The Twelve Gates Of The Holy City

Chapter Sixteen

(The Ninth Gate of The City, Asher)

 

Gen. 30:12-13 says,

"Leah's servant Zilpah bore a second son. Then Leah said, `How happy I am! The women will call me happy.' So she named him Asher."

Asher means happy, to be straight or level - to go forward - to be honest to prosper - blessed. If you experience the ninth gate on your way into the city, you will be content in every circumstance. This contentment comes from a peace within you from the Christ nature. The proof of this contentment within is the flow of worship.

Paul wrote four of his letters from prison. Eph., Col., Philippians and Philemon. One of the themes of the book of Philippians is contentment in any circumstance. Phill. 4:6 says,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your minds in Christ Jesus."

We are not to worry about anything. The next time you are tempted to worry, get on your knees and pray first. Verse 8-9 says,

"Finally, brothers whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praise worthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Paul said in Philippians 4:10-13,

"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

It is not natural to be content. The world is going crazy with fear and worry and doubt and unbelief. In the midst of all this, God is preparing a people and a City so the nations can walk in the light of the nature that God is producing in them. God is releasing in us His nature and we are learning to be content with every circumstance we are faced with. You won't hear us gripping and complaining about it.

If I were teaching on the steps required to become free from worry, I would start at Reuben and bring you through Gad. Take all the gates preceding this ninth gate and you will find steps into deliverance from worry. The toughest gate for the worrier is Issachar, because the worrier can be bought. If you are sold out to Jesus, you will be delivered from worry. But, Brother Johnson, I'm just worried about my children. I can't help it if you don't want to turn your children over to Jesus. If you will give Isaac to Jesus, He will give him back to you.

Paul wrote II Tim. while in prison in Rome and he said in II Tim 2:9,

"This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained."

There is no prison door, there is no chain, there is no circumstance that can bind a nature. God is wanting us to come into a walk, where we can be absolutely content in every circumstance.

Paul says in II Tim. 2:10,

"Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy statement: If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him, if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself."

He is a nature that is within you, and He will abide faithful if you will allow that nature to continue to flow from within you.

The writer of Hebrews says in Heb. 12:2,

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus had passed through Gate 9, Asher, and he understood what real joy was all about. As Jesus was ascending to Golgotha He told the women, "Don't weep for me; weep for yourselves." Jesus had passed through Asher. He had learned to be content in any situation. Heb. 1:9 says,

"You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."

Jesus was the happiest man who ever lived. Asher means contentment in every circumstance. HAPPY. Because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, He was anointed of God with the oil of joy. We have been told about Jesus that He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. But it was your grief He was acquainted with, because He didn't have any!

Those who are walking in Him, who have passed through Asher, are burdened with your grief's, not theirs. Because they don't have any. They are content. You see, if I cast all my care upon him, I don't have any.

The purpose for the Asher experience in Jesus is so you can lay aside all your grief's and care and devote your time to being an intercessor for others. An intercessor is one who has a burden for another and is free to spend their time praying for someone else. Can you now begin to see why the whole Christian world is bogged down in self-interest.

The person who will say to me, "Pray for me, Brother Johnson, this thing has me so upset, I just don't know what to do!," is a long way from the ninth gate. God does however, have a people in the earth right now who are content. There are people who have walked through this gate and they are happy.

What would happen in the world if the Church would stand up and declare to everyone that we can't be destroyed because, I am. I cannot be worried, because I am. I cannot be anything else but happy, because I am. I am always content, because I am. The world and most Christians can't understand someone like this. But the nature of I am is being developed in them, and they know that all is well despite the circumstance.

They have been delivered from worry and once you get this far in your maturing process, nothing will get the best of you, because you know who you are. I 'm not saying that you will no longer be buffeted. But it will not destroy you. There is that Christ nature in us that will keep us from falling.

Gen. 49:20 says, "Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.."

Let's first look at the promise that, "Asher's food will be rich." There will flow from the man who has walked through the experience of Asher, a rich ministry to the body of Christ. Jesus said in Jn. 7:37, "Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water." Proverbs 15:15 says, "All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast." If you have come through Asher, you have a merry heart. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."

There is a healing ministry coming out of Asher and will bind up the wounds in the body of Christ.

Notice, the KJV says, "Out of Asher his bread shall be fat." Fat always is an indication of excess, plenty, and prosperity. He will be rich in ministry and he will overflow in Godly ministry.

Then it says, "He will provide (or yield) delicacies fit for a king." The word `provide' or `yield' means to give. If you are a giver, then you will be happy because the secret of happiness is being a giver.

Not a taker. Show me someone who is always worried and I will show you some one who is a taker and not a giver.

You won't make it through this gate if you are a taker. But the giver always have something to give? He has delicacies!! He has pleasure, delight, and ministers cheer.

Who stood up in the midst of the storm and said, "Be of good cheer!" Jesus ! "Cheer up!" God is love. There is no fear and no worry in love. What does perfect love do to fear and worry? Cast them out.

Asher was the eleventh stone on the breastplate. The stone Asher was engraved on is an onyx stone.

There were two stones on the shoulders of the high priest as well as the twelve on the breastplate. The two stones that were on the shoulders of the high priest had engraved six tribes on each stone and were onyx stones. Onyx is the color of flesh.

God is looking for some shoulders in this man he is creating that he can put government on. He is looking for some people who are responsible to rule.

Judges 5:17 says,

"Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the eacoast and stayed in his coves."

This is a song Deborah sang about the time they went to war against the enemy and called on their brothers for help. Asher said, "I'm happy. Why should I bother with you?" "My family is prospering and we are at peace and content."

I've had pastors say to me, "Well brother, I am just concerned with keeping my ministry and my church happy. I can't help you."

Do you know why Asher fell from the eighth place to the eleventh place? Because he didn't share that happiness. Asher, however, was prophesied to have ministry flow out of him and to give unto others which would bring pleasure and delight to them. But when called upon in the time of war, the time for battle, he did not respond. He said, "Go fight the enemy yourselves." "I'm content to stay home." "Why should we get involved in that, anyway?" "Let someone else do it." "We are too busy maintaining the status quo!"

Jesus was content and happy before we came along. Why did he want to mess with us? He didn't have to get involved. But praise God He did. The reason why He did is explained by His nature. His nature is love and to love is to give oneself for another.

Deut. 33:24-25 says,

"Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil. The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days."

Notice: "Most blessed of sons, Asher," Asher, because of his happy, contented nature will be highly blessed among his brethren. They will respect him and favor him because of his happy, loving, giving nature. His immature brothers, however, are envious and jealous of him because he is blessed and they can't understand why. Because they will not allow the loving, giving nature of God to flow out of them. They are takers. If you get this far into the city there will be people who envy you. There will be people who will want to condemn you and make you as miserable as they are. There will be those who will want you to come and feel sorry for them and want you to mourn with them because they have it so rough.

We are certainly supposed to have compassion on those who are having difficult times. However, there is a big difference between those who have no desire to change their circumstances and those who truly need help. I do not have time for those who are not interested in doing anything for themselves and those who rebel against spiritual authority. Until people are ready to change the circumstance that is causing their sorrow, you can't really help them. They will suck the life out of you, if you allow them.

You had better break off your relationship with them. I don't want any part of, or any association with a nature that refuses to trust God!

Deut 33:24 says, "Let him bathe his feet in oil." Elijah told Naiman to dip (bathe) himself in the River Jordan seven times. This is more than just a dipping of the toe. This means to be baptized in oil. If your foot, your walk, is bathed in oil, then you are always anointed. Do you want to live a completely anointed life before the Lord? Then get happy! There will be a people that will experience the Asher gate who will be anointed with the oil of gladness above their brothers and sisters. Everywhere you walk people's lives will be anointed with your oil of gladness. This anointing that flows from your walk will have signs and wonders following.

Deut. 33:25 says, "The bolts of your gates will be iron and brass." This indicates judgment and strength. II Sam. 12:18 says, "On the seventh day the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead." This is the problem with so many pastors today, they are afraid to tell their people the truth. I would rather tell people that what they have produced from the adulteress relationship they have had since they left their first love Jesus Christ and played the harlot by doing their own thing, is dead!

That ministry is dead and all the fasting and praying in the world will not bring it to life. If you want to help people, you have to be honest with them. However, if you really want to hurt them, just go along with them in what they are doing and bid them God's speed and watch them die. So many today, refuse to accept responsibility. Their reasoning is, "Let someone else do it!"

Notice II Samuel 12:18 goes on to say:

"On the seventh day the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."

When the ministry was still alive, we tried to speak to him and warn him that his ministry would die, but he would not listen to us.

Verse 19-20 says,

"David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized his child was dead." "Then David got up from the ground. After he washed, put on lotion, and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped."

What did David do to get out of his situation? He got up and washed and anointed himself. He changed his clothes (his attitude) and went to the house of the Lord and worshipped. How many of you, when God says no, will accept his wisdom and worship him?