Jumping Ship or Taking Territory?

When Jesus told his disciples to get in the boat and go to the other side, there was a territory that He wanted to see delivered. The storm came to place fear and doubt in their destination. Jesus rebuked the storm but during the storm,  the disciples had the opportunity to jump ship before turning to Jesus. There was a demon-possessed man waiting for deliverance from Jesus when Jesus arrived passing the storm. This story is a picture of the old covenant to the new covenant. Jesus left the Jewish territory to arrive at the territory of the Gentiles. How do I know? Because the Gentiles were the ones that would tend to their pigs, not the Jewish people.

Mark 5: 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 

This is what Jesus did in the new covenant, He fulfilled the Jewish law and went through the storm of the cross and found us, Gentiles, bound by darkness and in need of a Saviour. Notice the demons had to obey Jesus to leave the man but didn’t want to leave the territory. Each time there is a territory that God has anointed us to take dominion, we can’t be surprised when the enemy brings a storm. The storm can bring a new revelation of who God is for us. It can force us to press further into knowing Jesus. Often people jump ship and swim back to familiar territory. We can go back to our comfort or we can take dominion in the territory God promised us in Christ Jesus.

 

For more on this subject visit the live video at: https://youtu.be/Y1ePURWfHBM

Brandon Pollard

http://www.graceforeternity.com

 

Trusting God’s love for promotion.

Throughout the Bible, there are stories of men and woman who trusted God when it appeared everyone around did not. For example, Daniel is a well-known story of a Godly man who was promoted for authority in the kingdom of Babylon when he could have been demoted like the other people of Judah who were captive in Babylon.  Daniel was promoted to a top three governor, ruler over thousands, under king Darius’ rule. The men who were under him and beside him began to plot against him. Why? Because Daniel had an “excellent spirit” within him (Daniel 6:3). So the ungodly men tricked the king to passing a law that would force Daniel to stop praying to his God. Notice what Daniel did:

^{Daniel 6:10} When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

This guy didn’t change when he was promoted and didn’t change when he was threatened for his life. Which is more impressive? I think the majority of Christians around us would rise up in prayer if threatened with their life for that prayer but what if they were promoted? Would trusting God’s love in daily prayer be as intentional when life is really good? For Daniel, nothing changed. This is impressive for someone trusting God’s love and then what God did was more impressive!

¹⁶ Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” ¹⁷ And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

You might be thinking, “Wow, Brandon that’s really cool that God delivered Daniel but I’m not blameless and I have done people harm in my past.” Well my on-line friend, get in line because I’m right there with you. What is different, is now you and I get to experience the new covenant! The covenant based on the complete obedience of Jesus. The one where Jesus shuts the mouth of the roaring lion trying to devour you. You can place your trust in the love of Jesus who made you righteous and blameless before Him (2 Corinthians 5:21, Colossians 1:22). You can experience promotion when the world around you experiences demotion. You have an “excellent spirit” within you, called the Holy Spirit.  Daniel didn’t change his trust in God’s love when things were great and didn’t change his trust when he was looking a lion face to face.  Whatever you are experiencing, I want to encourage you to press into a greater revelation of knowing His love for you!

Brandon Pollard

http://www.graceforeternity.com

 

Raising Kids to Value Family.

Have you ever felt like much of the world around us rejects investing in the institution of the family? Possibly because they themselves were hurt by family or possibly their parents’ marriage was painful? For those that are followers of Jesus, we know that God ordained the institution of marriage and family. Christians should believe that the written Word of God is God-breathed inspiration to protect the value of families.

Ephesians 5:17-21 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,……. 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

This is the context of the Apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit setting up God’s way of doing family. We see from scripture that in the new covenant something changed. God is now calling every believer of Jesus, family (using family terminology like children, sons, daughters). He instructs us to do the same for other Christians as He treats us ( again more family terminology like brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers).

Submission sounds like an evil word if you think of how the world operates but Jesus was changing the perception of the disciples by showing them submission is serving. You may understand Peter didn’t want his feet washed because He knew Jesus was the King of kings. In the earthly kingdom, Peter had witnessed Rome use their authority to demand submission through fear. The higher the authority of Rome, the more people to wash their feet. When Peter refused submission, Jesus said something stronger than “Get behind me Satan” to Peter. Take a look:

^{John 13:8 NLT 8} “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”

Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

 

Wow, Jesus was changing the way Peter was thinking about submission. You see Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve. The highest authority washed the feet of others. Jesus came to show His kingdom is the opposite of the world. When the Apostle Paul spoke of the church, you again see family terminology.

Ephesians 5:22-25  Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

He is speaking of church intertwined with the family. As a lead pastor and elder in our church, I am intentional to run the government of our church the way we do our family at home. In my house, there is a tremendous amount of serving one another that begins with my example as the father in the home. Submission to one another in my home means that we receive willingly from one another. We share in the (chores) burdens of the home (Galatians 6:2). So very often, my wife and I humbly receive from the youngest child to the oldest. I make an effort to serve my wife and children in love and submission as Christ who served me. You see in our darkest moments, Jesus doesn’t withdraw from serving but pursues our attention. We can come boldly to Him when we are dirty from the dust in the world and tired from serving others. He is always happy to wash our feet and often reminds us to humble ourselves to receive a foot washing from others as well. You see even Jesus had his feet washed by a woman that the religious rejected. He showed us how to submit to one another and do family or as Paul called it, the church.

Ephesians 5:26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Wait a minute, “I love Jesus but can’t stand the church leadership”……. ever thought this? Yeah, me too. For years, I told anyone that would listen, “I love people but can’t stand the institution.” “The institution cannot be from God” was my thoughts…… or was it possible the root was I was feeling bitterness and hurt by church leaders in authority that God chose to call holy and without blemish? So I resisted the church institution because it didn’t serve me the way I thought it should. How did I resist the institution, you ask? I refused to have my feet washed by those in authority and continued this pattern until one day my kids became pre-teens in our home with attitude. The humorous thing is that I fully expected them to submit to my authority, yet couldn’t help but reflect upon my own submission patterns. You may know this already but children will follow what they see more than what we say as parents.  The Lord encouraged me in my spirit that submitting to others is serving the Lord. So I repented openly to my family for resisting submission and encouraged them to allow me to serve them as the leader and priest of my home and I was learning to be open to receive from them as well.

Romans 12:9-11 

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Brandon Pollard

wwww.graceforeternity.com