Joseph of Arimathea

Arimathea is synonymous with Ramah. It speaks of:

1. an elevated place 
2. proper doctrine
3. accuracy of times

Titus 2:1
But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:

John 4:23 - NKJV

²³ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Matthew 27:56-58
⁵⁷ Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.

Evening has come, the Day is spent and we must now focus on the Body of Christ.

Sound doctrine, delivered at the right time, and practiced faithfully brings transformation in the life of the believer.  

Movement from knowledge and belief to actual implementation of the Word of God is the demand for this season.

Joseph II

• Parents must raise children in the ways of God (Deut.6)
• Once you build what God has told you to build, it gives  you dominion.

Joseph

1. Joseph s/o Jacob,
2. Joseph the father of Jesus,
3. Joseph of Arimathea.

The church going forward is a unique church with attributes that enable it fulfill the purposes of God. 

1. Growth. Joseph means growth. Luke 2:52. Grow in spirit, soul and body.
2.  Joseph represents authentic prophetic capacity. Be able to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh, the baker and the pall bearer.
3. Joseph represents apostolic competence. The ability to bring the prophetic word into fulfillment. Joseph had a strategy to implement the Word in Egypt.
4. Joseph represents administration and governance. Formulation of relevant directives for smooth operations. 1 Corinthians 14:40
5. Joseph represents posterity and propagation of life. 
6. Joseph represents the heart of Christ. He represents purity, righteousness and holiness. This is the heart of Christ. It is a heart of forgiveness.

The Miracle of Divine Provision

^{2 Corinthians 9
6} Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

See giving as Seed. .

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

• Purpose in  your heart what to give. If your heart is under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it will give  you the prompting.
• God loves a cheerful giver. 

Impartation

Convey. Transfer. Transmit.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Ephesians 4:7 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/eph.4.7.NKJV

He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Matthew 10:41 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.10.41.NKJV

Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
John 13:20 NIV
https://john.bible/john-13-20

Impartation is not automatic. It's underlied by core values including.
1. Recognition.
2. Acceptance.
3. Receptivity.

Deliberate effort to counter discouraging facts is necessary to lay hold of the promises given.

 A right heart posture is a prerequisite to receiving anything of worth from God.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8 NIV
https://matthew.bible/matthew-5-8

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
Titus 1:15‭-‬16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/tit.1.15-16.NIV

Always keep your heart pure, you will receive treasure in God.

A sincere desire to grow is important.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
I Thessalonians 2:4 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1th.2.4.NKJV

God's Mouthpiece

Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.
Jeremiah 15:19 NIV
https://jeremiah.bible/jeremiah-15-19

Therefore thus says the Lord : “If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, You shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, But you must not return to them.
Jeremiah 15:19 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jer.15.19.NKJV


A prophet moves in the fear of the Lord.

Empowerment
A prophet embraces empowerment, distribution and equipping of the saints. It is an edifying grace.

A prophet creates an environment. He provides safety and justice. #Ramah

Prophet

Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
Genesis 20:7 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/gen.20.7.NKJV

You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord , when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
Exodus 7:2‭-‬5 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/exo.7.2-5.NKJV

The end towards which a prophet points is not himself but unto the Lord.

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them: “Sing to the Lord , For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”
Exodus 15:20‭-‬21 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/exo.15.20-21.NKJV

1. A prophet is a normal/ordinary human inspired by God.
2. A prophet faces normal life challenges.
3. A prophet is named by God.
4. Prophet is a status given by God.
5. A prophet is inspired by God. Genesis 12.
6. A prophet is not a title. It is a function.
7. A prophet is a worshipper. Wherever he went, Abraham built God altars.
8. A prophet hears God and obeys.
9. A prophet has a sacred relationship with God.
10. A prophet believes and walks with God.
11. A prophet contends and deals with relationships.
12. A prophet gets insights into the future. He does not necessarily disclose everything.
13. A prophet has family.
14. A prophet works.
15. A prophet makes intercession.
16. A prophet is prosperous.
17. A prophet has an army.
18. A prophet can make mistakes.

We can all be prophets.

The Language of God

Isaiah 6
Sight (Eye)
Hearing (Ear)
Incidents/Events
Feeling/Touch
T
S

Sight is a powerful tool in God's language.
God would ask the prophets, what do you see? God communicates to us through sight.


“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22‭-‬23 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.6.22-23.NKJV

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Matthew 6:22 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.6.22.KJV

Sight includes visions, dreams, trances, mental images, writings.

For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.
Job 33:14‭-‬18 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/job.33.14-18.NKJV

Acts 10

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
Matthew 20:29‭-‬34 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.20.29-34.NKJV

Hearing
Every entity has an ear and is driven by what is heard.
Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Ecclesiastes 10:20 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/ecc.10.20.NKJV

And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.”
Joshua 24:27 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jos.24.27.NKJV

Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Mark 7:32‭-‬37 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mrk.7.32-37.NKJV
Hearing is connected to speech. What you hear is what you speak about.
Hear the Word of God and you will speak the Word of God.
Physically, in the soul or by the spirit, we can hear God.

What do you hear?
As a person, as a family, as a household.
May we hear God.

Incidents
Demands deliberate enquiry from the Lord.
1 Thess. 5:3-6
Incidents and events are good places to track the voice of God. Birthdays, anniversaries.
Even in negative events of losses, betrayals etc.

Feeling/Touch 
Matthew 9:29
1 Kings 19:19-21

Thoughts
The thoughts that come from God.
Proverbs 12:5
Good thoughts flow from God and lead is closer to God.
Psalm 49:1-3
1 Chronicles 28:9 and 29:18

Smell
Aroma
Incense
Fragrance
Frankincense

Genesis 8:20, 21
2 Corinthians 2:14, 15
Revelation 5:8

POA Prophetic Impressions by Thamo Naidoo

Repentance (change of mindset) never takes you back. It takes you forward to a new/higher place in God.

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
“I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”
Isaiah 42:6-9

Righteousness: compliance with divine design.
Every aspect of our lives has to be righteous by divine measure.

Jesus is our righteousness.

Without foundations, what we seek to do for God would be without root.

God is working through families and households of faith. #Abraham.
This introduces the father-son wine skin.

Prayer and true fasting must come back to the church.
We have to detach/separate ourselves to hear God.

Hearing God

Heed
Establish
Arrange
Release
Integrate
Note
Ground

Take heed what you hear and how you hear. Actions, decisions and assigned responsibilities are based on what and how you hear.

Establish
Confirm with evidence that it is the speaking of God.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:19‭-‬22 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/1th.5.19-22.NIV

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1 NIV
https://1john.bible/1-john-4-1

Arrange
Have the correct sequence of the Word of God.
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Mark 8:34 NIV
https://mark.bible/mark-8-34

Release
Rehearse, recite, declare the speaking of God for realization.

You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.
Job 22:28 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/job.22.28.NKJV


“The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.
Isaiah 50:4‭-‬5 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.50.4-5.NKJV

Not all things you hear are to be said everywhere.

Integrate 
Incorporate other words spoken by God on the same matter.
Words are not spoken in isolation.
You cannot violate one command in breaking another.

Note
Monitor the fulfillment of the word.

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
Malachi 3:16 NIV
https://malachi.bible/malachi-3-16

Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
Habakkuk 2:2 NIV
https://habakkuk.bible/habakkuk-2-2

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV
https://habakkuk.bible/habakkuk-2-3

Ground
Embed and live out the word. Become the prophecy.

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.
1 Timothy 1:18‭-‬19 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/1ti.1.18-19.NIV

Prophecy is determining status and action.


Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12‭-‬13 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/php.2.12-13.NIV

The speaking of God must be worked out.

Defects/distortions in hearing

Genesis 3
The enemy sowed a seed of doubt, having created a relationship with the woman. Doubt comes in a question form. Do not give the devil a foothold.
Distortion.
Exaggeration.


Seeds sowed.
1. Deception.
2. Disobedience.
3. Rebellion.
4. Death.
 Deut. 28:66

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:6‭-‬8 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jas.1.6-8.NKJV

The enemy created enticement and aroused fleshly craving.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
James 1:13‭-‬15 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.1.13-15.NA

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
I John 2:15‭-‬17 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1jn.2.15-17.NKJV

The man failed God.
1. He did not interrupt the conversation.
2. He did not articulate the laws clearly.
3. He did not refuse to eat.

Illegal eyes and a false sense of awareness. 

Hearing God

Hearing God became alien when man fell.
Salvation in Jesus Christ restores the capacity to hear.

Objectives.
1. Define and establish clear doctrine about hearing God.
2. Clarify
3. Develop a capacity to eliminate and filter all mystic misnomers associated with false prophetic positions.
4. Activate the innate prophetic gift given to everyone.
5. Affirm. Consolidate the gains.

God's Command

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 English Standard Version (ESV)

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

The Origin of Accurate Hearing & Hearing Defects

Matthew 19:8 English Standard Version (ESV)
8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

Genesis 1:26-31 English Standard Version (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man[a] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God:
1. Declared intent.
2. Created man.
3. Blessed him.
4. Spoke to the man.
5. Placed man in the garden.
6. Commanded him.
7. Gave him the consequences of disobedience.

Deductions.
1. It is human and normal to be blessed of the Lord.
2. It is human and normal for man to hear God. Hearing God should be as normal as breathing.
3. To be prophetic.
Numbers 11.
4. To have a context. A set of circumstances that surround our lives.
5. To obey God within the context.
6.To suffer for violation. Choices have consequences.

If we hear God, we must obey. Hearing and obedience are interrelated.

Romans 12:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)
A Living Sacrifice
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]


Issues of Image
Colossians 1:15
Hebrews 1:3
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
3 The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s [a]crib;
But Israel does not know,
My people do not [b]consider.”

Hindrances to Migration

1. Wrong Mindsets. 2 Corinthians 10:5
(a) Superstition
(b) Tradition.
(c) Sentimental mindset. So attached to a place that you go astray. Nehushtan.
(d) Illogicality. We move not by sight but by faith.
(e) Toxic mindset. Containing poison. Such Mindsets lack purity.

2. Wrong Company. 1 Kings 11:1-5

3. Absence of faith. Faith dispels fear, propels the believer to take risks.
Mark 10:50-52.
Hebrews 11:6

4. Rebellion. Plain disobedience to the Word of God.
Jonah
1 Samuel 15:22

5. The Flesh.
1 Corinthians 10:5-11
To be carnally minded is death.
Spiritual life. Romans 8 and Galatians 5.

6. Ignorance. Hosea 4:6. 2 Kings 17:32-33
Ignorance and fear led to idolatry.

7. The spirit of fear. The ten spies feared the giants in the land. This inhibited their migration.
Numbers 13:32-33.

8. Material comfort and security.
Luke 12:19-20
It is wrong to trust in riches.

9. The spirit of control
The prophetic voice accelerates migration into the current speaking of God. But the spirit of Jezebel is antagonistic to the prophetic.

10. Spiritual deafness.
Matthew 13:13-16

A lack of sensitivity to the things of God hinders our migration.

Examples of Inaccurate Migration.
1. Demas. 2 Timothy 4:10

2. Elimelech. My God is King. Ruth 1:1-2
Elimelech died in the place of inaccuracies.

3. Lot. Genesis 10:10-13.
Jordan. To descend/decline. Lot descended. He sank to a lower level.
Sodom. Burning.
Gomorrah. Submerged.
Lot camped near the place of sin. His righteous soul was vexed.

4. Abram. Genesis 12:10-11
He left the promised land to go to Egypt. There he acquired Hagar and subsequently had Ishmael.

5. The young Prophet. 1 Kings 13:14-17.
He went to Bethel but in violation of the Word of God. He ended in tragedy.
The thing/system/friend/order that tempts you against God is the very thing/system/friend/order that pronounces judgment upon you.

6. Jacob. Genesis 33 & 34.
Don't try to authenticate an illegality by spiritualizing it.
Instead of going to Hebron, he went to Shechem.

We must wage a good war against hindrances to Migration.

Lauren Daigle - Light Of The World (Lyric Video)

Planetshakers | Light of the World

ANTHEM: Strategies for Fighting Lust

Lust
A desire that we should not have because it is untethered from the purifying effects of Christ and is therefore directed to the wrong object or is so out of proportion or unsuited to its object as to disorder our thoughts or feelings or actions.

Christ centered, gospel rooted strategies for overcoming lust:
Avoid
No
Turn
Hold
Enjoy
Move

Avoid
2 Tim 2:19-22
But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal, "The Lord knows those who are his," and "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

• What sort of situations have defiling effects on our desires?

Romans 13:12-14

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on  the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh , to gratify its desires.

• Avoid the stimulus and associations that drag us towards lust. 

Blessed are the pure in heart-001

• Jesus is concerned with our heart. It is not enough to clean up our act on the outside.
• The aim of Jesus Christ is not reform the manners of society, but to change the hearts of sinners.
• The heart is what you are, in the secrecy of your thought and feeling, when nobody knows but God.
• What you are at the invisible root matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch.
• Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
• From the heart are all the issues of life.
• The heart is utterly crucial to Jesus. What we are in the deep, private recesses of our lives is what he cares most about.
• Jesus did not come into the world because we have bad habits that need to be broken. He came into the world because we have such dirty hearts that need to be purified.

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/blessed-are-the-pure-in-heart

Tithes, Offering & Firstfruits - Mensa Otabil - 001A

First Principles (Genesis)

Offering: minha

1. Gift: given without expecting anything in return. Can be given to show appreciation or affection. It is not a requirement. It is a free will offering.
2. Tribute: payment owed to a higher authority. It is a requirement e.g. by kings. Taxes are modern day form of tribute. If you don't pay tribute, you are offending the sovereign e.g. state. It is compulsory.
3. Sacrifice: surrendering something that has value. It is costly to the giver. It is given to show deep love and honor.

Fruit: 

1. Produce: something that has been grown. It involves work and effort. Has resulted from growth and/or development. Your work is your fruit. It is what you produce as a result of your effort.
2. Reward: payment received for work done e.g. fees, commissions, salaries, bonuses.
3. Increase: investment income, interest, capital gains etc.

Cain's offering was from the fruit of the ground. It was the fruit of his handiwork. "This is the fruit of my labor." Abel gave of the firstborn of the animals/flock and their fat. Both gave an offering that was the fruit of their labor. So, if both gave legitimate offering, why is one accepted and the other rejected?

God Demonstrates His Love

God shows [demonstrates] his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

Notice that "demonstrates" is present tense and "died" is past tense. God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The present tense implies that this demonstrating is an ongoing act.

The past tense implies that the death of Christ happened once for all and will not be repeated.

Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.
1 Peter 3:18


...suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame...
Romans 5:3-5

(The goal of everything God takes us through is hope. He wants us to feel unwaveringly hopeful through all tribulations).

Suffering >> Endurance >> Character >> Hope

How is that possible?
...because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5

God's love has been poured into our hearts.
The tense of this verb means that God's love was poured out in our hearts in the past (at our conversion) and is still present and active.

God did demonstrate his love us in giving his own Son to die once for all in the past, for our sins. But he also knows that this past love must be experienced as a present reality if we are to have patience and character and hope.

Therefore, he not only demonstrated it on Cavalry; he goes on demonstrating it now by the Spirit in our hearts. He does this by opening the eyes of our hearts to taste and see the glory of the cross and the guarantee it gives that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Buy the Future

• Jacob buys the future. He uses what he has today to acquire his future destiny. He uses the little he has today to acquire greatness in the future. He chooses what he can become over what he already is.
• When you sit to negotiate, and you are only concerned about the emergency you are in now; be assured that you will have an Esau situation thrust upon you.
• Esau cried for a reversal but it was not possible. The birthright had already been transacted away.
• Take care not to sign away something and find that you will never never recover it.
• Be very careful what you sign away.
• Esau sells the future. He mortgages his future in order to have something to eat today. He mortgages future greatness in order to have little pleasures today. He chooses what he has now over what he can become. 
• Africa is poor by choice.
• Don't negotiate when you are tired. If you are about to make an important decision under fatigue, ask for time out.
• Tired and hungry, Esau's eyes were fixed on one thing. 
• There are alternatives. If you don't like it, look somewhere else. Don't just get stuck with one thing because that is what was offered to you. If you don't like it, you can move on.
• Don't exaggerate your need. You will not die just because you missed that one deal. The sun will rise again tomorrow.
• Why pin everything on that one deal? Why allow one situation to define your entire life?
• Try not be desperate. Do not let any one situation to be too important that you can't give it up.
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