power. (Rev. 2:7)
b. "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." - Speaks of escaping judgment. (Rev. 2:11)
c. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." - To those given a special ability to receive great mysteries, revelation of Jesus, that never before revealed. (Rev. 2:17)
d. "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father." (Rev. 2:26-27)- Psalms 2:8-9 - "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." They receive power like Jesus did, and the also shall rule over nations.
e. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;" - They shall be perfect and holy as He is, and they shall attend the marriage feast, because the requirement of the Bride is a white dress and they have it. (Rev. 3:5)
f. "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." (Rev. 3:12) - The'll be the part of the group of the manifest sons of God on this earth.
g. " To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." - They'll have complete dominion over all with God, and they will judge with God. (Rev. 3:21)

The over comers (Bride) are kings and priests unto God - "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:6) " And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Rev. 5:10)



So back to the gifts...

2. Chronicles 21:3 - "And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram; because he was the firstborn."

Esther 2:18 - "Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king."

Eph. 4.8 - "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."

The Bride will have all that Jesus has, but the rest of the body only receive gifts. "So run, that ye may obtain." (1. Cor. 9:24)

Careful for nothing

Jesus said this to me: "You are troubled and careful about many things.". Then He reminded for these following things, let me share them with you. I don't think I am the only one who sometimes gets carried away with worrying, whether it's about family members, finances, spiritual deficiencies, etc.
The Word of God said " Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil.4:6).
Because of the Fall we are, in our natural state; worried, fearful, and careful for everything.
It all started with the fall.
In Genesis 3:16 God spoke to the woman: "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.". Then in verse 17 God spoke to Adam: "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;".
Let me give you the Hebrew definition of sorrow: worrisomeness that is labor or pain. Root: to curve, to worry pain or anger, fabricate in a bad sense.
In the natural state the women's curse is to worried and be care for their children, but the man's is to be worried for their provision.
Gen. 3:19 says "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." . Sweat in the Hebrew means: perspiration. Root word: agitate as with fear in the sense of sweating. Face in the Hebrew means: nose, nostril (from the rapid breathing in passion) hence the face.
The man is sweating in anger and worry and fear because of provision. But it says that this will be "till thou return unto the ground". So God put a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life (verse 24). The only way men can go back, is through the sword. The only redemption of our flesh is the Word of God, the two edged sword. The sword is the Word of God and the flaming sword is the Word of God combined God's purging, sanctifying fire.
That's why Jesus said "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Seeking the Kingdom of God comes with going through the flaming sword and if we do that, we can get back to the ground of Eden where we will be restored, without any worry and fear, and we can live in a place of abundance in every area of our lives. You know what really shows our Father's heart? That it is enough for Him just to see us seek the Kingdom of God. If you try your best to please Him, with a pure heart, He will take care of all your needs right now, even before you have completely entered in, or "found" the Kingdom of God.
But why does this happened in the first place?
Gen. 3:17 says "...thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree..." Hearkened in the Hebrew means: to hear (with implication of obedience). He didn't just listen to Eve, but obeyed too. He rebelled against the Word of God and instead, listened to the voice of His wife.
(You see, we women have to be careful because we can manipulate a man without putting any thought into it, when we ourselves are deceived. I am talking of course in the natural sense and generally. Eve was deceived: "Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1. Tim. 2:14. Manipulation is a dangerous weapon and it's not godly. We need to check ourselves continually.).
We bring fear and worry into our lives by rebelling against the Word of God.
Ps. 107:11-12 says: " Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help." Labour in the Hebrew means: toil, that is, wearing effort; hence worry, whether of body or mind. Work is something that calls for hard labor, and in turn, worry. It is not in the list of the Blessings of God.
Worry comes from the devil also. It is what he uses to torment us. Ps. 10:7 - "His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity." Mischief is the same Hebrew word as labour found in Ps. 107:11-12.
But thank God, we have Jesus, and He broke the curse. He paid the price. So He can boldly say "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil. 4:6). We need to take this seriously. The only thing He asks us to do is to give thanks in everything, and cast all our cares upon Him because he cares for us (1. Pet. 5:7), and pray to Him. That's all. I know our flesh thinks it's not enough and wants to toil and do work that brings worry, but it is so clear that He just wants us to trust in Him. We can't do it anyway. He says: "If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?" (Luke 12:26). Isn't that liberating?
In our world if you do not care, you're labeled as someone that is not responsible. The pressure is so great. If you're not "careful" then people think something wrong with you. That's our nature. God, from the beginning, wanted us to completely trust in Him and depend on Him only. A great example for that is when He gave manna for provision. Everybody had to gather only as much as was enough for a DAY. If they gathered more, it went bad. For a day! People tried to gathered more because they worried that they won't have any tomorrow, but Jesus says: "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matt. 6:34). Only once out of seven times they could gather for the next day. You see there is no place for "saving accounts" before the 7th day. God wanted to teach them that they can trust in Him, and that they could surely depend on Him. This is what the Bible says about gathering manna: "This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents." (Ex. 16:16). Some people had to gather for "his people" also. They could gather more, but they had to give to those that could not go out and gather it for themselves. They were mostly children or sick people that were unable to gather manna. They were the ones "which are in his tents". So if we have more than we need, it is because we need to give it to somebody who is in need in our tents. "As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." (2. Cor. 8:15) and "But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:" (2. Cor. 8:14)
Only before every 7th day can we gather more and put it aside. And I believe that we will have to gather more before THE 7th day also, the last day of the Lord, both in a spiritual and natural sense. Don't misunderstand me, I believe in prosperity and there are times to gather more, but what I am saying is that most of the time, 6 times out of seven, don't. So if you don't have a college fund for your kids 5 years in advance, or you don't have a huge saving account, then I say "Take no thought". But when I talk about provision I'm not just talking about finances, but spiritual, mental, and physical provision also because "my God shall supply ALL your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19).
Again, Jesus doesn't want us to worry. The curse is broken! We don't have to live in fear. He paid the price! That's why He says it over and over again "Take no thought!"
Matt. 6:25 - "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?". In verse 27 He asks a valid question: "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?". Another translation says: "And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure to his stature or to the span of his life?". I know it's easier to say than do, but believe me, as you search the Word of God, you get to know Him better and then you will trust in Him more and believe that whatever he says it's true and that it's enough just to let Him know about your need, worship Him, and know that He will take care of your problem. If you give it to God, you need to believe that He wants the best for you, so whatever may happen, even if it doesn't look so good, it's what is best for you, for that moment. He knows the end from the beginning, He knows you better than you know yourself. But we need to spend time in His Word. Remember that the only way back before the time of worry is through the flaming sword. We need to give ourselves to the Word of God, and the purging fire of the Holy Spirit, then we can live free from fear and worry. Verse 31 says again "Take no thought", verse 34: "Take no thought for tomorrow". Matt. 10:19, Luke 12:11 - "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak".
Luke 12:22 - "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on." Verse 26: " If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?". That's what I am asking myself when worry and fear arises. Why? I can't help it, only Jesus can. So I give it to Him, I repent if I sinned, I ask for His forgiveness, I thank Him for His faithfulness and mercy, and I say "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24). You see, the truth is, that "if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:" and after that "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." (2. Tim. 2:13).
In the Greek, the word worry means: to be anxious about, through the idea of distraction. We need to fight, and don't let the devil or our mind rob us and distract us from Jesus through fear and worry. Don't be like Martha, who was troubled about so many things and was distracted from the very thing that could bring her freedom from worry and fear, which is Jesus, the Living Word.
Let me finish by repeating what was said and asking you this: "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?". "If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?" so cast "all your care upon him; for he careth for you" and "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Being His Footstool

1. Chr. 28:2-3 - "Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building: But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood."

David wanted to build a house of rest for God and for a footstool. He couldn't build one because He was a "man of war", but his son, Solomon called the "man of rest" (" Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days." 1. Chron. 22:9).
In the last days, the last house of God will be like the Temple of Solomon, the house of rest.
But it's not just a place where God dwells, like in the ark, but it will be a place where He can rest from His work. He can put up His feet, He can rest His feet upon His footstool.

God calls Zion His footstool (Lam. 2:1 - "...How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger...and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!" ) And Zion also His habitation (Ps. 132:13 - "For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.") So the last House of God, the house of rest and His footstool, will be His people.
But they won't be just any kind of people.

The Hebrew meaning of footstool is: to stamp, a footstool. The Greek definition is: something under the feet that is a footrest. So the footstool also was a sort of support for the feet placed before the throne. God is not just treading upon this footstool (have dominion), but He can rest His feet also, once He's seated on the throne.

The footstool is God's place of rest on the earth because heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool. The footstool is the rest for His feet and also a place of dominion. He's still in heaven but His feet rest on the Bride of Christ. He can rest in her.

In addition, the footstool is the connection to heaven and to the heavenly things (Just like Jacob's ladder). "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (Is. 66:1). The only way to God is through the footstool. These people will be the mediator; the highpriests after the order of Melchizedek, between God and the rest of Christianity.
These people will be completed, having God sitting on the throne of their heart, and they'll be able to complete the works of God, the mystery of God, that Jesus started. Like I said they'll be perfect. God said that He will make the place of His feet glorious (Is. 60:13 - "...I will make the place of my feet glorious.")

The footstool was also connected to the throne. These people will be joined to the Lord (1. Cor. 6:17 - "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.")

The footstool has atleast a twofold revelation:

1. God steps on it to get to the throne.

It speaks of the dealings of God, the valley and wilderness experiences. If you want God sitting on the throne of your heart, you need to let Him "stamp" on you, have dominion over you, and your flesh. Let the dealings of God work in you. Despise not the chastening of the Lord (Hebr. 12:5) because afterwards you will become His footstool and He can rest His feet upon you. Let Him make you "glorious". Then, through you, the Bride other people can get to God.

2. This footstool is the mediator between man and God.

No man can see God and live (Ex. 33:20 - "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live."). Because of this God always had to use something that he could reveal Himself in. In the beginning, He did it through some subjects like the burning bush, the pillar of fire, the cloud, and at the ark of God. Then He showed Himself as a man, in Jesus. But in the last days He will show Himself in a people that are pure, holy, and perfect as He is and they will be able to see God face to face like Moses did. Then, through them, He will reveal Himself to others. We are the temple of God and He doesn't dwell in a handmade temple anymore. People are going to see Jesus through these devoted, loving, merciful people, who have the image of Christ in them and whom the glory of the Lord has risen upon and shall be revealed in. This temple will be without spot, blemish or any such a thing. These people will be His footstool; the way to the heart of God.

Jesus did His job on this earth. He defeated the enemy, and now He is waiting for you to become His rest so He can rest in you, and you will be able to finish His work, with the help of the Holy Ghost because He will remain in heaven, until the time of the restitution of all things (Acts. 3:21 - "Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things") ("For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God" Rom. 8:19). When all the mystery of God is finished, even his enemies will become His footstool, because there shall be a time when every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess to God (Rom. 14:11). Then He can be All in All again, because the Godhead has been separated for a little while as Jesus first became flesh, and afterwards sent the Holy Spirit to us. So until then, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Spirit is with us as our helper and divine power in the earth, to help us to finish His job.

So let us fight the good fight of faith my beloved, run that race and finish your course, so the works of God can be finished as soon as possible, and never forget that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Keep in mind that "The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God...For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Be encouraged, and be "confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Phil. 1:6).

So "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." (Hebr. 12:1-4)