Why Seek Ye

Last week I was studying in Luke 24, more perfectly the latter part of the chapter. But as I began reading there was a verse that really stuck out to me in the beginning of the chapter. “why seek ye the living among the dead”. This verse really hit me, so as I was about to tear it apart, the Lord told me not to.

As I digress for a minute, the Lord gifted me with the ability to reveal scriptures. If I meditate on pretty much any scripture I can start to pull out the truths inside. But He specifically asked me not to do that. So I went on to the latter part of the chapter.

Ok, I’m back. So I knew that the Lord was going to reveal this to me at some point. This morning He did just that. Many years ago the Lord told me something as I was driving. “you seek a God that can’t be found, seek one thing, seek the desire to love, and when you find that desire, I will come find you”. So what does this have to do with the verse, “why seek ye the living among the dead”?

My wife and I were at a bible study this last week and for some reason my spirit just didn’t feel right. Not anything against the people that were there, or what they were doing. I personally just didn’t feel right. Then everybody got up and began praying for people, like most Christians do. It then hit me! “Why seek ye the living among the dead, you seek a God that can’t be found, seek one thing, seek the desire to love, and when you find the desire, I will come find you”.

The finished work of the cross! We as Christians always go back and speak and pray about what the Lord did on the cross for our sins and our healings. But the reality of that is this. The power is not in the death, it’s in the resurrection. We should be seeking the power of the resurrection for our healings not His death. The finished work of the cross, not the cross itself! The actual work of the cross is a foundational truth that has to be taught, and then moved on from. Taking that truth to a new dimension of faith and truth in the finished work. That is why the women were asked, why seek ye the living among the dead. Because they went back to where they knew for sure Jesus would be. Even though they spent 3 and a half years with Him, they kept going back, instead of looking into the present.

So, why do we as Christians not live in the resurrection? Why do we struggle to just get by with our everyday circumstances? There are 2 main reasons that can bring some clarity. They have to do with the believer and the receiver. See it is no small coincidence that the first miracle that Jesus did was turning the water into wine. It was a miracle that only had to do with Himself. It did not take belief from anyone or anything other than He Himself, and there was no receiver to this miracle other than the water. But what this did to those that witnessed this miracle became the foundation for everything after. See Cana was a small town from which His disciple Nathanael was from. So it was likely that Nathanael not only knew the bride and the groom, they were possibly even family. This being the case it would have been impossible for a secret of this magnitude to have been kept from anyone at the wedding. So their belief in Him grew from this witnessed firsthand miracle. This is how word of who He was began to spread. It created faith in the receiver, making them believers. This is why the only place that “not many mighty miracles were done” was Jesus’ hometown. They not only didn’t believe, but they couldn’t receive.

This brings us to what Jesus actually did in these miracles. Did He ever pray for people the way we do today? Did He tell them to keep praying until they got their breakthrough? No, He didn’t. In fact the same theme resonates through all of His healing or miracles. He commanded them whole and said “Let it be done according to your faith”! At some point the receiver has to become a believer. Not the kind of belief that says sure He CAN do it. But the kind that says not only has He already done it, but He did it in me! Once your faith grows in this way, many mighty miracles will you perform in His name, for the Kingdom.

We are going to have to change the way we Christians view prayer and healing. If we don’t, then we will get what we have and it’ll never change anywhere but in our heads. Because we all think this great power is coming, but for 2000 years, it still has not.

Challenge yourself to set your eyes to His finished work. See what He has done, and call it forth on Earth. Ask for Him to give you that expectation of true faith not only in what He did, but what will be shortly manifested! Thank Jesus for His death, but then you must go on!

The Stand

I had someone tell me yesterday that they really needed direction because they felt like they were at a crossroads. At some point we have all come to that place where we felt like that. But many years ago my father told me something that is the “cure all” for this indecision.

The very first time you see the Lord in scripture is in the book of Genesis.  …”and the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the face of the deep”.  The very last time the Lord is spoken about is in the book of Revelation……”even so come quickly Lord Jesus”.  So between the moving and the coming of the Lord, it is, …”as many as are led by the Spirit of God”.

Live your life! When you find yourself at what you believe to be a crossroads. Follow Him!

If you can’t seem to find Him, wait. Everything God does is in circles, He’ll be back around by way of His promise. When you have done everything you can to stand….stand.