Today’s selected reading continues in the Old Testament prophetic book of Ezekiel, and more specifically, is found in the first nineteen verses of the thirtieth chapter. Chapter thirty of the prophetic book of Ezekiel opens with the word of the Lord coming again unto the prophet Ezekiel and calling him to prophecy concerning a day that was quickly approaching within the earth. In the second verse of this chapter we read how the Lord instructed the prophet Ezekiel to howl and cry out, saying “Woe worth the day.” In the third verse the word of the Lord reveals unto Ezekiel that “the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day.” The Lord goes on to declare that this particular day that would come upon the earth would “be the time of the heathen.” Pause for a moment and consider that reality—the reality that the day of the Lord would come upon the earth, and that the day of the Lord would be the time of the heathen. Perhaps one of the greatest realities surrounding the history of the kingdom and nation of Israel is that when the Lord of hosts brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and brought them into the land of Canaan, it was His desire, plan, will and intention that the nation and kingdom of Israel be the demonstration and manifestation of authority, dominion and government within the earth. As you study the history of the children of Israel, you will notice a transition taking place in the earth, as there was a transition of authority, dominion and government that would take place, as kingdoms and empires such as Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome would dominate, govern, rule and reign over the nations, peoples and lands upon the earth. From the time of the captivity of the northern and southern kingdoms of the house of Israel, the earth would be governed—not by the people of God with the throne of David and Temple of Solomon present within their midst, but by kingdoms and empires that would emerge upon the earth. For several hundred years the earth would be governed by what could only be known as “the time of the heathen,” for the people of God no longer seemed to have authority, dominion and government within and upon the earth. WHEN THE PEOPLE OF GOD LOSE THEIR AUTHORITY IN THE EARTH! WHEN THE PEOPLE OF GOD FORFEIT THEIR AUTHORITY WITHIN THE EARTH! What a tremendous tragedy it is when the people of God—those who were called, created, ordained, appointed and even anointed to exercise the dominion and authority of the Lord of hosts—forfeit that authority, and allow what could only be described as a transference of authority to those around them.

 I can’t help but be reminded of the account of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, and how it was there in the midst of the garden where this authority, this dominion was first forfeited and handed over. In order to understand the full scope and magnitude of this reality, it’s necessary to first understand the purpose and intention for Adam within the earth. Beginning with the twenty-sixth verse of the first chapter we read these words concerning Adam—“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him: male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:26-31). In the eighth chapter of the Old Testament book of the Psalms we encounter a further revelation and confirmation of this truth regarding the dominion and authority Adam was given upon His formation from the dust of the ground. Consider the words of David as he speaks forth a word of praise to his God—“O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and even the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth” (Psalm 8:1-9).

 When you come to the third chapter of the Old Testament book of Genesis you will encounter the fall of man in the garden of Eden, and the first mention of the serpent who beguiled Eve into eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hast God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:1-13). When you come to the fourth chapter of the New Testament book of Luke you will encounter the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as He had been led into the wilderness by the Spirit. When reading concerning the second temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, we find the devil taking Jesus up into an high mountain, and shewing unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment time. Now, it wasn’t simply that the devil took Jesus up into an high mountain and showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The temptation before Jesus included the devil’s [apparent] offer to give all this power, and all this glory contained within the kingdoms of the world if He would but worship him. What is worth noting concerning this temptation is what the devil speaks concerning the power and the glory of these kingdoms, for the devil declared unto Jesus, staying, “for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it” (Luke 4:6).

When reading the first three chapters of the Old Testament book of Genesis, as well as the eighth chapter of the Old Testament book of Psalms, and when we consider them in light of what we read in the fourth chapter of the New Testament book of Luke, we discover that when Adam transgressed the command of the Lord in the garden, the authority, the dominion, the government that He had been given by the Lord of hosts was forfeited and essentially handed over to the adversary. The only reason the devil could speak unto Jesus and declare that all the power and all the glory of the kingdoms of the earth were his to give is because that authority had been given unto him through the fall and transgression of Adam within the garden. The third chapter of the Old Testament book of Genesis provides us with the first account of man forfeiting the authority and dominion that had been given unto him—and that through willful and deliberate disobedience. This, however, is not the only account of this reality, for when you come to the Old Testament book of Numbers, you will discover the children of Israel being instructed by the Lord to march up into the land of Canaan, to conquer and to subdue it. Beginning with the twenty-sixth verse of the thirteenth chapter we read of the word which the twelve spies brought back to the children of Israel there in the wilderness. “And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back Word unto hem, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with. Milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the JEbusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan” (Numbers 13:26-29). The account goes on to reveal how Caleb and Joshua attempted to reverse the negative word that had been sowed among the hearts of the children of Israel, yet to no avail. Eventually the people rose up against Moses for bringing them into the wilderness only to perish in the midst of it, or to be consumed in their attempt to enter into, conquer and subdue the land. As a result of their rebellion, their wickedness, their stubbornness, the Lord declared unto them that not only would that generation not enter into the land of Canaan, but they would perish in the wilderness. “I have pardoned according to thy word: but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice: surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed my fully, him will I bring into the land whereunto he went; and his seed shall possess it. (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea” (Numbers 14:20-25).  

 When you come to the fortieth verse of this same passage of Scripture you will find the children of Israel—those for whom the word of judgment had been proclaimed—presumed among themselves that they could march up into the land and conquer and subdue their enemies and adversaries. “And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? But it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites, are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you. But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah” (Numbers 14:40—45). Within this particular passage we not only encounter the children of Israel—an entire generation of the people of God—forfeiting their access and entrance into the Promised Land, but we also find them forfeiting their authority and dominion within the land, for they could no longer go up into the land to conquer and subdue it. Despite the fact that they had seen and witnessed the signs and wonders of the Lord in the land of Egypt, and even witnessed His signs and wonders in the wilderness, they refused to believe the word of the Lord, and they attempted to march up into the land without the presence and glory of the Lord going up with them. There is another reality similar to this one that helps to confirm and reveal this truth even more, and is found in the seventh chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua. When you come to the seventh chapter of the book of Joshua you not only find the children of Israel having passed through the waters of the river Jordan, but you also find them conquering and subduing the city of Jericho as the Lord caused the walls of the city to come crashing down before them. When you come to the seventh chapter, however, you will find them being defeated before their enemy because of transgression before the Lord. Consider the Lord’s response to Joshua when he inquired of Him concerning their defeat before their enemies—“And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore lies thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. IN the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man.k And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because He hath wrought follow in Israel” (Joshua 7:10-15).

 Within this passage of Scripture found in the Old Testament book of Joshua, we find the children of Israel being defeated before their enemies and unable to further exercise dominion and authority within the land because of transgression and rebellion that was found in their midst. Of course we read that it was as a result of Achan’s transgression that the children of Israel were defeated before their enemies and adversaries. The children of Israel should have easily defeated the inhabitants of Ai, yet because of their transgression, the Lord allowed them to be defeated before them. This reality is further revealed and manifested in the very next book found within the Old Testament book of Judges, for you will read of time and time again when the children of Israel rebelled against the Lord, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. Beginning with the tenth verse of the second chapter we read these words—“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: and the forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed” (Judges 2:10-15). This particular passage further confirms the reality that the people of God can indeed and can in fact forfeit their authority, their dominion, their power and might which they were created and intended on having within and upon the earth. The children of Israel were created and intended on conquering and subduing the nations and peoples that existed within the land of Canaan, yet through their own willful rebellion and disobedience before the Lord, they were unable to do so because the Lord sold them into the hands of their enemies and adversaries. This concept of the people of God forfeiting their authority, their dominion, their government within the earth is a reality that we witness throughout the Old Testament, and dates all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden when they willfully and deliberately transgressed the commandment of the Lord. We dare not allow ourselves to be so naïve to think that we are somehow exempt or immune from forfeiting the dominion and authority the Lord has given unto us, for Scripture provides us with example after example of this reality being manifested by those who were called and chosen by the Lord.

 As you continue reading the Old Testament, you will discover the authority, the dominion, the government which the nation and kingdom of Israel held within the earth being forfeited, and the heathen and Gentiles beginning to rule and reign upon the earth. In fact, from the time of the Assyrians through to the time of the Romans, the Gentiles and heathen exercised their government, their dominion, their will, their authority upon the earth. This concept of “the time of the heathen” is not one that should be treated lightly or casually, for the people of God had forfeited their authority and dominion within and upon the earth, and what’s more, is that they actually found themselves being carried away captive into a strange and foreign land where they would remain for seventy years. It is true they would return under the decree of Cyrus king of Persia, but the dominion, the authority, the government which they once possessed and exercised upon the earth was no longer a reality within the earth. Although the people of God returned to their own land, they were no longer the nation and kingdom the Lord had created and raised them up to be. Consider how five distinct empires ruled, governed and exercised their own will upon the earth, for Assyria, Babylon, the Medes and Persians, Greece and finally Rome all rose to power, dominion, authority and might upon the earth. There is a particular passage found in the fifth chapter of the Old Testament book of Second Kings that reveals this particular reality on an individual level as demonstrated and revealed in the life of Gehazi the servant of Elisha. Within this passage of Scripture we encounter the healing of Namaan’s leprosy, and Namaan’s response to his healing by not only praising the God of Israel, but also entreating Elisha to take a blessing from him in exchange for his healing. Elisha refused to accept the blessing, and Namaan would eventually return the way he came to his place in Syria. When we come to the twentieth verse of this passage, however, we discover Gehazi—the servant of Elisha—pursuing something vastly different than what was intended.

“But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. So Gehazi followed after Namaan. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talen of silver, and two changes of garments. And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and behold let the men go, and they departed. But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, to receive garments, and olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow” (2 Kings 5:20-27).

If you read the account of Elijah and Elisha, you will read of Elisha’s request of Elijah to give unto him a double portion of the spirit that was upon him. Elijah recognized that this was a hard thing, and declared as such unto Elisha, yet, nevertheless, Elijah revealed to him that if he followed closely with him and was present with him when his time on the earth was fulfilled, he would receive what he asked for. There came a point in the lives of Elijah and Elisha when Elijah needed to embark on a specific journey, and on each of the legs of the journey, he encouraged Elisha to turn back. As surely as Elisha lived and breathed, he would not leave, nor would he turn back away from Elijah. Eventually the time came when chariots of fire came and removed Elijah from his sight, yet at the very moment, the mantle of Elijah fell to the ground and was picked up by Elisha. If you read the account of the prophetic ministry and life of Elisha, you will discover that he did in fact perform two times the miracles and signs which Elijah himself had performed, and had in fact received a double portion of the spirit that was upon him. If you take this logic and follow it through to Gehazi, you must logically come to the conclusion that if Gehazi had received a similar manifestation within his own life, he could have received a double portion of the spirit that was upon Elisha, which was in turn a double portion of the spirit that was upon Elijah. Thus, this particular account is incredibly tragic, for when Elisha could have received a double portion of the spirit that was upon Elisha, he instead forfeited it for a talent of silver and two changes of garments. Gehazi’s is a tragic account of one who forfeited a double portion of the anointing and spirit that was upon Elisha in exchange for material possessions. It is absolutely imperative that we recognize and understand this reality within the life of Gehazi, for Gehazi indeed forfeited the anointing, the authority, the dominion, the strength and might of the Lord he could very well have had had he not decided to turn back for material wealth and possessions. Perhaps the single greatest question we must ask ourselves is what is that we are pursuing that is causing us to turn away from and turn our backs on that which the Lord has called, ordained and appointed us to do? Are we ourselves guilty of forfeiting the authority and the dominion the Lord has called us to walk in upon and within the earth because we are caught up in that which this world has to offer? Are we like Esau who for a bowl of stew and the pleasures of the world forfeited and sold his birthright, despising it before the Lord? What is turning and directing our attention away from that which the Lord of hosts has called and ordained us to do, to be, and to walk in upon and within the earth? It is absolutely critical and necessary that we answer this question, and answer it honestly, for until and unless we are willing to answer it honestly, and do what is necessary, we might very well find ourselves forfeiting authority and dominion within and upon the earth.

To understand fully and completely the dominion and authority the house of Israel was created and intended on walking in within and upon the earth, we must turn our attention to the seventh chapter of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. It is here within this passage of Scripture that we encounter the Lord speaking unto Moses concerning the house of Israel, and their divine mission within the land of Canaan. “When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittitutes, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusties, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; and when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them; neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be k indeed against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:1-6). If you journey to the eleventh chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua, you will find a powerful description of the activity of the children of Israel within the land of Canaan as they began to exercise the dominion and authority they were created to exercise upon the earth. “So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the Sam; even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibson: all the other they took in battle. For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses. And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debbie, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities. There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israe: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained. So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war” (Joshua 11:16-23).

I am convinced that what I would refer to as “the glory days” of the house of Israel were those days that were enjoyed and experienced during the days of Joshua, and during the days of David. It was during the days of Joshua when Joshua led the children of Israel within and throughout the land of Canaan as they conquered and subdued thirty-one kings in total within the land. It was during the days of Joshua’s leadership that many nations and peoples were conquered and subdued within the land, and the children of Israel began to take possession of their inheritance. It was during the days of Joshua when the children of Israel began to take their possession within the inheritance, and it was during the days of David when the children of Israel would expand the inheritance beyond their borders and boundaries. It would be during and under the leadership of David king of Israel that the surrounding nations, lands and peoples would be brought under the dominion and authority of the kingdom of Israel. While it is true that David could not build for the Lord a Temple and sanctuary because he was a man whose hands had shed much blood, it was because of the campaigns of war he waged with the surrounding nations and peoples that brought the kingdom of Israel into a place of peace—a place of peace that was enjoyed and experienced through much of the reign of Solomon. It was because of the warfare of David that the construction of Solomon could take place. How many times do we think and perceive that we can build a sanctuary and house unto the Lord without first waging the necessary war against our adversaries, enemies and foes? How many times do we fail to recognize the dominion, the authority, the might and strength we have been called to exercise and walk in upon the earth? Solomon was able to build the Temple because it was during the days of his father David that Israel had waged war against all the enemies and adversaries round about the inheritance. It was during the days of the Judges, and during the days of the divided kingdom that the authority and dominion the kingdom of Israel was created and intended on having was forfeited. Oh we must get this, for it is possible for the people of God to forfeit the authority and dominion within the earth. Notice even within the life of David that there was a moment in his life when he could have very well forfeited the dominion and authority he had been given through his adultery with Bathsheba, his murder of Uriah, and his attempt to cover it up and conceal it. Consider also David’s transgression against the Lord when he numbered Israel, and how the prophet came to him offering him three choices—one of which was being subdued before his enemies. Oh that we would recognize and understand how incredibly possible it is to forfeit our dominion and authority within and upon the earth—a reality that finds its roots all the way in the Garden of Eden. It was through and as a result of Adam’s transgression that we encounter man’s forfeiting of the dominion and authority that had been bestowed upon him, and the enemy’s capitalizing on that reality. When the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness, there was still a great measure of authority, dominion, power and might he possessed—that which had been given and handed over to him. Let us not forget the fact that we can live in forfeited authority and despised birthrights. FORFEITED ANOINTINGS AND DESPISED BIRTHRIGHTS! There is an incredible word of caution and word of warning that must be heeded in these last days, for it possible that we can not only forfeit our birthright, but also forfeit the anointing and authority we have been called to exercise and walk in.