Life is a swirly river of gumdrops and lemon sours as it delivers both the sweet and bitter of this adventure we live. Sometimes the sour is hard to swallow. It causes the mouth to almost freeze as it embraces the puckered response from the bitterness. Then when it tastes the sweetness of the gum drops it relaxes the gates and welcomes more. Life is a swirly river.
Often times we focus on the bad and forget about the good or vice versa. We become too enraptured with one way of thinking and miss out on something else. Its like a tennis player only focusing on their forehand delivery. Doesn’t matter if its serving or volleying it is all forehand. But what about the backhand? Life’s game is meant to be full and we have to know the good and the bad. The forehand and backhand. The serve and the return.
Jesus commanded us to do so. “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28: 18b-20).”
We are to go forward doing His bidding as He commanded: baptizing, teaching, and observing the very things He, Jesus, did while on earth. But are we? Do we have a complete picture? What are we teaching?
Admonished over a simple conversation about bread and not grasping the greater lesson, thinking in a singular line without even considering it could be something more, yes, the apostles were a herd of cats. Jesus said, “do ye not yet understand, neither remember (Matthew 16:9)…” “Think McFly, think!” Sorry that was a line from Back to the Future. Much of the parables Jesus shared were later explained to his disciples because they didn’t understand the deeper meanings. They were learning the lemon sour and gumdrop meanings of God. And this is what we have to learn today too.
Often we get a revelation, but as Paul said, “we only know it part (I Corinthians 13:9)…” Yet we take this gift and run with it. We write a book, we blog it, we speak it in sermons. As growing members of the body of Christ we launch out on solo missions. But when Jesus sent His disciples out it was two by two (Mark 6:7). Even in Acts you find they were commissioned and worked together. They brought both the forehand and backhand to the adventure.
The pairs work because, often, if we lack in something the other has it. Spirit feeds spirit or deep unto deep the resources become activated. But let me not be distracted from the command we received. In a previous journal entry we mentioned Peter and the keys of the kingdom. What you bind in earth will be bound in heaven. What you loose in earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16: 19).
We loose the bad from any footholds or strongholds or generational holds that it has on us or others and then we bind it and this is good. We then loose the blessings from heaven by loosening them on earth and this is good. But is this the end? No. We then need to bind the good to us. Why wouldn’t we?
In my prayers, I often bind certain scriptures to me. As a member of the body of Christ, as a warrior, as a brother, it is my charge to do so. I’ll tie these to my spirit: Isaiah 54:17, Exodus 15:26, Joshua 24:15, John 14:27, and Matthew 16: 19. That sounds crazy right? But why? If bad things can bind to you, why not the good too? Its the rest of the equation. God’s ways are above and beyond ours and this is a good thing.
If I’m ailing and need of healing I’ll bind healing scriptures to my heart or soul. If I’m in need of encouragement I’ll bind inspiring verses. Whatever is needed it makes sense to bind those pieces of God’s Word to you for those moments. I’ve shared previously how I carry a list of scriptures on my phone for reminders. I encourage you to do something similar. Promises, sleep, value, healing, forgiveness, understanding, knowledge, grace, hope, love, and faith. Whatever makes sense to you.
It is one way to war in the spiritual and the physical. We must speak it. So to sum it all up, learn both sides of the equation, go forth two by two, this is a good thing and learn to bind and loosen both good and bad.
Godspeed, The Journeyman
Ps. This came after reading Matthew 16 a few times over the last couple of weeks. Then a reminder came in listening to Elijah Streams, Kat Kerr.
John 14: 27 KJV “Peace I leave with you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Matthew 16: 2-3 KJV “When it is evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be found weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?”
Matthew 16: 9 KJV “Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?”
Matthew 16: 19 KJV “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in in heaven.
Matthew 28: 18b - 20 KJV “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Mark 6: 7 KJV “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two by two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;”
I Corinthians 13: 9 KJV “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.”
Galatians 2: 16 KJV “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the las, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
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