Understanding God’s Boundaries!

I was talking with some friends about taking back territory that God’s enemies have stolen. At one of our Bible studies, I said I do some stretches with my circuit training class that are yoga moves. People were saying you can’t do that because each move represents a false god. I said that we need to change the names and take back the exercises the devil stole. If you are doing the yoga moves to worship, then you made a covenant with their gods. I am suggesting, that if you are doing the exercises to improve your health and keep God’s temple healthy, then you are not linking with these gods. It is still a debate that may not be won but I believe I got some revelation that reveals both sides of the issue.

I was listening to some prophetic leaders talk about how they go into ungodly territory. Some went to the White House and gained access to rooms that were barred to the public. They released prayers of redemption. Others would go into new age stores or bars and pray for God to open the eyes of the owners. You see this happening with missionaries who go to idol ridden nations and then disciple people about Jesus. All were protected because they had a call to be in those places.

Paul went to Ephesus and shared the word about Jesus. This disrupted the silversmith’s livelihood of making shrines for their god Artemis. Paul went to Athens, which was a city that was filled with idol worship. The book of Jeremiah is about declaring God’s word over territorial strongholds. He had messages to Babylon, Damascus, Edom, and Ammon.

Paul had Timothy circumcised because he was half Jewish and the community of Jew around him required it to receive Timothy into their groups (Galatians 2:7-8). Titus was not circumcised because both his parents were Gentiles (Galatians 2:3) and there was no New Testament law (1 Corinthians 7:18-19) requiring circumcision for gentiles. Jesus talked to a Samaritan woman at the well. Jews didn’t talk to the Samaritans and to women who are alone. Walking in God’s love is our highest calling and covers a multitude of sins and protects us.

Most people are not called to these idol worshiping territories, but they are called to work in places that have the love of money as an idol. Others are called to break the strongholds over their families. God protects us where he has called us to go bring God’s Kingdom. We need to be careful not to judge another man’s call, but we can check the fruit.

How Do You Know You Are In the Right Place?

Jesus revealed that he only does what his Father God shows him to do. Jesus wasn’t moved by needs or he would have gone to raise Lazarus from the dead sooner. Crowds of people would surround Jesus, but he would leave the crowds to go pray. He didn’t let the needs of the people pull him away from his purpose. When the religious people got mad at what Jesus said, the people tried to push him off a cliff. Jesus was protected, and just walked through the crowd and went to his next assignment.

When you are where God has placed you whether it is a pleasant place, or not, there is protection and favor. Joseph is an example of walking out God’s will. Everything that was meant to destroy Joseph, God used to train and position him for the salvation of God’s people. Joseph was sold by his brothers and his boss’s wife lying got him thrown into king’s prison. His favor with the prison guard and his gift to interpret dreams were used to position him as second in command in Pharaoh’s house.

Pharaoh changed Joseph’s name to Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On (an Egyptian sun god) to be his wife. In Genesis 45, Joseph makes himself know to his brothers and gave God the credit for his journey to Egypt. When Joseph’s father, Israel, came to Egypt, he blesses the Pharaoh two times. The Egyptians had over 1,000 deities. I am sure Israel wasn’t blessing the false gods, but he saw God using Pharaoh to protect his family.

God may give us a word for our lives but that requires training for responsibility. I watched people who received prophetic words and destinies be destroyed because they didn’t’ understand the process. A word, like Joseph’s dream of his family bowing before him, required thirteen years of walking through the enemies’ plots to destroy him. God used those incidences to train and position Joesph to handle the pressure and responsibility of his calling. Many people bowed to the lies that God had forgotten them or He didn’t love them. Many others are now just coming out of the valley of testing and being positioned for this end time revival.

A Glimpse Into the Different Anointings!

To wrap this up, we need to be open to other people’s calls and positions in the Body of Christ. It is Holy Spirit’s job to direct, correct, convict, and empower God’s people. Everyone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior is a son or daughter of God. We are all equally loved, and we all have an assignment that we are called to fulfill. When we don’t fulfill that calling, the whole Body of Christ suffers.

Have you ever had the clouds in the sky part and a beam of light shine through brightening an area? That is what happens when we get revelation from heaven. It penetrates the lies of the second heaven, which is controlled by satan, and brings God’s direction and anointing to bring heaven on earth.

Christians have the ability to create holes or portal in the second heaven through their prayers. They do this for their families, work, and their community. When Christians join other prayer warriors, it increases the power to break the lies of the second heaven and release God’s revelation into their situation.

The prophet and apostle offices have a breaker anointings that creates an open heaven or access into revelation knowledge that can change a person, church, or nation. You see this with Elijah when he destroyed the prophets of Baal. Many times, the prophet and apostles are sent into places others cannot go to. It is not because they are all powerful it is just their function in the Body of Christ. Their gifting allows them to see the big picture of God’s view of a situation.

God calls us all to spread his kingdom on earth in each of our different walks of life. All parts of the Body of Christ are needed. You need your hands, heart, feet, etc. The five-fold callings are gifts set in place by Christ to help disciple and position others to take their place in God’s Army. Be careful not to judge what another person is called to do. In Romans 4:3-5, it talks about not judging God’s servant and how they interpret God’s walk for their lives.

In conclusion, Paul said that if eating meat that was sacrificed to idols brothers you, then don’t eat it. If it bothers your brothers and they are with you, don’t eat it. You are to walk in love to help that person whose faith can’t eat meat. He said, “An idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.” (1 Corinthians 8:1-13) Some people’s assignment might have them eating food that is sacrificed to idols, but they know the idol has no power over them. May we all stay in faith and walk in love.

Prayer

Father God,

Forgive me for judging other people’s walk with you. I ask to see people through your eyes and not through my own experiences or understanding. I need Holy Spirit’s insight and direction to see from heaven’s perspective. Keep me in the boundaries you have set for me. Let me be sensitive and have insight into those who are called to walk in different boundaries than I have been assigned. I want to walk in your Kingdom values like Jesus has done. I trust you to direct my path. In Jesus’ name and empowered by Holy Spirit, amen!

Scriptures

Acts 19:23-41, Acts 17:16-34, Jeremiah, John 5:19-20, John 11:38-57, Luke 4:28-29 &42, 5:16-18, John 4, Luke 10:25-37, 1 Peter 4:8, Genesis chapters 37 thought 47, 1 Corinthians 12, Genesis 28:12-15, 41:45, 47:7 & 10; Deuteronomy 32:30, Joshua 23:10, 1 Kings 18, and Ephesians 4:11

Up Date

After a few wise friends made some comments about this Yoga post, the Holy Spirit showed me I need to put more context to this blog 🙂 I don’t believe as Christians we should join a class that promotes the religion of Yoga. I am referring to doing stretches in classes like Silver Sneakers or other exercise classes that use some of the Yoga stretches. That is why I said in the blog “my circuit training class.” Sorry about the confusion this may have caused but it is wonderful that we can have a discussion that causes us to think, pray, and question some of the things we do! Thank you my friends.