February 25, 2022
(Singing) It is raining all around me. I can feel it! It’s the latter rain. Ride on Jesus. Send us more rain! Until we are wet and we are soaked in the latter rain.
I don’t know why but I love to sing that song every time it rains. Thank you for a new day. A wet day. We’re supposed to be outside for the afternoon’s programme on Saturday, the rains are predicted to continue but we shall see what happens.
Electricity just went for a minute not too long ago. It’s been a while since that has happened. Thank you Yahweh for your protection. I sometimes take for granted the many ways that you protect us and keep us. Sometimes I wonder if we would be in shock if you revealed how many attacks both spiritual and natural that you prevented. Though in truth, not really because we know that Satan is mad, but my confidence is in Yahweh and I shall not be moved. Hmmmm. You know that’s funny. In you, we shall not be moved and in you, I move and have my being.
Thank you for not being like the other “gods” that people worship. Thank you for being complex. Why am I thankful for that? This world is super complex and it will take thoughts even more complex to design it and maintain it. Imagine when you build with Legos. So often we start with a basic square or rectangular house, but if our level of design doesn’t move past that, the world would be boring. We would be in darkness. Hmmmm. Thank you for being almighty and good. I love you.
Haggai 2:20 -23 – The Lord spoke his word to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month. He said, “Say to Zerubbabel (governor of Judah), ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of nations. I will overthrow chariots and their riders, and the horses will fall along with their riders. They will kill one another with swords. On that day, declares the Lord of Armies, I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), declares the Lord. I will make you like a signet ring, because I have chosen you, declares the Lord of Armies.
Signet ring: A finger ring engraved with a seal or monogram.
They “originated” among religious leaders and Pharaohs. They were used to mark and seal documents and while not just like signatures, they were often so personal that they could be considered fingerprints. Usually when a person died, the signet ring was also destroyed.
Yahweh has chosen you and made you a seal – a representation of himself. But he also sent a seal. A seal – whatever was sealed could not be cancelled. Yahweh’s word is his seal and because anything he says cannot be cancelled, Yahweh declared several times that Zerubbabel would be his seal.
Esther 8:8 – You write what you think is best for the Jews in the king’s name. Seal it also with the king’s signet ring, because whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be cancelled.
Genesis 41:42 – Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring and put it on Joseph’s finger. He had Joseph dressed in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
A signet ring: to trust someone with your signet ring someone to represent you. Anything they say would be like you said it. The custom was that even for the Pharaoh to make a decree he had to get back the ring from Joseph. Jesus Christ was Yahweh’s seal upon his word: the embodiment of what he said and promised.
We are like his seal (like, not the same, but close). We also represent Yahweh, but we aren’t a perfect replica. He uses us to share his word and to show that what is said is true.
Jesus both set the seal and opened the seal. He gave the word and proved it true. He is the outward sign of Yahweh’s authority.
Yahweh, you have chosen us. Jesus is you: a seal of your authority here on earth. We are like a seal: not the same but we represent you.
I pray that what we show the world is truly a representation of you. That they can be drawn to the true seal.
Sigh. This feels like it’s missing a key point.
Revelation 9:4 – They who told not to have any grass, green plant or tree on the earth. They could harm only the people who don’t have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Facepalm. The thought kept coming before, that God seals us and I kept dismissing it. I’m truly sorry. We are like a seal: his reps here, but he also seals us. Binds us securely to him.
Seal: fasting or close securely. Conclude, establish or secure something definitively. Fix a piece of wax or lead stamped to authenticate it.
He binds us, seals us to him definitively. Completely. Absolute. There is no breaking that bound.
Ephesians 1:13 – You heard and believed the message of truth, the good news that he has saved you. In him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit whom he promised.
When we choose to believe God he seals us as his through his Holy Spirit. When Revelation speaks about the seal on their forehead it can be easy to think it’s a physical mark, but the Holy Spirit is (well) Spirit and if he’s the one that seals then the seal must be spiritual. We believe and are sealed. Believe. Not to do anything other than believing what Yahweh says. The Holy Spirit guides us. Man, the Holy Spirit has a lot of work to do. Thank you for binding us to you. Here’s my heart, take and seal it.
On Another Note
Sigh. I have a couple pet peeves. One is seeing primary school children catching car on the road by themselves. I know everybody’s situation is different, but it scares me in a way because there are so many evil people out there.
Double sigh. Satan really perverts everything that Yahweh does. That’s probably why it’s so alluring, especially because it feeds into pride. My mind was on the words belief and manifestation.
Belief: acceptance that a statement is true. Trust, confidence in someone.
Manifestation: clear or obvious to the eye. Display or show by one’s act.
When we believe in Yahweh, what he has done and his promises, that is the basis of our relationship. Through our relationship, Yahweh shows us what we ought to do. Showing us is literally manifestation.
But what has the world done? Instead of believing in Yahweh, we are asked to believe in ourselves. To think of what we want and it would be manifested. They took Yahweh out of the equation and put themselves. Hello Pride.
But here’s the bigger problem, because the world has co-opted the word manifest, many Christians are afraid to even say it or to (gasp!) believe. But our belief should be in Yahweh, not self. And so we run from the power of Yahweh being shown in our lives because we don’t want to sound like the world. But why should we keep handing more domain over to Satan? We need to hold on to our beliefs even more. We need to trust Yahweh even more and know that he will show, he will manifest the way he desires to in our lives.
