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The prophet Amos begins to take us a step further in this understanding as he asks, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:3, 7) Agreement is essential, however in order to "walk together" the two must be headed in the same direction, they must be "aligned." With this picture in mind, let us now address what I will call the "power of alignment."

The Power of Alignment

Alignment requires action that is rooted in agreement. The children of Israel were in agreement with the ten "spies" that brought an evil report, and thus they aligned themselves with a lie. Here we have the quintessential example of a Wrong Alignment; "And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt." (Numbers 14:2-4) Because of their wrong alignment, their declaration "we be not able" became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Here is the result of their wrong alignment; "Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD." (Numbers 32:11-12) Only the two, Joshua and Caleb were agreed and aligned as they wholly followed the Lord.

It is important to note that Alignment that is not rooted in Agreement is usually disastrous. All too often I hear from well meaning Christians that are staying in a Church that they cannot agree with because, "Well, God has us there to change things." Now I am not talking about minor differences and diversities of the way things are done, different preferences in the "wine skin," I am speaking of fundamental spiritual differences. Friend, if you are in Alignment with something you are not in Agreement with, then you are OUT of Alignment and working against the purposes of God. I realize that is a strong statement to make, but I believe it to be true. That does not give you permission to just give up on local church either. To be out of any kind of local fellowship is to be out of Alignment also. Prayerfully seek out the fellowship that Father has for you, and Align yourself even if there are minor differences and diversities. The particular "wine skin" or way of doing things is not nearly as important as the "wine" that is produced.

As we saw above, the Scripture says that Joshua and Caleb wholly followed the Lord. They were not only in Agreement, but they were in Alignment. Often times when an automobile is out of alignment it will pull to one side... if you take your hands off the steering wheel you will end up going in circles. This is exactly what happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness. Their wrong alignment caused them to go in circles for an entire generation.

Being Properly Aligned

I remember one time when I bought new tires for our automobile. They looked and rode great for a very short time period, and before I knew it the ride was rough and they were worn out. You see, I was too cheap to get a proper alignment. When we are not properly Aligned, life can be a pretty rough ride and wear us out. Accuracy of movement and ease of movement requires proper alignment. A wheel alignment is not something you get while you are driving. Alignment happens before movement, it is predetermined. So it is with us, our alignment with the purposes of God must be settled in our hearts before we encounter what each day brings us.

The prophet Ezekiel speaks of proper Wheel Alignment; "As to the appearance of the wheels and their construction: in appearance they gleamed like chrysolite; and the four were formed alike, and their construction work was as it were a wheel within a wheel." (Ezekiel 1:16) "Wherever the Spirit went, the creatures went and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit or life of the [four living creatures acting as one] living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up high beside them, for the spirit or life of the [combined] living creature was in the wheels." (Ezekiel 1:20-21 Amplified Bible) To Align is a verb, an action word. Alignment is all about our actions, our lifestyle, not just the way we think, but what we actually DO. The properly Aligned Wheels we read of in Ezekiel move when the Spirit moves and where the Spirit moves. Wheels generally typify some type of vehicle. Friend, that is what you and I are designed to be... vehicles to facilitate the moving of the Spirit! Like Joshua and Caleb, we are to be Aligned, wholly following the Lord as the Spirit moves.

Keep in mind that those verses we just read in Ezekiel are all within the context of describing the Throne of God. The Throne of God is a "Moveable Throne," always in motion... and a "Moveable Feast," an expression of the Feast of Tabernacles. Ernest Hemingway may have called Paris a Moveable Feast, but I believe that Father has declared US to be a "Moveable Throne" and a "Moveable Feast!" You see, the Throne of God is not a large chair somewhere in a far away heaven... the Throne of God is His seat of authority in the earth. The Throne of God is where the King of kings rules in sovereignty in His Kingdom. And where is His Kingdom?  "And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the Kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU." (Luke 17:20-21)

Aligning Earth with Heaven

One of the primary expressions of the Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. During the Feast of Tabernacles, the Jews came out of their ordinary, every-day lives and dwelt in booths (tabernacles). This is exactly what Father calls us to do- to come out of our ordinary, every-day lives and dwell in the Father, for Father IS the Booth. Yes, Christ is in our hearts, He dwells in us, but I believe it is quite another thing for us to dwell IN Him! "For IN Him we LIVE, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." (Acts 17:28)

Hemingway once said, "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." I tend to agree with him, as I go to Paris often. However, I absolutely love the concept he introduces, that after encountering something, wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, a moveable feast. This is exactly what Father has called US to be... that after encountering us, wherever people go for the rest of their lives, the encounter stays with them, a "Moveable Feast of Tabernacles!"

When we speak of a "Moveable Feast" and a "Moveable Throne," we are really speaking of Aligning earth with heaven! "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) We are Alignment technicians, called to bring the Alignment of heaven into the realm of the earth via our declaration and our lifestyle. This is the "power of agreement" and the "power of alignment." The book of Deuteronomy describes the result of this Alignment; "That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth." (Deuteronomy 11:21)

Obviously the children of Israel were not fully Aligned with the purposes of God, and when they encountered difficulty in the wilderness they went off course (for forty years!). Once they came into Agreement with the two who originally agreed with God, and Aligned themselves with God's purpose, they Advanced! With this in mind, let us now address what I will call the "power of advancement."

To be continued...

Doug Fortune

www.dougfortune.org

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