LIFTERS NEEDED...
Sounds like a job add in the newspaper, and it is actually an add which God placed in His book and it’s found in the help wanted section of Exodus...(oh, you didn’t know Exodus had a help wanted section?)
Exodus 17:8 “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hurwent up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword”.
I want us to take a closer look at some of the names mentioned in this story...It's interesting to me that the name “Amalek” means the “Nippers”... or the people who cut off the head. The head represents the authority, so they represent everything that is looking to take away your authority or your power.
The place of the battle was Rephidim which means “place of rest”but the nippers want to destroy your rest so you will be weary and worn out. Our Rephidim is a battle we want to win. Jesus talks about entering into His rest, (His Rephidim) and those who have not won that battle, are fainting along the way. The Nippers are getting them!
Moses’ name which was given him by the Egyptian princess who found him in the Nile river, means “lifted out or lifted up”. When Moses got weary and his hands couldn’t be lifted anymore, the battle went against Israel. When we stop praising and lifting up the name of our God in the pressure cooker of life, we begin to lose our power and authority, and Satan gets an advantage. Praise and worship is our rod which we lift up and defeat the enemy!
But God called on some lifters! Aaron and Hur answered the call! Aaron means “Messenger of strength and encouragement”..... Hur means “To burn with inspiration”.
When the Nippers are working, God is looking for some messengers of strength, and encouragement, who are hot with inspiration!
Everybody needs somebody to come alongside and lift up theirarms when they get tired and the nippers are at work in their lives.
Whatever else you take away from this message, do not miss this: Make it your aim, in the name and power of Jesus, to be a lifter. The add is still in God’s book...”Lifters Needed”.... Allow others be arm lifters in your life when you need it. I mean, Moses was the head hauncho, Miracles, signs and wonders, revelations, and prophecy, were his normal, but even he needed some lifters.... Don’t let pride or false humility keep you from asking for and accepting loving helpfrom one another. Make it your aim to come alongside people in your life, including your sisters and brothers in the faith, whose arms – and hearts – are weary from the battles they must fight.”
Hebrews 12, puts out a call to us today.... Hebrews 12:12 Therefore lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, (get back on mission and purpose) so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed”.
In team sports the winners may lift the team captain or the coachonto their shoulders and carry them around the field as a show of solidarity and team effort. The team is acknowledging that it took everyone to bring them through to victory. The church can only win, when everyone is celebrated, lifted up and included as an important part of every victory and achievement. The givers, and the intercessors, and the workers, the inviters, and the volunteers, the encouragers and all the lifters....Every time we come together should be a time of Aaron and Hur ministry to one another....
The bible tells us that we need to lift up our eyes, enlarge our perspective or see the bigger view of our God, ourselves and our world...You don’t know what someone else is dealing with and going through. Lifters can make all the difference.
We were at Big John’s Pizza and Winnie felt to encourage the owner. She told her how wonderful their food was, and how it was the only pizza place we eat at in the area. She complimented the waitresses and the pizza makers. Then said “Thank you so much for being here”. When we left, she followed us out the door, and told us how much it meant. She said they almost closed during the pandemic, but struggled to stay open. She handed us two 25.00 gift certificates, and said that Winnie had made her day....
Look at Psalm 121...”I will lift up my eyes to the heights
to where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let my foot slip—
He who watches over me will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over His chosen will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over us—
the Lord is our shade at our right hand; the sun will not harm usby day,
nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep us from all harm— He will watch over our life; the Lord will watch over our coming and going
both now and forevermore. DAVID WAS A LIFTER!
When he was alive, my friend Lynn Moody, used to call me and ask if I wanted to join him at the airport for some air time over the reef. He would find out where the big groupers and snapper were from the air, mark the spot on the GPS, then come back get in the boat and go out and spear them. Rarely did I turn him down, because I loved lifting up my eyes to the heights, and seeing things from that perspective. All my problems, and all my challenges seemed so small from up there. The church, Key West, and the Keys, seemed so insignificant from the heights. Lynn was my lifter....He would get me above it all....
What has filled your gaze lately?.... your situation at home... problems on the job.... your financial situation.... conditions in the country... your children, or a troubled relationship....come up higher... get a new perspective....Your perspective can make all the difference.. Speaking of perspective.....
A young boy of 9 years old, had to go with his father to the funeral of a friend of his, that the boy didn't even know. When he got there, he stayed in a corner, by himself. When a man approached him and said, "Enjoy life boy, be happy because time flies. Just look at me now..I didn't enjoy it when I was young." The man then passed his hand over his own head and left.
Before leaving, his father forced him to go by the coffin and look at the person inside. When he looked in the coffin, he was shocked that the man who was talking to him, was the same man in the coffin!
For several years he was not able to sleep properly. With nightmares and psychological disorder, he was terrified of being alone. he visited many psychologists. He never turn off the lights at night throughout his adolescent years....Years later he discovered something incredible that changed his life. The guy in the coffin had a twin brother. His change in perspective changed his life....
Colossians 1:13-20 [God] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him Godwas pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross”.
That pretty much covers the human condition... Would you tell someone..
“Lift up your eyes, He’s got you covered”.....
Another word we could use here is the word “Magnify”.....To make larger and larger not only in size but in importance. We can magnify the problem, or magnify the problem solver.... Jesus had your answer before Satan had your problem....
When you see something from far away it seems small and unimportant, but the closer you get, the larger it becomes. The object didn’t actually get any bigger, but your perspective, or view of it, changed. Once you were face to face with the object, you saw it in its full size.
Folks are OK with viewing the Lord from a distance, till life is out of control, then His importance in their lives is magnified because they know it’s important to get closer to Him in their times oftrouble. Somebody needs to pray for some trouble to come on some folks!!
Psalm 34:3 Oh, magnify (make large, and important) the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
Somebody needs to magnify the Lord right now!!!! Come on!! MAKE GOD GREAT, recognize Him as worth the HIGHEST VALUE, SPEAK UP about Him, and make Him the most IMPORTANT thing in your life. Come magnify the Lord with me! “Whatever we focus on, to a large degree, determines what we become.” If you think about it, that’s both an encouraging statement, and a scary one, depending on what you focus on. If I focus on fearful things, I’ll become more fearful. If I focus on negative things, I’ll become more negative. But, if I “lift my eyes” that’s something else. “What we focus on, we empower, we magnify, and enlarge. Good multiplies when magnify it. Negativity multiplies when focused on it. The choice is ours: Which do we want more of in our lives?”
When you get your perspective right, you find what the 14thcentury theologian Nicholas of Cusa wrote in his book “The Vision of God”... He described the “Omnivoyance” of God. “Omnipotence” means God is all powerful. “Omniscience” means God is all knowing. “Omnipresence” means God is in all places at once. “Omnivoyance” means that God is always watching over us and nothing escapes His loving gaze.
So, this morning, whatever impact, and whatever effect this season is having on you, lift your eyes to God, shift your eyes from your fears to your faith, and know that God, the maker of Heaven and Earth, the Omnivoyant one, is watching over you.
I’m declaring that this is the year of the lifters, when they lift their eyes to the heights, and the Lord becomes magnified in their lives.
Lord according to your word, “Let the eyes of their understanding be enlightened; that they may know what is the hope of Yourcalling, and the riches of the glory of your inheritance among the people....Be magnified, oh God, be high and lifted up, so that once again Your glory may be seen among the people!
Divine lifting up will manifest as promotion and favor....
David the psalmist was really “David the lifter”
There is an example of this divine lifting in the account of 2 Samuel 9... It is the story of Mephibosheth. David remembered that his friend Jonathan had a son. He asked if there was anyone left in the lineage of Saul, for the sake of Jonathan, and announced that he desired to bless such a person. Mephibosheth was summoned; all that belonged to him was given back to Him. Mephibosheth had been forgotten but his day of divine lifting came, He went from a pitiful beggar to sitting at the king’s table every day. He was given his own house, and bestowed with honor throughout the kingdom. Mephibosheth had referred to himself asa dead dog that has no value, but David, the lifter, saw him the way God saw him.....When God finds a lifter, anything is possible!
Through the Divine lifter, Esther a slave girl in a foreign land was made Queen. Abraham, the idol maker, became the father of the faith. David the shepherd boy became the Giant killer. Moses, the most wanted fugitive became Moses the deliverer of a nation, the man in demand....Jacob the deceiver became Israel the chosen....Joseph went from the pit to the palace... Ruth the Moabite outsider, became part of the lineage of Christ....
And I declare that this is your time of lifting. The Lord will remember you and His favor will lift you up. When God promotes you, no man can demote you. When God’s favor is upon you, it doesn’t matter who’s against you... With divine lifting; an ordinary person is able to achieve extraordinary results..... Divine lifting brings people from the dust and into their destiny. When God decides to visit you the atmosphere will change and attitudes will be transformed. You will be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. Doors will open that were shut, and you will have friends in high places. The impossible will become possible, and what could never happen will be the new normal in your life....AND HE SHALL BE MAGNIFIED!
Isaiah 10:27 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing”.
The anointing is a powerful Divine lifter!
This word anointing, in scripture means, to be authorized and given permission and access to power from on high.
Priorities are established over time through consistent effort. If you want to be physically fit, it takes more than one trip to the gym. If you want to become a doctor or a lawyer, it takes more than one class. Your continued, consistent efforts will show where your priorities really are. And God says that we are to seek Him first and all the other things will be added to us.
Are you looking for His favor? For supernatural intervention? For an anointing that allows you to experience God on a deeper level, to move mountains of impossibility? Then put Him first! When you place God first, you are telling Him that you are ready to serve Him, that you are ready to take on the mantel of His fresh anointing.
The anointing is God’s mark of distinction that separates you, your family, your household, your life, your finances, your physical well-being, your emotional health…from everyone else. You are a child of the King, set apart to glorify Him.
Consider what God’s anointing did for David. He was the youngest of eight kids, and he was left out in the field to tend sheep. He was ignored by his brothers and was the least in his father’s house. BUT…when God saw David’s heart He poured out His anointing…and David was no longer just one of eight sons. He was set apart, distinguished as the one who would one day become King. David did not accomplish great success in his earthly life because he was talented or charismatic, but it was by the anointing that he was promoted and given favor.
The anointing is a catalyst and activator. It takes what God has placed inside of you and activates it to accomplish God’s destiny for your life. The anointing activates the power of God in your life, giving you the ability to do the seemingly impossible.
It is the anointing that gives you strength when you are weak, that gives you joy when you should be filled with sorrow. It is the anointing that makes you as bold as a lion and gives you courage when those around you are shrinking in fear.
Under the anointing, no weapon formed against you will prosper. No enemy will be victorious. Every yoke will be destroyed. Every burden will be lifted. Every crooked way will be made straight.The yoke of anxiety, fear and confusion is destroyed by the anointing of the Lord.
Maybe today you feel like a victim due to circumstances beyond your control. But the awesome power found in God’s anointing can bring you the total victory in an instant. If you’re facing an impossible situation, He is the God of the impossible. When He anoints you, He will make a way where there seems to be no way.
The anointing is not optional. If you want to be used of God, then it will require the anointing, It’s a package deal. Because everything and everyone that God uses, He anoints. You cannot get close to God and build a relationship with Him without the anointing. If you want to experience God’s power to be demonstrated in your life, you need His anointing. There is no substitute.
Our anointing is not static but it always desires to be flowing. It grows or increases as we walk with the Lord and we increasingly obey and make ourselves available to Him. Our anointing manifests itself in a variety of ways: in Samson it was manifested as immense strength, in David it was manifested in victory against all odds, in Elijah and Elisha in miracles of provision, positioningand resurrection. In Moses, the anointing was manifested in hisleadership, which was from God’s mouth to Moses’ ear. In the apostles of Jesus, it was manifested in amazing signs, wonders and miracles of healing. In some it is apostolic, in some it is evangelistic, in others it is pastoral, and in others it is prophetic or in the area of teaching.
It is His anointing that makes us victorious and more than conquerors. We are anointed as kings and priests before God. People are appointed for a fixed period of time but we are anointed forever as we abide in Christ. Our anointing has no expiration date.
Let me close by giving you some scriptures about the lifting power of the anointing...
1 John 2:27 “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you”.
1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward”.
Isaiah 45:1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations and to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut.”
Prayer....Heavenly Father, today I am standing upon Your Word. Idesire to live under Your anointing. May everything that my enemies have used to try and entangle, ensnare and defeat me be broken in Jesus’ name. Touch my life that I may operate in the Divine authority that comes from the anointing. Lord, Break the yokes of bondage in my life and set me free to be a lifter in the situations I encounter. Help me to put You first and of greatest importance. I desire to keep my priorities where they should be…so that I may serve your Kingdom and glorify Your name. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
I want you to find someone and take a moment to allow the anointing to do what you could not do, and they cannot do. Let the anointing make the difference. Trust the anointing to accomplish it in Jesus name. Be lifted up, by the anointing and set free by the anointing.
