Dr. Terry Threadwell's Blog

“Look among the nations and watch– Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.  (Hab 1:5-9 NKJ)

According to Paul and elsewhere in the Bible (a list is included at the end of this devotion) there is a spiritual entity for everything, especially those things that work against the will of God.  These spiritual forces that have their own hierarchy. They become the foot in the door for these dark forces to enter, a nation, a city, family or individual.

Here in Habakkuk, he confesses, “For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth.  (Hab 1:3-4 NKJ) Plundering, violence, strife, and contention.  Together they bound up law and justice.

Why were such an evil people the Chaldeans allowed to march in? “They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. “They all come for violence.” (Hab 1:9) They came because Violence had sent the invitation.

So be careful what and who or what you invite into your life.

Spirit of Bondage: (Rom. 8:15)

Spirit of Heaviness/Depression/Despair: (Isa. 61:3)

Spirit of Infirmity: (Lk. 13:11)

Spirit of Fear: (2 Tim. 1:7)

Spirit of Divination (Witchcraft/Satanism): (Deut. 18:10)

Spirit of Lust: (Matt. 5:28)

Spirit of Sexual Perversion: (Isa. 19:14)

Spirit of Jealousy: (Num. 5:14)

Controlling Spirit:

Rebellious Spirit:

Rebellion against authority of any kind, disobedient, won’t listen, prideful, sassy, stubborn, witchcraft.

Antichrist Spirit: (1John 4:3)

Spirit of Anger: (Eph. 4:26)

Insanity Spirit: (Mk. 5:3-5)

Destructive Spirit:

Unclean Spirit: (Foul Spirit): (Mk. 5:8)

Deaf & Dumb Spirit: (Mk. 9:17)

Spirit of Python and Legion: (Lk. 8:30)

Lying Spirit: (I Kings 22:23)

Self-righteous Spirit:

Tormenting Spirit: (1John 4:18)

Spirit of Pride/Haughtiness: (Prov. 16:18)

Spirit of Beial: (1Sam. 2:12 & 2Cor. 6:15)

Spirit of Blasphemy: (Matt. 26:74)

A Familiar Spirit: (Lev. 20:6)

Spirit of Sorcery: (2Cron. 33:6)

The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. (Hab 1:1-4 NKJ)

Habakkuk asks the Lord, “why do you show me iniquity and cause me to see trouble?” The prophet sees so much violence; I believe God gives him discernment to see it exactly how God sees it.  So much so that it becomes a burden, and he cries out.  The cry is not a whimper, but a shout, screaming out to God. It appears that God is not hearing, I believe God is responding by asking Habakkuk, ‘what are you going to do about it?

God’s response was to show Habakkuk that the level of evil in society had opened the door for the Chaldeans to come marching. Habakkuk was surprised and continues to put the blame back on God, but perhaps Habakkuk needed to realize that God’s people are responsible for the society in which they live and that the prophet unction requires more than just prayer, it requires action, involvement, and investment.

“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” (1Sa 13:14 NKJ)

The second half of this story is a young boy caring for his father’s sheep, playing his favorite instrument, writing a few songs, and occasionally having to fend off the occasional wild animal that tried to attack the sheep. A trait that would serve him well, but right now, he was a long way from the king’s palace.  David would later write, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. (Psa 139:13-16 NKJ)

Getting from where you are to where God wants you can be a journey, but hold on, if God has spoken it, it will happen.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Mat 5:13-16 NKJ)

I don’t eat salt or add salt to food when I am cooking unless the food is really bland, like potatoes. If I am out somewhere and I eat I can taste the salt if it has been added.  My wife, Ann, will add extra salt to her fries. The other day we were at Burger King, and she suggested I finish her fries.  Not thinking, I obliged. Instantly my taste buds were aware of the presence of salt on the fries.  There was no doubt in my mind; I could taste the salt and plenty of it.

Some herbs and spices are delicate or mild, but salt makes a full-on assault on our mouth. So, can salt lose it’s flavor? The answer is no! Sodium Chloride is very stable. However, it is soluble, and if it is exposed to water, it will dissolve.  All that would be left were the compounds that unscrupulous merchants added to make it seem more.

As Christians, we need to keep our lives pure, and not polluted with religion or watered down by the world. Humankind needs to know the truth and be in no doubt when the truth has been added.

And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.” So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please conduct a seance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.” Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”  And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” So he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down. (1Sa 28:6-14 NKJ)

The Lord wasn’t speaking to Saul because of his continued disobedience, so Saul decides to call upon the services of a medium.  Forbidden by the Mosaic law and removed earlier from the land by Saul, he asks his servants to find him one.  He disguises himself and comes to the medium at En Dor.  She asks him whom he needs to speak to, and he tells her to call up Samuel.

She sees a spirit coming from the ground and Saul perceives it to be Samuel, only it wasn’t. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of Lazarus. “Then he cried and said, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and you are tormented. `And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ (Luk 16:24-26 NKJ) Nobody crosses over! However, if you are desperate, the devil is always ready and willing to oblige.  The spirit gave Saul a false prophetic word that drained the life, the hope, and faith from Saul, so much so that the next day it was fear that took Saul’s life not the Philistines.

Need a word from the Lord?  Then wait on the Lord till he answers.  Don’t give the devil the opportunity to steal, kill and destroy by sowing seeds of doubt, fear and falsehood into your life.

The burden of ruling without God affected his mental health.

Then Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.” Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. (1Sa 15:22-24 NKJ)

Saul saw himself as the source of everything, even seeing himself as superseding God, much to his demise. Saul was not just, being persuaded by the will and opinions of the people.  Such a burden placed him at odds with God, who only required obedience.

Would America function as a theocracy, a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God? Of the top seven countries, six are Islamic; only the Vatican operates as a theocracy. The thought of the Church ruling, claiming to hear from God is scary.  Even scarier is the fact that democracy’s in the US and across Europe are failing with 46% of the US population happy to hand over control to a ‘Saul’ like figure.

 http://www.pewglobal.org/2017/10/16/globally-broad-support-for-representative-and-direct-democracy/

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-theocratic-governments-today.html

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/nordic-countries-top-democratic-rankings-2017/

So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king.  And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. “He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.  “He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.  “And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.  “He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.  “And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.  “He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.  “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” (1Sa 8:10-18 NKJ)

Israel’s criteria for choosing a king was material and not spiritual.  The LORD warned them that such a person would take and add nothing.  In fact, in this portion of scripture, six times Samuel repeats the words, ‘he will take.’ Some rulers, as in the case of Nebuchadnezzar, even demand your worship, and like Nebuchadnezzar, in the last century, we have had several world leaders that have sought nothing but total allegiance.

When a ruler subjugates your allegiance to God, you have replaced the greater for, the lesser. And when you cry out to God, he will not hear.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (1Co 3:16-17 NKJ)

We know what should be in the temple, a living sacrifice, praise, prayer and the Word.  Jesus had already carried his blood into the Holy of Holies now gives us access.  We know that we cannot enter the presence of God without being spiritually washed and sanctified.  But what about the exclusions?

In the physical temple, certain people were excluded, the list is quite extensive.  Three such groups were the blind, the lame and the eunuch. Spiritually, allowing those that don’t see the need for God, or are not walking in his ways, or their lives are unfruitful into your life can easily defile the temple.  These days we are so keen to be inclusive and tolerant, which is good in many ways.  However, there are those that have no desire for the things of God and should not be allowed into your sacred space.

“As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (1 Peter 1:16. MSG)

“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading;  (Eze 28:17-18 NKJ)

The picture in Ezekiel is one of flaming stones and sanctuaries situated around the mountain of God.  Lucifer would minister to God by leading those around the throne in worship.  The scripture says, however, that when pride entered Lucifer, he was determined to destroy, infiltrate and defile the sanctuaries.

Keeping your own personal sacred space as a sanctuary is important. Satan still wants to defile that space and fill it with anything and everything that takes away your peace, and sanctity.  Anything he can do  to take your eyes off of God and destroy your worship. Guard, therefore your sacred space, it is precious in the eyes of God.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  (Gal 3:27-29 NKJ)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2Co 5:17 NKJ)

In Paul’s day, there was racial tension, economic oppression, and gender inequality,  sounds very much like today’s world.  Into this mix, Paul brings a message of ‘new creation’ theology.’ His radical message shock the Galatian church and surely had repercussions outside in the community.

Faith in God’s redemptive power, respect and fair treatment for everyone, equal and shared responsibility in marriage, that’s the Kingdom way.  That’s the theory. Now it’s our responsibility to demonstrate kingdom life in all we do.

Say no to racism! Say no to inequality in the workplace! Say no to patriarch and misogynism in marriage and in society in general. God is doing a new thing; the old has passed away.