Blood of the Lamb
Something just came to me while I was reading Exodus 12:23, about the angel of death sent by God to destroy the Egyptians during the Passover:
“When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. “ -Exodus 12:23
During the Passover the Israelites were instructed to put the blood of a sacrificial lamb on the doorposts of their home and the angel of death would pass over their house and not strike them down. Just like this, if we apply the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) to the doorposts of our soul then we will be saved and God will see this and we will not be harmed when judgment comes (ie the angel of death).
God is a Man of War
I came home to my parent's house for dinner one night and when I got there my Dad had all of his hunting rifles out and was cleaning them before he left for a hunting trip. Right then something came to me-- it is very important both for a soldier and a hunter to keep their weapons clean and in good condition.
The Bible says that God is a man of war: The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name. -Exodus 15:3
God uses us as weapons. Just like a hunter or a soldier cleaning his weapons God also cleans us from time to time, it is uncomfortable while it is taking place but we function a lot better once it is done! This is another example of the same concept where God likens us to a plant that he prunes from time to time to bear more fruit. The benefits of a hunter or a soldier cleaning his weapon are increased reliability and accuracy-- increased faithfulness in the spirit!
Godly Principals in Lightning
I started thinking about lightning one day and I started doing some research and it turns out there are also Godly principals in the behavior of lightning. Basically, storm clouds are negatively charged while the ground below has a positive charge. The negative charge is trying to get to the ground below and it will take the path of least resistance to get there, such as a lightning rod or a tall radio antenna. Just like this God is looking to and fro on the earth for the path of least resistance to Him when He wants to display His power on the earth. Also the higher we are in God the more likely we are to be “struck”, like how someone holding up a golf club in a thunderstorm is more likely to be stuck by lightning, or standing on top of a mountain.
Radio Antenna
Something else came to me the other day at church when I saw the people in front of me raise their hands before God. Just like a TV has “rabbit ears” to give it better reception, we also get better “reception” in the Spirit when we raise our hands to God in surrender!
Electical Resistance
Another thing I learned in school is that electrical resistance is related to surface-area. When there is more surface-area of two objects touching each other resistance goes down, and also the other way around, when there is less surface-area of two objects touching each other resistance goes up. If you were to take an electrical cord and cut it in half and strip away the plastic covering on one end and then you plugged the other end into a wall socket, and then you touched the tip of the exposed wire on the first end with the tip of your finger, there would be a very small surface-area of the wire touching your body so the resistance would be high, so a smaller amount of current would flow through your body and you would probably receive a painful but otherwise harmless shock. On the other hand if you took the same cord and wrapped the exposed end around your leg and then plugged it into the same wall socket, there would be a much greater surface area of the wire touching your body so the resistance would be low, so much more current would flow through your body and you would probably be killed. What God showed me was that in the exact same way resistance goes down when surface-area increases, the more conformed we are to His will, the more contact there is between us and Him which lowers our spiritual “resistance” and His power is more easily able to flow through us.
Heat, Pressure, and Time
Heat, Pressure, and Time You might have heard before that diamonds and other precious stones start off as a lump of coal. They are buried deep within the earth where there is intense heat and pressure. Over thousands of years the molecules are slowly rearranged to form something such a a diamond, ruby, emerald, or sapphire. It starts off as something ugly, worthless, and common but over intense heat and pressure over a long period of time it becomes something very beautiful, precious, and valuable. So the next time you are feeling the heat and are under a lot of pressure and there seems to be no end, God is making you one of His diamonds!
The "Tree" of Faith
Seeds sprout into "trees" that yield even more fruit, the seed is in the fruit. For example when we bear the fruit of the Spirit "joy" (which is produced by faith) this is seen and experienced by others around us, the "seed" is planted in them if they receive it and it eventually it grows into a good "tree" in them. The fruit of the Spirit is produced by faith so any fruit of the Spirit that is received and "consumed" by another produces faith in them and ultimately leads them towards Christ!