By Chester Leverette (Contributing Writer)
Hello The Source Readers!
My name is Chester Leverette, and it is a privilege and an honor to be blessed by GOD to write about my Father’s business and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ from a Kingdom perspective.
I am truly thankful to Him for giving my daughter, Bridget Elam, the vision and gifts to take the responsibility of connecting and inspiring this community through The Source by giving local news and highlighting events that impact our everyday lives. Thank you, Bridget, for giving me the opportunity to share the blessing of the Lord through The Source and I thank GOD for being Our Source.
I will be submitting devotional writings on a regular business with the hope of uplifting your spirit and strengthening your love and trust in the Lord.
Part 1:
In The Beginning: God Was and Is The Source
As I think about the word “source,” a question comes to mind: What is the meaning of the word source? Source is defined as the person, place or thing from which something originates. It is the origin, the beginning, or the point at which something begins its course of existence.
The Scripture that comes to mind is Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” When God created the world, He said, “Let there be,” and He intentionally brought order and shaped the heavens and the earth. God spoke from a spiritual concept, for God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24). He is an omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent God.
Psalm 24:1 says: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness there of the world and they that dwell therein.” Verse 2: “For he hath found it upon the seas and established it upon the floods … “ The word is a Greek word meaning cosmos, or the world is arrangement of social, moral, religious and political affairs … so the basic meaning is government.
1 John 2:15 says “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Verse 16: “For all that is in the world. the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the Father … but is of the world.” Verse 17: “… and the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that do the will of GOD abideth for ever.”
Romans 12: “I therefore brethren, by the mercies of GOD, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and exceptional, unto GOD, which is your reasonable service.” Verse 2: “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that’s good and acceptable and perfect will of GOD.”
So the world is a government system ruled by … the influence of Satan. Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
But in Isaiah 9:6 ,7: Word of the Lord (owner) gives us the assurance that unto us a child was born, unto us a son was given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty GOD, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
• Omnipresent means He is everywhere at all times.
• Omniscient means He has unlimited knowledge.
• Omnipotent means He has unlimited power.
In Genesis 1:26, God spoke and said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” Image means the characteristics and qualities of God. These qualities are in us because we were created by Him. We are Spiritual beings as humans on his territory called Earth.
Likeness means to function like God, by Faith; whoever say to the mountains, be thy removed and cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart but believe it shall be removed. For example, there is no fear in God. Second Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
God also said, “Let them have dominion …” Dominion means having supreme authority, ruling power, sovereignty, control, absolute ownership, and the authority to govern. These are God’s blessings, meant to make mankind happy, empowered, and prosperous. Therefore, God receives all the glory for what He has given to mankind. He is our Source.
When Mankind Fell into Disobedience to God’s Command
In Genesis 2:7, the Bible says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Notice that God created the heavens and the earth, but He formed mankind from the dust.
To create means to bring something into existence. To form means to shape something from existing material.
Adam came from the dust of the ground. Adam is not a name, but in the Bible, it is plural, meaning mankind species. It is a plural expression that includes both male and female, created to reproduce after their own kind. Animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, and fish, reproduce after their own kind. Likewise, mankind produces after its own kind.
Human beings are unique because God created us as spirit, soul, and body. This raises an important question: Why did God create man? What was God’s purpose for forming mankind?
This question is the heart of my beginning to explore the meaning of words. The word “purpose,” which simply means the reason why something exists or why GOD created the heavens and earth and place in it.
It is my prayer that every news story, event, business venture, and informative piece published through The Source news will be governed by God, to whom is our Source.
Chester Leverette is a resident of Lexington, North Carolina. Through various churches, he has gained vast knowledge of the inner workings of ministry and developed a love for teaching others about the Kingdom of God. Chester’s initial sermon (2007) was conferred by S. T. Green at New Hope Holiness Church. Chester attended classes as a Bible college student at Love and Faith Ministries under the leadership of Michael Thomas.