Love Who???

A new heart also will I give you...

The other day I cried... I mean snot-making, drool-draining, mouth-distorting, shoulder-shaking sobs... I cried till I had no more tears left in me... Why? You may ask - Because I'm greedy! and I want more of Him and the best of His!... After the deluge, came the calm ... I knew He'd heard my voice, and now I am waiting for the manifestation of the more, and I know it will come... It then hit me that I was very happy that I cried, that I could STILL cry, because for a while this had not been the case! My heart had become slightly hardened and somewhat blasé about my faith, about life... So in addition to being thankful for the more, I was now also thankful for a heart that is still able to cry out - For a crying heart is not always the mark of a sorrowful heart, but may actually the lifeblood that beats through and preserves the heart that is still tender towards God... So I am grateful Lord for you taking away the heart of stone, and replacing it with a heart of flesh that still beats for You...

Ezekiel 36:26
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh...

The ”IT” factor…

Some people just have “It”! That aura that sets one person apart from others in their sphere … “It” usually cannot be explained away but is certainly always there - albeit intangible, but very much perceptible…

For example a guy might have that certain “it” in terms of style, panache and charisma. He may not be classically handsome or even have a lot of money, but people especially the ladies, just love him and want to be his friend, even if they know not the first thing about him… The phrase ‘I don’t know why but….’ Always will always seem to follow him around. I have a friend like that, and even I who have known him for a while still find myself just mesmerized by this person occasionally… Everyone just wants to be his friend! I’m sure you also can bring to mind one or two such people in your universe who are like that.

So I got to thinking – what is this “it” thing? Charisma, pull, “swank”, charm, call it what you will, but what is it ?? Even in the bible certain individuals had “it” – David the “baddest boy” on the block had “it”, Joseph the “cocky dreamer” also had “it”, as also did Jacob the “savvy swindler”, and Daniel the “consummate Statesman”. Even the “pardoned prostitute” Mary Magdalene, and the “career divorcee” – The woman at the well had ‘it’, to name a few of our colorful bible characters.

After thinking about this “it” for a while I came to the realization that even though such people are not perfect and may well nigh be fatally flawed in some instances, they all have one thing in common: They have a certain awareness that they are part of a plan greater than they are, and they set themselves to align to it, with the excellence of spirit, attire, attitude, and any other attitude demanded by the plan, dedicating themselves wholly to the pursuit of “it”, whether it be money, fame, pleasure, or any other passion, A sense which invariably sets them apart from their peers… These are people who see things in their own future that others don’t, and they themselves may not fully understand, but which gives them a certain “Je ne sais quoi” aura…

The dictionary even bears me out in this:
It - Idiom: Slang
1. Aware of or knowledgeable about the latest trends or developments.
2. Mentally responsive and perceptive
Informal Used to refer to something that is the best, the most desirable, or without equal, having a desirable quality or ability

So a person who has “it” may be described as a person of desirable quality or one who has the desirable ability to be mentally responsive and knowledgeable about the latest trends or developments before they become an “in” thing… In essence people who have “it” are trendsetters in their own peculiar way. This quality is not limited by pedigree, financial status, mental dexterity or physical attractiveness, although in most cases these attributes usually accompany “it” and or catch up to it, accenting that quality, and it actually draws or attracts more of the same.

So this “it” thing can it be acquired seeing that it so desirable?  I submit to you that it can. Especially if one aligns oneself to the One with the bigger plan, who has determined the destiny of every created being from before the beginning of time.

So how does one get it? In God’s kingdom, one gets “it” by becoming a part of the celestial “in” crowd i.e. the ones who form the cornerstone pillars of the eternal plan. The ones who determine the yet to be manifested trends and happenings…

In Christendom this is what is called being ‘born-again’ a translation which gives one the entrée into this rarified milieu of highly desirable. Thereafter the “it” imparting Personality of the Godhead - The Holy Spirit then comes to indwell, imbuing with that quality called ‘Dunamis’ or Charisma as is written of in the Old testament regarding Saul:

…And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 1 Samuel 10:6

And as was prophesied regarding the outpouring of the spirit in the last days:

…And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions… Joel 2:28

Also in the New Testament regarding us God’s engrafted children:

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13

And as was said of Stephen:
…And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Acts 6:10
…But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. I Cor 6:17


That’s right the Holy Spirit then imparts the “it” factor that sets us apart, and this is what is called the anointing – the charisma of the Godhead. This charisma is available for whosoever wants or  desires it:

… The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  I Cor 12:7

But “it” cannot be faked, or assumed for ulterior motives, without disastrous consequences:

 13Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
 14And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
 15And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 
Acts 19:13-16

 But when one has “it” it is evident to all, and it affords whosoever has “it” the opportunity of being a part of something much bigger than them, for posterity.

...But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Numbers 14:24

So what I am saying is that WE ALL and not a select few can come to have that “it” factor. All we have to do is to first recognize it as being valid and unique but available, then aligning ourselves to the ones who will make it happen, and voila! We will have “it”!

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
II Cor 3:18

Then we become bags of chips and all that, because HE has made us so….

Shalom
OluPero Mettabel, Dec 2011

If God could use an Ass, He can use a Fortune cookie…

I had just gone through a really emotional few days. It wasn’t as if there was anything wrong in particular, and it was one of those days where I couldn’t seem to do anything right in my own eyes! After a particularly brutal self-flagellating session, I sat down to eat a dinner that I didn’t really feel like eating even though it was my favorite Thai dish. Before I started eating I cracked open one of the Fortune cookies that were included with the meal and I read the following: ‘You will discover something wonderful about yourself’ Yeah right! I muttered, but after a few seconds I started smiling and a few moments later I was laughing albeit all by myself. What caused this transformation? It was the Lord using those words to release me – He said to me, ‘Yes you will discover that you are human! And that you will make mistakes and mess up!!’ He said to me child you are not perfect and the more you try to compare yourself to perfection, the more you will fall short. What you need to do is to trust yourself to Perfection; that He will do His work in you to bring about needed change… Rest in me and trust me to make all things right He said … Needless to say my heart was immediately lightened… So as I have determined to do with all divine gifts that I receive, I pass this God-given Fortune cookie message to all who may right now find themselves falling into this same cesspool of self-flagellation, so that as we turn to Perfection himself confessing our sins, we are changed as we begin to reflect His glory….

 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8,9

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.                                                                                     
2 Corinthians 3:18

Forty - Not just a number

Forty - Just a number right? Maybe… But this number marches through scripture in consonant to some very significant events. This caught my attention and brought to mind a dream I had a long time ago... I do not exactly remember which year I had this dream but I knew that in the dream I saw a Forty-something year old version of myself doing some things that I believe He is still going to accomplish in and through me. Those images I saw were pretty awesome, but the main thing that struck me then, and still continues to resonate today is the timing of the events I saw, as it pertained to my age. I was very definitely FORTY… Why had the Lord emphasized that number as my age in the dream?
At that time I did not fully understand it, but I as began to learn more about the scriptures I got to realize that Forty is a very important number in the plan of God as it symbolizes the timing or deployment of an assignment or prophetic dispensation that launches a person, a purpose or a call into it’s era of maximal power and influence, or catapults it into it’s next level … a level of supreme preeminence!
So we get it! Forty is very important… Let’s take a look at some biblically significant events that this number is featured in…

• God destroyed the whole earth with rain and flood to restart civilization with Noah – the only righteous man at the time, his family, and the animals that were with him in the ark:

For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. Gen 7:4

• Isaac the son of Abraham got married at the age of forty, and his son Esau also did the same – the start of the next generation in the promise of God:

And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. Gen 25:20
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. Gen 26:34

• Joseph dreamt his dream at the age of seventeen, became second in command to Pharaoh at the age of thirty, and was reunited with his brethren again after two years of famine had passed after the seven years of plenty- In the beginning of his fortieth year!

For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Gen 45: 6,7

• Moses lived in Pharaoh's palace for forty years until the Lord placed it in his heart to search out his people

And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. Acts 7:23

• He dwelt for forty years in the desert of Midian until he came to Mount Sinai and saw the burning bush.

And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. Acts 7:30

• God fed His children with manna for forty years, to tide them over from the time they were in the desert land till they got to inhabited land:

And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. Ex 16:35

• Moses spent forty days and forty nights up on mount Horeb TWICE to receive the Ten commandments from the hand of God:

And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. Ex 24:18

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. Ex 34:28

• The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years

Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. Nehemiah 9:21

• Joshua was forty years old when Moses sent him to spy out Jericho

Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Josh 14:7

• Goliath presented himself to the Israelites for forty days:

 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. I Sam 17:6

• Both David and his son Solomon reigned in Israel for forty years:

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
II Sam 5:4
And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
I Kings 11:42

• Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights, was tempted in the desert by Satan and returned in the power of the Spirit:

 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Mark 1:13

• Jesus showed himself to his disciples for forty days after the resurrection:

 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3



This is certainly not an exhaustive list but it firmly establishes the fact that the number Forty - Whether it be in days, years or in number, is symbolic of the time taken to complete an assignment … Now this is all well and good, but what does that have to do with you, my dream and I?

Well what I believe is that God has appointed for man to live 120 years on earth as is stated in Gen 6:3, and each segment of life is meant to prepare one to go from one stage to the next; The forty days as extrapolated from scriptures, were times of transfer of authority and power from God to man to accomplish a purpose - Moses receiving the ten commandments, Jesus launching into his earthly ministry, David slaying Goliath, Jesus appearing to His disciples before ascending into heaven, etc, and The forty years - The time taken to establish and complete prophetic dispensations in the timeline of God i.e. Joseph’s birth through his dream and his testing to his place of promise – being sent ahead to usher Jacob into Israel – The first step in God getting His people into the promised land…

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years…

When we look at the life of Moses, for the first forty years of his life he lived in Pharaoh’s palace, the second forty in the desert of Midian where he also got married. At the end of the second forty, He met God at the burning bush and God sent him to deliver His people. The Israelites were supposed to get to Canaan in forty days, but because of sin and disobedience, it took them forty years, Moses died when the end of his third forty years were fulfilled, with him looking into the Promised Land… He had fulfilled his ministry of leading God’s people there, even though he himself did not enter in….

My conclusion:
The number Forty is representative of the timeline for the transfer of authority, power and purpose from God unto His Kingdom players, for the fulfillment of His will here on earth; But whether you are in the first, second, or third forty year segment of your life, or whether you are taking forty minutes to pray or forty days out to fast, know that the integral and non negotiable part of this equation is not the time taken, (as our God dwells outside of time), but in maintaining the firm awareness that you were born for a purpose, and called to the service of the King for such a time as this...


So as I approached my fortieth birthday, just like Moses my heart began to be stirred, I became dissatisfied with my 'status quo', and the Lord started a work in me, which is still ongoing. I began to desire for more, I began to seek for more and in my fortieth year, I entered into what I believe is the next phase of God’s plan for my life.

Now whether you are the beginning, the middle or the end of your 1st, 2nd or 3rd forty-year segment, the most important thing is for you refuse status quo! Just like these men we have read about … Like Noah build an ark, like Joseph follow your dream, like Moses step aside to see; Like David step up to the plate to slay Goliath, like Jesus separate yourself to fast, pray and be ministered to by the Lord ... And you will see that the transfer of power and the grace to fulfill and complete your assigned dispensation will come…. IT WILL COME!

Weep not child...