There have always been enemy infiltrators and spies sent into churches to report and inform their overlords of the inner workings of congregations. Lurking about they are the posers who pretend to have power or knowledge of the living word of the Elohim, when in fact they do not. If someone is spying out our liberty in Christ ultimately they are looking to stop what we are doing, just as people did during the first century church. We know them by their fruit or the lack of fruit in their own lives. The Holy Spirit doesn’t indwell people pretending to be Christians. If our churches are spirit filled, moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these spies will stick out like a sore thumb. If our churches are spiritually dead, the spies will blend right in. We could do all sorts of administrative things to detect the enemy spies, but we could also become so powerful in the ministering of the Holy Spirit that they cannot stand to be in our presence. No matter where we are, in prison, or in the desert, the Holy Spirit will indwell holy people. One of the funniest events in history is the time when the Spirit of the Elohim came upon King Saul and caused him to strip naked and prophesy all day and night, giving David a head start in escaping from Saul.
1Sa 19:18 (Brenton) So David fled, and escaped, and comes to Samuel to Armathaim, and tells him all that Saul had done to him: and Samuel and David went, and dwelt in Navath in Rama.
Naioth Ramah was the school of the prophets that Samuel had started.
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1Sa 19:19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is in Navath in Rama.
1Sa 19:20 And Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw the assembly of the prophets, and Samuel stood as appointed over them; and the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they prophesy.
The word for assembly here is ekklēsia, “called out”. It is the same word we use today for the church. We are the called out. Samuel’s school of prophets was for the “called out”. The Spirit of the Elohim, the Holy Spirit, came upon the messengers Saul had sent and they prophesied. Were they holy people? No. They were there looking for David so that Saul could kill him. However if the Spirit of the Elohim wants to, the Holy Spirit can overtake a person with evil intent with the manifestations of the Spirit. Remember Balaam? Remember Balaam’s donkey? When the Holy Spirit comes upon someone and they prophesy, they speak into the world the plans and purposes of the Elohim. It is not by way of the person speaking that these plans are contrived, but the person is the mouthpiece to bring knowledge of the plan of the Elohim to humans.
1Sa 19:21 And it was told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied: and Saul sent again a third set of messengers, and they also prophesied.
Saul sends two more groups of messengers and they end up prophesying as well. These messengers were not prophets, and they were not there to become prophets, they were there to search for David and report back, like spies. Instead the Holy Spirit kept prophesying through Saul’s messengers. What were they saying? Possibly that Saul lost the family line as kings and that from David a Messiah would be born. Saul was not happy about this.
1Sa 19:22 And Saul was very angry, and went himself also to Armathaim, and he comes as far as the well of the threshing floor that is in Sephi; and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And they said, Behold, in Navath in Rama.
1Sa 19:23 And he went thence to Navath in Rama: and there came the Spirit of God upon him also, and he went on prophesying till he came to Navath in Rama.
Along the way Saul is prophesying. This is what our churches could look like, with the power of the Holy Spirit so overwhelming that the people who come in with intentions of evil cannot escape the power of the Holy Spirit. This would mean then that we would have to invite the Holy Spirit to be part of our lives and our congregations.
1Sa 19:24 And he took off his clothes, and prophesied before them; and lay down naked all that day and all that night: therefore they said, Is Saul also among the prophets?
When Saul gets to the school of the prophets he takes his clothes off. It is an interesting depiction of what the Holy Spirit may have been saying through his three groups of messengers and himself, that he would be stripped of the kingdom. It is somewhat undignified for a king to lie naked prophesying all day and night in front of the prophets. But the Holy Spirit has a way of making a point. The kingdom was going to be stripped from Saul and his family because of Saul’s own disobedience. Saul was shown that he is truly naked before the Elohim. So are we, for that matter.
We do not want people coming to our churches, taking off their clothes and laying down prophesying, but the plans of the Elohim through the Holy Spirit were being made known to Saul, his men, and the prophets. While spies sent to infiltrate our churches may not have this experience, the Holy Spirit will protect those who need protecting if we have invited the Holy Spirit into our congregations and into our own lives. The people with evil intent will struggle, kicking against the pricks.
One of the things we see from the Old Covenant times is the ability to interpret dreams. We should consider this carefully. There were no televisions or movies. People did not have visual images in front of them all day long. Dreams were of things that they saw, even if they dreamed of things they didn’t know about, there were elements of things they did know about. The way in which they lived probably made dreams a more serious subject than they are today. Today our dreams are interspersed with images that we see in movies, on television, computers, and other media sources like video games. Today we can make imaginations come to life on the screens we watch as if they are real. In Biblical times people took dreams seriously as they felt it was an insight. Today our dreams have more images implanted from outside sources, and while the Holy Spirit can speak to us through dreams, our dreams are not always from the Holy Spirit.
We might think that interpreting dreams is something that the Holy Spirit may give to certain people with special offices. In fact we see that that is not the case at all. There are no “special offices” that are exclusive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, meaning, people do not need a title to be used by the Holy Spirit. In fact people’s ministries are better understood in hindsight. For example, there was a young man who was trafficked. The ones who trafficked him, years later, thought they would find him along the “city wall” because he was an effeminate looking young man. In other words they thought he was a male prostitute. In hindsight we see that this young man was prepared by Yahweh as a great business man. The Holy Spirit was in him and he seemed like he was a prophet, yet he is never called a prophet. Who was this prophetic non-prophet?
Joseph was not a prophet yet he had listened to the Holy Spirit which was how his reputation was elevated. Joseph had the Spirit of the Elohim in him, and he became Pharaoh’s Chief Executive Officer in Egypt. We know that Joseph himself had dreams, but that did not qualify him to become a CEO, but the Holy Spirit gave him all the qualifications he needed and he proved himself and his fruit was known in Egypt. When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, the Holy Spirit gave the interpretation.
Gen 41:37 (Brenton) And the word was pleasing in the sight of Pharao, and in the sight of all his servants.
Gen 41:38 And Pharao said to all his servants, Shall we find such a man as this, who has the Spirit of God in him?
Gen 41:39 And Pharao said to Joseph, Since God has shewed thee all these things, there is not a wiser or more prudent man than thou.
Gen 41:40 Thou shalt be over my house, and all my people shall be obedient to thy word; only in the throne will I excel thee.
Joseph excelled in business with the help of the Holy Spirit. He saved the nation of Egypt. He also saved Jacob’s sons. What would have happened to the nation of Israel if Joseph had not had the Holy Spirit in him and became a great leader in Egypt? The Holy Spirit can guide us and lead us as well. It must have been quite a surprise when his brothers came looking for him to find that he was second in command of Egypt, since they thought he was a prostitute. The Holy Spirit is well aware of our situations and if we are led by the Holy Spirit we will certainly be just as surprised.
There was a young man who was kidnapped at the start of a war. While this seems like a punishment, in hindsight this young man was protected by Yahweh and elevated in the sight of men. This young man ended up in a high ranking position because the Holy Spirit was in him. Under his kidnappers he was made a eunuch and was persecuted by jealous political and spiritual leaders. He became the spiritual advisor to the king because the king realized he was quite insightful. Like Joseph, Daniel had the Holy Spirit in him and was able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
Dan 4:4 (Brenton) So the enchanters, magicians, soothsayers, and Chaldeans came in: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known to me the interpretation thereof;
Dan 4:5 until Daniel came, whose name is Baltasar, according to the name of my God, who has within him the Holy Spirit of God; to whom I said,
Dan 4:6 O Baltasar, chief of the enchanters, of whom I know that the Holy Spirit of God is in thee, and no mystery is too hard for thee, hear the vision of my dream which I had, and tell me the interpretation of it.
Dan 4:15 This is the vision which I king Nabuchodonosor saw: and do thou, Baltasar, declare the interpretation, for none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to shew me the interpretation of it: but thou, Daniel, art able; for the Holy Spirit of God is in thee.
We see again Daniel had the Holy Spirit in him, and was able to interpret dreams. This does not mean that Joseph and Daniel only interpreted dreams and it does not mean that Joseph and Daniel interpreted every dream, it is recorded that the Holy Spirit was in them for this reason. Daniel did many incredible things all while being persecuted in Babylon. Daniel read Yahweh’s rebuke as it was written on the wall.
Dan 5:9 And king Baltasar was troubled, and his countenance changed upon him, and his nobles were troubled with him.
Dan 5:10 Then the queen came into the banquet house, and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, and let not thy countenance be changed.
Dan 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the Spirit of God; and in the days of thy father watchfulness and understanding were found in him; and king Nabuchodonosor thy father made him chief of the enchanters, magicians, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
Dan 5:12 For there is an excellent spirit in him, and sense and understanding in him, interpreting dreams as he does, and answering hard questions, and solving difficulties: it is Daniel, and the king gave him the name of Baltasar: now then let him be called, and he shall tell thee the interpretation of the writing.
Daniel also taught the Magi about the stars and the coming Messiah. The Magi order split up after Cyrus allowed the Israelites to go back to Israel so that there were Eastern magi in Babylon and Western Magi in Judah. Daniel taught the Magi how to find the Messiah in Israel, and the Eastern Magi held to his teachings. The Western Magi had forgotten all of Daniel’s teachings and couldn’t even tell Herod why the Eastern Magi had all shown up in Judah. The Western Magi had become foolish fortune tellers in Israel.
There was a young man who grew up in captivity in Egypt. He never knew his homeland until he became part of the Exodus. For forty years he was a keen servant wandering around in circles in the desert. It must have felt like an eternity. At the end of forty years it was time to enter the promised land and the Holy Spirit led him to become a leader and warrior. When Moses was about to die, Yahweh told him that Joshua had the Spirit in him. Joshua already had the Holy Spirit. This again tells us that holy men who had the Holy Spirit were led by the Holy Spirit to do incredible things.
Num 27:15 And Moses said to the Lord,
Num 27:16 Let the Lord God of spirits and of all flesh look out for a man over this congregation,
Num 27:17 who shall go out before them, and who shall come in before them, and who shall lead them out, and who shall bring them in; so the congregation of the Lord shall not be as sheep without a shepherd.
Num 27:18 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take to thyself Joshua the son of Naue, a man who has the Spirit in him, and thou shalt lay thy hands upon him.
Num 27:22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation.
Num 27:23 And he laid his hands on him, and appointed him as the Lord ordered Moses.
Moses then laid hands upon him and appointed him to lead the Israelites into the promised land. The laying on of hands did not infill Joshua with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was already in Joshua. The laying on of hands was a symbolic transfer of authority. The Holy Spirit elevated Joshua as a leader because he was a faithful servant of Moses for many years.
The question we should be asking is how did Joseph, Daniel, and Joshua, have the Holy Spirit in them, leading them, and working through them? Everyone who wants to have the Holy Spirit in them has to be holy. It is that simple. Some people might think that holiness is unattainable but it is not. Paul helps us here.
Galatians 5:16 G3004 And I say, G1161 G4151 [2in spirit G4043 1Walk]! G2532 and G1939 [3 the desire G4561 4of the flesh G3766.2 1in no way G5055 2should you fulfill].
17 G3588 For the G1063 G4561 flesh G1937 lusts G2596 against G3588 the G4151 spirit, G3588 and the G1161 G4151 spirit G2596 against G3588 the G4561 flesh; G3778 and these things G1161 G480 are an adversary G240 to one another, G2443 that G3361 not G3739 what G302 ever G2309 you should want G3778 these things G4160 you should do.
If it was an impossibility to walk in the Holy Spirit Paul would not be telling us to do it. What hinders us is our own selfish lusts. The flesh lusts, longs for, covets, or sets the heart upon. How does this happen? By obsessing over what one does not have yet wants. Once someone becomes obsessive over something, the mind is repeating thoughts and images of the thing that the person wants. Many times if the person gets what they want they don’t even enjoy it. Lust is spiritually demonic. What do we do? We change our thoughts, align our thinking with the logos of the Elohim, and we think on those things.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Every time a thought comes up that does not align with the word of God we think on scripture to counter the opposing thought.
2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5 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;
2Co 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
This takes time and effort but if we want to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit we will make the effort to do the work required. Paul is telling us the flesh lusts, and the only way to control our body and our soul is to cast down those imaginations. The Elohim would like all of us to be holy, and to be led in the Holy Spirit, but the Elohim will not force us to be holy and will not take our freedom of will and freedom of choice away from us. Every moment of every day, we have the choice to be led by the Holy Spirit or not.
Galatians 5:18 G1487 But if G1161 G4151 in spirit G71 you be led, G3756 G1510.2.5 you are not G5259 under G3551 law.
Paul’s letter is explaining that we are not under the law any longer and that we do not need to be circumcised to be holy. The reason circumcision had to be explained in this new era, the age of the Holy Spirit, is because people wanted to hold on to traditions. The idea that circumcision makes one holy had always been a myth. Circumcision was an outward symbol of the covenant of ones tribal heritage, Abraham’s lineage, and the promises made to Abraham. Abraham circumcised Ishmael, Isaac, and his six sons with Keturah. Were all eight sons descendants of Abraham? Yes. Were they all followers of Yahweh? No. At this point in time it is rather irrelevant if we are of Abraham’s tribe or not, as we truly have no way of knowing.
If then we have an infiltrator who claims that they are circumcised it basically means nothing. There are circumcised and uncircumcised believers in Yahweh Elohim, and circumcised and uncircumcised non-believers in Yahweh Elohim. What matters is the Holy Spirit within. Is there fruit of the Spirit? Is there fruit from the lusts of the flesh?
Galatians 5:19 G5318 [7apparent G1161 1And G1510.2.3 6are G3588 2the G2041 3works G3588 4of the G4561 5flesh]; G3748 which G1510.2.3 are, G3430 adultery, G4202 harlotry, G167 uncleanness, G766 lewdness,
20 G1495 idolatry, G5331 sorcery, G2189 hatreds, G2054 strifes, G2205 jealousies, G2372 rages, G2052 contentions, G1370 discords, G139 sects,
21 G5355 envies, G5408 murders, G3178 intoxications, G2970 debaucheries, G2532 and G3588 the things G3664 likened G3778 to these; G3739 which G4302 I say beforehand G1473 to you, G2531 as G2532 also G4277 I foretold, G3754 that G3588 the ones G3588 G5108 [2such things G4238 1practicing G932 4 the kingdom G2316 5of God G3756 3shall not inherit]. G2816
Notice Pauls’ very specific words regarding the kingdom of the Elohim. The kingdom of the Elohim is all of heaven in general. The kingdom of heaven is the actual kingdom within heaven. If we look at Revelation 4 and 5 we see only holy beings in the kingdom of heaven, around the thrones, watching the seals being opened and the holy redeemed singing about being kings and priests. There is no uncleanness in the kingdom of heaven. But Paul is saying that people doing these things will not be in the kingdom of God, they will not make it to heaven. This would be because they never confessed Jesus as Lord and believed he rose up from the dead. It would also be because at some point for even a believer, the abuse against their own temple of the Holy Spirit is too great of a corruption.
1 Corinthians 3:16 G3756 Do you not G1492 know G3754 that G3485 [2a temple G2316 3of God G1510.2.5 1you are], G2532 and G3588 the G4151 spirit G3588 G2316 of God G3611 lives G1722 in G1473 you?
17 G1536 If anyone G3588 [2the G3485 3temple G3588 G2316 4of God G5351 1corrupts], G5351 [2shall corrupt G3778 3this one G3588 G2316 1God]; G3588 for the G1063 G3485 temple G3588 G2316 of God G39 is holy, G1510.2.3 G3748 which G1510.2.5 you are. G1473
Remember, we put on incorruption and immortality when we are harpazo’d from paradise or earth. It would seem Paul is saying that the people who continue to practice the lusts of the flesh will be corrupted by the Elohim. They will not be harpazo’d they will not enter the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. Our bodies will be made alive by the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. Someone without the Holy Spirit is not going to be made alive.
Romans 8:11 G1487 And if G1161 G3588 the G4151 spirit G3588 of the one G1453 raising G* Jesus G1537 from G3498 the dead G3611 lives G1722 in G1473 you, G3588 the one G1453 having raised G3588 the G5547 Christ G1537 from G3498 the dead G2227 shall restore to life G2532 also G3588 G2349 [2mortal G4983 3bodies G1473 1your] G1223 on account of G3588 G1774 [3dwelling G1473 1his G4151 2spirit] G1722 in G1473 you.
No one practicing the lusts of the flesh has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, nor are they being made alive for eternity. They will not go to paradise and await our call to heaven, they will not enter heaven.
We can ask ourselves what fruit our spies are bearing, but we may not be able to tell. Most people can behave in a false way around others, the scriptures call them actors, or hypocrites; they are pseudo-brethren. We can see if someone has the fruit of the Holy Spirit more easily. We can see if behaviors are aligned with holiness.
Galatians 5:22 G3588 But the G1161 G2590 fruit G3588 of the G4151 spirit G1510.2.3 is G26 love, G5479 joy, G1515 peace, G3115 leniency, G5544 graciousness, G19 goodness, G4102 belief,
23 G4236 gentleness, G1466 self-control; G2596 against G3588 G5108 such things G3756 there is no G1510.2.3 G3551 law.
If we walk in these fruit of the Holy Spirit we are not under the Mosaic law and not under civil law. We can do all of these things no matter who is in charge of our city. We can always produce the fruit of the Spirit even in prison like Joseph and Daniel, and in captivity and desert wandering like Joshua. All three men were not bitter or angry that they were persecuted. Joseph could have been bitter against his family for trafficking him. Daniel could have been bitter against his family for losing the kingdom of Judah and becoming vassals for Egypt and Babylon, leading to his kidnapping. Joshua could have been bitter that his entire clan became lazy and complacent and stayed in Egypt after the famine which in turn caused them to become slaves in Egypt. Instead they lived in the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Today a lot of people are frozen by anxiety and are medicated because the fear in their lives is so great that they feel they cannot overcome it. The Holy Spirit can overcome anything we face, and can help us to roll with the situations we are in. But again we have to catch our thoughts, think on the logos of the Elohim, and practice the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit are easy to see in people’s lives. They are not hidden like the lusts of the flesh. This too makes it easy to understand who the infiltrators are. What kind of fruit does an infiltrator produce? They have to be active for us to see their fruit. If they are not active in ministry then that is suspicious.
Galatians 5:24 G3588 But the ones G1161 G3588 of the G5547 Christ G3588 [2the G4561 3flesh G4717 1crucified] G4862 with G3588 the G3804 passions G2532 and G3588 the G1939 lusts.
25 G1487 If G2198 we live G4151 in spirit, G4151 in spirit G2532 also G4748 we should be conformed to.
26 G3361 We should not G1096 become G2755 ones self-seeking of glory, G240 [2one another G4292 1challenging], G240 [2one another G5354 1bearing a grudge against].
First we impale our flesh on the cross. We subdue or take authority over our emotions and our longings. We are also not self seeking or climbing the proverbial ladder over the top of others. We are not fighting one another. There is no infighting when we are led by the Holy Spirit. Why? Because verse 25 says that if we live in Spirit, “Spirit even we walk in”, meaning we march in military rank, or keep step.
This is what our walk should look like, that we are part of a cohesive unit, in lock step, moving towards the purposes of the Messiah. We are not alone, we are not separate, we are not in a scattered willy nilly march. We are not making our own decisions, we are following the Holy Spirit. If the army of Yahweh is moving together then we should be moving with it, not on our own. Even if we are called to special operations, we are not running in different directions from the army. Paul is giving us a big clue here. When we are led by the Holy Spirit we are all led together, as a unit. Special ops do not have their own agenda in the Elohims military, everyone works together.
Paul explains that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are nine separate things. However we make the mistake of segmenting them, dissecting them, rearranging them, and basically picking and choosing which gifts we want. If we are part of the Elohims army then we are not picking, choosing, and discarding anything, we are utilizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit wills. Some denominations believe these gifts are not in operation today. However we cannot find anything that says they ended or will end. In fact the only reason they seem to be nonoperational is because some denominations reject the Holy Spirit. Then there are those who only want to operate some of the gifts and not others. This too is a problem because all of the gifts work together. We cannot understand 1 Corinthians 12 without the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore if anyone has not invited the Holy Spirit into their lives that one will struggle with understanding and operation.
We should be so powerful in the Holy Spirit that any spies with dubious intents will writhe on the floor prophesying. At the very least they should find it difficult to be in our presence. We can invite the enemy infiltrators to publicly confess Jesus as Lord and confess that Jesus rose up on the third day. We can hold and invite the infiltrators to take part in a public baptismal service. Then look for fruit. There is no special ops in the Body of Christ that runs at cross purposes to the Holy Spirit. All of us should be in military line together. We will know them by their fruit. Getting our enemies saved and turning them to allies for Christ is beneficial to them. But we could also see a similar situation to Saul sending three groups of soldiers to the school of prophets to find David, all of whom came back prophesying. Maybe being a deceptive spy in a Spirit filled Church is dangerous to the enemy.
What do we do to become like Joseph, Daniel, and Joshua? Meditate on the logos. Catch thoughts that do not align with the logos. Endeavor to live like Joseph, Daniel, and Joshua, while physical prisoners and slaves, they excelled in Yahweh Elohim with the Holy Spirit. They walked in lock step with the Holy Spirit. They did not know their lives would be our examples. They did not know that those small things they were doing were going to change the nation. How many peoples lives were altered because they walked in step with the Holy Spirit? Pretty much everyone’s lives on the earth were effected by their obedience to the Holy Spirit. If we want to see the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches, we have to act. We have to prepare ourselves because spiritual war is here. We have the Spirit of the Elohim available to us. Let’s start marching in step with the Holy Spirit.
