Note 9 – Part 4 (Part 1, part 2, part 3 here; navigation forward and backward also at bottom of page)
TEARING DOWN and BUILDING UP
So what is He asking us to do? Well, in part, He’s continued to give us words that He’s calling us to TEAR DOWN and demolish the altars and idols (or PILLARS) of the enemy’s kingdom that have been set up and established in this nation and to re-establish His altar and His PILLARS of Truth. Like the assignment of the prophet Jeremiah, we don’t get to have a “dessert ministry” (as Joyce Meyer calls them), which only tells people what they want to hear. God gives us the job of tearing down the “idols and false gods” in the hearts and minds of people/nations so that what is truly of Him can be rebuilt and re-established.
See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. Jeremiah 1:10
In the past, our pastor has preached about aspects of Samson’s life that reveal types and shadows of the church. He talked about how, like Samson, the church has lost our anointing by “laying our head in the lap of Delilah” (representing the world). Samson’s sin caused him to be blinded (representing spiritual blindness) and led into captivity (as we are now seeing happen in this nation and God is warning will occur in much greater measure if we do not repent). Since Samson came up in my research for these notes, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the implications of the rest of the story. As his hair (representing his anointing) began to return, his last plea to God was that He would grant him the SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH he needed to KNOCK DOWN THE PILLARS of the enemy’s temple, and in doing so to destroy the enemy!! (Paralleling the message the Lord was showing us in the “Dark of the Moon” notes about how we must knock down the PILLARS of the enemy that have been set up and are rapidly drawing his kingdom to earth. Again, always remembering that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the true enemy in the spiritual realm – Eph. 6). Samson literally laid down his life in order to complete this mission (representing what God has been saying we must be willing to do, daily, by being living sacrifices, and perhaps even literally as many of our brothers and sisters around the world have had to do from the birth of the church, if it comes to that).
We’ve been slowly working our way through a series of Bible stories on DVD. The day I wrote this part about Samson here, still wondering whether I was supposed to include it or not, Jesse (not knowing I’d written about this) “just happened” to put on the SAMSON story that evening! We hear you Lord! May God cause the anointing of the church to grow and increase again to the point that we are empowered by HIS SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH to tear down the pillars of the kingdom of darkness, destroying the enemy’s temple and his kingdom in this earth, and to do our part to establish the LORD’s!
I LOVE that the Pillars on the Porch of God’s temple were named:
Hiram set up the pillars of the porch of the temple; he set up the right pillar and called its name Jachin [HE WILL ESTABLISH], and he set up the left pillar and called its name Boaz [IN STRENGTH]. I Kings 7:21
Though God wants us to understand that HE NEEDS US and that each one of us has an important role in His plan which we were created to discover and fulfill, we must still remember that it’s not by our might or power, but it is by God’s SPIRIT that these things will be accomplished (Zechariah 4). This once again reveals the vital importance of us abiding in the Vine so that we’re walking as closely in unity with Him as possible (John 14-15). May we come as close as possible to being able to say along with Jesus that we only say what we hear the Father saying and only do what we see Him doing. As we submit to His will, plan, timing, and process, the PILLARS of His temple testify ~ “He will establish His Kingdom – and US (as His Pillars and His Temple) – in His Strength.”
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,’ says the LORD Almighty. “WHAT ARE YOU, O MIGHTY MOUNTAIN (of opposition)? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ [or Grace! Grace!]” Then the word of the LORD came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. “Who despises the day of SMALL (seemingly “INSIGNIFICANT, UNIMPORTANT”) things? Men will rejoice when they see the PLUMB LINE in the hand of Zerubbabel. “ Zechariah 4:6-10
WOW! God is AMAZING! I did not plan this! After putting this Scripture here from Zechariah that God brought to mind, I felt led to look up the Hebrew word translated “small” and found “insignificant” and “unimportant” also in the definition! “SMALL, INSIGNIFICANT, and UNIMPORTANT” were the PRECISE WORDS used in the PILLARS devo from Rick Renner in part 1!!! I am continually IN AWE at the LORD’s orchestration!!! I’ve felt like I could take flight for days at the things He’s been showing us! The Lord is telling us AGAIN ~ If you’ve felt this way it’s time to renew your mind to the Truth! God wants you to know HE NEEDS YOU! YOU ARE VALUABLE and SIGNIFICANT TO HIS PLAN! He tells us not to despise the day of seemingly small, insignificant, and unimportant things. We must not esteem our value through the eyes of others (whether their estimation is good or bad), but only listen to what God says. As the message of the “Butterfly Effect” (discussed in previous notes) says, EVERYTHING we do for Him, in obedience to His call, whether seen or unseen, known or unknown by anyone else, is IMPORTANT and SIGNIFICANT to HIM. As He has also stressed in past messages – HE NOTICES, HE DOES NOT FORGET, and HE WILL BRING HIS REWARD in DUE TIME!! THANK YOU JESUS!!
God also just showed me a connection between this theme and the Isaiah 60 words from last Saturday (with follow-up confirmations here )!! A week ago, in answering my questions about the “thousand-fold,” He used that Scripture to tell us the LEAST of us would become A THOUSAND; the SMALLEST a MIGHTY NATION ~ in it’s time He will do it QUICKLY!!!!! He just showed me how this passage also confirms and emphasizes that we should not despise seemingly “small, insignificant, and unimportant” beginnings. Though we may now appear as the LEAST and SMALLEST, He wants us to SEE WITH THE EYES of FAITH the GREAT things He’s going to do to multiply our lives and influence for His Kingdom and Glory as we follow Him!
The “PLUMB LINE” in the passage above (Zech 4:6-10) spiritually represents The Word of God (as do SALT and PILLARS). We are to uphold the Plumb Line of His Word to all things. It’s the Standard we must use to measure all else against to discern whether those things pass the test or need to be brought upright and into alignment with Truth. Therefore the Word of God is essential in the formation and creation of us as Pillars in God’s Temple ~ to make sure we are established in alignment with the Standard of His Word (understanding that only through Jesus can we fully be so!). (AND, as discussed in note 7, one of our purposes after we become Pillars in His temple is to continue to Uphold His Word/Truth. So the Word must be held up to us for us to become God’s Pillars, and then once we become His Pillars we must uphold His Word.) The Plumb Line of God’s Word (His Truth) must be brought back among God’s people in order for God’s Temple and Kingdom to be rebuilt. Those in the account in Zechariah had experienced the destruction of their land and the horror of being led into captivity for turning away from God. After all the desolation and bondage they had suffered as a result of turning away from God and the Standard of His Word, God said they would now REJOICE when they saw the Plumb Line (representing His Word) returning in their midst! May we not have to see our land totally destroyed and our people taken captive before we will again rejoice over, cherish, and embrace the Plumb Line God has given us of His Word. We must return to His upright Standard NOW to rebuild what has declined and deteriorated before total destruction and desolation occurs.
Jesse and I have been blessed to travel much throughout Europe. Others who have done the same, regardless of where they may have visited, can probably relate to the tourist’s woe of unsightly scaffolding interfering with and interrupting our picture perfect experiences, memories, and photographs of key sites. Yet, at the same time we reluctantly realize that if important repairs aren’t made, these ancient landmarks won’t be PRESERVED for future generations. In the same way, prominent and prevalent portions of the church/nation may also need to be temporarily covered in spiritual scaffolding in order to do the extensive repair work needed to prevent their total collapse. Though bringing the Plumb Line back in and doing the difficult and unsightly work necessary to make these corrections, adjustments, and repairs may upset those who have merely been “tourists,” desiring pretty facades and picture perfect experiences, this work is necessary in order to PRESERVE the church and the nation. As the Plumb Line returns to God’s people and we make the necessary repairs to His Temple (ourselves and the church), then the Ark of His Presence can be brought back in and fill us fully with His GLORY.
Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Is not this in your sight as nothing in comparison to that? Yet now be STRONG, ALERT, and COURAGEOUS, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; be STRONG, ALERT, and COURAGEOUS, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be STRONG, ALERT, and COURAGEOUS, ALL YOU PEOPLE of the land, says the Lord, and WORK! FOR I AM WITH YOU, says the Lord of hosts. According to the promise that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit stands and abides in the midst of you; FEAR NOT. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake and make tremble the [starry] heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; And I WILL SHAKE ALL NATIONS AND THE DESIRE and the precious things of ALL NATIONS shall come in, and I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH SPLENDOR (GLORY), says the Lord of hosts. The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts. THE LATTER GLORY OF THIS HOUSE SHALL BE GREATER THAN THE FORMER, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:3-9
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All this the Lord made me understand by the writing by His hand upon me, all the work to be done according to the plan. Also David told Solomon his son, Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS, and DO IT. FEAR NOT, BE NOT DISMAYED, for the Lord God, my God, IS WITH YOU. HE WILL NOT FAIL or FORSAKE YOU UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED ALL THE WORK FOR THE SERVICE OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. I Chronicles 28:19-20
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“Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.” I Chronicles 22:19
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He who overcomes (is victorious), I will make him a PILLAR in the sanctuary of My God; he shall never be put out of it or go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends from My God out of heaven, and My own new name. Revelation 3:12
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He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with nobles and inherit the throne of glory. FOR THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH ARE THE LORD’S, AND HE HAS SET THE WORLD UPON THEM. II Samuel 2:8
Perhaps at some point I will learn that the longer I wait to post, the more difficult it becomes to keep the notes from quickly turning into a book ~ But not this time. Once again, this note grew to mammoth proportions, leaving me grappling with how to divide it up. What did not get put into this note is enough material for several more. But I hope to post them relatively quickly since they contain things critical to this season of finding our place and doing our part in God’s plan ~ to put us in alignment for His Divine Suddenlies that are on the way!
Blessings and Prayers!
© Laura Jewell Tyree
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Note 1 – “As it was in the days of Noah”
Note 2 – “When “Marvel” Meets Real Life ~ Get Your “Super” On”
Note 3 – Are You “Full of It”? and follow up
Note 4 – “Destroy the Dragon and Take Back Your Home Land” ~ Powerful Prophetic Message from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug – parts 1-4
Note 5 – Taking Back Lost Territory ~ “Become More Determined than Hell Itself!” – parts 1-4
Note 6 – “No Sacrifice; No Victory” ~ “Have the GUTS to Get in the Car!” parts 1-3
Note 7 – Prophetic Message through “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” parts 1-4