“Live the Word – Be Fulfilled” By Duane Stewart

[Ron McGatlin]

 “Live the Word – Be Fulfilled”

By Duane Stewart

Many spiritual conditions and events are existing today that are fulfilling the prophetic words uttered by the Old Testament prophets as moved upon by God. These prophetic words announce one such condition in Isa. 60:2a by declaring, “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people …” Along with this warning of spiritual darkness, existing as it does in these end-times, we also see another prophetic word, but one with promise. Isa. 60:2b, “…but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you”.

In considering this word “glory,” we can begin to receive an understanding as to God’s intended and stated purpose. “Glory”, the Hebrew word “Chabad” speaks of “honor and substance,” likewise a word meaning “honor, splendor, power, wealth, authority, magnificence, fame, dignity, riches, and Excellency.” God’s glory is not only His honor, renown, and majesty, but also His visible splendor, such as it filled David’s tabernacle. It also manifested itself within the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s temple and as promised, it will likewise fill the earth by filling our individual earth (our body) first. Isa. 60:1, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”

With darkness prevailing over the earth, in and through the lives of the carnal flesh man, the task of manifesting His glory seems as if it would be impossible. While most of humanity, currently, seem to be prisoners to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life, among it all God has for Himself a remnant people. These are those who are called of God to become His first-fruits, which, with clear eyes, they see an open heaven that pronounces the glory of the Lord has come. This remnant has gained a heavenly knowledge that speaks to them the unbiased truth of God. In hearing and knowing these truths, a knowing gained by experience, they put their whole being, spirit, soul, and body, into God’s hands. Unto those who willingly lay down their lives in such a manner, they know that God’s jealousy for His people will continue until the fulfillment of His purpose is manifested.

In this, God Speaks, Isa. 62:1-3, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name [nature], which the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”

Paul, the apostle, likewise speaks to us of a promised light. Light has the meaning of, “understanding that makes for a coming out of the darkness of the flesh (death) realm into an awakening of the spiritual things of the heavens (life)”. The heavens are invisible to the eye of the flesh, but a place of becoming unto those who come up out of the sleep of the flesh man. Eph. 5:14, “Therefore He [God] says, awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead [flesh], and Christ will give you light.”

If humankind would begin to see past the things of the flesh realm into the things of the heavens, I believe many would willingly forsake the things of this world. For in seeing the heavens, they would see the things that God has prepared to offer them. Things beyond what they have so desirously striven for in this world, things that can never fulfill nor make a person complete in knowing the fullness of life. Departing from the emptiness of worldly knowledge, possessions, wealth and position would be gladly yielded from because in Christ comes the fullness of joy.

 

1 Cor. 2:9 shares this truth, “But it is written: Eye [natural] has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart [carnal mind] of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him”. To truly see and hear Him is to love Him. A love that influences the complete make-up of the man as he maintains a love relationship with God. Herein a new and different nature begins to manifest itself as love; joy and peace become the nature of his life. A life that manifest itself in this same love, joy, and peace extending out from the vessel to affect all they meet.

 

The results speak to us even as God told Jeremiah in 1:10, “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” Thus, bringing forth a presence that affects, an affect that shall cover the globe as this remnant people stand upon their feet. This affects all creation as God Births His glorious new creation. Isa. 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” A God that has purposed a new creation man is speaking and releasing.

How is it that I as a human being, one that grew up in an environment that made available the things of God, an environment that taught about Him and allowed me to participate in gatherings about Him, could ever think I can become a sharer in the glory of God? The reason why is that even though I knew about Him at that time, I did not really know Him, but one day I met the God of the scriptures I had been taught. One day I came into a knowing relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No longer was He just a God of history who had given His son to become flesh and blood for man, but now He became a God I began to walk with, talk with and could now truly live with.

Coming into this relationship, I was able to break free from all the invented leaky doctrines of men, from carnal religious creeds and traditions passed down from ancestors. But now the impossible became possible as this intimate relationship became the help needed to do those things God desired. He enables obedience to Him, as He desires to lead. Now, instead of the difficult hardness of religious activity, He places man’s feet upon a sure pathway that births His holiness from within, to not be bound by carnal religious laws. Isa. 35:8, “A highway shall be there, and a road and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool shall not go astray”?

Why is it that so many seem to miss this promised glory when God Himself has prepared a way for all the called to come? Something has gone wrong. The light in the temples of man seems to have gone out. Could it be that much of the Christian community’s world has followed the example’s given by the children of Israel, in forsaking God by following the gods of the world about them? Could it be that the church world, like Israel’s King Hezekiah, after being used to restore revival to the children of Israel, he opened the house of Israel for the king of Babylon to come in. (Read 2 Kings 20:12-19).

Likewise, as then, the carnal church of today has opened its doors for the spirit of Babylon to come in and plunder the House of the Lord. Babylon is free to plunder because the primary interest of most of the Christian Community is in numbers, prosperity, riches and fame. This causes the church to incorporate the ways of Babylon into their arena, into their ritualistic services. This spirit of Babylon causes death to permeate the structures of man’s economic, social, political, and religious causes.

In this, God, even as with Hezekiah, is not pleased with this carnal church, so He speaks forth His counsel. Rev. 3:17-18, “Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see”.

Likewise, as the prophet Isaiah received from the Lord a word to correct this situation. Know that a like kind situation also exists among the religious groups of today. Isa. 29:13, “Therefore the Lord said: Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men”.

However, praise be to God, for there is a God supplied antidote concerning the sins of the flesh that has been making prisoners of the people. When Jesus approached the Samaritan women at the well, He opened for us the availability of being a success in the things that God has promised us. This truth, concerning water to drink, releases for us the spiritual counterpart to natural water. That is, when you become thirsty, you may drink. But, by observing the water and knowing about it alone will never quench the thirst. Nevertheless, when you drink the living water, within you it becomes an everlasting well leading up to everlasting life. (Read John 4:1-24).

 

John 4:13-14, “Jesus answered and said to her, whosoever drinks of the water [natural] will thirst again, but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Does this not speak of an indwelling relationship that far exceeds any religious knowledge about religious practices that men have instituted to meet their own personal agenda’s?

Believing on the God of the scriptures is more than simple head knowledge; it is knowledge gained through walking with Him in spirit and in truth. This relationship results from allowing the promised Holy Spirit a dwelling place within the soul of man to institute a God-like nature that begins to flow out from within like a river. John 7:37-38, “…Jesus saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will Flow Rivers of living water.”

Friends, God made available to us an ample supply. All that we will ever need of is in Him. Times and seasons in God determine, according to God’s plan, that which He releases from Himself. We then should consider the time, the season in which we live. A certain day of God is upon us and another fullness of times is come. The day of being prepared to enter the land has come. Therefore, we hear God proclaim like a trumpet. Rev. 21:6-7, “And He said to me, it is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.”

 

The church has passed through the last decades of time learning about the revealed Alpha manifestations of God, while now, in this day, He is uncovering and revealing His Omega manifestations that His sons might appear in the fullness of His promises. The enemy of God has been allowed freedom to steal, kill and destroy, because carnal religion has open a door for him. But, a people are now closing that door while opening their hearts door to the Christ of all life, life which is abundant life. John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I [Jesus] have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”

In receiving this abundant life, a key to all the riches of Christ glory is given. The key, obedience to His commandments, the Word, will manifests the fruits of knowing Him. In knowing Him through love, the love of God is perfected in us that we might be a member of that which becomes His all-in-all. 1 John 2:3-5, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He, who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”

This word “perfected” completes it all as its meaning stands out for us. It’s meaning, “to complete, accomplish, carry through to the end, bring to a successful conclusion, reach a goal, fulfill. In an ethical and spiritual sense, the word signifies a bringing to maturity, a perfecting.” In this, we can be enlightened to stand in our place, to be that for which God wants us to be. Therefore, in living the word we are to be fulfilled, amen and amen.

Duane Stewart
duanestewart70@aol.com
http://www.avoiceforthegatheringsaints.org

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