Dear Mike,

I recently came to a point where I felt a need to fast and seek God to understand why he seemed to be withholding physical blessings. For the past several years, it seemed that no matter what I did, my efforts were not rewarded. It was just plain weird! No matter the variety of seed nor the extent to which I cast it, nothing grew.
My wife likened our fruitless efforts to progress financially to bouncing a ball against a wall, yet the ball defies physical law and does not bounce back. It has felt as if God was actively preventing the expected results of work, i. e. cause and effect was not working normally in our universe. I needed to know what God wanted from me – why was this happening?
I began fasting and intended to devote the day to prayer and study. Immediately, things began to go wrong. The car wouldn’t start when my wife wanted to leave for work. The situation was resolved after several trips back and forth to the auto supply to get the matter fixed. All of this took up a couple of hours.
I resumed my intentions and began reading Zephaniah. Why? I don’t know. I had been reading Habakkuk before that and just kept going. Zephaniah yielded no meaningful insights. Once I finished Zephaniah, I began reading Haggai. All of a sudden I was struck by what I was reading. Haggai had never revealed any great truths to me before, but given my current concerns it was like the light had come on and I could see for the first time what was happening.
Reading Haggai in the past was nothing more than reading an historical account of the remnant of Judah returning to Jerusalem. There was no personal connection to it; Thursday, there was. While I recognize that this is a prophecy of Act 2, verses 3-11 of Chapter 1 described my situation:

“This is what the Lord Almighty says; ‘These people say, “The time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.”’ Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,’ says the Lord. ‘You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.’”

I knew that I was guilty of trying to build my house (my personal wealth) not just for months, but for years. I had not ignored God, but I had not always put him first in everything! We had not considered that we were simply committing the ultimate sin of idolatry.
The amazing thing was that it was not some sort of blatant transgression –we have never earned a lot of money and purchased the trappings of wealth. In fact, we have always lived very modestly and have very little to show for 30 years of marriage and work. Yet, when it came to physical aspirations, we both wanted freedom from having to worry about money because we hoped to develop streams of income through both business and investment vehicles.
In spite of my personal study, I finally recognized that I had stopped worshiping God in prayer and that my study had started to become mechanical and lifeless. The inspiration that I had experienced daily in the past had simply stopped. It all occurred so subtly that I didn’t even notice it until I prayed during my fast and remembered the way it used to be. This was reflected in Hag 2:3 where God told Haggai to ask his people:

“Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?”

That’s where I was. The temple existed, but it was only a shadow of a former glory. There was no life in it, only a shell. The Lord continued (v. 4-9):

“Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,” declares the Lord, “and work. For I am with you,” declares the Lord Almighty. “This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,”says the Lord Almighty. “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,”declares the Lord Almighty. “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,”says the Lord Almighty, “And in this place I will grant peace,”declares the Lord Almighty.

God then made clear that no matter what, their efforts were not enough, and it was simply his mercy that would make them acceptable to him, and he would bless because he chose to do so (v. 14b – 19):

“Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled. Now give careful thought to this from this day on – consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came in a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,” declares the Lord. “From this day on, from this twenty- fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.

From this day on I will bless you.”

I don’t know the significance of the references to the specific days mentioned in these passages, but it is clear that there is an importance attached because God speaks to them for a second time on the same day (v. 20 – 23):

The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty- fourth day of the (ninth) month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdom. I will overthrow the chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

On that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,” declares the Lord, “and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,” declares the Lord Almighty.

I recognize that all of this is spiritual, reflecting God’s intention to pull down the strongholds that have dominated our lives and kept us from experiencing the full relationship with Christ that he intends for all of us to eventually have. It is exciting to also understand that this is being done in spite of our infidelity (being defiled). I know that our lives are about to change in a dramatic way and I give God the glory for it!

J____

Hi J____,

Wow, what an “open heavens” this is!
I have seen for some time that “man shall… live by every word of God,” but it is so exciting to see how this same truth is being revealed to others in the body of Christ.
I cannot tell you how encouraging it is to read this. I have often told the story of how the WWCG taught us that we were expected by God to leave an inheritance to our “children’s children.”

Pro 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

For many long years, I just like you, saw only the letters in that verse. It appeared to be plainly saying that if I were a good man I would leave an inheritance for my children and grandchildren. Besides that I would also inherit the wealth of the sinners. How true the last part of this verse proved to be:

2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

It is good to be dying daily in Christ, but it is sad to be a walking dead man and be completely unaware that we are the walking dead.

Mat 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Mat 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

It is only after we give up our lives that there is any hope of salvation. Christ was very clear on this subject.

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

So our physical lives are to be considered as being offered in sacrifice to God. Unlike all we have been taught while in Babylon, this does not necessarily result on physical blessings which inevitably steal away our hearts again. Just look at the context of “let the dead bury their dead.”

Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Mat 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Mat 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

That is very plain language coming from the man in whose steps we are to follow as we seek to “seek first the kingdom of God.”

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Even in Haggai the blessings are pronounced on their efforts to build God’s house first. Only then are any blessings promised:

Hag 1:9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

“God’s house” is the same thing as His kingdom, and both are within those with whom He is now working. We will all be struck down until everything we once valued, and the recognition of men which we have all coveted, is realized for the absolute dung that it is.

Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Don’t think for one moment that the revelation of these truths means this is now all behind you. As we weather one battle it is but a preparation for an even harder battle ahead. Just witness the life of our example, Christ and the life of the apostles Paul, Peter and John. Then look at the opening of the seven seals resulting in the blowing of the seven trumpets, which culminate in the seven last plagues of God’s wrath upon the ungodliness and unrighteousness which is in the flesh of every man who has ever lived. We are both Job and Christ. While we are the light of the world, we are also a spectacle to the world.

Luk 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
1Co 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

We really do “live by every word” and we “keep the things written therein”. Not just the good and positive, but “every word.”

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

The natural man universally considers “the things therein” to be cataclysmic and apocalyptic. Yet the spirit calls it all “The wonderful works of God to the children of men”, and we are admonished to be grateful for all these our trials.

Psa 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psa 107:23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

This experience is four times repeated under differing circumstances in this 107th chapter of Psalms, because it is common to all men.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

For all who can receive it, the scriptures reveal that the “way of escape” is through the fiery sword that guards the way of the Tree Of Life. It is through the flood of Noah, through the Red Sea, through the Jordan, through Babylonian captivity, through the fiery furnace, through the lion’s den, and finally through the death of the cross. These are the “wonderful works of the Lord” of which King David declares, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” These are the very same works for which we are to rejoice.

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

You remain in my prayers. You are beginning to lay up true treasures in heaven, which will be given to your children and your children’s children.
Thanks again for sharing your revelation with me. It is truly a blessing to me.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike