Champion

A man borrowed 100 dollars for the interest of one dollar per a day. After ten days the lender asked him if he could pay the ten dollars of interest. The debtor said that he got no money and asked him if there is any other option.

Then the lender said to him, "You got to pay me 10 dollars of interest for these ten days. Since you cannot pay, the only option that i got for you is that you will be striped ten times for the ten dollars." The debtor accepted the option. The debtor's wife was also invited. There a man with a whip in his hand, told the husband and wife to count the stripes.

One.. two.. wife is counting the stripes. She is crying and counting. Now the lender looked at the debtor. The debtor seems to be counting differently. More over he  is also looks happy. The lender is confused. He came nearer to hear the debtor. While his wife was counting 1.. 2.. 3 the debtor was counting 10.. 9.. 8. The debtor was counting down while his wife was counting up. The wife was seeing the stripes while debtor was seeing the debt. He saw that his debt is decreasing from ten to zero so his happiness was increasing. Jesus was happy to see his own wounds because it was paying the whole humanity.

Bible has some curses. For example it says "you will build a house but you will not live there". It doesn't seem to me a curse now. I have some stripes that already paid. Now this curse sounds like some millionaire saying to me, "I give you 10 million. Will you be able to spend it in a week?" It's a challenge rather than a curse. It sounds like, "I give you a house. Will you be able to live there?"

There are many people out there living without a leg or a hand. Even those people don't like to be called invalid. They prefer the name "physically challenged". After some one paid the stripes for you, you are a poor man but you say I am rich. You are a weak man but you will say strong. Don't you think its a lie? Yes it's a lie only if I don't see that some one is striped to pay my debts. I am poor that I could not pay but he paid. 

A man of paralysis is at peace. Some friends came to him and told him to get ready. 

"What happened?" Paralytic asked.

They said there is a prophet called Jesus. "Jesus is here let's go." Four of his friends came along and carried him to the place where Jesus is. Oh, there are many people. It looks like it doesn't work. 

Some one told them, "hey why do you wait like this. Even if you are a blind man, some one can help you to go through the crowd. But you are with a cot. It doesn't work. Why don't you go home and come early tomorrow?" Sounds like wise counseling.

The paralytic said, "I am not worrying. I am at peace. Why do you worry. Though I am invalid I am still smiling and at peace. Learn from me. Be at peace. Let's go back. I can still praise God"

One of his friend looked at him and asked, "how long you have been like this?"

The paralytic said, "since four years"

The friend said, "oh, your wife has been experiencing peace from four years!. Your mother had you before her eyes from four years and at peace. That is really great. So you want us to learn this peace. Is it?"

The paralytic was confused. One of the friends said, "hey, this sounds crazy but listen to me. There is only one way that we could enter the house. We go to the top of the house. Then we remove the top and release him down."

The paralytic friend doesn't know what to say. Now they implemented the plan. Jesus healed him.

You are challenged. Prove you are the winner. Do three things: 

1. Go to the top of your house culture. 

2. Remove the pride top and 

3. release yourself before the Lord. 

Lose your peace to seek His peace.

I am not cursed. I am challenged. Curses should not be faced but challenges are. You are here on this earth to face the challenges and not to avoid or ignore challenges. Prove you got a champion in you.

1 Sam. 7 (Peace)

PEACE

1. Peace within us

They were struggling they did not worship The Lord for a long time. They have been worshiping the idols. Samuel told them to shun the idols and worship The Lord alone. Yet this change was without confession. Samuel told them to come to Mispa. There they pour the water and confessed that they are sinners. Now this is peace with God. And thus the peace came into themselves. 

2. Peace through a fight

May be they thought that there would not be any fight from philistines. But while they are there to confess the philistines came to fight. Some times the fight that was scheduled in further future would approach early to be solved when you are in fasting. Israelites asked Samuel to continue praying for them. Now in the battle Israel won. Now the peace was established. The prevailing fear of philistines have gone. 

3. Peace through a treaty

Text did not say anything about treaty but I think that Amorites made treaty seeing philistines losing fight. That's how May be Israelites got peace with Amorites.

Fasting helped them establish peace in three areas. If not, they would be living with fear from these three areas.

Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22)

Love took the place of priority. A man with love is near to the graduation. The last one is self-control but it is the kindergarten. That is where fruit of the Spirit starts. The man without self-control, i dont think he ever understand other parts of the fruit like- long suffering, peace, kindness etc. Everything of the fruit of the Spirit sprouts from the Self Control. 

For peace

God wants his people to live in a peaceful environment. That is why God told them to target three things in Ex. 34:13. They have to destroy, smash and cut these three things.

1. Altars ( destroy)
2. Idols (smash)
3. Pillars (cut)

Not every altar they see, not every idol they see, not every pillar they see. He did not tell them to remove them while they were in Egypt and while they were going through some pagan kingdoms. They have to remove those three things only in the promised land. 

But sadly human beings usually think that compromising with these things help them live peaceful with neighbors. 

Eph. 2:14-18 This is how it is now ...Peace

In those days God pulled down the walls to kill the enemy and now to kill the enmity.

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." -Eph. 2:14-18

Ex. 30:1-5, 7 Altar of Incense

Practical prayer

Verse 1 "make"

Prayer is like composing something. It is composed of:

• Action

God is looking for the makers of altar of incense. In 2004 me and my director went into our church. There was an old man of about 55 years. We asked him who is he. He said he is from a nearest village. Came to give the Lord some offering. He is from high caste who doesnt believe in the Lord. But this made us wonder because he not only believed in the Lord but also came from a distance to give the Lord a gift. We said, ok. He said, "first i want to dance and then i will give the gift." We are a bit wondered but said yes. He danced while singing himself and he also cried. I could see his heart. Now dance is an action. When he came he did not go to internet and searched for "how to dance". This action came out of gratitude. 

• Form

After he finishes his dance came to us with something. It was folded in a cloth. I dont know what it is. When he gave he put two hands together and gave us like as if he is lifting something. The way he gave is like his hand was downward. Usually people who take put hands under and the people who give will have their hand on top. But this man put his hands folded and lifted as an offering. This form came out of attitude. 

I. Purpose

Purpose of this golden altar is to remind what was offered on the brazen altar. We suffer like people who never paid, if we do not remind the Lord that we were paid. The Lord Jesus is now at this altar and has been interceding for us. 

Smith Wigglesworth healed many people and raised people from the dead. But his wife and son died. His daughter suffered deafness for life long. He had kidney problem and sciatica. I believe that he was fully paid but he was giving to people. So he was losing something. It was like you gave your food for someone and then you need to pay for your food again or take (claim) from the food which was already paid. cook for yourself now. 

There are some people raising dead in Mozambique, in the Heidi's ministry. I heard that someone raised three people from dead and he lost three people in the family. It was about seven years back and i am not sure if i put here it right. Anyway i want to share some thing and this is just my thought that the altar of incense will help. We need to know that we need to pay again if we lose something for others. What do i mean to pay. Its like claim from what was already paid. The purpose of the altar which was inside is to remind what was paid on the altar which was outside. 

Jesus fasted forty days but he still needed to go to the altar of incense every morning because he has been giving away. He said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Lk. 8:46. Since he paid his power for someone he needs to go back again and refill it. He did go and refilled it every day. 

II. Patience and Perseverance

"acacia wood"

The altar of incense is made of acacia wood. Acacia wood is named for its "durability and incorruptibility". Prayer needs to have durability (patience) and incorruptibility (perseverance). Have you ever stand in a long Que? Need patience right? Did some one stamp on your leg while you are patiently waiting in Que? Need perseverance right? These two qualities are essential in a practical prayer.

Verse 2. "square"

A ransom is always equal to anyone, either poor or rich. They got pay equal. 

III. Power

Verse 3. "Horns"
Horns are symbolic for power or authority (Dan. 8:8). Prayer gives us authority or power. When disciples could not cast out a demon, Jesus told them that they need to be in prayer (Mk. 9:29).

IV. Peace

"pure gold"
In tabernacle I have seen most of the time, wherever the gold is used, it was used to hold something. Holding together or holding that it may not fall, or holding two things together that they might not divide. Holding something within etc. So it sounds me Peace. 

V. Prolonged

Verse 4. "rings"
Rings have no ends. When a prayer is prolonged the power is more. Guess who gets more power: the guy who fasted 40 days in a row or the guy who fasted 52 days in a year? The guy who fasted 52 days has fasted a day in a week.

VI. Place

"Poles"
Prayer needs to be carried. The Altar of incense was placed in a particular place. Its not because that place was holy but place is sanctified because it needs to be placed. That particular place is holy because of the things that are placed there.

VII. Peace

Verse 5 "gold"

Every time that gold is used in the tabernacle, it was used to hold something. This is peace in prayer. 

Verse 7. "Sweet incense"
Prayer is also composed of words. David said that he prepares his prayer for the morning. (Ps. 5:3). When Zechariah was giving incense people were praying outside. Luke 1:9-10 (also see Ps. 141:2; Rev. 5:8; 8:1-4). Incense is symbolic for prayer. Sweet incense is a sweet prayer. When you are his friend, he takes your “words” sweet. Pro. 27:9, If you are a man who speak kind words to people, he takes your “words” holy. Pro. 15:26.