Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.
But they said, We will not hearken.
Jeremiah 6:15-17
It is sad to see that the church has gotten off the old path and have lost their way by following after the world and new technology presented today. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with new technology when used for good, following the ways of the world, diluting and sugar coating the word of God has taken us so far away from God that we are now perilously close to being like those whom Jesus said worshiped with their lips but their hearts were far from God.
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Matthew 5:18
God made this statement to Isaiah regarding the children of Israel:
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Isaiah 29:13
When we consider that the old testament was a shadow of that which was to come, we can see how even as the children of Israel strayed from God, so has the body of Christ today.
Everything that we do for God is to be done with a God-first mentality and the anointing of God.
If God is not in it, we are laboring in vain.
¨ It is not about how big we can grow our church; God is looking for quality, not quantity.
¨ It is not about making a name for our self; God gets all of the glory and it is the name of Jesus that is to be lifted, praised and published.
We need to get back to the old path of seeking God for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is only through the Holy spirit that the will of God can be completed through us. The foundation that man has built and relied on is inadequate, broken, and empty. It cannot accommodate the abundant harvest. Even some of the old yokes of tradition, denomination, self-effort, and unconcern must be broken. In order to get back to the old path, we need to ditch all of the foundations that have been made by man and based on tradition, the new yokes, and new networks created by man - that is if we want to bridge the gap between sinful man and a righteous God. God's vision will only be fulfilled by men and women who have experienced the anointing, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is the only thing that can break the yoke.
It is God's desire that every yoke of sin, self, and man in our life be broken.
It is necessary if we are to fulfill the intent of God! What is the intent of God?
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
It is impossible to be effective or pleasing unto God when we are burdened down by sin, constantly influenced by the enemy and the cares of this world. God expressly tells us to come out from the world, to be separate, to be holy, to be peculiar.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 1 Peter 2:9
No doubt, for some, this is a difficult thing to do but with God it is possible to live a sin-free life with the help of the Holy Spirit within us.
However Satan has defeated many with the deception of bright lights and the glitz of stardom, fame and fortune. Men and women of God have sold out to the new technology under the guise of reaching the masses and have sadly missed the mark because they are not letting people know that they need God in a personal way and that it is more than a profession and acceptance of God with their lips but the receipt of the Holy Spirit within that gives us power to overcome.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . Acts 1:8
Peter describes us as 'strangers' or 'pilgrims' passing through this land' on our way to a place prepared for us and urges us not to partake of the things of the land.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 1 Peter 2:11
Jesus himself tells us not to be concerned with the cares of this world:
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is , and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Matthew 6:30
God shows us through His word that when He is for us, it doesn't matter who or what is against us. In one Old Testament account, Israel was surrounded by the enemy army of the Assyrians. God spoke to Israel and declared:
The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: Then shall His yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. Isaiah 14:24-25
God wanted to break the yoke from off the neck of Israel. But His purpose extended beyond Israel to the nations of the world:
This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. Isaiah 14:26
What was God's purpose during that particular time in biblical history? His purpose was that the yoke of bondage be broken from the nations of the world. A few chapters later in Isaiah, it is recorded that:
The angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses. Isaiah 37:36
God wants every yoke in our life to become as a dead corpse. He wants to destroy it in order to bring us under the yoke with Him.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. Isaiah 10:27
* It will not be destroyed by deep preaching. It will not be destroyed by psychology or education.
* It will not be destroyed through counseling or through an organization or denomination.
It will be destroyed by the anointing of the Holy Spirit
which is the power of God.
God's purpose for breaking the yoke extends beyond our life to the nations of the world. He wants to break the yoke of bondage in our life to enable you to fulfill the vision of breaking the yoke from the nations of the world:
This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? Isaiah 14:26-27
God said:
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6
The after effects of the yoke being broken:
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. Isaiah 58:9-12
When the yoke is broken the results are:
* We will know the voice of God. We will call, and the Lord will answer, "Here I am.” (Verse 9)
*We will be successful in the fulfillment of your vision. Our light will rise in obscurity which speaks of success. (Verse 10)
*The Lord will guide us continually. (Verse 11)
*He will be our provision. (Verse 11)
*We will be reproductive. (Verses 11-12)
*We will be like a watered garden which is fruitful. We will be reproductive and those we produce in the spirit world will be reproductive. They will rise up to rebuild the old structures on the right foundation.
God promised Israel in the natural world:
And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. Ezekiel 34:27
The same is true in the spirit world. The breaking of the yoke results in spiritual productivity.
Take Jesus at His word when He says:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
(Biblical Studies)
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