Category Archives: Kingdom Keys

Mr. Herb’s blog.

Kingdom Keys

The Love of God

Dear friends,

     I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had a thought that might encourage someone so I decided to send it out. May you ever be encouraged by the love of God.

 

 

      It has been my personal experience and my experience in counseling that many people have difficulty really believing that God loves them. This is often because of their past. They may have done things that they feel make them unworthy to receive God’s love. Though they are Christians they have not fully appropriated the work of the cross. They still carry the burdens of self-condemnation, guilt, shame, and regret. I was thinking about this as I prepared my Sunday message and the prodigal son came to mind. We have all heard it preached various and sundry ways, but I felt the Lord was giving me a fresh application. Think about this for a moment; the prodigal son spent his inheritance in riotous living. He consumed his living with harlots and on a life of debauchery. As wicked as he had been, living totally contrary to the things he had been taught, he finally came to his senses and returned home content to be just a servant in his father’s home. When the father saw him, he ran and embraced him even before he could speak his prerehearsed speech of repentance.

      I’m just thinking as I write and here’s what comes to mind:

 

    Because of his wickedness, he could no longer perceive himself as a son. The guilt he bore caused him to be willing to settle for being a lowly servant instead of a son. He did not understand the love of his father. He felt he could never again have an intimate relationship with the father.

 

    The good news is that regardless of what he had done, his father still loved him. In fact, when he was doing his worst the father never stopped loving him.

 

    It was God’s love that put Jesus on the cross and His sacrifice was sufficient to cover what ever you have done. If you are still carrying guilt and shame, it may be unrecognized by you, but you are still trying to pay a debt that was fully paid. When He said it was finished, it was.  It is time you took condemnation, guilt, shame, and regret to the cross and received the Father’s embrace. He loves you and He desires intimacy with you.

 

   As the old song says, “The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell.”  Of faith, hope, and love the greatest is love. Hope sustains us; faith will make you an overcomer, but love will make you more than a conqueror. Nothing can separate us from the love of God and today God wants you to hear His words,”I love you.”

 

I know many of you are secure in God’s love and I praise the Lord for that, but there are still many who need those yokes broken off to receive His yoke. May God’s richest blessing be yours and may you know the height, depth, and breadth of His love.

                                  In hIs love,

                                  Herb Dean

Kingdom Keys

What If

Dear friends,

      I hope you are well. It has been quite some time since I have written. I don’t like to write for writings sake, and there hasn’t a lot that was fresh and burning in my heart. I believe I am in a place of transition and the Lord is not giving clear direction at this time. I want to share a few thoughts about this time of silence because in conversations with other leaders there are many others going through a similar thing. What does it mean when God is silent? Here are some ideas I feel the Lord has given me.

 

1. His silence is a summons.  I once heard someone say that hearing is matter of proximity. If someone is whispering in the back of a large room, you cannot hear them, but if they are whispering in your ear you can.

I believe God speaks even in His silence and one of the things He is saying in His silence is,” Draw near”.

John could hear the heartbeat of Jesus because his head was on Jesus’ chest.

 

2. His silence often preceded great change.  When Eli was judge the word of the Lord was rare in those days. There was no widespread revelation. Then came Samuel who as the next judge of Israel would anoint its first two kings which ,of course, included David. Before the coming of Christ there was a period of four hundred years of silence. A minister blogged recently and said he knew of at least twenty-five people that had walked with the Lord a long time and heard the Lord  but were receiving no directional instruction from the Lord right now. His blog title was “What If” and basically what he said was, what if these people are in a holding pattern because something is about to happen that will change the whole landscape of things. Could it be that our lives as we have known them are about to change? Could it be that how we operate is about to radically change?

 

3. His silence is to get our attention.  Have you ever had a teacher or preacher who would get very silent and would wait for you to get silent as well before they would speak because what they had to say was very important and they wanted to be sure you heard it? There are many voices vying for our attention and sometimes it is only in the quietness that we hear the voice of the Lord. It seems the Lord is waiting for our attention before He speaks.

 

4. His silence causes us to revisit what He has already said. Sometimes we fail to walk in the last thing He said. If we are not walking in the things He has spoken why should He give us more. Sometimes we are guilty of heaping unto ourselves prophecies without walking in obedience. The word to Israel did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith.

 

5. His silence cause us to refocus. Hebrews says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..” The psalmist said that God would guide us with His eyes. Too often, I find myself looking for His hands when it is His face I should be seeking.  

 

    So what are we to do during this time?

1. Continue in what He last told you to do.

2. Seek the Lord with your whole heart. Draw near to Him.

3. Take time to listen. Wait on the Lord.

4. Read and meditate on His word. It is often in reading and meditation that the logos becomes rhema.

5. Do not lose heart. God has not forsaken you; His plan is about unfold.

 

     I hope that encourages you. These are exciting times and regardless of what our eschatology may be, we can say with surety that our redemption is much nearer than when we first believed. On a personal note, I have felt that I was to go other places and minister. I am not one to promote myself and I simply ask if we  have ministered to you over the years, that you prayerfully consider having us come. My calendar is open and I have a great deal of flexibility. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

                         In his love,

                         Herb Dean

Kingdom Keys

Let us lay aside every weight…

Dear friends,
     I pray you are well and prospering in the Lord. We have begun a new year and as is customary many have made resolutions, some have broken them already, and there is still hope that things will be better this year. The gyms will be full until about March usually and it will be easier to find machines to work on. The traditional prophetic rhymes have been given concerning the New Year, “On earth as in heaven in 2011,” etc. and we pray that it is so. I would like to share what I feel the Lord is speaking to me for this year. I hope this will be an encouragement to you.
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrew 12:1b
   Our church hosts a pastors’ prayer meeting every Wednesday morning. After prayer we were talking and one of the brothers said something about casting off restraint, not in the negative sense but a positive. This resonated in my spirit and I began to think about it. I had been asking the Lord for a word concerning the New Year and I was convinced this was it. So, what does that mean for us? As I meditated and studied these are the thoughts I had concerning this word.
     Hebrews 12:1 came to mind, especially the part about laying aside every weight. The amplified says it a little stronger, “Strip off and throw aside”. The writer likens our life or course to a race and is saying to throw off anything that is holding you back. The word for weight in the Greek is the word ogkos which means a tumor, mass, impediment, magnitude, weight, burden. Let’s look at some of the things that are holding God’s people back.
1. The past…. Some people are held back by the past whether good or bad. Some long for the way it used to be. Some are loaded down with disappointments and wounds from their past. Listen to this oft quoted for the New Year verse. Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:13b-14  Paul says he forgets those things behind (whether good or bad) and he reaches forward and presses toward. You cannot reach forward and press toward if you hold on to the past. You have to put the past behind you. If because of hurts wounds and disappointments you have developed wrong thinking pattern you must throw off the old and embrace God’s truth. That is part of renewing the mind.
2. Fear…..  Fear is the antithesis of faith. Fear and unbelief are like matching bookends. Hebrews says the children of Israel did not enter the land because of unbelief. Had they mixed the promise with faith they would have entered the land. They were afraid because they did not believe God. They were afraid of giants in the land. They were afraid of the walled cities. David boldly faced a real giant because he had faith in the Lord. Proverbs says the fear of man is a snare. You cannot run a race with a snare around your ankle. Fear will keep you from moving in the gifts. Fear will keep you from stepping forward. Fear will keep you from possessing what God has already said is yours.
3. False burdens-false responsibilities….. Some people are carrying things that are not theirs to carry. I see pastors that are so loaded with cares and responsibilities that they have forsaken what Jesus called the one thing necessary. We must learn to cast our cares upon the one who cares for us. Jesus said, I will build My church. The psalmist said,”Commit your ways to the Lord and He will bring it to pass.” Cast off those burdens and take His yoke.
4. Infirmity…..I did not put this in my original message, but as I looked again at the definition of weight in the Greek word ogkos and saw the words tumor and mass, I thought about Christian brothers and sisters who are in a battle for life with cancer and other infirmities. This is indeed a weight that is holding them back. I think of Paul when the viper came out of the woodpile and attached itself to Paul’s arm. Paul shook it off into the fire. I say in the spirit Shake it off! I certainly do not want to be presumptuous, but I believe many of these tumors are snake related. Paul’s deliverance opened an awesome door for ministry.
5. Debt…. I really believe God wants His people unencumbered by debt. Owe no man anything, but love. The borrower is servant to the lender. Throw off the shackles of debt that you might be free to give, and free to go. I believe there will great grace to get out of debt for those who choose to do so.
    The year 2011 will be and has already been an eventful year. There will be great tragedies accompanied by great opportunities and I believe it will be a great year of spiritual breakthrough. We must contend in prayer for our cities, and nations, for our families and for the church. It is a time to travel light and not let anything hold you back from the destiny the Father has set before you. If you don’t know what is holding you back, ask the Father. He will show you and give you the grace to be free.
   May 2011 be an awesome year for you truly ,and may the kingdom of heaven be revealed in greater manifestation in 2011.
                 Blessings,
                 Herb Dean

Kingdom Keys

Joy to the World

Dear friends,
      I pray that things are well with you. In years past I have written some thoughts concerning Christ’s birth and today I’d like to remind you of some things that I believe will encourage you. 
     Years ago as I heard the Christmas story being read, the Lord dropped something my spirit. In the part in Luke 2 where it speaks of the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night and then the glory of the Lord shown round about them. The Lord spoke these words in my spirit,”The shepherds who are faithful in the darkness of night are the ones to whom I will reveal My glory.”  Be encouraged you faithful shepherds. I hear the words from Isaiah 60. “Arise shine for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, for out of deep darkness there has shone a great light.” God is faithful; don’t give up.
    God gave me a revelation of His sovereignty one Christmas as I pondered the Christmas story. I thought about a very much pregnant woman and her espoused husband making a seventy mile journey on foot to be counted for the purpose of taxation. God used a tax notice and a pagan emperor to position Joseph and Mary for the fulfillment of prophecy.He used external circumstances to position them for blessing. He used a pagan emperor to have the Bread of Life born in the “house of bread as prophesied.” It may well be that the difficult circumstances you find yourselves in are positioning you for blessing. God is able to bring redemption out of everything that comes in our lives.
    A couple of years ago, I did a study on the wise men. It was very revealing. God revealed Himself to these men in powerful ways. I am sure that you have probably seen the statement on church signs,”wise men still seek Him.” It was true then and true now. As I thought about writing this morning, this verse came to mind,”And I will be found by you when you search for Me with all your heart.”
   I pray that during this season with all hustle and bustle, that you will make time to worship Him. I know some believe that the Christmas celebration has pagan roots. I respect that, but every day is His day and I choose to celebrate the fact that God so loved the the world that He gave His only begotten  Son. He may not have come on December 25th, but praise God! He came. Joy to the world! the Lord is come.
    I hope these little reminders were an encouragement to you. I pray that you will receive a greater and greater revelation ofm who Christ is to you, in you, and His life through you. May you have a wonderful season of celebration and a new year of hope, expectation, and prosperity; body, soul, and spirit.
                                                                              In His love,
                                                                              Herb Dean

Kingdom Keys

In Everthing Give Thanks

 

In Everything Give Thanks

By Herb Dean

Dear friends,
I pray that things are well with you. Some of you have asked why you haven’t received anything from me in a while. I haven’t posted a “Kingdom Keys” since June. I feel I should share one of the reasons, because I do covet your prayers. A few months ago I began having severe blood pressure spikes at night and some heart irregularities. I won’t go into all the details, but for the last seven or eight months I have been very tired. It is not an accident that I had just given a word to our church about God renewing the strength of His people. When we make a declaration we become a target. In 1 Timothy 1:18 Paul exhorts Timothy to wage the good warfare with the prophecies concerning him. I confess I have not warred as much as I should. Also, a word from the Lord tests the soil. (Psalms 105:19-22; Matthew 13:4-9) In Luke 8:15, it is those who hear the word and keep it that bear fruit. I believe the waiting on the Lord in Is. 40:31 speaks of great intimacy and oneness with the Lord. The primary root of the Hebrew word means “to bind together” perhaps by twisting. Think of it, bound together with Christ, entwined in Him, the three fold cord that is not easily broken. You can’t move unless He does. For me part of this struggle is a call to a renewed intimacy with Him. I believe God will renew my strength. I believe there is some travel I’m to do, and that the latter end of the ministry to which God has entrusted me will be greater than the former. I would like to ask you to war with me if you feel so led. It may be that you are going through a trial in your life. I would be honored to pray for you and with you. I have a brief thought I’d like to share in keeping with the season and I hope it will be an encouragement to you.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess. 5:18

I have often heard people debate whether this verse means to be thankful for everything, every circumstance that comes in our life or just be thankful to God in the circumstance. I must confess that I don’t know enough about the Greek construct to definitively answer the argument. I have looked at it in various and sundry ways. In my personal experience I have thanked God for what He would He would show me in or the redemptive purpose He would bring out of the circumstance. It was in one of those times He spoke as clearly to me as I have ever heard Him.

Back in 1981, I was going through financial difficulties.God used the area of finances to get my attention. I had surrendered to the call of the ministry and felt great peace about God’s purpose and direction for my life, but I still was in a financial hole. I had been writing checks on money I didn’t have knowing they would debit my Mastercard. One Friday, I went to my box and found three bounced checks. I panicked. I called the bank and the Mastercard people and finally got things straightened out. Over the next two weeks the Lord was doing so much in my life when it happened again I had a different response to the situation. It was a Saturday and I couldn’t do anything until Monday. We were having a big lay witness revival at our church that weekend and I was not going to let it steal my joy. I went home and knelt beside my chair. I prayed, “Lord I know there is something You are showing me through this situation and I thank You for what You are showing me. I have never heard the audible voice of the Lord, but His voice so resonated in my spirit that it could not have been any clearer if it were audible. He led me to take the Mastercard out of my wallet and look at it. As I looked at it, He said, “Herb, where is your trust? Is it in Me or that little plastic card?” I was deeply convicted and cut it up. That was the beginning of my financial healing as I purposed to operate on a cash basis.

I have thanked God in advance for my deliverance in the situation and I have for a season even thanked Him for situations. I cited the verse above one time while preaching and encouraged people to thank God for the circumstance. A guy on the first row tried to correct me. Then I read Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He couldn’t say anything about that one. I don’t like trials and have had difficulty thanking God in some difficult circumstances. If I really believe Romans 8:28,29, then I know that God will bring good (redemptive purpose) out of everything that comes into my life. He didn’t say He necessarily caused the circumstance, but promised He would bring good out of it. So, if I am in difficult circumstances, whether I am thankful for the circumstance or not, I can thank God that He will bring good out of it.

I have heard the different sides of this debate and I know I am not providing a definitive answer, but there is one thing I can say of a surety, it is God’s will that we give thanks, that we live lives of thanksgiving. I had this thought some time back, “Gratefulness leads to great fullness.” Are you not blessed when your children express gratitude to you. Gratitude blesses the Father. Let us live with an attitude of gratitude. In a few days we will celebrate the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving. That is great to set aside a day to be thankful, but to us who are in Christ, every day is a day of thanksgiving. “Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift! 2 Cor. 9:15 He has given us a future and an unshakeable hope.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

I pray that you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that your hearts would abound with thanksgiving throughout the year. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.
Blessings,
Herb Dean

Kingdom Keys

The latter house Jun 21, 2010

“The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. “And in this place I will give peace,” says the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:9

As in times past we have talked about the glory of the latter house exceeding the former and that the shaking preceded the glory of the latter house. If we cross reference verse 6 in Haggai with Hebrews 12:26,27, the shaking precedes the revelation of His unshakable kingdom. The former house was Solomon’s temple, but the latter house is the saints of God.

You are the temple. Look at what the scriptures have to say.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1Cor. 6:19

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.

2Cor.16:16

Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22

   The former temple referred to in Haggai was Solomon’s temple which was considered one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It was an unbelievable structure and in terms of today’s money it was estimated to be valued at 5 billion dollars a number of years ago, so I am sure that figure has gone up. It was glorious. During the time of Ezra when the temple was being rebuilt, the elders wept remembering the former glory of the temple. So when God says the latter glory will be greater than the former, He was not speaking of physical value; He was speaking of the Spirit. As I was pondering this I thought of Moses on the mountain receiving the law. When he came down his face glowed and he put a veil over his face to cover the fading glory. The scripture goes on to say if that which was passing away was glorious then how much more glorious would be the ministry of the Spirit.

If we look at the temple in the old testament as a type of us, we can make some interesting and I believe applicable observations. In Ezekiel 47 we see the water from under the threshold of the temple becoming a huge body of life giving water. He who believes in Me as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:38  Also at the dedication of Solomon’s temple there were the 120 trumpeters who blew in unison and the shekinah glory of God filled the temple so that the priests were not able to stand in the flesh to minister. Sounds kind of like Pentecost with 120 in one accord in the upper room and when they were filled they ministered by the Spirit.

Jesus said that He had given us the glory that the Father had given Him, so that we might be one. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of glory and He has been given to us to be in us and upon us for empowering us to “re-present” Jesus. We are called to be carriers of His presence. Even as the ark of God was to be carried upon sanctified shoulders, the presence of God is to be carried by the sanctified (saints). Collectively we are the temple and individually we are temples of the Holy Spirit. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the glory revealed in you is the glory of the Father via the Son. You are the latter house.

We have spoken in times past of the shaking and surely there is a shaking in many of our lives right now. If you are one of those being shaken, you can be encouraged in the fact that the shaking preceded a greater revelation of His glory and the receiving of an unshakable kingdom. I pray you will be encouraged today by the Lord’s presence.

Kingdom Keys

Don’t Stop Reading

Dear friend,
       I hope you are well. I’ve been thinking about how awesome the scriptures are and it seems that the more the Lord reveals to me, there is the realization that there is so much more. There was a time in my early Christian walk when I read the Bible because that was what I was supposed to do. I would read my assignment, rarely getting anything out of it. The chapters and verses formed the boundaries of what I was to read. As I have grown in my walk with the Lord and I have seen the personal application for my life and the beauty of God’s truths interwoven together, the scriptures have become precious to me. Jesus said ,”My words are spirit and they are life.” In the original texts there were no chapter and verse breaks and so if you stop at the end of a chapter you may miss something important. There are several chapters in the writings of Paul that begin with the word “therefore” and we have to look in the previous chapter to see what it was “there for”. There is a harmony and flow to the scriptures and sometimes chapter breaks interrupt that flow. I want to give you three examples today that I believe will encourage you. I know they did me.
 
Then He said unto His disciples,” The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37,38
 
     Just as a side note, I spent many years praying for the harvest when one day an Evangelism Explosion instructor made the statement that Jesus didn’t tell us to pray for the harvest.He said that the harvest is already out there, so pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. That changed my way of thinking.
That was The end of chapter nine, so what does Jesus do in chapter ten? He instructs them, gives them authority, and sends them out. Jesus is the Lord of the harvest and He is the one who sends laborers into the field. Paul said in Romans 10, “and how shall they hear except someone preach and how shall they preach except they be sent?” In chapter 9 he says to pray for laborers to be sent and in chapter 10, He sends them.
 
 
      When the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus very sorrowful. Jesus made the statement,” How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:24, 25
Those who heard it probably equated riches with the blessing of God and asked, “Who then can be saved?” But He said, ” The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:26,27 Now some have said Jesus was referring to small gates in the wall that a camel had to kneel to go through, but I heard a minister from Egypt say Jesus wasn’t talking about a gate; He was talking about a sewing needle. That would definitely be an impossibility, but all things are possible with God. So in chapter 18, a rich man getting saved was an impossibility, but look in the very next chapter. Now behold there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Luke 19:2  Zacchaeus opened his home to Jesus and pledged to give half his goods to the poor and restore fourfold that which he had taken wrongfully. And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:9  So we see the impossibility of a rich man getting saved in chapter 18 and in chapter 19 we see God saving a rich man. That which is impossible with men is possible with God. That old camel just slipped right through that needle eye.
 
   Let’s look at the third example and there are probably many others. I can think of some others; many you can probably do so as well, but this was the most recent. I didn’t get this directly from the Lord, but by way of another of His servants and it really blessed me. I could spend a lot of time here, but most of you know the story, so I’ll briefly summarize it. When Jesus first went to the country of the Gadarenes he encountered a highly demonized man that we call the Gadarene demoniac. He was incorrigible. He had super human demonic strength. He fell at Jesus feet. You know the passage well; it is in Mark chapter five. Jesus cast this legion of demons out permitting them to go into the pigs and the pigs ran down and drowned in the sea. The people who took care of the swine went into the city and country and spread the word about what had happened. The people came to see and saw the one who had been demon-possessed clothed and in his right mind and they were fearful. The eyewitnesses gave their account and the Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave. Jesus is not inclined to stay where He’s not wanted and when he gets in the boat to leave, this man begged Jesus that he might stay with Him. Jesus , However, did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him and all marveled.” Mark 5:19,20 The Gadarene demoniac had now become the Gadarene evangelist.
 
     That is so awesome, but that was not the end of the story. Jesus crossed over a second time. We can’t be sure that it was the exact same place, but it was probably the same region. And when they had crossed over, they came to the land Gennesaret and anchored there. And immediately when they came out of the boat, the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Mark 6:53-55. If indeed it was the same region then we might ask, what made the difference in their response? I would like to believe that it was the testimony of one man who had been touched by Jesus. He wanted to go with Jesus, but he was sent to declare the good news.
 
     You know it’s nice to read the Bible through in a year or have a regular Bible reading, but it can become law or a work of the flesh apart from the Spirit. We would do better to meditate and read slowly asking the Lord to give revelation, and wisdom to understand and appropriate His truth. His words are spirit and life. Don’t let a chapter or verse become your boundary, but flow with author. There are golden nuggets which can only be panned from the river of Life. Be encouraged today my friend, the chapters of our lives are still being written and that which you are experiencing now is but preparation for something yet to be written. Hope is an earnest expectation of a desired end.
               Blessings,
               Herb Dean  

Kingdom Keys

That I may Know Him

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death… Philippians 3:10This was a prayer I prayed for myself and it is a prayer our Lord delights to answer. As a pastor there were any number of times I had been misunderstood, rejected, disappointed, and used. Hurts and wounds along the way made me sometimes wonder, “How many times can you have your heart ripped out and still function?” It occurred to me one day as I was considering some things that had happened that God was answering my prayer.There is an old gospel song that says, “Jesus knows your hurts; Jesus feels your pain.” When we pray to know the fellowship of His suffering are we not asking to enter into and identify with His pain. It is the natural order that the power of the resurrection follows the fellowship of His suffering. He suffered and was crucified and then He was resurrected. In a very real sense we have been crucified with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. If in Him we died, then with Him we are resurrected. This is established fact; it is a done deal, but Paul in his writing is speaking of something he is aspiring to, looking to attain.That we may know Him is that desire for an ever increasing revelation of who He is, having an intimacy beyond human relationship. It will take eternity to experience and see the unfolding of who God is. I agree with Jonathan Edwards that heaven will be a continuing revelation of the awesomeness of our God. My vocabulary is not adequate to describe what I know of Him now. Paul surely knew Him as well as any one in scripture yet he was setting as His goal to know Him. We want to experience that knowing that continually changes and conforms us to His image.

Knowing the power of His resurrection was Paul’s objective that he might attain to the resurrection in His own body. We have been resurrected, but we shall be resurrected. We have resurrection life dwelling in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. See Romans 8:11 We want the power, but we don’t want the suffering. The suffering came before the resurrection. I believe an essential key to walking in the power of the resurrection is the putting to death of the flesh. Isn’t interesting that the first place the Spirit led Jesus, after He came upon Him, was the wilderness where He was tempted 40 days of the devil. Scripture then says Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. To know His power there must first be a death that takes place.

So what about the fellowship of His sufferings? Once again Paul, just as we have been, was baptized into Christ’s death, so there must be more to the knowing of it than our spiritual position. Some of you have suffered persecution. Some of you have experienced rejection. Probably all of us have known the pain of disappointment. If we are experiencing these things for Jesus sake and His righteousness we are entering into or having communion with His sufferings. Jesus does know our hurts; He does know our pain. Look at just a small portion of the sufferings of Christ.

Rejection: 1) He came unto His own and His own received Him not.
2) After His discourse on bread from heaven where He spoke of them eating His flesh
and drinking His blood, all but the twelve left Him.
3) The rich young ruler ,whom Jesus loved, chose his riches rather than Christ.
4) From eternity past to that moment in time when Jesus took upon Himself our sin and
felt separation from the Father.
Betrayal: 1) Judas turned Jesus in for thirty pieces of silver.
2) Peter, one of the intimate three denied the Lord three times.
3) They all fled for their lives when He was taken captive.
Pain: There was both the physical pain and emotional pain of the beatings, the mocking, and
shame Christ endured on our behalf.

I think often about the Last Supper and how Jesus demonstrated servant leadership. I think about when He came to Judas and knowing fully well that very night Judas would turn Him over to authorities, He washed Judas’ feet. He was serving and showing kindness to his betrayer. Later, He would suffer unbelievable abuse on behalf of not only you and me, but the ones who put Him to death. He died for the one who held the whip, the one who hammered the nails. There is key to how Jesus could so freely give of Himself in John 13.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments: and taking a towel, He girded Himself about. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’s feet… John 13:3-5

Jesus knew what He’d been given and He knew where He was from and He knew where He was going. How about you? Do you know you been made to be joint heirs with Christ and that He gave you authority and that your ultimate end is with Him? Do you know you have been born of God and you will go to God? If you know who you are, you can be a servant, even to those who would betray you. You can bless those who curse you and pray for those who despitefully use you.

But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the sake of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit and glory of God rests upon you. 1Peter 4:13-14

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

I can pray with confidence that if I want to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, He will answer and not necessarily in that order. The answer might not always be pleasant, but it will have a good work. May Christ give you an ever increasing revelation of Himself.
Amen

Kingdom Keys

Watchman

Hello friends,

I pray that you are well. As I began to pray this morning the phrase came to mind, ” more than the watchman for the morning.” I read the Psalms often so I have read Psalms 130:6 many times and had never given a whole lot of thought about those watching for the morning. The more I study the scriptures, the more I realize that there is inexhaustible revelation. I know I often read the word too fast as if the more quantity I get the better off I am, but there are precious nuggets to be found in meditating upon the word. So this morning when this phrase comes to mind, I ask what is its spiritual significance? Here are a few thoughts I hope will encourage you.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. Psalms 130:6

The psalmist finds himself in the position of waiting on the Lord for deliverance. It seems that he is placing his hope on promises he has been given by the Lord. He was probably in a position where some us of now find ourselves or have been and that is recognizing that God is our only hope. He is more desirous of God’s hand moving on his behalf than the watchmen are for morning. The implication here is that the watchmen long for the morning, but even more so he longs for God’s deliverance. So why is it that watchmen long for the morning?

Let’s look at the responsibility of the watchmen. In those days there were usually three watches in the night.(Remember Jesus walking on water in the third watch of the night.) The last watch was usually 2am to sunrise. The watchman usually had a place on the wall in a tower so that he could see for distance in all directions. He had to be observant and alert for he was given the great responsibility of warning the city of an approaching enemy or enemy activity. An incompetent watchman could put his entire city at risk. If he failed to warn his people they could be overrun and easily defeated. A watchman who fell asleep during his watch could cause the destruction of his city. The competent watchman kept his eyes and ears open and was sensitive to unusual sights or sounds. He was not ignorant of enemy operations and knew what to look for.

It was an indispensable duty. You can imagine that there were times when it seemed morning would never come. Word may have come that there were marauding bands in the area or possibly invading armies so there were nights of stress. There were times where they were worn out from the pressure and concern they felt. They were awake when everyone else was comfortably in their beds.

It is not difficult to understand why they were anxious for the morning. Most of us must admit that even if we love our jobs we look forward to quitting time and even if we don’t you still have to rest. With the dawning of the new day comes the sunlight and with sunrise there would be the release from duty. They could see clearly now and there would be an opportunity for rest.

As we look at the church today some of you have been called to be watchmen on the wall. Some have recognized this calling and have been there faithfully seeing things in their spirits and hearing the sounds that are coming forth. You have intercepted things through prayer and there have been times when you have had to speak forth warning. You have worked in the obscurity of night with few recognizing the importance of your calling. There have been times when you have grown weary on the wall and you have hoped anxiously for the morning. You have longed for the light that you might have clarity and vision. Friend, it is not yet time to come down from the wall, but know that the Father is sending reinforcements and refreshment. Some of you have a hot cup of coffee coming your way. Your morning will come soon, but there must first be those who are young in the Spirit who you must train to have eyes in the darkness and then you will see with clarity the purpose for which you were stationed on the wall and you will enter into your rest.

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Is. 62:6,7

The watchmen are the intercessors. In their intimacy with Lord they are often given prophetic understanding, discernment, and authority. As a pastor I would like to personally thank those who have faithfully stood on the wall crying out on behalf of the church. Thank you for praying for me.

So in closing if I am waiting on the Lord, hoping in His word, more desirous of His deliverance than a watchman on the wall, I have would have to say I have gotten serious with the Lord. There are promises for those who wait on the Lord. Enter a season of renewed strength.

I bless you today. As I write this I know I don’t see or know who’ll read this, but I just feel the Lord’s love for you welling up in my heart. He loves you so much. He loves you so much, it bears repeating. Be blessed today my friends.

      In His love,

       Herb Dean

Kingdom Keys

Be Still and Know that I Am God

     Over the years I have found myself in what seemed like desperate situations, frantically trying to figure out what to do. Sometimes I made some wrong choices. On one such occasion, I was operating in anxiety mode exhausting all human possibilities, but still dutifully doing my bible reading, and the Lord brought this verse to mind along with a companion verse, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” I knew that it was the Lord speaking to me and I released the situation to him. I received His peace and shortly thereafter the problem was resolved.
    There have been other times that I was asking the Lord what I needed to do and I clearly heard the word “Wait”. When you feel like you need to do something or you feel like something needs to be happening that is a difficult word to hear. Peter wrote that God isn’t slack concerning His promises, but God doesn’t get in a hurry. When you have all wisdom and all power and know the end from the beginning, you know when the right time is and He does.
 
     As I was reading the Psalms this morning, I once again read Psalms 46: 10 and there it was,”Be still and know I am God.” I really felt I was to write something today, but there was nothing burning in my heart. Once again this verse leaped off the page, but I sensed it was not so much for me as it was for someone else. I had this sense that someone was in panic mode, that they were darting back and forth like a squirrel startled by a car on the highway. I have seen squirrels panic and run back under a wheel when they had it made. If that’s you, the Lord is speaking to you this morning, “Be still and know that I am God.” Stop and take deep breath, collect your thoughts (really you probably need to bring them captive to the obedience of Christ) and let’s wait on the Lord and get His mind in this situation. Often the Lord allows us to exhaust all human possibility bringing us to the end of ourselves so that all we can do is turn to Him. I often jokingly say, ” All we can do now is pray, oh no! has it come to that?” That is sad, but true, in so many instances. God wants us to turn to Him first.
 
    I just saw someone in my spirit treading water and they were growing weary, barely keeping their head above water.  I am reminded of a camp that I ran at a children’s home many years ago. It was on a tidal river and when the tide was in, we would take the kids skiing. The younger kids begged and pleaded to go, so I devised a test they had to pass before they could attempt to ski. It was a fairly simple test. They had to swim the length of the pool and tread water for a full minute before swimming back. One eight year old boy was very determined that he would pass so he could ski. After about 20 seconds he began to sink. I extended a broom for him to grab, but he wouldn’t take it; he was frantically paddling as he sank.  I had to go down and pull him out. Some folks are like that little boy; so determined to get what they want that they reject the lifeline even though they are sinking. Some allow pride to keep them from getting the help they need. There are others, who through no fault of their own find themselves sinking. Don’t panic and flail at the water, just rest in the Lord, and He will buoy you up.
 
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say on the Lord! Psalms 27:13,14
 
I believe this is a word for someone this morning and it it’s not for you, then you may know someone who is panicking, fretful, or anxious this morning. Feel free to pass it along. May these additional verses encourage you:
 
Commit (to roll) your way to the Lord (over on Him), Trust also in Him and He will bring it to pass. Psalms 37:5 (parentheses mine)
 
Casting all your cares upon Him for He careth for you. 2 Peter 5:7
 
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28
 
Be blessed,
Herb Dean