Purity of Heart: The Key to Revival - Part 2 - David Mitts

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?

And who may stand in His holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood

And has not sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD 

And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is the generation of those who seek Him,

Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah.

 (Psalms 24:3-6 (NASB))

Last week we began looking at and pressing in for a breakthrough in the condition of our hearts that bring us into the Presence of the Lord.

We spoke about “lifting up our soul to falsehoods”.  I want to plunge a little deeper into this topic.  The Hebrew word translated as “lifting up” is “nasah”.  This is an ancient Hebrew word root that has been translated as many things from “to bear”, “To be married”, to carry, etc.  The word picture is of a seed and a thorn.  The idea in the word picture is of a generational thorn or wound, an iniquity.  This gives the impression that we carry falsehoods in our souls that we have inherited from our seed bearers. 

There are many “family secrets” that are falsehoods that we carry in our souls.

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The “sworn deceitfully” is also very revealing.  To swear is to “Sheva” or to “7”.  It is a covenant or oath.  Deceitfully, refers to a high place, or a false authority.  The Hebrew word is “mirmah” which is derived from the root “ram” which means to betray or to shoot with an arrow.  So their is an oath of betrayal, a Judas factor.

These are the opposite of clean hands and a pure heart.  So, we can see a secret, hidden type of being, a whisperer of deception, one who makes secret covenants based on lies and half-truths.  This is the Judas factor that claims intimacy with the Lord, but refuses the honest self-examination that allows us to enter into the Presence of the Lord.  Judas was one of the 12.  He was a chosen vessel for the anointing.  Yet he struggled with a falsehood in his soul which caused him to betray the anointed one.  We may not be in the position to betray Yeshua's Himself but we can betray, those He gave to us to shepherd His anointing.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB)

[11] And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 

We have learned over the years that many falsehoods have come into our being with trauma.  Some of the trauma still contains a lingering pain that is kept in place by falsehoods or lies.  These in turn reinforce themselves with pride.  Pride is the need to protect myself.  “I am responsible for me” is the decision of pride.  It breeds an inner need for perfectionism and to be in control.  It also breeds an independence and an isolation spirit. 

When we get hurt, this whole mechanism clicks into place.  We feel a pull to isolate and take care of business on our own.  The problem is that our “solution” of isolation puts up a wall to others and ultimately to God.

In this place of hurt and withdrawing, we often feel misunderstood and climb into the victim’s seat easily.  The tears flow or worse, the anger takes over and resentment builds.

Why am I spending so much time on this, you ask?!?  The reason is because we are a community committed to healing.  The challenge is healing requires vision for the healed.  We have a cultural bias towards sickness.  We have trained ourselves in sickness management, NOT in healing.  Even if we get prayer for our sickness and God touches us, we just want the miracle to be the removal of the sickness.  BUT what we don't ask is what does God want??

We all know this verse:

(3Jn 2)

[2] Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 

The question or the qualifier is prosperity of soul.  Well let’s continue with the chapter and see if the scripture will interpret itself.

[3] For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. [4] I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.(3Jn 3-4)

So now we see a contrast.  Soul prosperity involves walking in the truth and soul falsehoods then must be the opposite of soul prosperity.   In other words our health is affected by what we believe to be true.  So, if we are a healing ministry then we must be vigilant about coming into agreement with lies that arise out of our pain.  Remembering that we cannot amend into God’s Presence if we lift up our soul to falsehoods or make a covenant, vows with deception.  

Now, we can understand how our tendency to protect ourselves by stuffing our hurts and remaining in self-sufficiency, code words for pride, how it literally keeps us from God and from health and well-being of soul.  Let’s look one step further in John’s writing here:

[5] Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; [6] and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. [7] For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. [8] Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.(3Jn 5-8).

When we are attacked in our soul, we will see it affecting our desire to give.  Because we are hurt we stop acting faithfully with those God has put in our charge.  Oh we might send money off to a foreign land, but what about the family of God we are connected with.  Well because we are wounded and believe lies we don't want to.  Can you feel the pull of isolation?  How ungodly it is.

You what is really at stake here is God’s image.  God is community, Father-Son-Spirit.  He is oneness.  He created us in His image as community.

[26] Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [27] God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. [28] God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Ge 1:26-28)

So we were created for community.  When we isolate, we generate sickness in our soul.  We don't realize that our isolation, our self-protection, is actually self-destruction.  We try to numb our pain by withdrawing, but all that we really have done is cut-off life.

Now, we are going to reply open this up.  What draws man to repentance??  

[4] Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Ro 2:4)

It is God’s goodness, or His essential character, His Glory.  So, what would draw us away from repentance and humility?  Well you answer correctly “pride”.  But the Bible is specific about what anti-goodness is for man:

[18] And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Ge 2:18).

So, we see that isolation is anti-Christ.  This is why offense and self-protection is a strategy of satan.  

[23] But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”(Mt 16:23).

So there is a battle for our mindfulness, where we put our thoughts.  Peter was telling Yeshua that giving His life for the restoration of the world was not OK.  He was proclaiming self-protection!!  What did Yeshua respond after identifying self-protection as satan’s strategy:

[24] Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. [25] “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. [26] “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? [27] “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. (Mt 16:24-27)

You see, satan’s strategy is offense and self protection because forgives and healing is the way of the cross.  It is the restoration of the image of God.  It is losing the self life for the community life.

One final thought and then we will pray:

When man was created, he was create self aware.  Man, as Adam was instructed to eat or be nourished by life.  He was instructed to avoid the tree of death, which came through judgment, the “knowledge of good and evil”.  Life comes though connection and healing death comes through judgment and self protection.  Let’s repent of our judgments and be healed.

[15] And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. [16] Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  (Jas 5:15-16)

The word is trespasses.  A trespass is a violation of boundaries.  Judgments violate boundaries and make us the victim and sick. God is the creator of boundaries, territories of responsibility or stewardship.  When we judge we become a god and transgress and trespass on what God has appointed. Peter thought that the cross was not for Yeshua'. Yeshua rebuked Him for evaluating actions through His own idol of self-protection, which we know he had because he denied the Lord to save himself.

Ask the Lord. What idol of self protection is causing me to judge others?  Whose destiny am I resisting because like Peter I may have to give up my pride? Where have I denied the Lord and what He is doing because it doesn't fit my ideas? 

The Living Goodness of God - David Mitts

⁴Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4 (NKJV))

We are created for a treasure; the treasure is called the goodness of God. 

²¹“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21 (NKJV))

It is this treasure, which makes our lives transform from the lower life into the realms of being truly human and truly alive.  Yeshua spoke of this transformation in terms of losing our lower life in order to receive eternal life.

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²⁵“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25 (NKJV))

Earthly life: outer form, hole inside.versus

God’s goodness:different form and complete.

The power of eternal life, is a treasure given from heaven called the “Goodness” of God.  It is a powerful magnet that draws us to Him.  It is true food and true drink for our eternal spirit.

³¹In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” ³²But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” ³³Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (John 4:31-34 (NKJV))

We are created to eat and drink of His goodness!!  His goodness is the tangible stuff of the Kingdom of Heaven.  It is NOT of this earth and cannot be manufactured in this dimension.  It is the stuff of eternity, the true reality.

It was manifested to the Children of Israel in the desert as manna.  Even though manna was NOT the goodness itself, listen to results it produced:

³“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. ⁴“Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. (Deuteronomy 8:3-4 (NKJV))

Manna which is connected to the Word of God kept Israel from disease and clothing wearing out.  This is a picture of eternal life coming from the goodness of God.  Gods goodness transforms our reality from one bound to this physical realm, with its food sources that bring, at best, limited benefits, to eternal life sources which make our being resonate.

When we learn to receive His Goodness, we bring a reality to our lives that is of His realm , thoughts and feelings that are His realm.

The Scriptures speak of this as the mind of Christ.

[14] But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. [15] But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. [16] For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NASB)

This means we know things and feel things that are spiritually available to us. Like what? Marriage covenant.  Caring for the sanctity of our body.  Emotional purity. Compassion for the lost. Healing for the sick. Faith.

Turn with me now to Psalm 107:

¹ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever. (Psalms 107:1 (NKJV))

The actual Hebrew says “Give a hand to Yahweh, out of eternity is chesed, loving-kindness. 

Chesed: This word is translated as mercy of loving-kindness.  The Hebrew word is made up of 3 letters, the Chet, the samech, and the dalet.  Dalet means door, Samech is the picture of a circle, signifying eternity and chet is the word picture for a gate, or a hedge around something, like a pen or a shepherd’s protected area.  So, chesed is that which opens the door into eternity providing a shelter or an enclosure of safety.  Now, why is this mercy??  Mercy implies something undeserved. In our word of cause and effect, we feel unworthy of love.  We know that we have been selfish and have acted as we saw fit often without thinking of others.  We are starving for another reality that is NOT of our origin.  This is chesed.  God’s goodness wants to draw us to an eternal source of kindness, of mercy that transforms us in how we think and feel. Let’s continue in Psalm 107:2-7

²Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

³And gathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.

⁴They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;

They found no city to dwell in.

⁵Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them.

⁶Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He delivered them out of their distresses.

⁷And He led them forth by the right way,

That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. (Psalms 107:2-7 (NKJV))

The redeemed are those who have said “YES” to His invitation to trust Him.  That is redemption!  He takes us when we feel like lost wanderers hungry to find a sense of home.  He gives us a reason for living, a “right way” and brings us to a destiny.

⁸Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

⁹For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

¹⁰Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

Bound in affliction and irons—

¹¹Because they rebelled against the words of God,

And despised the counsel of the Most High,

¹²Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;

They fell down, and there was none to help.

¹³Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He saved them out of their distresses.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,

And broke their chains in pieces.

¹⁵Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

¹⁶For He has broken the gates of bronze,

And cut the bars of iron in two.

¹⁷Fools, because of their transgression,

And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

¹⁸Their soul abhorred all manner of food,

And they drew near to the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He saved them out of their distresses. (Psalms 107:8-19 (NKJV))

Do you hear the cry of the Psalmist?  If we will cry out in our trouble, He will release from eternity, goodness.  We have only to trust Him!!

The Psalm continues but I want to step out of it for a minute and ask a question:  Have we traded true food and drink for junk food?  What happens when we satisfy our hunger or thirst with junk food?  It takes away our appetite for a little while but then what?? We feel empty because.. you can never get enough of what you don’t really need.

God’s goodness is here today.  He wants us to taste and see that He is good.

⁸Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalms 34:8 (NKJV))

If we open our heart and trust Him, He will release blessing into our lives, the blessing of true goodness that makes all of our life special and alive with love.

Revelation of Abba's Love - Charles D Harris

8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. [1Jo 4:8 NASB]

Is it safe to say that not having a deep down inner confidence that our creator loves us, created us unique, wonderfully,  rejoices over us, etc that it causes us to feel unsettled in our hearts.  “Who am I?” and “Why am I hear?” are 2 simple questions that plague the heart of man from the womb of our mother until our dying day. 

Think for a moment when you felt a sense of “knowing” about yourself concerning anything.  Maybe you discovered you have a gift to teach, an ability to listen, a business mind, a tender love for children.  As you discovered and explored deeper those areas you gained more and more confidence.  Some of you may have pursued careers or dreams with that revelation thus gaining more confidence about Who you think you are. However in those pursuits you probably hit a wall, still not having that deep seated rest of “knowing” who you are? Or why you’re here.

How many would like to be settled in your heart those questions… Know Who I am and Why I’m here in your heart?

There is a longing of the heart to have those questions answer for us to be settled.

The scripture says “the one who does not love does not know God”.  The Hebrew word “know” is yada intimacy, oneness.

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Last week David spoke of the Living free of fear : The Reality of Abba’s Love - David Mitts the revelation of God as Father coming into the earth through

Avram became Avraham. Look with me at Gen 17:3-7:

“Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (Gen 17:3-7).

What we need to realize is that Abba is establishing something here.  He is making a covenant with a man who is to be a Father.  He is not just a father to his seed, his descendants, but a father to the nations, the gentiles.  This means that Abraham brings the anointing of Fathering.”

Let’s look at Hebrew to get a picture of the father.

Av in Hebrew means Father אָב

Our scripture says “God is Love”, the Hebrew word for love is Ahav אָהַב

The Hey in the middle is “revealing” the heart of the father

Let’s take a moment and “yada” the Hebrew word to know intimately He IS love rather than He DOES love.  Many people are trying to perform to get God to love them not “knowing” HE IS LOVE and in HIS love he gives.

16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.[Jhn 3:16-17 NASB] 

The absence of this revelation brings about a “longing” for the father’s love which the soul and the flesh provides substitute or “other god’s. The Hebrew word Avah אָוָה

As David spoke last week the greatest thing for Jesus to hear was “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased." To hear the voice of the father affirmation…satisfies the longing of the heart.

The greatest commandment according to Yeshua is the Hear the father’s voice

29 Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'[Mar 12:29-30 NASB]

The revelation of his love and acceptance of us cast all fear away.  There is nothing for it to cling to because my heart is at peace.

8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ... 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. [1Jo 4:8, 16-17 NASB]

In Hebrews the author speaks of a rest for the people of God.  That rest I believe is a “knowing”

7 He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS." ... 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. [Heb 4:7, 9-11 NASB]

Once I have revelation of the father and my place with him.  I become “one” with him as Yeshua prayed in John 17, we would be, thus bringing me in “under the shadow of his wings” (covenant term of protection outlined in Psalm 91)

I spoke of “Giants in our land” the last few weeks.  It is the land of our inheritance as part of covenant.  It is where our rest resides.

• Hitite – terror
• Girgashite – flesh, religion 
• Amorite – “free speech” (loose lips)
• Canaanite – dehumanizing , dishonor, Asherah (sexuality) and Molech (child sacrifice) 
• Jebusite – threshing place – lord over, rule through fear and intimidation (heaviness)
• Perrizite - unwalled, unprotected (thieving)
• Hivite - deception 

We can see evidence of these spirits alive and operating all around and in us bringing fear and unsettlement.  We can find ourselves like all of Israel when David went to bring lunch to his brothers during a standoff between Israel and the Philistines.

[1Sa 17:18, 22-26 NASB] 18 "Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them. ... 22 Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them. 24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. 25 The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel." 26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?"

See David was settled in who he was in the covenant

As the word of God searches our hearts he is delivering the giants into our hands to destroy through revelation of his love and truth in that area where we can come out of agreement with the lies of the giants and true of his word bringing us into rest.

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Heb 4:12-16 NASB]

As we encounter life’s trials and circumstances we must cry out to the father for that sense of rest again.

 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" [Rom 8:15 NASB]

Yeshua did this as he was facing the cross

36 And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will." [Mar 14:36 NASB]

Your mission: Realize you are a Son!

 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" [Gal 4:6 NASB]

Towards A Vision of Holiness - David Mitts

but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
(1Pe 1:15-16)
There is an instruction in the Scriptures to be “holy” to be given to a reality that is “one with the Lord”. The Lord speaks to “be holy for He is Holy”.
Now, for most of us this conjures up images of perfection or a purity that is at odds with the nature that we “know” of ourselves. In fact holiness scares us because the Scripture also tells us in Hebrews 12:14:
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
(Heb 12:14)
So, the question that I ask in my heart, is what does God expect of me that will be called
holiness?
Well is we look in the Bible, we see that holiness involves:
-Being set apart. One example is the Shabbat.
-"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and
do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you
shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your
female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six
days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and
rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
(Exo 20:8-11)
-So the holiness spoken of with respect to the Sabbath is to set apart a day of our week and dedicate it unto the Lord. This means that of all of our time, there is an interval of time that is about the Lord. So, this is about boundaries, the separating of something from something else.

Listen to Message

-So, holiness, at least in one respect is about boundaries, learning to honor and separate things.
Now, one of the immediate problems, or challenges with that definition is that we start almost immediately operating in fear. We start erecting boundaries from things and people and situations that intrude into our holiness. Suddenly our lives go from the freedom of our salvation and the joy and power of the Holy Spirit into a life of trying to remain separate.
Yet are we wrong?? No, I don't think so. I just think it becomes a question of resource.
You see when my resource is myself and I am trying to be holy, then I have a problem in that my definitions will always be defined by my strength. SO, where is the cross in that?
You see, something fundamentally changed at the cross. What changed was resource.
Prior to the cross, there was a veil that separated us from where? The Holy of Holies.
This veil was torn at the cross.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the
veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the
rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went
into the holy city and appeared to many. (Mat 27:50-53).
What actually happened here and what are the implications in our holiness? Well Yeshua gave up His Spirit, He died. The veil, the system of holiness by separation was also torn. Now, the veil didn’t just separate man from God. It also separated man from man, represented by the dead. The dead were unholy, the wages or price for sin. They were also separated from the living. Yet resurrection life was released at the cross and
the dead came to life.
So, this changes the separation thing of holiness. We cannot remain holy by remaining separate through our efforts. So, how do we enter into holiness?? I think the use of a veil is symbolic for something more profound.
What else wears a veil? A bride. Why does she wear the veil? It represents a kind of holiness, a purity of separation from all others and unto her husband. However all of that is in an identity, the identity that is outside of the new covenant of marriage of a giving of the heart. When the veil comes down there is a giving of the hearts in "holy union".
Now, let me ask you a question? In a marriage is separation holy?? Well yes and no.
Separation from others, yes. But what about from each other?? No. What is the motivation, the source? Isn't holiness now derived from something different?? Isn't holiness now fueled, empowered by love and even more important kept by love??
Now, what if the bride fueled holiness out of duty? or out of obedience to some set of standards because she is afraid to not please her husband, her lord?? Would we call that a covenant marriage??
Look now with me at Ephesians 5:22-33:
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of
the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the
body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their
husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church
and gave Himself up for her, 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. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who
loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and
cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.
FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL
BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This
mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself,
and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. (Eph 5:22-33)
Now, most of us have been taught to use this scripture as guideline for marriage life, and so it is. But the Apostle Paul tells us that he is speaking about the relationship between Messiah and the Church. This then becomes an insight into holiness.
The key is in the word translated as church. It is ecclesia, which comes from the Hebrew kahal. In the Greek, the word means the called out from somewhere. But in Hebrew, the word means being drawn to authority. It is the picture of responding to the voice and the authority. It is actually a picture of intimacy. It is a holiness that is motivated by love.
You see holiness motivated by Law, by rules is a beginning, But holiness motivated and empowered by love is a transformational kind of holiness. Now, you can understand why Yeshua healed on the Shabbat. He was motivated by love.
You see, we began in love. We were saved by grace. But grace calls us to love. Then into this beautiful love, this honeymoon of being saturated with His Presence, hungry just to be with Him, to love Him with all of our being, not because it was commanded as the greatest commandment, but because it was all we could do. But over time, we grew calloused to Him. We exchanged the passion of the newly-wed for the life of the dutiful.
Holiness moved from what we knew from intimacy into what we learned from others.
Instead of drawing closer and closer into unity, we got busy. We got other agendas.
Most of them seemed good like Martha's serving. But what got sacrificed was holiness.
What got substituted was old covenant holiness, the struggle of separations. Some have even gone so far as to put back on veils. I don't mean pretty cloths. No I mean the
veils of facades.
Look with me at one more scripture and then we'll repent: Look at 2 Corinthians 3:2-18
You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested
that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of
the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence
we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider
anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us
adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter
kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones,
came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses
because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to
be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more
does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this
case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away
was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. Therefore having such a hope,
we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil
over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was
fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the
old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this
day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to
the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory
of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from
the Lord, the Spirit. (2Co 3:2-18)
You see the greater glory is glory of the bride. You see Moses needed a veil because he had to separate himself from the people. But the veil of separation is removed in Messiah, in the new covenant in holiness motivated by love.
Now, I want us to pray and ask the Lord what veils we have put on. You know veils with each other are no different than veils towards God. They are strategies of separation of trying to protect our own heart. Let's repent for the veils.

The Inner Life - David Mitts

"Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:4-6 NASB)

This is as we have stated multiple times, a key scripture to live our lives from in these days prior to the day known in scripture as the :great and terrible day of the Lord.  There are 2 key components here:

1.     Remember Torah.

2. Prophetic-led restoration of hearts focused primarily on the generations.

We spoke a few weeks back about remembering in connection with the Feast of Yom Teruah.  Remembering is greatly affected by offense.  When we get offended, we re-interpret reality in the past, by the offense.  What mostly disappears is thankfulness.  Instead our mechanisms of self-protection gather evidence that twists our “knowing” of another.  We experience identity collapse and another idolatrous image appears.  This vain imagination is a twisted re-presentation of the “offender” through our pain and the attending lies of the kingdom of darkness. 

The Hebrew word iniquity, “avon” is described by this twisting reality: the word is a picture of a twisted rope.  There is a strength that is added to the distortions made by twisting or bending away from the light or the truth.  Just like the truth is built precept upon precept, deception is also built lie upon lie, a twisting of reality based on a wound, an offense.  Look with me at Isaiah 28: 5-18

In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people, and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

This is an end time condition.  There will be a remnant of God’s people. There will be a battle at the gate.  Which gate?  The gate of judgment.  In biblical culture, the gate is the place of hospitality.  Judges sat in the gate and determined who could come in as part of covenant community and also who was friend or foe.  This requires a pure spirit of justice.  Read on:

These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, and they stumble in giving judgment. For all tables are full of filthy vomit, with no space left. (there is a perversion of the prophetic and priestly roles, which closes the gates of hospitality) "To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little." For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people, to whom he has said, "This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose"; yet they would not hear.

You see, there is a place of rest but it requires the truth.  It requires love and hospitality.  Torah is not only about loving God and keeping His commandments.  Torah is also about a heart that is free to love our neighbors.

 And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem! Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter";

I know this sounds a little strange, bible-speak, but remember the kingdom of God is within you and is expressed around you.  When we take refuge in lies, or if you rather distort how we think about one another based on our hurts and reinterpretation of the past, we shrink our world and death becomes a covenant partner.  In other words, we give our time, resources, and life energy to the one we are in partnership with.  When lies enter into our thinking about each other then, begin to avoid each other.  We become dead to one another.  Instead of the life of God flowing between us, the death flows between us.  This is anti-Christ.

 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.' And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter." Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it. (Isaiah 28:5-18)

Yeshua is our cornerstone.  Yeshua came not only that we would be forgiven and go to heaven.  He came to break the covenant with death.  This is the remembering of Torah of Moshe.  You see Torah isn’t just about keeping Shabbat or keeping the Feasts or even just about Israel and her redemption.  That is Torah but NOT all of it or perhaps not even the most important part.  I won’t debate that.  Torah is also about loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Look with me at Mark 12:28-34:

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34 NASB)

The second part of Malachi’s end tome prophecy relates to Elijah and the healing of generations.  This is a prophetic anointing, a hearing of God specifically targeted at healing wounds in our hearts from the primary agents of blessing in our lives, father and mother.  Of all of the sources of pain and deception that impact our lives, the parental wounds are the most impactful.  These affect our destiny, our inheritance, our stewardship in God’s kingdom.  Malachi tells us that if we don’t get this right our land is cursed.  Look at Ephesians 6:1-4

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-4 NASB).

Generational iniquity, the twisting of the image and likeness of God in our parents or in our children brings about devastation.  This sets up a kingdom of lies in a covenant with the father of lies who brings about death, death of dreams, death of relationships, death of inheritance.  Both parents and children need to realize that we are living in a broken world with a broken image of who God is and who we are.  It will take great humility and the leading of the Holy Spirit to change this.  Even if we were to manage a change on a small personal level with just discipline, we still have the bigger picture as ambassadors to impact our culture.

This is why the Lord used Elijah as the intercessor.  Elijah brings the power of prayer, prophetic prayer to the picture and confronts the strongholds of Jezebel and Baal directly.  You see Jezebel was all about mind control, head-trips.

(There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. (1 Kings 21:25)

We live in a Jezebel Ahab time period.  It is going to take the Elijah anointing to turn the hearts back to the Lord and to each other. 

So, how do we enter into that anointing?  Charles spoke to us about the salt covenant last week and being the salt.  This is the friendship covenant.  He spoke about coming into the place of love.  We know we need to repent to enter into the Kingdom.  But how do we access it over and over?

To answer that let’s look at Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

First and foremost we need to learn to rejoice in the Lord!  When we abandon ourselves to Him, it releases us from some degree of self consciousness.  We cannot be rejoicing over Him and worrying about our own self protection at the same time.

Next our gentle spirit needs to be how we are known by all men.  This word gives the impression of an unwillingness to judge, an attitude of bearing with another’s weaknesses.  This is said to give another testimony of the nearness of the Lord!

Anxiety is a root of much separation.  We disconnect when we become anxious.  The Elijah anointing brings us instead into prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:17-18).

The Elijah mantle that is released in the last days is about restoration generationally.  Yet the methodology is a type of prevailing prayer.  The result is a peace or a state of shalom which actually becomes the protection that our hearts and minds need that the lies of self protection were counterfeiting.  Our heart and our minds need to be open to work correctly.  A closed heart is a hardened heart.  A closed mind is a rigid mind unable to see outside of a fixed perspective.  Together they make up what we call the religious spirit.  As we learn to truly pray, to ask God to give us His perspective and His desires, we discover that we begin to see life completely differently.  Now, we can enter into Philippians 4:8-9.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9 NASB).

This is actually a restoration of relationships that brings about the blessing.  In focussing our hearts and minds of what is true and honorable, right and pure, the things of a good reputation and worthy of praise, we attract the God of Peace into our lives.  I suggest that we should begin now by an activation.

Elijah Restoration Activation

The purpose of this prophetic activation is to draw a believer into the reality of the blessing out of the curse. 

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, (Deuteronomy 30:19 NASB)

Explanation: Since we are in many ways who we remember ourselves as, it is in remembrance that freedom or bondage can control our lives.  The kingdom of darkness works primarily through iniquity, the twisting of reality.  The Hebrew word used for night in the Bible is: Laila. It comes from the word picture of a spiral staircase which turns one away from the light.  What we want to recover in this activation is righteousness in our soul.  Our spirit has already been made righteous by the Blood of Yeshua.  Yet our soul is in the process of sanctification.  The goal, as I see it, is to be spirit-led in our soul and live the life of liberty.

We are going to press in for a word from the throne that reveals where we have knowingly or unknowingly entered into a covenant with death.  This is place where a lie has become our point of agreement.  We are going to ask the Lord to reveal to us the truth in the matter and allow the spirit of Elijah to turn our hearts to the Father and all others as well.

Pray after me:  Father, I am a blood washed child of yours.  Father, in You I live and move and have my being.  Your Spirit is the truth spirit and I know that above any thing else You will give me your spirit, your truth when I ask.   Father reveal to me any place where I have made a covenant with death, where I have allowed a lie to determine my reality.

Good. Now allow the Lord to show you where the intruder is.  As the Lord is revealing to you what He is showing you just accept it as what He wants to deal with now.  Now ask Him what the unGodly agreement is. 

OK. Now let's rescind that agreement.  Break it in Yeshua's name!

Now, let's fill the void with a covenant agreement of life, of blessing.  Ask the Lord to tell you a truth that will be the new covenant of His Torah written in your heart.

As you hear, receive and declare the following out loud!

I have heard you, Father.  You are my Lord.  You alone are my God!  I commit to loving you with ALL of my heart, soul and body.  I commit to loving my neighbor as myself!

Halleluyah

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For additional study about abiding in His love in the times we live in, obtain and read the book "Love versus Law, or BOTH!" by David Mitts.

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