Believers, we sell ourselves short and then we misapply the amazing gifts we have been given because we think the authority G-d gave us is paltry.
We call ourselves “poor old sinner saved by grace” and then we take the shocking authority has been given us, and with our mouths, we empower the clowns to assault other believers because we as believers come into agreement with LIES. And he co-opts our Authority because we lie about ourselves and our true identity snd authority.
There is never a convenient time to bring this sort of topic up….
Especially because it may trigger fierce viewpoints from many quarters of our body and community.
So, I may as well bring it up now rather than later.
For the last several years, I have been put off with the spirit of premature death. And I think I have arrived at a solution that may provide some understanding as to why some believers die prematurely.
The L-rd and I were having a conversation about believers dying before their time.
And given the second member of the fractal of Seven in Scripture deals with the Principle of Authority, and I have dealt extensively with believers who have misused their authority to engage in destructive behaviors they were not meant to….
Some things began to click in the last few days.
I saw the body of a friend in the spirit laying face down and a number of arrows, knives, swords, spears, and other piercing and stabbing weapons littering this friend’s back. The body was bloodied and my friend was obviously dead.
This friend has a sterling record of integrity and one of the few lives I would want to emulate as a believer and pastor.
And for those of you that know I walk as a seer, some know I see weapons in the spirit.
And weapons that are darkened typically are demonic or belonging to an unbeliever. But weapons that are polished and bright and bejeweled typically belong to believers.
As hard as it may be for some people to believe, followers of Christ can spiritual attack other believers with their spiritual weapons (2 Cor. 10:4-6).
The L-rd gives us tremendous authority in the spiritual realm, and we have latitude with our free will to mishandle and harm others with the tools and weapons we have been given.
And in the back of this individual who had physically died, the weapons were those of many believers. Bejeweled knifes, shining arrows meant for the clowns, spears of amethyst, and darts of emerald among all other manner of weapons.
Verbal agreements, that came forth from mouths that should have spoken kingly agreements of the L-rd were marshaled by the enemy to destroy one of His own.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations,
From Revelation 19:21
And the sense I got was that this has happened before with other believers who had died prematurely due to the agreement, slander, libel, social media mendacity, and publishing of false accusations and attacks due to the mishandling of spiritual authority.
And for those who know me, you know my testimony includes a situation where my ex-pastor’s wife engaged in similar behavior that nearly destroyed me, which you can read about here.
To be sure, because of the reality of free will, G-d will allow believers to use their authority, especially earned authority, for nefarious and abusive ends, for a season, during which time, He will give them space to repent. My ex-pastor’s wife sent all sorts of clowns after me and lobbed all sorts of weapons in the spirit at me. And then the time came when the L-rd said “enough.”, and He stripped her of her authority and her birthright and gave that birthright to another
Here is a similar case, I believe. G-d is showing that this person was killed prematurely by others on the body of Messiah, and G-d is likewise giving those who misused their authority a season for a season to repent.
By the way, once a weapon has been lobbed in a person and left behind, that person generally loses the weapon once it has been removed unless the L-rd restores it back to them.
These weapons that have been thrown at this individual and left in them have been removed and cleansed and stored away.
But, gang, this is a wake-up call from the L-rd to His Body.
Repent of harsh words and befouling and twisting and maligning and false accusations. The anger and wrath and slander and malice and abusive speech that Colossians 3:8 speaks about, I instruct those of you with those bitter roots and walking in those sins to rid yourselves of them so that the words you speak are full of the King’s fruit and are life-giving.
He has space for you.
Space to repent.
Space to disempower the spirit of premature death.
Space to come in the opposite spirit.
Space to gain spiritual understanding of the human spirit and the Principle of Authority.
And space to successfully practice the right applications of the Principle of Authority.
So that no further friends and siblings and leaders need die prematurely.
Please note that I have been discreet not to name names out of respect for others, and please honor that discretion by refraining from speculating as to identities.
In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the great deep, and the Spirit of G-d was hovering over the face of the waters.
And G-d said….
Let there be light…and G-d separated the light from the darkness and principle from principle and idea and concept from idea and concept and complexity from complexity so we can see each building block as it is.
Let there be a dome to separate waters from waters
Let the waters separate from the land, and let the vegetation appear…
Let there be signs to separate days from months and seasons from years….
Let there be well-timed creatures in both the heavens and in the seas…
Let there be systematized animals on the dry land that are constant in their presence that are sensitive to the justice of G-d
Let there be fulfilling respites and strong pushbacks against futility and let those regular respites form a boundary between vigor and apathy.
Genesis 1:1-2:4 paraphrased
Seven boundaries, gang.
Each causing and allowing factories of thought and ideas and action to coalesce and weave together so that we can stave off the serfdom of darkness from the Kingdom of Light.
For, and I surmise you will agree, you do not wish to take the road to serfdom.
For that road is full of stubborn taskmasters, and futilely unproductive pain without respite that continues to grind in a choppy, oilless mess.
You were made to glide as a well-lubricated machine and a joyous son in the mindset of a Light-hearted and systematic Kingdom of Love.
And while Prophets bash, and Givers and Rulers /Judges/Deliverers and Servants order, and Teachers, Exhorters, and Prophets and Mercies reveal and Mercies find flow, and Exhorters gather, and Teachers plumb down….
And Givers/Stewards manage and provide….
There is a deeper connection and division and lines and boundaries that are given to each of the seven gifts to make.
And we will cover those in depth in the coming weeks and months.
But as for now, as I have stirred the pot between the six-colored rainbows and the seven-colored rainbows, I will ask you to consider one thing:
What does white truly look like?
And what are all the different types of light and frequency created on the first day, and how are those different from the waves in the fifth day?
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find fiath on the earth?
From Luke 18:8
Sometimes you build the platform and then the L-rd repsonds, and sometimes the L-rd just shows up and you respond.
There are two dynamics that run very close, inverse of one another, and yet, we must dance between them on a constant basis as belivers.
We are told, by the one group of believers, that if we attempt to do anything for the kingdom, that “all our righteousness is as filthy rags” (even though He has transformed us (2 Cor. 5:17). What, so Jesus saved us and transformed us from one form of filthy rags into another form of filthy rags?
And we are also told by the other group of beliveers, that if we just wait for the L-rd to act, that we are lazy and not bearing the fruit that is the testimony that we are His followers.
Both camps may not understand one another, but they both adject one another in the kingdom.
See, we were made to engage with both, and not to view one or the other as better or worse than the other.
Some days you are going to feel a GRACE to do something, to build, to get a wild hair and construct something.
And some days you are going to feel a GRACE to sit still and allow Him to be with you.
A grace to work, a grace for kingdom-laden effort where you work with dilligence.
Which has the same source as the grace to not act and to see Him act.
There are going to be days and seasons when you are supposed to construct a platform for the King, to marshall resources, to bolt boards and beams and set foundations and pour concrete and run wire and follow a set of prints.
The grace to manage. And even in the midst of revivals and moves of G-d, people still need to skillfully manage resources and supplies. Just because G-d shows up with miracles and wondrous things does not mean that we can stop all management.
We need to arrive on the other end of a move of G-d having passed the test of successfully handling what was put into our hands to use. And to not be swayed by every single need that tugs on us.
There are days when the revival gives us power and authority.
And some days, the power and authority are to say “NO” to the many needs, so we can say “YES” to the specific needs WE are called to handle. Just because resources fall into your lap does not mean you fritter those resources away on the first begging hand that comes to your door.
Are you capable of blessing those G-d tells you to bless, and also of listening to the King when He says “do not bless that person”?
Are you able to pray when the L-rd says to pray (and when He tells you to pray, He will supply the grace necessary to pray) and refrain when He says to refrain, even from praying?
He has designed you to accomplish a limited number of assignments on this earth and in this season.
So, there is truly a male form of faith, in which we build something and the L-rd responds to us.
And there is a female form of faith, in which we wait for the L-rd’s initiation, and He does something that we receive, and then we respond to Him.
Which season is it for you?
Male faith or female faith?
My challenge to you is this: Don’t merely act with one aspect of faith, assuming your form will be always blessed.
Sometimes you will need to execute what seems to you a foreign form of faith in order to move forward in a seaason.
And I bless you to hear when the music changes, so that your dance step changes.
Some days, we work faith in building a platform.
And other days, we lay in our beds and allow Him the prerogative to initiate.
NOTE: At the end of each post, I will provide a link to the next post on the Prophet, and each subsequent post in the sequence of the Redemptive Gifts, and following the Prophet, I will link at the top of subsequent posts where you are coming from. Thus, the set of Redemptive Gift Posts will form a chain link. And now, the introductory post.
“Wait a minute, what do you mean by ‘redemptive gifts?’ “
“Why are you calling that person a Mercy? I thought Mercy was an adjective.”
“How is a Redemptive Prophet different from an office Prophet?”
“What is this goofy language you are using, David?”
“It sounds like you are part of a cult.”
Well, not really. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we might be doing that we forget who came along for the ride.
Allow me to back up and to partly explain why you are here.
You are here in part because of my doing.
You see, I have an unusual capacity to draw people in. When I want to draw a crowd or group, it can be useful. But when I want to do one-on-one with people, it can be a little bit………frustrating?
I have come to some startling realizations among those people that call me friend. I have this uncanny knack for being able to draw people who are absolute strangers to a given concept, and helping them grow into an understanding of the concept, and then helping them segue to the next season using that concept or those concepts as tools in the next season.
To the place where they are ready to transition to a larger season, set of relationships, or set of truths. In fullness, we move from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7), and from faith to faith (Habakkuk 2:4), for as it is written, “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). And part of my job description is to help people increase their capacity to receive, store, apply, and utilize.
Kind of like a bright star….more on that later.
I came to this realization in the last few weeks while working to walk well with a new set of friends who are relatively new to the concept of the Redemptive Gifts. And, since the concept of the gifts and their associated terms are common conversation points on The Paraclete’s Hammer, I figured that I would give a ground-zero entry-point, an intro post for those people who might not know what the gifts are, what we mean when we say “Redemptive Gifts”, and how they hook in to the rest of Scripture.
So, without further adieu, the Intro:
When we discuss Redemptive Gifts, we are referring to those seven gifts that are found in Romans 12:6-8.
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Romans 12:6–8 ESV
From that Scripture passage, we pull the following list of seven gifts.
Prophet
Servant
Teacher
Exhorter
Giver
Ruler
Mercy
First delineated by Bill Gothard of the Institute of Basic Life Principles decades ago as Redemptive Gifts, these gifts have several associated parallel patterns throughout Scripture were discovered by Mrs. Judy Lee and the Gifts and their parallels were popularized by Arthur Burk of Sapphire Leadership Group.
So, at the outset, before anyone decides to label me a heretic for mentioning Bill Gothard in anything other than a “stone-the-heretic-with-stones-that-he-may-die” tone of voice, please go jump in a freaking creek or take a cold shower.
These gifts were not only seen as distinct from the Manifestation Gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, and different again from the Office Gifts of Ephesians 4, they were also connected to many of the other heptadic (“heptadic” means “seven-fold”) groupings found throughout Scripture. A pattern that repeats. Also known in mathematics as “a fractal”.
Yes, I know I could probably nuance the definition and terms a bit better than that, but for our purposes of looking at patterns and types and symbols in Scripture, such a definition suits the purpose, and I know the definition might break under overanalysis, but this is not the time for that. I am plenty armed for that work at a later date.
In Scripture, there are patterns among the heptadic groupings throughout scripture that link together. For example, Teachers are often found in medical and research arenas, and most medicines derive from some plant life on some level, and when were plants created?
The Third Day, and the Teacher is listed third among the seven gifts.
Further, in Scripture, we see the Bronze Laver used for cleansing in the Tabernacle as the second of Seven Key Objects In the Tabernacle of Moses.
And the Servant and the Second Day, where the weather patterns and atmospheres were created, occupy the second position of the Fractal of Seven, and both have unusual capacity to cleanse.
Further, the Seven Days of Creation show us the following parallels, if you will pardon the repetition of the Second Day. Granted, this is not going to be an exhaustive list, and it is only going to be a getting-your-feet-wet intro:
For Day 1, we see the Creation of Light. But consider this. Not only did G-d create light on that first day, but He also created everything that was necessary for that light to exist on that first day. Now, reasoning from principle and using a little bit of science, what is required for light to exist? Understanding that “all different types of light are part of an electromagnetic field that flows across time,” and understanding that light is both a wave and a particle, you have to have four things: Time, Space, the Laws of Science, and then the Matter that operates within in those natural laws. And as Time, Space, the Laws or Science, and Matter are necessary building blocks, or Principles with which G-d built everything and which He utilized in order to get His Light to every dark place, so the Prophet is known for, using the principles governing all of reality as tools and building blocks, putting a million of them together in order to produce something that is useful and new. To illustrate, it was was not a simplistic “up” and “go” that got the first airplane into the skies. Rather it was a complex weaving together of dozens upon dozens of principles and variables. Thrust, lift, birdflight, gliding, kites, behavior of different wingforms in the air, windspeed, catapults before the first airplane wheels were considered, weight, loft, temperature, weather, and on and on and on. The Prophet’s ballpark and expertise is in the area of everything embodied by that first day and so much more.
For Day 2, the Servant’s Day, G-d created the waters above, the waters below, the expanse between (the sky and atmosphere) and the weather patterns. And what do the weather patterns and the atmosphere and sky and oceans do? Quite simply, they perform massive cleansing and massive life-giving functions. They are not readily seen usually, but they keep us alive in ways we do not understand. Likewise, the Servant carries this massive capacity to cleanse people, above all the other gifts.
For Day 3, G-d created the dry land and Vegetation, which is where we get the first concept of the Teacher. The dry landforms, dens for animals, tree homes for woodland critters, desert landforms for desert critters, polar and rainforest areas for those critters, all the safe places for each animal was created on this day. In addition, the vegetation that provided sustenance and medicine was provided on this day. Here is the picture we draw from this; the Teacher was designed to be a safe haven, a safe place, and a safe person emotionally. There is a massive amount of medical tie-in with a Teacher, and as stated above, most medications derive from things created on the Third Day. Also, the dry land, the dens and homes for animals that were all created with the dry land on the Third Day, the Teacher is a refuge for those who are overtly oppressed. They are typically emotionally incredibly safe.
For Day 4, the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, we move to the Exhorter, and the picture here is of broad scope. The Exhorter has, of all the Redemptive Gifts the capacity for working with the widest cross section of differentiated humanity. And, the sun, moon, and stars, control tides, give warmth, provide radiance, give a broad light, and attract people to study them, wildly divergent people who would not otherwise gather. Don’t believe me. Remember the solar eclipse a few years ago in North America. It caused EVERYONE to stop and stare and talk. That is what the big, bright, massive, sparkly things do, they move masses of people to a bunch of places. Just like the Exhorters.
Day 5, the Birds and the Fish, brings us to the Giver with one key trait: timing. The Birds (including everything that flies: don’t shoot me down over bats) and the Marine Life ( everything that swarms the oceans, again, with the whales) both have MASSIVE seasonal and timing components to working together.
Day 6, the Land Beasts, deals specifically in the concept of Systems with a million moving parts that all have to synch together. Herbivores, carnivores, and humanity all living together on land having to organize themselves and engage in the work of dominion.
With the 7th Day, we come to the concept of rest, and the Mercy was made to just be and experience the depths of intimacy.
Granted, that is just one overly-simple expression of the pattern of how one grouping of seven parallels the Seven Redemptive Gifts.
But, what I want you to see as we move into this is that each gift is unique and plays a VERY valuable component, without which, the whole creation would descend to utter chaos.
And, please draw the parallel, no matter who you are or what your gift is, (and I think we each only have one Redemptive Gift as our dominant driving force) you are EXCEPTIONALLY valuable and have a real place where you can make a difference. Not to be all things to all people, nor to be nothing at all, but to do that one thing you were made to do.
To fix the one major problem G-d made just for you to fix.
To possess the one thing that will bring you the greatest fulfillment.
To possess that thing we call your birthright.
That is the reason we discuss these concepts of Redemptive Gifts so readily.
Helping you to discover what your gift is, and what it looks like on Monday morning, functioning highly and expanding the Kingdom is one of the things that brings me intense satisfaction. And with that, we will jump into each of the gifts as they come.
Consider these things deeply as we file through each gift. Ask a ton of questions.
Think about the implications, and let’s really explore what these mean for us as a tribe.
Be blessed, and sleep the sleep of the righteous.
And for those with insomnia, here is my post on the Prophet.
My son, Isaac, is an outstanding example of obedience and submission and helping others.
That said, he sometimes takes it too far and it occurred to me as though he acts like he is living on a plantation.
Let me explain.
Plantation Mentality
Isaac was up this morning, and as per his MO, he was standing at the bus stop under an overcast sky that as threatening with some rain. I asked him to come to the porch in order to sit down. Now, the bus is not incredibly easy to hear, but if you quiet down, you can hear it, and given Isaac’s arm was hurt from a biking accident today, he could not play, and I encouraged him to sit down at the front porch, some 200 feet from the curb, and talk to me. He pushed back that he did not want to be left behind, and that the bus would leave without him, and I pushed back and asked him to calm himself, and not to fret or fear, and that I have a key and a car, and would give him a ride if they left him, which didn’t calm him much.
He was afraid the master was going to whip him into submission if he did not jump and sprint to the bus.
So, we talked, and listened for the bus, and a couple of times he thought the bus had come, and it was just a car. I reminded him that I taught him what a diesel engine sounds like, and just gently told him to continue sitting.
And, discerning the presence of something malicious, I said:
“That is a spirit of fear that you are walking in, and it is keeping you from being able to rest and walk with a sound mind, son. You know how I know this? I walk in the same thing, and when I get in a spirit of fear, I respond by getting angry and mean and cussing and hurting stuff, people, etc. Let’s just calm down.”
And the bus showed up, and we walked together, and I encouraged him to slow his pace and to not freak out over the bus.
It was a set of expectations that was placed on him by that critter, and he rolls over regularly for whatever the source of the pressure might be, and sometimes acts like a slave (I do the same thing myself). And I said, “you are a son, not a slave. I do not want you having the mentality that you have to sprint, risk falling and injuring yourself again, and having to, instead of going to school, going to the ER, and having a doctor fix more issues. The bus driver can wait another 45 seconds while you walk safely.”
And as we walked, surely enough, the bus waited another half-minute, while he walked at a decent pace. And as he got on, and I talked to the bus driver, I was telling her that he needed to learn how to be safer and not panic that she was going to leave him behind.
She thanked me, and drove off, with Isaac on board.
And I saw the picture of Isaac picking cotton as a field hand, and heard the words in my spirit, “leaving Satan’s plantation.”
And I recognized my plantation mindset as well. And began the process of repenting of that mindset.
The Spirit of Fear
It is the spirit of fear that keeps us on the devil’s plantation. Makes us push ourselves and those around us to just slave away to whatever agenda he has for us, and makes us drop our boundaries and our willingness to say “no” and crowds us. And that brings us to the brink of Thyroid and Adrenal Fatigue.
And it prevents us from embracing the Power of Yeshua, the Love of the Father, and the Sound Mind of the Ruach Hakodesh, which brings us to a place of security in Him. When my strings get pulled, I get jazzed up on whatever irritant is tweaking me at the time, and it’s harmful to whatever purpose Father is moving me toward in the given season. And it disconnects me from my timeline.
But…
And G-d through Yeshua did not design us for this. He did not design us to flow in fear of circumstances. And when we violate the design, we come to harm. It is the fear of the L-rd that is the only fear in which we should walk (honoring, and keeping Him our priority, as contrasted to mindlessly being afraid of Him). And when we walk out of the Fear of the L-rd, and in the fear of the enemy or the fear of the circumstances, we disintegrate, and that pretty rapidly.
Gang, it is time for us to come off of the devil’s plantation, and to see the shackles cut from around our feet.
The only way we can do that is by embracing power, love, and a sound mind through the Fear of the L-rd, which is a desire for Him and His honor, in response to the multi-colored expression of His love.
And the embrace of power, love, and a sound mind comes through repentance (which is vastly more than just the starting block of changing the way you think, and moving forward, pointing your orientation in a new direction), and working with blessing and coaching our adrenals.
The Adrenals-Future Post Preview
The adrenals are the landing pad for covenants and agreements.
They are also very spiritual organs.
And, with the brain and the heart, they are one of three thinking organs.
Anything else of a different kind in all of creation
None of these things will be able to separate us from the Love of G-d. Even if these things were arrayed against us (Romans 8:37) with the intent of separation from the love of G-d.
We can remember the following things about the Love of G-d:
It overcomes death through the Life of the Father,
It brings Dominion out of Death from the Son,
It Honorably redeems us for companionship with the Holy Spirit in a way the Angels cannot comprehend,
It brings to life the Principles in such a way that baffles the Rulers of this present age,
It yields an Authority that trumps everything that is present with the intent to separate us,
It teaches us a Responsibility that is effective in thwarting a contrary and fearful future,
It shows us how to Steward what the L-rd has given us in order to surmount the heights,
It brings a Freedom that delivers us from the depths of Tartarus, the Abyss, Hades, and Death,
And It Fulfills us in a way that nothing else in all of creation that satisfy.
