Living the Resurrected Life. The Testimony Part 6 What You See is What You Say - David Mitts

"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (Rev 12:11 NASB)

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Giving Opportunity Message

Intentional speech is speech with a purpose. Purpose reflects perspective, how we see ourselves and our lives. Prophetic ministry is mostly about vision. The Bible tells us that without vision we lose restraint or discipline.

“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is one who keeps the Law.” (Proverbs 29:18)

The Hebrew root used here to convey the concept of being without a guiding vision, without restraint is “parah”. This word is translated in various ways. The word picture literally means to have your hair loose and wild. The hair is connected to the glory of an individual or the unique nature of that person.

A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness. (Pro 16:31 NASB)

The scriptures gives us a couple of key accounts to illustrate this, the famous Samson story and the story of rebellious Nebuchadnezzar. The connection to the “way of righteousness” tells us there is a relationship, between the hair on the head and our destiny. Hebrew is a word picture language telling a story in the words. The connection between the wildness of hair and the cultivation of our destiny is a lesson to us of the need for discipline in our lives to accomplish the glory in our lives, our destiny.

The key ingredient to accomplishing our destiny is a sense of purpose or vision. The above proverb tells us that vision drives restraint, or discipline. Think about any great accomplishment that takes time and effort to manifest. There is s momentum that needs to be generated over time which is fueled by the vision.

The verse tells us in the second part, that the one who keeps the law will be “happy”. The actual translation of this is that the one who keeps or protects, “shomers”, in Hebrew, the Torah will be “ashrei”, happy or blessed. Ashrei is the word that Yeshua used in the beatitudes, that is translated as blessed, but literally means there is a fire on the head. It is a picture of the anointing. So, the verse now transforms into the person who keeps or protects the way, summed up in Torah, attracts the anointing or the fire of God!

You see, we have tendency to spiritualize the anointing. It is spiritual but it is the spirit applied to the vision in a disciplined and empowered way.

Vision empowers us to run!

Then the Lord answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. (Hab 2:2-4 NKJV)

Vision empowers us to run! Writing the vision connects our vision to the real world. This begins the process of manifestation. It gives us a goal. Goals develop urgency, what the prophet calls running. Goals confront with the reality of time. Time generates a boundary, a finish line. Running requires a clear target. Think about crossing a street or running in a race. A goal gives us a focus. The focus gives us the freedom to run.

Next Haggai makes a unique statement. The vision is for an appointed time. This term, “appointed time” is the Hebrew word “mo-ed”. This is the same word for the Feasts of the Lord, the “mo-edim”. This word picture means literally, from the doorway into eternity. This brings the supernatural into the equation.

The Lord works in our reality according to seasons. He gives us HisSpring feasts and Fall feasts, the mo-edim. The vision for our lives also has an appointed time. This implies a date of manifestation when He enters the equation. The training for this is the Shabbat.

Each week when we honor Him by keeping the Shabbat, we train in manifest Presence. In this way we train our eyes to see the Kingdom. Yeshua spoke this when He said:

“Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27, NASB)

The Sabbath, Shabbat, was made for man tells us that is has a purpose for us. I believe this has to do with living in the “mo-ed”, the place of manifest Presence. He gives us another piece when He declares Himself Lord over the Sabbath:

“And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”” (Luke 6:5, NASB)

We may have missed the significance of this statement. In the gospel accounts this was said in response to criticism of Yeshua performing miracles on Shabbat. In our haste to understand, we may have looked at this from a purely argumentative context. But what if we take it at face value and think of the 2 verses that the Sabbath exists as a “mo-ed” a doorway into eternity that is time linked and the true Adon or Lord of the doorway is Yeshua! Could something as simple as ordering our lives to expect breakthroughs and miracles on Shabbat, have some true eternal power? Could we be missing an important spiritual power source in our arrogance based on what we think is modern, 24-7 culture? Has an eternal God embedded power in a “mo-ed”? Does this have something to do with our ability to run the race of our lives with power and confidence? If so, then what do we do about it?

I’m not sure of all the answers to any of these questions. As people of faith, which means people who have chosen to live by His voice in relationship, I think we might consider opening our heart to this reality. God gave us time centered appointments, the mo-edim. While they may have been purely for Israel as a nation to remember to worship Him, they also might have been portals into eternity that stand empty if we don’t activate the possibility by faith.

The basic lesson might be to honor time. Time is the realm of human manifestation. We are born on a date in time. We die on a day in time. Time separates the created from the uncreated. Time separates the holy from the covenant. We are given in marriage at a precise moment in time and so covenants exists in time. We are born again in a moment of time. For this reason and I am sure many more time is the realm of warfare. Daniel describes the work of the lawless one this way:

“‘And he will speak against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.” (Daniel 7:25, NASB)

If we investigate our times, we see many alterations in both the ways of God, honoring His boundaries and in the use of time. Time is only relevant if it in significant of something. Let’s return to Malachi 2 and see if we can glimpse that reality of the kingdom of God.

. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.

The vision that is for an appointed time will speak and it will not lie. In the NASB, this is translated as:

““For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hurries toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it delays, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay long.” (Habakkuk 2:3, NASB)

The speaking is also translated as the goal. The original Hebrew is an expression “v-yifah l-katz”. This is an unusual phrase that I’m sure gave the translators much challenge. It literally means a short expulsion of breath, like the breath of a runner. This breath will not lie. Meditating on this in the context of writing the vision for running, I think gives the idea that the breath necessary, the short breath will come to bring forth the truth of the vision.

I think the picture is of a runner who is running so hard as to win. The short breath or the quick blow of air is preparation for an explosion of energy. The interpretation is that this is the vision speaking or if you prefer the goal succeeding. Either way the picture reveals a very strong expectation of bringing forth the propheticreality.

This is so powerful and full of vision and promise that we are told that if there is a delay to wait for it. Seasons are like this. Spring might be delayed or winter prolonged and yet the appointed time has been set. The season will come. It is written into time and though tarrying, it is inevitable as sure as the movement of the planet and the shining of the sun.

This reminds me of the promise to Israel of God’s faithfulness:

“This is what the LORD says, He who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— The LORD of armies is His name: “If this fixed order departs From Me,” declares the LORD, “Then the descendants of Israel also will cease To be a nation before Me forever.”” (Jeremiah 31:35-36, NASB)

The Lord finalizes Habakkuk’s prophetic word with an admonition against pride, which He defines as a soul which is not correct or upright. The picture is of insolence or blatant disrespect for the word of the Lord. This is a sign of the times we live in. People are determining for themselves what they deem as right and true. There is an extreme arrogance about only “the science” being the standard of truth. Morality has been removed and what is “right” according to the ways of God are being cast aside for what supports the agenda of the evil gatekeepers.

But the Lord tells us that we will be termed just, if we live by faith.This is an expression meaning that we live in a dynamic relationship with the Lord.

The anchor point is learning to live expecting the voice of the Lord as seed for the visions that empower us to run. We are being admonished to journal our time with Lord as seed time, running the race with power and expecting the harvest in the mo-ed. Vision is how the Lord shows us what will become the testimony and the root of our faith. Turn with me to Genesis 15:

“After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram also said, “Since You have given me no son, one who has been born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:1-6, NASB)

Often, we don’t realize that we cannot harvest if we do not plant. The written vision corresponds to the planting of the seed. It will require the watering of the word and the cultivation of the heart.God speaks destiny to us and establishes the specifics of His covenant by the visions He gives us.

Activation: Begin a vision journal. This is the fall and time that the leaves and seeds fall to the ground to be buried in winter. This is a powerful time for visons seeds to be deposited into our hearts. This week meditate before the LORD ASKING HIM FOR VISION!