The Journey of a Priest _ Dr. Sophia Devasahayam

THE JOURNEY OF A PRIEST-

Dr. Sophia Devasahayam

1.    Being Chosen by the Lord

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations”. A Prophet is a man chosen by the Lord to do his service. Let us look in the following study of God’s word, how we qualify to preach God’s word to the nations around us. The following verses after the one I mentioned above, contained a few commandments, which we would see for our Bible study tonight.

2.    Commandments of the Lord:

“For you shall go to all to whom I send you” Jeremiah 1:7

Here the insistence is ‘go to whom the Lord sends you’. Do not visit people and places of your own customization. Why I say this? Having grown up among preachers, I have seen pastors filled with the Holy Ghost and it’s anointing to heal, prophecy, help, and hospitable. BSut go behind the rich. This is only a beginning. Eventually these pastors get adhesive about the rich. Forgetting to preach the word as yea and yea and nay and nay. Soliciting the rich one’s  lives filled with immoral, unscrupulous life styles. Forgetting their work on Sanctification, holiness, righteousness, leading them to God through justifying the ways of man to God. A fallen church is the end result. Repercussions as I have noticed is this “If you forget me I will forget your children”. Children loosing the blessings of God or his grace in the area of education, choosing life partners, being unequally yoked with other partners. The Lord only promises the children of a righteous man will never beg for his food. So if you be righteous his hands will rest on your children. His grace is the only word to describe the process of receiving all blessings. And that grace is given to the humble. And now the humble is not servility! But obedience to Christ through service. The Lord says, “Do not be afraid of them”. (Isa. 1:8) Jeremiah 1:16 he says “wickedness in forsaking me!”.

3.    Building by the Master Crafter

Jeremiah 1: 18 “And I for my part have mad you today a Fortified city or Iron Pillar and Bronze wall against the whole land. Kings of Judah, Princes, Priests and People of the Land”.  “They will fight against you and they shall not prevail against you; for Iam with you”.  Verse 17 “Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them”.

Opening the verse word by word. Next checking the connection between  them we shall soon see what the Lord messaged me straight from his heart to mine. For this is what I wrote as a message. Peeling the layers of the subtext of these lines, I was only able to see the Lord’s training, testing and moulding patterns from the master cutter of stone. Let us take a look:

Fortified City: A person without self – control is like a city without a wall. Fortified city, although it could literally mean Godly protection as “The Lord surrounds and protects his people”. “Iam in the midst of her and she shall not be moved” etc. Still my focus here would remain on inner fortification such as self – control, free from revenge, overcoming, fearless, treachaury free, free from false affections, bribery, greed for money etc. A true preacher must be a fortified city – full of strength and honour.

Iron Pillar – Steel like man, we all know this saying. Or, Iron like Man. Will power, strong in the mind, strong in the spirit, immovable, are some the traits of this man. Not letting other’s people’s opinion, advises, suggestions set its foot before God’s word of commandment or guidance given to you. Iron – “Pressed on all sides but never crushed” “many are the afflictions of the righteous”. How does God create this kind of a servant, a steel like prophet. First step Training. How? Sickness. This is allowed to teach endurance. Sustaining yourself first throughout that episode. Exercise faith to heal and not quitting faith for escape. Financial handicaps. This is when God closes all the doors of our income, through loss of jobs, embittering of relationships, or indifference of them towards your need. Cruel mockery through others to add spice to it all. First forigiving them, never confronting their cruel words of mockery, and finally letting it heal and not allowing  it to takes it’s toll on you. Letting God be the judger of all things. For the word quickly says “that God mocks at mockers”. Leaving all our hurts and sorrows in his hands with their cruelty meted out to you should be your response.

Bronze wall against the whole land – Here the vision to set yourselves apart. Not following the ways of the heathens. Setting yourselves apart could only be living a sanctified life. In a nutshell “Be ye holy for Iam holy” “Be ye perfect for Iam perfect”. To be faithful to the Lord in the seven times storm. Here the real test could be when ways and chances are present before us to opt out. Sarah opted out using Hagar and having Ishmael for a son. “They shall fight against you and not prevail” – How?  When we are a bronze wall, living a life that is set apart, against the whole land, not imbibing their ways. Then next, God allows testing. The arrows of the enemy in terms of financial handicaps, ruining of relationships, cruelty upon cruelty meted out to you in words, and actions.  All of this will melt away like wax and will not prevail by having their victory over you. How do they not prevail, when we stand strong against any storm. Strong in faith, in trust, in hope, in belief, in prayer and steadfastness. This is how we prevail against the arrows of the enemy. Here how do we find the above mentioned characteristics. Is it a gift from God. No. But by spending time in the Presence of the Lord. The word of God says, sorrow will not touch a man who lives in the Presence of the Lord. Words that sting to death such strong words will be powerless in your hearts and not hurt you when you are living in the Presence of the Lord. This is how we overcome. Stings of death and stings of words will be nullified by God’s presence.

Finally “Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them”. What does it mean. Do not break down your training. What you were tested for!  when the Lord releases you to be the preacher or prophet to the  Nations. If you destroy the fact of just acting as his mouthpiece. Then he will destroy you by turning you into a laughing stock before those whom you trusted, by denying to put God first. Again through the same arrows we discussed above. But this time not sent by the enemy. But by God. And to no rescue since you are no longer in the Presence of the Lord!  A man who is steadfast and obeys all the commandments mentioned above will be used as this “SO HE SHALL STARTLE MANY NATIONS” (Isaiah 52:13)  This is your  Victory in Jesus Name.

Sunday Morning Service - Message - The Spirit of the Lord bring Victory.

The SPIrit of the lord

Isaiah 25: 10 “For the Hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain”

What is the mountain? The king of Assyria has waged a war against the country Israel, the people are expecting defeat and slavery. This is the mountain that is standing before them. Before focusing on the victory of the Lord. The Lord kept opening this verse to me, preceeding the main focus of today’s message.

Sins as Mountains:

“Go and loose the sackcloth from your loins and take your sandals off your feet”, and he had done so, walking naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said “Just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years and as a sigh and a portent against Egypt and Ethiopia” Isaiah 20: 2,3.

1.      A sign of humiliation.

 We notice in proverbs “The Lord laith bare the wanton eyes”. Lust of the flesh. Boundaries in the inside. When we lack inner sense of curtailing our thoughts, our actions, our deeds, our speech, our words, when we do not exercise inner resources of self-control. We have accumulated a barrier or a mountain within ourselves, paving way for humiliation along the road of life. Humiliation could be defeat in workspots (promotions) and other repercussions. Taking this a little practical to life, let me include here some of my observations of life. Inner emotions gives rise to exterior mountains or obstacles or tribulations. For eg. I know a believer who served the Lord, but was wanton. Mild flirting…with other men. Not sexual. She was earning for some more respect, power, or even attention. Women can understand what I mean by power. Manipulating men by offering them certain level of space, it does not have be physical. My co-students would call it intellectual flirting, nothing to be guilty about. But I have soon noticed how God raised thorns! One after another. Daughter would not go to school, failed in numerous subjects, complaints sored from teachers about her waywardess..A thoroughly disciplined child till that point. This lady continued…another thorn, her husband who once cooked, watched over the children, picked and dropped her from work. Attended to her every need, completely or absolutely lost his affections for her. In her words she described herself as no more the wife but a maid to her husband and children. One thorn after another soon became a mountain. The Lord was specifically asking me to write on this point before promoting to the next level of deliverance. Here what do we learn. Abstain from sexual immoralities. And how, nobody is perfect. By prayer. List your weaknesses to God, tell him the truth, cry out to him, and he will heal you and deliver you. The Love of God is so sustaining to fill every vacuum within you. But not unless you try him, beyond measure. It is the narrow way to reach heaven.

2.      Captivity:

The Lord releases captivity. Sin and its bondages leads us into captivity. In Isaiah 36:8  we read And Rabshakeh said unto them, “I will give you two thousand horses if you are able on your part to set riders on them”

Isaiah 36:8 “On whom do you rely”, 18: “Has any of the Gods of the nations saved their land out of the hand of the King of Assyria”.

The captain of the army mocks the Israelities. We read his arrogant verses above. Just as this we hear the words of our enemies during captivity. Mockery and signs of laughter. And we call unto the Lord. When we confess our sins, he is faithful to deliver us from our captivity. Deliver us from all our bondages. Isaiah says “For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain” Isaiah 25: 10 He is faithful to forgive us. If Christ sets you free you are free in indeed. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Make us whole Lord Jesus. Simply pray this prayer to the Lord and he will set you as the head and not the tail. The Psalmist says “As wax melts before fire so does the wicked melt like wax in the presence of the Lord”. “The Lord will make all your mountains a way”. “The mountains melt like wax in the presence of the Lord”. Again the focus here is Presence. Do we live in the presence of the Almighty God. If so do you still gossip, speak evil of others, speak openly about other people’s dark inner secrets, do we offend others, mock others, hurt others, revengeous towards others, are we forgiving, do we make efforts to control situations by just exercising silence, when abhorred by others. What movies do we watch, what songs do we listen, whose fan are you. Do you uphold the wicked.  Do we tithe to  please man or God. Do you preach his word as yea and Amen. Are you sanctified. Do you speak bad words. Do you fight or just silent in an argument. If so now check and know if you are still living in the presence of the Lord. It is easy to fail, but do we return through earnest repentance, and make sincere efforts to climb higher than the mantle set towards us. Here discretion to act noble is required. Now if you say that I do live in the presence of the Lord. I think right and Iam not unequally yoked like Samson. If so now the Lord tells you, that he will make all your mountains a way. “The Lord binds up the injuries of his people and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow”!

3.      Victory and the Spirit of the Lord:

Whole of last week the Lord was whispering this verse to me “the spirit of the Lord”. This is the message he gave me for this Sunday Morning Service!. Isaiah 42:1 “I myself will put a spirit in him so that he may hear a rumour”. “An angel of the Lord set out and struck down one hundred eighty five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When morning dawned, they were all dead bodies” (Isaiah 37:36). Transfer of spirits, the indominable spirit of the Captain of the Assyrian army was transferred with a spirit of confusion and he lost the battle. Spirit triumphs, or Truth Triumphs. The spirit inside us attracts the spirit of victory or failure sent to us by the Lord. So if you are loosing your battle, check whether if you have a right spirit with the Lord. Isaiah 42:1 “I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nation”. Considering this verse. When we have the spirit of truth within us then the Lord revealeth his own spirit into us. The spirit of courage, strength, wisdom, glory, power and victory. We therefore rise above all the nations. He set Jesus high above all the nations. He set Daniel high above all the nations. We notice how in both these men The Government shifted from the Lord’s shoulder to their shoulder. But truth, goodwill, meekness, faithfulness, prayerfulness, austerity, self-lessness was their true virtues in common. So now who wants a promotion from the Lord. Honour and Glory. Reflect the true natures of Jesus. Here all I want to say is perfection is a life long process. So God might send you into Refiner’s fire, Seven time of Affliction, till he sees his image in you. And then you are ready. Let us pray dear Lord Let the Beauty of Jesus be seen in Us. Finally Isaiah 44:6 “Iam the first and Iam the Last besides me there is no God”. To me it could also mean There is only way to victorious living. And this is the way God showed me. I believe.

VICTORY IN JESUS NAME.