Choose Life or Death Vol I: The Narrow Path

By Riaan Engelbrecht

Our entire spiritual journey along with our free will boils down to either choosing to walk with Jesus (LIFE) or choosing the way of the world (DEATH). In God there is life, and life in abundance. Not just eternal life, but life in spirit, in soul and in body. Yet, there is a real difference between knowing of Him and knowing Him. In Him we abide in life, and walk in such life, but this calls for obedience to His Truth, to His Way and to His Kingdom. From a true relationship with the Lord, not religion, flows life and the blessings of such divine life. Be blessed on this journey, and know that God desires us to walk in life - but we need to choose. Either life, or death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359740277

Book preview

Choose Life or Death Vol I: The Narrow Path

Also by the same author:

Life and Death Series:

The Narrow Path

Pitfalls and Dangers

Guarding the Gates

The Strategic Battle

The Trusted Way to Tread

Study Guide Series:

The Holy Spirit

The Disciple of God

Evangelism

Deliverance

The Prophet of God

Walking in God’s Wisdom

Devotional Series:

Seeking a Deeper Life with God

A Deeper yearning for His embrace

On the Mountain, At The Table, Abiding in the Lord

The Crossroads to Freedom

Prophecy Series:

Move of Glory, Deliverance and Refinement

The Nation, the Church, the Believer

Apologetics and Apostasy:

The Church is on a Threshing Floor

Quenching the Spirit: Dangers of Cult-Like hyper-authoritarian Churches

Take an Axe to Apostasy

Restoring the Altar in Times of Apostasy

Choose Life or Death Vol 1: The Narrow Path

This is a distributed edition from Lighthouse Ruach Publishing in partnership with Avishua Ministries.

The author’s intellectual property rights are protected by international Copyright law. You are licensed to use this digital copy strictly for your personal enjoyment only: it must not be redistributed or offered for sale in any form.

Scriptures quotes from the New Kings James Bible, Amplified, and the New International Version.

For more free study material visit www.avishuaministries.wixsite.com/avishua

Table of Contents

The Choice Lies Before Us

Supremacy of God – Giver of Life

Life of the Kingdom

Drought in Men’s Heart

There is life in the Glory of God

Seek Wisdom to Find Life

Life is in the Blood

Find Life on the Path of the Lord

A true Disciple walks in Life132

Walking in the Fullness of His Spirit

The Lord Conforms our Moral Fabric

Conducting our Lives in Spirit and Truth

Justification, Sanctification, Glorification

Stay true to the Covenant of Life

A Living Relationship, Not Religion

Beware Sin and Iniquity

Walk in Discipline to Stand Strong

Standing for the uncompromising Truth

The Cross and the Ladder – Divine Reconciliation

Walking in Manifested Triumph

Abiding in God’s Will to Walk in Life

Life Found in Fearing and Loving God

Abiding in His Perfect Will

Let God’s will as established be done in in your life 

Israel’s dispensations of provision and the need for understanding the seasons

Walking in Holiness to unlock Anointing

A disciple obeys the commandments of God

Carriers of His Presence

Come forth those enslaved and entombed

Made Alive in Christ

Life is in the Firstfruit and the Firstborn

The Choice Lies Before Us

Our entire spiritual journey along with our free will boils down to either choosing to walk with God (LIFE) or choosing the way of the world (DEATH).

Regarding all the death, chaos, anarchy, violence and abuse in the world, there is a simple explanation why the world is witnessing so much tragedy and sadness. It is because so many people in the world have chosen not to believe and FOLLOW the one true God and His ways. There is a real difference between knowing of Him and knowing Him.

The Lord once spoke something in my spirit that is so simple in truth but so profound: Those who walk not in Life (submitted to Jesus) will never be able to truly appreciate the sanctity of life or uphold the sanctity of life, for they have chosen the way and value of death. This is why we sit in a world of war, violence, anarchy, chaos and death because the world has not chosen to follow the Lord of life.

The world is rife with substance abuse (self-destruction), murder, war, abortions, child abuse, human trafficking and the list goes on. Why? Because this world has chosen to forsake God, therefore LIFE (spiritual, emotional, physical) and therefore we are witnessing a complete disregard for the sanctity of life and thus the complete destruction of mankind. Where death reigns in the heart of men, then death will have its way. As the value of life depreciates, the world will drift further away from abiding in the Lord who is divine life.

For those who do not walk in the life of God (truly and utterly submitted to His will, way and truth in Spirit) they walk in the ways of death, and such death will always seek to destroy life. Jesus destroyed the sting of death, not only applying to eternal life, but destroying the power of death on earth. But we have to choose to abide in the Lord and abide in life, lest death has its way in our lives (and death manifests in many different ways - not just physical death).

For this reason our very planet is dying (wildlife, environment, fauna and flora) because the sanctity of LIFE on this planet is not upheld. The ONES who are to uphold such sanctity is the human race, created by the Lord, yet the human race has chosen not the way of the Lord and has thus by own choice and design chosen to be ruled by DEATH and thus inflict death not only against the planet, but each other.

The Lord created man in the first place to be stewards of this planet, but the deeper mankind has fallen into sin and even choosing to deny Jesus after the resurrection, the greater wickedness has been manifested on earth.

It is the mandate of the Church to bring this world back to Jesus and thus back to the value and sanctity of life. Our problem is we have rebelled and disobeyed God, Jesus is the only answer to the world's hatred, anger, divisions and cruelty, for this is the way of death. Only when we submit to the Lord, and walk in His life, shall we truly begin to defend the sanctity of life.

The Lord mourns, yes He mourns, for this world and yes, even many in the churches, are no longer following Him and so allow the world to dictate their path of destruction. For let us remember, the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. He hates life, for he has rebelled against God. Indeed, there is a spiritual battle that wages on earth, and the battle deals with life and death! And this is no game. This is reality.  God has come to give us abundant life, while the devil tries to steal such life. While God grants us life and life in abundance, the devil seeks to destroy, to kill and to deceive.

The Lord throughout Scriptures proved His authority when it comes to granting life, while the devil has since his fall been busy trying with a counterfeit move to lead people to death. And so we need to understand, when one talks about life, it is life in the spirit, soul and body. It is about life in the spirit that manifests into salvation and thus eternal life.

It is about life in the soul that manifests into the wellness of the mind, heart and emotions. It is about life in the flesh that manifests into the wellness of the body and to walk in the health of the Lord.

As a counter move, the devil comes to seek and destroy, meaning he wages a spiritual war against man – the centre piece of God’s creation – but he does it by attacking the spirit, soul and body. The devil is clearly intent to enjoy dominion over man, which means taking control of man’s spirit, soul and body.

He does this through leading the world away from the Lord to embrace a different reality and a different truth, so that the world no longer walks in life but allows for the devil to have his way.

We need to understand this is no game. Man has first been made in spirit, then born into the flesh and will return to the Lord as spirit. There is a very real and definite war being waged against man, and this war is surely one of life and death.

We need to understand that if we truly wish to enjoy life in abundance – in spirit, soul and body – there is no room for compromise, and there is no room for the world to infest and corrupt us.

It is simple. As soon as we allow the devil into our lives, and as soon as we allow this world to creep into our soul, then we allow death to enter our state of being.

It says the following in Romans 8: 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

Take note of verse six … the mind governed by the flesh is death. You see, if we live in carnality, seeking this world above God, we will ultimately run the risk of having our mind governed by the flesh, and the flesh (meaning the ways of this world) is hostile to the ways of God. Only when we lead a life in the Spirit can we truly walk in life!

Yet this world will lead us down a downtrodden path of chaos and lawlessness. It says in Romans 6: 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Again, there is only death to be found in this world, for the world leads us to sin and to cast our minds not on God but on the ways of darkness. Want to walk in life? Then seek the Lord above all!

It is written in 1 John 2: 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Again, the same theme of living – we shall live when we do and follow the will of God, and not the will of this world or the devil. This is the crux of the Lord’s Prayer which is to seek the will of the Father.

So if we choose this world or the way of the devil, then we choose death which of course translates not just into physical death. There is spiritual death, which comes by forsaking God, idolatry and spiritual adultery. There is the death of the soul, where depression, anxiety, fear, doubt, anger, unforgiveness and bitterness takes hold of our thoughts and our emotions, leading us down a dark path of self-destruction and self-loathing.

We have to realise that Satan first attacks the soul (mind, will, heart). A soul that is darkened by the devil’s influences can lead to a spirit forsaking God by accepting the way of the world. The devil is for now the ruler of this world. And as the soul becomes corrupted by the cold grip of the devil – allowing for death to seep into our lives – very soon it manifests into our flesh, where our actions, behaviour and moral conduct rarely reflects the glory of God but the immoral ways of the devil.

Let us for now look at Deuteronomy 30: The Offer of Life or Death: 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it? 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it? 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

In the Old Testament life and death translated into blessings and curses for the Israel nation. Under the Law of Moses, the Lord presented to His people a very simple choice – follow God and live, or disobey God and die. Take note of verse 15: See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.

We are either going to follow God and live in abundance – spirit, soul and body – or we are going to choose to allow ourselves to become infested by the world and therefore suffer the touch of death – spirit, soul and body.

This Scripture also closely relates to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7: 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

With the wide and the narrow road, the Lord is teaching about choice. We either have a choice to go His way or the way of the world. Thus we have a choice to choose between life or death. It is interesting to note that there is no middle path in the teaching of Jesus – there is thus no compromise.

Again, the lack of the middle path alludes to the following truth as spoken by Jesus:  Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

We cannot therefore walk both roads. We cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and the devil. We cannot live for the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness. We have to choose!

The choice that lies before us was even underline in Jeremiah 6: 16 This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

You see, we have a choice but sadly we have forsaken the path of life to seek another path (the broader way) and so we have gotten lost along the way. If we are not walking in the shadow of the Lord then we cannot hear the voice of the Master.

So often people will say but the Old Testament has got nothing to do with the modern day Church. This is where we make our biggest mistake. The Lord has never changed and the foundation of the spiritual war remains intact. It has always been a war over life and death. Nothing has changed.

The Lord demands obedience, faithfulness, holiness and purity in order for us to lead a life of life, while the devil calls for man to disobey, to be unfaithful, impure and unholy so that death may destroy and harm.

Why do we think this world is in such a grip of death? Is it not because the world has chosen to follow after other gods – choosing death over life? This world has chosen to follow a different truth masked by a myriad of philosophies, ideologies and religions.

This world has chosen to embark down a road that leads to hell’s door. Are we then surprised that the world is in the throes of war, famine and plague? To be honest, very few people of the 7 billion on the planet truly walk in life, meaning they are utterly devoted to God, to His Truth and ways. There are but few who refuse to compromise, who still treat sin as lethal and who follow a path of holiness and purity. If the vast majority on the planet follows after the ways of the devil that we should not be surprised that we see death and destruction around every corner. After all, we live in a world of fear, rumours, conspiracy, conflict, violence and dread. We live in a world where we fear dreaded diseases, poverty, injustices and xenophobia.

In the midst of all this turmoil, we must be vigilant not to turn our ears or eyes to such manifestations and deem it to be the final reality of all things, for this will then cause fear and anxiety. We must not listen to rumours, talks of conspiracies, propaganda and hate speech, for this sows fear, confusion and deception. Such is the work of the enemy. Turn your eyes and ears upon the Lord and the Lord alone, for He is the author of our faith, He is the Alpha and the Omega of all things and He alone holds all power in heaven and earth. No one else.

Why fear the world? Why fear famine, plague and violence? Why live in dread? Is not the Lord of Israel the God whom we serve today? Is not the One who shook Egypt with the 10 plagues the One who still rules and reigns? Is not the One who provided for Israel and protected them in the wilderness the same One who holds the keys of life? Why fear? Why dread? For those who indeed shelter beneath the shadow of the ALMIGHTY God shall not be moved and shaken, for indeed, peril and fear and dread surround us, but fear not cries the Lord!

Choose life or choose death in this day! It is either the world and its conspiracies or God and His Truth. It is either being a slave of the world ruled by the hand of the devil or being a Son or Daughter of the Most High King. Is not the Name of Jesus above all Names? Is not the Blood stronger than any famine, plague or disease? Is not the Blood capable of delivering us from all our afflictions? Is God not mighty, almighty, all powerful and majestic? Why then fear?

Believers, we need to turn our ears to God and listen to His voice and His voice alone! Turn your eyes to Jesus and to Jesus alone! Obey the Lord, forget Him not, forget not His ways, forget now what He has done and be led by the Spirit.  For war and conflict and violence has always plagued the earth, for such is the way of death, yet God of Life will rule and remain standing when all is done. Today, now, repent of one's fears, repent of one's lack in faith and trust in the Lord, repent of your sins for indeed the Kingdom of God is at hand for look, our days are turbulent and persecution and perversion arises, but has the Lord not commanded not to worry, not to be anxious and to keep on praying?

If we seek life, we need to seek God, thus His glory for there is life in the Glory of God! There is no darkness, death or destruction in the Glory! It says in Habakkuk 2:14: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. When the earth is covered by the knowledge of the glory then this earth will be alive and full of life! The glory is not just the Lord’s presence, but it is very life that He brings and by that life we are sustained.

How we need to walk in God’s glory, for the Glory of the Lord is life; it is the prosperity of spirit, soul and body! The Glory of the Lord is power of God, the healing of the Lord and His sustenance to a weary soul! How we need to crave, and yearn and seek after the glory of God.

To carry His glory places our focus on God and makes us God-conscious of His holiness, purity, of His character, nature and love. If we truly carry His glory, it will redefine the way we operate and function – for those who allow the Spirit to take them form glory to glory. It means certain abandonment unto God and an alienation from the Self. Our motivations, intent and thoughts will be centred on His Will, His compassion, His love and desire to see a lost world saved. It will place our hearts in alignment with His. We become God conscious and not self-conscious in all that we do, say and think.

Alas, how we need to urgently recapture the centrality of glorifying God in our lives and work, for this will lead us to life! Too much of what passes for evangelical Christianity is man-centred or even self-centred. God is reduced to a means to some other end, whether it is my own self-fulfillment or the welfare of others. The results are disastrous for worship, for discipleship, and for witness. Worship either becomes tepid, or it becomes an experience we offer to people as a sort of consumer product rather than adoration and consecration we offer to God.

If the glory of God is our supreme passion, this will redefine both the goal of our task and the manner in which we pursue that task. The goal of our task is that the earth be filled with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea. Our passion is to see Him receive the glory that is due His Name from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. Everything else is simply a means to that end.

A passion for the glory of God will also redefine the manner in which we pursue our task. If our supreme goal is to glorify Him, then we shall indeed walk in the weightiness of His substance.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3: 18: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

It is therefore clear by Paul’s writing that it is those who turn to Jesus and thus to the Spirit that they will begin to walk in Glory which should be reflected in our walk. Yet, an ever-increasing glory and a transformation speak of process of self-denial, a journey of sanctification and abandonment unto God, and the continuous seeking after truth.

A word of Isaiah 8 for God's people here and now:

11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people: 12 "Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.

Matthew 10:28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Indeed, for those who believe, who truly serve the Lord in Spirit and Truth, and who have denied the Self, religion and this world, they are covered by the hand of the Almighty, by the Blood of Lion of Judah and by the Saviour of Israel.

There has always been a choice. Right from the beginning of time to the end of all things, man has a choice, as declared in Deuteronomy 30. Either follow God and live, or suffer the consequences of death when following the ways of the devil. The Lord’s desire for a world to live is emphasised by John 3:16 (NIV): 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The choice was presented to Adam and Eve in the Garden as well. Genesis 3: The Fall: Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? 2 The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’

Did Adam and Eve drop dead? No. Again, death comes in many forms. In this case, it was spiritual and in the realm of the soul. We read also in the chapter:  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, Where are you? 10 He answered, I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid. 11 And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? 12 The man said, The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.

The consequences of their disobedience were suddenly no longer walking in the same fellowship with God. They now felt ashamed, were afraid and where they once walked with God, now they hid from him. This is what the devil does if we allow him to creep into our lives – death settles in our soul and then begins to feed on our spirit and flesh until we are left ashamed, corrupted and no longer walking with God. We read in John 16 how the Spirit of the Lord will come to convict us of our sins. What happens is that the Spirit of the Lord exposes our shame, our guilt and corruption so that we can address and correct it so that we can fellowship with God once again.

Sadly, when we read Revelations, we are privy to the sad reality that many people on this earth until the end will choose death over life, meaning they chose the world above God. This is not only a death of the spirit or soul, but also the physical death.

The great battle thus remains in choosing God’s Truth or the lie of the devil. And the devil tries his very best to confuse people regarding the truth. Through demonic doctrines, lies and tricks, he continuously tries to confuse people and say lead them away from the Truth.

Some of the most heinous of doctrines include universalism which declares that all people are God's children and no one will be left behind. It is argued that there is no hell where billions of souls who sinned too much or chose the wrong religion will suffer forever. The Christian Universalists believe Jesus Christ will draw all people to himself, according to John 12:32 until in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). That's because God is love (1 John. 4:8), so God would apparently never abandon anyone to eternal punishment.

This is for example one doctrine that sows death, and not life. For like the hyper grace teaching, people are taught that repentance is actually no longer required, that the work of the flesh can runs its natural destructive course and God’s grace will eventually lead us home no matter what. Yes, there is a difference between the two doctrines, in that Universalists does not see it as a requirement to really believe in Jesus here and now, but the fact remains that such destructive teachings only produce death and destruction. Is this not the game of the devil?

Just so, erroneous doctrines on prosperity, the Holy Spirit and the Trinity of God have built up speed over the years, leading people further away from the Truth down a destructive path of heresy and deception. And the devil waits at the end of the path with open arms.

At the end of the day, we need to wake up and wake up fast. There is no excuse to believe all the lies and the deception. Problem is we no longer seek the Lord for advice and we no longer seek the Lord for direction and counsel. The Spirit was poured to lead us in all truth so we need to find the truth of the Lord again lest we get lost completely. As Jeremiah 6:16 (KJV) declares: Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Believers are at this crossroad. We are either going to seek the way of the Lord or going to continue on the way of religion and tradition. One is the way of life and the other is the way of death. We need to choose life or death.

Supremacy of God - Giver of Life

The Lord has always made it clear in Scriptures He is the Lord of life, and He rules over all, even death.

He is the only one who brings life. Nothing else and nobody else has that power. This is evident already in Genesis.

Genesis 1:20 (KJV)  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Jesus emphasised that God is Sovereign and rules over life and death.

John 6:35: Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst…

John 8:12: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

John 11:25,26: Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…

1 John 5:20: And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John 10: 10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The glory and might of our Lord is displayed in the vision of John in Revelations 1: John’s Vision of Christ: And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Glory to God! We indeed serve the Lord of life! He grants life and gives life. He is all-powerful, all majestic, all-knowing and almighty. There is no one like Him. There are no other gods or kings or ruler who can stand against His Glory. He grants life and He takes life. For those who seek Him, who obey Him and who serve Him will truly know goodness and strength.

Jesus performed numerous miracles to prove His power over death and sickness which is a testimony of His ability to grant life.  This includes healing an official's son, cleansing a man with leprosy and healing a Centurion's Servant.

He of course also raised Lazarus from the dead as recorded in John 11: Jesus also brought the daughter of Jairus to life in Luke 8. By the power of the Lord, His servants were also commissioned according to God’s will and word to heal and even raise the dead. God of life after all seeks servants who walk in life and by His power impart life!

This ‘;authority’ was of course not just applicable to the servants under the New Covenant, but also under the Law of Moses since God is always the same and has never changed. One example is found in 2 Kings 4 when the Shunammite’s son was restored to life.

It says in Psalm 34 (KJV):  7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

God is all supreme and all sovereign. His plans and purposes prevail, not the plans and purposes of man. For those who walk with the Lord shall surely live! And then we are not just talking about eternal life, but about life now in spirit, soul and body. We are talking about healing of the soul, physical health of the body and the salvation of the spirit.

Listen to what the Lord said to the Israelites before they entered the wilderness. Exodus 15: There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.

It says in Jeremiah 17: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17 connects with Psalm 1: Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

This then again connects with John 15: 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Take also note of what the Lord said in Isaiah 8: 13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear,  he is the one you are to dread."  Yes, He is the Lord of Life. For those who fear Him, obey Him and who listens carefully to Him shall surely live here and in eternity. Our God is the Lord of Life. For those who fear Him, obey Him and who listens carefully to Him shall surely live here and in eternity. In Him there is hope, there is salvation, restoration and true healing.

Yes, God must be our sanctuary of life, but then we must abide in Him and Him alone! Psalm 144 must be our reality: Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle— 2 My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.

Take also note of how Jeremiah 17 also supports what was said in Isaiah 30: Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; 2 Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame …

In God and God alone we must place our trust, our hope, our refuge and Him alone we must obey. For in Him is life, for He is the hope of glory. Yet for those who turn away from the Lord, shall walk in shame, just as Adam and Eve suffered shame for disobeying God. As we walk in the presence of the Lord, as we seek Him above all, placing our trust and hope only in Him, we shall indeed live, we shall prosper, we shall flourish, and we shall thrive.

Yet when we forsake Him, we shall be like a shrub in the desert, and we shall not see when good comes and we shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness. This speaks of a state of dryness, deadness and a lack of life. Yet in God is true life, and in Him we grow as also stated in John 15 when we abide in Him.

Lastly, let us take note of Isaiah 35, which speaks of that wonderful state of yielding to God, and what wonderful blessing is in store when we walk in His Holy Presence, for in His Presence is Life, Hope and true prosperity.

Isaiah 35 speaks of the future glory of Zion, at a time when the people will know the Messiah, our Lord Jesus: The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; 12 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. 7 The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8 A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.

Isaiah 35 is actually the reality of any disciple of God. For the Lord came and He gave us the Living Waters through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He showed He is the Way, Truth and Life. In Him is healing, deliverance, joy, life, hope, gladness and love. In Him we thirst no more, and in Him we know the narrow road of His blessed glory, divine nature and the liberty of His Word.

In Him, there is no dryness, no lack, no need, no death, only life and life in abundance. There is beauty and growth. It is indeed wise to follow the path of the Lord, for in the Lord is the true highway of our divine hope and redemption.

For the believer stands on the truth of 1 Corinthians 1: 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

It is indeed foolishness not to walk the path of God, for He is the giver of life. In Him we find there is no lack as confirmed by Matthew 6: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Indeed, we serve a God of life! A God who makes the lame walk, the blind see, the mute speak and who still saves the lost. In Him there is no shame, for in Him there is purity and holiness.

It is foolishness to shun the path of God, and to depart from the divine life of God. For there are two paths – the highway of the redeemed (narrow road) and the path of the fool (broad way). The fool, the deceived, the carnal and the rebellious has forsaken the highway of the redeemed, yet God’s grace is always present for those who seek the light beyond the dark.

Praise the Lord, for He is the giver of life. He is Life, He is Light, and in Him we shall not thirst, or want or be in need. The Israelites knew this reality in the wilderness, and this is still true for those walking the Highway of the Redeemed.  We need to shun evil, get rid of sin and forsake the ways of the world in order to walk in God’s spiritual prosperity and life.

Life of the Kingdom

It we seek to find Life, we need to walk in the Kingdom of Life. Today, believers are more wrapped up in church activity, which is in essence these days a mere captivity to religion. And religion blinds us to the truth, for it cages us in tradition and worldly ways.

Throughout the