The gift of prophecy is a wonderful gift to Man. However, the one who prophesies is often faced with doubts about God using him or her to prophesy. After giving a prophecy, the speaker can face tremendous self-condemnation. Also, the enemy condemns the prophesier. The battle is common and can drive one away from serving God through prophecy. Today’s lesson is about developing an objectivity about oneself. Instead of being familiar with all our weaknesses, the Holy Spirit asks us to focus on His righteousness. Also, instead of being sensitive to the one whom you are prophesying to and their feelings, the Lord asks us to become increasingly sensitive to His heart.
In my mind, objectivity is “not owning what is not your stuff”. We talked in Lesson #2 about separating our thoughts and identifying their different sources. Some thoughts come from our heart, and contain our “stuff.” Let’s go one step beyond identifying the source of our thoughts, for not all accusations are in thoughts alone. Sometimes it is an actual person who asks us about our prophecy. We have their thoughts, our thoughts, and the enemy’s thoughts. So, how do we know the truth about what is our stuff, and what is the other person’s stuff, when confronted with accusations?
We know that we should “own” the contents of our hearts. Though our hearts can be deceitful, God brings its contents to our knowledge and helps us to deal with it. We should daily come under the cleansing blood of Jesus. His gentle convictions will cleanse us, and we can walk in confidence before Him. Satan just lies to us. He is not helpful in restoring us to righteousness and has no power to change our habits. Satan’s job is to get us to dwell on our sins and weaknesses . . . . forever. He wants us to be overly sensitive to our imperfections. The verse that came to me about this is 1 John 3:19,20; “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” My study Bible says that if our conscience is oversensitive, we can quiet this condemnation by the knowledge that God Himself has declared active love to be an evidence of salvation (verse 18). Evidence. Let’s look at what God considers it to be.
The book of 1 John is the “how to know and see” book. It is a great guide on how to be objective about what is in our hearts, and the hearts of others, by what we see. You might say that we can support our estimation of our standing with God by these things, which are considered evidence. In this book John tells us
1. Why the world does not receive us (3:1)
• The world does not know Jesus. Remember that the carnal man cannot receive the things of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14)
2. Who is righteous (3:7)
• He who does what is righteous. Jesus told us that we would know people by the fruit they bore (Mt 7:15-20)
3. Who is of the devil(3:8)
• He who does what is sinful. Jesus said that those who love lies belong to the devil (Jn 8:44)
4. How the children of the devil act (3:10)
• Anyone who does not do what is right, and anyone who does not love his neighbor. In the parable of the Good Samaritan we learn that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help (Lk 10:30-37)
5. How the children of God act, and why they cannot continue in sin (3:9)
• Because God’s seed remains in him; he has been born of God. When Nicodemus asked Jesus how to be “born again” Jesus told him that to enter the kingdom of God, we must be born of the Spirit (Jn 3:5)
6. How we know we have passed from death to life (3:14)
• Because we love our brothers. Jesus commanded us to love one another just as He loved us (Jn 15:12)
7. How to know what true love is (3:16)
• We ought to lay down our life for our brother. In this way we follow Jesus’ example (Jn 15:13)
8. How we know when we fail at love (3:17)
• When we see our brother has a need and withhold our help. James tells us that we should not just wish our brother good, but should supply what he needs (Jms 2:15-16)
9. How love behaves (3:18)
• Not just with words but with actions and in truth. (see #8)
10. How we know we belong to truth (3:19)
• By acting like Jesus did in all the previous points (#1-10)
11. How we know He lives in us (3:24)
• We know it by the Spirit He gave us. God poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us (Rm 5:5)
These are principles which help us to be objective with anyone who condemns us, either person or spirit; once you establish what you “know” and what you ”see”, you can separate yourself from the lies of the enemy and from your own tendency to condemn yourself.
Being objective is about owning the truth about yourself, and is important. In Ephesians we read that we are to have a “belt of truth buckled around your waist,” (Eph 6:14). A soldier needs to have something that he can fasten his sword to. The belt of truth holds up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. When the enemy assaults you, you need the belt of truth to keep the Word of God at hand. Then you can speak the Word of God to your accuser. If your enemy can confuse you about the truth, then there’s nothing to hold the sword on with. If the enemy, whether a man or a spirit, accuses you of wrong-doing, you need to know your standing with God. If you succumb to accusations which are untrue, you compromise the very word of prophecy the Lord sent you to deliver.
Here is a Word the Lord gave me which fits well here; “Discernment is the weapon against condemnation. Truth is the weapon against confusion. The strength of the strong-in-faith is in maintaining their victories. Without discernment, the battles of the mind cannot be won, and faith in what is true will be cast aside for belief in what is a lie. Discernment will lead to wisdom if a man fears God and loves the truth.”
This is the end of the lesson. Though the tendency is to believe that being humble would cause us to admit to error when accused, we do not see this example in the scriptures. Let us walk hand-in-hand with the Holy Spirit, He who cleanses us daily and brings us to stand in the righteousness of Christ. If in anything we are in need of correction, we need to be soft to His convictions and the words of others in this area. However, let he who prophesies in the Spirit do so in faith and not waver. Amen.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
time, and oil
Dave and I are back from our road trip. There were many “God appointments” along the way. Equally as precious were the conversations of the Holy Spirit during the drive . . . those quiet times when He takes advantage of our inactivity to speak to our hearts. One of His comments was that those who value time learn wisdom. Or, you could say that those who do not see the value of time will not learn how to be wise.
Time is the division of the total of our lives. Since our lives are a gift, each time-component is also a gift. We speak about there being a “season” for learning, and a “space of time” for which something should be accomplished. In our temporal lives we see that projects are set on a “time-line” and goals are to be met by the “due date.” If we fit what we do into God’s time, He will bring the wisdom we need to accomplish what we do and have it finished “on time.”
Jesus gave us a parable in which we find that some people had good time management, and some did not. I am speaking about the parable of the 10 virgins who waited for the bridegroom (Mt 25:1-13). 5 had taken oil to trim their lamps with, and the other 5 had not. What is interesting about this story is that, when the bridegroom came, all the virgins had enough oil to trim their lamps. But the foolish virgins didn’t have enough to keep their lamps lit. The wise ones did not share their oil with the foolish ones, saying that “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” The following is a prophecy from 9-1-06 concerning what oil is;
“Those virgins who have not defiled themselves with the world and sin are waking from their slumber to find that some are prepared to answer the call, whereas others are not. Some have obeyed My voice and therefore have the oil of holiness. Others have procrastinated and been in unbelief, therefore they did not obey My voice. If a man does not do the works of obedience, he avoids having his works tested. But he will also have no oil in his lamp when he awakes. This is foolishness. There is no more time to go out and do those works of obedience for past words I spoke. In other words, as the wise virgins told the foolish, there is not time to give them the words again that they might begin the process of works, and testing.
Oil is the by-product of olives, which are a fruit, being crushed. If a man will not bear fruit, he cannot have oil. If a man bears fruit but will not be crushed through the trials I bring on him, he will not have oil. Only those who trust Me with all their life, laying their fruit down before the crushing machine, will have oil. These value the things of God. Foolishness is not valuing the things of God, but keeping one’s life intact, though believing.”
You might say that oil is the result of good time management. Using the time we are given to listen to and obey what God is speaking will bring fruit from our lives. There will be trials also, and that will bring the oil. The oil is so precious that it keeps the flame of the Spirit burning, lighting our way. Can this be given to us by another person, such as a gifted speaker? Can an anointing be imparted to us so that we quickly have this oil, and a life close to God? The answer to both is “no.”
In the book of Revelation we find another example of time management. The Laodicean church felt content in who they were and the works they had done (See Rev 3:14-18). However, the Lord did not agree. Their use of time had not accomplished in them what was valuable; spiritual wealth, covering, and eyesight. Jesus’ advice to the Laodiceans was surprisingly similar to the advice of the wise virgins; “buy from Me . . .” The letter to the Laodiceans offers more hope than the parable of the foolish virgins in that Jesus, the Bridegroom, is speaking to the Laodiceans before His return. Since they have time before He comes back, He tells them what they need to do to get ready.
The first thing Jesus counsels them to do is to buy gold that has been refined in the fire. Gold represents our faith, which is proved genuine by the Refiner’s fire through trials (1 Pet 1:7). To have the gold, we must have the trials. If we submit to God during our trials instead of resisting them, we will have refined gold, or genuine faith as the end-product.
Jesus next asks the Laodiceans to buy from Him “white clothes to wear . . .” White robes represent keeping ourselves free from staining our garment by the corruption that lives in our flesh (Jude :23). When we walk in obedience to the Spirit, we do not walk in the flesh. Garments also represent our works (Rev 19:8). When we walk in faith (gold) and obey the Holy Spirit, we will become clothed in works that are “white”. The picture of the Bride which Jesus comes for is one who is clothed in “fine linen, bright and clean” (Rev 19:8).
Finally Jesus advised the Laodiceans to buy “salve to put on your eyes . . .“ Our spiritual eyesight is called the “eyes of your heart”, or, understanding (see Eph 1:18). We have true spiritual vision when we have spiritual understanding. This is the precursor to wisdom. When we become exercised by obedience to the Holy Spirit (which takes faith) then our understanding of God’s ways will bring us wisdom.
So, we can see that wisdom takes time to acquire. It takes “time management.” How do we manage our time? And, are we satisfied with who we are and what we’ve done, or is the Holy Spirit asking us for a deeper, more refining walk with Him? We have time to buy from Him. It will take management of the times and seasons of our lives. But He is worth it. Amen.
Time is the division of the total of our lives. Since our lives are a gift, each time-component is also a gift. We speak about there being a “season” for learning, and a “space of time” for which something should be accomplished. In our temporal lives we see that projects are set on a “time-line” and goals are to be met by the “due date.” If we fit what we do into God’s time, He will bring the wisdom we need to accomplish what we do and have it finished “on time.”
Jesus gave us a parable in which we find that some people had good time management, and some did not. I am speaking about the parable of the 10 virgins who waited for the bridegroom (Mt 25:1-13). 5 had taken oil to trim their lamps with, and the other 5 had not. What is interesting about this story is that, when the bridegroom came, all the virgins had enough oil to trim their lamps. But the foolish virgins didn’t have enough to keep their lamps lit. The wise ones did not share their oil with the foolish ones, saying that “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” The following is a prophecy from 9-1-06 concerning what oil is;
“Those virgins who have not defiled themselves with the world and sin are waking from their slumber to find that some are prepared to answer the call, whereas others are not. Some have obeyed My voice and therefore have the oil of holiness. Others have procrastinated and been in unbelief, therefore they did not obey My voice. If a man does not do the works of obedience, he avoids having his works tested. But he will also have no oil in his lamp when he awakes. This is foolishness. There is no more time to go out and do those works of obedience for past words I spoke. In other words, as the wise virgins told the foolish, there is not time to give them the words again that they might begin the process of works, and testing.
Oil is the by-product of olives, which are a fruit, being crushed. If a man will not bear fruit, he cannot have oil. If a man bears fruit but will not be crushed through the trials I bring on him, he will not have oil. Only those who trust Me with all their life, laying their fruit down before the crushing machine, will have oil. These value the things of God. Foolishness is not valuing the things of God, but keeping one’s life intact, though believing.”
You might say that oil is the result of good time management. Using the time we are given to listen to and obey what God is speaking will bring fruit from our lives. There will be trials also, and that will bring the oil. The oil is so precious that it keeps the flame of the Spirit burning, lighting our way. Can this be given to us by another person, such as a gifted speaker? Can an anointing be imparted to us so that we quickly have this oil, and a life close to God? The answer to both is “no.”
In the book of Revelation we find another example of time management. The Laodicean church felt content in who they were and the works they had done (See Rev 3:14-18). However, the Lord did not agree. Their use of time had not accomplished in them what was valuable; spiritual wealth, covering, and eyesight. Jesus’ advice to the Laodiceans was surprisingly similar to the advice of the wise virgins; “buy from Me . . .” The letter to the Laodiceans offers more hope than the parable of the foolish virgins in that Jesus, the Bridegroom, is speaking to the Laodiceans before His return. Since they have time before He comes back, He tells them what they need to do to get ready.
The first thing Jesus counsels them to do is to buy gold that has been refined in the fire. Gold represents our faith, which is proved genuine by the Refiner’s fire through trials (1 Pet 1:7). To have the gold, we must have the trials. If we submit to God during our trials instead of resisting them, we will have refined gold, or genuine faith as the end-product.
Jesus next asks the Laodiceans to buy from Him “white clothes to wear . . .” White robes represent keeping ourselves free from staining our garment by the corruption that lives in our flesh (Jude :23). When we walk in obedience to the Spirit, we do not walk in the flesh. Garments also represent our works (Rev 19:8). When we walk in faith (gold) and obey the Holy Spirit, we will become clothed in works that are “white”. The picture of the Bride which Jesus comes for is one who is clothed in “fine linen, bright and clean” (Rev 19:8).
Finally Jesus advised the Laodiceans to buy “salve to put on your eyes . . .“ Our spiritual eyesight is called the “eyes of your heart”, or, understanding (see Eph 1:18). We have true spiritual vision when we have spiritual understanding. This is the precursor to wisdom. When we become exercised by obedience to the Holy Spirit (which takes faith) then our understanding of God’s ways will bring us wisdom.
So, we can see that wisdom takes time to acquire. It takes “time management.” How do we manage our time? And, are we satisfied with who we are and what we’ve done, or is the Holy Spirit asking us for a deeper, more refining walk with Him? We have time to buy from Him. It will take management of the times and seasons of our lives. But He is worth it. Amen.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Works of the Church
Many of my postings have been along the lines of equipping the saints through prophetic lessons. Lately the Lord has been giving me prophetic insight concerning the times and seasons of the church. Today’s post is along those lines.
A few days ago the Lord gave me a dream wherein the church was celebrating the ending of a season of instruction which had begun in the 1950s. The celebration was a combination of a graduation and a prom, and I had been an instructor. The students were full of joy, and I was ending the season in my room by writing a prophecy for them in gold, silver, and bronze inks. I wrote on an apron, and the prophecy was their destiny. All their training brought them to the point of leaving school and beginning the great works they were trained for.
I could hear the party going on, and the voice of a student who approached a microphone. She encouraged all the others to prophesy. I was very proud of her, as I listened from my room. I then walked out with the apron of destiny. But a sad knowledge sank into my thinking; if I gave the apron to the leaders of the university, they would not pass it on to the students, for they would not see its value.
I walked out into the starry night, hearing the party in the auditorium and glancing at cars from the 50s. No one was there to receive the prophetic apron, and I wondered who would receive the great prophecy to do the works of Christ. That was the end of the dream.
Though this dream held so much destiny for the church, the reality is that all that God has to say to us will not be heard if we do not listen to one another. Jesus asks us to receive one another (Mt 10:41-42). In this dream, a parking lot symbolizes a place of stopping, for a purpose. The students were being equipped, trained for a work. God’s church is at the point of being sent out to do those works, yet many are still celebrating the training. It’s time to go out, yet the time also needs to be coupled with God’s words of destiny.
I remember that, in this dream, the words of destiny were a glory to hear and write. I understood that the apron symbolized works. In a previous dream the Lord also emphasized works. That dream showed me an angel who brought the crucified body of Christ to a table before me. Then the Holy Spirit prayed through me that the body of Christ, the Church, would do the works of Christ. Ever since that dream the Lord has been spurring me on to find and to do His works.
I believe that we will not find the works of Christ to do unless we listen to the Spirit. He will lead us into the works for which He has trained each one of us. However, we need to receive each other to receive all He has to say. May I encourage the leaders of the Church to listen to their flock, and the members of the flock to listen to each other. Also, I would like to underscore the times; that the Lord is leading us out of is equipping, and the times the Lord is leading us into is the works of our destiny. May we attain to the unity of the Spirit and the maturity that comes through each member building the entire body of Christ up by that which he or she has been given by He Who supplies the life to accomplish our full stature in Him. For He is all, and in all. Amen.
A few days ago the Lord gave me a dream wherein the church was celebrating the ending of a season of instruction which had begun in the 1950s. The celebration was a combination of a graduation and a prom, and I had been an instructor. The students were full of joy, and I was ending the season in my room by writing a prophecy for them in gold, silver, and bronze inks. I wrote on an apron, and the prophecy was their destiny. All their training brought them to the point of leaving school and beginning the great works they were trained for.
I could hear the party going on, and the voice of a student who approached a microphone. She encouraged all the others to prophesy. I was very proud of her, as I listened from my room. I then walked out with the apron of destiny. But a sad knowledge sank into my thinking; if I gave the apron to the leaders of the university, they would not pass it on to the students, for they would not see its value.
I walked out into the starry night, hearing the party in the auditorium and glancing at cars from the 50s. No one was there to receive the prophetic apron, and I wondered who would receive the great prophecy to do the works of Christ. That was the end of the dream.
Though this dream held so much destiny for the church, the reality is that all that God has to say to us will not be heard if we do not listen to one another. Jesus asks us to receive one another (Mt 10:41-42). In this dream, a parking lot symbolizes a place of stopping, for a purpose. The students were being equipped, trained for a work. God’s church is at the point of being sent out to do those works, yet many are still celebrating the training. It’s time to go out, yet the time also needs to be coupled with God’s words of destiny.
I remember that, in this dream, the words of destiny were a glory to hear and write. I understood that the apron symbolized works. In a previous dream the Lord also emphasized works. That dream showed me an angel who brought the crucified body of Christ to a table before me. Then the Holy Spirit prayed through me that the body of Christ, the Church, would do the works of Christ. Ever since that dream the Lord has been spurring me on to find and to do His works.
I believe that we will not find the works of Christ to do unless we listen to the Spirit. He will lead us into the works for which He has trained each one of us. However, we need to receive each other to receive all He has to say. May I encourage the leaders of the Church to listen to their flock, and the members of the flock to listen to each other. Also, I would like to underscore the times; that the Lord is leading us out of is equipping, and the times the Lord is leading us into is the works of our destiny. May we attain to the unity of the Spirit and the maturity that comes through each member building the entire body of Christ up by that which he or she has been given by He Who supplies the life to accomplish our full stature in Him. For He is all, and in all. Amen.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Greetings in the Love of Jesus
I want to thank you for logging on, checking my blogs, and being interested in what the Spirit is saying. Many of you also hear from the Holy Spirit. It is a blessing to see that you come from all over the United States, and all over the world. We belong to a very large family. This program does not let me insert pictures, such as smiley faces, but if it did, I'd put a big smile in this one.
Dave and I are going on a road trip tomorrow to meet a new family member. She was actually the first-born in my family, born in 1944. But since we had different mothers, she was kept a secret from me and my siblings for over 16 years. Now that we've found each other it is exciting to finally get to meet her. I'd like to share a little about how the Lord saw the experience of our meeting, for He saw it before I did, and shared it a few years ago in a dream.
My mother has always urged us to ask our father about our 1/2 sister so that we could meet her. He was ashamed and never shared anything about her. In 2007 the Lord gave me this dream: My mother asked me to remove tiles that were cemented over a porch floor and wall of our house. She said they never should have been put on. As I removed the tiles, I found an opening into the base of the front wall of the house. I stuck my hand in and found a shoe box full of old papers and photographs. "These look important," I thought. I put my hand back in the hole and a baby shoe dropped into it, with a spur on it. That was the end of the dream.
The next year I met my 1/2 sister over the internet. She was curious to see pictures of the father and siblings she had never met. I found these in an old shoe box, scanned them in and emailed them to her. Since my father had passed away in 2007 they never met. The spur on the baby shoe represented my 1/2 sister being "spurned", as sometimes children were back in the days when she was born. I recognized the house in the dream as the same house my father grew up in, for I saw it in the same pictures I was scanning into my computer to send to my 1/2 sister.
It is a remarkable experience for the Lord to show something to us in a dream, ahead of its time. He wants to prepare us for what will come, and give His perspective on the event. He was showing me that something that never should have been covered over would be revealed. This has given me an opportunity to make a wrong thing right, welcoming our 1/2 sister into our family along with my other siblings.
Perhaps some of you have had dreams also where the Lord prepared you for something ahead of time. This has been part of my walk with the Lord for almost 40 years and something I seldom take the space on this site to share. But if you have an interest in learning about how the Lord talks to us in dreams, or want to share your own expereinces, please write. Let me know if you'd like me to post your blog, or not. I have never posted what any of you have written, but would do so if you wanted me to, for the benefit of others. God is a fantastic God and we should learn from each other's experiences with Him. Amen.
I'm taking my computer with us so will keep in touch. God bless, and have a great week end. Helen
Dave and I are going on a road trip tomorrow to meet a new family member. She was actually the first-born in my family, born in 1944. But since we had different mothers, she was kept a secret from me and my siblings for over 16 years. Now that we've found each other it is exciting to finally get to meet her. I'd like to share a little about how the Lord saw the experience of our meeting, for He saw it before I did, and shared it a few years ago in a dream.
My mother has always urged us to ask our father about our 1/2 sister so that we could meet her. He was ashamed and never shared anything about her. In 2007 the Lord gave me this dream: My mother asked me to remove tiles that were cemented over a porch floor and wall of our house. She said they never should have been put on. As I removed the tiles, I found an opening into the base of the front wall of the house. I stuck my hand in and found a shoe box full of old papers and photographs. "These look important," I thought. I put my hand back in the hole and a baby shoe dropped into it, with a spur on it. That was the end of the dream.
The next year I met my 1/2 sister over the internet. She was curious to see pictures of the father and siblings she had never met. I found these in an old shoe box, scanned them in and emailed them to her. Since my father had passed away in 2007 they never met. The spur on the baby shoe represented my 1/2 sister being "spurned", as sometimes children were back in the days when she was born. I recognized the house in the dream as the same house my father grew up in, for I saw it in the same pictures I was scanning into my computer to send to my 1/2 sister.
It is a remarkable experience for the Lord to show something to us in a dream, ahead of its time. He wants to prepare us for what will come, and give His perspective on the event. He was showing me that something that never should have been covered over would be revealed. This has given me an opportunity to make a wrong thing right, welcoming our 1/2 sister into our family along with my other siblings.
Perhaps some of you have had dreams also where the Lord prepared you for something ahead of time. This has been part of my walk with the Lord for almost 40 years and something I seldom take the space on this site to share. But if you have an interest in learning about how the Lord talks to us in dreams, or want to share your own expereinces, please write. Let me know if you'd like me to post your blog, or not. I have never posted what any of you have written, but would do so if you wanted me to, for the benefit of others. God is a fantastic God and we should learn from each other's experiences with Him. Amen.
I'm taking my computer with us so will keep in touch. God bless, and have a great week end. Helen
Lesson #12 – Preparation
It is interesting to note that preparation is part of our spiritual armor. In Ephesians 6 we read that we are to have our “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (Eph 6:15). In some translations “readiness” is called “preparation.” The Gospel prepares us to stand in the day of evil (vs 13). The ground we stand on is called “the Word of God.” Every spoken and written word from God’s mouth is truth we stand on, and becomes the target of our enemy. Satan confronted Jesus in the wilderness, using the scriptures to defend his position (Mt 4:1-11). But Jesus is the Word of God, incarnate in the flesh. He was prepared with the correct use of the word of God and stood against satan’s temptation, successfully rebuffing him. The word of God gives us this same authority to withstand our enemy, and to make him “flee.”(Jms 4:7). Laughing at your enemy won’t make him leave, and ignoring him won’t make him go away. Only a firm stance on our faith in God’s word will cause satan to leave a man alone . . . until his next battle.
In the prior 4 lessons I talked about components of the word of God; Truth, time, knowledge, and wisdom. If you can imagine these as supporting walls of a house, you will see that your enemy comes against them to knock them down with his lies. Your knowledge of the truth and of God’s ways will prepare you to stand against him. Let us look at these 4 areas that are found in God’s words.
Opposition to the Word of God – Our enemy’s schemes
Truth – “Did God really say?” (Gen 3:1) Since the beginning of time satan has been challenging the children of God with this line, “Are you sure God said that?” or “Did God really say _____?” If you as a Christian do not have faith, satan will steal the word out of your heart before it can produce a harvest. Jesus talked about this in the parable of the Sower and the Seed (Mt 13:18-24). “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.” In verse 4 we read that the “birds came and ate it up.” The person who received the word did not have good soil. He was not willing to wait on the word he heard and let it put down roots, going deep into the soil of his heart as he grew in understanding. Haste will prevent understanding of God’s words.
When satan spoke with Eve in the garden, he pressed her to make an immediate decision about the word God had spoken to her. His challenge was met without consulting God or Adam. She did not take time to remember what she had learned about God’s ways. Therefore, though God had walked and talked with Adam and Eve daily, the seed was snatched away by satan. Satan presses the children of God to take action, when they should simply stand on what God has said. Our actions should come from God’s words, not from satan’s intimidations or accusations.
Time – “It is for later,” or “only for you, someday.” These are answers I’ve often heard from people who do not have the concept of time. Without understanding the leading of the Spirit concerning time, a person may just put God’s words on the “back burner.” This is different than waiting on God’s word to come to pass. What we wait for, we prepare for in faith. When David wanted to build the temple of God he was not deterred by Nathan’s prophecy that Solomon was chosen to build it. David made preparations for the temple by amassing materials for the temple. He played his part in what God wanted to accomplish.
When I was a young Christian the Lord gave me a dream wherein He showed that a sister in Christ would see her marriage end, for her husband would leave her. At the time I struggled with giving this sad message to my sister in the Lord. What good would it do? But I followed the Lord’s promptings and gave the message to her. 30 years later I met this same sister again. A few months following our visit she called, crying, because her husband had just left her. I still puzzled over the reason God gave this insight 30 years prior to the event. She came by to visit and talk, sharing with me about the struggles of their marriage. Her husband had been a sex addict and though he had received counseling, fell back into sin repeatedly. Though she believed her husband was finally cured, what happened was that he finally left her. 30 years prior to this event the Lord knew this would happen because He knew the husband’s heart. What harvest was the Lord’s word sent to produce in my friend? He didn’t want her to have false hope for her marriage. As it was, this shattered woman had to restart her life at the age of 58. At some point before the 30 years had ended, God would have counseled her with wisdom about what course to follow, if she had heeded His original word to her.
In the Old Testament the prophet Ezekiel was confronted by people who said that “every vision fails” (Ez 12:22). The Lord asked Ezekiel “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?” The Lord goes on to tell Ezekiel that He is going to put a stop to this proverb. Only the false vision, or words from the Lord would fail. But those words that the Lord had truly spoken were going to come to pass (vs 24-25). For those of us who prophesy the take-home message is that God will fulfill His prophecies, in His time. We are to trust that He knows the purpose for having us speak his words ahead of time.
God knows that it is hard for us to wait on His words to come to pass. An important part of waiting is hope. Whatever seed planted in us will bring a harvest, and whatever seed we plant will also bring a harvest. We wait in on God’s word to produce fruit, and in waiting, we must carry hope in our hearts (1 Cor 9:10).
Knowledge – “It’s a mystery; we can’t know these things.” These are words I’ve heard from Christians who found the thoughts of God too “high” for them. Knowledge does us no good if we don’t eventually understand what was spoken to us. If we look at prophecy as a mystery that cannot be understood we will not come to the place of understanding it. To come to understanding, we must have faith in what we have heard.
Correct knowledge allows preparation and prevention. When hearing the word of God is not coupled with faith, we lose what God has sent the word to us for. The Hebrew children did not enter the Promised Land because “the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.” (Heb 4:2). When we combine our faith with the word of God, obedience and discernment come from knowledge and we become prepared for what is ahead. Our faith will produce actions which result in a harvest. Sometimes we are tempted to “wait and see” if a prophecy is really from the Lord. It has been my experience that doubt and fear will steal God’s word out of our hearts, for the inaction of this kind of waiting does not come from faith.
God knows that it is hard for Man to have faith for that which he does not understand. What do we do with knowledge when we do not yet understand its purpose, or its place in our lives? We pray. In the case of my sister in the Lord with the straying husband, I prayed for her to have wisdom and strength. We never err when we pray according to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We can trust the Lord to bring to the light those things we do not yet understand if we partner with Him in what He has said.
Having knowledge from God brings a warfare upon us from our enemy. It is discouraging to watch prophetic people set their gift aside in order to find rest in a war that is on-going. Perhaps satan will leave them alone when they abandon the word God has spoken to them, but he does not leave forever. He will not be content until the prophetic is silent. To be successful in this warfare, the child of God must protect his thought-life, capturing every thought and causing it to submit to God’s word (2 Cor 10:3-5). The Holy Spirit will show us the source of our thoughts and give us victory over satan’s accusations if we “catch” them. This obedience (catching our thoughts and identifying their source) will protect the thoughts, or knowledge, which the Lord has brought. We can separate out the wrongful accusations against the truth that the enemy brings. When our obedience is complete (see 2 Cor 10:6) we no longer strengthen disobedience, fear and doubt in ourselves. As we grow in faith, our words will no longer strengthen doubt in other people. The knowledge we bring through prophecy will accomplish what God sent it to do.
Wisdom – “This is not how God does things. We always do things this way . . .” These are words from people who lack wisdom and attack its uniqueness, and origins. They do not like to do things in a way that seems new, or does not have a sense of “history” with them. Some of the dullest people you will meet are those who practice religion the way they always did, and who receive instructions from leaders who are part of the “good old boys”. The sameness brings them a sense of security. These people do not like to be stirred or alarmed by suggestions to take action.
Wisdom is given so that Man would know to take action, and what actions to take. Wisdom is based on knowledge from God and is often found in prophecy. Wisdom allows us to take the urgency, weight, and knowledge of what is spoken into our minds, and uses the Word correctly for the best and most fruit possible. Since God’s purpose is for us to bear fruit, we need to have wisdom. We see from the parable of the Sower and the Seed that a man can bear a crop of “hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Mt 13:23)
In our preparation as a people who prophesy, we learn wisdom by reviewing past lessons ( Mt 13:52 & 2 Tim 2:15). After the Lord has spoken a word of prophecy, we learn wisdom by seeking further revelation on God’s purpose for speaking what He spoke, and for knowledge of how He would have us act (what actions should proceed from the words God spoke?). It is helpful to note that just because God can do anything does not mean that God will do everything we can think of. In seeking God for further revelation we must quiet the natural thinking we are used to. Our minds have an endless supply of “possibilities”, or ways God might accomplish what He has said.
God has an order to His plan. Some people think that prophesy is such a mystery that it will be carried out by God separately from Man. This thinking is quite contrary to what we see in the Bible. God’s spoken word has always had a plan, and His plans have always involved Man. In fact, when we partner with God in what He has spoken, we are changed. We not only learn about His ways, but we see His heart in the matter of which He has spoken. As we walk with God, holding the knowledge He has shared in His prophecy, He will begin to share the order of the steps we should take.
When we read about Peter’s vision of the sheet with the unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16), we see that, at first, Peter was only given knowledge about what to do. He acted on faith, without understanding the purpose for which the vision and words were spoken. He was “wondering about the meaning of the vision” when the men came to take him to Cornelius’ house. By the time he arrived at Cornelius’ house Peter knew that God did not want him to call the Gentiles unclean. In meeting with Cornelius he came to understanding of God’s purposes, and said “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.” And so Peter shared the gospel with the family, the Holy Spirit baptizing them and confirming his words. It wasn’t until Peter recounted this experience to the brethren that the full understanding came; “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto Life.” (Acts 11:18). Wisdom came as Peter took steps of obedience, finally arriving at the revelation that God had granted salvation to the Jews.
Our lesson on wisdom would not be complete without looking at the book of James. Here we learn that God’s wisdom is from above, not earthly or self-serving (Jms 3:15-17). If we are “catching our thoughts” and find that our plans have boasting, bitter envy, and selfish ambition as their motivation, then we are operating out of worldly wisdom. If a church leader wants to be the main speaker in meeting he might think that the wise thing to do is to eliminate the opportunity for others to speak. But his actions are based on selfish ambition. If we let the Holy Spirit help us to examine our thoughts, we will see the motives of our heart. True wisdom is “from heaven (and) is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere,” (Jms 3:17). If these things are the motivation of our heart then we will find wisdom in our thoughts.
This has been a long lesson and conclusion to the components of the word of God. I hope that I have been able to give some insight into our enemy’s strategy in opposing God’s word, and that you are becoming equipped to withstand him. God bless, Helen
In the prior 4 lessons I talked about components of the word of God; Truth, time, knowledge, and wisdom. If you can imagine these as supporting walls of a house, you will see that your enemy comes against them to knock them down with his lies. Your knowledge of the truth and of God’s ways will prepare you to stand against him. Let us look at these 4 areas that are found in God’s words.
Opposition to the Word of God – Our enemy’s schemes
Truth – “Did God really say?” (Gen 3:1) Since the beginning of time satan has been challenging the children of God with this line, “Are you sure God said that?” or “Did God really say _____?” If you as a Christian do not have faith, satan will steal the word out of your heart before it can produce a harvest. Jesus talked about this in the parable of the Sower and the Seed (Mt 13:18-24). “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.” In verse 4 we read that the “birds came and ate it up.” The person who received the word did not have good soil. He was not willing to wait on the word he heard and let it put down roots, going deep into the soil of his heart as he grew in understanding. Haste will prevent understanding of God’s words.
When satan spoke with Eve in the garden, he pressed her to make an immediate decision about the word God had spoken to her. His challenge was met without consulting God or Adam. She did not take time to remember what she had learned about God’s ways. Therefore, though God had walked and talked with Adam and Eve daily, the seed was snatched away by satan. Satan presses the children of God to take action, when they should simply stand on what God has said. Our actions should come from God’s words, not from satan’s intimidations or accusations.
Time – “It is for later,” or “only for you, someday.” These are answers I’ve often heard from people who do not have the concept of time. Without understanding the leading of the Spirit concerning time, a person may just put God’s words on the “back burner.” This is different than waiting on God’s word to come to pass. What we wait for, we prepare for in faith. When David wanted to build the temple of God he was not deterred by Nathan’s prophecy that Solomon was chosen to build it. David made preparations for the temple by amassing materials for the temple. He played his part in what God wanted to accomplish.
When I was a young Christian the Lord gave me a dream wherein He showed that a sister in Christ would see her marriage end, for her husband would leave her. At the time I struggled with giving this sad message to my sister in the Lord. What good would it do? But I followed the Lord’s promptings and gave the message to her. 30 years later I met this same sister again. A few months following our visit she called, crying, because her husband had just left her. I still puzzled over the reason God gave this insight 30 years prior to the event. She came by to visit and talk, sharing with me about the struggles of their marriage. Her husband had been a sex addict and though he had received counseling, fell back into sin repeatedly. Though she believed her husband was finally cured, what happened was that he finally left her. 30 years prior to this event the Lord knew this would happen because He knew the husband’s heart. What harvest was the Lord’s word sent to produce in my friend? He didn’t want her to have false hope for her marriage. As it was, this shattered woman had to restart her life at the age of 58. At some point before the 30 years had ended, God would have counseled her with wisdom about what course to follow, if she had heeded His original word to her.
In the Old Testament the prophet Ezekiel was confronted by people who said that “every vision fails” (Ez 12:22). The Lord asked Ezekiel “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?” The Lord goes on to tell Ezekiel that He is going to put a stop to this proverb. Only the false vision, or words from the Lord would fail. But those words that the Lord had truly spoken were going to come to pass (vs 24-25). For those of us who prophesy the take-home message is that God will fulfill His prophecies, in His time. We are to trust that He knows the purpose for having us speak his words ahead of time.
God knows that it is hard for us to wait on His words to come to pass. An important part of waiting is hope. Whatever seed planted in us will bring a harvest, and whatever seed we plant will also bring a harvest. We wait in on God’s word to produce fruit, and in waiting, we must carry hope in our hearts (1 Cor 9:10).
Knowledge – “It’s a mystery; we can’t know these things.” These are words I’ve heard from Christians who found the thoughts of God too “high” for them. Knowledge does us no good if we don’t eventually understand what was spoken to us. If we look at prophecy as a mystery that cannot be understood we will not come to the place of understanding it. To come to understanding, we must have faith in what we have heard.
Correct knowledge allows preparation and prevention. When hearing the word of God is not coupled with faith, we lose what God has sent the word to us for. The Hebrew children did not enter the Promised Land because “the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.” (Heb 4:2). When we combine our faith with the word of God, obedience and discernment come from knowledge and we become prepared for what is ahead. Our faith will produce actions which result in a harvest. Sometimes we are tempted to “wait and see” if a prophecy is really from the Lord. It has been my experience that doubt and fear will steal God’s word out of our hearts, for the inaction of this kind of waiting does not come from faith.
God knows that it is hard for Man to have faith for that which he does not understand. What do we do with knowledge when we do not yet understand its purpose, or its place in our lives? We pray. In the case of my sister in the Lord with the straying husband, I prayed for her to have wisdom and strength. We never err when we pray according to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We can trust the Lord to bring to the light those things we do not yet understand if we partner with Him in what He has said.
Having knowledge from God brings a warfare upon us from our enemy. It is discouraging to watch prophetic people set their gift aside in order to find rest in a war that is on-going. Perhaps satan will leave them alone when they abandon the word God has spoken to them, but he does not leave forever. He will not be content until the prophetic is silent. To be successful in this warfare, the child of God must protect his thought-life, capturing every thought and causing it to submit to God’s word (2 Cor 10:3-5). The Holy Spirit will show us the source of our thoughts and give us victory over satan’s accusations if we “catch” them. This obedience (catching our thoughts and identifying their source) will protect the thoughts, or knowledge, which the Lord has brought. We can separate out the wrongful accusations against the truth that the enemy brings. When our obedience is complete (see 2 Cor 10:6) we no longer strengthen disobedience, fear and doubt in ourselves. As we grow in faith, our words will no longer strengthen doubt in other people. The knowledge we bring through prophecy will accomplish what God sent it to do.
Wisdom – “This is not how God does things. We always do things this way . . .” These are words from people who lack wisdom and attack its uniqueness, and origins. They do not like to do things in a way that seems new, or does not have a sense of “history” with them. Some of the dullest people you will meet are those who practice religion the way they always did, and who receive instructions from leaders who are part of the “good old boys”. The sameness brings them a sense of security. These people do not like to be stirred or alarmed by suggestions to take action.
Wisdom is given so that Man would know to take action, and what actions to take. Wisdom is based on knowledge from God and is often found in prophecy. Wisdom allows us to take the urgency, weight, and knowledge of what is spoken into our minds, and uses the Word correctly for the best and most fruit possible. Since God’s purpose is for us to bear fruit, we need to have wisdom. We see from the parable of the Sower and the Seed that a man can bear a crop of “hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Mt 13:23)
In our preparation as a people who prophesy, we learn wisdom by reviewing past lessons ( Mt 13:52 & 2 Tim 2:15). After the Lord has spoken a word of prophecy, we learn wisdom by seeking further revelation on God’s purpose for speaking what He spoke, and for knowledge of how He would have us act (what actions should proceed from the words God spoke?). It is helpful to note that just because God can do anything does not mean that God will do everything we can think of. In seeking God for further revelation we must quiet the natural thinking we are used to. Our minds have an endless supply of “possibilities”, or ways God might accomplish what He has said.
God has an order to His plan. Some people think that prophesy is such a mystery that it will be carried out by God separately from Man. This thinking is quite contrary to what we see in the Bible. God’s spoken word has always had a plan, and His plans have always involved Man. In fact, when we partner with God in what He has spoken, we are changed. We not only learn about His ways, but we see His heart in the matter of which He has spoken. As we walk with God, holding the knowledge He has shared in His prophecy, He will begin to share the order of the steps we should take.
When we read about Peter’s vision of the sheet with the unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16), we see that, at first, Peter was only given knowledge about what to do. He acted on faith, without understanding the purpose for which the vision and words were spoken. He was “wondering about the meaning of the vision” when the men came to take him to Cornelius’ house. By the time he arrived at Cornelius’ house Peter knew that God did not want him to call the Gentiles unclean. In meeting with Cornelius he came to understanding of God’s purposes, and said “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.” And so Peter shared the gospel with the family, the Holy Spirit baptizing them and confirming his words. It wasn’t until Peter recounted this experience to the brethren that the full understanding came; “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto Life.” (Acts 11:18). Wisdom came as Peter took steps of obedience, finally arriving at the revelation that God had granted salvation to the Jews.
Our lesson on wisdom would not be complete without looking at the book of James. Here we learn that God’s wisdom is from above, not earthly or self-serving (Jms 3:15-17). If we are “catching our thoughts” and find that our plans have boasting, bitter envy, and selfish ambition as their motivation, then we are operating out of worldly wisdom. If a church leader wants to be the main speaker in meeting he might think that the wise thing to do is to eliminate the opportunity for others to speak. But his actions are based on selfish ambition. If we let the Holy Spirit help us to examine our thoughts, we will see the motives of our heart. True wisdom is “from heaven (and) is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere,” (Jms 3:17). If these things are the motivation of our heart then we will find wisdom in our thoughts.
This has been a long lesson and conclusion to the components of the word of God. I hope that I have been able to give some insight into our enemy’s strategy in opposing God’s word, and that you are becoming equipped to withstand him. God bless, Helen
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Lesson #11 Wisdom
The 4th component of a Word of God is wisdom. Briefly stated, wisdom is valuable instruction that tells the listener about how to use the knowledge he has received from God. In Ephesians 1:17 Paul prays that the saints would receive a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they would know Jesus better. Wisdom helps us to apply what we know and understand and becomes a basis for God to build upon. All words from the Lord become a base that He builds upon. It is necessary to first have faith that God is speaking, and to establish that what was spoken is truth. If there is an element of time in the word from the Lord we seek His heart for the urgency of the matter, never presuming to say that it is for a later time. The next step is to value the word from the Lord for its content, or knowledge. And this is the important link between knowledge and wisdom; value.
Many years ago I was awaked from my sleep by a tapping on the window. This may not seem unusual except that our bedroom is on the second floor. It was the Lord and He asked me to get up, take my pen (as is His usual manner with me) go sit, and write. That early morning when it was still dark outside the Lord asked me to enter into a covenant with Him. He asked that I not only write down what He was saying to me, but that I would believe and stand upon those words, even though I might not understand them. You see, understanding does not precede faith, it comes afterwards. And the thoughts of God are much different from our thoughts, therefore we disregard many of them for lack of understanding. From that day on my faith grew, and the knowledge of God grew with it. By believing His words, I was assigning value to them.
One of the important fruits of standing in faith on what God has spoken is that I realized He always speaks with a purpose. If we will hold His words in our heart (and write them in a notebook so that later we can find what He said) then He can bring us understanding, and wisdom. A good understanding of prophecy that gives wisdom on what to do is found it the account of the battle between the Arameans and the Israelites. God used His prophet Elisha to warn the king of Israel about the Aramean’s battle plans (2 Kings 6:8-12). By knowing what the enemy’s plans were, the king of Israel was able to avoid ambush. Knowledge alone would not avert the enemy’s plans. But wisdom causes the listener to take appropriate action to avoid the enemy’s snares. When God gives a warning in a prophecy, knowing if the undesired event can be avoided is of utmost importance.
One of the greatest thrills is to finally know the purpose behind why God is speaking a prophecy. If we are trained in our personal relationship with the Lord to believe and wait on Him for further understanding of what He has spoken, this training will enter into our ministry to others. We will speak precise and understandable words which have important knowledge, or content, for the listener. Then we will receive understanding of the purpose for which God is speaking. This understanding will lead to wisdom. Once you have come this far in your prophecy you are just a small step away from full revelation on the matter the Lord is speaking of. This is where the Lord wants to bring the prophesier and the listener.
About 30 years ago the Lord gave me an illustration on developing the prophetic word. I had just written a short note of prophecy for someone. Before I could hand it to them the Lord stopped me and shared the following;
“Helen, you are like the servant who feeds his fellow servant his portion in due time (see Luke 12:42). The word of God is like a can of beans, and is the portion you are serving your brother. Don’t just hand him the can of beans. Open the can of beans for him. Then pour the beans out into a pot and heat them up for him. Finally, serve the beans on a plate and hand it to him. That is how you serve your brethren the word of God.”
The Lord was taking me from my first steps of faith and knee-jerk reaction of handing the word to its intended recipient, to a picture of how He would serve the brethren. It is a thoughtful, purposeful preparation of the prophecy. This preparation and service to the brethren will proceed naturally from our own relationship with God and the experience of being served by Him.
One of the greatest hindrances to receiving wisdom about the prophetic word is the thinking that the Holy Spirit lights upon a person with a prophetic word that cannot be understood by the mind. This idea seems to arise from Jesus’ discussion with Nichodemus in John 3:8 where He states that “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Jesus is not saying that God’s word is such a mystery that we cannot understand “where it’s coming from.” Rather, Jesus is building upon an already established prophecy about God’s thoughts being higher than our thoughts (Is 55:9). Paul continues to open this word for us (remember the can of beans?) in 1 Corinthians where he writes about speaking a “message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age . . .“ (1 Cor 2:6). Further, he states that “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (vs 14). These verses help us to see that wisdom comes with maturity, and that we can know where a Spirit-led man is “coming from” if we are also in the Spirit and not in our carnal mind-set.
Application – This week, in your quiet times with the Lord, write down all that He speaks to you. Wait on Him further. Learn to take the steps of service mentioned in the illustration of serving the can of beans, for this is how the Lord wants to serve you. Write down the purpose for which He has spoken, without guessing. If you come to the full revelation of the matter God is speaking to you, highlight it. Rejoice, for the kingdom of God is yours, and it is His pleasure to give it to you! (Lk 12:32)
Many years ago I was awaked from my sleep by a tapping on the window. This may not seem unusual except that our bedroom is on the second floor. It was the Lord and He asked me to get up, take my pen (as is His usual manner with me) go sit, and write. That early morning when it was still dark outside the Lord asked me to enter into a covenant with Him. He asked that I not only write down what He was saying to me, but that I would believe and stand upon those words, even though I might not understand them. You see, understanding does not precede faith, it comes afterwards. And the thoughts of God are much different from our thoughts, therefore we disregard many of them for lack of understanding. From that day on my faith grew, and the knowledge of God grew with it. By believing His words, I was assigning value to them.
One of the important fruits of standing in faith on what God has spoken is that I realized He always speaks with a purpose. If we will hold His words in our heart (and write them in a notebook so that later we can find what He said) then He can bring us understanding, and wisdom. A good understanding of prophecy that gives wisdom on what to do is found it the account of the battle between the Arameans and the Israelites. God used His prophet Elisha to warn the king of Israel about the Aramean’s battle plans (2 Kings 6:8-12). By knowing what the enemy’s plans were, the king of Israel was able to avoid ambush. Knowledge alone would not avert the enemy’s plans. But wisdom causes the listener to take appropriate action to avoid the enemy’s snares. When God gives a warning in a prophecy, knowing if the undesired event can be avoided is of utmost importance.
One of the greatest thrills is to finally know the purpose behind why God is speaking a prophecy. If we are trained in our personal relationship with the Lord to believe and wait on Him for further understanding of what He has spoken, this training will enter into our ministry to others. We will speak precise and understandable words which have important knowledge, or content, for the listener. Then we will receive understanding of the purpose for which God is speaking. This understanding will lead to wisdom. Once you have come this far in your prophecy you are just a small step away from full revelation on the matter the Lord is speaking of. This is where the Lord wants to bring the prophesier and the listener.
About 30 years ago the Lord gave me an illustration on developing the prophetic word. I had just written a short note of prophecy for someone. Before I could hand it to them the Lord stopped me and shared the following;
“Helen, you are like the servant who feeds his fellow servant his portion in due time (see Luke 12:42). The word of God is like a can of beans, and is the portion you are serving your brother. Don’t just hand him the can of beans. Open the can of beans for him. Then pour the beans out into a pot and heat them up for him. Finally, serve the beans on a plate and hand it to him. That is how you serve your brethren the word of God.”
The Lord was taking me from my first steps of faith and knee-jerk reaction of handing the word to its intended recipient, to a picture of how He would serve the brethren. It is a thoughtful, purposeful preparation of the prophecy. This preparation and service to the brethren will proceed naturally from our own relationship with God and the experience of being served by Him.
One of the greatest hindrances to receiving wisdom about the prophetic word is the thinking that the Holy Spirit lights upon a person with a prophetic word that cannot be understood by the mind. This idea seems to arise from Jesus’ discussion with Nichodemus in John 3:8 where He states that “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Jesus is not saying that God’s word is such a mystery that we cannot understand “where it’s coming from.” Rather, Jesus is building upon an already established prophecy about God’s thoughts being higher than our thoughts (Is 55:9). Paul continues to open this word for us (remember the can of beans?) in 1 Corinthians where he writes about speaking a “message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age . . .“ (1 Cor 2:6). Further, he states that “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (vs 14). These verses help us to see that wisdom comes with maturity, and that we can know where a Spirit-led man is “coming from” if we are also in the Spirit and not in our carnal mind-set.
Application – This week, in your quiet times with the Lord, write down all that He speaks to you. Wait on Him further. Learn to take the steps of service mentioned in the illustration of serving the can of beans, for this is how the Lord wants to serve you. Write down the purpose for which He has spoken, without guessing. If you come to the full revelation of the matter God is speaking to you, highlight it. Rejoice, for the kingdom of God is yours, and it is His pleasure to give it to you! (Lk 12:32)
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