Set Apart E-Book

Riaan Engelbrecht

• Herausgeber: Riaan Engelbrecht
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

God is calling for a remnant that is completely and utterly set apart for His Kingdom. This volume of work is a collection of prophetic understandings and insights as led by the Spirit of God. It is designed to make us ponder, consider, and reflect on our walk with God. For there is without a doubt an urgent cry from heaven for SEPARATION, meaning we cannot continue looking, behaving, and acting like the world. It says if something looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. The test implies that a person can identify an unknown subject by observing that subject's habitual characteristics. The problem these days is discerning whether someone is from the world or serving God. On the one hand, so many tend to behave like the world, so based on their habitual characteristics, you would say they are from the world. But then something funny happens – the “duck” is no longer quacking but making other “strange noises”, known by some as praise, worship and prayer! So is this a duck, a hybrid, or something completely different? In other words, are we true followers of Christ or a hybrid product that serves God and the world?

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Set Apart (End-Time Remnant)

A call for separation from the ungodly and unholy

A circumcised heart separated unto God

No more separation from God, yearning for His Presence

Separated from defilement

The spiritual journey of being set apart

Sealed for God

Separated in the love and fear of God

Sons of light separated from darkness

Set apart from the false and unknown gods

Consumed by the refiner’s fire

Separation by fire

Justified, now pursuing manifested sanctification

Dwelling on the mountain, labouring in the valley

No longer outsiders, but dwellers of God’s court

Stand firm in the true liberty of Christ

A firmament is in place

Baptism is all about Jesus

The religious pot and cup of poison

A prophetic thought on unity and separatism

Also By Riaan Engelbrecht

About the Author

Also by the same author:

Perilous Times Series Volumes 1- 9

In Pursuit of God Series Volumes 1 -15

The Holy Spirit Series Volumes 1 - 3

The Disciple of God Series Volumes 1 - 5 (Vol 2 Part A and B)

Deliverance Volumes 1 – 3 (Vol 1 Part A and B)

Crossroads to Freedom Volumes 1-4

The Kingdom of God Series Volumes 1- 4

The Prophetic Series Volumes 1-5

Apologetics Series Volumes 1-7

Set Apart

This is a distributed edition from 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 and audio visit http://avishuaministries.wixsite.com/avishua

Table of Contents

A call for separation from the ungodly and unholy

A circumcised heart separated unto God

No more separation from God, yearning for His Presence

Separated from defilement

The spiritual journey of being set apart

Sealed for God

Separated in the love and fear of God

Sons of light separated from darkness

Set apart from the false and unknown gods

Consumed by the refiner’s fire

Separation by fire

Justified, now pursuing manifested sanctification

Dwelling on the mountain, labouring in the valley

No longer outsiders, but dwellers of God’s court

Stand firm in the true liberty of Christ

A firmament is in place

Baptism is all about Jesus

The religious pot and cup of poison

A prophetic thought on unity and separatism

A call for separation from the ungodly and unholy

Towards the end of 2022, the Lord showed these two words: SET APART. The words were bold and golden and I knew instinctively that at the end of days, which are perilous, God is calling for a remnant that is completely and utterly SET APART for His Kingdom.

This volume of work delves not too much into theological teaching. It is merely a collection of prophetic understandings and insights as led by the Spirit of God. It is designed to make us ponder, consider, and reflect on our walk with God. For there is without a doubt an urgent cry from heaven for SEPARATION, meaning we cannot continue looking, behaving, and acting like the world.

It says if something looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. The test implies that a person can identify an unknown subject by observing that subject's habitual characteristics. It is sometimes used to counter abstruse arguments that something is not what it appears to be. The problem these days is discerning whether someone is from the world or serving God. On the one hand, so many tend to behave like the world, so based on their habitual characteristics, you would say they are from the world. But then something funny happens – the “duck” is no longer quacking but making other “strange noises”, known by some as praise, worship and prayer! So is this a duck, a hybrid, or something completely different? In other words, are we true followers of Christ or a hybrid product that serves God and the world?

Jesus after all said in “Matthew 7: 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Yes, we shall be known by our fruit. The church can make no impact if we look and behave like the world. We are called to be set apart, meaning set apart in holiness and purity. We are called to serve the eternal Kingdom, and not the kingdoms of this world or our kingdom.

1 John 2 says, “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.” Yes, we will either love God or the world. We cannot look like Christians yet behave like a pagan!

Returning to Matthew 7, Jesus also taught the following: “13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” This teaching led to the following: “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ To depart speaks of separation, so God is saying those who do not truly follow Him as a disciple have no part of Him. He cannot be their Shepherd for they have chosen a different master.

So we need to choose – either walk the path of the narrow gate or the broad way. There is no middle path. We need to choose, either we serve the world or we lead a life that is set apart for the Kingdom of God. Jesus also said in Matthew 7: “24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Are we truly grounded on Christ, or is our foundation one of shifting sand?

This is a season of threshing and sifting. The Lord will expose all and bring all things wicked and deceitful into the light. There is a mighty move of the Spirit for God's people to operate in glory, but so many will find themselves on sand that will turn to mud as the flood of the Lord cleanses and purifies. Alas, some believe they are on the unmovable Rock of Jesus and will find this is a false reality - it is the time to stand in Spirit and Truth on the true Rock that smashes the dominion of the devil. For a fire burns from heaven, purging the barren branches. A fire burns to raise the warriors of the Lord, but this calls for abandonment unto God and a yearning to lay it all down. So many will fall for they stand on clay and dirt as the Lord roars and shakes, bringing Babylon to its knees. Repentance and humility are key. Seek Him and seek His Truth for the devil deceives the whole world. Stand and fight the good fight in His Glory!

The Lord is right now more than ever separating the holy from the unholy, the pure from the impure, the faith from the secular, and the world from the everlasting kingdom. He is our resource yet the church still trusts and lives by the resources of the world. The Lord has shown how for many this separation is going to be painful and hard. God is busy separating but still, many who seek Him are holding onto this world and are bound by this world and even are ruled by the wisdom and 'power' of this age. Now is not the time to cling to the past, the old, the broken, and the vanity of life, but it is time to seek the Lord.

Matthew 25 speaks of the Son of Man judging the nations: “31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ... 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” If we do not separate ourselves now from this world, we shall find that the Lord will separate us one day. And such separation is eternal.

Jesus often referred to humanity as sheep and Himself as the Shepherd (John 10). Although sheep have a reputation for being senseless and needy, Jesus did not use this term in a condescending or belittling way when He called His followers sheep. Ezekiel 34:11 says, “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” This example of the shepherd and his sheep demonstrates the care God has for us. The term sheep describes those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Jesus used this term to highlight the love and concern that a shepherd has for his sheep, which emphasized God’s love and care for His followers.

Sheep are willing to follow, they are made to need a shepherd, and they stick together with other sheep. We need to be willing to follow God as true disciples. He must be our all and everything. God has also made us to be in a community with other believers for encouragement, support, and spiritual growth. Jesus, our Shepherd, loves His beloved sheep and laid down His life for them. On the other hand, those who reject salvation in Jesus are referred to as goats in this passage. Goats are stubborn and independent, and unlike sheep, they are not led well or willingly. Using this term to describe unbelievers, Jesus conveyed that unbelievers are stubborn to believe, think that they are fine without God, and overall, do not eagerly come to follow Jesus. Truly, sheep and goats are very different from one another – just as believers and unbelievers are different from one another. Although Jesus came to save all, not all will accept salvation in Him.

We need to separate ourselves from the defilement and spiritual corruption of tis world, just as God separated John the Baptist from an early age to go into the wilderness. Because of the separation, John remained untainted by the world’s defilement. He stayed hungry, willing and ready to serve the Lord. When the time came for him to rejoin the world, he was ready and prepared to prepare the way of the Lord. As John the Baptist was prepared for a moment and time to make straight the path of the Lord’s coming, so we must always be ready and willing to be obedient as we grow in the fullness of Christ. Yes, we need to prepare the way of the Lord’s coming, and we do so by separation.

And such separation means not locking yourself in a little room or in a monastery for the rest of your life! It speaks of keeping yourself pure before God, adhering to the Word, and being led by the Spirit. We must love what God loves. We must also despise what the Lord despises. For our heart must be set upon the Kingdom, His truth and His will. Our ‘separation’ may be marked by crying out, struggling, suffering, sacrificing and hoping for a better day, but those who remain true to their calling and mandate shall surely walk in God’s fullness of grace and love. How the Lord calls for a people who will seek obedience to His will more than the reward, more than any praise or recognition! John lived on wild honey and locust to survive – yet for his obedience, he was rewarded not with great wealth but he was rewarded with great praise from the Lord Himself!

Paul writes in “2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.” Paul admonishes that one must constantly check your walk with God and test all things to make certain you are in the will of the Lord and walking in his ways, lest one become a reprobate, thus someone cast away and handed over to a reprobate mind.

In 2 Timothy 3 we read (KJV): “8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. Therefore, this speaks of men whose moral sense is perverted and whose minds are beclouded with their own speculations.” In Titus 1 we read in verse 16: “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Thus, Titus 1 speaks of those who come to the Lord crying “Lord, Lord” yet are shown away (thus cast away), because they truly do not know God. Again, there is a clear danger that exists if we as believers depart from obedience, and truly abiding in Him, lest we become abominable in our actions and behaviour. This calls for a purposeful and committed separation from the profane and the unholy.

In Leviticus 22:20 we read how God said that nothing must be offered unto Him with a defect. In Malachi 1:8, the Lord accuses Israel of bringing Him blemished offerings: “‘When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?’ says the Lord Almighty.” Bringing animal sacrifices to the temple that were blind, disfigured, or sick was a direct violation of the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 22:22; Deuteronomy 15:21). The reason for this command was that such sacrifices dishonoured the Lord. “Do not profane my holy name” (Leviticus 22:32). They were sacrifices in name only; a true sacrifice must cost something, and there was no pain involved in getting rid of something already slated for culling. More importantly, each sacrifice was a symbol of the future sacrifice of Christ, who was “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19). The cheap, marred sacrifices of Malachi’s time were travesties of Christ’s perfection.

The application for Christians today does not involve animal sacrifices, of course, nor is it even directly related to financial offerings. Rather, it is a matter of treating God as holy. Our entire lives must be a testimony of God’s perfection, holiness and purity. This concerns all areas of life, ranging from how we speak of God, to how we obey Him and how willing we are to sacrifice our lives unto service. Offering God a blemished animal was like treating God as an afterthought, and it truly mocked Him. We can never treat God in such a manner. He deserves our best and our all. We must be disciples of excellence, seeking to be consumed and be burning all the time with His holy fire. We do this by being an offering of purity and holiness.

Ephesians 5 saysm, "27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish,” and also “Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” The message remains clear. As the temple of God, we must remain pure and clean. Be not defected by the world, and remain an offering aflame with God’s presence.

So we need to realise that just as God only dwelled in a tent or a temple that was kept clean, pure and holy, just so God is looking to dwell in a pure, clean and holy vessel. Nothing has changed when it comes to God and the ‘environment’ He seeks to inhabit. He seeks to habitually dwell with us through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, yet He is looking to dwell in a temple, thus a vessel of blood and flesh, that is consecrated (set apart) and consecrated for God’s glory and presence. You see, God wants to dwell in us in our entirety. If there is something offensive or defiled or impure or unholy also occupying the ‘environment’, do we not think this is an affront to the Spirit of God? Everything about us must be completely and utterly surrendered to God. The Lord dwelled in His entirety in the entirety of the tent of meeting and the temple, not in portions. May we truly seek to surrender all to God so that God as an all-consuming fire may consume us completely and utterly.

As God separates, it reminds us of separating twins that have been joined by the hip. It is a process of cutting and tearing away. This is a time of the separation between God’s Truth and the truth of man, between God’s Kingdom and the kingdom of man and between God’s ways and the ways of man. Yes, it is hard to be set apart, for at times it feels like we are losing ourselves, for our very reality is shaken. But the problem remains we still trust in the world and we still live by sight and seek our help in 'Egypt' for our strength and hope. To truly know the divine, we need to be torn away from the natural as we pursue the ways of the eternal and living God. Our very DNA needs to be altered to the spiritual.

Genesis 1 says, “13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” God separated day from night, for there is no association between the two. He also separated the waters from the land. Just so, He is still separating the holy from the unholy, the pure from the impure and the truth from the lies. Revelation 22 says, “11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him [e]be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

God will expose those who seek Him truly and those who seek self-indulgence, self-glorification, self-edification and self-exaltation. Such endeavours and desires of the self shall crumble and be exposed for its wickedness. 1 Corinthians 3 says, “11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” We are also reminded of “Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Yes, the Lord will ADDRESS idolatry, paganism and another seducing spirit in His Bride. If we seek to dwell in the dark, we shall know His judgment (also read Romans 1). Yet in Christ, we find our fortress and eternal hope. We need to separate ourselves from rebellion against His ways, from religion that enslaves and from this world that only defiles.

It says in “Romans 8: 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Glory to God, if we are IN Christ (John 15), then we shall never be separated from God. But then this calls for obedience, loyalty, faithfulness, carrying the cross, denying the self and following the Lord. We are our worst enemies, and through our actions, moral conduct, and speech, we can separate ourselves from His light and holiness if we are not careful. Let us seek the Lord and be set apart in service, love, hope and faith. God is calling for a Bride without spot or wrinkle, therefore, a remnant that is set aside for the glory of God.

A circumcised heart separated unto God

Jeremiah 31 says, “31 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah stood on a mountain after wanting to hide in a cave. He had just confronted the false prophets of Baal upon Mount Carmel, but he was weighed down in his soul by those who wanted to take his life. We read from verse 13: “So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

Let us understand Elijah was both in distress because his own life was in danger but also because his people had no longer stayed true to the covenant of the Lord as forged on the mountain when God gave Moses the Law. As a prophet, this spiritual condition bothered Elijah deeply, for he was seeing how his people had turned away from the Lord and His commandments. Translations use the word “forsaken” or “violated” to describe Israel’s backslidden ways.

Today, we as Gentiles by the sacrifice and ascension of Jesus stand under the New Covenant also referred to as the Covenant of Grace for it is by grace that we have been saved by our faith in the Son of God. We have to remember a Covenant is an agreement. This agreement is taken very seriously by the Lord, for His Son had to die a brutal death in order for the Covenant to be sealed and to be brought into effect. By this Covenant, the Lord is our Saviour, Redeemer and Deliverer, and by this covenant, we are His sons and daughters who should faithfully love and follow and serve Him with all our hearts and minds.

In Jeremiah 31 we read of a prophecy regarding a future dispensation, and this prophecy was the fulfilment of the New Covenant. When one looks at the purpose of the New Covenant, then sadly one also comes to that realisation, as it dawned upon Elijah, that we as God’s people also continually violate and forsake the covenant of the Lord. After all, how faithfully and with what great fervour in love and compassion do we serve the Lord, and how faithful are we staying to the two greatest commandments? 

To understand the full impact of how we so often forsake the Covenant, we take heed of the following in the prophecy by Jeremiah:  “33 I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” If we thus read Jeremiah 31, we comprehend the purpose of the New Covenant was for God’s very nature and character and thoughts and attitudes and motives to rule our hearts and mind. This was the true intent of the sacrifice of Jesus, so that we may be adopted into the Kingdom as sons and daughters and so be granted access into God’s presence. And by that access and by the Holy Spirit, the intent is for God’s presence to increase in our lives so that we may become more like Him and know Him in a true and real relationship.

The New Covenant comes down to God wanting to put His “heart” so to speak in ours, so that our very lives may function and operate in His love and according to His complete and perfect will. It says in "Colossians 2 (New King James Version): 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

Under the Laws of Moses, the covenant between the people and the Lord required males to be physically circumcised. Under the New Covenant, the physical circumcision becomes one of a spiritual nature, where our old ways should be circumcised [cut away] so all that we do and think and feel speaks of love and glory for our Lord. This inner circumcision is what Jeremiah 31 alluded to, for it is a circumcision whereby the Lord says “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts.” How the Lord longs for a people who will push aside their own self-centred ways and the darkened nature of the world by moving in His love and light and life, for then truly He is our God and we are His people. When we stay true to the Covenant, then we stay true to His heart of love and we stay true to His truth and ways of holiness.

How the Lord longs for a people who will know Him and love Him deeply, so that we may love each other deeply in Spirit. This calls for separation from a fallen and dark world. How the Lord longs for a people who will see beyond their own needs to focus on the needs of a broken world, be it spiritual or physical. Did Jesus not admonish us to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)? By the covenant of grace, we should be renewed in mind and have our hearts that were once alienated from Him become circumcised, which means consecrated in love unto Him. The Lord has called us to walk in His love, life, truth and light. We can only do so when we seek Him above all.

In the Old Testament, the first mention of circumcision is in Genesis 17. God appears before Abraham and promises that his descendants will become a great nation and inherit the land. The price for this covenant is that Abraham must circumcise the males of his household, and his descendants must all undergo the ritual too. Genesis 21 continues this tale with the birth and circumcision of Isaac. According to Jewish law, circumcision is the physical representation of the covenant between God and Abraham described in the Old Testament and is required for the inclusion of males in the Jewish faith. As mentioned, we are now required not to circumcise ourselves physically to stay faithful to God in covenant but to circumcise our hearts.

Romans 4 says, “9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted for? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised.” According to the apostle, when circumcision was in place, it was a sign of separation from God. Just so, we are sealed by the Spirit of God and so come in right standing with God when we seek the heart of God and His ways. A circumcised heart results from yielding and submitting to God, for we are then sealed by the Spirit of God, therefore, the seal of righteousness.

Romans 4 also says, “13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” Our salvation, therefore our righteousness, finds its life in our faith in God. But such faith requires a circumcised heart, meaning we seek to serve God with a pure and true heart.

Of course, within the first century, it was rough for Jews who wanted to honour their physical circumcision yet still wanted to follow Christ. Paul writes in “Galatians 2:8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles, “ and also “1 Corinthians 7: 18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.”

Circumcision is not really the issue, for we read in “Galatians 2:3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.” What is important is that we yield to God in obedience, therefore, separate ourselves from a fallen and depraved world. In Galatians 5 we read, “2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.”

Colossians 2 says, “9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Paul then writes as a testimony of what it means to be circumcised by Christ: “Colossians 3: 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

To be circumcised by Christ means to allow God’s will to be done in our lives, and not allow for our hearts to be conformed to His beauty and love. Indeed, we betray the covenant when we persist in our old ways and live according to the selfish desire and intentions of our hearts. God’s love speaks of a love for all, and it speaks of His Kingdom and of the lost and the physically and spiritually needy. The world is spiritually broken and the fires of discontent, hatred and bitterness are consuming the nations.

It says in “Ezekiel 11: 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them,  and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel was also speaking about a future time of a people being reconciled with God, and the prophet speaks of a time where the people will have one heart – a heart of flesh and not of stone - and the Spirit will be in them so that they may follow the Lord’s truths and commandments. Under the New Covenant, this prophecy has also come into fulfilment. By the outpouring of the Spirit, we are filled by the Spirit, and by the sacrifice of Jesus, we can be reconciled unto God. But how the Lord calls for us to put away the detestable things and all their abominations and how the Lord calls for us to walk according to a heart of flesh and not stone. The Lord desires a people who will follow and serve faithfully in love and truth. He wants people who will serve each other and be like the Good Samaritan who reached out to the helpless.

Indeed, we should take note that the Lord says He will give them one heart. God wants to give His people one heart, meaning that we allow God’s heart of love and of grace and mercy and beauty and life to guide and determine our path and ways. When we as His sons and daughters allow our stony hearts to be circumcised, then we allow God’s heart to change our old ways. If we do so, then we stay true to the Covenant and we become one as a people under the New Covenant.

To undergo such a circumcision, it requires a state of brokenness in His people, where our hearts needs to break for Him and His Kingdom and for the needy and the lost and the dying. It is the brokenness of love for we have to be humble and come to the end of our old and selfish ways. In this brokenness will be found humility and in submission, we will come to the feet of the Lord. There at the fountain of life, we may drink and be healed. How we need to be healed from our own selfishness, lawlessness, rebellion, idolatry and wickedness. How we need to be healed from our spiritual apathy, from being idle, from being passive in our zealous love for God’s truth and being hard of heart while the world is dying physically and spiritually.

Only out of such brokenness do we come to the end of ourselves and deny ourselves, and then repentance and a state of turning away from the bareness of this world. God wants to increase in us so that His healing will take hold of us. Ah, praise the Lord! A time has come for the Potter’s touch, and in that touch of brokenness where we abandon ourselves to Him we shall experience judgement grace – judgement in our sin, yet the grace to come to Him, to seek Him, to know Him and love Him deeply.

Out of that state of brokenness where we die unto ourselves, we shall live for God. In that circumcision, we shall come to an end in ourselves – being the greatest of idols – for we shall truly see and know the heart of God and there we shall find our way. And as we lay down our lives in brokenness, and as we lay down our ways in submission unto His authority, then His life will truly take hold of us. It is time for us to decrease and for Him to increase so that His will and not ours is done. Truly, those who come to brokenness allow themselves to be broken, allowing the Spirit of Truth to lead and the Spirit of Truth to mend and the Spirit of Truth to guide.

How we need the Spirit of burning and how we need to have a broken longing for a broken world. Let us submit, let us be obedient, let us follow Him, and let us cast away our idols and our earthly treasures – for there at the foot of the cross God takes His rightful place in our hearts. Let us remember that we all need a touch from a broken healer and so Jesus came and will come again so that all may be saved (John 3:16).

In 1 Samuel 16 we read of Samuel anointing David, and so we find the well-known Scriptures, “7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” In 1 Samuel 13 we read, “14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

So God called for the prophet to anoint a king after God’s heart, and such a man was David. This just shows us how important the heart is to God and how God knows our hearts. In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul speaks of God’s feelings about King David, “Acts 13:22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’

David was willing to obey and follow God no matter what, therefore, being obedient to the will of God.

Yes, David did commit terrible sins, including adultery and murder. Yes, David’s life was a portrait of success and failure, and the biblical record highlights the fact that David was far from perfect. But what made David a cut above the rest was that his heart was pointed toward God. He had a deep desire to follow God’s will and do “everything” God wanted him to do. He was a man after God’s own heart.

David also had deep faith in God, for he knew the God whom he served. Nowhere in Scripture is this point better illustrated than in 1 Samuel 17 where David as a young shepherd boy fearlessly slew the Philistine, Goliath. Shortly before the duel, we see direct evidence of David’s faith when David says, David was fully aware that God was in control of his life, and he had faith that God would deliver him from impending danger. David knew early on in life that God was to be trusted and obeyed.

Another reason David was a man after God’s own heart is that he absolutely loved God’s Law. Of the 150 Psalms in the Bible, David is credited for writing over half of them. Writing at various and often troubling times in his life, David repeatedly mentioned how much he loved God’s perfect Word. We find a beautiful example of this in Psalm 119:47–48: “For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.”

To love the Law in the time of David was simply loving God’s Truth. We may not be under the Law anymore, but we are called to still God’s Word above all else. God granted David understanding and wisdom through daily meditation. David wrote in “Psalm 119: 2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! 3 They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.”

David was loved and a man after God’s heart for he sought God with his whole heart! After he sinned, David was truly repentant. This indicated a contrite heart and one of humility. God loves humility, for pride is our downfall. David’s sin with Bathsheba is recorded in 2 Samuel 11:2–5. The mighty fall hard, and David’s fall included adultery, lying, and murder. He had sinned against God, and he admits it in 2 Samuel 12:13: “David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.’” But admitting our sins and asking for forgiveness is only half of the equation. The other half is repentance, and David did that as well.