Isaiah 9 & John 1:14

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

Isaiah 9:1-21
A Child Has Been Born--for Us!
1 But there'll be no darkness for those who were in trouble. Earlier he did bring the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali into disrepute, but the time is coming when he'll make that whole area glorious--the road along the Sea, the country past the Jordan, international Galilee.

2The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light.For those who lived in a land of deep shadows--light! sunbursts of light!
3You repopulated the nation,you expanded its joy.Oh, they're so glad in your presence!Festival joy!The joy of a great celebration,sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.
4The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants--all their whips and cudgels and curses--Is gone, done away with, a deliveranceas surprising and sudden as Gideon's old victory over Midian.
5The boots of all those invading troops,along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,Will be piled in a heap and burned,a fire that will burn for days!
6For a child has been born--for us!the gift of a son--for us!He'll take overthe running of the world.His names will be: Amazing Counselor,Strong God,Eternal Father,Prince of Wholeness.
7His ruling authority will grow,and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.He'll rule from the historic David throneover that promised kingdom.He'll put that kingdom on a firm footingand keep it goingWith fair dealing and right living,beginning now and lasting always.The zeal of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armieswill do all this.
God Answered Fire with Fire
8The Master sent a message against Jacob.It landed right on Israel's doorstep.
9All the people soon heard the message,Ephraim and the citizens of Samaria.But they were a proud and arrogant bunch.They dismissed the message, saying,
10"Things aren't that bad.We can handle anything that comes.If our buildings are knocked down,we'll rebuild them bigger and finer.If our forests are cut down,we'll replant them with finer trees."
11So GOD incited their adversaries against them,stirred up their enemies to attack:
12From the east, Arameans; from the west, Philistines.They made hash of Israel.But even after that, he was still angry,his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.
13But the people paid no mind to him who hit them,didn't seek GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies.
14So GOD hacked off Israel's head and tail,palm branch and reed, both on the same day.
15The big-head elders were the head,the lying prophets were the tail.
16Those who were supposed to lead this peopleled them down blind alleys,And those who followed the leadersended up lost and confused.
17That's why the Master lost interest in the young men,had no feeling for their orphans and widows.All of them were godless and evil,talking filth and folly.And even after that, he was still angry,his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.
18Their wicked lives raged like an out--of-control fire,the kind that burns everything in its path--Trees and bushes, weeds and grasses--filling the skies with smoke.
19GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies answered fire with fire,set the whole country on fire,Turned the people into consuming fires,consuming one another in their lusts--
20Appetites insatiable, stuffing and gorgingthemselves left and right with people and things.But still they starved. Not even their childrenwere safe from their rapacious hunger.
21Manasseh ate Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,and then the two ganged up against Judah.And after that, he was still angry,his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.

~Lena’s Journalin’~
All of the places of indifference, all of the prejudices., all of the highs and lows, all people from every region, become ONE in HIM. When we believe.
Our enemy is the same enemy no matter what mask he wears. The enemy of God and of His people is sin, because sin separates us from His love and His fellowship, this is why He had to come and give us the choice of life, He could not stand watching us die while living on earth. He had to send His Son, for the redemption and salvation of His sons (that’s you and me).
No matter how much hurt or pain you have, or how much sickness, the enemy is still the same. He has the same character, same spirit, same plans, maneuvers, plots, ploys etc. What an awesome wonder to see enemies of God totally defeated by the acceptance and living action of one who gains faith in the blood-work of the Lord Jesus Christ. To witness the day when an enemy gets put underfoot and to witness when he is continually kept under foot and not welcomed back at all, Oh Happy Day! For us? Yes.
For God? Yes!
He is more ecstatic than we are. His dreams begin to come true each time a soul receives and believes Him and decides to be-live Him in the here and now.
How does God’s power grow or increase? Does He turn the power up? No, we do.
We can have as much of God’s power as we desire. It is all ours, all available to us. In this prophetic passage, I so hear the Lord rejoicing over His people as He partakes of the fruits of their increased desires for Him, His word, His will and His power! He is saying – “They (meaning a lot of the believers in unity, even in more than one physical location), want ME!
They don’t want satan’s offers any longer, they’ve become keen to His offers and refuse him instead of refusing Me. They reject his will and plans rather than refusing Mine!” (And remember that hard one from yesterday?) “They want Me to have more attention, than they want Me to give them!” “They want Me to be happy, before they are fulfilled! Selfishness has been crucified and the Spirit of Christ inside of each believer has been allowed to arise!” “Darkness is now being visibly quenched, beginning in each individual, individuals and families and neighborhoods and cities, states countries and continents are being made whole from the inside out!”
He is really Lord, no longer just being referred to as “Savior”. He has something to present to nations of peoples, a spotless people who truly believe in what He did for them and why, so that they could live in what they were born for, to turn satan’s plans upside down and God’s plans right-side up!
It starts with me, then it takes a me to make a we and it goes further and it takes a we to make a Him. His visible saving image in the earth.
Please listen to me, this is why it is so easy to NOT get along with people! This is why there is such a struggle to read God’s word and pray! This is why we can’t seem to get ourselves and our families in church or important kingdom of God centered meetings! This is why once we decide to go to church and take our families with us, that an enemy helps us to be wishy- washy, undependable, uncommitted etc. There is a strategy against God’s plans and God’s people and this picture or dream God has that is being expressed here. If satan can keep us even just going to church, rather than being God’s church, while we go, he wins against God’s plan.
This one can sting also, How are prophecies fulfilled? Is it God who shows up or does not show up? Is it God who forgot the prophetic words? Or were His prophetic words offers to us, to see if we’d rise up in faith, believe Him for the words and live them out, no matter what opposition comes our way? Obedience causes the prophetic words to come to pass.
Let’s play out a scenario of a possible prophetic word:
“Thus saith the Lord, your child will grow up to be a grand musician, who will play for mighty peoples, he will have influence in kingdoms and will save many with the anointing that will flow from the very notes he plays…….”
Ok, a person who has not been taught about faith and obedience, wants that to be true and hopes and wishes it may be true, yet their child grows up and does not even like Christian music and has not ever approached their parents with a desire to play music. Must mean the prophet was off, because it did not come to pass, right?
The Psalms says, as arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth…..
If my faith was ignited in the prophetic words and I believed them to be from God, they were good words with no harm or doom in them, words full of purpose.
As a parent, a warrior, I would use my faith in obedience to that word, I would begin to play music before my child, day and night. I would make sure they are in the house of the Lord continually, in the midst of worship regularly. They are arrows in my hand. I point at God’s will and I shoot towards it. When they are old enough I buy them instruments rather than trucks or other toys, because I believe the word. I give them music lessons encouraging them along the way. I put a good taste in their mouths about learning to play. I compliment them continually, speaking the prophetic word over them, reminding them of who they are. I pray for the desire to be who God has called them to be comes forth from them and takes over my own tutelage. (Stop here a moment- many of us long to know our purpose, spend our whole lives wondering about it, wouldn’t it be awesome if a parent knew it and nurtured us in it all of our lives long?).So I as a parent, pray, pray, pray. I stand as a protector of any enemy stealing my child’s purpose. If they get discouraged, I encourage them. This is not the same as pressuring them and making them. I stir up a desire in them (purpose does that). I may choose to tell others about the prophetic word as testimony to God who is glorified, if I never tell, there is proof. The word given over my child has been made alive, becomes truth and the anointing takes over and God does what He may with my child!
The rest of this chapter saldy enough speaks about those who would not listen to God’s hints, “suggestions” commands, promptings etc. they took His word and put no weight on it, it was as though it was a mans word giving the good advise. They lived for their own desires, even the desires for more and more things which clearly do not satisfy, for more and more attention, which no one can possibly give enough of, they are sad, cursed, dying in their sins. God is angry that they would not listen and in not listening they fell under the dread of death, the pull of death, a fire that was only consuming their opportunity for spirit-filled life. He is angry because he has lost the opportunities to save souls and satan has had his way, taking a people to the torment of eternal hell with Him. Yes God is angry, would you be if it were your children and an enemy stole them out of your hands!

John 1:14 So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. F1 And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.