The
Bride’s Nest
Apostle Sergio G. Enriquez O. Pastors Study Guatemala, June 2nd Year of Abundance
We have been studying the strategies the enemy uses to attack us; one of them is to encircle using his emissaries as lions, bulls, bees, evildoers, etc., each of them has a negative spiritual meaning. However before the enemy encircle us , God surround us with a protector shield (Genesis 15:1, Psalm 5:12). The word that the Scripture uses to say surround also is translated as to cover or to crown, so it is necessary to choose who is going to do these things for us, also it is very important to understand that even if the enemy does something to surround us negatively the Lord uses these circumstances to bless us, for His glory; allowing us to be shaped even in the middle of adversity. When we analyze how nests are, we are able to see, among some characteristics, that they have a round shape; this gives us the idea of surrounding for protection, specifically the eagle’s nest that is built in the high rock to be shaped, the eagle uses branches with thorns so they can defend their nestlings from depredators, also to stop them to leave the nest before time. However we have to know that in some moment being eaglets we will be surrounded by thorns that for the same reason, God uses anything to turn into blessing for us, and will work for good in our spiritual development. Song of Solomon 2:2 (NIB) Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. The bride of the Lord is the darling that is protected in a nest that has thorns; and it refers to the nest as the Church where we are being shaped or the nest we build, understanding this as when we pastor others. We can understand that the ones being called to be the Bride of the Lord are the group of believers that have defeated the obstacles that surrounded them, represented by the thorns, and they have reached the goal of being the Bride of the Lord. Genesis 3:18 (NIB) It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. This was part of a curse that Adam had after sinned, but the Lord Jesus Christ broke this curse when He was crucified with a crown of thorns over His head, since in His mercy, He took this curse in our place. Inside the garden there were no thorns , our goal is to return to the garden and while we are in our way back it is necessary to be shaped and in this process God allows to be thorns, making this process painful but it will end being a blessing, only will depend on the way we assimilate it. 2 Samuel 23:6 (ESV) But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand… The worthless are called, in other Bible versions, as sons of Belial, and are considered as thorns that surround the lily (the Bride). This means that if we want to be part of the Bride, we must work hard in not allowing the sons of Belial to surround us and set us apart from the Lord. As ministers of the Lord, it is necessary to teach the Church that they are a chosen group and they have the lily genetic and not the thorn’s, but they have to work hard in order to reach this goal, being baptized and full of the Holy Spirit, learning to tithe and give offering having coverage of the five ministries over them, among some of the requirements.
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The
Bride’s Nest
Apostle Sergio G. Enriquez O. Pastors Study Guatemala, June 2nd Year of Abundance
Another aspect to highlight from this verse is that the sons of Belial are not allowed to be hold by their hands, in other words they cannot be ministered by the hand of God, the five ministries (1 Peter 5:6), therefore they are not shaped properly and they do not reach perfection. Proverbs 15:19 (ESV) The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway. Perversity can be seen from many angles, because the Hebrew word is translated as crooked. This describe those people that crook the true doctrine of the Lord, they are thorns that stop others to be part of the lily, in other words they might be saved but in order to win the rewards is necessary to come close therefore a true and real consecration. 2 Corinthians 12:7 (ASV) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. The thorn describes what God might allow thorns to come to our life so we do not become proud for the success the might have and show ourselves how weak and He is able to make us perfect with His power. Proverbs 24:30-31 (ASV) I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down. The Bride of the Lord nest is surrounded by people with understanding. The Bible lets us see that even the disciples of the Lord, many times, didn’t understand what He wanted to say or the miracles He performed, we do not have to see as strange that we do the same and be surrounded or even us do not understand the Biblical prophecy, or the gift of prophecy, the doctrine, the songs, etc., but also the Bible says that someone lacks of understanding to ask God and He will answer back in our favor. There are many verses in the Scripture that teach us the comparatives of thorns out of those we could have several lessons: Proverbs 26:9 (ESV) Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:6 (ESV) For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. Psalm 73:21 (NIB) When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, Numbers 33:55 (ESV) But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. The Lord has given us Canaan but there are enemies we must defeat until we finish with them, as David did, when he killed the giant with a rock and then with sword, he killed him twice. For This study is allowed to be copied and printed by any mean, only if the source of the information is quoted.
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The
Bride’s Nest
Apostle Sergio G. Enriquez O. Pastors Study Guatemala, June 2nd Year of Abundance
example: it is not enough to defeat temptation of falling into a vice, but we must fight until it is not a temptation for us any more, in other words the victory against any type of sin is not in what we are able to defeat but making those situations leave our heart and mind in such a way we do not have to battle with them anymore because they do not remain in our life. Joshua 23:13 (ESV) know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the LORD your God has given you. In this verse and the previous one let us see that one of the things the enemy affects with thorns is vision, we have to analyze that when we pastor we are walking in the vision that the Lord Jesus Christ left us as a ministerial coverage or if we are trying to follow the human vision and methods. Ecclesiastes 12:11 (ESV) The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. When we read the word wise we see in the biblical context that it is referring to the apostles since the apostolic doctrine is as preventive medicine for many. The Lord Jesus spoke in parables because He didn’t want everyone to understand because all will repent and be saved, this is why the apostolic doctrine is like a filter for the person that comes close enough to wonder, then he or she will be able to understand, as the Lord did with His disciples. The Lord left thorns as a circle of protection for His Bride, so it is necessary that when a thorn is added we understand that is part of our shaping process and our preparation as the Beloved of the Lord.
This study is allowed to be copied and printed by any mean, only if the source of the information is quoted.
www.ebenezer.org.gt
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