Writing the Vision (17th April, 2021)
Topic: Entering into God's Rest
Ministering: Pastor Emeka Egwuchukwu
In this season, the Lord has placed a huge demand on us to pray. We need to make strategic prayers to the throne for certain allocations to be released. When we ignore certain promptings to ask for certain provisions, we may miss the time window and lose such provisions.
In most recent teachings, we are being reminded that the essence of April prayers is that the Lord wants to make us an ark, as He has explicitly declared. We need to keep this in mind and believe it to make the best use of this season. We may not readily believe this goal because it may appear too lofty but we need to acknowledge that it is not our vision but the vision of the Lord. He has desired it and would perform it.
Psalm 132:8 says, "Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength." We need to clearly define what God calls rest. The rest of God is glorious (Isa 11:10). Resting is not sleeping or inactivity. God hallowed the seventh day, blessed it, called it the day of rest and, much later, gave a commandment to the children of Israel to hallow the seventh day also..
God did not form man outside of rest. Thus, there is something that connects us as men to the ark. God regarded David as a man after His heart (Acts 13:22) unlike Saul who did not know the rest of God. Saul knew a kind of rest, like all other men, which includes plans and investments towards a future of retirement. This future was not a future that had God in it. God abhors any future that man crafts and afterwards put Him in; rather, God wants to be the only future that we have. Any future that we craft by ourselves and put God in does not include the true God but an idol.
There is something God calls rest and this rest is glorious (Isa 11:10). We need to understand what this rest is. We have to be reverential and careful about this rest like the Hebrew church was admonished (Heb. 4:1). Although rest is a promise, it is still possible for some of us to fall short of it. This rest is promised to all which includes those who have arrived at the Holy Place. Those who arrive at the Holy Place should bear in mind that it is not a place of rest.
There is a rest that Christ first gives to those who come unto Him (Matt. 11:28). Coming to Him involves learning, as the scripture says in Isaiah 54:13, "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy children". This peace is the rest that Christ gives. Thus, those who learn Christ well would arrive at peace which is an escape from corruption (2 Peter 1:4).
Every one of us naturally labour under sin. This sin is not sins that are committed but certain expectations which we place before ourselves and for which we remain under sin. We even sometimes come to God to help us fulfil these expectations. Even ministers are often confronted with their ties to expectations that they have for their ministries. There are certain expectations that we have for the end of our lives and these expectations are sin (or iniquity). These expectations limit us from yielding to the Lord. Jacob had to be yanked from his expectations and plans for how his life should go. What we often do is that we craft how our lives and then add God to it. Thus, when God wants to interject our lives, we become angry.
Tongues and Interpretation (1)
Visions from an evil tree; dreams from an evil tree; wrong endings from an evil tree. Visions from a tree that is full of corruption, that is dark and that is evil. Vision from a tree that has no good in it. Wrong Visions, wrong dreams that would make you keep labouring, toiling and eating the bread of sorrow. I bring you the right vision. I am the vision of every man. Tattooed within Me is the actual vision called rest. You do not understand rest if you do not understand Me. I have been in rest before the world was made. I am the One that has the true vision of rest. Key into My vision, come into My vision, and you would find rest for your souls.
Message continues
Before Eve ate of the tree, she saw a vision. The tree has the ability to project a vision to a man based on the desires of his heart. The tree is speaking through men to every one of us, even from a tender age. As we grow, we realize that we can become something and unknowingly grow up with such desires. The enemy planted this seed inside every man because he knew that God was going to come and require rest from man, and he wanted to give man a rest that is different from God. Thus, because of the labour, man would be unable to give God rest. No one can come into the rest of God if he has not been taught of God; otherwise, he would not appreciate what God calls rest.
It is difficult for us to realize that we are not our own but that we are the sheep of His pasture (Jer. 23:1). No one tends to sheep without partaking of their milk. However, God has an enemy who has sworn that God would not partake of His flock and has sent false shepherds amongst God's flock. It is through preaching and teaching that the people of God catch His vision. Thus, the enemy goes for the shepherds of the sheep and gives them a false hope to teach and preach to God's flock.
If we hold on to false hopes, we would be easily offended and tempted to leave the fold that God has already designed to prepare us for rest. Fear is what keeps us in torment and makes us easily offended. This fear is the fear of not achieving our so-called dreams. We must know that what God wants to make us is an ark. One of the prominent features of an ark is that it is dead and has nothing of itself. An ark is made of dead wood and does not move until it is carried.
We can not follow God if we still have our own will. The basis of becoming an ark of God is having nothing of ourselves in us, like Jesus (John 5:30). Jesus was focused on the vision of going to God; every other thing was only a cushion. For Jesus, ministry was only a part of the things that were written for Him, and the peak of His ministry was to go to the cross. All our ambitions would be collected from us. We are not aware that ambitions were given to us by that evil tree.
Preachings and teachings can scatter a man (Jer. 23:2). On the other hand, there is a word that Christ uses to gather us and prepare us for God. There is a revelation that gathers the elect together when it is preached (Matt. 24:31). This word gathers the elect together unto God's purpose and will.
There is a fruitfulness that comes after we have been gathered (Jer. 23:3). After this, we shall fear no more (Jer. 23:4). What scattered us in the first place is fear; thus, we can not be gathered if we are still fearful.
There is a Chief shepherd amongst the shepherds who would gather God's sheep. These shepherds are Christs. The Lord is going to raise a branch who would introduce judgement and righteousness (Jer. 23:5). This branch is a King who would execute the judgement of God. This branch is salvation because in His days, Judah shall be saved (Jer. 23:6). When His righteousness and judgement are being declared in His days, His people shall be saved and they shall dwell safely (or rest). This righteousness is a righteousness that is produced by the judgements of the Son of God.
Until we learn judgement, we would not see rest. Why we are not resting is because of how we judge. Even the first rest that Christ gives is received by upgrading our judgement. When judgement is given, our vision is changed and our fears are dispelled. What God regards as strength is rest, and this strength comes from judgement. Judgement is age in the spirit. Thus, we need to be quickened, otherwise, we would not allow God and would not be made an ark for Him.
Tongues and Interpretation (2)
Searchlight; I have brought My searchlight upon you; even the light of My love and of My mercy. The light as that is meant to make you do well. I have brought you meal to make you cooperate with that which I am doing at this time. For I will make you an ark, I will make you an ark as you agree to the workings I am working upon you; even within you at this time. Search yourself in the light of My heart. For I will bring yet more blessing even as you amend your heart, even as you drop things, as you make decisions, quality decisions in light of My expectations.
Repent! I have brought things that you might repent of things that you have held on to. I would bring more blessings come Monday; even more that is upon you this April.