Were There Are No Oxen

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.” (Prov 14:4)

Where there are no oxen, life is simpler; no expense, no mess, and no caring for the animal.  Yes, the manger is clean and empty, but there also is no harvest.

Some people say that they are going to simplify their lives by getting rid of possessions, and doing less.  Eventually, they increase their recreation.  Sadly, hospitality seems to be an imposition on them.  Most likely these people thought that they were being over-run with the cares of the world, and that caused them to want a change; they decided to do less. However, their changes really came from a heart that had grown tired of caring about other’s needs. They forgot that their lives would produce a harvest.

To put this lesson into perspective, there are certain things we need for a harvest, and giving up needless clutter is not wrong.  But in the above scripture, men needed oxen to produce a harvest.  In our days we do not use oxen, and our harvests may not come from crops that we have planted.  But if we need a financial harvest, we may need a car to drive to work.  The car would be our oxen, you might say. If we did landscaping, we would need a truck to drive the tools of our trade to work and back home again, or we would have no work, and no financial gain. If we had a ministry, we would look for a harvest that involves people, and either they, or we ourselves, would need to get together.  Our vehicle would provide that transportation, so that we could have a harvest through our ministry. Although our life would be simpler and more care-free without a car, the financial responsibility and care of our vehicle is something we take on in order that we might bear fruit, and reap a harvest.

It’s been over 10 years since my husband and I moved back to my hometown from Hawaii.   There we had helped build our own home, and it was often used for hospitality.  It was a lot of work to build, and a lot of work to clean, plus extra money to care for those who stayed with us.  We often provided transportation and food. We had extra sheets and towels, dishes . . . you get the idea.    I use the word “extra” because, if I had had a simpler life, I myself did not need these things. However, the Lord brought people to stay with us who are still friends to this day.  One couple is part of ministry at times.  What a rich experience giving hospitality was for us, and it brought a bountiful harvest.

I do not think that God always intends for us to have a simpler life. Instead, He may entrust us with possessions to be used for His glory … or people who enrich our lives.  In the parable of the minas (Lk 19:12-27), the steward who had been faithful with what his Lord had entrusted to him received the most in return; he was set as a ruler over cities.  It does not look like life got simpler for him.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9)

Let us remember the harvest.  In all that we do, God will strengthen us.  If we do not try to give away our oxen, whatever they might be in our present life, we will accomplish what the Lord has set us on this earth to do.  Amen.

Satisfied with knowing God's nature

God loves to answer our questions.  Tonight I felt myself wanting to read from a favorite book in the Bible.  I asked the Lord why I like the stories there, and here is His answer;

“What satisfies you is to see Me. You see My nature in the Old Testament because of the prophets and faithful scribes who wrote about My words and My works. But in this present Age many men think My nature will never be manifest any better than their own.  They forget My nature as God the Creator, the Great I Am, and think I am only the treasure in jars of clay, peeping out as oft as they let Me.

The book of Revelation brings men’s attention back to the God Who has always had the Master plan, Who holds creation’s life in the balances, and Who reigns over all.

A true follower wants Me to appear to be Great, for I am.  He makes My nature known so that others will want to know Me.  But many do not follow, because they want to look great to men themselves.  They want men to follow them, and they leave their followers empty. No one can satisfy the needs of Man but God.”  Amen.

We find God's nature in the scriptures and by His Spirit.  Let us show that nature through our lives so that others may come to know how Great God is.  Amen.

God is working on our Destiny

Sometimes God is doing things we do not know about . . . good things we haven’t imagined.  Life’s hardships impregnate us with destiny.  This concept is illustrated in Isaiah’s word to Israel during her captivity.  In chapter 49 we see that, as a nation, Israel was barren and desolate, like a women who could not bear children.  Yet she entered into her destiny without her own effort.  During her period of bereavement, her children were born, and she was so astonished that she wondered where they came from, and who bore them (Is 49:20-21).

We may have our sights so low that we do not think good can come from our lives.  If good came, we might think that it was meant for someone else’s benefit, and not that it was our own destiny.  However, just as in Israel’s case, so it is now that God is ever about fulfilling His Word . . . accomplishing His will in our lives.  We may feel like we do not deserve it, but God is at work to bring our destiny into our lives.  Isaiah writes;

The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing; ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’ (vs 20).

Our destiny is a big thing.  We are impregnated with a big life to live.  God is doing things we cannot see . . . things we do not know about . . . good things we haven’t imagined.  Let us remember that God always has us on His mind, to bring His Word concerning our destiny to pass. Amen.

Trust and Rest

Some days mark the end of large projects or events.  That was my “today.”  As I sat for a time of refreshing with the Lord, I couldn’t still my thoughts.  Reflections over the past 4 months needed to be cleared from my mind so that I could move forward.  Then, I could picture Jesus walking amongst the crowd of people, all who wanted His ministry. I realized that He had been a very busy, busy man. Finally I asked the Lord this question; “Lord, how did You clear your mind after your busy days?”

He gave me a simple answer; “I trusted My heavenly Father.  He knows what we have need of (Mt 6:8). Satan convinces men that God is their adversary . . . this belief causes mistrust and steals the peace and rest appointed to men.”

I remembered that, in the parable of the minas (talents), one steward thought that God was unfair, like an adversary, and some men did not want the Lord to rule over them (see Lk 19:12-27). They all met with disastrous results. 

Jesus wants to give us rest.  Here is His invitation to us:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Mt 11:28-30)

Let us learn from Jesus, and let Him rule over our lives.  God has appointed peace and rest to us. We only need to trust Him.  Amen.

The better "me"

The other day I heard a thought that I know wasn’t mine.  “I’m not making you into a better ‘you.’” The Holy Spirit had been listening to all my attempts at being a more likable person.  I wanted to be me, but better.  The Holy Spirit wants me to be like Him.  There is a difference.

The “me” person is one I was born as, whereas the identity I have in Christ is one in which I am re-born into.  Idealistically, the Holy Spirit helps us “die” to our me-person as we become the re-born identity in Christ.  It is written that after we are re-born “all things become new” because the “old has passed away.” (2 Cor 5:17).

Being born-again begins when the Holy Spirit enters our own spirit.  The conversations that take place in our spirit after that event are remarkable, full of wisdom and knowledge.  And yet, those conversations are not from the me-person we are used to hearing from, and they pull us away from our own self-will.  To follow the Holy Spirit we can die daily to our me-person, or we can try to get God to accept a compromise; the better me-person.

When the Holy Spirit said that He was not making me into a better “me” He meant that I needed to put away my own attempts at bettering the person I was.  I needed to yield my opinions, indeed, my will over to God. Sometimes we think our opinions are so great that they are worth being guided by.  But they will not govern us the way the Holy Spirit does, nor will they help us to become who we are in Christ.  Our opinions will only help us to stay in the image we were in before accepting Christ as our Savior.

Our new identity in Christ may not be one, in our opinion, that we think is so great.  We may think our me-person could be great, with a little improvement. Act sweeter, lose weight, set appropriate boundaries . . . there are all sorts of strategies that would make us a more likeable person, to ourselves.  But in God’s opinion, our attempts would be in vain, for it is by the Holy Spirit that we become our created identity . . . for our identity is hidden in Christ, in God (Col 3:3). 

After hearing the Holy Spirit tell me “I’m not making you into a better ‘you’” I smiled, said that I was sorry, and yielded my will over to Him.  I value His opinion.  The One Who paid such a high price to purchase our souls can surely be entrusted to finish the work He began in us (Phil 1:6). I would like to encourage you today to lay aside your opinion of how you think you could be a better person, and let the Holy Spirit complete His work in you. Amen.

The Healing Room in Heaven

Jesus did remarkable miracles during His short life, many of which were healing the sick.  Healing is also one of the gifts of the Spirit Jesus gave to His body of believers (1 Cor 12:7-11).  There will be Christians who have this gift for the benefit of others, yet in our own churches we seldom see them.  In fact, there are few ministers in the body of Christ who have this gift, though many pray for others’ healings. One of the reasons we do not see God’s healing is that we pray, and teach in error.

In February of 2006 I had a dream wherein an angel escorted a woman into the healing room in heaven.  It was a place where prayers were received, and the angel instructed the woman that this was the correct door to walk through.  There were other doors which went to rooms where other things could be accomplished, such as by prayers for forgiveness, or by petitions for wisdom and knowledge.  However, the angel was plain and direct with the woman, that she walk through only the one door which led to her healing.  In that room were animals, and the angel gave the woman scissors, as if to cut off any curses that were on her that instigated or prevented her healing. Also, she was to deal with any unbelief, cutting it off so that she could have faith for her healing. That was the end of the dream.

I said that we pray and teach in error, and that the results are a lack of healing amongst us.  One error taught is that we need to be holy to receive God’s healing.  That is an easy trap to fall into, for we often search our souls for reasons that our present illness came upon us. After healing a blind man, Jesus’ disciples wondered the same thing, asking Him about the reason for the man’s blindness;

And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.…” (John 9:2-4).

Jesus made it plain that illness does not always come from sin.  Many healing ministries lead the sick through prayers of confession of sin in order that they may be healed.  This feeds into the error that we must be holy in order to be healed.  Since it is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to lead us daily through sanctification, those who are ill understand that they are in need of daily cleansing and therefore are not sinless.  Believing they must first be sinless, therefore defeats their faith for healing.  Though confession makes one feel as if he has “come clean,” our daily walk brings new items to the forefront of our mind that we also need to confess . . . more territory to walk through with Him to Whom we trust our soul. Holiness, or sinlessness, cannot be a condition for healing.

John 9:2-4 (see above) is also used by some to propose another error in our thinking; that illness is a divine appointment.  If the sick believe that God appoints them to illness so that He can get the credit when they are healed, the sick can either pray for that healing (so that God is glorified), or endure their time on this earth with the illness because they think it is appointed to them.  The latter will become stuck in their perception of God’s will for their lives and will have no faith for healing. They also risk becoming resentful of God for appointing them to illness.

Because our hardships are used to conform us into God's image, we may also think that we should endure illness because it will ultimately result in our entering into God's holiness (see Heb 12:7-11). Some Christians see their sickness as God's hand in their lives, molding them into His image.  Yet there is no Biblical evidence that God works this way.  Though Paul was given a thorn in his flesh so that God's sufficiency would be seen in His strength instead of Paul's, Paul was not assigned to illness so that he would become holy. (2 Cor 12:7-9). Holiness comes from the Holy Spirit, and not from illness.

It is God’s wisdom that our healings should not be intermixed with our personal sanctification, nor with His appointments for our lives. God’s healing comes from His compassion and mercy. Our sanctification from past sins is accomplished by the covering of Jesus’ blood, and is irrevocable. Jesus’ blood is so strong that, once we’ve confessed our sins, we never need to bring them up for examination again. We also do not to inspect our lives for having “missed” the will of God concerning His divine appointments of healing, because it is the Holy Spirit Who counsels us and leads us into them. Finding God’s will is not so frail as to depend upon our thought processes: it is found through the strong leading of the divine counsel of God and facilitated by many angels, just as the angel in my dream led the sick woman into the healing room in heaven (Heb 1:14).

There is great freedom in entrusting our souls to the care of the Holy Spirit.  It is that freedom that sets the platform for us to pray strong prayers in faith.  When we trust God’s cleansing power, and His love for our lives, we will not walk down a road of resentment towards Him concerning our illness.  Rather, we will seek Him at the door of the Healing room through our prayers.

 “Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may

 receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. ...” (Heb 4:16)

Does your petition for healing lack boldness today? Let us cast off our errors of thinking and enter into God’s help for us, believing it is indeed His will.  Amen.

Discipline

For those of you who are parents or work with children, you probably have experienced young children thinking that their parent’s discipline is bad because it makes them feel awful.  Hebrews 12:11 tells us that it not only feels unpleasant, but discipline is “painful.”

As adults, we also receive discipline from our Father in heaven. In our pain, we can receive grace for what we are going through.  But if we “miss the grace of God” we become bitter (vs 15). Remaining children in our faith and failing to mature will cause us to see the pain that comes from discipline as unreasonable and awful . . . and bitterness will be close behind.

The author of Hebrews encourages us to look beyond pain to our “harvest of righteousness and peace.” It takes maturity to want righteousness and peace when our fleshly nature wants to be angry, bitter and full of strife. However, our desire to be “trained” by God’s discipline will one day bring us to the realization that He is not trying to extinguish us . . . He is preparing us for a place alongside of Him. 

Trials

People often think that they have trials because they are bad people.  That is not true.  Jesus had trials.  The Bible says that He “learned obedience through the things He suffered” (Heb 5:8). Jesus was not “bad”, nor disobedient.  Still, His trials brought choices before Him, and He always chose to do what the Father showed Him His will was.

A door opens up for us during our trials such as at nor other time.  For instance, in a loveless marriage, one is faced with the decision to stay, and continue loving, even though it hurts or leave and get relief from suffering.  Or, with a disabled child in the family, one can find life too demanding and become bitter, or he or she can give love.  And so it goes with our trials, each bringing suffering and a door through which choices are presented. But the decisions are made . . . by us.

Obedience is usually seen as following rules, either spoken or written. But Jesus learned obedience by learning the heart of His Holy Father in each situation.  He heard from His Father which choices would come from His heart, and made His decisions accordingly.

So, we also get to know what holy choices our God would make, by listening to the Holy Spirit. In speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told His disciples that He (the Holy Spirit) would tell them plainly about His Father (Jn 16:25).  What the Holy Spirit speaks within us will enable us to act and to speak from a heart of love.  We can chose love over hate, and peace over revenge, for instance.  It is ours, if we want to be holy.

James asks us to see our trials as joy (Jms 1:2-8). Going through the door that trials open helps us to find the use of our faith, and to develop maturity in ourselves.  Our faith brings obedience to what we believe we should say or do, even in the face of our doubts.  We can then ask God for His wisdom.  But we should not try His wisdom on as if it were a comfy slipper that we want to fit to our life-style.  No, it is a sturdy boot that we will lace tightly to ourselves, for protection and endurance.  Our trials allow us to have maturity and wisdom, if we sincerely want to obey God’s heart.

We would do good to remember that Jesus, who had no sin, had trials.  We also have trials.  Let us not loathe our weaknesses and condemn ourselves when suffering comes our way.  Engaging in religious activities will not prevent trials from coming our way.  Instead, let us trust ourselves to God, and learn about His heart in each circumstance.  Amen.

Immaturity seeks Faith for Blessings

Here is a prophecy from 10 years ago:

“If a ministry doesn’t mature, its elders aren’t prepared for the hard times.  Those who are immature desire faith for blessings.  When hard times come, they don’t see any reason to stay.  When people are abused, persecuted, and cut off, the immature look for another place to plant themselves, never realizing that they were appointed to the hard place to help the ministry.  They have the gifts, they have the calling; they just lack the preparation.  Preparation is the perfection that is worked in us through patience.  The immature will never know the power that would come through them if they stayed, spoke and ministered to those who said they did not need them.” Amen.

Grace is

Grace gives us just enough distance from our offence that we can make a choice to love or hate.  Grace is space from our fleshly nature, and an invitation to step into God's character.  When grace comes to our hearts, it is not only we who need it, but also we who need to give it to others.  Amen.

Dream with symbols from the book of Revelation

God gives us dreams for many purposes.  Some are to minister to our hearts, and others are to minister to His people.  Dreams can have messages which are physical and take place in the secular life, and can have spiritual meanings that take place in the unseen.  On July 27^th of 2013 I had a dream wherein the symbolism set the time we live in as having events from the book of Revelation. It spoke to both the physical and spiritual time we live in.

In this dream I walked up to a home with a fresco on its front wall, and a pillar on either side. I placed my hand on the fresco, which was painted.  It illustrated a running horse, which was sienna colored.  The rider had a light blue robe on. The pillars were the same color as the horse.  There was a large sword in the fresco also.

Interpretation – Pillars represent something permanent, whose purpose is to hold up, or “uphold.” In Revelation 3:11 Jesus speaks to the Christians to “Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown.  Him who overcomes, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.” When we have this uncompromising nature in us of not letting others take away what God has given us, He is able to insert us into the work He does, just as a pillar is inserted between the floor and roof of a building.  Our steadfastness is a virtue that God builds upon.

The fresco itself is an illustration from the opening of the second seal, in Revelation 6:3-4. The fiery red horse carries a rider with a large sword, who takes peace from the earth, “and to make men slay each other.” This is the time we live in now.

The fresco, being carved in stone, symbolizes permanence.  We know God’s Word is true and that whatever He speaks, He will bring to pass.  Though the revelations were given to John the apostle around two thousand years ago, it is during our time that peace is being taken from the earth. God has had uncompromising, steadfast men and women who have upheld the truth of His words for a long time. We can only be part of what God is doing in this time if we are also steadfast and uncompromising with the Truth held in His Word. 

Why are the symbols of the pillars in the same dream with the red horse and sword? Because the test of the believers at this time is compromising His Word.  And the seal that is being opened at this time is one of men slaying men.  One represents an inner virtue, which is invisible.  The other is an outward set of events, evident in our world.  Both are significant, set into the same space of time. Though peace is physically taken away from the earth, there is also a spiritual peace that is being taken away in God's churches.  The two cannot be separated from each other.  

Thank you for letting me share my dream with you, and may God cause us to grow in His steadfast and uncompromising nature as the world around us experiences the chaos of war. Amen.

Healing

I came across this prophecy from 13 ½ years ago and thought I would share it.  It is about the ministry of healing.

“Jesus never put a bunch of people together so that he could pray for them all at the same time.  Men do this because they lack faith.  They dilute the prayer of healing by lumping many people together in hopes that some might be touched.

Don’t disregard doctors.  They are one person, working one-on-one with the sick.  There is a responsibility in this that is needed, and I honor. This manner of ministry, though secular, cultivates a caring spirit so that I can work. 

If the end-product of healing were important to those praying in faith, then it would be good for men to examine the fruit of their prayers.  This is not possible in assembly-line prayer, nor when they have the sick all receive prayer at one time.

Jesus identified and connected with the woman who had the flow of blood.  Her healing came from His prayer, and instilled faith in those around her.  Her faith is still inspiring others, for she is in the Word of God (Mk 5:31).  True faith bears fruit.”  Amen.

Entitlement

“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep.  Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:7-10).

This parable is about the attitude we should have as God’s servants.  Those who love His Son Jesus have a servant’s heart because that is what Jesus is: a servant.  The last sentence may seem harsh or out-of-step with God’s love for us because of the word “unworthy.” But if we feel worthy, then we feel entitled to be rewarded. Jesus is asking that we do all we do for Him out of a servant’s heart, for then we will have His attitude in us.

The parable shows a contrast between entitlement, and service out of love. In the first quote we see that a servant who feels entitled would expect his master to reward him by saying “Come along now and sit down to eat.” This would show appreciation for all his hard work and reward him for his labors.  This servant supposes that one who serves the Lord is worthy to be served by Him.  But this type of reward from the Lord would then come out of obligation and deference, and not from His love.

In the second example, we see that the servant was expected to make his master dinner, and make himself ready to wait on him during the meal. Only after the master was done eating could the servant eat. This is an illustration of the servant’s heart that Jesus had.  He never set His servitude down, nor thought Himself worthy of better things than what He suffered. If Jesus can wait until after death to be called “Worthy,” than why should we assume otherwise concerning ourselves and our relationship with God?

I once heard a Christian speaker say that her service so pleased the Lord that He was going to give her a husband that adored and served her. She felt she deserved this reward.  She was “entitled” because of all her travels and labor in the Kingdom. People who sacrifice would like to be acknowledged and rewarded.  But this puts us on a fee-for-service basis with the Lord.  Love does not assume it should be served.  God’s goodness comes to us because of His love.  Our service to Him should also come out of our love. Amen.

Dream about God's Voice from Heaven

Dream 4-9-07

I was with people in a room.  One other & I looked out at the stars at night.  The Lord spoke, and His large voice came through a robed man standing in the heavens.  As He spoke, we (the other & I) went further into heaven.  I saw a black shield behind and further out from the man in heaven.  It spoke the same words.  Further into the heavens we saw below us and above us also, as if we were in a space craft with a bubble-type window.  Stars below us went off like fire works and I pointed them out.  All the while, God’s voice spoke.  We never got as far out as the source of the voice, but He filled all of what we call outer space, yet we could also hear Him on earth. My sense of time changed when I was out in space, and the affairs on earth seemed small in comparison.  Yet they were of interest to God and His voice continually spoke to us.  End

Interpretation

In Isaiah 66:1,2 we read that heaven is God’s throne and the earth is His foot stool.  Yet He is interested in the affairs of Man.  He has given us authority to govern our lives, yet guides us by His voice.  He speaks of His own nature, touching ours so that we would become more like Him.  

The man from heaven is a witness to God’s glory and is the Spirit of Prophecy.  I saw this same Spirit speak out of the 7 thunders last year.

The black shield is God’s covering, as in Psalm 18:11. 

We should not worry about the affairs of earth, nor our lives, but live by faith in the One Who holds all things in His hands.  The Creator of stars and universes notices the affairs of Man. He sends His Words to us as a light in a dark world. Let us trust Him.    Amen.

Righteousness that is by Faith

Today I was feeling unworthy to sit before the Lord.  I didn’t like my behavior, and saw many personality flaws in myself.  Yet the Lord readily approached me with the following Word:

“Many people think they need to be perfect and special to be close to Me. It becomes a life-long calling.  They imitate what they think is right and what religious men think looks good.  They have a righteousness of their own (Phil 3:9).

True righteousness comes by faith and would not make a man feel accomplished or better than others.  True righteousness makes a man feel empty of his own ways, yet undeservedly full of Mine.  It brings faith alive . . . faith to believe one who is human can be close to his God.

A man who develops his own righteousness must defend it with his own armor.  Self-deceit covers his sins so that he will feel perfect.  Finding sin in others makes him feel special in his own eyes.

A man who trusts in the righteousness that is by faith defends it with God’s armor.  His own sins move his heart to repentance . . . but not with self-despising.  Rather, he values the blood that bought his freedom, the blood that is stronger than all his failures, and by this blood finds his worth since it covers his sins. This man’s faith causes him to walk in freedom from deception, and instead of condescension, it develops a love of his fellow man.”

May I encourage you today to sit at Jesus’ feet.  We do so by faith, and have an entrance into His presence because of His righteousness, and not our own. Amen.

God's Unfinished Work

The Lord has given me a few dreams about the need for His work to be finished.  Today the Lord spoke this word about what the finished work is that we need to do.

“The prophets have failed to build a legacy for the coming generation.  Is not a house for a family?  But they have not understood, and have built houses for themselves.

Spiritually, a prophet’s words are what he or she builds with.  The words they speak and write are for the benefit of others.  But a prophet who builds for himself seeks his own gain above the Kingdom’s gain.  He loves the accolades of men and seeks his place among them.

A man cannot be faithful to God and please men. A prophet’s words are both strong, and sweet; hard and comforting.  They will build up the pure whose heart seeks Me, but those who want only comfort will be offended at My Words.

This then is the unfinished work of this generation of believers: pure prophecy that will finish the house of the Lord.  This is the legacy you all must seek to leave your children: God’s Words.”  Amen.

The Church as a Bank: dream from 2-20-2006

This morning I awoke with a dream about a pastor not having time nor agreement to let me use my talents to serve in his church.  I hesitated to write about it, asking the Lord for a verification as to the meaning of the dream and why it was sent.  His answer was to remind me of the following dream, which was given 9 1/2 years ago.  Here it is:

There was a bank.  A lady was hired, and it was the leader’s desire to get her obligated to his “side” by marrying her, so he wooed her.  She did not know he was evil.

The day came for a meeting between the leaders of the bank (the president, vice president, and upper rich leaders), and their employees.  The room was set up like a court room.  Near the front was a large square container, made of see-through glass.

The person preparing the room put a key in the arm of a chair, turning it as if to start something.  The ceiling let down coins with a thunderous sound, which filled up the container.

Then I saw in the bench-seats of the audience area many elderly people. Each had a sock used for saving money, but the socks were empty.  One lady walked from her seat down the aisle with her guitar case.  She went forward, where the glass container full of coins was.

A man said “can’t you take the guitar for her debt to me?  I would accept it.” But the leader said “no.”  Each person had paid a fellow-employee’s debt but in turn had their own debt paid the same way, and the leaders owned the collective debt.  I understood finally that this was how the evil leader held onto their employees all their lives, and that the debt would never be paid.  I was the new employee who was being wooed, and was aghast at the evil of the leaders. 

All the elderly employees let out a cry.  It was a great commotion, asking to be forgiven.  I marveled, and thought they were like the people one would see in heaven.  End of dream.

Interpretation:

The bank is the Church, and the coins that let down from the ceiling were talents.  The Church holds the ability to receive talents, and forgive the debts of sins.

The people in the bench-seats were the congregation.  They had left the holdings of their talents with the leaders of the Church and were impoverished.  They also did not know the forgiveness that comes through Christ.  In both these areas the congregation felt bound to the Church.  They were elderly, representing a passing generation that sits as spectators in the Church but does not use their talents.  The leaders of the Church do everything that manages and runs the business of the Church.

The man in the congregation recognized that the lady’s guitar was a talent that she was going to give to the leaders of the Church.  That is why she went forward.  She was not allowed to minister in music, and he was not allowed to minister to her. Also, though the people forgave each other, the Church would not pardon them from their sins. The Bible says to owe no debt except to love one another (Rm 13:8), but the leaders stood in the way of each member ministering to the others through their gifts.  Though the body of Christ should nourish and build each other up, each through the gifts they have received (Eph 4:16), the leaders held onto people’s talents and would not let them use them.

My ministry to you:

I want to encourage you to minister, using the gifts you have been given to build up the body of Christ.  Do not let anyone impoverish you by causing you to be their spectator, nor by making you feel indebted to their ministry.  Be faithful to the Lord, who has purchased you for a price and Who has provided you a rich inheritance in Him.  Church leaders and churches do not hold the key to who you are and what you have to give; Christ does. Amen.

Faith and Righteousness

“If a man doesn’t feel like he has to prove himself, that is good.  He has the shield of faith over his heart. He believes that the blood of Jesus covers his sins and that he can overcome his enemy by standing in the righteousness of Jesus.

But if a man doesn’t have faith, his shield is down and the fiery accusations of satan pierce his heart (Eph 6:14 – 16).  That man will meet accusation with effort.  He will try to prove his righteousness over and over; that he is good, capable, smart . . . until he has exhausted his life making himself the largest target on earth for an enemy he could have defeated by faith.”

This word of prophecy reminds me that we should not be found having a righteousness of our own (Phil 3:9) but “that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Let us not be motivated by accusations, but rather filled with peace from the One Who covers us in His nature, by grace.  Amen.

God likes to go before us

“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that the gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” (Is 45:1-2)

God likes to go before us.  In Isaiah 45, God’s word to Cyrus told him that God would subdue nations before him, open gates before him, and go before him.  The Lord told Cyrus that He was going to take his right hand.  All these things were so that kings would be stripped of their armor, gates would not be shut to Cyrus, and victory would be his.

If a man wants God to go before him, he will put God first in all he does.  There is a great temptation for men to go ahead, because they think that is what faith does.  Men act upon thoughts that seem good to them, not seeing that it may be their heart that is motivating them.  The heart is set on its own objects of love and can lead man into a life of looking for good, instead of waiting for God’s best.

To walk in God’s kingdom a man must not live for himself (2 Cor 5:15).  The conquests we desire, and victories over sin and the flesh and over love of the world are not in our hands to determine.  We must let the Lord lead us.  This truly is faith; to follow after the Lord.  Amen.

God's Kingdom-fruit

In Isaiah 65 the prophet first speaks about the Lord’s people as having gone astray and worshipping idols. Though we do not follow pagan worship, such as bowing to lifeless statues, sometimes our hearts love our own ambitions for this life more than they love the Lord, and this is also idolatry.  Isaiah’s statement tells us about the bad fruit of idol worship;

“who say ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!’” (Is 65:5).

This condescending statement comes from people who hold themselves in higher esteem than others. Seeking after our own ministry or worldly “stuff” can cause a separation between us and those who follow God’s ways.  The former seeks after glory for self, and the latter for God’s glory. As Christians, we have God’s word to guide our hearts, and God’s love to guide our actions. 

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” (Phil 2:3)

If we regard our brothers and sisters as better than ourselves, we wouldn’t want to keep them away; we would want to spend time with them.  The fruit of being a true Christian does not lead to setting up the idols of love of self and love of the world in our hearts. Good fruit is seen when we love people. The prophet goes on to tell us what a group of God’s people would be like;

“ . . . a pasture for flocks . . . a resting place for herds, for my people who seek Me.” (Is 65:10).

God’s people become a resting place for one another and a place of nurturing.  Jesus spoke about this principle in the parable of the mustard seed, saying that God’s kingdom is like that seed, which, when it grows it “becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” (Mk 4:32).

God’s kingdom in us should be big, and inclusive.  When our worship goes amiss, we become small and exclusive.  While some ministers display the size of their congregations and the monies they have as proof that they are serving God’s kingdom, Jesus said that “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (Jn 13:35).  True proof is in the nurturing and rest we provide for those who seek Him.  This is God’s Kingdom-fruit.  Amen.

Set Free

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” (Ps 119:32)

We are a broken people, many of us healing from life’s sorrows.  When we become born-again, our heart grasps the promises of freedom found in Christ. The more we abide in Him, the freer our heart becomes.  Indeed, this is Christ’s ministry.

“ . . . He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. (Is 61:1)

The healing Christ offers to us comes wrapped in a fresh remembrance of our pain, for our memories are stored with our emotions in our brain.  It is not always easy to enter into the healing God has for us when it means that we have our suffering to deal with anew.  Because the darkness seems like a shield protecting from past hurts, many lack healing in their hearts.

“If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commands and remain in His love.” (Jn 15:10)

It is not possible to abide in Christ, nor to keep His commandments if our hearts are not set free.  When in bondage, we will find ourselves less giving, less loving, more reserved, until the light in our hearts goes out, leaving us cold and dark inside.  The Psalmist found that he could abide in God’s love and keep His commands because his heart had been set free.  It is in being set free that our heart turns towards God’s ways. 

Is being set free in our hearts . . . free from the past hurts that bind us . . . an easy thing? No.  But it is a specialty entrusted to Christ, and a ministry He longs over with each one of us.  Not only is it good to experience lasting freedom in Christ, but all our successes in the Kingdom are tied to it.  We can expect our Lord to help us deal with painful memories, establish us in spiritual, mental, and emotional health, and to bring us from glory to glory as we follow His ways.  Today, let us trust in Jesus, Who loves us like no other and Who intends for us to live in His love.  Amen.

Seasons

Sometimes our God seems absent.  He was close, we were doing things for Him, life was exciting, and then it stops.  Our life goes through a change we don’t always want.  We feel, well, abandoned.  If we continue in this type of thinking, we begin to criticize ourselves for whatever grudge we believe God has against us.  Perhaps there is hidden sin, or we are not fervent enough in prayer . . . whatever we think God has against us, we work on.  We do this in order to restore our lives to the close walk we covet with God.  As right as this behavior seems to us, it is based on a lie, because God does not abandon His people (Dt 31:6). Nothing can separate us from God’s love (Rm 8:39); we just have seasons in our lives . . .  and seasons bring change.

In the 77^th Psalm we read,

“Will the Lord reject forever: Will He never show His favor again?  Has His unfailing love vanished forever:  Has His promise failed for all time?  Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has He in anger withheld His compassion?” (Ps 77:7-9).

Feeling abandoned is not a new thing. How did the psalmist relieve his grief?

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.” (vs 11-12).

Remembering our closer walk with the Lord is not evidence that God has withdrawn from you.  On the contrary; it is evidence that God has laid a foundation in your life that He intends to build on.  What the Lord begins, He will finish.  Though we may feel like His apparent silence is a reproach, His intentions are quite the opposite.  God lets His people go through seasons of time wherein He seems to “go away” in order to strengthen and establish us, to the end that we are rewarded.

In some of Jesus’ parables He mentions that the “Master went away” and then returned to assess how His servants had done.  In the parable of the good and wise servant, when the Master returned he rewarded the good servant for giving his fellow servants their food at the proper time (Mt 24:45-46).  From this parable we know that how we treat our brethren is important, and is a ministry we grow deeper in during God’s apparent “absence.”  Without hearing directly from the Lord what to do for others, our heart must enter into faith’s action by love rather than by obedience.  And Love is what God’s Kingdom works are about.  We also see that God rewards our works of love in the parable of the sheep and goats (Mt 25:31-36). Jesus broadens the concept of loving God by saying “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”(vs 40).

There are other examples in Jesus’ parables of God’s seeming absence and then return.  The Lord knows we might feel abandoned and so is encouraging us to see these times as seasons of growth.  We should remember God’s works, and have faith, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).  Amen.

Unfinished Work in the Kingdom of God

Today I was looking at the progress of our building project, and remembered a dream from a little over 7 years ago.  Our house is yet unfinished, and in the dream the Lord brought me up to His house, which was unfinished.  Here is the dream, from 3/2/08:

The Lord first showed me in Kona, Hawaii, and He talked to me about their judgment.  It involved a tidal wave and He indicated how high up the water would come when the catastrophe happened.  Then He said “I didn’t think your heart could carry My burden.” (He had moved us from Kona back to California before this dream).

Then I was walking in rugged hills in the continental US, separated from others, and not knowing where the Lord would lead me.  I was hoping someone would find me soon as I was thirsty.  I looked out over the ridged mountains as I descended down a side from on high.  There was a royal cluster of mountains, like red and white marble.  All the mountains were red with white marbling on them.  I understood that it was a time of judgment and I had been shown what was to take place in the land, for no matter how tall or great the mountains were, they would bear God’s judgment.

Then I was in a house being built. It was on the tallest mountain; the mountain of the Lord.  It overlooked all the other mountains.  There was an area inside where wood was sawn, with a window in it.  The sawdust and unfinished look to the room let me know that work still needed to be done. A man came in briefly and talked with me but did not stay.  After he left I asked the Lord, saying “I wish you would give me just one man.”

After this dream the Lord spoke to me about there being work not yet finished in the Kingdom of God.  Other generations began this work, but at some point people stopped working on it.  Today I asked the Lord what the work is that we should be doing, and here is the lesson He gave me:

It begins with the work of the 5-fold ministry.  In Eph 4 we read about the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.  God instituted these ministries “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:12-13).  The 5-fold ministry should help us become who God destined us to be, doing what He predestined us to do. Then we bear fruit for the Lord.

There is a good example of the function of the 5-fold ministry in one of Jesus’ parables, and here is how it goes;

“A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.  So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any.  Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?

‘Sir’, the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.  If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” (Lk 13:6-9).

The man who tended to the fig tree wanted to make sure it bore its intended fruit for the Master.  This is the calling on the 5-fold ministry; do everything you can so that God’s people bear fruit.  What, then, prevents people from bearing fruit?

The parable of the Sower and the Seed tells us that there are three areas where a Christian can fall short of bearing fruit.  They are 1) letting the devil steal the word of God, 2) not enduring through our times of testing, and 3) becoming choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, therefore not becoming mature enough to bear fruit.  We all have access to the seed, which is the Word of God.  But we all do not bear fruit. (see Lk 8:5-15).

The 5-fold ministers are to get God’s people to the point of maturity so that we will bear fruit, and this is the work in the house of the Lord on the mountain of the Lord that has been abandoned. Many other lessons and sermons are being taught and preached, but not everyone in the ministry has the heart of the one who tended the fig tree.  I imagine in our times that tree-tender would be giving examples of how the devil gets us to stop believing what God says, thereby preventing him from stealing God’s powerful Word from our hearts.  He would not sugar-coat Christianity by saying that God prevents our problems.  Instead, he would equip the saints for the trials they would one day endure so that they could overcome.  He would lead God’s people away from the world and not to it.  His heart would be intent on the individuals before him succeeding, instead of keeping his eye out for his own success.

If we want to accomplish God’s work in the Kingdom of God, let us set aside all other ambitions and tend to the fig trees before us.  In God’s Kingdom, others have laid the foundation, raised the walls and even put a roof on the house of the Lord.  We, therefore, need to do the works that will complete it and make it a habitation for the people of the Lord.  Amen.

The Fruitful Productive Life

The Lord wants our lives to be fruitful and productive.  One of the ways He sets these qualities into our lives is through His Word. 

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Is 55:10-11).

This prophecy uses the illustration of moisture (rain and snow) to show the nourishing properties of God’s Word.  If the Lord speaks about our lives, or our ministry, He will watch over those Words to bring them to pass . . . not just because He told us so, but so that our lives will also nourish and bring fruitfulness to those whom He sends us to.

God’s words to us should instill faith and change our lives. To become fruitful, our faith must go through constant transformation, just as a seed does in order for it to become mature fruit and then food on our tables.  Peter writes

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to add to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 1:5-7).

God gives us faith so that we might take ahold of the knowledge of His image, and so that we would believe that we could live as Jesus did.  Peter’s advice to us should cause the Christian to bear the fruit of love, and be productive.

 

Peter continues, saying that, if anyone does not have these things (mentioned above), “he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (2 Pet 1:9). If we do not keep our eyes on Jesus, Whose image we desire, then we are tempted to look inwardly, and become “near-sighted” or introspective.  This will accomplish the opposite of faith, leading us into a cycle of repeated confessions for our short-comings and sins.  Though we should acknowledge our sins and repent of them, their admission will not form us into God’s image: faith will. 

Peter goes on to tell us to “be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never fall.” (2 Pet 1:10). To add to our faith ensures that we will not fall.  To “forget” that we have forgiveness for our sins through Jesus will lead us into a life of failure, falling from God’s grace, and an unproductive faith. If we are unfruitful and unproductive, we cannot nourish those around us.

I have heard many Christians speak doubt about having a calling.  Their lives become barren because of doubt.  They are encouraged to follow others, but to do nothing themselves.  This is an unfruitful life, brought about by false teaching.  Interestingly, Peter uses the illustration of moisture to speak about false teachers; “These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm.” (2 Pet 2:17) There will be no fruit born by those who follow them, for they do not speak God’s Words, but their own.  True prophets and teachers will nourish, not bring drought to our souls.

I would like to encourage you to revive God’s personal Word to you, and to believe that He will accomplish all He has spoken.  Live your lives as one who has faith, making your calling and election sure.  Then we will be able to nourish all whom the Lord sends us to.  Amen.

In the Presence of My Enemies

We live in a world where our friends and our enemies may not be physically seen.  Though people help or oppose us, Paul tells us that our warfare is spiritual (Eph 6:12).  We pray to the Lord who holds all things in His hands, but do not know how each event will turn out until we win, or lose our battles.

My family is a Christian family, and I have enjoyed good relationships with each member.  Last year I remember thanking the Lord for the love we all shared amongst each other. Our mother is elderly and my good husband decided to add onto our home so that she could come live with us.  There couldn’t have been more joy in my heart than when I saw the work begin and some of my family helped with the labor. We were tight on cash and man-power so my daily prayer was for helpers, and that God would bless our finances.

As the work progressed we were blessed to have some free help from friends and family.  The work was slow, but it was all good.  There were picnics during lunch and much well-wishing between those that worked.  But I think this happy picture caused our enemy to become jealous, for he does not have love where he reigns.

This year a few family members became critical of my husband’s work on the house, until the one that worked closest to my husband finally pronounced that the work would never be done on time. He thought we were foolishly wasting our money and had other negative things to say.  Though he had worked by my husband’s side, it turned out he was not the friend we had thought.  I was only thankful that my husband was not at home when these things were said.

The sour attitudes of these family members were a manifestation of the spiritual warfare that brewed in the unseen. We have a choice whether or not to listen to satan’s negative thoughts.  That is truly where the battle for each of us begins, and where I struggled the greatest during this time of unrest in our family.  

At first, my choice to not entertain negative and accusatory thoughts towards those who had brought me pain was a struggle. In my mind a war took place where part of me wanted to accuse them back.  But part of me wanted to find God’s love.  I found that my spiritual weapons were prayer, not accusations. During prayer my mind was clothed in God’s thoughts and good intentions for the people that had hurt me, which caused me to wish them well instead of holding a grudge.  Choosing to pray and entertain God’s good thoughts allowed me to sit at God’s table and “sup” with Him spiritually. 

On the morning following the accusations my husband went to work on the house. But though we had expected 5 helpers, for various reasons only 2 arrived.  I had to make the choice to believe that the Lord would hear my prayers, and did not see us as foolish people. I reminded Him that we needed helpers and finances. I also prayed that, not only would we have the help we needed, but that the Lord would set a table before us in the presence of our enemies (Ps 23:5). That same day another family member brought 2 helpers with him in the afternoon!  These men helped accomplish what my husband had set out to do. 

Having helpers arrive was the first answer of my prayers.  That very same day a friend who had come early to help my husband with the work on the house gave him an envelope before leaving. Thinking this was his friend’s newsletter, my husband set it aside for later.  When he opened the letter after dinner, it contained a check for $10,000!  Though we had never asked anyone to contribute towards the building project, this fine man gave towards the completion of our home. 

The Lord not only answered my prayers for financial help, but truly he set a table for us in the presence of those who accused us wrongfully. This is the God we serve, and He works alongside of us to bring glory on this earth. The family members who helped us, and those who hindered us, all know about this gift.  Do I gloat? No.  It is God that accomplishes every victory we have, and it is He who speaks to the hearts of those who doubt Him to bring conversion to true faith. After all, the ones who tried to discourage us are not our enemies, and perhaps the witness of God’s benevolence on us will unmask their true enemy to them.  When God gives us victory in the presence of our enemies, He intends on turning hearts towards Himself.  Amen.

Turning the Hearts

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6.

In these verses, the Lord draws our attention to how important the prophecy is by pronouncing a curse if His people do not do as He says.  It is unusual in these days to think of our God as pronouncing a curse.  However, if we look at the work of the Lord in turning the hearts of fathers and children towards each other, we can guess that without this work being done, we would suffer great loss in our families and in our countries.

What turns a heart towards another person? Seeing admirable traits does.  Usually, children will grow up to imitate their father’s admirable traits.  In looking at what these traits are we see parallels between the nature of the father, and the nature of our heavenly Father, God.  We could deduce, then, that the Lord wants the younger generation to imitate His nature, which is seen in their fathers. The children need to admire their fathers or they will not emulate them.

A father is one who provides for others.  He is a problem-solver, and a protector.  If an earthly father does not want this role in life, others will suffer lack.  If a Christian man wants to be provided for, and believes that God should solve all his problems, that man will be unsuccessful in developing God’s nature in His life, for he is avoiding the practice of it. Though God protects us from much, He also asks fathers to protect their families.

Many ministries have been outlining the walk of faith as one of being provided for.  They have portrayed God as the One who eliminates problems by miraculous means.  Although God can do these things, He has given Man the earth to govern in this life.  Jesus likens real faith to a mustard seed “which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade” (Mk 4:31-32). This is a visual image of how a man provides for others, letting faith grow to the point of offering rest and shade for others.

Christians should be concerned with more than their ministries alone.  If a man would have the heart of a father, let his faith grow so that he can care for more than himself.  This is also the model we have of church rulers. In 1 Timothy 3 we read that overseers and elders should rule their families well.  This is the prerequisite for governing God’s Church.  In fact, Paul goes on to say that “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.” (1 Tim 5:8).  This is the “curse” mentioned in the opening scripture by Malachi.  To provide for and protect others is the true role of a father and is developed by a life of faith.  To ask others to provide for him and protect him is to deny our faith, and cannot be developed as a life of faith.

How do the hearts of the fathers turn towards the children? Through love. Paul wrote that “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”(Gal 5:6). As a servant to the Church, the Apostles and church leaders cared for congregations.  As fathers, the love and care for wives and children molds a family into God’s image as well.

We want our children and their generation to walk a life of faith in our Lord Jesus.  Let us demonstrate a faith to follow, one that is concerned with the well-being of others.  This is admirable, and a life the younger generation would not be ashamed to imitate.  Amen.

Promises are God's Word

Have you ever felt like you don’t deserve the good that God has promised you?  Then you need to look at God’s promises in a different way.  His promises, whether to you or to a nation, are His Word.  The Lord takes all His words seriously and watches over them to see that they are fulfilled (Jer 1:12).

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Cor 1:20).

Sometimes we look at the promise of salvation as the only Word God has to speak to us.  It is probably the greatest promise God has ever made, but it is not the only one.  Though we will one day bring glory to God by being escorted into His heavens, God also gives us promises that, when fulfilled, will bring Him glory on this earth.

Our enemy hates God’s word because it has power over him.  Satan will accuse us as unworthy, or try to convince us that we ourselves made up the promises we are holding on to.  If we are praying for our children’s salvation, our enemy will tell us that their unsaved life-style is a test of our faith.  He is subtle and full of lies.

The Word of God defeats our enemy.  Holding onto God’s promises for your life will send the accuser running.  It is not because we are worthy that God fulfills His Word to us; it is because He is righteous.  And, in God’s greater knowledge, He knows the plan of His that the fulfilled Word will fit into to bring glory to not only God, but to us who believe.

When your thoughts turn to reasons why God will not fulfill His Word to you, remember that all He has promised you is “yes” through Christ Jesus.  God is watching over His Word to bring it to pass, and you will be glorified along with Him when He does.  Amen.

Guarding our lives

Psalm 86:2 is David’s plea for God to “Guard my life for I am devoted to you.”  Today in my quiet time I thought about how many times I’ve read this verse, and yes, I appreciate its message.  But the Lord spoke to me and said “I not only protect your lives, but I also watch over and guard My plan for your lives. If it were for this life only that you live, it would be important for Me to keep you safe from harm.  But it is for My Kingdom that you are called and the life you live is not yours alone, but the Ruler’s Whom you serve.  And that same Ruler guards His plan for your lives to bring each part into reality, and will preserve your life until its accomplishment.”

Since it is God Himself Who will bring His plan into perfection in us, let us trust Him with all things.  Amen.

God Restores and brings Victory

The book of Joel, like all of God’s Word, gives us great insight into God’s nature. God uses His prophet Joel to warn His people in Judah about the coming judgement of His, described as locusts who eat all the harvest (Joel 1:4).  This would be hard for us to hear, and even harder yet would be the disappearance of all we have worked so hard to accomplish. But God, in His love, wants our accomplishments to last an eternity, where we will share in His praises forever.  Therefore, the Lord warned His people about the coming judgment for their sins, and gave them an invitation to repent.

For some, repentance is too hard. Putting on the attitude of sackcloth, mourning, and fasting are not what we want to do, so we say “I’m sorry” to the Lord without a real heart-felt change in our behavior. Without sincere repentance, the locusts come.

Joel also talks about the Lord’s grace during the time of chastening His people. “He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.  Who knows?  He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing – grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.” (Joel 2:13b-14).  The offerings of the Old Testament are similar to our offerings of today.  “ . . . I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices . . .” (Rom 12:1). When the Lord extends His grace, He enables us to give Him the very things we have been withholding from Him: our lives and our love.  Our sincere repentance not only changes our hearts, it changes God’s judgment.

When God relents, He restores.  Joel told God’s people that the Lord would restore the years the locusts had eaten (Joel 2:25).  God also intended on turning their shame into glory, for He promised to send the Holy Spirit upon them.  “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29).

God’s promises to His repentant people went beyond restoration.  The Lord gave them victory over their enemies.  “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.  Let the weakling say ‘I am strong!’” (Joel 3:10). Though an army of locusts had destroyed their crops, God’s people eventually destroyed their enemies.

God then declares “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill.  Jerusalem will be holy, never again will foreigners invade her.” (Joel 3:17).  Their sincere repentance had brought such a great change that they would not come under their enemy’s captivity again.  This is also a true message for God’s people today. Perhaps we have not dealt with sin, and have seen the Lord’s judgment on our lives.  But after we sincerely repent He will restore us, and make us strong.  Our change will be deep and permanent, and we will forever live with the Lord and be His people.  Our works also will be eternal, living on in His kingdom forever.  We will have the victory over what once held us captive, and best of all, we will be holy.  Amen.

Practicing Life

Since my husband and I moved back to my home town I have worked full time.  This has left me feeling out of touch with ministry.  But today someone contacted me by email for a dream interpretation.  I agreed to pray over this gentleman’s dream, and we talked over the phone.  It was a time of ministry on my part, and when we hung up I had the sense that my prior feelings of being out of touch were not based on the truth.

Later in the day I had a quiet time, and the Lord reminded me that, up to today, I had believed I could not function in my prior giftings.  He then said I had done well.  These are the words that I’d like to pass on to all those who have not ministered for a while;

“The gift is from Me, through you.  I am always able to function,” said the Lord.  “Your life is a course the keeps you spiritually in shape.  It is not the gift that you have to practice; it is the keeping of My word.”

Please be encouraged that the Lord can and will work through you, even if you are not actively engaged in your usual ministry.  Keeping God’s word by living our lives in a godly manner conditions us for the most important events that mark our paths.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” (Heb 12:1)

Prophesying

The other night I had a dream wherein I was with a group of 5 ladies, with a 6^th lady as a ministry leader.  They met in church, and it was my first time to join them.  The women were deciding on which direction to take their ministry.  As they talked, I said the word “stop.”  They continued asking for input on their ministry work and in a little bit I reminded them that the “stop” was what the Lord was leading me to say.

Each of the 5 women got up and stood in a line up front and began to speak with smiles on their faces. The first said “yes, but you would say ‘stop’ nicely.” Each of the 4 that followed her said similar things, while the leader came over and whispered imperceptibly into my ear.  I told her I couldn’t hear her twice, so she left to write down what she had to say.  When she returned, the dream ended.

This dream has to do with prophetic ministry.  The word “stop” was to let the ladies know that prophecy does not come from men but that those who prophesy are led by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20-21). The Lord does not want us to decide how to prophesy, or where or when.

The 5 ladies represent the 5 foolish virgins.  They were being foolish in going ahead of the Lord instead of abiding alongside the Lord as a wife would do.  Some ministries feel compelled to publish prophecy everyday, when in reality, the Lord may not give something He wants us to share each day.  The 5 ladies were also foolish in stating that “stop”, or any word of the Lord should be spoken nicely.  Sometimes what the Lord has to say is a warning, such as a coming flood.  Or a rebuke, as when someone is living in sin.  Though we want to be filled with God’s grace, we also are to represent Him when delivering His words and not “sugar-coat” them, which would confuse the message.

The leader spoke imperceptively. Our messages from the Lord need to be clear.  Paul writes that we must speak “intelligible” words with our tongues (1 Cor 14:9) or the listener will not gain understanding. In my dream, the leader had no reason to whisper except she was being deceptive, and that reveals her nature as a deceiving spirit.

We know that in the “last” days there will be deceiving spirits released.  The leader in my dream represents a spirit of false prophecy. Our enemy seeks to pollute God’s words by encouraging men to speak their own words in His name.  There are many prophecies published and spoken that have their origins in men and not God.  Jeremiah prophesied about this problem, saying “because every man’s word becomes his oracle, and so you distort the words of the Living God, the Lord Almighty, Our God.” (Jer 23:36).  The Lord actually asked those who prophesied their own words to “stop” saying they were oracles of the Lord.

Those who prophesy must be patient, not generating words from themselves that they say are from the Lord.  We also must be submissive to the nature of the prophecy, not seeking to be received as “nice” by those whom we speak to.  The Lord had this to speak to Jeremiah about false prophets: “But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” (Jer 23:22). Speaking on behalf of God is not going to generate popularity; it is going to bear the good fruit God intends His words to accomplish. Amen.  Let us be so faithful that we not only know when to speak, but when not to.  May our words be pure and our intentions right.  

The Battle of Conformity

One of the greatest battles of our time is taking place because men seek conformity.  In the past, men like Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao were oppressive outwardly, lording it over their subjects to bring conformity.  Though tyrants like them still exist, there is a spiritual tyrant that is much more subtle.  Setting up images of perfected leaders, satan accuses all who are not just like them.  In exalting men to men, he opens the door to intimidate all who are not like the leaders.

We are influenced through books and speakers, music and magazines.  When the ways of successful men and women are taught as being God’s ways, the Accuser tears down our own personal following of God so that we will want to be like the successful people.  If we are in ministry and having trouble starting, he will tell us that there is something wrong with us.  If our relationships have troubles he will tell us that the problems are originating from some hidden sin we have inside.  So close are the lies satan tells us, that we cannot gain the perspective we need to crawl out from under his oppression. 

Paul wrote;

“When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2 Cor 10:12)

Neither measuring ourselves nor trying to be like others will lead to wisdom.  In fact, those who believe that they have value before God as individuals will develop insight into their nature as God nurtures and raises them as sons and daughters.  Those who hold to the vision wrought by what God has personally spoken to them daily will be molded into His image, and not the image of successful leaders.

When men fail to support and encourage each other, those who are not in the image of the leader will be left out of the fellowship.  This lack of acceptance leaves the believer to wonder what he or she did wrong, and much introspection about their nature.  And this begins the onslaught from the Accuser of the Brethren.  Often the “outsider” is labeled as being rebellious and those who remain in the image of the leader pat each other on the back for being in unity.  But the Holy Spirit does not need conformity to bring unity.  He, the Holy Spirit, seeks individuals who want to be built into a spiritual house through love and obedience.

If there is any question as to satan’s tactics of division in overcoming God’s people, we should look at the book of Revelation.  Each of the seven letter to the churches encourages individuals to overcome, and gives individual rewards.  In some churches, there are divisions between those who are doing good and those who are doing evil.  There is no chastisement about them not all doing the same thing, conforming to each other.  There is no blame for those who hold out for purity of faith against those who compromise and soil their garments.  In each church to which Jesus speaks the message is for individual overcoming so that the church as a whole will stand victorious.

Each man and woman must stand for their faith, being true to what the Lord has personally spoken to their hearts.  This will bring a great oppression from satan, but it should not bring oppression from men.  We need the gifts and nurture to grow up into the unity of the faith, and those gifts, and that unity can come from each other.  But let us put comparisons aside lest we cause ourselves and others to lose the good fight of faith . . . that fight that is brought on by the Accuser of the Brethren.  Amen.

Romans 12: Knowing God's will

This Bible chapter begins with advice on how to know God’s will for our lives.  For those of us who wonder how God will use us, this is the place that tells us many of the factors that go into our calling.

In order to know God’s will, we must first lay down our own lives, including our own will.  Then we will have a life of service to our brethren, a life of loving them.  Twice in this chapter we are warned not to be high-minded, or proud. (vs 3 & 16).  If our estimation of ourselves is overinflated, we will miss how God wants us to live out our calling.  And if our estimation of others is low, we will not want to serve them.

Many of us have desires of what we wish God would do with us.  Those desires become inflated when we think of how the Lord might serve us by our calling.  Rather, the Lord puts us in places to serve others with our gifts.  Our calling requires faithful use of our gifts for the benefit of others, but not for the furthering of ourselves.  To accomplish faithful service towards our brethren, our own love must be genuine.

Our calling will not give us a trouble-free walk with the Lord. To think that we are above persecution and evil is to be proud-minded.  Rather, God wants us to associate with people who misunderstand us, and to try to bring harmony.  We should care about the unhappy as much as we do about those who are enjoying their lives.

God has designed His will for our lives to include our love for other people, for that is the way Jesus' life was.  Jesus’ calling was not lived out in a vacuum, for He became acquainted with the griefs and sorrows of all men. (Is 53:3-4).  When we lay our lives down for others, they may not seem grateful nor appreciative. Their growth may seem forever stunted.  But let us leave our personal frustrations behind us, knowing that God’s will for our lives is perfected in genuine love for our brethren.  Though our humility may come to us as humiliation, it is in laying down our own will for God’s calling that we will truly know His good and perfect will for our lives. Amen.

Love is Gift

Love seems like such a perfect gift that we often feel that our version of love is tainted.  Jesus sacrificed His life out of love for us so that we could be saved.  It was God’s sacrifice to give His only begotten Son, Jesus, for us.  The Love of the Father and Son is so holy that we can often think, due to our failures, that our love is not a gift at all.

But our love for each other is a gift.  Though we might fail at love from time to time, or often, love is still a gift worth giving. 

God knows we are imperfect beings.  He has invested the Spirit of Jesus into us so that we might taste of the Perfect that lives inside our clay vessels (2 Cor 4:7).  Today the Lord told me that we are appointed to sing about our love when we are joined with Him in eternity.  If we look at our failures here on earth we might be tempted to quit loving.  But from God’s perspective, this is a dress rehearsal for a beautiful song we will sing one day.  You may sing to your child, your spouse, your friend.  It may be a relative in the flesh, or brethren in the faith.  But on that Day you will have a beautiful song to sing to them.  Our love will inspire songs for some who would not be with us for eternity, except we had loved them on earth.

Let us not give up loving.  If there be pain or sacrifice, then we know that we are called to walk in the Savior’s footsteps, and our gift of love will endure for eternity.  Amen.

The Purpose of our Wilderness

There are times when we feel as if we are in a wilderness.  Instead of having meaningful things to do, our life is on pause.  There is no noticeable growth.  It is a hard place to be in, but God has His purposes even in the barren places of our lives.

Purpose.  That seems like the opposite of the dry barren wilderness.  But indeed, the wilderness is a place God assigns to us before our purpose is fulfilled.  Let us look at the book of Revelation, where we find two very different women in the wilderness.

The first woman is described as a woman pregnant with the Man Child, pursued by the serpent, the devil, and given wings to fly to the wilderness.  This is the place prepared for her where she is out of the serpent’s reach.  She also is taken care of there. (Rev 12:13-14).  The woman stands on the moon, and is clothed in the sun.  In real life the moon reflects the sun, therefore we see that this woman is the embodiment of Christians which reflect the light of the Son of God.

The second woman we read about is called a Harlot.  She also is in the wilderness (Rev 17:3). She is clothed in purple, with the adornment of jewels and gold. In the wilderness she rides the beast, or the spiritual movement that wars against the Lamb of God.  Her adornment represents outward royalty and faith, and, being a harlot, she is the embodiment of believers who have given their hearts to false religion (see Rev 17).

In our own wildernesses we too are kept by the Lord.  As a place appointed to shelter us, we find ourselves on “pause” from our usual routines and separated from that which brings outward growth.  That is because the Lord is looking for depth of faith.  We cannot get depth from others. The woman who was pregnant with the Man Child gave spiritual birth to others, who like Him, had the voice of God inside. It is called the Testimony of Jesus, or the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev 12:17, 19:10). Our depth of faith comes from listening to and obeying God’s voice and will preserve us during those times when others are following falsehood.  The wilderness precedes our intimacy with God. The people who remain under God’s provision there will become His Son’s Bride.

Those who grow uneasy in the wilderness, who seek purpose in the world, will become false, like the Harlot.  They become the “waters” she sits on (Rev 17:15). Finding it hard to trust in a God who is not making anything happen in their lives, they will succumb to worldly religious pursuits, leaving themselves open to the deception of the beast, the false prophet, the serpent.  It is during their wilderness that they turn away from intimacy with God, for they do not listen to His voice.

When we find ourselves in a wilderness, then we should know that the Lord is calling us to intimacy, preparing us as a Bride for Himself. Our hope in God’s purposes will cause us to trust Him to work our wildernesses out for our good as we look forward to the intimacy of being His Bride.  Let us not turn aside to idle works, nor grow bitter while our lives are on “pause,” but realize that God has His purpose in every wilderness.  Amen.