November 2018 - Page 2 of 3 - The Paraclete's Hammer

Genesis 19:9, the Mercy, Flow, and Adjusting Atmospheres

15 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge.
-from Genesis 19:9-

For as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard;
-2 Peter 2:8

You know, some people might read Genesis 19:9 and be tempted to think that the people of Sodom were disdaining Lot, and that is true.
But that is not the whole story.
Peter calls Lot righteous, despite the incest and the rest of the story.
And the thought I have here, is that if Lot was righteous, and the only righteous leader of the only righteous family in town, it is possible that, even though he was not appointed by the townspeople to lead, he did, as a result of his righteousness above everyone else in the town, carried the spiritual clout or authority to affect the ultimate fate of the city, and that his words were recognized as having greater authority.
This situation may have something to do with Lot’s Redemptive Gift.
It certainly has much to do with Lot’s executed righteousness and his willingness to do righteously.
Lot’s Redemptive Gift, Mercy, is KNOWN, not for breaking things, but rather for creating, shifting, aligning, realigning, and moving flow of situations. That flow change and movement is definitely felt when a Mercy moves. It is also accomplished in a very non-confrontational fashion, usually. There is a glide and shift type of dynamic, more than a beat-and-break dynamic akin to the Prophet.
It is possible that in his dealings with his uncle, he watched and learned some things from those interactions with Adonai. And it is further possible that he brought that conviction to bear on at least some of his doings in the city.
In light of Peter’s words, I don’t think, “ooohhh, Lot, wicked sinner.”
Not at all.
Rather, Lot doing what he was designed to do and what he was given to do. Attempting to be salt of the earth and light in a dark place. Even he could have been used of G-d to do some things in that city.
Lot, given an assignment, and hearing th voice of the L-rd, regardless of what we next.
Consider that G-d may use someone who is unrighteous in your eyes, but relative to his or her context, is righteous and the righteousness of G-d in a place.
Consider that belief (inclusive of hearing and doing what one hears to do) in G-d is considered as a solid metric for righteousness.
Consider the greater redemptive picture and Father’s broader perspective as you read.
Thoughts?

Concerning the Silver Channel Found In the Application of Teachings On Alien Human Spirits: G-d of Redemption

15 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Silver Channel, Spiritual Structures

Megan and Arthur, thank you for the curiosity that led to this post.
For those of you not familiar with the teaching on Alien Human Spirits, I would suggest the following as a start.

Secondly, for those who are looking for the very finest in theology, I suggest you close my blog post down and run for the hills.

There are times when I am going to have the most ironclad theology, and there are times when I am not, and instead am going to deal with things that are experimental. I am comfortable with the experimental, working with those things, and dealing with those things that I do not fully understand, just as a physicist is comfortable not fully understanding Quantum Mechanics, or Partons, or Bongos, or other things Richard Feynman:

If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you do not understand quantum mechanics.
-Richard Feynman-

MANHATTAN PROJECTS
I was listening to Arthur Burk’s first teaching on the concept of dealing with alien human spirits, at Arthur’s recommendation while Sandy Landry was working with me at determining my Redemptive Gift, and, when he first mentioned the concept of a Silver Channel, I was completely intrigued. He asked the L-rd, while first ministering to someone who was dealing with an alien human spirit, to open such a channel, one opened, and the spirit that he was dealing with moved towards and through this object.
I sent the following off to Megan and Arthur as thoughts.

For it is a minor, uber-granular detail of one practice in dealing with AHS’s

Rememeber the sockets/bases (portals) in the tabernacle for its frames (Exodus 27:19, 21, 25; 36:24, 25, 26, 30)?

Those bases (portals) are made of silver.

This may be an explanation as to the “why” of opening the silver channel.

Whether the channel that gets opened between our time and eternity is a type of portal or not, this may provide an clue to a question that you didn’t need answered.

If so, perhaps this is one of the varieties of portals.

Megan replied that she wondered what qualities silver had.

So, here were the questions that were distilled and refined (pun intended) in response to that interaction.

Why a channel?
Why silver?

I spent some time thinking about it, could come up with nothing at the moment from Scripture, and then shelved it for later use.

Whereever you go, you always need to go with the mindset that G-d could show you something you have never seen.
Megan Caldecourt, “Introduction To Portals”, Disc 1, Cut 1, Spiritual Landscape, 04:26-04:33

Then a couple of months ago, I was in the Torah, and recalled from studying others’ work on portals (thank you Megan Caldecourt) that the Hebrew word that is translated “bases” (silver bases for the frames in the tabernacle) can also be rendered “foundations” (Job 38:6), and the roots upon which the earth were founded were like the bases in the frames of the tabernacle, into which the frames of the earth were set. And in my experience, and the experience of others, if I understand the mechanics of these sockets correctly, things (spiritual beings, dynamics, flows, structures, etc.) pass through these sockets, some of them arriving and departing, hence the term “portal” being used for these openings.
And G-d has placed these openings in various places in order to cause spiritual dynamics to flow in the earth. The earth is not merely a physical place, but it is also a place where the physical interacts with spiritual reality.

Put differently, reality is not limited to what we can only experience with our five senses. There is more around us, above us, below us, through us, and concerning us than what we can see, hear, smell, taste, touch. This is why discernment of the spiritual and invisible is so critical.

Think of Jacob’s encounter at Beth-El, with the gate of heaven that is there. Through his dream and through the dreams of others, he and others have seen things that otherwise would not be visible. In the case of Jacob, it was a structure by which angelic beings, entered and departed the physical realm. There are other opening like this one scattered throughout the earth.

A CHANNEL
And the concept of a channel is not that far removed from a portal or an opening, and through a channel flows certain things.
In some cases, the L-rd cuts a channel for a river to flow.
And television channels, and when you are “channelling” someone. Passageways for things to flow and for dynamics to change.
In other cases, channels (such as the Pulmonary Shunt) bring blood, or things that are necessary (in the case of the Pulmonary Shunt, bringing blood to the Placenta).
In the case of a silver channel, we have at least the idea of those human spirits that do not belong mixed in with our essences, flowing out of our reality back to eternity.

So, why silver? What flows through that channel?

PASSAGES DEALING WITH SILVER FOR OUR PURPOSES
If you will note, silver is not mentioned as being part of the economy of heaven, for starters.

It has also been argued that redemption is also not part of the economy. That is, when the age for which redemption went into effect, the rescue and redemption of humanity and creation is complete, it is possible that we will no longer need redemption.

If you look at silver in the text of Scripture, it is repeatedly paired with themes of purification, purchase, valuation, and redemption.
Take the following passages.

Gen. 20:16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”

Gen. 23:15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

Gen. 23:16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

Gen. 37:28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

Gen. 44:2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him.

Gen. 45:22 To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes.

Ex. 20:23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.

Ex. 21:32 If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

Lev. 27:6 If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver.

Lev. 27:6 If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver.

Judg. 16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

2Sam. 18:12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’

2Sam. 24:24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

2Kings 18:14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

2Kings 18:15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house.

This is just a sampling of the idea of what was specifically behind silver. Redemption, valuation, purchase, and purification/establishment of innocence.

So, why a silver channel? I surmise that because to G-d alone belongs that right of redemption and purchase. And as we open up in all of our interaction with the spirits of men, we need to lead with the idea of redemption, and our theology of redemption does need to be robust and hearty. From the gifts that are redemptive, to our love which is redemptive, to G-d’s heart which is exceptionally redemptive, to the foundations of the earth, which are designed for spiritual flow that is meant to be redemptive, to the roots of the place where He is worshipped, redemption is meant to be the base and foundation by which the King of the Universe interacts with we His children.

And it is His decision to always lead with the possibility of redemption. It is his prerogative what is done with these spirits after they leave our realm. And therefore, a silver channel is opened between time and eternity in order to introduce that AHS to the G-d who is first about redemption. Inclusive in the wise judgment of G-d (read the Decision of G-d) is the dynamic of redemption. He is just, and righteous, and He will account for and redeem what is right in His sight to redeem, and it is our job to make sure when we preach and teach the kingdom, the possibility of redemption and Father’s heart for purchase and redemption is squarely front-and-center.

Thus, through a silver channel flows the possibility of redemption.

And You Think You Cannot Be Like Them: Practical Counsel For Walking in Holiness and Perfection

14 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Birthright, Community, Dan Duval, Five Levels of Holienss, Land, Office, Time

DISCLAIMER: I am not attempting to give heavy-handed counsel here, but rather some scattered thoughts. Yes, I understand that I come across sometimes as cranky, or teachery, or black-and-white, given some of my syntax, but seriously, I have a deeply soft spot and some lambish tendencies.
So, read on and enjoy. Feel free to ask me questions if you have any at theblacksmithshammer91@gmail.com or 413-657-1887. And eat the meat and spit out the bones.

Walk before me and be blameless. -from Genesis 17:1-
Be perfect, therefore as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect. -Matthew 5:48-
You shall be holy, for I the L-rd your G-d am holy. -Leviticus 19:1-

I have half a mind to just leave these verses here, without commentary.
But I do have some brief thoughts here.
There are times when certain of us like to take these verses and cut them out of Scripture, precisely because we think being perfect, blameless, or holy are unattainable.
Just like we think prophetic accuracy is unobtainable.
We think things like the Elijah List are the standard, or the modern American Prophetic ministry is the standard.
And so we don’t even try, and we parrot the latest tripe that “Jesus died so I don’t have to be perfect.”
“He fulfills the law so I don’t have to.”
Hey, look, gang, that is not what that verse means.
And the prophets in Scripture, in their flaws, are not going anywhere.
So, we may as well deal with this and what it means to be holy, and blameless and perfect.
So, one dynamic missing from our theology of holiness of perfection is the dynamic of completeness.
What is also present in our theology that needs to be jettisoned and burned is the idea of a holy checklist of “how little did you sin today?”
An excellent way of looking at the idea of perfection and holiness, for a believer, is embodied in the following two questions.

Did you check-in with G-d today to see what the flavor of grace was for today?
Did you appropriate THAT flavor of grace for today?

Perfection and holiness are not so much about a list, as they are about apporiating the gifts that Father has planned to give you for today.
It may be that your holiness today happens on the level of a relationship, on the level of Community.

CONCERNING THE CONTEXT FOR BEING HOLY
In fact, Leviticus 17:1, where Father tells Israel to be holy, is followed immediately by a discussion of interacting with your parents. Hey, gang, I know some of our parents were insufferable jackasses or jennyasses, but can we at least attempt to engage with them in some fashion that looks toward mending fences without compormising our standards, and coming to a place of deep understanding that they too were products of their upbringings. I can tell you, by the time I wanted to reestablish connection with my father, this is what I had to look forward to.
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That is my dad’s tombstone. Yes he was an insufferable person at times, but the kicker is, by the time I had returned from Florida, where my mother shared all sorts of stories, because she is my FAVORITE storyteller, he had died, and POOF like that, he was moved onto glory, having spent the last 10 years of his life reconciling to the L-rd, and others in the Franklin/Brentwood/Nashville area, and leaving a legacy of work with the area’s AA chapters that stands in honor of him.
I know that pain, but I also understand that I was able to see both his preconversion self and his postconversion self, and still was able to bless him, along with my brother and a few of our Tennessee family.
As to honoring parents, given the context of Leviticus 17:1, see here for some practical counsel on doing that without compromising your standards.
And I was witness to none of that because I was too stubborn to reconnect. When I had gotten the news, Mercy wanted a whole lot of his physical touch.
And as a result, I returned to social media.
It may be that your holiness today happens on the level of executing something that you were designed to do. Solving a problem that you were born or hardwired to solve. That is Birthright holiness.
It may be that your holiness today involves cleansing this day of the year or this season or this transition because historically this day or season or transition has been defiled annually by a pattern of junk.
It may be that holiness looks like a trip to a certain place so you can pray through some trauma that happened to you.
Regardless, we need to get away from holiness as a list, and embrace the idea of holiness as connecting with and partnering with the Holy One in order to execute whatever is on His mind for today.
It’s not about how much you did or did not cuss today, although if that is an ongoing struggle that He is coaching you on specifically, it might be a good idea not to fight with Him on that.
It might be that holiness involves you stepping into the kitchen where you have had 50 fights with your wife or husband and cleansing the atmosphere of the kitchen a couple of hours before your spouse wakes up, and just attempting to say something to connect with him or her. Granted, he or she may be in no mood to respond, but keep hacking at it. If you need a friend to help you establish a new pattern or break an old pattern, give a friend a call.
Being holy and perfect means connecting with the One Who is holy, perfect, just, and true.
It might mean biting your tongue until it bleeds.
It might mean giving someone a hug.
It might mean, fill in the blank.
But jettison your list of expectations, and instead seek to commune with Him.
Being holy is not a list but a dynamic. We like the list, granted because it is tangible, but really, connecting with the wind of heaven and the breath of the Almighty G-d is deeper and moves more than your piddly list. Burn the paper of expectations, and go after Him. As He shows you how to interact with what is around you, the holiness, the set-apartedness of everything will increase.
It is so worth it.
And for more on these areas of holiness, see the following.

Being Released From Poverty, Welfare, and Antichrist

13 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

Growing up, I did not have a mindset of poverty or welfare.
It wasn’t until I encountered the fivefold ministry and a bunch of other trappings of full gospel Charismatic/Pentecostal spirituality that I developed a harder mindset and a welfare or poverty spirit.
Learning how to walk under the covering provided by another person, such as a pastor, or bishop, or apostle provided me with an interesting mindset:. Unless the anointed person prayed for you, you were powerless to do anything against the enemy, and if you went and did something G-d told you to do and didn’t get your covering’s permission, the chance was high you would become a casualty of war. John Paul Jackson told them so.
And then, a funny thing happened; I began to ask what would happen if I ignored the counsel of spiritual leaders.
And my question was answered, not once, but repeatedly.
There was no real difference in protection between having a covering and not having a covering.
And then I began to think against and then speak against covering as necessary.
Covering has by and large grown into just another method of controlling others, limiting others.
And once I eliminated that problem and decomplicated my life, I took Yeshua as my covering, and shared that with others, and then life in Him became fun and enjoyable again.
The bottom line is this: we can attempt to add very silly things to our walk with the L-rd that we do not need, or we can just be with Him.
The Bible, which teaches against this kind of covering, uses the word “cover” in a different way

Love covers a multitude of sins.

Think deeply about this, gang, and be free from that spirit of Antichrist that would seek to control your every action.
Consider this as further proof: if Yeshua the Christ tells you to do something, and that instruction is contradicted by your covering, then your covering is violating Christ’s and and you are now opening the door to the spirit of Antichrist.
Your job is to do what the L-rd tells you and to stop believing that you have to run the L-rd’s instructions by someone else.
You are not someone else’s, yes-man, do-boy, go-fer, or step-and-fetch-it.
Your job is not to warm your pastor’s car or carry his Bible.
You are not a field hand or a house negro.
You are not a bastard that the L-rd tolerates to love inside the city gate.
You are a son of the King.
You were designed to live in Father’s house and spread Father’s kingdom, and some of you that have accumulated authority are designed to do way more than you already are doing.
He has great and precious promises, and your slaveowners want to keep you small.
G-d does not want to keep you small and manageable. He wants you large, released, and dangerous.
If you know what to do, then do it. And be dangerous at it.
Don’t act like you need another one, two, or thirty witnesses to do what He has told you.
Stop behaving as if you lack resources. As a believer, you are surrounded by resources.
You are wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.
Start looking for what you have around you, and make a list of the resources.
And start building something.
If you need permission, then as one called to pastor and as male and father in the body of Christ, I release you and you have my permission. Go, do, be whatever He has given you to do or be.
Be blessed, be loved, and be dangerous.
And recognize that John Paul Jackson did not write Needless Casualties of War in order to scare us. There IS actually a decent lesson in that book.

Man Gave Names To What?

12 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

So, here we go, gang:

Now out of the ground the L-rd G-d had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
Genesis 2:19-20 (2007 English Standard Version)

It says here that man gave names to livestock, beasts of the field, and birds or the air.
So, man names land and air animals.
What about the marine and aquatic life?
I would love to learn with and from those who read the blog here.
Any ideas what is going on here? A detail or two that I am missing?
I am not the fount of all knowledge. I wanted to get some ideas from.what each of you are hearing or thinking.
What occurs to each of y’all that does not occur to me?
I appreciate any thoughts, no matter how unrefined they may feel to each of you.

From the Desk of Dave Brooks: Window of Reconciliation for December

10 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Exhorter, Sapphire Leadership Group, Window of Reconciliation, With Destiny

I will be gone from SM for the next 90 days, gang, but Aoife will know that I got the drop on her this time around, thanks to Dave Brooks. For those who do not know him, he is worth getting to know, as a Giver.

It’s okay, gang. Some of y’all are going to have to read that couplet again.

Anyway, From Dave’s desk:

Hey Everyone! I have a couple of “food for thought” items I’d like to offer, for your consideration. One is that we have a window of reconciliation coming up a month from today, and it’s not too early to start leaning into it.
Here’s a link: https://theslg.com/content/window-of-reconciliation-december
For the past two years, I’ve started leaning into the March window of reconciliation for community starting in January. For Susan and myself, our community has been pretty chewed up and toxic in many respects. I can’t say exactly why but for whatever reason God has met us in these efforts and we have seen a lot of restoration in that area, not always what we specifically looked for, but overall quite marvelous.
The second thing I wanted to float out there is that I’m starting a Scripture binge, as of two days ago. I normally read through the Word twice a year using a 90-day plan in YouVersion. However, I’m using the hunger approach this time; instead of a programmed number of chapters, I have it in my heart to go until it’s done for the day. I listened to most of Genesis yesterday and started Exodus this morning, with Susan.
For me, this goes toward satisfying and nurturing something very deep, and it always does a significant cleansing. I have in the past experienced a number of “things” (I’ll omit details) which have provided significant direction or motivation.

The linked text from Arthur is as follows:

Window of Reconciliation – December

Reconciliation with Our Destiny

Have you ever wished you could rewrite a couple chapters of your life?
Most of us have.
Let’s try another. Do you feel your life is slipping away and you aren’t making progress toward possessing your birthright?
Most of us feel that, too.
If you are part of that “most of us” tribe, you need to do some business with the King during the month of December because there is a window of reconciliation then that is too good to pass up.

Special Seasons

Did you know that all time is not created equal?
On the first day of creation God carefully pointed out the two disparate sections of the time He had created. Then He carefully showed that each day of the week was unique. On the fourth day, He introduced the concept of seasons and stipulated that His seasons were to be ruled over with precision.
Knowing the extravagance of God’s love gifts to us, I am sure there are layers upon layers of seasons that were created for our wellbeing. We are only now beginning to look for them and understand how to synchronize with God’s provisions in time.
There are four seasons of reconciliation during the year which we have identified. Each runs for ten days on either side of the solstice and equinox. They are as follows:

March 10th-30th is the season for Reconciliation with Community.

June 10th-30th is the season for Reconciliation with Land.

September 10th-30th is the season for Reconciliation with God.

December 10th-30th is the season for Reconciliation with Our Destiny.

Reconciliation is always on God’s heart and we are permitted to reconcile at any time throughout the year. However, He showed us with the Day of Atonement that we should come to grips with how much alienation we have permitted to creep in each year, and at the appointed time there is extra grace available to move back toward our proper places of connection.
So December’s window of reconciliation is coming. What does it look like for you to be reconciled to your destiny during this window?

The Process

The first step is to set aside a realistic block of time to assess how you see the nature of your calling. It is important to listen to your honest feelings, even though your theology may protest that some of your feelings are inappropriate or irreverent.

For example, have you never even considered your calling so that you face the shame of negligence?

Or have you sought it diligently and found heaven to be silent on the issue?

Do you feel you have no calling, or are you afraid of its magnitude?

Do you wish at times your calling was smaller, less dramatic and demanding?

Or do you envy the great calling others around you clearly walk in?

The second step is to assess your timeline in light of your destiny.

Do you feel you have wasted valuable time in the past?

Perhaps you are grieving a great sin that might have cost you at least a portion of your birthright.

Or are you one of the few who has known and pursued your destiny with a clear focus and great intensity since your youth?

Or have you been eager to move toward your destiny but feel God is detached, ignoring your passion and not providing what He must provide for you to go forward. Perhaps you feel you are watching the years slip away without any chance of possessing your birthright.

The third step is to bring your feelings into alignment with God’s reality. This is reconciliation.
There are three realities that you must embrace.

Your call is exactly right for you. If it feels like it doesn’t fit, then you are not seeing something correctly. It might be that you do not see what your call really is. Or you might see only a small part of your total call. Or you might desire another call that is not right for you because of your unresolved legitimacy issues. Regardless of the cause, the reality is that God did not mismatch your call to your design and your time and place in history.

God is not running behind in your life. World history is full of stories about people who seemed stalled or blocked but suddenly found that God had been busy for decades creating a perfect cultural context for them to possess their birthright. When His time was right, they leaped forward because the way had been prepared.

Finally and most significantly, there are no shortages of opportunities in life. Let us suppose for purposes of discussion that you have indeed sinned so grievously in the past that God Himself has removed some portion of your calling.

Suppose His justice no longer allows you to do what was originally planned. Stop for a moment and try to visualize all the tasks He has allocated to specific people that are not being done by them.
Everything that has been removed from someone, or abandoned by someone, is available for reassignment by God.
Ponder this example: Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land because God gave him the birthright that Moses forfeited by his sin. God’s justice may require Him to remove something from you as He did from Moses, but if you have been diligent in developing your design, He has a million warehouses full of “unclaimed property.”
While His justice removed one thing from you, His love would rejoice in giving you more . . . if you are worthy.

Can It Really Happen?

Your objective in reconciling with your destiny should be to bring your emotions into alignment with God’s reality. This is such a vital task that I urge you to set aside significant blocks of time to wait on the Lord.
Share with the King what you know to be true about Him and His reality. Then share what your emotions shout at you every day, blatantly contradicting that truth. Finally, invite Jesus to crown this season with yet another miracle of reconciliation as He brings your emotions into alignment with His reality.
How will He do it?
I have no idea.
And that is precisely what makes this process so spectacularly wonderful.
Christ’s resources for bringing about reconciliation are more varied than the number of stars in the sky multiplied to the millionth power. This is the essence of His nature. This is what Jesus came to earth to do. This is His greatest joy, finest masterpiece and most enduring triumph.
Even if you have a treasure chest of the most exquisite memories of Christmases past, the King would be delighted to exceed all your past experiences by giving you the consummate gift of becoming reconciled to His design and His destiny for you.
THIS is MY reason for celebrating this season.
Arthur Burk
Herzogenbuchsee, Switzerland
November 21, 2008

Our Unrighteousness Vs. Christ’s Righteousness

9 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Anthropology, Honor, Principles of the Trinity, The Trinity, Theology

Red Maserati
Let me offend some of you right out of the gate.
G-d is not that impressed with your unrighteousness or your real failures, not nearly as impressed as some of y’all are with them.
Now that I have said that, let me frame what i mean.
See, many of us enjoy making much of how much of a sinner we were/are/will be when we come to Christ. And yes, I know, there are some pretty messed-up things that we each did in our live BC (Before Christ).
However, what we end up doing is making the egregious error of saying we ARE sinners saved by grace.
We take our own unrighteousness, real or perceived, and make that the determining factor and lynchpin of our walk with Christ. “But I am going to sin every day. Even when Ben Franklin kept a list and tried to stop sinning, he came around at the end of the day and saw it was impossible”.
Um, how do I put not to fine a point on my response.
How about, “hell, no”, for starters?
The rat race of staying sinless as an end in itself is an exercise in futility.
And there is no reason to add sin to sin by saying we are filthy, miserable, bastard, sinners who are barely saved by grace, and then engaging in an attitude of self-spiritual-rape as if we are not good enough, and then inviting the enemy to do the same on a near-constant basis.
Your sin and your unrighteousness Before Christ, real or perceived, is not the Lodestone, lynchpin, North Star, or the Determinant of the Matrix (see Linear Algebra and Cramer’s Rule for an explanation) of your relationship with Christ after coming to know Him. Rather, his righteousness is. And He sanctifies you and makes you righteous. Romans 8 is an astounding exposition of this concept.
I WAS a sinner. You WERE a sinner. You have been redeemed, and are a new creation.
You ARE ravished by His affections, He deeply adores you and chases you and treasures you and HAS, even in your pre-Christian state, given you gifts from conception. One of these is called your Redemptive Gift.
He has foreordained you to chase after your destiny, not beat the hell out of yourself and focus on your pre-Christian state.
Sure if you mess up, you repent. I told the Prophetic Movement they neede to fix that mindset of near constant screw-ups. That is why 1 John 1:9 is in the book.
But overall, we move from glory to glory, and from faith to faith, not from glory to inglory, or from faith to obsession with dead carcasses and old bodies that Christ has buried.
Sure we may return from time to time and say, “did I realy screw up that badly before He found me?’. But we do not make that the reference point for our compass.
Rather, we make it True North. Or in Scripture, True East.
You were….
Now tell me and expound what you are.
And let me expound this with an appendix from my book on Ephesians.
DO not pit your unrighteousness against Christ’s righteousness and live as if your unrighteousness matters more than or somehow overcomes Christ’s righteousness.
It does not, not even close….

A List of the Benefits that Believers have as a Result of the New Birth
******NOTE: Before you go into this list, PLEASE STOP ASKING what is not possible, and begin to ask G-d what IS possible. Stop saying what always happens in your life and start believing for what CAN happen in your life. You can get all the information you want and get this stuff as head knowledge, but until you accept what G-d has promised by faith, it will not come alive in your heart. No eye has seen what is possible, no ear had heard, and it has not entered into our minds what G-d has prepared for us who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9).*********
“He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” -Ephesians 1:3-
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is not variation or shifting shadow.” -James 1:17-
Benefits merely as a result of the New Birth. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your identity as a result of being born again:

We have access to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3)

We are chosen in Jesus. (Eph 1:4)

We are able to be holy and blameless in Jesus (Eph 1:4)

In tender love, we are predestined to sonship, which is adoption as mature sons that reflect the character and qualities of the Father that adopted us (huios) (Eph. 1:4-5)

“Predestined” is broken apart into “destined” and the prefix “pre-” which means, ahead of time. He has a destiny for us that is given to us ahead of time. (Josh. 1:8). That destiny is to succeed and not fail, to increase from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18), and to increase from faith to faith (Rom 1:17).

The question is, will we accept that path and destiny, or will we reject it, choosing instead a mediocre life that does nothing, says nothing, and is nothing. He did not call us so that we would constantly struggle with addictive sin, and constant nagging failures and regrets. He called us to a place of transformation (2 Cor. 5:17).

We were predestined according to the kindness of the Father’s will (Eph. 1:5).

The Father bestowed His grace freely upon us (Eph. 1:6).

The Father bestowed this grace on us in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6).

If there is any confusion as to the identity of the Beloved, it is the Beloved Son, in whom the Father is well-pleased (Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Mark 1:11, 9:7, Luke 3:22), Jesus.

In Jesus we have redemption through His blood (Eph. 1:7).

Forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7, Isaiah 53:5).

Healing of sicknesses and deliverance from demonic oppression (Matthew 8:16-17).

Healing of sorrows (Isaiah 53:4).

We have forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7).

We have access to the riches of His grace. This grace has been lavished on us (Eph. 1:7-8, 1 Jno. 3:1).

Is there anything the L-rd’s grace cannot provide?

We have access to all wisdom and insight (James 1:5, Eph 1:8).

By His wisdom and insight, we have access to know the mystery of His will (Eph. 1:9).

As His sons, we have no need to ask, “what is the will of G-d for my life”? He will give us the answer. We will never be left in the dark as to His will (John 10:27).

We have access to this will, specifically as a result of the Father’s Kindness.

His will for us as individuals is given with a view to the end of days. He wants to fit His plan for our lives into the larger plan of the ages. We play a part in that plan. But we have to agree and get our will in alignment with His will. Eph 1:10)

We have an inheritance that is multifaceted, comprising many different things (Eph 1:11).

We have a destiny that was written for us ahead of time (Eph. 1:11).

We have been sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13).

The seal of the Holy Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance. He is the Father’s down-payment to us, the first installment, and the entry-point into that inheritance. Hence, we are responsible to get to know Him really, really well. (Eph.1:14)\

We have the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation who give us the knowledge of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our knowing G-d does not come merely or only from reading about Him in a book, and acquiring a bunch of information, rules, and regulations. It comes from encountering Him as we read, as we pray, as we worship, as we meditate on Him and the Scriptures. We can know Him. He reveals Himself to us and gives us flowing Wisdom (Eph. 1:17).

Our eyes have been enlightened (Eph. 1:18).

He has a rich and glory-filled inheritance in us (Eph 1:18).

Are we using the riches and the glory He has put in us?

The greatness of His power is pointed toward us who believe (Eph. 1:19).

We have working in us the strength of His might (Eph. 1:19).

We have this same strength working toward us and on our behalf (Eph. 1:19).

All demonic authorities and rulers and principalities and dominions are under His feet. We are His body and He is our head, therefore these things are placed under our feet (Eph. 1:21-23)

We have been given Christ, by the Father, as our head (Eph 1:22).

If Christ is our head…what are the implications?

Christ fills us with His fullness, therefore nothing in us need be lacking, missing, or incomplete in Him. You are not incomplete until He makes you one with your husband-to-be or wife-to-be. You are complete and fulfilled in Christ, when He comes to live in you. The sad truth is most believers refuse to apprehend that truth, much less appropriate that truth (Eph. 1:23).

You are no longer dead in sins (Eph. 2:1).

You are no longer walking according to the course of this world (Eph. 2:2).

You are no longer children of wrath (Eph 2:2).

You are no longer living in the lusts of the flesh (Eph. 2:3).

You are the recipient of infinite and tenderest affections, and the fullness of His heart. You have unhindered access to the fullness of the depths of the heart of the infinite creator of the universe. This relationship with the Lord can grow like nothing else. Think of the most lush, verdant garden in the midst of spring. This is much greater than that (Eph 2:4, Song of Solomon 4:16, Psalm 23:2-3).

We have been saved by grace, which is more than just freed from eternal separation from God. We are the recipients of a birthright, a calling, a destiny (Romans 8:29), deliverance (See Exodus), healing from all issues emotional and physical, and a whole compliment of commanded blessings (Psalm 133).

We are raised up in Jesus, (Resurrected) and full of the power of His resurrection (Eph. 2:6, Romans 8:11)

We are seated with Jesus (See #23, Eph. 2:6).

Given that the L-rd is G-d Most High, and given that Melchizedek was priest of G-d Most High, if we are seated with Christ, and if we are a royal priesthood, then we are seated in the highest places and we are therefore as a result of that, made priests after the order of Melchizedek. We are thus priests after that shadow and type. We are priests of G-d Most High (Genesis

In the ages to come, the Father will show the surpassing riches of His grace and kindness to us. What does that mean now? A portion of those riches, the down payment of His inheritance in us, is available to us now, as this list details. How much of His kingdom is available? Let us see (Eph. 2:7, 1 Cor. 2:9).

We have not been saved by law, though the law is a good thing and not to be despised. We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8, 1 Jno. 3:1).

We have been given such a large gift of grace from G-d (Eph. 2:9).

We are His workmanship (Eph. 2:10).

We are not separated from Christ (Eph. 2:11).

We are included (part of) in the commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12).

We are no longer strangers to the covenant with Abraham (Eph. 2:12).

We have hope (Eph. 2:12).

We are with G-d (Eph 2:12).

We have been brought as near to G-d as we want to be, so long as we want to draw near, and to the extent to which we want to draw near (Eph. 2:13, Jas. 4:8).

We need not fear drawing near to G-d, as if we need to fear Him punishing or spanking us at random or on a whim. G-d is not in a bad mood, nor does He experience mood swings. He is not an absentee drunk, or abuser.

We are not given some ethereal, intangible peace. The Father Himself is our peace, and the Son Himself is our peace. The man, Christ Jesus is our peace. The Prince of Peace is Himself our peace (Eph. 2:14).

We who are non-Jews are made one with those who are Jews (Eph. 2:14-15). He has made peace between Jews and non-Jews.

We have been placed in one body with the Jews because of the cross, and thus have access to the covenants given to the children of Abraham (Eph 2:16, Gal 3:29, Romans 4:16).

We are reconciled with Israel in one body to the Father (Eph 2:16).

We have access by the power of the Holy Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18).

We are not strangers, aliens, bastards, or second-class stepchildren who are tolerated a corner in heaven (Eph 2:19).

We are CITIZENS (Eph. 2:19).

We are part of G-d’s household (Eph. 2:19).

We are built on the right foundation in this household (Eph. 2:20).

We are being fit together (Eph. 2:21).

We are fitted with the capacity for growing (Eph 2:21).

We are part of a holy temple, and the temple of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:21, 1 Cor. 3:16, 1 Cor. 6:19).

We are being built into a dwelling for G-d’s Spirit. Combined with #54, this makes us “already” and “not yet” a temple for the Spirit. Scripture is full of many of these “already/not-yet” paradoxes.

If we yield our lives to Jesus, deny ourselves, we have access to become prisoners of Christ Jesus, for whatever people groups He has called us to minister to. (Eph. 3:1).

Your “cross to bear” is not a sickness or a mental disorder, or some imperfection, or some handicap. There is only one “cross to bear” according to Scripture. The only “cross to bear” is the cross of self-denial, period. If you take up that cross, and only that cross, you will find the life He has always wanted you to have.

The statement “whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger” is not biblical. Whatever does not kill you is not from G-d, because G-d wants to kill you. Deny yourself. A sickness is not you denying yourself. A malady is not denying yourself. A handicap does not make you humble. You can be a quadriplegic and still have pride up to your eyeballs. You can live below the poverty line and still be entrenched in greed as high as the sky. What does the trick in carrying your cross is denying your rights whatever those might be. Your right to fornicate, be offended, walk in pride, walk in lust, etc.

We can receive revelation in order to know the mysteries of G-d (Eph. 3:3).

We can understand insight into the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:4).

We can walk in the same revelation that the apostles and prophets walked in (Eph. 3:5)

We are fellow heirs of the promises given to Israel in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Eph. 3:6).

We have access to the unfathomable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8).

We have access to the manifold wisdom of G-d (Eph. 3:10).

We have access to G-d’s boldness and confident access to the Father (Eph. 3:12).

We can be strengthened with power through G-d’s Spirit (Eph. 3:16).

Christ can dwell in our hearts through faith (Eph. 3:17).

We can be rooted and grounded in love (Eph. 3:17).

We have the capacity to comprehensively know the breadth, length, height, and depth of G-d’s love which surpasses knowledge. We can know what surpassess knowledge (Eph. 3:19).

We can be filled with all the fullness of G-d (Eph. 3:20).

We have access to more than we ask or think according to the power at work in us (Eph. 3:20).

We can walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1).

We can walk with humility (Eph. 4:2).

We can walk with gentleness (Eph. 4:2).

We can walk with patience (Eph. 4:2).

We can preserve the unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3).

We are each given grace (Eph. 4:7).

We have each been given gifts (Eph 4.8).

“Get into the car and drive off into all G-d has for you.”
-David Falls-

From the Desk of Carlene Prince: Maturity In the Kingdom

9 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Basilology, Slavery to Sonship, The Deeps, Theology, Uncategorized

Carlene didn’t entitle this one, but I imagine something like the above might be somewhat apropos.
She writes:

Just read this: “God taught me that I needed to come to Him as a child. Then I needed to grow up.”
I began to ponder this and loved the conclusion I came to. These two stages are exactly how God loves to intersect with our lives.
Coming to Him as simply as a child allows you to come to Him as you are – (PRESENT).

Growing up in Him deals with where you’re going (FUTURE).
Don’t you see? God doesn’t deal with you based on your PAST. All that needed to be said about that aspect of your life – was said at a place called Calvary. All you need to know about your past is it’s covered by the blood.
From here on out all God is concentrating on and committed to intensely is: 1) where you’re at, and 2) where you’re going.
Glory to God in the Highest.
~11/8/13 Author: Carlene “CeCe” Prince

Wow….just, wow. On-point at so many levels. This might be one dynamic that is the issue in many places in the church. The use of immaturity or child’s mentality and simplicity as an reason to shy away from deeper responsiblities of the kingdom.
First we come to him, and then we mature, whatever that looks like.
His deep calls us deeper (Ephesians 3:18).
Dive, dive…

The Destiny That Would Have Established and Redeemed the Tribe of Benyamani.

9 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Anthropology, Christology, Redemptive Gifts, Servant, Theology

Saul’s obedience would have established Benjamin forever.
Just think about that…..
Back up in the text of 1 Samuel, and read chapter 13.

Saul would have had an eternal kingdom.
Just think about that the next time you think so little of yourself.
From chapter 15:

Saul thought little of himself. Insecurity as a marker for the Servant.
Gang, this post is short and sweet. And to-the-point.
Think deeply about this tonight.
In the same way, think about it the next time you are tempted to think your own unrighteousness or smallness is of greater consequence than Christ’s righteousness and greatness in you.
And consider what would have happened if…
More on that tomorrow…

From The Desk of Margaret Moody Lehman

8 November 2018 by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

Margaret is a precious sister and woman of G-d from Florida whom I met briefly in Seattle, if memory serves me correctly.
We became acquaited or reacquainted through Carlene Prince as Margaret networked with us and several of our mutual tribesmen and tribeswomen this past weekend in Spartanburg.
Below is a bit of writing of hers which is eminently savorable due to the dignity she gave to an animal that struggled for life.
It serves as a stark reminder that our destiny in facing transitions does not have to be marred by futility, even when that dreaded enemy compasses us.
Read the following and take it in. Make applications, and learn from this Follower of Grace:

What happened at my house today…
CYRUS LAZLO
“Mama, there’s a little cat outside facedown. I can’t tell if it’s dead or alive.”
Cori had taken our German Shepherd with her to lock the chicken coop at sunset. Fortunately she had opted for the leash. The tugging dog alerted her to the mangled mess in the grass.
Looking for signs of life, I spoke tenderly. The cat lifted its swollen head and wailed. Heartbreaking. So I did what I always do in an animal emergency—go get Mrs. Foreman next door.
She brought diced chicken and a towel. I fetched water. The kitten gobbled the chicken and tried to eat the napkin too. Wrapping him in the towel, I carried him to my porch for more food, water, and overnight safety.
He looked awful and smelled worse. Swollen eyes. Ragged ears. Bony frame. Nothing soft about his fur. Probably mauled by a dog in addition to starved and dehydrated, he now purred as we rocked on the porch swing. He spoke to me and tried to show me his eyes yesterday every time I checked on him. He would find my hand and follow it to the bowl.
But this morning he was not doing well. I cleaned up the mess around him and wrapped him in a towel to keep him warm. Eight-year-old Bryn joined me on the porch. This homeschool day would have a different flavor as I held a dying cat and Bryn made her first close encounter with the end of life.
We sang for a while, especially when the kitty would cry. I suggested she grab her Bible and read aloud to me. We started with Genesis 1 and God’s good creation. We talked about how the Fall caused all of creation, not just people, to suffer the consequences of brokenness and death. She decided to read next Mark’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion. Good choice. I told her to keep reading through the resurrection as well to the end of the book. We discussed the confidence Jesus’ victory gives us that God will one day restore all things and make new heavens and a new earth. Creation itself will be set free. But God waits for now so that more people have time to turn to Him. For today, we would comfort this little piece of His creation that was now gasping in my lap.
Bryn had decided to name him Cyrus. That was the founding king of the Persian Empire (or would that be purr-sian?). I had been calling him Lazlo. Turns out this Hungarian name likewise means “glorious ruler.” Cyrus Lazlo. Quite a whopper of identity to bestow on this bedraggled piece of fur.
This cat would not die abandoned and unnamed. He was not alone. The same Father who feeds the birds of the air made sure a couple of His daughters held this one, dignified him with a name, tended to his needs, and connected with his Creator and their Redeemer in the process.
A couple hours had passed, so I suggested Bryn bring her history biography for me to read to her. And sometime during David Livingstone’s second journey north from Kuruman, Lazlo very peacefully slipped away.
–Margaret Lehman, Nov. 7, 2018