A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of January 31-February 4, 2022
MONDAY
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2
The spirit of counsel and might rests upon our Lord. To rest upon a person implies that something has found a home there. The spirit of counsel is not wrestling against our God, it rests upon our God. Take note of this. Therefore, if a person is seeking the counsel of God, when that counsel comes, he will find rest. This is easy to understand on paper, or in theory, but there are times when we need to brace ourselves to hear and receive counsel from God. When we feel we need something now, and the counsel of God says, “Not now,” we may need to brace ourselves, or we will find ourselves wrestling against the counsel of God. The ultimate rest for us is to submit totally to the counsel of God. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Sometimes we forget this, and we may continue in turmoil unnecessarily. It is good to seek the rest of God. His counsel will always bring us rest.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: 3 John 2 ~ Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health even as your souls prosper.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
January 31: Genesis 32, Mark 3, Esther 8, Romans 3
February 1: Genesis 33, Mark 4, Esther 9-10, Romans 4
February 2: Genesis 34, Mark 5, Job 1, Romans 5
February 3: Genesis 35, Mark 6, Job 2, Romans 6
February 4: Genesis 36, Mark 7, Job 3, Romans 7
February 5: Genesis 38, Mark 8, Job 4, Romans 8
February 6: Genesis 39, Mark 9, Job 5, Romans 9
TUESDAY
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2
What is counsel? The dictionary defines it as an exchange of ideas or advice: a deliberate plan of action, usually from a wiser individual. There is none wiser than our God. What a blessing we have in being able to receive His counsel. The spirit of counsel dwells in us because God dwells in us. It is good to seek His counsel and the inner peace that ensues when we receive His counsel. Should we seek God’s advice on something, as though we could reject it? Of course we should. God Himself invites us to reason together with Him. This exchange of thoughts with God is allowing us to be transformed because it renews our minds. When we yield to the power of His counsel we become powerful as well. HIS MIGHT BECOMES OUR MIGHT. We are joint heirs with Christ of everything that belongs to God.
WEDNESDAY
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2
What do you need advice about today? Jesus has the answer. He has the spirit of counsel and might resting upon Him. I remember one of my earlier experiences in ministry. I had prayed for many years to be able to produce some greeting cards that I had been working on. Through a bible study, I met several ladies who I was certain were supposed to work with me. I was shocked, of course, to find that none of them wanted to do this. I felt that because I had prayed about it for so long, and these women were Christians, and they seemed to not have much to do, that these were the people that God had put me with for that purpose. When my offer was turned down, I was angry and felt they were not being obedient. Thankfully I never expressed this. It was another fifteen years before that vision would come to pass, and it is being done by myself and one other person. Counsel said, “Not yet.” I said, “I want it now.” Peace said, “Not yet.” I finally accepted the path of peace.
THURSDAY
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2
Lack of counsel brings weakness. Weakness means things will not come to pass, or if they do, there will be sorrow added to it, or a diminishing in the good fruit that should come with the promise. Accepting the counsel of God always brings strength. Why do you need strength? You need strength to carry out the steps needed to receive the promise. Strength is needed to endure the warfare that always ensues when we release His Kingdom in the earth. We need strength to hold onto what God says when everything and everybody around us says, “Quit.” Human flesh is deceiving. It says, “I want everything God has for me,” but when we receive a command from God to go forward to attain it, it says, “I don’t think that’s God,” which is the same thing as saying, “I can’t.” When the spirit of counsel and might says, “You can, for I am with you,” human flesh becomes paralyzed. “How could God be with me? Who am I that He should do this great thing for me?” We are in awe at His great love for us.
FRIDAY
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2
Yet He does love us with an everlasting love. This love never changes. Love is the wisest counsel and the most powerful force in the universe. Love is the might of God. Love is the driving force of all life. When God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils, He breathed the love of God into Him. God is love. Just as air is composed of several gases, the breath of God is composed of love, and peace, and patience and all the spiritual forces of the Godhead. When we realize that the love of God is the very air we breathe (this comes from the counsel of God), we will begin to get a glimpse of how powerful His counsel is.
Is there strength in the counsel of God? You’d better believe there is. It so confounds the wisdom of the world, that all the wise men of the world wind up scratching their heads or making fun of God’s counsel. But we are not that way. We are open to the counsel of God, and even seek it. When we find His counsel, we have found the master key to all that we need. The might of His counsel is a force that cannot be stopped. Let it rest upon you today.