Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I pray you’ve had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth and life of Jesus Christ with your family.
II Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
In the above two verses, there is the word “perfect.” II Timothy 3:16-17 speaks to a perfect man and Proverbs 4:18 speaks to a perfect day. Before I became a student of God’s Word, rightly dividing The Word of Truth, I would read these two verses, and many others, that speak to a perfect man or a perfect day. I would never ascribe these two verses to me because I was imperfect. Only Jesus was perfect. Because of this thinking, I never identified with the word, “perfect.” I knew upon my death and passing into eternity with God I would become perfect.
Several weeks back, I wrote of the Galilean wedding and its significance to us, as Believers, in our relationship with Jesus, as The Bridegroom, and to us, the Believers, as His bride. The Hebrew word for bride is “callah.” But, as we are learning, words have great value and great significance with God. There is the natural and the Spiritual meaning of words. Callah not only means “bride,” it also means, “the perfect one.” Callah has yet another meaning, “the completed one.” To be “completed” is to be “perfect.” So how does this pertain to us as Believers?
We, as Believers, are born to be the bride. We aren’t born as the bride. Part of being a bride is being joined to The Bridegroom. If you read my previous message on the Galilean wedding, you’ll notice the bride and the groom are espoused to one another, a legal contract to marry at the appointed time. The bride or the groom cannot get out of this contract unless it is legally annulled. During the time the bridegroom is away preparing the home, the furnishing, and the supplies for the bride, the bride is instructed to “occupy till I come.” This is part of the process of the bride being joined to the bridegroom. We, as the callah, in our daily walk with God, are being joined to God. As II Timothy 3:16-17 states, the more time we spend in God’s Word, studying, meditating, and praying, the more our hearts and lives are being joined to God and the more perfect, callah, we become.
When Jesus, The Bridegroom, looks at us, His bride, He sees us as we will be: perfect and completed. We must learn to see ourselves as The Bridegroom, Jesus, sees us. This is our identity. We must allow Jesus, Who sees us as “perfect” to “complete” His “perfect” work in us. The Holy Spirit reminds us of this “completion” process in Romans 4:17 when it says, “…….and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” Yes, you may not have your physical manifestation of healing yet; however, Jesus sees you as healed and made whole in the Spiritual realm. Now, through studying The Word and developing faith in The Word (Romans 10:17), we decree, or “we calleth those things which be not as though they were,” in faith, and our healing physically manifests. Now, we’ve moved from “perfect’ to “completed.”
I pray all that read this message will have a healthy, prosperous, and revelation-filled 2024. Don’t be as the Children of Israel in the wilderness who refused to receive the goodness of God and to believe God’s Word and wonders. If His Word says it, it is TRUE. Take the brakes off God. Get rid of the religion holding you in bondage. What do you have to lose? You never lose with God. He wants us to “prove” Him and to see He is always TRUE to His Word, to His promises, which are to promote us, to prosper us, to heal us, to deliver us, and to protect us.
Happy New Year to all in Jesus Christ. It’s going to be an EXCITING 2024!
Larry