“Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. Anyone who is sick should call the church's elders. They should pray for and pour oil on the person in the name of the Lord. And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will heal that person. And if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen. (James 5:13-16)”
― Anonymous, Holy Bible: King James Version
If Jesus would have told us to heal the sick, but He didn't heal them, would we believe it possible? If He would have told us to cast out demons in His name, but He Himself did not cast out demons, would we believe it could be done? Through us? The greatest teachers give examples. There are times when I don't understand what a teacher is talking about until he gives an example. Many of the bible teachers of this day who do not live as an example of what they say to be true in the Bible, lead a dead church. Jesus led by example and as teachers of scripture today, we are called to do the same.
In the above verse, it says "Anyone who is sick should call the church's elders", but what if the elders don't believe the power God put in their hands to heal, by claiming it in His name. How do we believe teaching if the life preached about is not lived?
We have the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick through Jesus name. We tend to believe that we don't have this power and we don't but the name of Jesus does. We don't have to believe we are a healer. We have to believe we are a beloved child of God and through us, He will heal. I can say all day long that I believe in miracles, but if I am not calling on Jesus to perform them, do I really believe? Some of us think that only specific people are called to heal and cast out the demonic, but the Bible did not say only you with brown hair, or only you who are over 6 feet tall. All we have to do is believe and call it out in Jesus name. We are given authority as a child of God.
I believe this is a time of division, when God is dividing the true followers from the fans and unbelievers. I believe this is a time of signs and wonders that will separate us. Testimony is shared to attract the unbeliever. Is our testimony all it is called to be? When we hear of a miracle healing or a bondage broken or a demon cast out, we either believe that the Almighty has been working or we believe somebody has fallen off the turnip cart. This is a time when we have to ask ourselves what we believe and live it.
We need to step out in our God given authority with boldness and do what we are called to do. We are to tell others about Jesus. We are to cast out the demonic. We are to heal the sick. We are to feed the poor. We are to do all of these things in Jesus name, so that the All Powerful God can perform miracles through our hands and through our mouths. If we don't open our hearts and turn ourselves over to the power of God, who will believe us? Every time a healing takes place, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual, the Glory belongs to God. Every time we shrink away from laying our hands on others, we deny an opportunity for the Glory of God to shine. We deny ourselves and others an opportunity to praise His name. If you believe God can and will perform miracles, don't wait for your buddy to show up, call on His name and watch Him work. Believe. Be bold. Obey. And then praise Him, worship Him and give Him every ounce of the Glory. Thank Him for what He is doing through you.
“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”
― C.S. Lewis
Monday, April 22, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Knowledge
“I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.”
― Mark Twain
How many times have we heard the statement, "They need to ..." The government needs to... She needs to ... with her kid. He needs to ... with his wife. The owner of that company needs to... We all think we know what everybody needs to do. The funniest statement is "I don't know what they need to do, but I would... " Well, then obviously they think they know. None of us has all the pieces, not even in our own life, so how can we know what someone else needs?
We all get words of knowledge from the Holy Spirit if we are willing to ask for them and willing to hear them. He was sent to help us and comfort us. God is all knowing and when we make decisions on our own, we are blinded by our own fears, wants, and needs. We can't help it, we are human. When we think we hear the Holy Spirit's guiding in our life through a word, we always need to check it. I often ask others to pray and see if God gives them the same word. I will usually ask a couple people. I know that my wants get in the way.
We are selfish beings. When we live on milk it is for comfort and it is fed to us, but when we live on meat we have to hunt for it and I believe this includes words through other sources. I have gotten three different words on where God wants to take me. Three different positions that are tightly connected, but still are three different words. I won't focus on any of the three, in case my own feelings get in the way. I am waiting to see and following step by step. This life is full of major decisions and we need to focus on the Holy Spirit and our relationship with Christ to be led in the direction He wants us to go. Any other direction is around a mountain. The consequences and lessons brought with a wrong turn can be expensive and painful.
In all things follow His direction, because only He knows where the next earthquake is going to hit. Only God knows all that happened yesterday and all that tomorrow will bring.
“That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it.”
― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
― Mark Twain
How many times have we heard the statement, "They need to ..." The government needs to... She needs to ... with her kid. He needs to ... with his wife. The owner of that company needs to... We all think we know what everybody needs to do. The funniest statement is "I don't know what they need to do, but I would... " Well, then obviously they think they know. None of us has all the pieces, not even in our own life, so how can we know what someone else needs?
We all get words of knowledge from the Holy Spirit if we are willing to ask for them and willing to hear them. He was sent to help us and comfort us. God is all knowing and when we make decisions on our own, we are blinded by our own fears, wants, and needs. We can't help it, we are human. When we think we hear the Holy Spirit's guiding in our life through a word, we always need to check it. I often ask others to pray and see if God gives them the same word. I will usually ask a couple people. I know that my wants get in the way.
We are selfish beings. When we live on milk it is for comfort and it is fed to us, but when we live on meat we have to hunt for it and I believe this includes words through other sources. I have gotten three different words on where God wants to take me. Three different positions that are tightly connected, but still are three different words. I won't focus on any of the three, in case my own feelings get in the way. I am waiting to see and following step by step. This life is full of major decisions and we need to focus on the Holy Spirit and our relationship with Christ to be led in the direction He wants us to go. Any other direction is around a mountain. The consequences and lessons brought with a wrong turn can be expensive and painful.
In all things follow His direction, because only He knows where the next earthquake is going to hit. Only God knows all that happened yesterday and all that tomorrow will bring.
“That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it.”
― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Thursday, April 18, 2013
By His stripes...
“The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our heart upon the black horse of affliction.”
― Charles H. Spurgeon
The Men in the white coats with the large red cross on the back are running every direction, we will call them Workers. They are a special breed of people called to assist in catastrophic events. One pushes a man in a wheel chair, his legs are missing. A small woman lies on the ground while two of the specially marked red cross workers try to stop the bleeding from her stomach and right arm. Injured people are everywhere calling out for help and the Workers try to get to everyone.
A man with a head injury wanders through the crowd in shock, walking past a child sitting on the curb, crying for his parents who seem to have abandoned him. Chaos. Trauma. Wounds. Bleeding. It's overwhelming to most, but the Workers seem to come against the chaos with an almost unspoken organization, a sense of teamwork and knowing what needs to be done. They prioritize, putting the severely injured ahead of the rest. Bandages are quickly wrapped around wounds and the Worker rushes to the next victim. Discarded bandage wrappers and cut away pieces of clothing lie everywhere. Who could have done this? Who is responsible?
You probably assume I am talking about the Boston Marathon bombing or the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, but this is every day life. The Bomber? The cause of these explosions? The enemy is the same. While rescue workers are searching for bodies in the rubble of the plant explosion, I am hearing cries for help in my own living room. This war is going on every day. Some days the punches the enemy throws are more severe than others.
It looks like a battle field, because it is. It is spiritual warfare. The injured and dying are every where. God calls, so we go. My first message this morning was from a friend suffering from severe chest pain and pressure. Stress? A heart attack? Call out the Workers and start praying. We first have to assess the problem and then apply prayer. What exactly is causing the pain? Where do we apply the pressure to a wound caused by the enemy? Sometimes we just have to ask for clarity and guidance.
The next is an overwhelmed Worker. Too many victims of the enemy's attack. Where do I start? How do I fight back? Pray. Encourage. Call for assistance from other warriors. Keep moving forward.
The next victim is a teenage boy with a head injury. Depression and PTSD. Apply prayer pressure to the wound. While he battles for his life, the enemy loves to poke at the wounds. So we call on angels to hold him back, break his grip, and help set this boy free.
Then an email, stating an injury to the liver. Cancer? Stress and anxiety for the testing that he will go through. Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. In the middle of scrambling from one victim to the next with a Bible in one hand, on my knees, surrounded by other warriors, the unexpected happens. I take a hit. The desire to tend to my own wounds and retreat from the battle is overwhelming. It hurts. But then God sends reinforcements. Friends, fellow soldiers, come to treat my wounds, while He restores my strength and I continue to pray for all the injured.
Yesterday was an ugly day. I saw the enemy attack in small ways and I saw him attack in big ways. A spear to the heart to some and a catastrophic explosion to others, taking out many. There was a time I would have retreated and spent many days off the battle field, but not this day. Why? Because I see every day like the day in Boston. I wake up every morning seeing explosions like that in Texas, all around me. The same enemy is attacking in every one of these events. The explosions that took place in the last two days are catastrophic and will injure many lives for a long time, but it is a reminder that we are in a battle. There are no civilians injured, because in the true war that is going on outside of the smaller picture we see on our TV's everyone is on a side. You may think that's unfair, but if you are not on the side of Christ, you are on the enemy's side.
What do we do? I watched a news reel of the explosion in Texas and it hit me. This stuff is playing on the TV all day and we watch it. We are glorifying the enemy. Every minute we sit in front of the screen groaning from the shock of the explosion, the enemy takes our attention off God. Some people even question where God was and why He didn't stop it. I would guess He is the same place He is everyday, while the enemy is attacking. He's weeping with the children of the man who took his own life, he's crying with the wife who just found out her husband is dying from cancer, he's weeping with the mother and father of a boy who is fighting depression. I have heard the enemy laugh and when we sit in front of the TV watching the same scenes over and over, not only is he laughing, but he claps his hands with every OH!, WHY? and groan that escapes our lips.
This reminds me of a war scene I watched last night on TV. I couldn't even tell you what was on, just a movie playing for back ground noise in a too quiet house. It was the civil war I believe and men were falling all over the battlefield from gun shot wounds. An occasional random explosion from cannons shot by the enemy took out more soldiers than just one bullet, but the dead were just as dead and the injured were just as devastated. The families mourned the same.
Who wants to look at life as a battle field? Who wants to spend each day in a war? Don't we want to enjoy our lives? Well, that's what eternity is for. Yes, God wants to fill us with joy here, but this is such a small piece of time. If you look back through history, wars had to be fought for freedom to be found. Those soldiers weren't just fighting for their own freedom, but for all of us. So, do we spread out a blanket and open up the picnic basket in the middle of the battlefield or do we fight? Do we wander off to pick flowers, because we are bored with fighting? People are suffering and they are dying all around us every single day, not just when the TV announces it.
We are called. We have been given the white garments. We have been handed the cross. If you don't want to walk through every day of life looking at it as war, that's fine, but what if Jesus didn't see it that way? What if He walked from the battlefield because he was tired of it? He promised He never would. The way I see it, He pulled us from the wreckage, restored us and then asked us to pull others to safety and tend to the wounded. We need to put on our jackets with the little red crosses and when the responsibility of wearing the cross on our backs gets too big, just remember the cross he wore on His.
― Charles H. Spurgeon
The Men in the white coats with the large red cross on the back are running every direction, we will call them Workers. They are a special breed of people called to assist in catastrophic events. One pushes a man in a wheel chair, his legs are missing. A small woman lies on the ground while two of the specially marked red cross workers try to stop the bleeding from her stomach and right arm. Injured people are everywhere calling out for help and the Workers try to get to everyone.
A man with a head injury wanders through the crowd in shock, walking past a child sitting on the curb, crying for his parents who seem to have abandoned him. Chaos. Trauma. Wounds. Bleeding. It's overwhelming to most, but the Workers seem to come against the chaos with an almost unspoken organization, a sense of teamwork and knowing what needs to be done. They prioritize, putting the severely injured ahead of the rest. Bandages are quickly wrapped around wounds and the Worker rushes to the next victim. Discarded bandage wrappers and cut away pieces of clothing lie everywhere. Who could have done this? Who is responsible?
You probably assume I am talking about the Boston Marathon bombing or the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, but this is every day life. The Bomber? The cause of these explosions? The enemy is the same. While rescue workers are searching for bodies in the rubble of the plant explosion, I am hearing cries for help in my own living room. This war is going on every day. Some days the punches the enemy throws are more severe than others.
It looks like a battle field, because it is. It is spiritual warfare. The injured and dying are every where. God calls, so we go. My first message this morning was from a friend suffering from severe chest pain and pressure. Stress? A heart attack? Call out the Workers and start praying. We first have to assess the problem and then apply prayer. What exactly is causing the pain? Where do we apply the pressure to a wound caused by the enemy? Sometimes we just have to ask for clarity and guidance.
The next is an overwhelmed Worker. Too many victims of the enemy's attack. Where do I start? How do I fight back? Pray. Encourage. Call for assistance from other warriors. Keep moving forward.
The next victim is a teenage boy with a head injury. Depression and PTSD. Apply prayer pressure to the wound. While he battles for his life, the enemy loves to poke at the wounds. So we call on angels to hold him back, break his grip, and help set this boy free.
Then an email, stating an injury to the liver. Cancer? Stress and anxiety for the testing that he will go through. Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. In the middle of scrambling from one victim to the next with a Bible in one hand, on my knees, surrounded by other warriors, the unexpected happens. I take a hit. The desire to tend to my own wounds and retreat from the battle is overwhelming. It hurts. But then God sends reinforcements. Friends, fellow soldiers, come to treat my wounds, while He restores my strength and I continue to pray for all the injured.
Yesterday was an ugly day. I saw the enemy attack in small ways and I saw him attack in big ways. A spear to the heart to some and a catastrophic explosion to others, taking out many. There was a time I would have retreated and spent many days off the battle field, but not this day. Why? Because I see every day like the day in Boston. I wake up every morning seeing explosions like that in Texas, all around me. The same enemy is attacking in every one of these events. The explosions that took place in the last two days are catastrophic and will injure many lives for a long time, but it is a reminder that we are in a battle. There are no civilians injured, because in the true war that is going on outside of the smaller picture we see on our TV's everyone is on a side. You may think that's unfair, but if you are not on the side of Christ, you are on the enemy's side.
What do we do? I watched a news reel of the explosion in Texas and it hit me. This stuff is playing on the TV all day and we watch it. We are glorifying the enemy. Every minute we sit in front of the screen groaning from the shock of the explosion, the enemy takes our attention off God. Some people even question where God was and why He didn't stop it. I would guess He is the same place He is everyday, while the enemy is attacking. He's weeping with the children of the man who took his own life, he's crying with the wife who just found out her husband is dying from cancer, he's weeping with the mother and father of a boy who is fighting depression. I have heard the enemy laugh and when we sit in front of the TV watching the same scenes over and over, not only is he laughing, but he claps his hands with every OH!, WHY? and groan that escapes our lips.
This reminds me of a war scene I watched last night on TV. I couldn't even tell you what was on, just a movie playing for back ground noise in a too quiet house. It was the civil war I believe and men were falling all over the battlefield from gun shot wounds. An occasional random explosion from cannons shot by the enemy took out more soldiers than just one bullet, but the dead were just as dead and the injured were just as devastated. The families mourned the same.
Who wants to look at life as a battle field? Who wants to spend each day in a war? Don't we want to enjoy our lives? Well, that's what eternity is for. Yes, God wants to fill us with joy here, but this is such a small piece of time. If you look back through history, wars had to be fought for freedom to be found. Those soldiers weren't just fighting for their own freedom, but for all of us. So, do we spread out a blanket and open up the picnic basket in the middle of the battlefield or do we fight? Do we wander off to pick flowers, because we are bored with fighting? People are suffering and they are dying all around us every single day, not just when the TV announces it.
We are called. We have been given the white garments. We have been handed the cross. If you don't want to walk through every day of life looking at it as war, that's fine, but what if Jesus didn't see it that way? What if He walked from the battlefield because he was tired of it? He promised He never would. The way I see it, He pulled us from the wreckage, restored us and then asked us to pull others to safety and tend to the wounded. We need to put on our jackets with the little red crosses and when the responsibility of wearing the cross on our backs gets too big, just remember the cross he wore on His.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Love or Hate? Feeling or Action?
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Last night I heard a father quote Proverbs 13:24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. I was thinking about how strong the word "hate" is in the verse and it may seem stronger because the verse is speaking of children. A counselor I went to years ago, said, "You can't control your feelings only your reaction to them." This was a powerful bondage breaker for me, though since then I realize as I grow and learn to take every thought captive, I do have more control over my feelings..
Today I believe that love is an action word that brings an emotional feeling of love in time. This would then apply to hate. We have a choice. Am I going to act out of love or hate. I can act out of hate, even if my emotional state is love. Motive is the key here.
If I say, "Come see how humble I can be" am I really being humble? I don't think so. Our motive needs to be checked. If the Lord calls us to minister to someone, shouldn't our only motive be to love through obedience? I believe a lot of times when we struggle with being humble He calls us to pray for someone and to not share that we are being called. We can even say to a friend, "God has asked me to pray for someone" with the wrong motive. Are we truly concerned for this person and want others to join us in prayer or are we wanting recognition for being called to serve? "Do you see how important and powerful I am that God has called me to save this person through prayer?"
God has been talking to me about motive a lot lately, not only to check my own, but to recognize in others that I am learning from. I have heard from others that we are not to assume we know an other's motives and we can never be 100% sure of an other's motives, but at the same time, God may enlighten us for our own growth. Worship is a good example. Is that person dancing around lost in love for the Lord? Or is that person making a production for attention from others? Or is that person trying to convince themselves and the Lord that they are lost in love for Him? If the same person rushes up front after service for prayer every weekend is it because they are unwilling to see what God is showing them and they are stuck in a problem? Are they seeking attention? Or are they truly lost?
As we grow in our own ministry we are sometimes asked to call out others on their behavior. This is the part of ministry I enjoy the least. In fact, I don't like it at all. But if the Lord is bringing to our attention the motives of another and they are not good, we may have responsibility to call them out, if He asks us to. This is where "love" and "hate" really become action.
Recently a dear friend of mine was not seeing the attack she was under. Often times it is easier for those around us to see our battles clearer than we can see them. In her book "Girls with Swords", Lisa Bevere says, "At times when you are in the midst of a fire, you need someone who is not in the fire to find your way out of the smoke." The Lord was asking me to point things out to her and it was difficult for me. I would say what I felt the Lord wanted me to say and then walk away relieved that my "Job here is done". Ha. But then He called me to confront through love and not back down. Because He is a gentlemanly teacher, earlier in the day He asked me, "What is more important to you, her friendship or her freedom?" Her freedom. Then He said, "If true freedom comes, your friendship will be secure." I had to really look at this and trust Him. I was willing to give up her friendship for her freedom. Her freedom may not come for days or months and I could lose her friendship during that time.
Later in the day the Lord gave me an example and I watched a mentor call out a person on their behavior. She put freedom before friendship and the results were beautiful. This gave me more strength to follow Christ's instructions. I chose to love. If I wouldn't have obeyed, I would have been acting out of hate, even though my emotional feelings were love. Boy, did that make sense? One thing that made it easier was that I could see her heart wants Jesus. She loves the Lord and wants to grow in Him.
Following Christ is not always easy. It's not all warm and fuzzy all the time. It can be painful. He doesn't just ask us to follow Him through a spring day in the park. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
As I read through the instructions on disciplining a child, I see how God disciplines or disciples me. He disciplines out of love. If He did not discipline us, it would be hate. The greatest act of love, the greatest proof that love is action and motives need to line up, was that day on the cross. Jesus did not call on thousands of angels to rescue Him. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life. Acting out love is not always easy, even God had to look away. But it is through the act of love that we were given life. And give life and freedom to others. When you can't feel love, you can still show love. When you don't feel hate, you can still show it. Love the Lord first, before anything or anyone else and it makes loving others easier, it fills in the gaps, between emotion and behavior. Jesus loves you.
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Last night I heard a father quote Proverbs 13:24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. I was thinking about how strong the word "hate" is in the verse and it may seem stronger because the verse is speaking of children. A counselor I went to years ago, said, "You can't control your feelings only your reaction to them." This was a powerful bondage breaker for me, though since then I realize as I grow and learn to take every thought captive, I do have more control over my feelings..
Today I believe that love is an action word that brings an emotional feeling of love in time. This would then apply to hate. We have a choice. Am I going to act out of love or hate. I can act out of hate, even if my emotional state is love. Motive is the key here.
If I say, "Come see how humble I can be" am I really being humble? I don't think so. Our motive needs to be checked. If the Lord calls us to minister to someone, shouldn't our only motive be to love through obedience? I believe a lot of times when we struggle with being humble He calls us to pray for someone and to not share that we are being called. We can even say to a friend, "God has asked me to pray for someone" with the wrong motive. Are we truly concerned for this person and want others to join us in prayer or are we wanting recognition for being called to serve? "Do you see how important and powerful I am that God has called me to save this person through prayer?"
God has been talking to me about motive a lot lately, not only to check my own, but to recognize in others that I am learning from. I have heard from others that we are not to assume we know an other's motives and we can never be 100% sure of an other's motives, but at the same time, God may enlighten us for our own growth. Worship is a good example. Is that person dancing around lost in love for the Lord? Or is that person making a production for attention from others? Or is that person trying to convince themselves and the Lord that they are lost in love for Him? If the same person rushes up front after service for prayer every weekend is it because they are unwilling to see what God is showing them and they are stuck in a problem? Are they seeking attention? Or are they truly lost?
As we grow in our own ministry we are sometimes asked to call out others on their behavior. This is the part of ministry I enjoy the least. In fact, I don't like it at all. But if the Lord is bringing to our attention the motives of another and they are not good, we may have responsibility to call them out, if He asks us to. This is where "love" and "hate" really become action.
Recently a dear friend of mine was not seeing the attack she was under. Often times it is easier for those around us to see our battles clearer than we can see them. In her book "Girls with Swords", Lisa Bevere says, "At times when you are in the midst of a fire, you need someone who is not in the fire to find your way out of the smoke." The Lord was asking me to point things out to her and it was difficult for me. I would say what I felt the Lord wanted me to say and then walk away relieved that my "Job here is done". Ha. But then He called me to confront through love and not back down. Because He is a gentlemanly teacher, earlier in the day He asked me, "What is more important to you, her friendship or her freedom?" Her freedom. Then He said, "If true freedom comes, your friendship will be secure." I had to really look at this and trust Him. I was willing to give up her friendship for her freedom. Her freedom may not come for days or months and I could lose her friendship during that time.
Later in the day the Lord gave me an example and I watched a mentor call out a person on their behavior. She put freedom before friendship and the results were beautiful. This gave me more strength to follow Christ's instructions. I chose to love. If I wouldn't have obeyed, I would have been acting out of hate, even though my emotional feelings were love. Boy, did that make sense? One thing that made it easier was that I could see her heart wants Jesus. She loves the Lord and wants to grow in Him.
Following Christ is not always easy. It's not all warm and fuzzy all the time. It can be painful. He doesn't just ask us to follow Him through a spring day in the park. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
As I read through the instructions on disciplining a child, I see how God disciplines or disciples me. He disciplines out of love. If He did not discipline us, it would be hate. The greatest act of love, the greatest proof that love is action and motives need to line up, was that day on the cross. Jesus did not call on thousands of angels to rescue Him. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life. Acting out love is not always easy, even God had to look away. But it is through the act of love that we were given life. And give life and freedom to others. When you can't feel love, you can still show love. When you don't feel hate, you can still show it. Love the Lord first, before anything or anyone else and it makes loving others easier, it fills in the gaps, between emotion and behavior. Jesus loves you.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Free to Follow
"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." — Ralph Nader
I take my kindle everywhere. I always have a book I am reading for those moments when I have to wait. The one I am reading right now is perfect for this. It's easy reading, full of good quotes and it encourages me. It's called, "What Leaders Do" and Dave wrote it. I pick it up in the fast food line, when I'm waiting to get a coffee or even waiting for a train. I am not one who sits quietly very well, so this helps me with my impatience.
Today I grabbed a bite to eat and while waiting in line began reading. I came upon a poem Dave quoted. It really struck me. I am in total agreement and could even say it lit a fire in me. Immediately I thought of a couple friends I believe will feel the same way about it.
As I drove home I had a conversation with God. Between pictures, thoughts and questions, it was almost like He was telling me a story.
From birth the enemy begins his assault. Every chance he gets, he convinces us to tie ourselves up. He always uses the same tools. Duct tape made of bitterness, unforgiveness, and anger. Chains of abuse, lies and broken dreams. Ropes of issues like abandonment, tragedy and trauma, because when we can no longer tie ourselves up, he convinces others to help wrap us in strongholds. This happens over years of prodding. Then when he knows breaking loose is impossible, he whispers for us to walk of the edge of the plank and fall into the water, sinking slowly to the bottom of a slow death.
When our hands are tied, we can't reach out. With a mouth covered in duct tape, we can't cry out. If he is really successful, he convinces us to be angry at God so we don't even want to try to reach out. There we are, unable to move, everything we can do takes so much effort we don't really want to try anymore. The water is looking good.
When we can no longer call out to God, He sends someone. He sends a little Jesus "want to be". He picks just the right person, striving to be like Jesus and sends them to us. They have His heart and they want to help. They were once a prisoner and with their freedom and growing in Christ, want to set other captives free. They take their time and stand back a ways until you trust them. Then after a time they move closer and rip the tape from your mouth. You get angry, you cuss a little, you tell them you don't want to do this, because it hurts too much, but they take a step back and wait for you to calm down. When it's safe, they rip another little piece off one hand and the same process happens all over again, pain, screaming, anger. Then you feel a little freedom and move your hand around a little bit and realize you want more. So they take you through a few more steps of breaking free of the bondage while introducing you to the real Jesus, not the one the enemy described. When you are finally free you want to set somebody else free. You want to set everyone free. You become a Jesus "want to be". I want to be like Jesus and maybe that's why this poem struck me.
Found among a young African pastor's papers in Zimbabwe after he was martyred
I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.
My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.
I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!
Man? Or God?
Matthew 23:25-28
New International Version (NIV)
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Years ago I noticed that everything about me looked good on the outside, but the inside was a mess. My house for instance, the yard was always mowed, weeded and very clean. The inside of my house was a mess. My car was the same way, always washed and shining, but the inside was full of kids toys, garbage and french fries stuffed into the seats. I was the same way.
We come up against the enemy when we look at outer beauty today. We have to be skinny, dressed in fashion, make up on just right, busy doing things that are expected of us with an "I really care" smile pasted on our faces. What would people think if we missed our child's soccer game? If my pants are to short, I will be laughed at. Broken people concentrate on the outside so nobody looks inside.
We can meet somebody who is always put together well and after spending time with them realize that this person is an emotional wreck. The same can happen with a church. Everything looks good on the outside, the people are nice, the seats are comfortable, and the building is warm. After spending some time their you might find that it's not what you expected. Shoot, they may not even believe the way you believe.
In the bible, God doesn't spend a lot of time on outer beauty. He talks a lot about the heart. The ten commandments are all about behavior and behavior comes from within, what is in our heart. Judging comes from within, even when we judge ourselves.
Years ago, at a church I attended, one of the ushers caught my attention. This man was full of tattoos, dressed like a gangster, and never really smiled. I was new to the whole church thing and I wasn't sure what to think of this man. Then I heard his testimony. I heard what was on the inside. he was an incredible speaker. He talked about his life as a gang member and how he had even taken an other's life. When he spoke about the Lord, tears streamed down his face and the smile I had been looking for beamed across his face. He had accomplished so much growth and change on the inside that now, I saw that beauty on the outside. I had been judgmental. I had measured the man by what I saw on the outside. I noticed after he gave his testimony, the smile never went away. It was almost like once he let go and told his story, he couldn't keep it in any longer. It transformed him. But if he would have changed his appearance to please those like me who were judging, he would have been serving man instead of God.
The enemy keeps us busy looking at the outside of everything and everyone including ourselves. We keep the outside looking good because of the reaction we get from people. We are looking for approval. Paul says in Galatians 1:10 "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." He is speaking about the gospel, but I think this applies to any area of our lives. To focus on the outside appearance of anything more than we focus on the inside is an effort to hide something. It is a fear of man. If they don't approve of me, then who am I? This is really sad. But is it because it is easier to dress up the outside than to truly examine and heal the inside hurts? It is the inside hurt that causes the outside behavior.
Luke 16:15
15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Rick Joyner says, after quoting this verse, "Now I believe the reverse is also true. The things that are highly esteemed with God are detestable in men's sight. Somebody is going to detest what we are doing. We've got to make a choice. Who is it going to be? God or men? Who are we going to serve? Who are we going to obey?"
To be so caught up in appearance, either physical or behavioral that we do not follow God's will with all of our hearts is sin. If we are more worried about what others are saying about us or what they think of our appearance we are putting our faith in man, not God. We can't serve two God's.
We are supposed to take care of ourselves and that includes the outside, but when we are looking for approval from others we can cause others to sin. A woman who puts too much value on appearance can cause others to begin to question theirs if they are not mature enough in Christ to see what is happening. A man who needs women to approve of his appearance can cause a woman to lust after him if she is not stable in her relationship.
We are to be healed. God wants us healed. Before I told my story, one of the things the Holy Spirit told me was that if we are consumed with protecting our wounds and not healing them, then we don't have much time or all the tools needed to assist others in healing their wounds or any other work the Lord has planned for us. If we are consumed with appearance and what man thinks of us, do we really want to fulfill our calling for Christ or is it the Glory and recognition of man that we are needing? We all have a calling. he has a plan for each of us. But even in that calling, who are we serving? Who are we looking for approval from? God? Or man?
James 4
New International Version (NIV)
Submit Yourselves to God
4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.Pleasing God? Or Man?
"If we are going to serve Him, if we are going to be His priests, we have got to put the sword to every single relationship that would cause us to compromise our calling and our obedience to Him. So many of the relationships that cause us to compromise, have to be cut." - Rick Joyner (The Prophetic Gifts)
I have seen it time and time again in the last months where very gifted people in the army of God are shamed into silence. I have met amazing people with a gift for prayer, speaking in tongue and/or healing, who are on fire, but smother it because of the judgment of those around them. I am so thankful that when God really started speaking to me, Dave made it clear that we can't understand every one's walk or why God is doing certain things with certain people and not others. This was a relief to a person who questioned her own sanity.
Sometimes it's jealousy and other times it may be fear. There is so much imitation out there by Satan that most of us fear stepping into the dark side. It is so important to hear God's voice. It's also very important to have friends around you who hear Him and He can speak to you through. This is a day for discernment. In fact the very first time I asked God to speak to me in a dream and He did, it was only one single audio statement, "Pray for discernment." The reason I knew it was the Lord, was because I wasn't even sure what that word meant and I'm sure the enemy wouldn't mind if we had none.
I hear God in different ways and I am learning to tune into His voice and those different ways. He has spoken to me in ways that I have yet to find another has experienced. The Holy Spirit affects me with His presence in different ways than those around me. At first I was not sure it was Him, but now I have more compassion and understanding for others who are affected differently than me. We have to choose who we serve.
We can listen to those who are critical, jealous and scared and quench our spirit, but then we are serving man. We can serve the Lord and use the gifts He has given us humbly and allow the Spirit to come alive. It's through obedience and conversation with God that our relationship with Him grows. The bible speaks about how and when we are to use these gifts for example we are not to speak in tongues any time the Spirit is on us, we have to respect others in our church. We are not always called to speak out prophetic words given to us. But it is the direction from the Holy Spirit we follow, not the fear of man. If the Holy Spirit, for example, directs us to approach a stranger and ask them if they know Jesus and we let the fear of that person's reaction stop us, we are serving man and through that we are serving the enemy. He does not want us stepping out boldly. If we are afraid of scaring people away all the time, how will we reach them? It's Jesus in us, courage and strength in Him that attracts the unbelievers and the backsliders.
We have a choice to make. In Exodus 32 Aaron serves man when he gives in and creates an idol for them, while Moses continues to serve God and demands they make a choice. Courage is contagious and I have seen in the people around me, when they decide to ignore the judgment of others and follow Jesus with everything in them, others follow. We are called to serve God by bringing man to know Him, not serve man by changing who Christ is to us. We are to intercede for man, not concede to man.
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”
18 Moses replied:
22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
I have seen it time and time again in the last months where very gifted people in the army of God are shamed into silence. I have met amazing people with a gift for prayer, speaking in tongue and/or healing, who are on fire, but smother it because of the judgment of those around them. I am so thankful that when God really started speaking to me, Dave made it clear that we can't understand every one's walk or why God is doing certain things with certain people and not others. This was a relief to a person who questioned her own sanity.
Sometimes it's jealousy and other times it may be fear. There is so much imitation out there by Satan that most of us fear stepping into the dark side. It is so important to hear God's voice. It's also very important to have friends around you who hear Him and He can speak to you through. This is a day for discernment. In fact the very first time I asked God to speak to me in a dream and He did, it was only one single audio statement, "Pray for discernment." The reason I knew it was the Lord, was because I wasn't even sure what that word meant and I'm sure the enemy wouldn't mind if we had none.
I hear God in different ways and I am learning to tune into His voice and those different ways. He has spoken to me in ways that I have yet to find another has experienced. The Holy Spirit affects me with His presence in different ways than those around me. At first I was not sure it was Him, but now I have more compassion and understanding for others who are affected differently than me. We have to choose who we serve.
We can listen to those who are critical, jealous and scared and quench our spirit, but then we are serving man. We can serve the Lord and use the gifts He has given us humbly and allow the Spirit to come alive. It's through obedience and conversation with God that our relationship with Him grows. The bible speaks about how and when we are to use these gifts for example we are not to speak in tongues any time the Spirit is on us, we have to respect others in our church. We are not always called to speak out prophetic words given to us. But it is the direction from the Holy Spirit we follow, not the fear of man. If the Holy Spirit, for example, directs us to approach a stranger and ask them if they know Jesus and we let the fear of that person's reaction stop us, we are serving man and through that we are serving the enemy. He does not want us stepping out boldly. If we are afraid of scaring people away all the time, how will we reach them? It's Jesus in us, courage and strength in Him that attracts the unbelievers and the backsliders.
We have a choice to make. In Exodus 32 Aaron serves man when he gives in and creates an idol for them, while Moses continues to serve God and demands they make a choice. Courage is contagious and I have seen in the people around me, when they decide to ignore the judgment of others and follow Jesus with everything in them, others follow. We are called to serve God by bringing man to know Him, not serve man by changing who Christ is to us. We are to intercede for man, not concede to man.
Exodus 32
New International Version (NIV)
The Golden Calf
32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”
18 Moses replied:
“It is not the sound of victory,
it is not the sound of defeat;
it is the sound of singing that I hear.”
it is not the sound of defeat;
it is the sound of singing that I hear.”
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Grace and Mercy
“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Consequences. With all the children and grandchildren around me, I see a lot of learning about consequences. We try not to smile when a two year old hides something that does not belong to him behind his back and repeatedly says he doesn't have anything. He needs to learn the consequences through discipline of 1) taking what is not his and 2) lying about it. Somewhere in our adult minds we smile. "He is only two." But, something in my heart is jolted when he knows the spanking is coming and tries to cover his own backside with his hand. Don't we all do this with God.
I was talking with a friend last night about expecting the swift kick of discipline administered by our Father, but it seems to most times come in a loving lesson, not the thump on the head we were expecting.
If we see a man steal a loaf of bread, would we tell? Would we judge first? Would his appearance affect the way we saw the situation? Was it the only way he could feed his children? Most of us admittedly would not say anything if he ducked around the corner and handed the bread to a starving toddler.
Recently, I read a story about a man, 86 years old, who killed his wife. It was a mercy killing following many, many, years of caring for her. She had begged him to do it. Because of the circumstances, he received two years of unsupervised probation. Does it make it right? I have a hard time with this, because I get it. When I watched a war movie recently and saw a soldier badly burned, I admit, my first thought was shoot him dead. I could not stand to watch him suffer. If he was dying and you couldn't save him, why not put him out of his pain. I hate pain. It's worse when I have to see someone else suffer in pain. I feel helpless and want it to stop.
The ten commandments do not say - Do not commit murder unless a person is suffering and going to die anyway. Do I think God has mercy on us if we give into a mercy killing? I hope so. I would guess that he takes all the circumstances into consideration more than we ever could. He knows about every minute of our lives and why we are who we are. I would think he would rather see us full of compassion to a point of taking a life, rather than standing there an unconcerned hard hearted observer.
In the last weeks I have returned to writing my story. It is amazing the things I have forgotten that the Lord spoke to me over the last 22 months. As I go through thousands of emails between Dave and I, there are many times it seems I don't even remember writing them. In early March of 2012 the Lord spoke to me about where He wanted to take me. I told Dave about it and immediately forgot about it. Over six months later He would bring it up again and it was just like I never heard it the first time. Recently I heard that when the Lord repeats Himself when giving us a word it is not that the word has more significance, but that it will receive more opposition. I wonder if the enemy played a role in helping me forget?
Where God wants to take me eventually, fits in with many areas He has brought me through. I can see why many of the lessons were taught. It is easier to forgive when we know the circumstances. We can find reasons why we can forgive lies, stealing and even murder. What about abuse? What circumstances can ever be a "good enough" excuse that a person could be forgiven for sexual abuse.
The way I understand it, all sin is equal. So, that would make all sinners equal. We are not to judge. If I am not to judge a person for gossiping, then I am not supposed to judge a person for murder or sexual abuse. I am led to work with the abusers. I have no idea what exactly that means, but God has made it clear to me twice. I have forgiven mine. I am not afraid to see them today. I would talk to them about Jesus. First, I pray they are not still abusing. Second, I pray they are saved by Jesus. If all sin is equal, all sin is forgiven, then why should they not be forgiven.
There are so many things beyond our thinking on earth. Heaven sees these things differently. Time. Beginnings and endings. Forgiveness? Creation? Sin? Who created evil? I remember that moment right before discipline, when you know, that you know "This is going to hurt." Two things that are difficult for us to grasp on earth is Grace and Mercy. We love it when they are given to us, but it isn't always as easy to give it away.
The other day I was given this scripture to read by a good friend and ever since that day it just keeps coming up.
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Consequences. With all the children and grandchildren around me, I see a lot of learning about consequences. We try not to smile when a two year old hides something that does not belong to him behind his back and repeatedly says he doesn't have anything. He needs to learn the consequences through discipline of 1) taking what is not his and 2) lying about it. Somewhere in our adult minds we smile. "He is only two." But, something in my heart is jolted when he knows the spanking is coming and tries to cover his own backside with his hand. Don't we all do this with God.
I was talking with a friend last night about expecting the swift kick of discipline administered by our Father, but it seems to most times come in a loving lesson, not the thump on the head we were expecting.
If we see a man steal a loaf of bread, would we tell? Would we judge first? Would his appearance affect the way we saw the situation? Was it the only way he could feed his children? Most of us admittedly would not say anything if he ducked around the corner and handed the bread to a starving toddler.
Recently, I read a story about a man, 86 years old, who killed his wife. It was a mercy killing following many, many, years of caring for her. She had begged him to do it. Because of the circumstances, he received two years of unsupervised probation. Does it make it right? I have a hard time with this, because I get it. When I watched a war movie recently and saw a soldier badly burned, I admit, my first thought was shoot him dead. I could not stand to watch him suffer. If he was dying and you couldn't save him, why not put him out of his pain. I hate pain. It's worse when I have to see someone else suffer in pain. I feel helpless and want it to stop.
The ten commandments do not say - Do not commit murder unless a person is suffering and going to die anyway. Do I think God has mercy on us if we give into a mercy killing? I hope so. I would guess that he takes all the circumstances into consideration more than we ever could. He knows about every minute of our lives and why we are who we are. I would think he would rather see us full of compassion to a point of taking a life, rather than standing there an unconcerned hard hearted observer.
In the last weeks I have returned to writing my story. It is amazing the things I have forgotten that the Lord spoke to me over the last 22 months. As I go through thousands of emails between Dave and I, there are many times it seems I don't even remember writing them. In early March of 2012 the Lord spoke to me about where He wanted to take me. I told Dave about it and immediately forgot about it. Over six months later He would bring it up again and it was just like I never heard it the first time. Recently I heard that when the Lord repeats Himself when giving us a word it is not that the word has more significance, but that it will receive more opposition. I wonder if the enemy played a role in helping me forget?
Where God wants to take me eventually, fits in with many areas He has brought me through. I can see why many of the lessons were taught. It is easier to forgive when we know the circumstances. We can find reasons why we can forgive lies, stealing and even murder. What about abuse? What circumstances can ever be a "good enough" excuse that a person could be forgiven for sexual abuse.
The way I understand it, all sin is equal. So, that would make all sinners equal. We are not to judge. If I am not to judge a person for gossiping, then I am not supposed to judge a person for murder or sexual abuse. I am led to work with the abusers. I have no idea what exactly that means, but God has made it clear to me twice. I have forgiven mine. I am not afraid to see them today. I would talk to them about Jesus. First, I pray they are not still abusing. Second, I pray they are saved by Jesus. If all sin is equal, all sin is forgiven, then why should they not be forgiven.
There are so many things beyond our thinking on earth. Heaven sees these things differently. Time. Beginnings and endings. Forgiveness? Creation? Sin? Who created evil? I remember that moment right before discipline, when you know, that you know "This is going to hurt." Two things that are difficult for us to grasp on earth is Grace and Mercy. We love it when they are given to us, but it isn't always as easy to give it away.
The other day I was given this scripture to read by a good friend and ever since that day it just keeps coming up.
Isaiah 61
New International Version (NIV)
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
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