Light & Truth
Light & Truth
Psalms 43 & 44
The writer starts of in a plea with God, almost as if he is in self-pity but, because his actions turned to Heavenly Father …it is petition and supplication. There must be a very fine line between the two. He asks God to judge on his behalf regarding the unjustness that has apparently come against him.
Second verse in Chapter 43 he immediately gets his soul in alignment; he speaks to his own soul!
HOW often do we speak to our own soul? He even asks himself why is he going about under the oppressiveness of the enemy.
The next verse 2 is key to this message…
“O send out Your light and Your truth. Let them lead me, let them bring me to Your Holy Hill and to Your dwelling places.”
It is then the writer says he will “go to the altar of God…”
“Then I shall go to the altar of God, to God joy, my exuberant joy. Yes, upon the harp will I praise You, O God my God.”
He then builds himself up saying..
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hop in God, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the Salvations of my Countenance and my God.”
Certainly David is remembering the priestly blessing God had Aaron pray to the Israelites:
“The LORD will bless you and He will keep you . The LORD will make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The LORD will lift His countenance to you and He will establish Shalom for you.” Numbers 6:24-26 One New Man Bible
Psalms 44:4
“ For they did not get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them, but by Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.”
Look at verse 6
“Through You we will push down our enemies. Through Your name we will tread those under who rise up against us.”
I am reminded of Psalms 119:105
“Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
When Jesus came He told the Samaritan woman that the Father is looking for those who would worship Him in spirit and truth.
Holy SPIRIT is sent as the Spirit of Truth, JESUS was/is the Word and Truth. Jesus said that Holy Spirit is the spirit of life….JESUS is the Life and Way.
JESUS came, died was resurrected to life then He sent Holy Spirit Who is the Spirit of Truth, Life that leads to the Way Jesus…Who leads us to the Father.
Look at how David understood this truth…he knew he could go to “the alter of God our Father” where he would praise Him and receive joy to be able to do battle. He knew the face of God where HIS light comes out would empower him and he was not afraid, he was thrilled!
This is what JESUS revealed about our Heavenly Father, the fact is HE wants us to “seek His face”. HIS face has a Countenance of LIGHT that will reveal and heal us to transform us giving us Heavenly perspective, the WAYS and thinking of our Heavenly Father! WOW!
Take another look at the blessing commanded upon us by our Heavenly Father with verse 27 included:
“The LORD will bless you and He will keep you . The LORD will make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The LORD will lift His countenance to you and He will establish Shalom for you. And they will put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”” Numbers 6:24-27 One New Man Bible
He will bless us, keep us, and here is it…MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON US!
Be gracious to us, again LIFT HIS COUNTENANCE to us, establish SHALOM for us.
We CAN say we are “blessed and highly favored” as His children.
NOT only will that…HE put HIS name upon us!
Look at this from the Amplified Bible Classic:
“33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” Jeremiah 31:33
“21 As for Me, this is My covenant or league with them, says the Lord: My Spirit, Who is upon you [and Who writes the law of God inwardly on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from henceforth and forever.” Isaiah 59:21
“10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Hebrews 8:10
“16 This is the agreement (testament, covenant) that I will set up and with them after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them on their minds (on their inmost thoughts and understanding)” Hebrews 10:16
Make no mistake, this is not only pertaining to the Israelites beloved, this is to anyone who takes JESUS into their heart, how do I know this?
JESUS IS THE WORD! When we receive HIM we receive all His benefits!
I John 2:27 “27 But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides permanently] in you; [so] then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him], just as [His anointing] has taught you [to do].“
Romans 8:9-17 AMPC
“9 But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God]. 10 But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you]. 11 And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh. 13 For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! 16 The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God. 17 And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.”
Look at Psalms 119:105 again:
“Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
WORD= Jesus
Lamp to my feet…idiom meaning to lead us as we walk, WHO is leading us as we walk? Holy Spirit.
LIGHT to my path= referencing “ways” or mode of operation…WHOSE Light is upon us to reveal His ways and mode of operation…ie. “KINGDOM”? Heavenly Father!
He was revealing HIS heart right there….as well as the priestly blessing
“The LORD will bless you and He will keep you . The LORD will make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The LORD will lift His countenance to you and He will establish Shalom for you. And they will put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.””
HE was showing us what JESUS told to us that is and always has been our Heavenly Father’s heart…HIS KINGDOM COME and HIS WILL BE DONE on EARTH just like it is in Heaven!
IT is why we are NOW seated WITH Christ Jesus IN Heavenly places!
“6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Ephesians 2:6
Ephesians 1:7-14
“7 In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor, 8 Which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence),9 Making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in [c]Him, 10 [He planned] for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth. 11 In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will, 12 So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory! 13 In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit.14 That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.”
The Word is clear about how, Who and that we are to walk in His Light, and His Ways…it is clear we HAVE authority IN Christ Jesus and should never “shy away” from a battle thrown our way but to plow through it. MOST battles are those within us, or in our immediate vicinity like family, co-workers and such. When we practice walking in HIS Ways, learning to think like HE did and does…then we begin to see how we are to battle in a larger range of “sphere of influence”. We gain ground much like our faith grows…when we “BELIEVE”. Remember, in Hebrew that word believe is not ONLY trusting IN Him but DOING and THINKING as well as SPEAKING like He did and does!
IT requires a total “make over” of transformation!
HIS Light and Truth are a major blessing from our Heavenly Father to lead us TO Him and IN Him…we learn to rule and reign from Heavenly places.
“10 And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth!” Rev. 5:10 AMPC
This is learning to BE the kingdom/family of God on earth as it is in Heaven. Only in heaven….we don’t have to rule and when JESUS returns to earth…we don’t have to rule HE WILL!
Our victory in JESUS is to reveal Him by ruling and reigning and as Bill Johnson says: “rule with the heart of a servant and serve with the heart of a King”! THE KING! Jesus set that precedent for us and it is how we need to walk!
He was NOT a wimp, nor was HE a bully….pay attention to what HE did and your life will change to be LIGHT and TRUTH to those around you!
“The LORD will bless you and He will keep you . The LORD will make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The LORD will lift His countenance to you and He will establish Shalom for you.”
Numbers 6:24-26 One New Man Bible
The blessings of His Light and Truth in our hearts requires us to speak to our own heart/soul, just like David did!
In the first part, we see that David spoke to his soul. Self-ministry or “soul talk” and it’s what every man, woman and child must learn in order to mature. To have Light and Truth active in your soul, you have to learn to minister to your own soul!
When most people pray or declare and decree…then right after when maybe asked a question about how they feel or how things are going, then what is really in their soul or “heart” pours out of their mouth.
Example: someone who has had a tough time regarding finances makes a prayer of thanksgiving that they know Heavenly Father is their provider and when asked how they are doing they respond: “well, you know we just cannot make ends meet and I just don’t know how we are going to do it, it’s just so bad…etc.” OR they have declared and decreed that they are healed of a physical issue then when asked they respond, “I am not doing well and don’t know what I am going to do it’s just getting worse.”
It is one thing to decisively make a positive confession when asked how you are doing as long as in your heart you really believe it but another if you do not believe it.
Check this out in Luke 6:45
The good man produces good from the good treasure of his heart, the evil man produces evil from the evil is in his heart; for his mouth is speaking out from the abundance of his heart.” One New Man Bible
What this is saying is when you declare or pray something if you do not really believe it, then when pressure is put on the matter you will pour out from your mouth what you really believe, what is in your heart or soul.
In other words, you will say what you REALLY think!
Often they will say “I am waiting on the Lord” when asked but, that is not what is really in their heart/soul. The Hebrew for waiting means to wait eagerly anticipating it is an “action” word! A place in the soul where belief is solid and from their mouth will flow faith words, not negative words.
Back to the verse but here it is in Matthew 12:35 NKJV
“35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
Unbelief is considered sin which is evil by definition.
Sometimes people pray or decree/declare out of “wants” than out of a heart of faith, believing that it will be done. Wanting something to change but not deep down, not really believing it will.
Talk about the whole believing and abiding in Him (ask what you will and it will be given to you) and how without faith that it will come, you won’t see it come to pass.
You pray out of want but speak from your heart what you really believe!
It can only change when you learn to “choose as an act of your will” to believe and then self-ministry would be practicing what you must in order to see your faith grow. Faith comes by hearing and then DOING! It is proactive!
When in your heart you truly believe HIS word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path and that HIS truth will set you free….then it will.
It is why there must be transformation and that can only take place when we are proactive with the Lord. It IS His desire to BLESS us more than we want to be blessed!
When you come to terms with that by accepting into your heart what the Word says, your mind begins to supernaturally become transformed; then His Light, and His Truth, will lead and guide you through your life.