On July 2nd, we will begin celebrating our next Firstfruits in the Hebrew covenant calendar known as Tammuz.  

The fourth month of the Hebrew calendar is associated with the tribe of Reuben whose name means to, “SEE, a son.”  Reuben was the firstborn of all the tribes of Israel, and the meaning of his name is a foreshadowing of God’s only begotten Son, in whom we “SEE, His Son” sent to save us from sin.

God uses the tribes of Israel as a foundational pattern reflecting a part of our identity, heritage, and inheritance that we are born into as “sons of God.” Reuben reminds us to fix our EYES on Christ, our redeemer, and the one who is Lord over all.

When we face life challenges, our faith is tested to SEE God’s truth over what we actually see that is before us.  Regardless of how long you have been a Christian, this test never goes away.

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8).

Below is a picture that was drawn by Reese Mueller, depicting the focus of this month: what we SEE can shape our destiny.

“The lamp of the body is the EYE. If therefore your EYE is good, your whole body will be full of light” (Matt. 6:22).

I love how Reese captured in the eyes of this picture this truth:  what we focus on can change our whole countenance.

This month God reminds us how important our EYESIGHT is to our spiritual and natural health:  

“Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see'” (Luke 10:23).

When our spiritual eyes are in the drivers seat over our natural eyesight, our minds are thinking like Christ:

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”(Phil 2:5).

Paul prayed like this:

“May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may He give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the EYES of your understanding would be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of glory of His inheritance of the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (Eph. 1:17-19).

Our hearts change by the things we think and SEE:

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:10).

Like a domino affect, what we say is the evidence of the health of our heart which is being fed with God’s thoughts and promises SEEN by faith.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

When our hearts and minds are fixed on Christ, we experience His peace and our words will be full of life and love.  Listening to what people speak gives us a great indicator on what they think and SEE:

“Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34).

So the challenge this month is:  What are you talking about?  It will give you a great indication of what you have put your SIGHT on.

It was during the month of Tammuz that the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel were sent out by Joshua to spy out the Promised Land (Numbers 11).   Only two spies came back with a report that lined up with God’s promises.  The other 10 had put their focus (EYES) on the obstacles in their path that appeared to be too difficult to overcome, filling their hearts with fear, and reporting their fears to the community awaiting their return.

This negative report created a chain reaction that infected ALL the Israelites to fear and retreat from the plan of God to “enter in” and to take hold of the land God had promised to prosper them.

Unfortunately, God’s judgment came as a result.  Instead of entering into the Promised land, 40 years were given to them to live in the wilderness to learn from their mistake to get their eyes adjusted.

God will use opportunities, when facing our enemy, to see where our allegiance is:  FEAR OR FAITH!

“The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His EYES behold, His EYELIDS test the sons of men” (Psalm 11:4).

When we SEE with God’s understanding, no matter what is presented before us, we can respond victoriously.  David was a great example of this even in his youth.  When all the men of Israel saw the champion Philistine, Goliah, they ran in fear.

“And all the men of Israel, when they SAW the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid” (1 Sam 17:24).

David didn’t focus on Goliath’s champion battle record, his reputation, his size, or his strength.  David didn’t even take a moment to look at his own size and strength.  David kept his focus on how big GOD was.

“Then David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him (Goliath); your servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17: 32).

We all know the rest of the story:  David’s brother’s mocked David for even being there at the battlefield; King Saul told David he wasn’t fit for the job; and the enemy Goliath despised and cursed David for thinking he could even stand up against him.

YET, David never lost his focus on trusting the Lord.    

This month, we enter into a summer season that is challenging us to see and hear what God is saying.  We must WAR with God’s word so our SIGHT lines up with His promise.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God” (Matt.5:8).

I am confident that everyone reading this had some sort of provision that God released these past three months since the Hebrew Covenant Calendar started.  And most of you sowed a seed of something God told you to go and do, say, or pray about. Most likely, it produced excitement, hope, and joy.  Now as we continue to head on into the summer, many of you may be wondering why things have seemingly halted, are difficult, and wondering if God is really going to come through.

I want to encourage you that as much as we want to skip this time, God won’t.  We must go through the season of tending to the seed, which ultimately determines whether what was started with the Lord will produce a harvest.  It is the testing time of your testimony.

God said, “Seed, TIME, and harvest” (Gen. 8:22).  Time has to go by to tend to the seed with your faith, so watch your sight, guard your heart, and speak life over your seed.   Your initial seed was merely a deposit of greater things to come.  SEE that truth.  Let go of your expectations, and trust God with the seed given to you. Water it with your faith, believing in His promise, no matter what you see today.

 

For those of you who are following the Hebrew Covenant Calendar, the next “divine appointment” is Sunday, June 9th, which is the Feast of Pentecost.

If you would like to read what I have written about this Feast, search this blog, “Remembering the Feast of Pentecost – Part 1 and 2, which I posted on May 19th and 20th, 2018.

The Feast of Pentecost falls in the 3rd month of the Hebrew calendar known as Sivan, which is translated to mean, “glorious.”  As believers in Christ, we come into a corporate, unified heart, to thank God for the Holy Spirit given to us to empower us with His power and truth.

Jesus promised this gift when He spoke to the disciples:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).

The Holy Spirit is also a reminder of the guarantee of greater glory to come:

“For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 5:4,5).

For this reason, ALL believers have His word written on their hearts, and can be led to do the work of the Lord here on the earth through this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit.  No longer do we need a mediator to know the heart of God.  We can now come boldly to the throne and hear from the Lord:

“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He ^[c]will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-15).

I am looking forward to embracing God’s presence through this divine appointment God established in His blueprint to honor His love for us, and embrace this part of His redemption plan that included the GIFT of His glory dwelling in each believer:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:15-18).

WHOOHOO!  Let’s all position our hearts to embrace the gift of the Holy Spirit and to honor Him, for God is looking for us all to come in unity of heart and allow His Spirit to work through all of us so we can be a SIGN to the world that He is GOD:

“God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will” (Heb. 2:4).

On a side note, but not really, as it is relevant to what God is doing NOW, and I believe will help stir up our faith to trust in God’s provision, God keeps reminding me this past week of the story of Elijah.

Back in the days of Elijah, there had been a draught in the land for three years. Toward the end of those three years, Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal with a challenge to prove who really knew the true God.

After the prophets of Baal failed in their attempt to prove that their gods were powerful and true, it was Elijah’s turn to show off to all the unbelievers who was the “living” God.  This is when the FIRE of God fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and many of the people fell on their knees and were in awe:

“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God” (1 Kings 18:38.39).

The opportunity to choose “whose opinion you are going to believe” had been given prior to this moment:

“So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. ²¹ And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:20-22).

But when the SIGN came, the proof was in.  And ALL the people were in awe: 

“Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God” (1 Kings 18:39)!

After seizing all the prophets of Baal and executing them, you would think that Elijah would be kicking back and celebrating the victory.  NO!  Elijah understood this defeat was for something far greater.  It was to be a SIGN for the NATIONS (both evil and good) that the God of Israel was indeed the true and powerful God.

Elijah believed in God, stood in His truth, and watched God bring the power and fire.  His next action was KEY.  He went to the top of the mountain, bowed down and humbled Himself before the Lord, waiting for His direction and lead.

God shared with Elijah that He was about to pour out His goodness and provision.  So by FAITH, Elijah HEARD what God said, and began declaring it so:

“Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, ⁴³ and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”

So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

⁴⁴ Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ^[j]‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

⁴⁵ Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel” ( 1 Kings 18:41-46).

This story of Elijah is to encourage us all today that there is a SOUND of the abundance of provision that follows the fire of God.

Today, the HOLY SPIRIT, is a SIGN to the world that He is the one true God.  There has been a TIME (the Church Age) that has transpired for ALL to choose “whose opinion are you going to believe?”

There has also been a demonstration of God’s SIGNS and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit through believers who have gone out into the world and stood on His word as Elijah did (Mark 16:14-18).

Many believers have gone through God’s sanctification process, the “fiery trials,” that God authorized to test them as to “whose opinion are you going to believe?”

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6).

And NOW, God is asking us all to come up to the top of the mountain, humble our hearts once again on His divine appointed time of the Feast of Pentecost, and to keep our EARS open to the sound of the RAIN that is coming.

“Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone” (Zechariah 10:1).

It is coming!  The outpouring of provision is coming!

“Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth” (Hosea 6:3).

You may have to go and look a few times by faith, as Elijah’s servant was told to do, but after seven times, even the servant finally saw the cloud.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).

The LATTER RAIN is coming!  And God is about to pour out His provision for you as well so you can be HIS SIGN!

“Then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil (Deut. 11:14).

I pray you enter into the Feast of Pentecost with a heart of humility as well as expectancy that God’s provision will be released over you, and as we all seek God’s face in this nation, God’s mercy will cover us and bring us the provision to see even America fulfill her destiny as well.

“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (Rev. 13:13).