What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
 
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
 
The Lord said freely He has given now freely we ought to give as well. The Lord has given overly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think. He pours upon His people He has set the standard that we pour just as well upon those He leads us to bless beyond measure. He often asks if you’re empty yet. A full person doesn’t need filling. But when you stay empty (of self) He is able to pour into us spiritually so that you can continually be used to pour into others. By doing such you remain poor in spirit and continue to build the kingdom of Christ and the heavenly mysteries will begin to manifest.

​A God Chaser

​What does covetous practice mean?
 
The Lord often spoke through His prophets warning us not to operate in covetous practices. To covet something means to desire something strongly. When the Lord stated that many would be chastened because of covetousness, He spoke of those in the household of faith who consistently seek after improper desires of the flesh and who are not seeking after pleasing the true and living God. He wants our desires to be pleasing in His sight to build up the kingdom of Christ. He wants us to have nice tings but not to consume and want and desire for the sake of building our own kingdom.. Love doesn’t seek her own.
I Cor 13:4-5
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh not evil;
I Cor 12:31
But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
I Cor 14:1
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
And this we know that Christ is the prophesy and the love and through him we will know the way and our desires will become more in sync with the Holy Spirit as we continue to decrease and seek after the Lord with our whole heart and allow Him to order our steps.
A God Chaser

A passive aggressive approach
 
A passive aggressive approach is good in some situations but in others not so much. Moses started out passive aggressive. He didn’t want to speak to the people. He requested Aaron to speak for him. David, too, was passive aggressive when it came to handling his children and his household, even his enemies he ran from in times when he could have destroyed them. We could call this longsuffering because we don’t desire for any to be destroyed just like Jesus long suffers for us to come to the knowledge of him, the truth. Moses many times was agitated and frustrated by the ignorance and disobedience by the children of Israel but interceded in times where the Lord would have destroyed. Moses did communicate and because of his petition many were saved from the wrath of God. The times when David didn’t effectively petition the Lord there was trouble. We see David petition often before going to war or approaching and running from enemies and when his son was sick. When Uzzah died because of the cart falling, David fled. He didn’t petition the Lord and in the mean time blessings went to another nation until he made another effort.
The Lord greatly desires to communicate with his children and says in many different ways in scripture. Let us put on the whole armour and not fail to persevere in prayer. Regardless of what the situation looks like. Christ wants us to be persistent in prayer and praise. He doesn’t want us to give up so much  or think we have him figured out how he operates. He wants us to seek his face, not his hand and allow his faith to be released on new, higher levels. Stand for the love of Christ without wavering. Sometimes it’s not what it looks like when you activate faith, but if you lack in action and make assumptions about what the Lord isn’t willing to do then you eliminate the Spirit of Christ making a mighty move on your behalf. Avoid being passive aggressive and be a warrior for Christ, proactive.
A Godchaser

A Perspective of Tamar
 
The Lord said He established His throne upon David so to understand the Lord and His desires for a relationship with his children we must look at the life of David. We use David’s testimony and weaknesses to strengthen our life in Christ.
As the Lord introduces Tamar into our lives David has already sinned against the Lord and released a spirit of covetousness upon the household. Amnon is plagued with this spirit and initiates a plan to feed it instead of resisting. The Word of God tells us to resist the devil and he will flee. David has discernment, He’s a warrior, and used to being in the presence of the Lord. Nevertheless, Amnon petitions his father for his sister’s visit. Tamar loves Amnon, her brother and acts in obedience to her father’s instruction. This is her reasonable service. In the process of obedience her brother rapes her and takes away her innocence. There is a garment that the women wore to signify their virginity, so this thing that was done could not be hid. In the midst of this devastating and painful situation she pleads with pure love toward her brother and he answers with hate because the spirit of hate was already present with the spirit of covetousness desiring to destroy her purity. Her spirit is broken…crushed. How can anyone fathom or comprehend the feeling of hurt, pain, and rejection when she came purely in the act of love desiring for her brother to be healed? What did she do wrong? She’s the daughter of a king, after God’s own heart. The Word said David was angry when he received information about what took place. Yet he did nothing. We don’t hear of him petitioning the Lord for Tamar or summoning for Amnon regarding the matter. Two years went by without any action or justice. Where was the comfort for Tamar by her father, the King? We learn of these shortcomings and recognize we have an advocate with the father, Christ Jesus who has paid for these gaps that man made. These situations and these circumstances that Christ wants to be the answer to. He died to be the solution to every situation and to comfort where man cannot. Trust in the Lord is required. We cannot handle things on our own or put confidence in man to handle what the Lord has designed for Christ to get the Glory. Christ wants to be the one you call on. He wants to be your refuge outwardly and inwardly.
II Sam 13:13
She pleads…speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
Just a simple conversation with the king could have saved years of heartache. The Lord wants to be your source, your strength, and your counselor. The Spirit is quenched and even grieved when you don’t give the Lord the opportunity to do the work. Let Him work and lean not toward your own understanding.
 

​-A GodChaser

WITH A REFINING FIRE…
​
MATT 3:11
I INDEED BAPTIZE YOU WITH WATER UNTO REPENTANCE: BUT HE THAT COMETH AFTER ME IS MIGHTIER THAN I, WHOSE SHOES I AM NOT WORTHY TO BEAR: HE SHALL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST, AND WITH FIRE.
WHOSE FAN IS IN HIS HAND, AND HE WILL THROUGHLY PURGE HIS FLOOR, AND GATHER HIS WHEAT INTO THE GARNER; BUT HE WILL BURN UP THE CHAFF WITH UNQUENCHABLE FIRE.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only consuming fire He has blessed us with many gifts and talents. We speak of the Holy Ghost often but nearly as often about the fire that comes with the Holy Spirit. The consuming fire that comes with the Holy Spirit is a refining fire. It brings to the surface everything that isn’t pure and it purifies from the inside out. The true Spirit of God cleanses as you continue to be filled and renews you in Christ as you continue to decrease and allow the Spirit of Christ to increase.
Many people of God question the Lord as if he failed to redeem those He said He would. The work has already been done in the Spirit of truth. However, we must surrender completely. When you have found the real thing it doesn’t involve the world as if you’re missing something. The royal priesthood is sanctified and set apart unto God. When you’ve had enough of the world, the world is not something you ever desire to go back to. Whom the son sets free is truly free indeed. We’re in the world but not of it. The refining fire purifies thoughts and desires for righteousness and the Kingdome of Christ. The refining helps give clean hands and a pure heart. There’s no guilt or shame because Christ said your sins I will remember no more. The Holy Spirit must be the guide. We cannot quench the spirit or grieve the spirit and still expect to grow in Christ and be complete in who God called us to be. You must let the refining fire shed the old man and make things truly new. It is then that you are able to be pleasing to God. If you allow the fire to do His job then we eliminate the excuses and the often repetitive prayers as if the Lord is not doing what He promised. God is a jealous God and yet still gentle. You must make the choice to overcome the flesh and walk in the Spirit of truth. Let the Lord do His job by His Holy Spirit and with fire…His will...His way.

• God Chaser

this is a follow-up to the broadcast

​The people of God chose a king though Christ desired to be their king and so it was the Lord said He would establish his throne in David. David was after God’s own heart but He sinned against the Lord by taking the wife of Uriah unto himself. The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to show his sin and pronounced that the sword would not depart from his household. Years later we see Tamar raped by her own brother Amnon and because of David’s own sin he doesn’t handle the situation with Tamar. Her brother Absolom took her into his home because of the shame. Absolom was angered with the injustice on the king’s part. He had the ability to handle the situation with Amnon and get justice for Tamar but he did not. His father was a king, a mighty warrior, but as a father David was passive toward his responsibility toward his own children. I believe this was because he felt guilt and shame for his own sin which caused these circumstances to come upon his household. We saw David eager and zealous to fast and pray on behalf of his dying son he had with Bathsheba but once his son died he moved on. We don’t see the same passionate petitions to the Lord on behalf of his children like it was in the beginning. It’s as if he lacked zeal because of his sin toward the Lord and that those things that happened with his family were simply consequences that he had to endure.
 However, Absolom was a goodly son and was handsome, a king’s child. However, after experiencing injustice on behalf of his sister Tamar, a king’s daughter, whom he loved, he took initiative to get justice himself instead of surrendering to God and making his own petition to the Lord for his sister’s sake. There is a wrong way to do right. Absolom in his anger decided to go around his father who was being passive in the situation and devised a plot to kill his own brother. Then in the same passion he decided he wants to make sure others get the justice they deserve. He didn’t trust that his father, the king, could fairly judge being that he wouldn’t do it for his own daughter. So Absolom thought he could do a better job in judging the people. He began to stand in the gate giving counsel to the people in need thinking that in his zeal that he could help get judgment more fair than his father the king, David. We know how the account goes where the son attempts to overthrow the Kingdom of God moving against David.
These events were all initiated with the sin of covetous practices with David but could have been avoided with effective communication…prayer…petitioning.
II SAM 12:8
And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and…if that had been too little, I would have given unto thee such and such things.
So that we know that all David had to do was ask his father and it would have been granted. David didn’t communicate his desires with the Lord. He simply took what he wanted and when the Lord allowed some kinks to surface in the plan to create a way of escape for him David chose to manipulate the situation to work in his favor by putting Uriah on the front line. Amnon took his sister. He, too, didn’t make a petition, He didn’t seek the Lord to deliver him from improper desires. He created a plan involving manipulation to get what his flesh desired. Though Absolom wanted righteousness to be done on his sister’s behalf , he eliminated to spirit of God in the situation. He manipulated the situation by inviting all of his brother’s into his plot to kill even if it were for the sake of righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ must be in the midst. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. He will repay. You seek. You sup. Christ will give the increase. You cannot stop trusting in the Lord to fight your battles. Keep praying. Keep praising. The enemy is ever present trying to create circumstances where you will to choose to handle things on your own instead of praying, watching, and trusting. Don’t be cheated out of your blessings because of effectively communicating with the Lord about your situation. Christ desires for the church to be more like David in a way that David recognized his weaknesses as being created by God but he made Christ the source of his strength through every situation and every circumstance. We no longer have to live with guilt and shame because Christ has already paid. However, we still strive for righteousness to give God the glory. Do not give up petitioning just because of sin. Don’t let ineffective communication shut you out of the Kingdom.
-A GodChaser