THE BETRAYAL OF THE SPIRIT OF POVERTY

Today, as I joined the prayer group CYM with Apostle Tomi Arayomi, (1) he mentioned something that gave me insight into the reality of what happens in the body of Christ and the world, where we have discovered the culprit of so much betrayal, slander, gossip, and defamation of character against those who are speaking the truth of the Gospel and are living for the praise of the glory of God.

The Apostle said that “the spirit of betrayal is kin to the spirit of poverty” (32:30 min.). This means that those who are easily led to speak against others to make sure their name is tainted and to punish them for speaking and living the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and especially seek to shine bright at the cost of the good name of those they defame, are being led by a spirit of poverty.

Said another way, in other posts I have mentioned that the system of gain of the enemy and those who serve him is through covetousness, and this covetousness happens when someone desires and goes after what belongs to another. The majority of the time these covetous people don't operate in a covert way but seek to steal by, as mentioned, accusing, slandering, and tainting the name of those they want to hurt and punish for being who they are. This is especially true of sorcerers and those who seek them and pay them money to steal from others by accusation and cursing.

The Bible states from the times of the Old Testament that covetousness is a sin, and it is greatly punished. In my studies about covetousness, in every passage in the Bible that I read about a person who coveted something God had given to another, the covetous person ended up removed with violence. That is because, as I have taught in other posts, and the Lord is again highlighting, covetousness is not tolerated in the Kingdom and is punishable by confrontation that is followed by death, removal, casting down, or uprooting.

Exodus 20:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.'” NKJV

Satan was the first example of this when he coveted God's throne and worship of Him in our hearts. The Bible says that for this reason, he was cast down (see Revelation 12:1-10). And Isaiah 14:12-13 says,

“'How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;” NKJV

Another example is Korah, who, together with Abiram, Dathan, and On, Levites and men of renown among the camp of the Israelites, rose up against Moses and Aaron to complain that they were not the right leaders for the congregation of God's people. By this, they rebelled against their leaders appointed by God and lured 250 others to rebel with them, igniting this way, the wrath of God.

These perpetrators were called to minister to the Lord and serve the people (Vs. 8-11), but they were after the priesthood of Moses, not realizing that by doing this, they had gathered themselves against the Lord who had called Moses to lead His people. To their constant complaints and defiance, Moses responded in Numbers 16:15 by stating that he was not a covetous person and therefore had not taken anything that was theirs, and due to this, he had the legal right to ask God to reject their offering unto Him.

“Then Moses was very angry, and said to the Lord, 'Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.'”

The grounds for Moses' request are found in Isaiah 61:8. God was directing His work through Moses in truth and out of the covenant He had made with him concerning his calling of leading the people of Israel safely to their destination. Thus, the injustice of the rebellion of Korah and those who rose up with him against their leaders was an attempt to rob Moses and Aaron of what God had called, chosen, and appointed them to do on behalf of His Kingdom and on behalf of His people. The Scripture says,

“For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
And will make with them an everlasting covenant.” NKJV

That is why God, who is known for doing creative miracles, responded to the words of Moses, His servant, by performing exactly what he said would happen to those who rejected the Lord by rejecting the people He chose. Verses 28-32 say,

28 “And Moses said: 'By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.'

31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.” NKJV

There are more examples of this crime throughout the Old and New Testaments, led by people who lived with a poverty and scarcity mentality, including leaders like Ahab and Jezebel, who stole Naboth's vineyard by defaming his character and accusing him of speaking against God and the king, and for this reason he died by stoning (1 Kings 21). But as a result of their covetousness and violence against Naboth, King Ahab was first confronted by the Prophet Elijah and later died in battle, and Queen Jezebel was thrown down from her balcony by the eunuchs who served her, at the command of Jehu, a former commander of Ahab's army, who was later anointed as king over Israel. 

Likewise, in Acts 5:1-11, there was a powerful move of the Holy Spirit, manifested in the grace for generosity among His people who were selling their lands and possessions and laying the money they received at the feet of the Apostles. But Ananias and Sapphira, a husband and wife, conspired to sell a land and lie about how much money they received from the sale in order to give less. The Holy Spirit, moving through Peter to confront them for their actions, influenced by the enemy to quench the grace of generosity among God's people, sentenced them both to death within hours of each other and they died the same day. The people's giving was voluntary, and they gave according to what they had purposed. But this couple lied and died for trying to quench the move of God by coveting money and lying to keep more of it.

Covetous people who live by this wrong belief don't realize that God is a God of abundance, and He owns the earth that is also filled with abundance. For this reason, He gives us things designed and tailored only for us to fulfill our purpose and destiny that no one can take from us. And those who believe the lies of the enemy and think there's not enough for us and them, and also believe they have to steal what belongs to God, and He gives to us His people to steward while we do His will, are rejecting Him, as well as what He Himself designed and tailored for them.

By their actions and wrong belief, they're telling God that they reject Him and what He has for them and instead want what He gave to others. And thus, many who have this wrong mindset have actively engaged in stealing marriages, children, businesses, ministries, positions and titles, lands, souls, stars, glory, and much more from others who paid the price for them. And God's only response to them if they do not repent (turn away from this wrong path and mindset) before their time of grace for repentance expires (Revelation 2:21), is by confronting them, then shaking away from them what they stole from another, and then removing them from the earth because they rejected what He wanted for them. That is, their rejection and covetousness spoke to the heavenlies that they did not need to continue existing on the earth.

This is a very sober teaching about the higher ways and higher thoughts of God that many in His body and the world ignore, and for this reason, end up on the wrong side of destiny for violating many laws of the Kingdom of heaven due to their ignorance of them and their effects, and also do it without ever repenting.

(1) DAY 17 Fast of the First Fruits | 21 Days Prayer & Fasting | COMMAND YOUR MORNING

To God alone be all the glory**

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“MADURO” Time of the Ripe Fruit

 

“MADURO” Time of the Ripe Fruit

As we observe the recent events with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:46, “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.” NASB

Having highlighted that, here's what I hear the Lord say about what is happening in the spirit. To begin, the English word for Maduro is the word “ripe.” And the Lord reminded me that one Sunday morning, as I was in prayer with a pre-service prayer group at a church, approximately in 2022, I had a vision where I saw a big tree that was being shaken, and this caused the ripe fruit fall from this tree.

Trees in the Bible usually represent individuals, like it shows in Daniel 4:10-11, 22

10 ‘'Now these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the middle of the earth and its height was great.

11 The tree grew large and became strong
And its height reached to the sky,
And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.

22 “it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky, and your dominion to the end of the earth.” NASB

Matthew 15:13 also says, “Jesus shrugged it off. 'Every tree that wasn’t planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots. Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.'” MSG

And in the case of former President Maduro, this tree was shaken and taken away by the roots with force and fire. Now the replacement has to get ready to make the transition and take the position to rule in righteousness on behalf of God's people.

Isaiah 22:19-21

19 “And I will thrust you from your office, and from your station will you be pulled down.

20 And in that day I will call My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

21 And I will clothe him with your robe and will bind your girdle on him and will commit your authority to his hand; he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” AMPC

Another type of tree in the Bible is the olive tree. And in order to gather the ripe olives, the tree is shaken (1). As we have learned in another post from this blog, olives are used for their oil. Biblically, the olive represents peace, prosperity, and the presence of the Holy Spirit (1). Olive oil has a wide range of uses known in the Biblical Hebrew culture, and for believers as well. Besides everyday use, it is used to anoint Kings, Priests, and Prophets. It is also used to consecrate, set apart, and purify things and also people for their holy purpose unto God, including their priesthood (2).

Biblehub.com says that “'holy anointing oil' was unique, and its composition was governed by strict instructions, emphasizing that anything touched by this oil was consecrated to the Lord.”

We have also learned that in order to get the oil, the olives need to be pressed or crushed. In the life of a believer, this represents seasons in the wilderness of testing, where they feel hard pressed with trials and warfare, that God allows to develop the anointing necessary to fulfill their calling or in certain cases, the next level of their calling for which they require a greater level of anointing. That's why this looks like shakings and chaos because it is the kind of environment necessary to pull the oil of anointing out of God's vessel.

Another reminder is that the olive oil is used for the lamps which represent our life of devotion, consecration, and close relationship with God, where we are governed by Him and exercise governance (self-control and temperance because we are set apart for a purpose that has to be guarded, and for this reason, we're not to follow the patterns of this world).

But when we forget God's requirements to be able to fulfill our callings and succumb to the

patterns of the world which keep us from walking in authority and also blinds us from the subtle traps and attacks of the enemy, then, one of the ways this shows is that we stop depending and trusting fully on our God, and this way, our lamp loses the oil necessary to keep us sharp in the things of the spirit.

As we already know, this is what happened to the foolish virgins and for this reason, they could not enter in with the groom when he finally showed up. They had lost that closeness to Him, until He finally said to them, “I don't know you.” and they were sent out to pay the price for new oil. This means that they had to go and carry their cross to get the necessary oil, with its required potency to fulfill their type of calling.

The wise virgins which decided to endure the process, no matter what, were able to go back behind the door with the groom where they could go and do great exploits with Him because they were fully known, and where the flatteries and seduction of the enemy did not sway them away from focusing on their calling and important purpose on behalf of others. To them, fulfilling their part of their covenant with their God was principal.

Daniel 11:32 says,

32 “And such as violate the covenant he shall pervert and seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].”

(1). Topical Bible: The Olive-Tree: Shaken when Fully Ripe

(2). What does olive oil symbolize in the Bible?

To God alone be all the glory.*

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