A Cry in Zion
March 1, 2021
A Cry in Zion
Jeremiah 8:19
Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: [Is] not the LORD in Zion? [is] not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, [and] with strange vanities?
There is rising up a cry in the bride for those who dwell in a far country. The far countries are Babylon and Egypt. It is in those places that I have delivered you out of with a mighty hand, yet you have chosen to return there and dwell there rather than in Zion and in my holy city, which you are in Spirit and in Truth. It is the vanity, the idols, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life that has led you captive. You have become fat and content in those foreign places and you have forgotten where I dwell. Do not I the Lord dwell in Zion? Am not I the King in Jerusalem, My holy city?
My beloved, I dwell in you. Have you so soon forgotten who you are? I have become a distant place and foreign land to you. My dwelling place has become to you distant and beyond the living. I have called you this day to live in Zion and in My holy hill. I have called you to be Kings and Priests to minister in My holy temple, which you are. Why do you respond to the call of foreign lovers? The travail that Paul had for the Galatians is the travail I have till Christ be formed in you. You are My temple and you are My inheritance. I am jealous over you. Am I so little to you that you run to serve and love others?
My call to my people is to return this hour unto Me with your whole hearts, your whole souls and all of your being. Do not forget who you are, for I have given you a new name and new nature. You are not the world, but you have been called out of the world and I have exhorted you not to touch the unclean thing for it defiles those who do. Separate yourselves from idolatry and vainglory. Come apart with Me and let me cleanse you and restore you unto righteousness.
The road that leads back to Zion, My holy hill is open and I am calling you to return from your foreign countries. Leave your foreign wives and lovers and return unto Me while there is time. Today the heavens are open. Lift your head and look up for your redemption draws nigh.
Blessings,
#kent
The City of our God
October 9, 2015
The City of our God
Psalms 48:1-3
Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 2 It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. 3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.
Most of us understand the concept that when we talk about the church we are not just speaking of physical locations made up of sticks and stones and building material. We know that when God speaks of His church He is speaking of the organism and a body that functions under the headship and authority of Christ. The city of God and Zion are the same way. Yes there is a natural Jerusalem and Mount Zion, but it is much more than a physical location; it is a spiritual location. Many of us have become so earthly minded that we only see Jerusalem in a natural context. We fail to fully comprehend that this city is comprised of His people and that King Jesus is upon its throne, ruling out of mount Zion. Mount Zion was in the older part of the natural city of Jerusalem. It was a citadel, a high place and a fortress. It included Mount Moriah where the temple was built. God has used Jerusalem and Zion as a metaphor throughout His word to speak of the spiritual city of His holy habitation.
Hebrews 11:8-10 says, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.” God founded this city of salvation in Abraham. It was there that God sent Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Genesis 22:2 says, “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” It was Mount Moriah where Solomon built the temple. “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. (2 Chronicles 3:1)” It was in Jerusalem that God fulfilled His promise of salvation because it became again the place of the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son when Jesus gave His life for our sins. And finally we see Jerusalem, not the old natural city, but the New Jerusalem which is from above, as being the completion of God’s salvation at Christ’s return. Revelations 21:2 tells us, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” This is Lord’s church, His Bride, His holy habitation and dwelling. You and I are a part of that now as Christ indwells us. The Word speaks to this heavenly Jerusalem in Hebrews 12:22-24, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” This Jerusalem is a spiritual city and assembly whose builder and maker is God. The natural has been the type and shadow to reveal the real.
Finally we come to a scripture that we have shared many times that so describes the part we play in this city. 1 Peter 2:4-9 says, “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, 8and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” We, the body of Christ are what constitutes and comprises this New Jerusalem. Out of this New Jerusalem the Lord will reign and govern the earth. Truly, “great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the Great King!” (Psalms 48:1)
blessings,
#kent
The Rains are Coming!
August 26, 2015
Joel 2:21-24 (The Message translation)
Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate! God has done great things. Fear not, wild animals! The fields and meadows are greening up. The trees are bearing fruit again: a bumper crop of fig trees and vines! Children of Zion, celebrate! Be glad in your God. He’s giving you a teacher to train you how to live right—Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do. And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain, casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
The Rains are Coming!
As I was asking the Lord about what to write this morning, I heard in my Spirit, “Tell my people the rains are coming.” He then reminded me of the rains spoken of in Joel 2:23. King James reads, “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” Just as the rains of heaven rejuvenate and give the life giving fluids to grow the crops, so the Spirit anointed teaching of God’s Word will come like rain to cause His people to come forth in spiritual fruitfulness. We have all set under much teaching and even good instruction, but this teaching and Word of God will be life changing and spirit transforming. It will come with the demonstration of such power and life that it will be a well of restoration, breakthrough and freedom. This rain comes after a time of great darkness upon the earth. It comes after a time where the people of God have entered into fasting and praying, of rending their hearts and not just their garments. It comes as we fully return to the Lord and bring the acceptable sacrifices of a broken and contrite heart.
When this rain breaks forth it will be like none you have seen before. It will be the former and the latter rain together, a double portion blessing upon the people of God. The rains are necessary both for preparing the soil to plant and also for bringing the harvest to fruition. These rains are for the bringing forth of a great harvest in the earth and also for the fruition of that which has already been planted. The rest of the passage of Joel 2 goes on to read, “24And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 26And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. 27And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 28And 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:
29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. 32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.”
There is a season for every purpose under heaven. There is a season for tearing down and destruction, but that preceeds the season of restoration, blessing and life. Let us prepare our hearts in the manner that God has prescribed, seeking Him in fasting, repentance and prayer. For surely He will answer us and bring the showers of His blessing and life.
Blessings,
#kent
The Way of the Lord Leads Home
February 20, 2014
Ecclesiastes 9:11
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
The Way of the Lord Leads Home
The way of the Lord leads home. His ways are just and true. He lifts up the brokenhearted and releases the captive from their captors. Freedom is found in the Lord and in His presence. Joy is found in His fellowship and wisdom comes with understanding, which the Spirit imparts to man.
Rescue the perishing, provide and have mercy toward the poor, the fatherless and widows. Your mercy shall not go unnoticed, but will in due time reap its just reward.
The expected gives place to the unexpected and wealth gives place to poverty. The just shall live by faith, but the upright shall possess all things. The man who is high in his own eyes shall be brought low and the humble before the Lord will be placed in their stead.
Seek the Lord while He may be found, before the day of indignation and tribulation. Know Him as the oil of your lamp and the life of your vessel. As long as you are steadfast in your hope of Him, none will quench the light from your lamp, for the Lord Himself shall sustain you. It is not by the will of man, nor his determination that establishes a soul, it is by the steadfast faithfulness of a broken and contrite heart that a man is lifted up and set in the high places. Whom the Lord establishes and exalts, none shall remove. Their place continues to abide. Their eyes and heart are never set upon themselves, but in the might of the Lord they abide and their light shall not fail.
Watchmen, sound the alarm in Zion, sound the trumpets of battle. The day of battle is at hand. The mighty Prince of Peace, the King of King mounts His horse and the sword of truth proceeds from His mouth. Behold your King comes with His host of righteous ones. Prepare for the day of battle that you may be among His noble ones.
Our Steps are Ordered of the Lord
February 5, 2014
Our Steps are Ordered of the Lord
Acts 26:16
But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee.
Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” People of God, we have feet that are prone to wander. We know and love God, but our hearts are still deceitfully wicked. Our spirits are fully redeemed and delight in God after the inward man, but there is a soulish body of sin, that doesn’t want to let go. It has been sentenced to death through the cross, but it doesn’t want to die. It is an avenue of temptation that satan uses to lead astray and cause us to wander. We can’t change ourselves, but we must maintain a vigilance to keep ourselves in relationship and in a place of sitting daily at the feet of Jesus. We have to keep our focus on the kingdom of heaven and what our life’s purpose is about. So easily our eyes and heart can turn away and something other than Christ catches our heart. We often wonder why we experience so little of the Lord’s presence. Perhaps it is because our time in seeking it and pursuing Him is so limited. Here is what the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet to Israel, which is for our example. Jeremiah 14:10 says, “This is what the LORD says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Does that sound like us?
I don’t speak out of condemnation. I speak out of conviction. I speak out of shame and disappointment with myself at how often and how many ways I must grieve the precious Holy Spirit. God knows our form and He knows our weakness, but that cannot become our excuse, because it is no longer who we are. Everyday we must lay hold of the life of Christ and when I miss Him, He will forgive me if I repent, but it must become the exception and not the rule. Our steps are ordered of the Lord. We must find and stay upon that path. How subtly we can be steered out of it. Usually it is just one little step at a time until we suddenly find ourselves in the deep waters of sin and wonder how we got there. Many times we may find the discipline of the Lord upon our lives or even the course of the natural consequences of our sin. God loves us. His desire and purpose is always to draws us back into Him and into His heart. Hebrews 12:11-15 of the amplified version exhorts us like this, “For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness–in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
12So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees,
13And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.
14Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
15Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—” Our Father is for us, not against us. Even in our weakness and failing He so greatly loves us. Praise His Name, He loves us enough to correct and discipline us, even though it is often painful, to bring us back to Him.
If we are walking out of His ways today, come back to Him. Even this word you are reading now is God’s invitation and cry to come back to Him. He desires that none of us “falls back and fails to secure God’s grace.” Luke 1:79 says of Jesus that He came, “To give light to them that sit in darkness and [in] the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Who is ordering our steps today? What are our hearts following after and our feet carrying us into? The steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord. Let us delight ourselves in His ways and follow wholly after Him. “God help us to loose ourselves and renounce the strongholds of sin that want and have taken hold upon our lives. We are marching to Zion and we must not be turned out of the way. We behold the throne of God and the Lamb of God that sits in that throne with Him and in Him. “We must fix our eyes and our hearts upon You, oh Lord. Order our steps, oh God, and direct our paths in righteousness for Your Name’s sake.”
Blessings,
kent
Zion
January 27, 2014
salm 132:13-18
For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling:
14“This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it—
15I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.
16I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.
17“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18I will clothe his enemies with shame,
Zion
Many of us may know that Zion was a stronghold or hill in pre-Israelite time. David captured this hill from the Jebusites as described in 2 Samuel 5:6-7, “The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.” This is where David takes up residence. Here, in Psalms 132, Zion is referred to as the desired dwelling of God, His resting place where He eternally dwells and where He is enthroned. In the natural it was the high place and stronghold of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, the place of headship, rulership, authority and kingdom.
Verse 17 says, “Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame.” A horn is a “strong one” What we gather from the scripture and from how Zion and Jerusalem are described in the spiritual sense, we can see by the Spirit that the natural Jerusalem and Zion are only a shadow of a heavenly Zion and Jerusalem. King David, is a type of Christ that has come to reclaim and conquer what satan has stolen and gained possession of. Zion represents the spirit of man which was God breathed and owned but which fell into the enemies’ hands through Adam’s disobedience. Christ Jesus is the King of Kings that reclaimed Zion upon Calvary. Hebrews 2:8-11 says, “and put everything under his feet.”
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”
That is a scripture to meditate upon for there is a wealth of truth in what is said here. Jesus conquered Zion which is represented in the redemption of mankind. Christ is that horn, that “strong one” Psalms 132:17 refers to, but more than that, He has become the eternal resting place and dwelling place of God. The awesome thing is that we are “in Christ” which brings us into and makes us a part of Zion. Didn’t Hebrews 2 just say, “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” We, the IN-Christed Ones, are that Zion and Jerusalem of God. We are His holy people and the place of His habitation, because our spirits are in Christ. What we await is the New Jerusalem, the city of God to come down out of the spirit and manifest itself in this natural world. Christ, Himself will lead that descent.
Revelations 21:1-4 declares, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Do you see that New Jerusalem is not just a location, it is a person. It is the bride of Christ. Christ in His people. Praise God!
There could be so much more written and said about this, but I just felt Father wanted to give us a foretaste of what Zion is all about.
The Nails and Fasteners of the Lord
August 27, 2013
The Nails and Fasteners of the Lord
Ecclesiates 12:110-11
The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and [that which was] written [was] upright, [even] words of truth. The words of the wise [are] as goads, and as nails fastened [by] the masters of assemblies, [which] are given from one shepherd.
As God builds His spiritual house, which we are, as the body of Christ, what holds it all together? What are the fasteners and the nails that assemble and hold fast this structure of God’s Spirit and doing? The “words of the wise,” as Solomon refers to here in Ecclesiates are the words of truth. Truth, hammered in by the carpenters and builders in God’s house, is what holds all that we stand upon together, truth given by the one Shepherd and guardian of our souls, Christ Jesus. If God wasn’t True then all that we base our faith and hope in would be a lie and would mean nothing. It is because we believe God’s Word when it says in Hebrews 6:17-18, “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability (fixed, unalterable) of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” It is because of this unalterable Truth that our faith and confidence remains in tact as we walk the walk of faith. We know that our Lord is a sure foundation that cannot be moved as it says in Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
Our God uses the same nails and fasteners to hold together His temple, which we are, as He did to assemble all of creation. In John 1:1-4 it declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Christ is that eternal Word of Truth through whom are all things is made and who holds together all things by His Truth. The Word establishes that it is Christ, who is the “way, the truth and the life,” that establishes and upholds all things together by the power of His Word. Hebrews 1:3-4 says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
When Christ Jesus, who establishes and upholds all truth, was nailed on that cross at Calvary it was as if God was placing the final nail that would seal salvation and the Truth that would complete His eternal plan for all of creation. It is our faith in Christ and the Truth of all that He is and all that He has accomplished on our behalf that fastens us permanently to Him, to His promised inheritance and to His very heart. We must truly reverence the truth and the promises which our God has so graciously given us, for it is declared in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”
If we truly believe the Truth of God’s Word, not just parts of it, but all of it, then let us fear the Lord and walk in the righteousness of it. It is eternal life to us. It is what forever fastens and nails us to the heart and life of God.
Blessings,
kent
That Upon Which All Sure Things are Built
June 19, 2013
Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
That Upon Which All Sure Things are Built
Every well-built building and lasting structure began with a plan and was established upon a sure foundation. God’s house is no different, for He is that master designer and builder and He has laid a foundation stone in Zion. Upon this stone is established His creation, His house, His purpose and His plan for the ages. He purposed that in Christ all that is lasting and eternal should be built. We know that Jesus Christ is that chief foundation and corner stone. While He has often been rejected of men, God has selected him and all that God is establishing is built upon Him. Without Christ we are missing the essential corner stone to build and establish a meaningful and close relationship with God, for God is in Christ reconciling, restoring and building His temple. It is that temple which we are as His people, living stones, being conformed to the image of the chief corner stone and built up into a holy habitation for God’s own dwelling.
1Peter 2:1-10 tells us, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone ” 8and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Throughout our lives we are constantly living, building and growing into who we are as a person. We must carefully choose the foundation upon which we build and add to it every decision that directs and establishes who we are and what we are becoming. If we have missed building each precept of our lives upon that chief cornerstone, we may have a weak foundation that is subject to failure and fault, but if we carefully, obediently and willfully choose Christ to be the forefront and foundation of all that we do, we also will build a sure house; one that will stand in the day of storm and testing. Let us choose well the foundation upon which we establish our life, our values and our purpose.
Blessings,
kent
tricklesoftruth 