When history and vision combine
Jesus knew where he came from and where He was going (John 8:14). In that verse Jesus seems to indicate that he had a combination of heritage and vision for His life that was critical in order for His witness to be a true witness on the Earth.
I have found that I either tend to value heritage or vision,but rarely embrace both at the same time. We tend to place great value on our history or tradition, and neglect a powerful revelation and vision of bringing tomorrow into today, or we polarize to the other extreme of groping after tomorrow whilst ignoring what God has done in the past, and the wells of revival that are there for us to drink from.
Unlocking the past through honor
“Honor you Father and Mother, that it might be well with and that you days may be long upon the land which the Lord you God gives you” (Ex. 20:12)
In this verse, we are admonished to honor fathers and mothers….”that your days may be long on the land”. It is amazing how mother and fathers have length of days, at least more than you, and the bible encourages you to honor them, in order for you to receive what they already have. A key principle for spiritual maturity, in order to unlock the grace that was upon those spiritual fathers and mothers that have gone before us, and in order for us to get what they had, is to honor them and their heritage. One practical way that I do this is by reading up on past moves of God and the biographies of the key figures that God used in them. Honor involves holding the person in a very high esteem, holding the person’s reputation in a weighty way, and to respect the hand of God upon a man of God. When God anoints someone, the anointing oil poured on someone is a most holy thing. That was what haunted David all those years that he was persecuted by King Saul. He could not touch the Lord’s anointed - he had reverence for the stain of God’s holy anointing oil upon the head of Saul. He ended up getting what Saul had, and was able to build upon that.
Bringing tomorrow into today
It is not my day. The echo of that lament resonates within the deepest recesses of our soul. We feel unprepared, un-commissioned, before our time, with the burden of responsibility upon us but without the spiritual resources to boot. The secret is to bring tomorrow’s anointing into today.
Jesus was faced with this all the time. A Greek Syrophenecian woman had a daughter that had an unclean spirit. She besought the Lord to cast the devil out of her daughter to which Jesus responded that it was not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. The benefits of the Lord’s covenant (The children’s bread)a t that point belonged to the Jewish nation, and this could not be cast to the gentiles (dogs). That privilege would be reserved for the day in which the gentiles would be grafted into the good olive tree. The lady replied that even the dogs can eat of the children’s crumbs . Jesus was well impressed with her faith, and her faith invited the miracle. She reached out and partook of the blessing that was reserved for another day.
Mary was at a wedding with her now famous preacher son, and the organizers of the wedding had somehow miscalculated how much wine their guests were going to consume. Mary informed Jesus that they had run out of wine to which Jesus replied “my hour is not yet come”. Mary then grabbed hold of tomorrow’s anointing and pulled it into today by saying, “do whatever He says to you.” The wedding disaster was averted. She reached out and partook of the blessing that was reserved for another day.
We have the awesome privilege of reaching out to tomorrow’s anointing and bringing it into today by faith. How about you activating ministry gifts that have been reserved for another day?
Never despise your spiritual heritage. Honor your spiritual fathers and mothers, holding their anointing in a weighty respect and esteem. Have faith for tomorrow, Bring what is reserved for tomorrow into today. Let it be said of you, “He knows where he comes from, and where he is going”. May your witness may ring true, declaring unto the heavens that you have been with Jesus.
Technorati Tags: Vision, Heritage
