Saturday, January 10, 2026

In His Likeness and Image

 

In His Likeness And Image

 

In the last lessons we discussed subjects dealing with supernatural powers, great evil that has been unleashed upon the world, how we are to position ourselves in Yeshua Jesus, how such positioning gives us authority over this evil and how important it is for us to discover that we are called and can, “Play Above The Rim”. Before we go any further in conveying this message, I want to point out that I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for the follower of Yeshua Jesus to develop and maintain courage and a steadfastness in faith, belief and obedience to the principles of the Kingdom of heaven. This does include voluntarily taking on the full character of Yeshua, Jesus, the Christ child of Nazareth and abiding in the laws of the living God of the children of Israel. This while making your temple a holy and acceptable place for the Holy Spirit of God to inhabit.

To those who desire to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus, in His glory, He says this, “Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?  Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:21,

“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils”.

John the Baptist tells us in Matthew 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”:

This is the cup of Jesus. To be set apart, a light upon a hill for all to see. To be a passionate disciple of God steadfast in His word, a vessel of the Holy Spirit, tried and refined by fire. To be a hearer and doer of the word of God, worshiping Him only and walking with miracles signs and wonders following as you heal the sick, cleanse the leper, cast out devils, raise the dead, freely receiving and freely giving, while you bind up the broken hearted, visit the widows and orphans in their afflictions, deliver the gospel of God when led, give drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked visit the sick and imprisoned. To overcome and defeat wickedness at even the highest levels. All the while voluntarily being willing to suffer and endure all manner of troubles, afflictions and persecutions that the world will attempt to heap upon you yet doing His works anyway for the love of God. All of this not because of, but rather regardless of knowing full well for you is life more abundant, heavenly rewards in this life and after, and at the end of the race, life everlasting in a room in a mansion of your Father in heaven, prepared for you by the Holy King, Jesus.

Genesis 1:26-27

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

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

Now it may be hard for some to understand however in a biblical sense, being made in His likeness and image gives the follower of God access to His power and authority on a level that when anointed, proclaimed and exercised, can seem foolish and confounding to religious minds. It is written in,

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

 

Jesus said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”.

He went on to teach His followers this, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

As a follower of Jesus, you begin to take on His characteristics. You begin to shine as a light that the darkness cannot comprehend. As a follower grows in belief and faith their countenance becomes like Christ Jesus and we know that He and God are one. We also know that the way to the Father is through the son, Jesus. So, by aligning ourselves with Yeshua, Jesus, the Christ child of Nazareth, we grow nearer to God and become more of and example of the likeness and image of God the Father, Jesus the son and the Holy Spirit. Now hear me I am not advocating that we become God. We certainly are not omnipotent, omnipresent and all mighty. The clay cannot become the Potter. However, I am saying that the nearer we draw to God the nearer He draws to us and nearer we are to God the more we begin to exhibit His attributes.

The biggest obstacle in the way of mans ability to operate at the spiritual and natural levels God intends for us is unbelief. Faith in the existence of God is paramount to the believer. Belief that Jesus is the son of the living God is paramount to the follower of Jesus. Believing that we can become children of God and joint heirs with Jesus is paramount to the believer who chooses to receive all three, believe all three and believe that you were made in the image and likeness of all three. The more the clay submits to the Potter the more the Potter can shape the clay in into the likeness the Potter desires. Consider the following.

1John 5:5-7

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

John 1:10-13

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Galatians 3:26-27

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Romans 8:14-17

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The devils, unbelievers of the world and even the many unbelievers who stand in the pulpits week after week and year after year cannot identify with being a child of God and the power and authority that comes through faith, belief and the adoption of such principles.

It is written, ”Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not”.

The devils cannot comprehend this either, even though they know Him. Just as Jesus is the light, in him you become the light and the darkness comprehends you not.

Do you believe there is an all-mighty God? Do you believe He has a son and that son is in Him and is Him and that He is Yeshua, Jesus the Christ Child of Nazareth? Do you believe that together with them is the Holy Spirit? Do you believe that through Jesus is the way to the Father? Do you believe that through Jesus and in obedience to God you will receive the Holy Spirit and that through following Jesus you will become a joint heir to the inheritance of Jesus? If you believe all of this than believe His words.

Jesus, the word from the beginning sent by God said,

John 5:45-47

45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.

47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

John 12:44-45

44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.

45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

John 8:51

51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

 Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords with all authority in heaven and on earth, one with God and creator of all things spoke this over His devout followers.

Mark 11:23

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

John 14:12-17

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

 Matthew 21:18-22

18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 Mark 16:16-18

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

 In Matthew 10:8 Jesus called and empowered His disciples to,

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

 Luke 17:5-6

5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

 Faith is essential! The word of God teaches that with out faith it is impossible to please God, we see this in the following.

 Hebrews 11:6

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 Romans14:22-23

22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

 And when the disciples of  Jesus exhibited a lack of faith, he chastened them. We see this here in,

 Matthew 17:14-21

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

 Thousands of years before Jesus, mankind exercised great faith and, in the likeness, and image of God accomplished great achievements. Even achievements that seemed to surprise God. Consider the following.

Genesis 11:1-6

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

 Earlier believers Had faith that the Lord would win their battles for them and He did. Not only did He win their battles but He enriched them with the spoils of their enemies.

 2 Chronicles 20:13-25

13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

 2Chronicles 32:7-22

7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:

8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9 After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,

10 Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?

11 Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?

13 Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand?

14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?

15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

16 And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah.

17 He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.

18 Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.

19 And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.

20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

21 And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.

Paul teaches us this in,

2Corinthians 10:3-6

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

And,

Ephesians 6:11-18

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

 When we come to the awareness that most of the battles we fight while walking as Christ, are waged in the heavenlies such awareness makes us much more effective in the battle. When we discover who we truly are in Christ Jesus we find that we become much more victorious in those battles. And, the effectively fought battles and victories won in the heavenlies will manifest in our favor in the natural.

In the book of Daniel, we find evidence of the heavenly battles that can and do take place. Daniel was in need of a message regarding a vision he had. The Angel Gabriel was sent to deliver said message. However, he was delayed for twenty one days as he was wrestling with the Prince of Persia. Consider the following.

Daniel 9:21-23

21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

 Daniel 10:1-21

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.

2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;

5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.

16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.

17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.

18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,

19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.

21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

While Gabriel wrestled with the prince of Persia, he had to call on the Angel Michael to assist him in escaping the Prince of Persia. Gabriel also discusses the Prince of Grecia. The prince of Persia is in fact a principality. He is a ruler of the darkness of this world, He is a wicked spiritual power over Persia which is known today as Iran and parts of Iraq and turkey. While the Prince of Gracia is the demonic ruler over Greece.

An interesting side note when discussing this subject is that the seat of Satan is discussed in the Bible in the book of Revelation. In,

Revelation 2:12-13

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

The seat of Satan is in Pergamos. Pergamos or Pergamon was an ancient Greek and Roman city located in what is now known as modern day Turkey. The ruins of Pergamon are located in and around the town of Bregama located about sixteen miles from the Aegean Sea. As the location of one of the seven churches mentioned in Asia Pergamos was also known as a powerful Hellenistic capital, famous for its acropolis library, Asclepieion healing center, and altar of the Greek pagan sun god.

Now the bible makes mention of other accounts of the exploits of Angels, such as in,

Revelation 12:7-11

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Now biblically there are supernatural wars in the heavenlies and as we discovered in the last teaching, by the testimony of Elisha, we can, by faith, catch a glimpse in to the spiritual realm. This is happening all of the time but people are not aware of what they are truly witnessing.

But going back to Jesus and walking in his character and in faith and belief we have been given the power and authority to overcome wickedness in battle. God established this in the beginning between the serpent and Eve when he proclaimed this in,

Genesis 3:14-15

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

As a joint heir, and brother or sister to Christ Jesus, the head of the serpent will always be in for a bruising from our heel. When in Christ Jesus, like the angels, we too can cast down the old serpent and overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony; and by not loving our own lives unto the death. And if we need to, just like Jesus we can call upon assistance from the Holy angels.  Remember what Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people when they came to arrest him? It is written,

“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels”?

The only obstacles for the believer in Christ Jesus to prevent us from doing the works as he inspires us to do, and the works as he did, are to walk as he does, and have faith and belief in His word. The choice is yours. Stir up your faith and decide, are you going to believe?

Be blessed, prepare to soar, prepare to play above the rim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Play Above The Rim

 

Play Above The Rim


1Kings 18: 36-40

36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

 2Kings 6:1-7

1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.

3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

Exodus 14: 15 - 21

15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

2Kings 6: 8 - 20

8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.

20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

Joshua 6:1-5,20

1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

1Samuel 17:48-51

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Judges 4:18-21

18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.

19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.

21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

Acts 3:1-2,6-8

1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

 Acts 5:12-16

12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

These are but a few of the mighty exploits performed by people of God who were devoted to following and serving Him. As always, I encourage you to dive into the word of God to explore these exploits in context. When you do I believe you will find some common traits in those men and women who did powerful works for the kingdom of heaven. You see one of those traits was they believed in God, another was that they exhibited faith unfeigned. They were courageous and righteous, but perhaps, above all else, they desired that the works they displayed and the miraculous outcomes would lead the people to God, as evidenced in the prayer of Elijah.

“Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again”.

Their desire was that God was recognized not they. Their desire was that by their actions and interactions with God and by partnering with Him in miracles signs and wonders the people would be blessed, and enriched, not them. And yes, I did say partnering. I teach this often, when it comes to miracles signs and wonders, you are the other half of the equation. This is not to say that God does not perform miracles autonomously because he does. However, God does want to perform them through you as well. It is by this a full picture of what a relationship with God can become as witnessed by the unbeliever.

When moses cried out to God about their situation, when he and the Israelites were trapped against the red sea shore and Pharaohs army was closing in, God asked Moses why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to move, raise your staff and part the waters, as if to say use what I have given you. Your faith and courage plus a right relationship with God will equal miracles signs and wonders flowing through you. I know this by experience.  But take heed, unless you develop the right relationship you may end up bringing discouragement and discontent between God and His people.

When I first became a seeker/follower of Yeshua, Jesus the Christ Child of Nazareth. I was met by the Holy Spirit in a worship session. This was at a time in my life when I sincerely needed to find solace and meaning, it was a matter of life and death. At first the situation was an extreme embarrassment for me. An embarrassment so grave that I almost walked out never to return to that particular gathering again, but the Lord really worked on my heart that day through others and I was lit on fire. I began removing unseemly influences from my life. I committed myself to diligently studying the word of God and attending meetings, prayer sessions, sermons and worship sessions. A hunger for Kingdom principals and the knowledge thereof took up all of my free time. I dedicated my life to the pursuit of not just knowing the word or being a hearer of the word but being a doer of the word as well. I fasted and prayed and studied while observing from the background every ministry I encountered. In the midst of this my discernment began to grow and I began to have dreams, vivid dreams, dreams that came to fruition to a degree so compelling that I became to know God was speaking to me. I knew by my studies that my dreams were prophetic. Some dreams were literal and some mostly symbolic and some a mix.  In this time, God began to make known to me information about the condition of His church today. As I said, in my hunger I attended many different functions. I witnessed many people evangelizing the gospel and “practicing their faith”. Unfortunately, for me, what I began to witness was that the disorder in the body was greater than the order that should be. Messages being preached were out of alignment with scripture, and people were acting out biblical teachings with little to no effectual results.

I once watched a video discussion by some men who were portrayed as great leaders of the faith at that time. Some were very popular. These people were charismatic with large followings on social media. During this session a question was posed to the group and that question went something like this, “Why when you lay hands on the sick and pray, it doesn’t always work”? While most were really speechless in answering this question one spoke up to say, I don’t know why it doesn’t always work, but in faith I keep trying anyway.

Much of the bible contains instructions for life that the believer should adhere to and do every moment of every day. Things that once you are told to do you do not have to wait for permission to repeat or flow in in everyday life. Now there are exploits, instructions and examples of how believers should conduct themselves in certain situations that are not so straight forward. These are circumstantially led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself taught this,

“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.  When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things”.

We are to walk like Him. Jesus only did what the father instructed Him to do and said what the Father instructed Him to say. Since His departure we have the option of receiving the Holy Spirit through obedience to God and by the prayers of Jesus. This is the Spirit of the living God. Pray for them but remember, not every sick is to be healed. Pray for them but remember, not every dead is to rise in this life. Not every devil is to be cast out. Some devils are tares which we are instructed not to pull up and some, if you cast out before the appointed time will reinhabit that person it was removed from and bring along with it seven others more wicked than it. If you have no relationship with the Holy Spirit and you move to act in these circumstances without His specific instruction, the ineffectiveness of your operations will bring disappointment and lack of faith to witnesses. Acting for your own glory and popularity can bring discord amongst the brethren which is something no one should desire to do for a bringer of discord amongst the brethren is one who God hates. A simple rule of thumb is Ask in prayer, test the spirits, listen to the Holy Spirit, if you're not told don't do, if you're not sent don't go.

These signs follow those who believe on Jesus. This includes only doing and saying what the Father tells you. When God gives you a specific instruction and you move to follow it out just as He instructs what goes with you is His spirit and the full authority and power to accomplish the task. The group of evangelists described above primarily acted for self-glorification and personal notoriety. They are not primarily interested in serving God for the purposes of others witnessing His glory and turn their heart back again, to Him.

Last week we discussed nearly unbelievable exploits of power demonstrated by the darkness of this world. At some point mankind is going to have to come to terms again with knowing the existence of the spiritual realm and the dangers associated in not confronting the darkness that can come out of it. Elisha could see into it the spiritual realm and see the armies of God that were with Him. I pray that you can visualize this believe it and see it for yourself. Also, I implore you to understand this, regardless of the display of great power by spiritual wickedness, when in Yeshua, Christ Jesus, the power you are called to operate in far exceeds that of anything wickedness can produce. The key to this is making your spirit man connect to God through the Holy Spirit. This will cause a change in your flesh and soul that allows a complete partnering with God to perform at higher levels as His witness, for His glory. This is playing above the rim.

The phrase playing above the rim was first termed to describe athletes in basketball. These are those who excelled far beyond their competitors by having the ability and strength to jump high enough to dunk a basketball unimpeded by those who could not. Playing above the rim now has generally come to mean operating or playing at a level that is far above what others do. This includes using ways and strategies that are not fathomed by most all other people.

When we first moved into the ROC, we were beset upon by other churches who did not want us to worship or minister in any capacity here. With out getting into too much detail, pastors from the largest churches in the area started a campaign to have us removed. There were gossips, rumors and petitions submitted to the public. There were complaints to the city, attempts to get our house condemned due to structural concerns. The list went on and on it seemed.

In the midst of that time of confrontations God gave me a dream and to the best of my recollection, it went like this,

I was in an out-door basketball court just dribbling and shooting the basketball randomly. After a few shots I decided to try a few layups. As I went up for my first layup I found my self chest level with the rim. To my amazement I slam-dunked the ball and landed softly back on the court. This started me on a series where I was just jumping and slamming the ball.

As this went on, my younger brother entered the court while watching me dunk. On one try, I jumped so high that my feet were even with the rim so I actually had to shoot down to make the basket. When I softly landed my brother came to me with a look of aw and unbelief on his face. He began asking me, how are you doing this, how is it possible, and can you show me? I responded by saying I’m not sure how. I just started jumping and I found out I could play above the rim. Each time I tried I just got higher and higher. I think its God teaching me to play above the rim. I think if you believe you can, you will be able to as well. Do you want to try? I asked. He said yes. Excitedly, he took the ball in his hands and approached the hoop. He leaped into the air and just as it seemed like my brother was going to dunk the basketball a man who resembled our earthly father walked onto the court. He looked at my brother with stern disapproval and just as my brother saw him, he stopped midair, all of the excitement flew out of him and he came crashing down on the court. After that, I watched my brother get up with a sad dejected look on his face then walk to our dad and I watched as they both walked off the court as my brothers head hung down.

I walked off the court and down the street to a cul-de-sac. At the end of the cul-de-sac on the other side of the side walk was a path worn into the grass. I felt drawn to this path but as I got to it I saw that it was over grown with thick brush. I decided to work my way through the brush. It took great effort. I was pushing, branches were snapping and slapping me until I finally broke through into a small grass carpeted clearing. The path had led me into a forest that was densely overgrown by a canopy of tree branches that started at about fifteen feet high and stretched upward, how far I could not tell because the view was obscured by the branches. At the other end of the clearing was a massive Gemsbok or (Oryx). Her markings and lines were crisp. She was remarkably beautiful. When our eyes met there was no fear, I knew she was there to help me in some way because what I saw in her eyes was care. Like she was there to care for me. As she looked at me, she made a head motion as if to say, come, follow me. Just as I moved in her direction, she leaped up into the canopy. I leaped up after her. As we ascended, I could hear the loud snapping of heavy branches. I could see them falling all around me as she was breaking through but her massive body shielded me from the debris. I looked up just in time to see that she had made a large hole through the branches. There were blue skies with whisps of clouds. As she went through, she flew off to my right. I was soon to ascend up through the hole she had made and when I did, I turned to fly in the direction I saw her go. I found my self drifting over a vast forest, tree tops as far as the eye can see. I was some distance above the tree tops but I could not see her any longer. I flew for some time to see if she had made a hole down through the canopy anywhere marking a landing spot but I found none so I flew on until the dream ended.

So, as I stated earlier, we were under persecution. Pastors from the largest ministry in our region were petitioning the city to shut us down and declare the building structurally unsound. Because of this, the city requested that we have the building inspected by a licensed engineer to validate the structural integrity of our building. They contended that if we were able to produce a letter from such, that it would satisfy the city requirements and mitigate the issue.

In the church we previously attended, in the men’s group, I had come to be friends with a young structural engineer. I contacted him and invited him over to discuss the city’s request. When we met again, we began catching up on events that had transpired since we had last seen each other. We shared stories and I witnessed to him some of the miracle’s signs and wonders we were experiencing, especially how we received the building and the dreams that prophetically spoke of us receiving it, in detail, nearly one and a half years prior. We spent hours climbing through the building, mapping its foot print and drawing plans. My friend expressed how he wanted to be a part of what we were doing and that his opinion was that the building was structurally sound, however he had a senior associate that he worked under that would have to come and verify the condition himself.

The senior associate did, in fact, come and inspect the building. They together informed me that they would discuss the issue and how to move forward. They conveyed that they would contact me to let me know when I could come to their office and discuss their findings. To me the outlook was good. I knew God moved us in and instructed us in what to do. We were wading through and prevailing over one attack after another.

After a few days I got a call from my friend the engineer. He called to verify an appointment for us to meet at their firm’s office on a Monday. When that day came, I went to their office building which was a new steel building mostly open on the inside. There were really no divider walls past the reception area. My friend met me at the reception door and escorted me back to his desk. There were a few desks scattered throughout the building.

As I entered, I noticed that there were trophy mounts hanging on the walls, taking up most of the wall space as we walk to his desk, I saw that the senior engineer that had met us a few days before was sitting at another desk across the room. We exchanged greetings. As I sat in the chair across the desk from my friend we began to make small talk, you know the usual like how have you been, how is the wife and children, how was your weekend, who’s the hunter?….. Then when we finished with the small talk I said bluntly, so, have you decided about drafting a letter to the city for me? As I asked my friend looked at the senior associate. Just as he did, I did . We both saw the look of disapproval on his face then I turned to my friend. It looked like some life left his countenance. I asked again are you going to write the letter for me? He bowed his head a moment then looked up at me and spoke. My boss does not want to get involved; he doesn’t want to write a letter for you. My heart sank a bit, I thought for sure they were on board. I looked over at his boss. He would not make eye contact. However, as I looked in his direction, I noticed, high on the wall above where he sat was the trophy mount of a massive beautiful Gemsbok. I sat for a moment taking in the experience, the build up and the ultimate rejection. I stood up said thank you very much and walked out.

I walked out onto the side walk and called Tomika to deliver the unfavorable news. Our only option at that point was to press in and pray and find another engineer. So, we did both. There is a man in our community whom I had known about since before I left California, to move to Idaho. As I was searching for engineering firms, I found his name listed in the business section as a licensed structural engineer. I was surprised to find that he wasn’t only a local politician but an engineer as well. I called his firm and explained the situation. He responded immediately and showed up with another young engineer from his office. He said he was familiar with the building somewhat as he had read about it in the papers. After inspecting the building, he agreed to write the letter. Not only did he agree to write the letter, he agreed to provide us with any necessary engineering services for free when it came time to do the major renovations.

Now, this man was going through persecutions of his own.  As a staunch patriot he was always under attack in his private life and political career as well. We invited him to a prayer and worship night where we prayed for his protection and advancement. Today he is an Idaho state Senator.

 Playing above the rim. You see now how that dream became a prophetic encouragement. The time on the court signified the amazing things we were experiencing by a relationship with God. My brother was my engineering friend. Through the testimonies he wanted to be a part of what we were doing and experience the same. The dad figure was the senior associate. He did not want my brother to exercise that level of faith. My friend felt the disapproval. His boss is a natural man who it seems to me is governed more by assurances and fear of liability, while unable to receive assurances by faith and unable to walk in the contest of it. For to the flesh and soul of an unbeliever walking by faith is risky business. But we who are followers choose to walk by faith, not by sight. 

It is written, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man”.

So, as this episode in our lives was unfolding, I was greatly encouraged by God. Soon after I saw the Gemsbok on the wall of the office, I knew I was going to have to fight for a bit to walk a path that led to a clearing. The Gemsbok represents a swift pursuit of God and is symbolic of our walk with him. In the moment of perceived defeat, I had a choice. Give up or soar, the choice was clear, God said soar above it all. So, we took flight and have spent much time soaring ever sense.

As many of you might have read we have a prophetic word of guidance for this year.

“There are many major changes happening and more coming. Changes for the overall good”. Prepare to play above the rim.  12/21/2025

Just remember, you must be careful when playing above the rim because when you are above the rim, everyone can see you. You are no longer lost in the crowd on the court but raised up to be and example, a light on a hill. You are highlighted to witness for His glory.

In all of our interactions, our overall desire should be as the prophet prayed, “Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again”.

 

 Be Blessed