Author:
Apostle Erika Blignaut
Erika serves as a called and confirmed Apostle in the restored government of God, and she is an IDCCST Spiritual Life Coach. Apostle Erika helps you clear the decks of all spiritual clutter, to make way for change. View my profile.
I’d like to share with you a spiritual sacrifice offered to the Lord in prayer for His saints, and some connections building out from there.
The wisdom of man is thin and fallible, but those who seek out the wisdom of God are as a strong tower.
In the spiritual sacrifice, the Lord is providing a needful contrast between the wisdom of man and His wisdom, to not only point out that they are not the same, but how they are different. This shaking is important for the church today as God tests the heart of each believer. Will you choose the thin and fallible wisdom of man, or choose to seek out the wisdom of God?
God ministered “fallible” as a word of knowledge to add to my reflective labor of faith during prayer. Such gifts of the Holy Spirit and manifold graces of God (like dreams and visions) are a normal, wondrous part of the spiritual priesthood interaction with God, which Jesus provided for believers in His new covenant.
John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
1 Peter 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 7 & 8 the Lord highlights this transition from one priesthood (Levi) to another (Jesus); and from one covenant (Moses) to another (Christ). When the apostles wrote these epistles, they were speaking to a church united in His truth, having received their oversight and instruction in these things. The wisdom of God was daily walked in as the saints made application to the instruction received in the doctrine of Christ.
But without the instruction of living apostles, over time, the understanding of the terms and function of Jesus’ spiritual covenant and priesthood wore thin, and began to be replaced by philosophies born of man’s own interpretation of scripture, resulting in false doctrines and a much divided church.
Logic’s Misdirection
Let’s look how this relates to the wisdom of man being thin and fallible, by beginning with the meaning of the word of knowledge, fallible, which Google defines as “capable of making mistakes or being wrong”.
When the Bible is read apart from the foundation of apostolic instruction in the doctrine of Christ (His covenant and priesthood), the keystone to unlock scripture accurately in God’s perspective is absent. The result is that the conclusions reached by man’s logic entering scripture, is a form of wisdom marred by error (mistakes are made because scripture is used as a road map to explore and discover self, which is wrong). Because our perception differs from God, our road map will differ. In addition, one person’s road map and perception differs from another by the prejudice of differing life experience, education, culture and personal principles.
This is why we can see such vastly opposing doctrines from different Christian factions – all of which, claiming to be Bible based and inspired by God. This is not only abundantly evident today in the warring of words seen in Christian groups on social media, but it has historically even resulted in physical wars, persecutions and mass displacements of peoples with conflicting Christian doctrinal persuasions.
So you might think – wait a minute, the Bible is the Word of God so surely that is our place of strength, after all: “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” (Proverbs 30:5) and… “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
Though these verses are indeed true and inspired by God, what happens when they are used to draw a map for one’s logic to follow? A person might say that he approaches scripture with faith, simply believing what God said is true, but he’s looking for direction to resolve his heartache and the problems he faces in life. He wants to know that God is there for him and he uses scripture to draw a map to His peace and strength. A certain kind of motivation is sparked to reach God’s strength and power without considering His due course that He laid out in the covenant Jesus purchased for us with His blood.
God’s shaking of the church is to loosen this grip, by which motivation is confused with inspiration and man’s logic is mistaken for Godly wisdom. When a believer approaches the scriptures from the standpoint of his need, he will never be able to see past his problems, and he will continue to read the scriptures apart from God’s covenant perspective. He will continue in the same pattern as before, approaching scripture from the position of his current need to see the way to get to God’s strength. The map that is drawn from man’s logic leads to the wisdom of man; it does not lead to the wisdom of God. We can see why the wisdom of man is weak and fallible.
The map that is drawn from scripture to find resolution is not the covenant map God provides to give sound direction to our faith. So though the scriptures are true, the direction they can be taken in (apart from the anointing of truth), is a good example of how logic joins to scripture to form unsound doctrine, such as the popular current Christian ideology of building faith or doing spiritual warfare by quoting scripture.
Scripture (which is true) is made into a lie when taken in the wrong direction. Satan illustrated this when he, himself quoting scripture in tempting Jesus in the wilderness. And Jesus in overcoming showed Himself to be the true Word of God (of whom the Bible testifies).
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Divine Perspective Redirects
Viewed in the proper context (God’s perspective unlocked by the key of apostolic stewardship), the Bible is without error or contradiction, and the face of Christ is seen throughout as the instruction of doctrine draws the correct map for God’s saints to follow Jesus. So, the missing link (without which the multitude of personal maps to God’s strength, power, mercy, and love leave believers falling short) is God-appointed stewardship (what Isaiah called the government upon His shoulder, in prophesying of Jesus).
This is why, in reading “the Word of the Lord came to Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Moses”, specifically in connection with His chosen stewards throughout the Bible, it doesn’t refer to their study of the written Word, but of the visitation and revelation of the Living Word (Christ). The anointing of God rests upon His elect stewards to receive and make known His revelation to the people.
When Jesus taught from the scriptures even as a 12 year old upon His first visit to the Temple in Jerusalem, those best versed in the holy scriptures were in awe – not because He was reciting existing verses, but because He unlocked the mystery of God hid within, in the depth and beauty of the anointing.
Moses, by the election of God, also spoke by the wisdom of the anointing in directing the faith of Israel. Korah and other men of renown confronted Moses with the conclusions of their own wisdom, saying: “… Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?” (Numbers 16:3)
This quarrel of doctrine and challenge against God’s chosen steward ended disastrously for those men and all who followed them, as it also will for many pride-blinded Christians today who take affront to the idea of God working through stewardship of His election; instead, they think, “We are all Christian and read the same Bible, why should we need the instruction of living apostles?”
Believers have been duped into thinking their wisdom is sound because they can recite scripture, but as Korah was indeed a prince of Israel and born of the line of Levi and Kohath (just like Moses), yet was not thereby qualified to know the mind of God (revealed to and through His steward), so, the wisdom of many Christians today is proven thin and fallible, being separated from the anointing that works with His steward. Just like a branch severed from the vine cannot bear its fruit, faith that is severed from the vine of Christ cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit. God uses apostolic stewardship to join faith to the vine of Christ.
Seeking God His Way
To seek out the wisdom of God begins with stewardship, as the very zealous Saul learned when the Lord addressed his spiritual blindness on that road to Damascus, but humbling his heart in faith to be re-educated in the apostles’ doctrine, he, later as the apostle Paul, went on to write of his previous religious boasts as dung.
Philippians 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,
This is what God has restored to the church today (to and through His newly elected apostolic stewardship): the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, the blueprint for faith which the early apostles instructed the church in for believers to walk in the fullness of His promises. Once this foundation is properly laid upon a believer’s conversion to His covenant, the Bible opens up as a magnificent flower, no longer reflecting man and man’s hopes, fears, desires and needs; but mirroring the Source of true life, Jesus Christ.
Matthew 18:3
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Knowledge Empowers Choice
Just as Saul as a Pharisee mistakenly believed his faith to be in right standing with God, and by that persuasion even zealously persecuted Christians; so, many Christians today zealously pursue beliefs that do not align with the will and ways of God, but in effect oppose His plan. These are being challenged by the Lord to reveal that blindness, as His grace visits upon complacent hearts in these last days.
As His restored covenant knowledge is being made available for the gathering of His flock, a response of faith will restore their sight (as with Paul), so as to humble the heart unto conversion. And just as Apostle Paul later rejoiced in the vast spiritual increase gained by that willingness to let go of his former perceptions, so each converted covenant Christian rejoices greatly in the experience of daily sanctified contact with God and the strength born thereof.
One of the manifestations of that divine increase gained in building ourselves up in a most holy faith, praying in the Spirit and offering spiritual sacrifices to the Lord, is the ability to also build each other’s faith up through charity. I am not speaking here of donating to those in need, but charity as in the God-kind of love, meaning the giving of Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
When the saints share our spiritual sacrifices, we manifest the Living Word as these utterances are the first fruits of our faith, evidencing growth in understanding quickened within by the Spirit. Though we study the scriptures and delight in the anointing’s unfolding of them, we do not simply copy and paste the written word. Instead, we give expression to Christ Himself in the growing wisdom, knowledge and understanding gained through covenant contact with Him, sharing with others the living experiences we gain of Him as the way, truth and life.
Braced by His Embrace
To end this teaching, I will return to the beginning in sharing a second word of knowledge as we look at what it means to be “as a strong tower.” The Lord ministered the word “braced” in illustrating the strength gained through the powers He issues to equip and support our faith as we remain active in His spiritual priesthood.
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
A strong tower refers to a place of safety where people could run into for protection as danger approached in ancient times. We find that shielding in Christ as we seek out the wisdom of God by engaging with Him on His terms. Whilst many debate the concept of the name of God in terms of pronunciation, in truth, the power which the Bible refers to in regard to His name, speaks of that which His name represents. And God having given Jesus “a name above every name” (Philippians 2:9), speaks of the authorized, sanctified system for salvation He provided by His death and resurrection; His new covenant.
When believers partake of Him through this gift, He is present in all the elements of His gospel, of which grace and peace are two that work together in support of faith. We are braced thereby (meaning, prepared, supported and made stronger), as He reveals, communicates, awakens, illuminates and enlightens by His grace, and by His peace buffers our hearts to faithfully endure the contradictions of this time.
A spiritual sacrifice shared for your edification, exhortation and comfort in the Lord:
The righteous rejoice even in suffering for we are embraced with (and braced by) the powers of Christ’s presence in grace and peace, working a stark difference to the suffering in vain we once knew before He saved us.
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
