Greetings.
I’ll be wrapping up creation day “five” and “six,” their symbolic representation of our journey toward God, in the next two posts.
I also plan to present one last comparison “across accounts” in the next post.
Admonition
Amos 3:7, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” (NIV, italicized is mine)
Acts 2:17 – 18, “‘“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”’” (NIV, italicized is mine)
Over the last 20 years at least 10 individuals, mostly ministers in some capacity or another, spoke prophetically over me about my future (as opposed to “words of knowledge” or “discernment” about current stuff).
Maybe you’ve had prophetic words spoken over you. Many have.
Except for two instances, they were unplanned and unexpected.
For me, there’s been a consistent theme. Maybe that’s your story also.
Some of the words have come to pass. Some I’m experiencing now, and others are in the future.
The abundant life Jesus promised is an adventure – a journey of overcoming kingdoms in our lives opposed to Christ we and our ancestors embraced.
It’s a journey of fighting for our healing, to apprehend Christ.
A journey of receiving care and love from Jesus.
In this journey there will be days of “want” and “plenty.”
There will be days where you “feel” you’re doing all you can just to make it through the day, followed by days where the Lord parts the sea.
Many times, you’re in a battle and not sure what it’s all about, but you know Jesus is in the midst, walking you through.
When Jesus takes you into the deep waters of his Spirit, and begins a deep work of healing and restoration, you can be assured Christ is personally committed to your redemption and recovery, and will walk you through each and every phase of the journey he has planned for you.
The dismantling of kingdoms we’ve constructed may be painful.
There is at times discomfort and pain in the exposure of our wounds by the Lord.
But thankfully, his purposes are to heal and restore, not condemn; to bring justice and rest to the wounded, broken, and weary areas of our heart and life.
I’ve found comfort in the words God has given others for me, and have seen and experienced their fulfillment time and again.
****
Here is a prayer, with some prophetic overtones, a minister unexpectedly prayed over me. You may find it a source of comfort as well:
I have a higher path for you. A path in the sun and not in the darkness.
My rays of love are penetrating. Be soaked with my love, dripping with my grace and mercy.
I have a higher path for you. A path of joy and peace.
Lift up your hands and rejoice in my goodness.
I have a higher path for you.
****
Jesus will prepare you for every obstacle you must overcome, and remove obstacles and bring healing in areas you don’t even know about.
Don’t hammer your tent pegs in the ground too deep.
Let Jesus move you and your tent from glory to glory.
The author of the book of Hebrews says it well:
“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.” (NIV, Hebrews 4:1)
Jesus does not want you and me to fall short of his promise – he is here, now, to complete the work of God in you and me.
****
If you have not done so, maybe it’s time to ask Jesus to bring you into his rest:
“Lord, I want everything you have for me.
Please bring me to a place where my desires, affections, and passions, are for you above everything and everybody.
Please bring me to a place where I no longer judge myself or others, but commit my entire being to your love and care.
Please help me to realize how much I really need you, and how desirous you are towards meeting my needs and making me one with you.
Lord, I want the truth’s I believe and live to be the truths you believe and live. Please clean me up!
Please reframe my picture of God and his goodness, from the pictures I hold in opposition.
I give you permission to speak to me on my next steps toward you.
I take nothing for granted.
Even though I may be at the height of glory right now, I acknowledge my brokenness and need for you, and my dependence on you for healing and restoration.
I want my latter days to be better than my former days – I know there is always more of you to receive and give away.
And I want the journey deep in my inner being.
I repent to you for whatever ways I have neglected to receive your love and care through the resources and ministries you’ve made available in the church at large.
I open the door of my heart and invite you to re-reveal your nature to me. (1 Peter 1:13)
I choose to open my heart to you, and to those you would bring my way, to provide me with your care and love.
Please take me unto yourself, no matter the cost.
Help me to pay the price for the healing you desire for me.
And let me be found wise and not foolish when you come for me.”
****
Church Ages and Dispensations – Recap
Some of the more common dispensations taught are the ages of, innocence (free will), conscience, promise, government, law, grace, and kingdom, seven successive periods from Adam to the Millennium.
The masculine journey, taught by John Eldredge, a New York Times best-selling author, in his book titled, “FATHERED BY GOD,” gives six different stages of a man’s journey – Boyhood, Cowboy, Warrior, Lover, King, and Sage.
It has been noted by many in the church the seven churches of Revelation are also symbolic of “seven church ages.”
It has also been noted by some the seven parables of Christ of Matthew Chapter 13, are also symbolic of the “seven church ages.”
I have found Paul’s letters to the churches, the nine letters from Romans to 2 Thessalonians, also symbolic in content and succession of the “seven church ages.”
(First and Second Thessalonians, letters eight and nine, give a behind-the-scenes look in the lives of Christians in the closing season of the Church era.)
The creation account also foretells, symbolically, the journey of man and woman toward union with God.
The creation account is the only account given before the fall.
It depicts a process and sequence to union with God the other accounts are patterned after.
The account foretells a journey of learning, testing, discipleship, etc., everything necessary for man and woman to learn “love,” to love and be loved, to know and be known, to become one with their heavenly Father.
Perfect love cannot be created, but learned over a long journey. Christ is the only one who apprehended love, in the care of his Father, perfectly.
The journey was offered to Adam and Eve before they sinned.
It is offered to you and me today. The offer is Christ.
Everything flows from creation, even the plan of God we’re a part of today – the last church ages.
His creative acts set in motion designs and patterns for you and me.
Each creative act symbolizes man and woman’s journey toward God, corporately and individually, in one form or another.
Creation is more than the material and organic things God created, but a foretelling of a step by step process (day by day, stages), of increasing revelation of his nature and identity – culminating in the completion and fullness of man and woman on the sixth day, union with God.
It is pictured in all of the accounts of man and woman’s journey to Christ likeness.
Simply, God’s creative acts – his word – set in motion those things and events to produce Christ in you and me in the way he designed from the beginning, sin or no sin.
Adam and Eve fell on the first day, but God separated them from darkness, clothing them with a freshly slain animal.
He did not allow darkness to consume them – fulfilling a “type” of “light being separated from darkness” – that would continue through the generations to Christ, and to you and me.
Though now fallen, he offered them a new path to learn hope, faith, and love in obedience.
The prophetic word veiled in creation took into account the “fall,” ultimately snatching Adam and Eve from Satan’s grasp into God’s grace and forgiveness.
Though man and woman’s journey deviated, would take longer, and entailed suffering, setbacks, and failures, his day by day, step by step process would eventually redeem man and woman in Christ on the fourth day, in accord with his calendar, and set in motion their ultimate union with him on the sixth day.
The completion of the sixth day, the sixth church age, is still in process.
If you’ve been following my posts you know what I’m talking about.
God framed our journey within certain boundaries and stages from the beginning – showcased in creation.
I am drawn to this, because of the depth of the journey we find ourselves in today – the Philadelphia Church age.
Clearly, we are deep in Philadelphia, and are blessed to glean differing perspectives from comparable “accounts,” in other narratives.
God does not want us dangling from a rope, lost as to the past and to the future.
The Lord gave us this information not only to foretell our journey, but as markers along the way, letting us know how far we’ve journeyed and what’s in front of us.
We are a lot farther along in the journey, corporately and individually, than many understand or believe.
It behooves you and me to receive as much of Jesus as we can today through all the resource’s he’s made available in the church.
There are difficult things up ahead for the church.
Don’t put it off, don’t delay, and most importantly, don’t fall asleep as Paul warns the church in the last day.
There is coming a famine in the church. A famine for the word of God.
It need not be a famine to you and me.
The Lord is making ample provision today to fill to overflow those who desire him.
A famine for the word of God will drive many deeper in the pursuit of Christ.
Let’s not be like the five foolish virgins in the latter times who neglect to fill and refill their lamps with oil.
But, let’s be like the five wise virgins, until such time, the Lord takes us deeper into his love and care.
More on the Bride’s journey to come.
Blessings, Drake
(NIV) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™
