Friday afternoon, after my son Matthew came to pick up his sons Ryder and Carver from our condo and left, I was sitting on the couch and had this thought: “It would appear COVID is my lentil field.”
Do you know what I am talking about when I say, “lentil field?”
Here is the text this thought comes from [2 Samuel 23]:
“11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.”
When God is involved, one man and God are a majority. Come on somebody! God is still looking for real men [not talking about a gender here folks]. Manhood in the kingdom is a level of spiritual maturity where childish things are removed from being a part of the person’s life.
“When I became a man I put away childish things.”
Paul knew he had reached manhood when childishness no longer was a part of his lifestyle. Children think about themselves and what they want. “Men” think about a lot of things and none begin with what do I need. “Men” live to serve others for what they need. And real men will die in that service before they would compromise their service.
Shammah was one of David’s 3 mighty men who did great exploits. The prophet Daniel said, “Those who know their God will do great exploits.” I guess Shammah really knew God. He should, he served under David, the God worshiping giant killer. If you want to defeat giant problems follow giant killers.
Shammah’s name means astonishment. Astonishment can mean surprise or to impress greatly. I don’t think Shammah surprised himself, or David, or God. He WAS a mighty man in the service of David, a mighty man! He did not need to prove he was mighty. Because he was mighty he did mighty things. His might proved invaluable to God and His purposes for His people.
The Philistines, on the other hand, were probably greatly surprised and impressed.
Agee means I will increase. Do you believe you will increase? One cannot increase if they keep doing what they have always done. I have said many times, “We will never do what we’ve never done if we only do what we’ve always done.” Even in doing great things, if you do not risk failure in doing even greater things you cannot increase. “And you shall do greater things than these because I go to the Father.” Jesus
Speaking of increase, Isaiah prophesied God’s government and peace would never stop increasing. “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”
The real question we must ask ourselves often is this: “Is His government [governance] and peace continually increasing in us?” Has COVID put a halt to that increase in your life or has it created a longing to let it increase even more? I am all in for “the more!”
Hararite means mountain dweller. To climb a mountain takes great effort. Dwelling on one takes even greater effort. But the views are extraordinary. Caleb, at the age of 85, wanted the mountainous territory in the promised land. In his latter years he didn’t want what was convenient. He wanted what was challenging. Mountains can mean a higher place of authority, or rule. Usually, when God wanted to move through a man to advance His purposes in the earth He would first call, or take, that man up a mountain.
Isaiah said in the last days the mountain of the Lord would be the chief mountain. “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.”
Have you read this in Hebrews 12?
“18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.
20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: ‘And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.‘ 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.’)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.‘ 27 Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.”
Terrifying and tantalizing isn’t it? Terrifying if you miss the important truths in the text and tantalizing if you see them.
Or how about this?
“My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place.” [Isaiah 50:6]
According to God, mountains are safer resting places than hills! And woe to the leaders who lead God’s people the wrong direction. Hills take less effort to climb and are more dangerous than mountains. This means the greatest challenges are where the Good Shepherd wants us to feed. What is feeding you? Who is feeding you? Where are they feeding you?
If I am to die then I will die dwelling on the mountain of the Lord, for that is where God provides.
“And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide [Jehovah Jireh]; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.'” [Genesis 22:14]
Whatever your beliefs about COVID there is one absolutely glaring characteristic, and that is nearly every thing about the messaging has been and continues to be manipulative. Witchcraft seeks ultimate control over people. This means a spirit of witchcraft is fueling the feeling of imminent danger. Witchcraft manifests in at least 3 main areas. They are:
- Manipulation
- Intimidation
- Domination
Have you noticed how from the beginning information about COVID has been so inconsistent and in a lot of cases outright false? This is a classic move by manipulators. Keeping people unsure of what is happening or what is going to happen keeps them unstable and feeling unsure and unsafe. This makes them more susceptible to being controlled by those who do not have their best in mind. Going along to get along gets everyone in trouble. God is not in this at all!
The next phase of witchcraft is intimidation. Once the spirit feels it has the person or people in a vulnerable place it begins intimidating them. The threats of the loss of opportunity or more freedoms is amped up, regardless if you have complied with the orders given at the beginning and throughout the process. The goal is to force everone into submission through threats. God is certainly not in any of this behavior!
The last phase of witchcraft is outright domination. If a person or people have complied they are not excused from this phase. In fact, they have contributed to its progression to this point. Acquiescing to this spirit at any point only encourages and empowers it. Where it really begins to manifest is with those who refuse to bow the knee to the seditious orders. Those people are targeted with harm, whether economic or physical. This is to increase the intimidation of the people on the fence.
I have staked a lot on my stance concerning COVID. I have an entire chapter in my book CHRISTIANITY THE WAY JESUS LIVED IT, Releasing the Christ Within You devoted to it. I could probably write a book just on COVID. I also know there are some people who want me to fail and are even rooting for me to fail. Isn’t it interesting how mediocrity, compromise, and cowardice are enemies of excellence, commitment, and courage. I choose to live like Joshua and Caleb who had a different [more excellent] spirit than all the others in their community.
I heard Jesus say to me in March 2020: “Do not be afraid [of it]. It is not what they are saying it is.” From that moment on Donna and I have lived out in the open with our faith in His word. Many of God’s people fled in the face of the Philistines [COVID] onslaught, and are still running scared. What has Jesus said to you about how to navigate the treacherous waters we are all in?
I continue to seek God, for we are commanded to live out of every word that proceeds out of His mouth, not just those that preceded out of His mouth. Staying current with Christ Jesus is the only way to stay alive generally speaking, but absolutely with all that is going on in the world today. If He says something different than what He said last year then that is what I will obey. He may have a different lentil field for me to defend. Until then, His word has not changed and is therefore still proceeding out of His mouth and into my heart.
What is Jesus saying to you today? “Today, if you hear My voice do not harden you heart as you did in the rebellion.”
I believe, unless something changes, COVID is my lentil field, or my mountain, that I have staked my life in [on]. To me, this is about God’s honor. It seems many of God’s people believe COVID is omnipotent and God is impotent against it. With all the variants being released many people of “faith” are demonstrating they have more faith in big Pharma and their “protection.” Big Pharma is the new Jehovah Rapha.
I am not anti medicine or medical doctors or medical science! I am anti manipulation! I am anti witchcraft that is now running rampant through the entire medical and scientific establishment. In fact, it is running rampant through every section of society, even the church.
Jesus never condemned or condoned doctors and medicine. He did not need to comment on them. He healed the sick and commissioned [licensed] His disciples to heal the sick too. Luke, who was a physician, became part of Paul’s apostolic team. I like to jokingly say that he left his practice because Paul was getting better results. Now, Jesus most certainly spoke to the political and religious elite of His day. Most of what He said to them was not affirming. He saved most of His harshest rebukes for those people.
Doctors have a license to practice healing the sick. So do Jesus’ disciples! I believe we are in the throes of seeing which group will see the most healing. I am game! How about you?
In case you are not aware, Jehovah Rapha is the first covenant compound name God gave the Israelites post deliverance from Egyptian bondage and the Red Sea crossing. It means: I am the Lord who will make you and keep you whole, among other things. It is the OT version of the NT word for savior, or saved. Why would this be the first name God identified Himself with after freeing His people from bondage? Well, Egypt represents the land and life of sin and the bondages associated with it. Pharaoh represents the devil who is the god of that world [land and life]. So, once delivered and baptized in the Red Sea [1 COR 10:2] God promised their new life would be disease free [Exodus 15:26]. Obedience to Him would keep them free, meaning, if sinning was continued then God would not protect them. By the way, Jesus told the man at the pool [John 5] not to sin anymore or something worse would come on him.
Kevin, are you saying people are sinning in the way they are dealing with COVID? I am saying it is possible they are sinning. “Have no other gods before Me” is still valid today. What has God said to you? Did He say wear a mask that cannot protect you? Did He say stay at least 6′ from others when that does not protect you? Has He said take the shot that does not protect you from catching COVID or protect others from catching it from you? I doubt it! Those things at best give people a false sense of security, which is dangerous. Is that manipulation?
But Kevin, the shots minimize the symptoms for those who get COVID after getting the shots.” You mean they are less than the 99% of the people who do not get COVID or its variants, or if they do are asymptomatic, or have very mild symptoms? Better than that? I doubt it!
But Kevin, what about the most vulnerable? You know, those with comorbidity. Or, those who are afraid. Well, why are they afraid and where did the fear come from? God does not give anyone fear so that is a problem that must be addressed. As to the comorbidity issue, what are they and how did they develop them? Were they born with them? Or, has their lifestyle created them? People who have received the shot are still getting and spreading COVID. People who have received the shot are being hospitalized. And, people who have received the shot have died. I guess what you are saying is it is okay to gamble with your life by getting “shot.” Isn’t that the same as literally playing Russian Roulette?
For anyone who took the shot, did you take it because the Spirit of Christ said to, or did the spirit of fear say to take it?
God may tell someone to take the shot!
Obeying God is much different than surrendering to someone forcing [witchcraft] you to take the shot! Actually, they can’t force you to take it because you do have options. You may not like the options but options you do have.
Here is the dilemma a lot of people are in. The spirit of mammon is working in tandem with the spirit of witchcraft in backing people into a corner economically. Livelihoods are being threatened if people do not take the shot. By the way, people’s livelihoods have been destroyed from the beginning of this nightmare.
Let’s say for the sake of discussion you ask the Lord what you are to do and He says something like this: “I really need you to be in the position you are in because I need kingdom people everywhere. Take the shot and trust Me that My word to you will not fail. This is My word to you, ‘And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name . . . if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.'” Is that a possibility? It very well may be but “you” better be sure it is the Spirit of God speaking and not the insidious spirits of deception that have free range in most of the areas in the world right now.
Satan knows scripture and appears at times as an angel of light!
“My sheep hear My voice and the voice of a stranger they will not follow.” Jesus did not say His sheep will not hear a stranger’s voice. He said, “They will not follow a stranger’s voice.” For almost a decade now I have been strongly encouraging people to get proficient at hearing from God and immediately obeying what He says. Now, it is even more crucial. Our very lives may depend on how well we do both.
I know this for certain, the lepers who Jesus healed were glad that He did not obey the contemporary rules concerning lepers. Would COVID keep Jesus from touching and healing those with it? I seriously doubt it! And I really can’t visualize Jesus with a mask on.
Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant with better promises than the Old Testament and its promises. By the way, He is the one who was mediating the Old Covenant, just through angels [See Hebrews 2:2]. Think about this for a moment: In Egypt, for the first Passover God told His people to kill lambs and place their blood on the door frames of their homes. They were not instructed to place the blood on the threshold because that would be akin to treading on the blood, which is forbidden based on Paul’s revelation [See Hebrews 10:29]. Their obedience kept the death angel from entering their homes and killing their firstborn sons. Do we honestly believe the blood of those lambs are more powerful than the blood of Jesus, who is the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world? I hope not!
There are times in life when life requires a person to take a public stand. That is absolutely true for God’s people. Who is willing to be light in a dark world? Who is willing to be salt in a compromised world? The light that illuminates also blinds if it is turned up enough. Ask Paul [was Saul]. He testified he saw a light that was brighter than the sun. The salt that preserves also stings [hurts a lot] when it is placed in an open wound. So many refuse to be real salt and light for fear of offending someone or worse, not living up to the standard of what salt and light are. Jesus said this about salt that is no longer salty, “It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under the feet of men.” Salty [informal]: Tough, aggressive. Do you know how offensive in that culture being discarded and walked on was?
What is your lentil field to defend? What is your mountain to possess? I am convinced until a person is willing to die for what they believe they will never fully live what they say they believe!
And that is what I believe!
I leave you with this quote from Brené Brown: “The willingness to show up changes us. It makes us a little braver each time.”
Receive and steward God’s passion, power, presence, priority, process, promises, protection, provision, pruning, purging, purity and purpose!
Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin
Revolution Movement Co-Founder
http://www.revolutionmovement.org
kdrury@revolutionmovement.org
912.577.4837
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