The Eye Has Not Seen
From the Pastor’s heart The eye has not seen
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1Co 2:10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1Co 2:11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
These verses are one of my most favourite group of verses in the Bible. It has so much of mysterious depth of God’s promises attached to it. It is not only prophetic in nature but very exciting because we can actually anticipate the impossible through these verses. When the angel Gabriel visited Mary and said to her that she would become pregnant with the Saviour of the world, she could not have imagined what was prepared for her. God Himself was about to have direct interaction with her. It was an event that was about to shake the heavens and the earth because the impregnation of mankind by God was about to take place in Mary. What had been revealed to her by the Spirit of God was also going to be birthed by the Spirit. All she had to do was receive this impossibility and believe. She did not have to do anything else.
I am convinced that if we live lives that has an expectancy with God then we can become pregnant with the impossible in our lives. God can use that expectancy and reveal what He has prepared for us individually and collectively. My mind could not have conceived a way out of my predicament in this world. Alcohol and drugs were the primary ways along with fantasy to escape this world. Most of the time I did not even understand what was going on with me. Yet, God had prepared something beautiful. He had offered it to me so many times but I was unable to receive and believe. I kept thinking there must be some other way out. Yet, when I conceded and accepted that Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no man came to the Father except through Him, something was birthed in my spirit which took hold of me and I started to rise up and believe. The attacks against this seed of faith in God that was implanted in my spirit was no different to what Mary had to go through to save the seed of Jesus in her from the attacks of the enemy. The seed of Jesus in us is what the devil is after; to kill our hope and expectation of a hope and a future. Yet, God keeps telling us through the journey of this life that He has great plans for us. Jer 29:11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. However, the journey of life defies this concept as God states it in the above verse. The dangers and trials are often greater than what we can bear and many do not make it. They lose hope and expectancy. Mary could not afford that in her life. She knew what had happened to her the moment she believed. There was no denying that because she was pregnant just as the angel Gabriel said she would be. Now, she had to make her way through life based on what God had done with her. Likewise, we too have to take the journey based on our new birth and the one to whom we have committed our lives. This commitment is what is going to birth the prepared places in our lives.
Mary took several journeys before settling in one place (Nazareth) which was the prepared place where she brought up Jesus. Our God is a geographical God and knows where we should live and He even knows our door number and street name. He knows where we are at any given moment. Act_9:11And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth. During Mary’s journey, many places were prepared for her. The stable in the Inn where she delivered Jesus and then (Egypt) to escape the many attacks that came. The place she was probably not prepared for was the cross. As much as this event was prophesied, she as a mother could not want this to happen. Luk 2:34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Luk 2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. She had to accept that the cross was a prepared place not only for Jesus but her own heart. The cross was the gateway to her soul being saved and not by just birthing Jesus. We too have to understand this. Just birthing Christ is not enough, we have to come to the cross and surrender our lives to Him. Suddenly the prepared place is not so inviting.
The wilderness is also a prepared place that God uses to bring us to our knees. Humility and obedience sent Jesus to the cross on our behalf, what do you think it will do to us? I am surmising that it will do exactly that, bring us also to the cross.
1. Mar_8:34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
2. Mar_10:21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
From these two verses we see that the spiritual journey of mankind always starts at the cross. One journey begins with a denial of self, the other begins with a crucifixion of self. Each time we come to the cross, we find a prepared place. After that, the journey becomes fruitful just like when Jesus went through the cross into His prepared place in heaven and is seated upon the throne. We too, come to those places of conquest never to go back again. The journey goes on till Jesus comes for us or we go to Him. Either way, the prepared places are always prophetic. They are prepared by God for us. We have to seek Jesus to find them and wait on the Spirit of God to reveal it to us. These places are the places of God’s will. Preaching has often excluded the concept of suffering in our journey and have dimmed the advent of difficult times by saying that they are not from God and they will end soon. Other times, preaching has only spoken of suffering and given no hope of a future in this life that is glorious. Christ preached both. He spoke of a life of suffering and a life that is abundant in this world. What we choose to believe eventually makes us.
I choose to believe in the words of 1 Cor 2.9,10 that speak of places of incredible liberty and joy while going through life. The sorrow is for a little while and joy comes in the morning. I also choose to believe in a place of no return. This prepared place is called the rest of God. Those who believe will enter into His rest. Then tragedies and triumphs in life become meaningless and only Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and tomorrow will exist in our thinking. Jesus said; Joh_14:2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Joh_14:3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
This life holds prepared places that acts as stepping stones in a prophetic sense to bring me to this prepared place in heaven; if I believe and hold fast to that which I first believed. What is so exciting about it is; I never asked for this journey but it came to me. I did not ask to be born into this world or become born again. Jesus came to me and saved me and gave me new life. Then He sent me on a journey of a life time, in which, I came into both good and bad places. Jesus was faithful to see that I would come through without losing my mind. When Jesus appeared to Apostle Paul and prophesied that he would go to Rome to be a witness for Jesus, He never told him what he would face by way of suffering. Yet, Paul faced the most difficult journey being in chains as a prisoner, shipwrecked and then bitten by a snake on the Island of Malta, only to eventually make it to Rome. Guess who does not want you to make it to the prophesied prepared place for you? None other than the evil one. He knows that when you get to your prepared place you will bring him down and you will grow spiritually strong. So, he tries everything under the sun to stop you. This is why God’s words about prepared places is very exciting. We very rarely see the sun shining on the other side of darkness as we go through life. Yet, when we do come to the prepared place, we see clearly the plan of God all along. Many have immigrated to Australia and have not understood why. They have found this place to be a difficult place and have found it hard to adjust. In my own case, I could not understand it. I always wanted to go to USA. Yet, I came here in 1985 and was saved by 1987. I was set free from a wayward life and above all I was pulled out of the pit of hell in this country. It was my prepared place to find Jesus though He was always reaching out to me right through my journey of life. It was from Australia that Jesus launched my worldwide ministry and has now brought me back to put roots down in Australind. This is my prepared place. Isa 58:11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. This was a word given to me in 2001. It came to pass in January 2016 about 2 years after we came to Australind. Yet, many places that were prepared between those years looked like my prepared place. They were, but for different reasons other than what God has brought us here for. What God has brought us here for is described in. Isa 58:12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Exactly what God said through His Spirit is happening now. This is why prophecy and words of God given to a person which are confirmed by God have so much value. Many have not listened to these words and have gone about building their own prepared places only to find unsatisfactory lives. Their lives were not God built. Psa_127:1A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. The Church is a prepared place. It is the place where you can find great things. In God’s house there are many vessels, pleasures, opportunities and blessings. There are also many lessons one can learn about God and life. One can also find their calling and destiny in God’s house and come into the prepared place for them in God’s house.
Where do you belong? Are you still searching for peace or a better life or something that you have asked God for and not got? My hope is, you will hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to you. To hear Him, you must wait in His presence and He will guide you one step at a time. Some of it may be confusing or daunting or too large to grasp. However, if you wait on Him and trust Him, He will bring you to the prepared place. Very rarely will God reveal each step or when things will happen. Yet, it is prophesied. If you heed His voice, you will not die before that, no matter what happens. When God gave Joseph two dreams through which he came to know of the prepared place he did not know anything of what would happen to him to get him there. It took about 17 years before he realised the prepared place. In the meantime, he had to carry his cross.
Destiny is a prepared place - The Prophetic Calling gets you there
Lots of love
Pastor Noble