“Coming Into the Fullness of Your Blessed Promise”
Subtopic: “Going to Another Level”
So many times we hear the phrase let’s go to another level, or we need to go to another level, but do we really understand what is involved with going to another level and what does it really mean when we say go to another level. How do we get to another level or is another level something that is mine to get to in the first place. Every time I try to get to another level trials and tribulations come that seem to cause me to go backwards and I find myself struggling to get back to the place I was in the first place therefore I cant seem to get to another level because it seems I can’t get passed the level I’m on right now. Understand this just because you have gone from sitting in church with your arms folded to clapping your hands and actually singing a song does not mean that you have gone to another level, in fact you have only just begun to do what is required of you to do, for the Bible says enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, so all you are doing is basic requirements. Hell-o
So then what does it mean to go then to another level? Simply put it is Coming into the fullness of Your Blessed Promise. There are promises that God has promised to give to the church, there are promises that God has promised to give to a nation and there are promises that God has promised to give to each an every individual, going to another level involves getting to the promises God has promised you. So many times you hear the church needs to get to another level, and the church will get to another level because that is what God has promised the church and ordained that level for the church to be at, at a certain time in His divine plan, but the question is will you get to another level will you get to the promises that God has for you. It’s personal.
The Bible is such an awesome book that every time you read it, preach it, study it you come across something or God reveals something unto you that you never before have comprehended. So many times you have heard my father say that the Bible is the oldest book yet it is the Newest book because it constantly reveals something new in it. You can take a portion of a scripture and just from a few words come with enough information that would fill numerous books. For example if we read Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth”. We could take “In the beginning God” and develop plethora of sermons, teachings, and factual information on just those four words, because that is the foundation for which everything else is based upon. If you don’t believe those four words right there, In the beginning God, you can just close your Bible and go on with your life, because unless you believe that you cannot believe anything else in the Bible. Having said that I want to read Eph. 6:13-14 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” I want to stop reading there, but I encourage you to finish reading that chapter sometime for yourselves, because the book of Ephesians is described as the most profound book in the Bible. It is the only Pauline epistle that has nothing to do directly concerning the church of Ephesus or the church to whom the book was written to, but is concerned with the dealings of life that affect all Christians. I want to focus on 6 words from those two scriptures and they come from the end of verse 13 and the beginning of verse 14 and they are “…having done all to stand. Stand…”
So many times these words are quoted to a person when they are going through a test, faced with a trial, confronted by a temptation, or when a period in their life has become chaotic. They are often told these words as a form of encouragement, inspiration, and consolation. And for a while it seems to suffice or pacify a person to a point that we tend to develop the attitude that desperately causes us to cope with our situation, it ignites a spark of resistance and resilience within us that makes us say that we are not going to die, we are not going to be defeated, we get a form of boldness that makes us become stoic in the face of adversity and proclaim that regardless of the circumstances, even though I don’t have a job, even though my friends have turned against me, even though the bank reposed my car, even though all hell is breaking loose in my life, even though my name has been drug through the gutter, I’m going to hold on, I’m going to stand … and having done all to stand. I’ll just stand.
What I am trying to do is reconcile my circumstances with my faith. That is the fight of every child of God in here; we all must reconcile, at some point in our Christian life, our circumstances with our faith. Regardless of what level you are in God, when you walk with God you have to reconcile what I’m seeing with what I believe. If I didn’t at some point reconcile what I am seeing with what I believe I would literally go out of my mind cause I would have no hope, my current circumstances would literally overwhelm and I wouldn’t be able to realize that a change has to come and I would loose my natural mind.
That’s what the world can’t understand about us, they look and see that we are going through things, but they can’t understand how we can still have joy. The reason that we can still have joy is because we have reconciled our circumstances with our faith and we understand that trouble doesn’t last always and since trouble doesn’t last always this to shall pass.
I must reconcile my circumstances with my faith (I believe that someday this vision that God has given me is going to come to fruition, but currently I am seeing struggles, work instability, and debt. So I must reconcile, bring into harmony, my current situation circumstances with my future destiny faith.) I must reconcile my circumstances with my faith. This is what each and every one of us must do. It will never stop until you get out of here, even when you die you have to reconcile your circumstance of death with what you believe, and when you get the victory over death Satan has no more power over you, because it is death that he uses to hold you in bondage all of your life. So I now can say, “having done all to stand. Stand.” I must reconcile my circumstances with my faith.
However, because this mortal has not yet put on immortality, nor has this corruption put on incorruption and I’m still in this flesh there comes a point in time when I, like the souls under the altar that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony they held, I must ask the question “How long lord, how long”? How long must I go through this mess, how long do I have to suffer, how long before I start to see the blessing that are promised to me.
Understand that this is not implication that I have gone back on God, this does not mean that I don’t believe that God can and will make a way, this in no way compromises my salvation at all, it is saying that I have not come to the place in realizing that which God has promised me yet, but I have made the initial step for God, so therefore I am somewhere between there and here, I have stepped like God has said I should, I’m in the church, but I have not yet apprehended or realized that that I have stepped to God for.
The question now is what do I do while I am where I am. I have given up some things believing God for some things, but I haven’t gotten to the things and I can’t go back to the things. I’ve come to far and I’m trying to get to another level. I have faith in God, but I can’t see were I’m going. What am I to do while I’m trying to get to another level.
In this Christian walk we are dealing with sight and faith, we have great faith as long has I can see the end results of my faith, but somewhere along the line I must understand faith in a new light. I must come to a level that I have faith in-spite of what I can’t see.
When we talk about faith and we see faith in terms of deliverance true, but it’s right now deliverance, that is how we were taught, when we look at the television preachers many preach that faith is for deliverance now, the books we read teach deliverance now and we are sold a faith that would bring us out of every circumstance or situation that was negative in our life and deliver us into a fullness of blessings both physically and spiritually NOW. Because of this mind-set, now we have become so centered on right now deliverance that now we have problems when things don’t move out of our way as quickly as we believe they should. We operate in a humanly realm of time and try to limit God to that particular realm failing to realize that God transcends all boundaries of time and works in His time.
Now we developed this concept ‘That by now everything we ever asked God for would have been delivered by now” we certainly did not expect to be struggling at this point in our walk with God, we didn’t expect to be broke, to be psychologically debilitated, and emotionally destitute, because by now we thought we would have been delivered out of everything. I have been walking with God for all these years surely by now I shouldn’t have to be going through this. What is even more devastating is to have enjoyed a season of success and blessings and then have it under cut with situations that we just can’t understand.
I know we all just love God and will praise Him in-spite of, but some of you have had some serious questions about certain things that have happened in your life, sometimes we are told just to explain it away that we ought not question God. The truth of the matter is everybody and anybody can be sued, but you can’t sue God and because I have been taught not to question God, we begin to condemn ourselves and say well I must not have enough faith then when we get to the point, after having condemned ourselves and yet are not fully satisfied, were we actually fought with God because of the things that we are going through.
I don’t feel so bad about questioning God, when I couldn’t understand why I lost my job, all I do is go to church, study God’s word, preach God’s word, teach God’s word, pray, fast I was doing everything that I was supposed to do as a man of God and in my mind I could think of many people that should have been in this place instead of me, who never want to go to church.
If we are truthful with ourselves, there are times that we even get angry with God and say now Lord I am trying to do your will and it seems to me that the folk that aren’t even thinking about you seems like they should be the ones running to the unemployment office, they should be the ones who’s children are in trouble, they should be the ones that have problems making ends meet, they should be the ones having to run to the emergency room, one writer said my foot almost slipped, when I look at the wicked, even though I know I should not fret myself of evil doers, but when you look at the wicked and you see that you are still driving that rusted out yugo and driving it giving God the glory on your way to church and your neighbor just bought a brand new Mercedes and is not even thinking about going to any church and you want to say you didn’t give that a thought when it came to your mind. Your foot almost slipped when you looked at how prosperous the wicked was and here you are struggling to make ends meet. You have been to every service, every convention, every prayer meeting, every Bible class, you haven’t missed a Sunday in only God knows when, you teach Sunday school, are on the praise team, direct the choir, get the pastor’s water, take up the offering, pick up the fans, make sure the church is locked after every service, drive the van, you give your tithes, yet you are still struggling to pay your rent you can’t tell me it doesn’t come to your mind that something is definitely wrong because I’m going through when my going through days ought to be over. What am I going to do until I come into my blessed promise?
I am literally caught between there and there, between sustenance and deliverance, we all have faith for deliverance, we read and are taught it and we try to build our faith in order to get out of a situation. If a situation in our life becomes uncomfortable then we call on God, and if things don’t happen quickly we begin to condemn ourselves and say that I must not have the right amount of faith, so we begin to pray and fast and read our Bibles more I watch my company and the ones I hang around, I become super sanctified and on fire for the Lord I come to every pray line, go to every revival because I need a word I’m working on my faith to change my circumstances. I will travel miles away trying to get to the church were prophet so-n-so is going to be looking for a word because I need a word I cannot figure out why I am in the state I am in, I get 2 or 3 others to pray with me in order that one of them can get in touch with the throne of God so things will change why so I can get through what I’m going through, I am trying to be delivered.
But what we fail to understand is the reason why we are going through what we are going through. We want to go to another level don’t we. Have you ever thought that God and the devil had a conversation and God said to the devil have you considered my servant ___ that it doesn’t matter if they are rich or not that they will walk with me.
Maybe what you are going through is supernatural and what God is saying is I have selected you to embarrass the devil, because he feels the only reason you praise me is because of the things I bless you with. So I want to prove to him that you don’t praise me for what I do for you but you praise me for who I am to you.
Maybe you have been selected to go through the things that you are going through because God knows that the depth of your spirit is not limited to your circumstances, any body can praise God when there is money in the bank, anybody can praise Him when I can eat out at the finest restaurants, anybody can praise God when you can stay in the latest fashions, but when the electric is cut off, when the telephone is disconnected, when the refrigerator is empty, when the bank account has been closed, when the house is under foreclosure, when the car is reposed, when everything that could go wrong has God said I need somebody that is going to stand up and say “though He slay me yet will I trust Him” That’s why you are going through what it is you are going through right now, it is just a test to see if you know why you are sitting in the house of God and if you will totally lean on God He is trying you to see if you are ready to go to another level.
What do you mean preacher: WATCH THIS: Often times God will have a prophet or prophetess give a word or give us a vision that shows what He has ordained our destiny to be. It says that we will be this or we will have this and we become excited because of the vision or the word that has been spoken into our lives.
My mind goes back to Joseph. Now Joseph, whose name means may he add, was the 11th son of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Joseph is a representation of Jesus Christ, in that Jesus was born of a virgin and Joseph of a barren woman. Jacob loved Joseph because he was the son of his old age, Jesus is the beloved Son of God.
Understand that numbers and names in the Bible play a very important role and they have a very unique meaning to them. A person names given to them at birth often described their character and how they would act and be respected or represented in life. For example in Gen.35: 18 Rachel gave birth to Jacob’s 12th and final son, she named him Benoni because her labor was hard and caused her death, but with her last breath she named the child Benoni which means Son of my Sorrow, but Jacob said no his name shall be Benjamin which means Son of my Right Hand. Imagine going through life with the name Benoni, every where you went people called you sorrow or sorry and said because of you that is the reason your mother died that would have been devastating for anyone, so names carried a very important role in life. Numbers also have a very unique meaning to them.
The number 1 means “Beginning”. The number one is emphatic, declaring the unity of worship. It represents the One and Only true God who is self-sufficient, the beginning, the alpha and omega.
The number 3 speaks of solidity it is the symbol of fullness. Next to the number 7 it is the most mentioned number in the Bible. It denotes Divine testimony. It represents the 3 manifestations of God.
The number 7 is God’s number it represents spiritual completeness and spiritual perfection.
The number 11 means chaos, confusion, destruction, pandemonium, and mayhem.
Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob, even though his name meant may he add, his number said chaos and confusion, pandemonium and mayhem, in other words there was some trials that were getting ready to come in his life. Joseph had a dream and he told his brothers of the dream mistake because you don’t tell everyone everything, he said in Gen.37: 7 “For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.”
Understand that his brothers already disliked him, because their father had already showed that Joseph was his favorite son and he gave him a coat of many colors. This coat of many colors is called an “addereth” it was a symbol of authority and power, it showed everyone else that the person who wore this coat was a person of importance, it indicated that in case something happened to Jacob that the one with the coat was responsible for making decisions concerning the family, he became the head of the house.
When it came time for the inheritance the oldest son would receive a double portion, but in Joseph case he would because he had the coat, which was a symbol of power and authority passed to him from his father, by all rights it was supposed to be given unto Reuben the oldest son as a birth right, but instead it was given unto Joseph the 11th , the son whose number mean chaos, the son whose number means mayhem, and pandemonium; that has a spiritual significance for us; NO MATTER WHAT THE DEVIL MAY TRY TO PUT IN OUR WAY, NO MATTER HOW BAD OUR LIFE MAY BE, WHAT GOD HAS FOR ME IS FOR ME AND THERE IS NOTHING NO DEVIL IN HELL CAN DO TO STOP IT. So we see that his brothers disliked him for this reason also, because Joseph was literally a tattletale for in the 2nd verse the Bible says …and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
But Joseph had a dream which was literally a vision of his destiny, God was revealing to Joseph this is what I have planned for your life as long as you do my will and obey me I will cause even your family to give you honor as long as you honor me and give me the glory. (It doesn’t say that but go with me for a little while) Then in the 9th verse Joseph had yet another dream and he told it to his brothers and his father, this dream was that the sun, moon and the eleven stars would pay obeisance to him. This dream was the conformation of the other dream, God never gives a word or a vision without conformation.
Joseph now had conformation from God that God was going to elevate him to a position and esteem him greatly in the sight of man. In other words Joseph was going to another level. However Joseph’s brothers plotted against him and cast him in a pit, they were going to kill him, but thanks to Reuben, they decided to sell him into slavery.
Now here’s Joseph, he had just had a vision from God with conformation saying that I am going to elevate and esteem you to a level of power, authority, and honor, but he finds himself cast down into a pit and sold into slavery. I like to believe that Joseph said “wait a minute God you didn’t say anything about this, this wasn’t in the vision, don’t you think that this was some pertinent information, what’s up with the promotion, were is the obeisance, Lord God you forgot to tell me about this what’s going on. God will show you the vision, but He won’t show you the valley and there is a reason for that, if He did you would through up your hands and say forget that Lord I don’t think it’s worth it, because we are still in this flesh and the flesh doesn’t like to suffer and if you got to see the suffering before hand you wouldn’t go through it. AMEN
But Joseph was now at the point were he had to reconcile his circumstances with his faith. He had to bring into harmony what he believed would happen and what he was seeing in his current situation.
WATCH THIS: Eventhough Joseph was cast into a pit sold into slavery God blessed Joseph and he began to prosper in so much that he found favor with Potiphar, an Egyptian, who was an officer of Pharaoh the captain of the guard. Joseph served Potiphar so well that he was made overseer of all that Potiphar had the Bible says, “…that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; (GOD WILL BLESS OTHERS BECAUSE OF YOU) and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and the field.” Joseph was being blessed in-spite of his circumstance. Eventhough we may be going through some things we are still being blessed. You lost your job, haven’t had a check in nearly a month, yet in still there is food on the table, clothes on your back, shelter over your head, electric still on, phone hasn’t been disconnected, car still in the drive-way, What a mighty God we serve.
Joseph was experiencing a season of blessing in-spite of his situation. (LISTEN TO WHAT I’M SAYING) No doubt his faith was growing, no doubt he was probably thinking in his mind that if I continue to find favor in the eyes of Potiphar that someday he will release me and I can achieve that vision that God gave me sometime ago. So he worked diligently to please Potiphar only to have it undercut and under minded by Potiphar’s wife. Oh you know the story to make it short, she wanted Joseph, he wasn’t going for it, and so she yelled rape.
Joseph now found himself bound in prison. I like to believe he said Lord I didn’t see that one coming, why are you keeping this pertinent information from me, don’t you think that this might be helpful to know about before hand, the vision you gave me Lord showed me in this position, you said I would have this and that I would be doing this, but once again I find myself in another pit I thought Lord I was going to another level, but seems like all I am doing is back-tracking I can’t seem to get off of this level here, I have done what you said for me to do, I have given up some things, I have trusted you for things, yet I haven’t received those things and I can’t go back to those things, I have faith so Lord by now I should have been delivered, the question now is Lord how long, how long before I get to the next level.
Oftentimes you don’t see the trials coming, you don’t realize that the tribulations are coming, all you know is the vision, you are experiencing a season of blessings, when suddenly everything is turned upside down you didn’t see this and you will ask God, couldn’t you have informed me about this, but now I must reconcile my circumstance with my faith once again.
Oh you know the story he was in prison with a baker and a butler of Pharaoh’s, they had dreams and he interpreted the dreams for them 2 years later Pharaoh had a dream, He was told about Joseph who had the ability to interpret dreams, Joseph was sent for to interpreted the dream for Pharaoh.
WATCH THIS: This is the key for the whole things that Joseph went through, in Gen.41: 15-16 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of Peace.”
This is the reason why Joseph had to go through the things he suffered was in order that he would come into the fullness of understanding exactly who and whose he is. He was about to go to another level. He had to get to the point were he knew that it was not of any goodness of his own, it was not because he was so intelligent, it was not because he was who he was, but it was God, it’s all about God. He had to get to the point in his life that regardless of his circumstance God is first, regardless of position, God is first.
The reason Joseph along with us and every other child of God must experience trials and tribulations in our life is 3 fold, remember the number 3 represents fullness. Next to the number 7 it is the most mentioned number in the Bible. Fullness is not lacking in any essentials being at the highest or greatest degree. The reason we go through things is because God is trying to bring us into the fullness of our blessed promise, and in order for us to be at the highest level and degree possible we must go through things, WHY?
The Three-Fold Meaning of Trials and Tribulations:
1. Is to humble us. The word humble comes from a Hebrew word called “kana” which means to vanquish or subdue. We must get to the place were we understand that it is not I, but God that is working through me. Joseph could have had this attitude, I have been given the birth right, I have been given the vision, I have been placed in charge of all of Potiphar’s house, I have interpreted the dreams, but he had to go through what he went through for kana, we must go through the things that we go through for kana, in order that we don’t get caught up in the I syndrome. The I syndrome is this I did this, I preached good, I sing great, I, I, I, Understand that the middle letter of pride is I, the middle letter of lie is I, the middle letter of sin is I, and the middle letter of die is I, when you get caught up in the I syndrome you get wrapped up in pride. God has antipathy or a total dislike for pride. Pride is deification of self, it thinks more highly of itself than it ought to, it arrogates to itself the honor which belongs to God, it causes an independency of God instead of depending on God it desires to be as God. Pride manifest itself in the inordinate assertion of self. When we get wrapped up in the I syndrome, we are in pride, we begin to tell lies, which is a sin, which will cause you to die. So we go through things for kana in order that we subdue the I. Baby you say you want to go to another level then get ready to go through some things.
2. Is to get us to Lean on Him: The word lean comes from a Hebrew word call “camak” (saw mak), which means to uphold to support, to set. The primary meaning is lean on in the time of desperation. God is trying to get us to the point that we lean upon Him when times are bad and not just trust in Him when everything is just alright. God needs to see that if He allows us to go to another level that we will lean upon Him and not trust in something else. Understand that on another level a higher level that the trials and tribulations are greater, because the responsibilities are greater. So God sends us or allows us to go through trial and tribulations persecutions now for camak, He needs to see that no matter what we go through that we will totally depend and lean on Him and not turn to or look for support in E&J, or Hennessey, or Crack, or Newport, He needs for us to be able to say ‘Though He slay me YET will I camak Him.”
3. The 3rd thing is to empower us: To give us the ability to handle the things that He will place into our hands. Understand that in order to handle the Word of God and His children and that is the world not just the church folk, requires an anointing and to qualify for that anointing you must be tried.
Once you have come to the fullness you are qualified for the blessing, some folk want to be blessed but are not qualified for the blessing because they will take the gift over the giver, they will get lifted up in pride, but after you have gone through all the stuff, after you have been tried in the fire, after you get to the point were you can tell the devil Thou He slay me YET will I trust Him you are qualified then God will release everything that you have been waiting for. WHY because now you have come into the fullness of your blessed promised you are capable to go to another level. You have now come to the place that god will compensate you for all the mess you had to go through. It’s just like being on a job if your get hurt on the job, you have to go see the doctor and the doctor will run several test on you to determine rather or not the injury that you suffered warrants compensation or not, if they determine that your injury is work related then the job must compensate you for being injured on the job. When you have gone through all the mess, when you have suffered on the job spiritually, when you have been hurt, after your name has been drug through the gutter, after everybody turned their backs upon you, after you have been kana and come to camak God, when you have come to the fullness God must compensate you for being injured on the job, understand that the more pain and suffering you go through the bigger your compensation will be. Now that I have come into the fullness I am now qualified to go to another level. Why because I have come into the fullness of my blessed promise. I have been through the storm and I have been through the rain, I have suffered heartaches and pain, yet in still I stand, my foot almost slipped but yet I stand, I questioned God but yet I stand. I have come into the fullness, remember Fullness represents the 3 manifestations of God, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost. We are made in His image and likeness; God is a triune spirit Father, Son, and Holy Ghost we are made a triophony having body, soul and spirit hence created in fullness.
Fullness: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Omniscience, Omnipotent, Omnipresence Body, Soul, Spirit, Death, Burial, Resurrection, Outer Court, Inner Court, Holy of Holies, Tabernacle, Temple, Pentecost, 30, 60, 100 fold, fruit, more fruit, much fruit Faith, Goodness, Mercy, Peter, James, John, there were 3 crosses on Calvary, 3 men died 3 different deaths, 1 died in sin, 1 died to sin, and the 1 died for sin. I’ve been TRIED, TEMPTED, and TESTED, I HAVE COME INTO THE FULLNESS OF MY BLESSED PROMISE AND I AM GOING TO ANOTHER LEVEL.
Elder Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr..
Boanerge Ministries
