The world has always used the flesh to attain its goals. It is the only accessible substance available to the fallen angels and it doesn’t matter what ‘apple’ is used in the temptation. This is because having no longer the image of God in them; they have been reduced to a carnal state and thus can only think and operate in that term. It’s like when a flower withers from having no sun which then crumples into grey matter and eventually dies. The use of temptations is an attempt to satisfy the flesh which really is one's pride. Pride of the mind that one is in control and above reproach and by this status one is recognized by; including the things that adorn one’s person, home, and processions. To demonstrate to one’s peers and the world who they are with the ultimate goal of admiration, idolization, and worship. To ascend above others and be idolized! The spirit of man craves identity and whoever gets the most recognition is the one most men will seek to become. That’s what satan wants and seeks to duplicate in man. Today, the world promotes athletes, singers, and activists, especially on social media. They promote performers!
We, just like Lucifer have been given this DNA if you will, to duplicate images of ourselves. Am I saying we are just like or similar to Lucifer? The evidence for this is clear throughout the Bible but for many of us, we separate our sin of disobedience from his. There is very little difference in our composition to that of an Angel especially when it is considered that Angels can take the form of a man, and yet in God’s eyes are not superior to man. Also, if we are Sanctified Righteously we can soar by the spirit into the Heavens as John did in Rev. 1:10. Both the classes of the man and the Angel respectively have been given God’s breath of life; meaning the spirit which will never die but will reside either in Heaven or Hell for all eternity.
Lucifer’s fall was the result of pride and so was man’s as stated; “For God knows that in the day you eat thereof (the apple), then your eyes shall be opened (nothing hidden), and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” - Gen. 3:5. Yet; being made in the image of God; they were already gods as stated; “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High (LORD)” - Ps. 82:6. This misunderstanding continues today mainly because of traditions, pagan rituals, and non-christian religions' definition of a god’s characteristics and power, and outlook. To be gods is innate; in turn, there is the desire to make others in their image, pattern, and thinking. It is only natural because we want to maintain our heritage and legacy. It is also Righteous to duplicate the Christ spirit into others; including the like-mindedness to life, death, the world, the universe, and Heaven. For God; this ultimate duplication is His Spirit in man just as His Angels have. So by inference Lucifer wanted a spiritual following for his kingdom; hence the one-third of rebellious angels. But having been cast out of The Spiritual realm and renegaded to an earthly plain had to settle for physical followers; namely the carnal man and also because of this; Lucifer could no longer reside on Heaven’s plain. The devil and the fallen angels are no longer of the elite Angel class. They are refugees to this world, and the lower heaven as stated; “the rulers of the darkness of this age…in the heavenly (sky, above, orchestrated) places” - Eph. 6:12. Some say that satan appeared before God in Heaven; as in Job 1:6. Yet, God will not allow evil in His Throne room so wherever God met satan was in a place lower than His Throne, which God can occupy just like he did on the corrupted Earth, where He was able to walk and be entertained when He visited Abraham; Gen. 18:1. And as stated; “nothing is impossible for God” - Lk. 1:37.
So much in the world is taken for granted which for the carnal world should not be surprising but for the Christian, it is to our shame! Everyone wants to make a man in their image which for the world was started as stated; “I (Lucifer) will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most-High” - Is. 14:14. Now for the Christian not to embrace this desire with the proper Righteous perspective which is the highest form of compliment that can be given to any man, and more so to God, is to limit one of our prime directives which are to take dominion which Jesus demonstrated and who we ought to have the greatest desire to imitate and reflect. We are no longer helpless and enslaved to sin but have been restored to the rightful place of Authority as given by God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. The ambition of duplicating oneself in others is not new or foreign as God demonstrates but envious jealousy of His will started it all; where Lucifer threw a stone in defiance and God returned a Rock as stated; “The LORD (Jesus) is my Rock” - Ps. 18:2.
What many in the Body fail to have the revelation of is that Jesus before His ministry was made the same as Adam before his fall and if Adam did not sin; his life would be the exact pattern and purpose as Jesus’ but not necessarily with the same events. In addition, there is a point in a child’s life when they are no longer obliged under their parents' authority. Under Judaism, this has been at age twelve or when there is a consistent display of maturity. But what is more important is that the parents allow the child to begin to take responsibility with their guidance when needed. This is what God did! He provided a criterion but allowed Adam to make his decision. If only Adam had sought God’s guidance before the sin which would have placed him under God’s Blessing and allowed him to enter God’s house just as Jesus did and as we ought to as stated; “Do not quench (extinguish, stop, prevent) the Spirit (and) test all things; hold fast (to) what is good (before God, and) abstain from every form of evil” - 1 Tess. 5:19.
God’s goal and satan’s efforts to be a god have not changed since Heaven had to repel, remove, and renounce these rebellious angels who dared to challenge God in all of His Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding. God’s purpose for man is His pleasure! God’s plan for Redemption, Restoration, and Revelation is not by but through a man. This is key to understanding why we are made in the Spiritual image of God. It is not through a disobedient man but an obedient man that God’s Power flows into manifestation! God’s Power is not given to a man but is delivered through him. From His Spirit to the man’s spirit! So when you see the pastor “in the Spirit” as well as the congregation; it is the Spirit that has spread through these individuals because their spirit has opened the conduit for the Power of God to flow. That is why the curse that manifests in physical diseases and all other manners can only be completely removed by God’s Spirit because they are unrighteous spirits that are behind these activities. Spiritual duplication has always been God’s goal!
God through Jesus demonstrated to satan just who was the maker of a man. That he may have corrupted the man by disobedience but it is the spirit in obedience that vacates all carnality, and corruption, and redeems the man. The man into the image of Jesus and ultimately God! As a Christian, there is no other option but the character of Christ. Otherwise, one is not a Christ-follower; a disciple of Righteousness by the Holy Spirit. The flesh itself has no power and Jesus could not heal, multiply, and cast out demons without the Spirit’s Anointing to reveal God’s Power, Glory, and Blessing. The very essence of being the image of God!
The performer is someone who displays a desire to be the center of focus. They perform to become idols. If you follow sports; there is someone that is idolized for their talent. If you follow music; there is a singer’s song that you can’t get out of your mind. If you follow activism; there is a cause that cannot be compromised regardless of its detrimental impact. It is when these things become obsessive that it is the first sign of temptation which eventually unchecked, will result in disobedience, destruction, and death. The reason why the world promotes and markets these performers so intensely is to keep the man enthralled, to frame their body, mind, and spirit into these desires, and ultimately the performers’ image, lifestyle, and thinking as stated; “imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the Knowledge of God: - 2 Corth. 10:5. Today; celebrities have so much to say and demand with the intent to rally followers into their ideologies. Many are pawns and are duplicating the ultimate performer; Lucifer, who uses this method to steal, kill, and destroy many including those who oppose his mindset just as those on social media do today?
If you are not for God then you are His enemy! And as an enemy; your reward is death! Death is not to be lifeless but to live under the rules of darkness. The opposite is true for Life and Salvation which is to live under the rules of Light. To live by either set of rules requires that the body, mind, and spirit are conformed to the particular environment that the image identifies with. The world with a performer! And the Christian with a Savior in Jesus Christ! There is no middle ground which only results in confusing the image. For just as Jesus stated; “Abide in Me” - Jn. 15:4. The world tells you to admire and emulate an idol who is a performer. To follow the “Piped piper” as it were.
Have you noticed that today’s performers are more outlandish and irreverent than those of the past? This is because of the season we are in which climaxes just before the return of Jesus Christ. The devil has turned up the volume! And as such, Christians ought to be aware of this season and arm themselves as stated; “Therefore take up the whole Armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day (time), and having done all, to stand (and) stand, therefore (accordingly), having girded your waist with Truth, having put on the breastplate of Righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; (and) above all, taking the shield of Faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (and) take the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer (devotion) and supplication (exhortation) in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints (Christians)” - Eph. 6:13-19.
The ultimate maker of a person is not God; nor the devil but the person in the mirror who reveals themselves by their outward displays and opinions of life as stated; “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” - Matt. 15:11. By this, is determined the manmade image that reflects the world; another man; or the Word who gave the approved example of the Godly man; made in; walking in, and talking in the expression of all that is Righteous before the true potter; our God; who being first will always have the last say in who is made in His image of creation.
Flush it Out! - To uphold Righteousness; guard your gates!
Jul. 5, 2022.
Made-in!
This is corruption is seen when the first man sinned and lost his garment of Power and God’s Glory as stated; “they realized they were now naked” - Gen. 3:7. It is not they didn’t see each other private parts before the fall; but that they lost the glow of Life after the fall which made them fearful and exposed just as if you lost your most effective coat on a cold day. This garment is synonymous with the Anointing which is received after water baptism as demonstrated by Jesus. It is the commission by which a Christian is given God’s authority and the Covenant is entered into. Before the Anointing came on Him; there are no known miracles by the hand of Jesus even after His ascension into manhood at the temple as stated; “(Jesus) increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor (Grace) with God and men” - Lk. 2:52. Therefore, Jesus only walked before the start of His ministry under Grace. Then after; by the Anointing; the Power of Glory. It is at this time that He is the true image of God on the Earth as stated; “I only do and say what the Father does (reveals to Me)” - Jn. 5:19. He is in effect duplicating God.
To make a man in God’s image; we need to ask a few critical questions to understand not by our minds but by our spirits. First, Adam has birthed a man made in God’s image; not only in the physical sense but also in the Spiritual. He had every aspect of the Anointing that Jesus would eventually have. Yet; he sinned! Because just like us, the physical aspects of manhood or God’s Spirit do not constitute maturity of Righteousness. Because Righteousness is not a gift but has to be grown into not by works but by our attitudes, attributes, and actions as dictated by our spirit under God’s Spirit. Now; some say we are made Righteous by God’s Grace. This is a fact but is not the Truth of the matter! The same as once saved always saved. Consider; that when Jesus returns He is not looking for those who received Salvation but those who walked out Salvation as stated; “when the Son of man comes (back), will he find Faith” - Lk. 18:8; and “Only Faith pleases God” - Heb. 11:6. We cannot expect to receive heirship without taking responsibility and taking actions that reflect this Blood lineage. There are serious consequences for this Blood adoption and any abuse of it results in unrighteousness. The same as taking for granted God’s Grace and Throne as stated; “ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” - Gal. 6:7.
Both Adam and Jesus are derivatives of God’s Spirit with a physical embodiment. Unlike Adam; Jesus’ life lessons taught Him the Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding required to be mature and become prepared for the same things and reasons Adam was created as stated; “to be fruitful, multiply, and take dominion” - Gen. 1:28. For God’s will; not ours! Every one of these directions was fulfilled by Jesus during His ministry. Jesus duplicated Adam’s disobedience by abandoning His parents after the Feast of Passover, but was not punished as Adam because as stated; “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s (house) business”? - Lk. 2:49. Did Jesus sin? Absolutely not! The explanation is in Jesus’ own words as stated; “everyone who has left (abandoned, disowned, vacated) houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children or lands, for My name’s sake (Jesus the Messiah - mission, sacrifice, Salvation), shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal Life” - Matt. 19:29. By putting God’s will first; we receive Grace for the disappointments, anger, and offenses that occur in our wake. Because as Jesus stated; “No one can serve two masters” - Matt. 6:24. Meaning as James states; “a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” - Jms. 1:8. We won’t be able to fulfill our call as it is intended because as stated most of us do not; “Delight yourself in the LORD (first), and (then) He will give you the desires of your heart” - Ps. 37:4; or “Seek the Kingdom first and all will be added” - Matt. 6:33. This is the foremost, first, and critical commandment to become made in the image of God.
Consider; God completed His work on the seventh day. When did Adam sin? By inference, it would be the eighth day. When is the traditional day of circumcision? The eighth day! The biblical impression of eight is for new birth, new creation, new responsibilities, and resurrection. It's the Passover from darkness into the Light; from independence to dependence on God; and into the Covenant with God. This is when traditionally the child is dedicated to God and the Covenant is made. Well, there can be no Covenant without Righteous obedience. God prepared for this Covenant for seven days but by disobedience, Adam lost it by not observing the agreement. But Jesus by proxy of His parents honored, answered, and became obedient to God on the eighth day by being in the Temple of His Father because Passover is seven days as stated; “After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it” - Lk. 2:43. After this Covenant is established, Jesus is now in direct relationship with God to be led by the Holy Spirit. A Covenant right, and benefit to obey God over man’s authority in Righteousness! It took His parents three days to find, discover, and receive Jesus. A foreshadowing of Jesus; the Anointed man's absence, loss, death to the grave, abyss, and pit; to His rediscover, restoration, and resurrection into His rightful place, status, and recognition as the ultimate Authority, Word, and Son of God. Our Savior and LORD! This is why we use His Name to declare as the representative and image of Christ.
Now, with most biblical numbers there is usually a corresponding physical manifestation that metaphorically implies a Righteous attribute of the Word. In this case; the Righteous attribute of physical circumcision. Spiritually; it symbolizes the removing and vacating of any worldly impurities from the organ (body) that in turn is to produce life by its seed. Adam’s unspiritual circumcision produced corrupted seeds because he did not dedicate himself to God and was denied God’s Covenant and Power. But because Jesus from circumcision came under God’s Covenant; He produces seeds for Righteous works.
Every man has a wanna-be maker and influencer whose goal is to make themselves into every person that they touch. Jesus was no exception as He started His ministry with the priority of recruiting disciples and clearly stating to them: “to make them fishers of men” - Matt. 4:19. That their primary purpose would be to capture men’s hearts to reflect the heart of Jesus. To transpose God’s heart unto men thereby becoming the image of God to the world as stated; “God examines the heart” - 1 Sam. 16:7. So if our heart does not reflect God then by inference we are not made in His image. The enemy’s goal is the same, and just as with the first man; it is done mainly by the temptation of the flesh.
Spiritual Awakening
In the Garden; it was a battle of the spirits that ensued between satan and man where obedience was Righteousness and the apple; the temptation by the curse was spiritual unrighteousness. The first man became satan’s eternal evidence and conviction for Hell by his temptation for disobedience to God’s command, which intern forecast the birth of the perfect man whose Godly image would declare Victory over spiritual death and all those debased by its corruption of unrighteousness as stated; “Having disarmed (fallen) principalities and powers, He (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” - Col. 2:15. There is only one true man who lived and will always be in the true and perfect image of God. Our Savior and LORD; Jesus Christ! He is made in the label of God.
When Lucifer attempted to create his own label and stopped walking in the image of God; he already lost the war. Because from there on; everything would have to be done by his efforts having lost the Spiritual connection that reveals God’s Power through those who are in obedience to His will. The same for the fallen Adam as stated; “(By) the sweat (labor, anxiety, concerns) of your face shall you eat bread” - Gen. 3:19. When we duplicate the curse’s unrighteous spirit of disobedience; we receive the same as satan and Adam; that is God's displeasure and His will is against us. And once your spirit is separated and unredeemable because of persistent and stubborn disobedience and sin; you are no longer guided by the spirit’s Anointed freewill, but by the tug rope of pride; the epitome of corruption and an abomination of the spirit to God. To understand this; consider that a person with free will has a choice that requires balancing the pros and cons of a decision. That balance usually involves outside interests that our decisions generally affect to some degree. But when that Anointed freewill no longer governs our consciousness and spirit; and all we do is for self; we are enslaved, entrapped, and engulfed by the single-mindedness of gain, survival, and personal pleasure. We in effect idolize ourselves!
This is why God placed the man and his fallen angel in direct conflict with each other as if He was placing free will against selfish will. God knew the selfish will would win by corrupting man’s free will. That the mind would be corrupted into self-interest and the spirit into disobedience and pride, having been blinded by the one ambition that is forbidden. To be God! Which is not the same as being ordained or appointed to be gods under direction by the supreme LORD. In reality, satan imposed and duplicated his will on the first man and woman and effectively seeded his corrupted image into all humankind. He created a knock-off label and product. God’s solution could have birthed the Word from Sanctified ground instead of Mary, who like all others are born with the curse of sin in their body, mind, and spirit. In both cases, God seeded into the corrupted ground; which demonstrates His prowess over anything the enemy has done. God's goal was to demonstrate that a free will that is obedient to His will despite sin can overcome, and triumph over the corruption of the flesh which is the idolization of self. God changed the sin-tainted blood of man which was enslaved to the flesh with the spirit of freewill obedience by the unadulterated Sacrifice of the Cross (witness, demonstration, symbol) with His Son's sinless blood; who by Righteous obedience and Sanctification became the Blood Power and Authority over the curse, sin, and death. And to be clear; Jesus was not blind to the horrors He would face and experience, but by choice knew how His decision would save the fallen man remained in humbled obedience to the image of God by the same spirit given to the first man.