Living the Resurrected Life. The Testimony Part 9 The Water, The Blood, and the Spirit, Part 2 - 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
Testimony, eduth, in Hebrew indicates opening a door and seeing into the realm of truth. The “ed” is the root from which we also get the word “mo-ed” which is translated as divine appointments, like Shabbat and the Feasts of the Lord which means, “from the eternal realms”. If we tie this altogether, our testimony is what opens the realm of the spirit in our lives.
I remember in Revival meetings which we had the priviledge of being a part of in the early to late 1990’s, where we experienced the raw power of the Lord’s Presence which transformed our lives. One of the most powerful things to observe was the testimonies. As individuals began to share what God had done the previous day in their lives, they re-experienced it afresh. This demonstrated to me that the testimony was a true powerand when the testimony included being touched by the Lord there was a well of eternal power released.
The writer of Hebrews declares:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, and forever.(Heb 13:8 NAS77)
Sharing about the touch of God connects us to the eternal Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever.
I saw a similar thing but in another way in the Ancient Paths Seminars. Participants would experience the memory of a tragic traumatic event that was the root of current issues. The Holy Spirit would reveal to them what lie they had believed that kept the trauma from being healed. Then the Spirit would speak the truth to their heart and the pain would be healed. The lie acts like an anchor which kept the person moored in the pain and distorted their perceptions of reality. When the living testimony of the Holy Spirit came into the situation, they were freed. This is the same living Jesus that sets them free.
The Bible tells us in Revelation 19:10:
“Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”” (Revelation 19:10)
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit or the life of prophecy.Prophecy could be defined as the word spoken that reveals the future reality of an individual, group or nation. In that sense the future is reaching back into the now and pulling for its manifestation. What is the source of that manifestation? The testimony of Jesus.
He is the Word and His Word is the testimony. His testimony then is the power to overcome the devil whose prophecy is death, stealing and destruction.
““The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The future is in the power of our testimony, our words. If Satan can steal our testimony then he can steal our future.
““These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.” (Mark 4:15)
Now the imagery here in the parable if of a bird snatching up the seed. But the actual mechanism is more subtle. The heart is the sowing field of both the Lord and Satan. The snatching of the seed is done by inserting a different seed, a lie. Satan speaks lies to the heart, and they snatch away the true seeds of destiny. This is Satan’s native territory.
““You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
These lies that are embedded through trauma are called the “works of the devil”. Yeshua came to destroy or abolish these lies or works of the father of lies:
“the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
What we often don’t realize is that works are preceded by faith, or by words believed in the heart.
These words determine who our father is in a particular area of life.
“By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.” (1 John 3:10)
Practicing or living righteously, means being free to live the abundant life that Yeshua died to bring us into. To get there we need the power of the testimony of Yeshua which is the spirit of our future, our destiny what the scripture calls our prophecy.
Last chapter we looked at how the water demonstrates the testimony of who Yeshua is. 1John 5:6-11
“This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” (1 John 5:6-11)
The water, the blood and the Spirit agree. The water is the symbol of the chaos that is in our lives, the ups and downs and the swirling voices that encircle us with confusion. Into this swirling, God speaks light and order. When we receive Yeshua into our heart, He gives us new waters to drink, waters of eternal life. These waters contain the word, the testimony.
so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. (Eph5:26-27)
We can use the waters to embed the word. Our body is mostly water, and it responds to the word that is prophesied to it. Whether we need healing, or a financial breakthrough the power is in the Word and the word can be spoken to waters of chaos and light comes forth!
The waters also represent the realm of darkness and God’s love speaks light, order and goodness to the darkness. This is the Spirit of Prophecy.
Let’s look at another example of light over darkness. The Apostle Paul links all Believers to Abraham and his example of faith:
“Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” (Galatians 3:7-9)
Drilling down into the faith of Abraham, we look 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)
Fear is the core emotion of darkness, embodied in the waters of chaos. The Lord identifies Himself as the shield of Abraham.The word for shield in Hebrew is “magen”. It comes from the same word root as garden. In this description the Lord is describing Himself as the protector of the garden, the symbol of righteousness, the place of Creation.
The Lord also tells Abraham that he will receive a great reward or payment. This is a reference to the sacrifice that Abraham made in not taking any reward from the king of Sodom.
Abraham’s true heart’s desire is to have a legacy through a son. The Word of the Lord speaks to him, that an heir will come through Abraham’s own body and that his inheritance through descendants will be as the stars of heaven. Into the barrenness of Abraham’s life a word seed is impregnated with light of God. All Abraham has to do is receive it, believe in his heart and all will be right, righteousness.
What is the foundation of this miraculous provision? It is literally light into the darkness, order to the waters of life where the seed has to live to create new life.
The Lord continues:
And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it." He said, "O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?"(Gen 15:7-8 NASB)
This is a prophetic declaration. This is to be Abraham’s testimony. It will overcome barrenness and the works of Satan.Abraham questions how he will know that he will possess it. The Lord answers by making covenant.
“So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. And birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete.” Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:” (Genesis 15:9-18)
Abraham brings the covenant sacrifice, and a deep sleep comes on him with terror and great darkness. This is a picture of the waters of Chaos of Genesis 1. I think it is important to realize that when we are in chaotic times and our future looks bleak, that we realize the power of covenant. Into the darkness the Lord declares Himself.
Activation: What chaos are you facing. What terror is biting at the corners of your mind and heart? It may not be financial. It might be your health or the future of your children. It could be any dream you have had that you think is too late. Press in for God’s voice and remember that He is in covenant with you.
I remember in Revival meetings which we had the priviledge of being a part of in the early to late 1990’s, where we experienced the raw power of the Lord’s Presence which transformed our lives. One of the most powerful things to observe was the testimonies. As individuals began to share what God had done the previous day in their lives, they re-experienced it afresh. This demonstrated to me that the testimony was a true powerand when the testimony included being touched by the Lord there was a well of eternal power released.
The writer of Hebrews declares:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, and forever.(Heb 13:8 NAS77)
Sharing about the touch of God connects us to the eternal Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever.
I saw a similar thing but in another way in the Ancient Paths Seminars. Participants would experience the memory of a tragic traumatic event that was the root of current issues. The Holy Spirit would reveal to them what lie they had believed that kept the trauma from being healed. Then the Spirit would speak the truth to their heart and the pain would be healed. The lie acts like an anchor which kept the person moored in the pain and distorted their perceptions of reality. When the living testimony of the Holy Spirit came into the situation, they were freed. This is the same living Jesus that sets them free.
The Bible tells us in Revelation 19:10:
“Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”” (Revelation 19:10)
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit or the life of prophecy.Prophecy could be defined as the word spoken that reveals the future reality of an individual, group or nation. In that sense the future is reaching back into the now and pulling for its manifestation. What is the source of that manifestation? The testimony of Jesus.
He is the Word and His Word is the testimony. His testimony then is the power to overcome the devil whose prophecy is death, stealing and destruction.
““The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The future is in the power of our testimony, our words. If Satan can steal our testimony then he can steal our future.
““These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.” (Mark 4:15)
Now the imagery here in the parable if of a bird snatching up the seed. But the actual mechanism is more subtle. The heart is the sowing field of both the Lord and Satan. The snatching of the seed is done by inserting a different seed, a lie. Satan speaks lies to the heart, and they snatch away the true seeds of destiny. This is Satan’s native territory.
““You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
These lies that are embedded through trauma are called the “works of the devil”. Yeshua came to destroy or abolish these lies or works of the father of lies:
“the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
What we often don’t realize is that works are preceded by faith, or by words believed in the heart.
These words determine who our father is in a particular area of life.
“By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.” (1 John 3:10)
Practicing or living righteously, means being free to live the abundant life that Yeshua died to bring us into. To get there we need the power of the testimony of Yeshua which is the spirit of our future, our destiny what the scripture calls our prophecy.
Last chapter we looked at how the water demonstrates the testimony of who Yeshua is. 1John 5:6-11
“This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” (1 John 5:6-11)
The water, the blood and the Spirit agree. The water is the symbol of the chaos that is in our lives, the ups and downs and the swirling voices that encircle us with confusion. Into this swirling, God speaks light and order. When we receive Yeshua into our heart, He gives us new waters to drink, waters of eternal life. These waters contain the word, the testimony.
so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. (Eph5:26-27)
We can use the waters to embed the word. Our body is mostly water, and it responds to the word that is prophesied to it. Whether we need healing, or a financial breakthrough the power is in the Word and the word can be spoken to waters of chaos and light comes forth!
The waters also represent the realm of darkness and God’s love speaks light, order and goodness to the darkness. This is the Spirit of Prophecy.
Let’s look at another example of light over darkness. The Apostle Paul links all Believers to Abraham and his example of faith:
“Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” (Galatians 3:7-9)
Drilling down into the faith of Abraham, we look 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)
Fear is the core emotion of darkness, embodied in the waters of chaos. The Lord identifies Himself as the shield of Abraham.The word for shield in Hebrew is “magen”. It comes from the same word root as garden. In this description the Lord is describing Himself as the protector of the garden, the symbol of righteousness, the place of Creation.
The Lord also tells Abraham that he will receive a great reward or payment. This is a reference to the sacrifice that Abraham made in not taking any reward from the king of Sodom.
Abraham’s true heart’s desire is to have a legacy through a son. The Word of the Lord speaks to him, that an heir will come through Abraham’s own body and that his inheritance through descendants will be as the stars of heaven. Into the barrenness of Abraham’s life a word seed is impregnated with light of God. All Abraham has to do is receive it, believe in his heart and all will be right, righteousness.
What is the foundation of this miraculous provision? It is literally light into the darkness, order to the waters of life where the seed has to live to create new life.
The Lord continues:
And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it." He said, "O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?"(Gen 15:7-8 NASB)
This is a prophetic declaration. This is to be Abraham’s testimony. It will overcome barrenness and the works of Satan.Abraham questions how he will know that he will possess it. The Lord answers by making covenant.
“So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. And birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete.” Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:” (Genesis 15:9-18)
Abraham brings the covenant sacrifice, and a deep sleep comes on him with terror and great darkness. This is a picture of the waters of Chaos of Genesis 1. I think it is important to realize that when we are in chaotic times and our future looks bleak, that we realize the power of covenant. Into the darkness the Lord declares Himself.
Activation: What chaos are you facing. What terror is biting at the corners of your mind and heart? It may not be financial. It might be your health or the future of your children. It could be any dream you have had that you think is too late. Press in for God’s voice and remember that He is in covenant with you.
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