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Scripture reading: Ezekiel 1: 4-12

THE SOUL OF MAN HAS FOUR BASIC BEAST NATURES. The mind is symbolized by the eagle, always flying, restless. The emotions are symbolized by the lion, terrible. The will is symbolized by the ox, stubborn. The face of the man is a symbol of the desires, human. Man is a creature of desire. A change must come forth in man’s soul.

JESUS CAME AND DIED TO SAVE MAN’S SOUL. Jesus did not die to save your spirit. Your spirit goes back to God in any event. Your spirit did not need to be saved. You were born in sin and your soul was in iniquity. IT IS THE SOUL AREA THAT NEEDS TO BE SAVED. See Hebrews 10:39.

The nature of the mind is joined to the nature of the emotions. The nature of the emotions is joined to the nature of the will. The nature of the will is joined to the desires. Whatever part of this nature is affected by any circumstance or outside influence then it will affect the other natures. A man gets upset in his emotions and it changes his thinking. He thinks differently. His thinking becomes intoxicated by the madness of his emotions. His will is then changed. Instead of having a will to do probably the right thing, he sometimes finds himself willing to do the wrong thing.

The mind, or the eagle, had a face of the man on one side (desires), the face of the ox on the other side (will), and the face of the lion on the other side (emotions). The mind then has a will of its own, desires of its own, and emotions of its own. There could be an emotional charge coming from the mind. The way you think about things could affect your emotions. This emotional charge comes from the mind and strikes the emotions and the emotions, being stronger, pick it up and affect the will and the whole being of the man. Thus God gave us a spirit, without which we would be just like the brute beast. The spirit, therefore, affects the whole process, to bring some temperance and some moderation to it. If they (the mind, the will, the desires, the emotions) will accept the pleading of the Spirit of God or the moving of the Spirit then this area will be changed to do God’s will. God comes through the spirit of man. “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly,” Proverbs 20:27.

The mind of man can be influenced by outside influences. Therefore, God plants the Holy Spirit into man’s spirit which has a stronger effect upon the soul nature of the man than any other outside spirit. After a man is saved and brought back from the dead (he was a dead soul and became a living soul), he wants life. A living creature must have living food so he cries out to God and God sends the Holy Spirit into his spirit. HIS SPIRIT MEETS OUR SPIRIT and testifies that we are the children of God. We BECOME THE SONS of God WHEN WE OBEY the Spirit of God (see Romans 8:14). The Holy Spirit, therefore, begins to charge the human spirit which becomes bright, and sends this radiation of power into the natures of the soul.

This soul area is a most complicated area because it has the bombardment of the world, the flesh, and the devil. There is a certain amount of bombardment of influence that comes through a man’s physical, carnal feelings. This is why Satan said in talking to God about Job, in Job 2:4 and 5, “Skin for skin…and he will curse thee to thy face.” In other words, Satan thought if God would let him work Job over (touch his skin, his flesh), then Job would curse God. GOD knew better. God had a relationship with the man. Job was not baptized with the Holy Ghost, but God knew Job had a character like a stone wall. Job was going to hold on. God said to Satan, “Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.” Job was hit by the devil. His children were killed, his cattle were stolen away, his sheep burnt up, his wife turned against him, and he was covered with sores. For three years the man lay on his side in sores and God watched him. Job was down and God withdrew from him that the man might stand alone. JOB STOOD AGAINST SATAN, BEAT HIM AT HIS GAME, and won a victory for all times for humanity IN THE NAME OF GOD, without much help or much strength.

The soul, therefore, is bombarded from the body – from the mind, from the will, from the emotions, and from the desires. God plants life in the soul to overcome death. John 1:5, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” The translation of the verb “comprehended” is a little bit weak. It could say “the darkness could not overcome, or overthrow, or have the victory over light.” Light shines in the darkness and the darkness flees. The soul has these four areas from which it is bombarded, but the chief area is the mind. If the mind is won for Christ, then it will radiate power and actually stop the bombardment from the other areas.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 77-78)

Thought for today: Are you (your soul) accepting the pleading of the spirit of God in order to be changed?

The Mark of God

This message by Brother Cecil duCille entitled “The Mark of God” was given at a conference in Nigeria in 2006.

For more video messages please visit Butter and Honey.

We Are Divinely Covered

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Scripture reading: Psalm 91

Psalm 91:1-2, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High (between the cherubim on the Mercy Seat) shall abide (remain stable and fixed) under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I (confidently) trust!”

Verse 4, “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings (symbolic for power) shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler (weapons of defense).”

Verse 11, “For he shall give his angels (special) charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

As the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses in Egypt to the promised Canaan land, God provided every form of care and deliverance possible so that they might survive what would be an impossible journey for women and children, old men and cattle, in a parched and dry wilderness void of sustenance for a few people, let alone hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions.

There are scriptures which give us an idea of the vastness of the miracle of provision which brought them out and carried them in, for example Exodus 19:4, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” The symbolic term “eagles’ wings” means wings of power. This is borne out by the circumstances which prevailed in the wilderness.

When we look at Exodus 13:21, Nehemiah 9:21, Exodus 16:4, and Exodus 17:6 we can see that the children of Israel were provided shelter from the blazing sun and high protein food to keep them strong and vigorous. Shoes and clothing were provided by God supernaturally and there was never any people mothered and cared for by a loving God ever in the history of humanity to that time.

God is a provider. There is provision in Him to cover all our weaknesses and to heal all our diseases.

Some who read these lines may be in grave physical danger as war and revolution sweep the earth; but remember, David faced danger every day of his life and the Holy Spirit spoke through him more than any recorded writer of the deliverance of God from the enemy.

Psalm 23:1-5, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want: 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.”

This and more represents the response of overshadowing which God gives to the church as she moves in the Spirit. The embroidery covering (shown in the Tabernacle of Moses in Exodus 26) is symbolic of all this.

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 77-79)

Thought for today: The Almighty God, Creator of the entire Universe, the God that made you and I is telling us that He is here. God’s Word says He will never leave us or forsake us. Our choice is not to forsake God! Let the Great Provider lead your footsteps today and rest in His peace that passeth all understanding.

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Scripture reading: Galatians 5:22-25

Galatians 5:22 speaks about fruit. “But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE…” I Corinthians 13 tells us what love is. The word “love” is used so loosely in our society that children hardly know what love means. In some parts of Europe you could not tell someone you love them because they would get some wrong feelings, some wrong ideas. Their language does not carry the right connotation.

“1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (agape love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” That means I could preach like Paul, I could prophesy like any of the great prophets and yet if I do not have love, I am just making noise. “2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity (agape love) envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity (love cannot rejoice when one is hurt or one is fallen), but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

The King James Version uses the word “charity.” I do not have the slightest idea why the Greek word agape was translated as charity. Agape is the love of God, the genuine thing from God. Human love says “I love to eat, or I love to play.” When people have love it is the greatest. “The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE.” It would seem to me that love is a multi-fruited fruit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law,” Galatians 5:22. If you have love, true agape love, it brings JOY. PEACE: you must have peace – peace with God – peace with yourself – then you WILL have peace with the people around you. If you do not have peace with yourself and with God, then you have no peace. LONGSUFFERING: it does not take much for some of us to fly off the handle. A person that has long-suffering has the fruit of the Spirit. GENTLENESS: those who are gentle are kind, not rough, and not out of order. It is a quality of God. Sometimes Jesus Christ is spoken of as gentle Jesus. GOODNESS: the word good comes from the word God. Goodness means like God. FAITH, MEEKNESS, TEMPERANCE: the person who is temperate will not overdo or over express anything. He will have a temperate quality in him.

“Against such there is no law.” No matter how bad the regime, they will not be able to form a law against love, against peace, against joy. No one can stop you from manifesting in the fruit of the Spirit. When you have the Spirit of God in you, His fruits bear out through you like a branch on a tree. The tree bears oranges on the branch. The orange and the power to bear come from the tree. A grapefruit tree closely resembles an orange tree and you could be fooled, but when you see the fruit you know. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them,” Matthew 7:20.

The church of Sardis was dead but it had a name that it was alive. At one time it was a prosperous, living church bearing the fruits of the Spirit.

Revelation 3:2 and 3a, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.”

THE ONLY WAY BACK for one who has lost touch with God is through REPENTANCE. God is saying to this church, to this people that they should stop doing wrong, stop disobeying Him, turn away from what they are doing and turn to Him. These are the three basic steps in repentance – stop, turn away, and turn to God. Many people take two steps and then generally fall back into the very sin from which they have repented, because they stop and turn away but instead of turning to God they turn to something else and then fall again into sin.

God is speaking to this church, to a people, now, TODAY. God is saying, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.” There is something that is still alive. There is still hope. The fire can be rekindled.

“For I have not found thy works perfect before God.” I believe this church was going after the world. Sardis was a very luxurious place where people were full of pride and had much of the world’s goods. This church was in the midst of this city and somewhat attracted to it. God is bringing back the memory of what the church used to be.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 55-57)

Thought for today: If you have turned away from God and cannot find your way, begin to remember from whence you were fallen. Remember the first works, remember what you used to do, how God used to work in you. Remember it, long for it, cry to God to bring it back to you, and He will.

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Scripture reading: John 15:1-6

Revelation 3:1, “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”

This church was situated in the city of Sardis, the capital city of Lydia. Sardis was a very luxurious place. The church had a name that it was alive, yet it was dead. The church was very well populated. It had many members full of the world and the things of the world, but the fruit of the Spirit was not evident.

Let us look again at the Tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build. The entrance into the Tabernacle was through the gate. The Brazen Altar of sacrifice was the first piece of furniture inside the gate. In type, this is where church begins. Outside of the gate of the Tabernacle there is no church. The SEVEN CHURCHES referred to in Revelation are typed by the SEVEN PIECES OF FURNITURE in the Tabernacle. If this is true, then the church that was outside of the gate of the Tabernacle was a dead church. Sardis was NAMED by God as one of the seven churches. Therefore, this church was supposed to have been alive, but because it had ceased to produce fruit, it was dead. John 15:1-6 tells us that the fruit bearing of a church or an individual must come through the connection to the vine, which is Christ.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” A DEAD CHURCH is a church that is no longer attached to the vine.

In the Tabernacle, the symbol of the church is the Candlestick, or the Lampstand. The oil is poured into the Lampstand and comes up and feeds all the seven lamps. If something should happen and one of the arms is cut off, then no oil would go into that arm and no oil would go to that lamp. Consequently, that lamp would be dead and would have to be removed, according to the Word of God. “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” I want to remind you again that these churches are typical of the WHOLE CHURCH AGE from the time of Christ until now. Some of us are involved in these churches, every one of these seven churches. Today there is a church which seems to have life but yet it is dead.

The fruit of the Spirit and fruit bearing do NOT mean winning souls, having miracles, or doing works. God will do His work in spite of us. The church that is saving souls says that they are doing well because souls are being saved. Souls are being saved because God wants to save people. Wherever the Word of God is preached He will save people. Even in places where they do not believe in salvation (churches that play around with the Word) the Word produces deliverance in the people. The fact that souls are being saved, people are being delivered, and lives are being changed DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN the church is fulfilling its function before God. God said there are “seven Spirits” working with the seven different churches regardless of what their spiritual condition is. God is still working with them because God must bring forth salvation to His people.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 54-55)

Thought for today:  Jesus is the vine. Are you and your church connected to the vine so that you may bear the fruit of righteousness?