by Patricia Backora
Part 6 - Please Come Back to Me!
Remember All I Have Done For You
I Samuel 30:6b; Psalms 42:5-6; Romans 8:26-28
The devil always fights dirty, for he is a skulking coward. So many
of his fiery darts are fired at your mind early in the morning, when you
are barely conscious and haven’t yet mustered your defenses. At once he’ll
tell you how terribly I treat you, or tell you how horribly wrong things
will go at work today. He’ll try to tell you there are strings attached
to My Love, and that you aren’t meeting My conditions for acceptance.
When that happens, send your elder Brother Jesus to the door of your
heart to handle him. Tell that old lying serpent that he was defeated
2000 years ago through the Cross of Calvary, that he has no right to
trespass in the life of a Blood-washed child of God. Pray in the Holy
Spirit, for the Mind of the Spirit knows much more perfectly than you do
what My specific plan of deliverance is for your set of circumstances.
When David felt like the battle was too great for him, he cast himself
upon me and I bore him up to victory on Eagle’s Wings. He remembered all
the past deliverances which had come through My timely intervention. He
continually encouraged himself in My great faithfulness. Remember what I
have already given you through My Son Jesus. Through faith in His Blood
Atonement, you have forgiveness of sins and life eternal with Me. You
enjoy My continual watchcare and My Presence in your heart. You enjoy
the fellowship of the Father, and you are the object of His Son’s
affections. He intercedes for you before the very Throne of Grace.
Whenever satan vexes you, you can remind him that I always have the
final word, because I Am the Truth. He is the father of lies. If you
love Me above all else, your destiny is to reign with Me in My eternal
Kingdom. The devil’s destiny is the ultimate Garbage Incinerator, the
Lake of Fire.
Deflecting Fiery Darts
John 8:44; Ephesians 6:13-18
Often the devil sends his little imps to whisper his lies into your ear.
He aims to wear you down, to destroy your morale, to minimize your
effectiveness for My Kingdom, and undermine your faith in My goodness and
faithfulness. He wants the problems in your life to loom much larger than
they actually are, and to make Me to appear small and powerless in
comparison to them.
If the devil says: You can’t do that for the Lord. Everyone will
LAUGH at you!
Say: It is written in I Corinthians 1:25 that God’s
foolishness is wiser than the wisdom of men, and His ways are not man’s
ways (Isaiah 55: 8-9).
If that old liar says: You’ll end up starving out on the street.
Say: My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in
Glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for me (Philippians
4:19). If God feeds the birds of the air, how much more faithful will
He be to feed me? He knows what I have need of before I even ask, and it
is my Father’s good pleasure to give me the Kingdom (Luke 12:22-32).
If he interrupts your sound sleep by inquiring: How are you going to
survive next year?.
Say: The same way I survived LAST year, you old liar. My God has
promised: As my days are, so shall my strength be (Deuteronomy 33:25).
If the Father of All Bullies says: You’re a hopeless waste of space,
and you’ve got no friends.
Say: I’ve got my own cheering squad up in heaven, and I have a
Friend who stick closer than a brother (Hebrews 12:1; Proverbs 18:24).
When satan Resorts to Dirtier Digs:
If that fiend says: Look how I prosper MY servants. The sleaziest
criminals are living high on the hog, while you’re still pinching
pennies.
Say: You’re right about one thing, Mr. Devil. Your slaves ARE living
high on the hog, in the filthy pigpen of your kingdom. And My Father has
promised that the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, who will
use His resources for His Glory (Proverbs 13:22b; 28:8).
If he launches his very worst missile, saying: You’ve REALLY blown it
now! You’ve exhausted your share of God’s grace, and He can’t
forgive you anymore.
Say: Get lost, devil! The Word of God calls you a liar, and there is
no truth in you (John 8:44). My God has promised me that NOTHING
would ever get Him to stop loving me (Romans 8:38-39). Even though
my sins have been abundant, His grace is even moreabundant (Romans
5:20). If I confess my sins, He is faithful to forgive them, to cast
them out of His sight, and to turn His back on them forever (Isaiah
38:17; 43:25; I John 1:7-8). Because Christ Jesus dwells in my heart
through faith, and I am not WILLING to be separated from Him and His
goodness, He will NEVER cast me out (John 6:37; 10: 28-29)!
If you feel like you’ve reached the utter end of your tether with
your daily trials, the devil is likely to resort to this ugly lie: It
can’t possibly be worth it, even if you DO make it into heaven!
Remember: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has your heart
fathomed that which I have prepared for My loved ones who shall reign
with Me in My eternal Kingdom (Isaiah 64:4; I Corinthians 2:9).
When you feel your soul weighted down by care, that is your enemy satan
trying to discourage you. Pray that I will dispatch warrior angels to do
battle with his forces of darkness on your behalf. I have promised to
send My angels before you to fight the enemy for you, and to prepare the
way as you daily go forth to do My will (Exodus 23:20).
The Tender Shoot
Job 14:7-9; Isaiah 53:2
Many of you have known such heartache, such lonely despair, that you feel
you are dead to earthly happiness. You feel cut off from temporal
blessings, and live only in anticipation of eternal ones. You have prayed
long and hard for years, with seemingly few results. The very heavens
seem hardened against your prayers.
The stump of a felled tree is a sad sight. It looks dead. It is a
picture of stark, utter hopelessness. All its beautiful green boughs,
which once supported life and attracted sweetly singing songbirds,
are gone. No longer does it bear fruit. Indeed it has suffered such
trauma that it cannot. It is a picture of a heart made desolate by
severe, prolonged trial. No hope, no hope, it cries.
Until a tender green shoot sprouts up from the base of that
dead-looking stump.
The Valley of Dead Dry Bones
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Some situations seem far more hopeless than others. Not only has the enemy
killed off all natural hopes for deliverance from a problem, but he laughs
in your face and even attacks your faith in My resurrection power. He
sounds oh, so logical. "How," he mocks, "can God get you out of this
jam?" Or: "It isn’t humanly possible for this problem ever to be
solved."
When all natural hope is gone, it is easier for you to step out of
the way, and there is more room for Me to work!
Ezekiel the prophet, surveying a battlefield full of dry bones asked
Me: "Lord, can these bones live again?"
Those sun-bleached, vulture-picked, disjointed bones were so dead and
dry, there wasn’t a trace of viable marrow left in them. There was no
natural way new life could spring forth from them. Satan will constantly
remind you that he’s wrecked your life so thoroughly, I have nothing left
to work with.
But all I need is your faith in My faithfulness. Not only did I cause
those scattered, broken bones to be made whole and knit back together, but
I caused them to stand on their feet once again. Then I clothed them with
flesh and breathed life into them once more. My dear child, I am going to
empower you to stand up on your spiritual feet once again. You don’t
belong lying dead on the ground, beneath the heel of satan. He belongs
under your feet! And the best of all, I am going to bruise the
enemy beneath your feet! Be one of those faithful few who earnestly
desire to see a mighty move of the Spirit of God in and through your life.
I would even untangle the messy circumstances satan has foisted upon
you, and set you back upon your feet rejoicing in wholeness.
Just as I breathed new life into corpses picked clean by vultures, so
My Holy Spirit would breathe new life into your wounded soul, which has
been pillaged by satan. I would even clothe you with My glory.
I Even Heal the Past
Isaiah 58:11; 61:1-3; 10-11; Jeremiah 17: 7-8; 31:12-13
I am the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega. I possess the
keys of Hell and Death, and there is nothing in all Creation which shall
not eventually bow the knee to Me.
Some of you suffered hurt by Christians whom you thought were your
best friends, but who let you down when you needed understanding and help
the most. Instead of sharing a word in good season, they spoke out of turn
and trampled on your sensitive feelings when you were least able to bear
it. Their unmerited criticism sank deep into your soul, though you tried
your hardest to "be mature" and shrug it off. Their coldness of heart
might have driven you out of the fellowship altogether.
Or you made a few big blunders yourself and can’t forget them because the
enemy won’t let you. He’ll make you worry that your present adverse
circumstances sprang from those errors of judgment, and I have no choice
but to punish you till the Rapture comes and I take you away from this
present world.
I see the scars on your soul. I know why they are there, and I have
the power to heal them.
Plead the precious blood of Jesus over your home, your family,
yourself and all things affecting you, either directly or indirectly. See
your house as having the Blood of the Covenant sprinkled over the lintel
and side posts of the door(s). When the Children of Israel applied the
Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb to their homes, the Angel of Death had to
pass over, and they were safe from any and every curse. Jesus, your
crucified Redeemer, is your Lamb. He is your eternal High Priest, Who
even intercedes for each of you daily before My eternal Throne in
heaven. You are exceedingly precious in My sight.
Ask Me to send angels to do spiritual warfare in unseen realms, that
every demonic foe trying to attach itself to you to oppress you may be
expelled from your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Obsessions with
unresolved past conflicts is one ploy the devil uses to defeat My
children, and hobble them in their walk with Me. It is satan ministering
death to those whom I have appointed unto life.
I would give you beauty for ashes, My beloved, and the Oil of Joy for
the spirit of heaviness, that your soul might be as a watered garden
continually drawing new life from Me.
Supersaint
Genesis 18:12-15; and 21:6; Psalms 126:2; Proverbs 17:22;
Luke 18:9-14
Some of my dearest children have, with good reason, thought that
there are those who would be displeased to see them up in heaven. There
are saints, and then there are supersaints, so called because these
religious folk possess an inflated concept of their own spirituality, and
daily affect a facade of religiosity to impress others. Some of them are
so deluded that they think themselves better than those saints whose
faults are more visible than their own. Usually it is the saint who knows
he is poor in so-called spiritual refinement who depends on My goodness
the most. Therefore, I can more readily use such an individual, for I am
able to take a person poor in spirit and bestow upon him the True Riches
which endure. The more you are emptied of self-sufficiency, the more you
can receive of My Life.
I have called My people to be saints. A saint possesses the
compassion of Christ, and manifests it daily without grudging. A
supersaint cannot understand why his brother has fallen into foibles that
he himself has, up to now, avoided. He will not soil his own hand by
reaching down to pull his brother out of his pit, and even if he does, it
is usually with the ulterior motive of administering a verbal chastisement
afterward. He secretly flatters himself that he shall never find himself
in his own Valley of Humiliation.
A saint keeps himself in proper perspective, even as he strives for
holiness. He knows he can be tempted, he knows he can grow
angry, that he can even sink into a vortex of despair when enough
things go wrong in rapid enough succession. He knows that the flesh
nature is a warped, dead appendage that will only be cast off when he is
promoted to immortality. A saint of true humility knows he is fragile,
that without My everlasting Arms underpinning him, he would fall easy prey
to the devil. The supersaint rests on his or her own laurels, boasting
that he is spiritually rich, and in need of nothing.
The heart of a saint is a tender heart, able to emphasize with those
who are in any trouble, having sojourned in Valleys of Humiliation
himself. He will want to put you at your ease, and is willing to discuss
the mundane matters of life with you, not coldly shut you out because your
thoughts aren’t always in the clouds. The supersaint will gruffly ask his
"less spiritual" brother: "Why do you bother to be friends with those
people? They aren’t the kind of friends that promote spiritual growth in a
Christian." Nobody seems to be good enough to grace the presence of
Supersaint.
It is possible to be so soured by your own self-righteousness that
you even lose your joy, you’re so worried about defending your carefully
cultivated image. A supersaint thinks he is above human warmth or
empathy, or possessing a wholesome sense of humor. A genuinely merry heart
does good like a medicine. Real holy laughter come from a deep-down
assurance that I have lifted your burden and blessed you. You now
realize that it is I Who maintain your soul in that necessary state of
serenity in this unedifying world.
I Myself possess a sense of humor. Just consider some of My
creatures. The spider monkey who performs acrobatics in the trees, the
knobby-kneed camel, the giraffe, the awkward-looking ostrich, the laughing
hyena; even the many species of odd-shaped fish I have created. Many
deep-sea fish glow in the dark, flaunting their showy colors. One
species, the trumpet fish, has a tube-shaped snout. I could have
mass-produced only one kind of fish. But I love variety.
Remember also that Isaac, one of the Hebrew patriarchs, has a name
which means "laughter". He and his parents were joyful people, and still
are, as they enjoy the untroubled bliss of Paradise.
Supersaint doesn't think I can use a saint with a wholesome sense of
humor. There are television ministers who reach people at home who
otherwise would scarcely bother to go hear the gospel in church. These
men have a wonderful sense of humor, which I can effectively use as a
backdrop for My Truth. They grab the attention of their listeners by
showing them that they too are human , and that in spite of their
failures and imperfections, My grace is mightily effectual in their lives
to accomplish My own purposes in and through them. Many people would only
tune out a sour-faced speaker who prides himself on his own colorless
conservatism. I need saints of all personality types and appearances to
reach as many as possible before My wrath falls upon this doomed planet.
Yes, some people act like they wouldn’t care to have your company in
heaven. If it had been up to such cold-hearted hypocrites, would they
have even objected to My dying for you? I hope not. That is a fearful
degree of self-righteousness to attain to. With godly fear you must walk
in humility before Me, and NEVER develop that horrid attitude toward
others. If you discern that type of mindset in another, make all haste to
pray earnestly for that person’s soul. That kind of attitude really does
stink in My nostrils. Never cease to lean on Me, and to depend on Me
alone to be the Source of Love you need to deal with other people
properly.
I have left self-righteous Supersaints alone, to luxuriate in their
imaginary laurels for as long as they like. I wonder how long it will
take till they get tired of their vain toys and realize that I have left
their lush green pasture to go search in the barren wilderness for you, My
beloved.
The Insecurity of Supersaint
I Peter 5:5
Supersaint feels he or she has really arrived, and is sitting on top
of Glory Mountain looking down on others who are still struggling to climb
higher in the Life of Faith.
Supersaint’s only remaining challenge, she feels, is to hang onto her
lofty, lonely seat at the summit. It’s a precarious seat, with no arm
rests to cling to. Others who occupied her seat before her have slipped
from that shaky seat and fallen headlong into the yawning Abyss of
Abasement.
What a precarious place the Pinnacle of Pride is. There is much
shaking and rumbling going on, and that lofty perch is a hot seat, hard
on the flesh. This alone gives Supersaint room to boast.
Despite her self-mortification she is spiritually naked. Certain she
can "hold out to the end", she refuses to rise from her throne long enough
to clothe herself with the Garment of Humility.
I’m in control of my life, she thinks, just like God demands of any
decent believer.
Finally, the volcano erupts.
Warning to Supersaint
How dare you judge your beleaguered brother,
So eager some new fault to uncover?
I know you never could have survived
One-tenth of the time his soul has been tried.
Your frozen faith would have died long ago
And your pious heart hardened to stone
If in his dark valley you’d felt so alone
Nearly consumed by your longing for home.
Have you ever considered, Supersaint,
That a loveless life is lived in vain?
Have you ever once paused to consider
How your baited barbs embitter your brother?
Only by severing you in his mind
From Jesus Christ Who is lowly and kind
Could he remember that I loved him
As you accused him of secret sin.
Heaven’s his home, and he shall be there,
For through faith in My Blood he is an heir;
Though you lightly esteem one so dear to Me
And boast of superior piety.
You enter in by grace alone;
Through My shed blood you approach the Throne.
So don’t see others through haughty eyes
Flattering yourself on a first-class ride
Your humbler brethren to ostracize.
Eternity tells what harm you’ve done
Disparaging deeply My wounded ones.
Dwelling on the Precipice of Pride
Healthy, wealthy, self-satisfied.
Elated lift of wind on your wing
Will soon a tearful tempest bring,
Hurling you down to the Humbling Vale
When all your lofty notions fail.
Pride is the seed of many sorrows;
Its flashy flower withers tomorrow.
I’m not impressed by your vain show
The proud have no access to My Throne
You know full well you’re living a lie
Repent right now or I’ll pass you by.
A Swift Kick
Philippians 2:3; I Peter 3:8
There was a precocious little boy who boasted that he was smart for
his age, and everyone else was stupid by comparison. All aglow from his
teacher’s latest commendation, he and his parents decided to celebrate by
spending the following day at a beach resort.
Another lad, who was in the same class, had just gotten a bad report
card. He couldn’t help it, for he was still traumatized by the death of
a beloved aunt, who was so godly she reminded him of Jesus. School
authorities did not permit extended absences for bereavement, except for
a death in the immediate family. The little boy’s grief was so great he
couldn’t concentrate on his studies. To make matters worse, he had been
reprimanded in front of the whole class by his heartless teacher for being
both slothful and stupid.
But the boy’s parents were far more understanding. They knew their
child’s potential was far greater than his negative test results. Bad
marks on an impersonal report card were nothing compared to the bad mark
left on his soul by someone who supposedly knew all the answers. After
listening to their child’s account of the abuse he’d suffered in front of
the class, the parents only smiled and consoled him.
The father took the mother aside, and told her he would deal with the
teacher on Monday morning.
Rather than upbraiding the boy for his poor marks, the parents told
their son how proud they were of him for his efforts to overcome his grief
and get on with his life, just like his aunt would have wanted.
The next day, they told him to fetch his swimsuit and they would spend
the day at the beach. The mother set to work making a splendid picnic
lunch.
How relaxing it was, sitting in the sand building a castle,
forgetting the cares of the previous afternoon. The bereaved little boy
took great consolation in the fact he wasn’t an imbecile; that he
was a creative, worthwhile individual. Lovingly he laid the foundation of
his sand castle. Then he embellished it with towers, turrets and spires.
He even dug a moat and filled it with seawater.
Along came the first boy, still heady with pride in his straight-A
report card. Looking down with disdain, he said airily, "Now look what
Dumbo’s done!"
With one swift swipe of his foot he demolished a castle_and a heart
that was beginning to heal.
What sorrow it brings My Father-heart to see my "more spiritual"
saints ridicule the seemingly small accomplishments of those who bear
greater burdens in life than they have ever had to shoulder.
Even Elijah was Human
I Kings 19:1-7; James 5:17
Some of you have been castigated by judgmental saints for giving in
to discouragement when you should be spiritually mature enough to know
better. But even the Prophet Elijah knew moments of deep dejection. The
lowest point of his life came after the greatest triumphs of his ministry,
after many years of seeing Me work signs and wonders. Elijah was just
plain tired, and scared too. He was feeling the stress of all the years
he’d spent striving with enemies. Wicked Queen Jezebel was out gunning
for him, and he was feeling so low he pleaded with Me to take him home.
Did I chide him for being a bad example? No, I understood. I sent
an angel to minister to his practical needs. It wasn’t so very long
afterward this mature minister of God was taken up to Glory in a chariot
of fire.
Sheep Don’t Bite
You are the sheep of My pasture. But remember, sheep don’t bite.
Wolves do.
I Will Bring You Safely Home
Psalms 73:24; and 138:8; Philippians 1:6
Never let a Supersaint rob you of your joy and peace in believing.
You were badly hurt and knocked off your feet by that fiery trial.
Perhaps you left church for a number of years before you decided you had
to go back. I looked upon your bruised heart with pity. I, the Chief
Shepherd sought you out when no one else would. I Myself poured in the
Wine and the Oil of My Spirit to soothe away your pain.
There were those who could not understand why you seemed to take your
time, why you had to follow such a torturous route back to Me, why your
emotions were all out of kilter. Supersaint was so anxious to dismiss you
as extra baggage on the Glory Train, that she did not even once stop to
consider your precious Contents.
So long as you realize your utter dependency on Me, I am able to lift
you up and carry you when you feel you cannot go on, when you think
everyone else is flying past you and don’t even notice you’ve fallen by
the wayside. My Blood is sufficient to wash away every sin. My Blood is
able to give you victory over the evil one who would destroy you. Through
the merits of My atoning Blood, I am able to sanctify you and see you
safely to heaven. My Love will enrapture your heart there, even as it
cheered your heart on earth.
The Breakfast Entree
Psalms 35:16; Galatians 5:15
A special prayer breakfast was being held by a Christian women’s
group. That sweet girl did not know it was such a formal affair. She had
supposed its sole purpose was to fellowship around Me and strengthen the
faith of one another. She wore a long floral skirt and a green bandanna
which partially covered her hair. She looked neat and presentable; she
just didn’t look "conservative" enough to suit some.
It was testimony time. A gruff-looking woman with a mannish haircut
got up to speak a word ‘for My glory". She wore a severe black dress of
the "proper" length. She made a few pointless remarks about nothing in
particular, then delivered her punch line, staring holes into the girl:
"You know, I used to be a hippie, but the Lord delivered me."
Her victim had really been naive in believing there were no class
divisions in My Body, that it was united in My Love. Many think cultural
customs and prejudices are requirements of My Word, that I have put My
royal seal of approval on the trappings of this selfish secular society,
and those who don’t adhere strictly to them are actually sinning against
Me. And when did I ever teach that only women who chop off their hair and
wear britches and business suits are pleasing in My sight? Did My own
mother look like that?
The Black Sheep
Matthew 7:1-5; John 8:7; Matthew 23:23-24
Another woman belonged to a church which discouraged its members from
wearing jewelry, and had definite restrictions on how women should look.
They considered it semi-sinful to wear costly attire, and downright
sinful for a woman to come to church in slacks.
She did not have time to go home from her job (which required slacks
as part of the uniform) and change into a dress before church. It would
have made her very late for the service. And because the eyes of the
saints were on each other instead of on Me, all the joyful shouting ceased
when she walked in. Finally the others had witnessed a big sin they
could sink their teeth into, one worth buzzing about. She was made to
feel like the black sheep of the church.
That sister had broken one of their most sacred taboos. She was
never treated quite the same after that. Even her beloved pastor ended up
siding with the others who froze her out for working at a job which
required slacks. He dared not alienate his disciples by preaching on
their need to put on the Garment of Charity, which is the bond of
perfection.
No Longer Under Tribute
Matt. 17:24-27; Gal. 4:1-7; I Cor. 6:17; I Pet. 2:9; Heb.
3:1; 4:14-16
Some of you have been alienated from Me by wrong applications of
selected Scriptures such as: ‘You shall not appear before the Lord they
God empty’ (Deut. 16:16-17). You might recall an imperious figure in a
pulpit, impeccably dressed, eager to finish the offertory prayer just so
he could reap the harvest of his favorite lucrative Scriptures. Ones
addressed specifically to Old Testament worshippers under the Law of
Moses.
O My beloved child, don’t you realize you are always before Me? My
Spirit indwells you and your very body is My Temple. You don’t have to
show up at some brick-and-mortar building to appear before Me in prayer.
The Body of Christ, the Church, is composed of living stones and I dwell
within each one of you, and I manifest My glory in the midst of you.
When you were born again under the New Covenant of Grace, you became
My dear children, not My servants only. If money-hungry pastors are
so eager to dig gold nuggets out of My Word, why do they gloss over those
parts of their pet Scripture passages which don’t serve their own ends?
Compulsory monetary contributions to the Temple were called ‘tribute’
(Deut. 16:10), and were required of males only, and only three times a
year, during the three major holy feasts of Israel (Deut. 16:16-17).
If opportunistic preachers really wanted to apply Old Testament
guidelines for giving, they would exempt women from compulsory offerings
altogether, and collect them from the men only during the the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. And
they would offer up burnt animal sacrifices in the church building on the
same occasions.
They couldn’t do this anyway. Why? I no longer reside in a Temple of
Stone. Modern-day pastors are NOT the equivalent of the High Priest who
presided over the ancient Temple, whose upkeep was paid for with tribute
money. My Son is High Priest over My entire Church and He presides over a
Temple of Living Stones. My corporate body of believers world-wide
comprises the Church of the Living God, though there are local
manifestations of it. All true believers comprise My modern Priesthood.
You are made one Spirit with Me by faith. So how can you possibly
consider yourself "the laity", who "come to church" just to bring in
tribute to fatten the lifestyle of more exalted Christians?
Scripture has been used as a weapon to fire condemnation at those out
of work, on tight pensions or underpaid. If you were more industrious and
disciplined, some pastors say, you would never have to appear before the
Lord empty.
How much money did the dying Thief on the Cross have to put in the
offering plate before I forgave him? Is there money in heaven? I think
not. My own Son, Who is God Incarnate, had to take His own Temple tax
contribution from the mouth of a fish.
When you reproach the penniless you insult Me also. When you say
they have no right to come to your church you also shut Me out.
Peacocks on Parade
Jeremiah 9:23-24; Philippians 2:3; James Chapter 2; I
Peter 5:5
I have children in every income bracket. There are those who have an easy
time of it, compared with their struggling brethren. But vigilance must
be maintained by My more affluent children, lest satan use their wealth to
tempt them to conceal the unaffected loveliness of the Christ nature
behind a facade of proud flesh. Many feel that if you possess wealth, you
must look and act the part.
I am present in church services all over the world, though at times I
am permitted to be little more than a Spectator. I see what goes on in
rich churches. The women outdo each other in wearing their finest
apparel. One does wonder: Does she wear that fancy dress in MY honor, or
to impress her fellow parishioners? And the men, resplendent in their
expensive suits and gold lapel pins; just whom are they trying to impress
when they walk stiffly down the aisles with just a hint of a swagger?
Blending in Better
The new convert had no idea it was such a formal church.The pastor
greeted him at the door with a half-hearted smile. His eyes briefly
darted up and down the figure standing before him. The man felt very ill
at ease in his sweater vest and jeans. Nearly driven to suicide by
personal problems, he had turned to Me as a last resort. After his
conversion, he had been referred to that church by phone counsellors. But
for most of the service he ducked his head and kept to himself. No one
else cared to join him in his pew. He could almost feel the curious eyes
of the other men boring holes into his conspicuous sweater. After all, the
man’s attire would have gotten him ejected from any executive boardroom,
and their religion was "success". The man mused: If wearing a fancy
suit does THIS to a man, I’d better stick with what I’ve got on.
Offering time was the last straw. The poor fellow would not get paid for
two weeks, and only had two quarters to put into the plate. As it went
from hand to hand, he heard the rustle of checks and twenty-dollar bills
going into it and asked My forgiveness for what he was about to do. The
sepulchral stillness of the sanctuary was broken by a loud CLINK! as his
two coins fell together in the paper-filled plate. The man reproached
himself thus: If only I’d given just one quarter! There’s no other
coins in the plate, and it wouldn’t have made a clink! Those seated
nearby awoke with a start, and an epidemic of throat-clearing and coughing
broke out. More stares.
What must the man do to gain their acceptance, and blend in better
with the wallpaper? If such a one were really serious about becoming like
My Son, I would not have him to strive to acquire traits which I would
only have to purge back out of his life through trials. My Son is
all-wise; yet He possesses the simple heart of a child. He is the King of
Glory; yet He is utterly approachable and accessible to all who come to
Him in humility, admitting that they cannot please Me without the power of
His Life operating in and through them.
The humble saint makes his boast in the Lord; the proud soul wants
only to outshine the wallpaper.
Freely Come
Isaiah 55:1; Rev. 22:17
I know full well why some of you have sworn off formal church
services. The same reason you wouldn’t attend any show which charges
admission. Your pockets are empty, and that’s all that seems to matter to
those who take up the tribute and don’t truly believe that My riches are
sufficient to meet every need.
The Greatest Gift of All
Luke 21:1-4; I Cor. 11:22; James 2:6
More than a few of the congregation were out of a job, and struggling
to get by on very little. Times were so hard for some of those folks that
it was all they could do to keep on smiling. Still, most of the people
wanted to put something in the offering plate. They knew that if they
gave out of their need, I would bless them in turn. So the poorer saints
planned to quietly contribute pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters_whatever
they had. Most of those dear ones weren’t trying to be stingy with me, for
I knew their hearts. They just didn’t have more to give. It was even a
sacrifice for them to burn the gasoline to get to church that night, to go
get the whipping the pastor was getting ready to dish out.
He already suspected what they were about to do, for he had been
dissatisfied with earlier offerings. He had places to go, and rousing
sermons to deliver. He wanted to be sure he and his family would travel
in comfort and enjoy themselves. His poorer brethren couldn’t afford go on
spiritual sabbaticals. Still, He must nip this nuisance in the bud, lest
his congregation make a habit of these small donations.
Why, he asked them, did they always slip their offerings into the
plate, so secretly and so softly, lest they clink? If the offering is
good enough to put in, he said, why not wave it around for all to see,
then let it make a little noise ? For emphasis, he said, "Now I’ll
properly begin the offering. Proudly he waved a ten-dollar bill.
Jauntily he flipped it into the plate. Then, he reached into his pocket
and drew out a fistful of nickels. Contemptuously he slammed them down
before the altar, shocking and shaming the poor out in the
congregation.
My daughter remembered Jesus’ story of the poor widow giving her last
two pennies to the Lord, and how much I appreciated that simple act of
faith. She also considered that there were many rich men in the Temple
who gave huge offerings which boosted their public image, but were far
less sacrificial than the offering of that destitute woman. My daughter
could discern where that preacher’s heart lay.
The Mountain Climber
Psalms Chapter 91; Proverbs 22:3; Matt. 6:13; Luke 11:4b
A young athlete went to an older man to get advice on how to climb a
high mountain all the way to the peak. It would be a treacherous,
challenging climb, fraught with many dangers. But, thought the young man,
here was a real pro. An expert who had a long string of college degrees,
with a postgraduate in geological sciences.
The two men had a long discussion on the best way to get to the top,
what clothing should be worn, what equipment carried, the terrain and rock
formations to be conquered.
"Am I likely to fall and get hurt?" inquired the young man.
"Oh, a few light scrapes and bruises here and there," shrugged his
mentor. "But they’re good for building character. Pain is the making of a
seasoned athlete. The more you suffer the more likely you are to persevere
until you reach the top. Just give God thanks for every injury that comes
your way and someday you’ll even get to be an expert like me."
Dumbly the young man nodded, thanked him for his time and left for
his expedition. He was so obsessed with earning his scars he forgot
everything else he learned from the other man. As he scaled the slopes
he’d make minor errors of judgment. He’d get a bruise here, a cut there.
"Oh goodie," he chuckled, wiping away the blood. "I’m doing just great.
The more I suffer the bigger a success I’ll be."
Finally he saw something coming at him: an avalanche of boulders.
But instead of taking cover in a hollow of the rock and waiting out the
rock storm till it was over, the simple man spread out his arms in joy and
exultation and cried "Oh, praise the Lord! Showers of blessing! Thank You,
Jesus! I’ll really reach the top now!"
Although the man went to heaven in a hurry and praised the Lord as he
did so, the devil was delighted. Here was one believer who would pose no
further threat to him or his kingdom. Not only had the man given satan no
fight of resistance, he had praised the wrong One for the avalanche.
"Praise the Lord!" is music to My ears, but in times of extreme
danger "Save me, Lord!" is much more appropriate. But why should you pray
for Me to save you from the works of the devil if you honestly believe
they’re a blessing in disguise? Rather, why wouldn’t you pray for worse
things to befall you, and to do so all the time? If that is true, Psalms
91 is not for you!
The geological expert, so eager to dispense advice on how to
conquer the hazards of a high mountain, had never done anything more
physically challenging than climbing the stairs. All his learning had
been done from books, at a safe distance from the rigors of nature.
Beware of going overboard in telling wounded souls that the more they
suffer the more they should rejoice. Unless you’re prepared to get up off
of your cozy sofa and go suffer with them!
Never forget it’s a war you’re in. Your enemy becomes deadly
dangerous when you rush out to the battlefield to absorb as many of his
bullets as possible, just to maximize your suffering and try to rack up
points with Me to prove you’re more spiritual than all the rest.
It’s commendable to endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ, but
truth carried to extremes becomes death-dealing error.
Playing Host to the Thief
John 10:10
The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill, and destroy. I am come
that ye might have life more abundantly, not the death satan deals.
Behold, I see many of My saints happily playing host to an enemy out to
kill and destroy them. But some of My people are blind. Not only do they
give thanks for all satan’s evil works, they rejoice in being the targets
of his daily oppression. They have thrown their doors wide open to the
enemy and he has taken up residence in their lives as a squatter.
The devil raids their spiritual refrigerator. He tosses out the
things which might give the saint strength to win the victory and
substitutes spiritual food of his own which is calculated to weaken the
believer’s resistance to attack. Satan will allow 98% truth so long as it
is diluted with a trickle of deadly lies.
The devil goes from room to room, leaving his mark on everything he
sees. He steals treasures and trophies won by the saint, things which
once brought radiance to his face. By the time satan has rifled through
the house and substituted evil things for good things, the saint’s joy has
withered away. The saint becomes once again a slave bound by a chain of
sadness and oppression; somebody who thinks there is no higher service
than to suffer "for My glory".
Take back your inheritance, My children. I did not die for you so
you could end up as the devil’s doormat. Clothe your inner man in the
power of My Spirit of Might. Kick the intruder out.
Wounded in the House of My Brethren
Ezekiel 34: 18-19; Zechariah 13:6; John 7:5; and 18:35;
Hebrews 4:15-16
You discovered that persecution isn’t always inflicted solely by
sinners. There have been occasions when malicious or careless words were
directed at you through the mouth of someone who should have allowed Me to
govern his or her tongue. Even as unruly sheep of the flock butt around
the weaker ones and drive them away from the choicest pasturage, so many
weak souls have been scattered into the wilderness by an unkind tongue,
or a harsh, cold-shouldering attitude.
My own brethren with whom I grew up failed to understand Me, or the
nature of My work. When I was about to be crucified, it was the leaders
of My own nation who betrayed Me into the hands of the Romans. Through
their treachery, I received the wounds in My side, feet, and hands, the
marks of which are still visible today. Though it was a pagan Roman who
drove the nails through my hands and feet, I was rejected by my own
people.
The patriarch Joseph was cast out of his home by his own brethren,
and betrayed into the hands of heathens who sold him as a slave. Those
brothers of his could not see what Joseph could see, for they did not
share his vision. At the time, their only concern was to protect their
place in the pecking order. Their sin against their own flesh and blood
sprang from envy, an insidious evil of man’s fallen nature.
Too many of My people are obsessed with restricting the membership of
their little cliques, and ruling over their own little kingdoms in My
Name. These deluded ones glory in the fact that their pleasurable world
is a properly tidy one, containing every element which could possibly make
for their own happiness, and excess baggage is excluded. You weren’t
regarded as being spiritual enough to please such people, were you?
But while these people are rejoicing over their imaginary
achievements and resting on their imaginary accolades, you can rest in My
everlasting arms. It is the wounded sheep who enjoys the privilege of
being borne in the bosom of the Shepherd, close to His heart; not the
self-satisfied one who thinks he is full and in need of nothing.
My precious child, I can have compassion on you. I’ve also walked
in your shoes.
You Are Forgiven. Period
Luke 23:34; I John 1:9
It is so easy to let your guard down and make a careless remark to a
sensitive soul, spread gossip, or otherwise act in an offensive manner.
When one believer wounds another, even unintentionally, it is important to
go apologize and be reconciled in the Spirit of My love.
Some of you have bad memories of people who refused to forgive you.
The other person loved to rub your nose in the mess you made over and over
again, didn’t he (or she)? I know how hurt and crushed you were in your
heart, how worthless the other person made you feel, how much devilish
delight it gave him to inflict that unwarranted punishment on your soul.
But what a foul sin he committed, taking such perverse reprisal against
you.
I remember one horrid individual who actually boasted that he held
the key to the eternal destiny of the man he refused to forgive. That
cruel one would cite John 20:23 and remind his fellow churchgoer that if
he so chose, he could retain his sin rather than forgive it, and send him
to hell for it.
Such mental cruelty has hardly any match. That poor penitent soul
was hounded by satan because of his brother’s hardness of heart. He
suffered deep depression and nightmares. He felt bound by the ill will of
the other man, who said it might take months before he "felt a release to
forgive him". Exacting such deliberate emotional torture upon another
saint is a horrendous sin against My Love. It is an act of witchcraft of
the basest sort. Whoever does such things shall not inherit My Kingdom,
and has moved himself out from under the protection of My blood.
Christ forgave the Roman soldiers who killed Him. They were unbelievers
who had no part in My Holy Covenant, and could claim no rights as My
children. It would have been perfectly just if I had rained down wrath
upon those evil men, rather than giving them space to repent of their
sins. But I chose to be merciful.
Many a Christian has even refused to forgive one of My children who
has sincerely repented of an unintentional mistake, although the
repentant one belongs to Me and deeply loves Me with all his heart.
The unforgiven man left church and turned to drink. Driven to the
depths of despair, he phoned a Christian counselor. I used this loving,
caring saint to impart an anointed word of wisdom which broke that man’s
terrible spiritual bondage and set him well on the road to recovery. I
let him know that the self-righteous Pharisees of Christ’s day objected to
the tender mercies I extended to tax collectors, harlots, thieves, and
drunkards. The wicked, judgmental Pharisees would have shut those poor
folk out of heaven if they’d had their own way about it.
The man found a good church presided over by the Good Shepherd. It
was so full of My Love that no self-righteous game player would have felt
at home in that place.
If hatred and back-biting taint the atmosphere of your so-called
church, don’t marinate your soul in that mess by staying there. Get out
immediately before your heart grows cold and hard from resentment. I will
lead you elsewhere, to a place where you will be wanted and loved.
I will also give you the grace to forgive those who refused to
forgive you. What higher or nobler testimony of Christlike character
could there be in your life? How could you ever doubt that I cherish you,
and would never reject you, just because the enemy has temporarily blinded
another person to My goodness?
Nobody can tell Me I don’t have the right to forgive one of my
children who comes to Me in true repentance!
I Bore Your Rejection
Psalms 22:6; Isaiah 53:3
Many preachers emphasize the fact that I enjoyed popularity with everyday
people who would hardly listen to the self-righteous Pharisees. Truly,
the people of Jerusalem did rejoice and spread palm branches in the path
of My donkey when I rode into the city. They lauded Me as the
long-awaited Son of David, their Messiah. At long last, their Deliverer
had come. Surely I would deliver them from the pagan Roman Empire, which
had oppressed their land for centuries.
When this worshipful multitude began to realize that I had no
intentions of delivering their land from Roman occupation by military
prowess, many of them began to have second thoughts about Me. Regardless
of all the miracles I performed to heal their sick and relieve their
distress, I had failed to fulfill their dreams of an all-conquering army
general. They did not realize that I had come the first time to save
sinners, not to judge them. That I shall do at My Second Coming.
My foes in the Religious Establishment grasped their opportunity to
act against Me, seeing that I had no visible army to safeguard Me from
their malice. I was betrayed by one of My own disciples, who was likewise
chagrined that I had not chosen to act militarily against Rome. He was
not pleased that My mission at that time was to deliver My people from the
tyranny of sin, and translate them from the Kingdom of Darkness to the
Kingdom of Light.
When I stood before Pilate, I was not so popular any more. Many of
those same people who had sworn allegiance to Me as their Messiah now
cried out for My Blood to be shed. They had rejected Me for rejecting
their way of doing what they considered God’s will, for I had chosen God’s
true will and way instead.
I suffered all that rejection and shame for your sake. I took your
rejection and griefs to the Cross, as well as your sins. The next time
the devil comes to you and reminds you that Supersaint has rejected you
for being less than a perfect Christian, you remind that old rascal that
he has no right to put that crushing spirit of rejection upon you, to
weigh you down and get you to disparage your own value.
Even if you must go so far as to disassociate that self-righteous
person from your concept of Me, DO IT! If you aren’t strong enough
spiritually to think compassionately of that person, then, without a
spirit of malice, just commit him or her into My faithful hands one final
time, and I will deal with that soul. Then you are free to shake off the
dust of your feet against the very memory of that person and go on to be a
light before more receptive souls. But, by no means, do not grow
alienated from Me because of Supersaint.
I absolutely will not abide having a negative spirit feeding upon
your soul which has been put there by a carping, cold-hearted hypocrite.
My sufferings have earned you the right to walk in freedom, and in the joy
of the Lord. And whether Supersaint likes it or not, I am able to make
you thrive, and even spread a table of My delights before you in the
Wilderness.
Revolting Food
Isa. 5:20; 7:15; Col. 4:6
A certain mother thought it was unspiritual to take any interest in
learning to cook properly, that making food appetizing would spoil her
children. She would boil her meats and vegetables till they were reduced
to tasteless mush. Whenever she did season food, it was always carelessly
and indifferently.
The food didn’t just taste plain, it tasted so horrible the children
could feel their stomachs crying out in protest whenever they tried to
swallow it. But the kids endured meal time stoically and forced
themselves to eat, lest they get a whipping. As soon as they were old
enough to move about independently they frequented fast food joints and
even lifeless French fries and jelly doughnuts tasted heavenly to them.
That’s the way it is in so many churches where the leadership are
pushing their own lucrative agenda, or simply want to play a power game
with people’s fears about their own eternal security. They’ll take some
good plain wholesome nuggets from My Word and twist and contort them till
they’re unrecognizable as spiritual food. Then they’ll season the
selected passages with bitter sarcasm till the people can’t stomach them.
If they remain in that church for very long they get spiritual
gastroenteritis and their spiritual health declines from lack of proper
nourishment.
My malnourished sheep are so desperate anything tastes better than
the slop they’re fed in church.
Fast...or Else!
Zech. 8:19; Matt. 6: 11;16-18; 11: 18-19; 15:11; Luke
7:33-34; Romans 14:3; Hebrews 2:18
Some of you have left your "radical" church because you got tired of
being beat over the head about the doctrine of fasting. Believe it or
not, while fasting might be important when it is necessary, it is not
one of the key doctrines of salvation over which you might break
fellowship with someone who differs with you!
Many saints don’t know their own hearts as they should. Their true
motive for frequent self-denial is spiritual oneupmanship. Not because
they truly love Me or My Kingdom, but to increase their prestige in the
eyes of the church and to lord it over more "carnal" Christians. They
count it all joy to endure a little mortification of their flesh as a
small price to pay to gain the praise of men. They put on a sad face and
make loud their wails, to be heard above softer prayers of other
Christians kneeling at the altar. They say My Son would have "lived a
fasted life" and gone round hungry and sad all the time to appear more
spiritual.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Christ endured his
forty-day fast before the start of His ministry to help Him overcome
especially hard temptations, that He might have compassion on all those
who were likewise tempted in this world. And He fasted shorter periods on
other occasions. But how can a Man accused of being a winebibber and a
glutton be labeled as a sad ascetic? Jesus came to set an example for
you. So He lived a wholesome, balanced life, glorifying Me in all that He
did. He mixed freely in society, rather than cloistering Himself away
from the world. He joined in the feasting at weddings and other parties,
while distancing Himself from coarse conversation or other "things coming
from within that make a man unclean".
All too many are putting the cart before the horse. To avoid
ostracism or criticism saints grudgingly skip meals for one or many days,
after being told that it will empower their prayers, and "if you love
Jesus you’ll do it or else". But the highest way is to so excel in the
school of prayer and develop such a love for it, that you will get lost in
the flow of My Spirit of intercession and forego for a time all the bother
and fuss of meal preparation and other mundane tasks, and closet your soul
in the secret place of the Most High so that you might more clearly hear
My Voice. I would build you up, not tear you down, as we two meet and
you pour out your heart to me.
In Old Testament times fasting was often viewed as an obligatory
ordeal of mourning and breast-beating, entered into with dread. But now
that you have My joy dwelling within you, why should anyone demand that
you mourn, so long as your sins are repented of and under My blood? Ye
are not slaves, but sons who come before Your Father with confidence that
you are already accepted in the Beloved.
A Well In the Wilderness
(Given to me in memory of an excellent Christian ministry)
Proverbs 15:23; Isaiah 44:3
You nearly despaired of ever seeing My resemblance again in another
human being. Remember how your concept of what I am really like began to
get a bit garbled? You began to think that perhaps My Holiness was just
as harsh that of Supersaint. In your darkest days you even wondered why I
had made you at all. Nothing seemed to be going right. In your poorest
days you felt like a spectacle before your family, and a laughingstock of
the devil. He tried to tell you you had a third-class ticket to the
lowest rung of heaven, and you didn’t matter much to Me anyway. In those
dark days satan oppressed you heavily.
But I showed you a light at the end of the tunnel and told you to
only trust in Me, for the devil wouldn't have the last word. Through a
providential series of circumstances you met a man who wasn’t out to build
a mega-ministry, just to serve Me in the simplicity of Christ. His
unaffected manner won you over immediately.You could tell he didn’t play
manipulative games with people’s emotions. He really possessed My Love,
and was eager to share it through ministering My anointed Word.
His voice literally sparkled with the joy of the Lord as he
ministered to you on the phone. Where My Presence is, there is fullness
of joy. That black mood the enemy brought upon your soul fled before My
miracle-working power, and the needed answers came. More importantly, you
saw Christ in this person, as you had seen him in few others. My Son was
warm, compassionate and unpretentious.
What a blessing it was, my daughter, those three visits you made to
his home prayer group in the closing chapter of his earthly sojourn. You
hardly saw the man himself, Christ shone so brightly through him. He
spoke not one disparaging word to anybody present, only exhortation,
encouragement, and edification. How privileged you all were to have
benefited from the ministry of Christ working through him.
Now your friend is with Me in Paradise, and you will see him again
someday. When my servant was with you on earth, you never flattered him
for the good qualities you saw in his life, for you knew that would have
been unseemly. But I have let him know that he left behind My signature
on your life: An encounter with the true nature of My Holy Son.
The Road to Destruction_Cults and the Occult
Psalms 116:11; Romans 3:4; II Corinthians 11:14
The very second satan tempts you to renounce your precious faith and
dismiss it all as unreality, RUN, don’t walk, to My Throne of Grace. That
is one of the very worst temptations you could ever face! If you are a
believer, I am your very Life. Without Me, you abide in death.
Call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for succour in the time
of temptation or trial. By faith see Him in heaven, standing at My Right
Hand. Ask Me to open your eyes of faith, that you might even see My sweet
Son making intercession for you as you pour out your heart to Him. He is
able to deliver you, and to lead you to those who adhere to the Truth of
His Word, that you might not stand alone in your darkest hours.
The devil may tempt you to seek the guidance of so-called psychics.
Some of them seem to know everything about you even before you pick up the
phone and call, but the devil has his demonic agents out there gathering
data on every individual, in order to formulate effective battle
strategy. That psychic certainly doesn’t get her information from ME.
And satan always exacts a terrible price for the so-called "help" he
gives. Many who have turned to him for help have become mentally
confused, depressed or even suicidal because they allowed deceiving
spirits to enter their lives.
Reincarnation is one of the satan’s most widespread lies. Believers
in reincarnation think they die many times, and are given chance after
chance to atone for past sins by living better life the next time. But it
is written: It is appointed to man to die once, and then comes his
judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Righteousness only comes through
receiving the benefits of the perfect Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.
Stay away from all cults. Even those who seem to teach sound moral
principles generally deny some or all of the bedrock truths of the Gospel
of Salvation: the virgin birth of Christ, His divinity, His
substitutionary atonement on the Cross, His bodily resurrection, His
ascension into heaven, His present ministry as High Priest in Heaven, the
indwelling of His Spirit in all true believers, His soon return to rule as
King. False religions tend to teach that one inherits eternal life if a
strict moral code is kept. But all cults, however enticing they are, are
powerless to raise a spiritually dead sinner to Newness of Life. It is
like trying to restore life to a rotting corpse by applying cosmetics and
perfume to it. In reality, you gain heaven only by being saved by the
Blood of the Lamb and being kept by My merciful grace through faith! No
one has ever been saved by trying to keep a set of rules!
Cultists are clever. They know that you can catch more flies with
honey than vinegar. Everyone wants and needs love. People want to belong.
Most of the time, people are sucked into cults by being showered with
affection and attention. This predisposes the unwitting victim to feel so
indebted to his new "friends" that it would trigger guilt feelings for him
to leave the group, even if error is taught. Moreover, leaders of cults
usually demand devotion of their followers bordering on idolatry, and
unquestioning obedience. In true Christianity, Christ alone is exalted,
not earthly personalities. Only He is able to impart eternal life. Even
if people have failed you time and time again, hold fast to Him. He is
altogether lovely.
Submission Begins and Ends With Christ
I Cor. 7:23
Sometimes there is a real problem with the leadership, and the
parishioners have every right to be concerned about it when the particular
problem directly disrupts their personal lives. Occasionally leadership
misuses its position of authority to control people and get them to do
what they want, even at the cost of causing choas in the congregation.
In one small church the people, especially the men, were expected to
volunteer for one-hour shifts sitting by a church telephone hotline at all
hours of the day and night. This caused much marital strain and
weariness to men who had to rise early and go to work. They began to
wonder: "What will the leadership demand of us next?"
There is a big problem when parishioners are made to feel guilty
for seeing there is a problem with overbearing leadership. Instead
of letting problems rot under a rug, they should be brought out into the
open. When Discerning of Spirits is working in the congregation, it will
be apparent that a church which made a guileless beginning with Me has
allowed a clearly defined wall to spring up between the leaders and the
led. This happens when the devil blinds the leadership to the reality
that believers are all one body in Christ Jesus. Instead, there might be
exhortations from the pulpit that saints ought to aspire to join the
"inner circle" iof the church. This is, in reality, a class division
between the leadership and the outer fringes of the so-called laity.
Suppression of any feelings of unease about the excesses of dictatorial
leadership is but a symptom of much more serious problem: disregarding
the gentle cautions of the Spirit of God, just because they are expressed
through "less important" members of My Body.
A season of soul-searching prayer might help clarify things for a
church caught up in the "us versus them" dilemma. In the worst case
scenario, there might even be a spirit of antichrist at work, warring with
the Spirit of God for control of the church. It is all too easy for
pastors and elders to demand blind, unquestioning obedience and forget
that I alone am Lord.
Where Does Human Authority Begin and End?
Genesis Chapter 39; Acts 5:29; Eph. 6:5-8
Those under any kind of human authority are exhorted by My Word to be
obedient and submissive. Servants are commanded to please in all things
their earthly masters. This principle applies to an employee working for
a secular boss. Faithfulness in carrying out the duties of one’s
employment is enjoined, with an attitude of service toward Christ, Who is
the true Master of the believer and the object of his devotion.
I have said in My Word: Whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory
of God. That means that all you do, even your secular employment, ought
to be seen as a heartfelt service to the Lord. Any Christian employee who
lives this way will do a superb job and be promoted to greater things in
due time.
Joseph kept this principle. He knew that he was destined to be a
great man. But for a time, I permitted him to fall into abject slavery.
This did not make him resentful. Instead, he performed even his humblest
tasks to the best of his ability. His master promoted him to be overseer
over all the affairs of his house.
But Joseph knew there was a boundary beyond which his obedience to
human authority could not go. His mistress lusted after him and demanded
that he sleep with her. He refused, knowing he could not betray
Potiphar’s trust without also betraying Me. And He could not perform
such wicked "service" to the glory of a Holy God. Joseph took the
consequences of his disobedience, but I exalted him to the throne in due
time because he was willing to put the interests of his Heavenly King
first even at great cost to himself.
Godly discernment and vigilance are called for. Human authority ends
where My own is crossed.
A Family Divided
Genesis 25:24-34; Chapter 27; Acts 5:29
There were two twin boys. Isaac loved hairy, brawny Esau the best,
for he considered him a real he-man go-getter who wasn’t afraid of
anything. Esau was the firstborn twin. Jacob’s wife Rebecca preferred his
more domesticated brother Jacob. She plotted behind her husband’s back
and deceived him so her favorite son could trick his father into giving
him, instead of Esau, the inheritance of the firstborn son. She ordered
Jacob to help her carry out this deception, which involved lying to his
own dad and cheating his own brother. Wrongful submission to his mother
and sinning against his father set Jacob up for a lifetime of regret and
heartache.
In My Word I command children to honor and obey their parents. But
when two different Biblical commandments conflict because carrying out one
of them involves sin, then faithfulness to My principles of holiness must
take priority.
The Jezebel Spirit
I Kings 21:5-16; Luke 17:32; James 3:17; Rev. 2:20-23
Beware of the headstrong, tyrranical female who rules the roost with
a rod of iron, teaches sensational doctrines unfounded on My Word, and
claims immunity from personal accountability on the basis of being an
exalted "prophetess". Many souls have been hurt by strong religious
personalities who mix elements of the occult with their private
interpretations of My Word. And women, especially, can fall into the
trap of the Jezebel deceiving spirit which masquerades as the Holy
Spirit. In her own way she proclaims loudly that she is lord and never to
be questioned. Jesus is dethroned in her mind, and hardly ever
mentioned...just an angry, vengeful "god" who goes forth at her beck and
call to lay curses upon those she doesn’t like.
I, Jesus, the true Head of the Church, have had to minister soothing
Oil of the true Spirit of God to My hurting sheep who got taken in by this
domineering character who is so brilliant in her own eyes she blocks out
the Son in the eyes of her listeners. Many have been wounded by her,
assailed by evil spirits emanating from her presence to put those she
doesn’t like under yokes of heavy spiritual oppression. She doesn’t
hesitate to pubicly name and shame those who are brave enough to defect
from her cultic prison house and reclaim their own souls. Instead of
serving others with tenderhearted meekness and seeking to build bridges in
the unity of Christ based upon the Word of God, she rails against her
critics and prays curses upon them to maintain her dominance and power
over weaker souls.
Jezebel murdered an innocent man who crossed her, to take what he had
and show everybody who was boss. She even resorted to using a religious
pretext to make her sin appear respectable before the whole community, to
gain sympathy for herself and turn people against her victim. The false
prophetess who lords it over others with "authority" to call down "divine
judgment" on those who question her mystical doctrines is in reality
sending out evil spirits to do her dirty work for her. That is being a
religious gangster, plain and simple. I don’t deal in terror tactics to
rein in My children. I discipline My rebellious kids who don’t repent and
strive to go on to true holiness, but I never invested in any woman or man
the power or right to terrorize My people to keep them under their thumb.
That is witchcraft of the basest sort.
If you should ever feel a horrible uneasiness about any ministry,
male or female, and they try to persuade you that you’ve got no right to
question what they teach or listen to your own sanctified conscience,
sever all ties with such a one and don’t ever look back! Remember Lot’s
wife. You only hurt yourself and reopen old wounds by looking back.
Don’t even try to reason away the spiritual oppression you feel from
having strayed into Jezebel’s hog pen to eat. And once you come to your
senses and escape her clutches, don’t condemn yourself for failing to love
her and build bridges to meet her halfway. In order to get near her you
had to cross a shaky bridge over a dangerous pit, and I carried you safely
back where you belonged, that you might remain within the boundaries of My
Word, under the shelter of My Wings. Instead of making peace with a
Jezebel who rejects sound doctrine, burn those dangerous
bridges behind you and get away from her...fast! And whenever you sense
a weight of oppression because you broke away from such a one, that is
definitely not Me rebuking you. It is satan! Don’t try to overcome this
wicked oppressing principality of satan in your own strength. Get others
to pray with you. And as you war against spirits of religious deception,
ask Me, the Christ within you, to contend with the spirit of antichrist
controlling the life of that dangerous "ministry" which has himself or
herself as the center of it, rather than Christ the Lord.
Come Out, My People
Gen. 12:1; Joshua 24:2; Heb. 11:8-10; Rev. 18:4
If "church" feels like a tomb, do like Lazarus did and get out.
Tombs are for the dead, not the living. It would seem far more loving to
patiently wait for your place of worship to grow out of its apathy, but
time is short. You will only drift further from Me if you try to tough it
out and stay there until your nominal church decides it’s ready to hear
My Voice and arise from the dead. You must have the courage of Abraham to
go forth by faith unto the place I have reserved for thee, My beloved
people. He forsook the land of his father’s idols to go where I sent him.
He didn’t linger there waiting for it to change. You must go where My
program of loving people and reaching hearts for Christ is already in full
swing.
The Priceless Pastor
Galatians 5:1 I Timothy 5:17; I Peter 5:1-4
It honestly does take courage on a pastor’s part to let the saints
walk in liberty, to follow My leading in everyday matters such as dress,
adornment, and whether or not to drink wine. Christians, as they mature,
must learn to listen to My still small Voice within, which will guide them
in decisions great or small, and warn them of potential dangers. It is
much like the maturing of a Christian child. As he grows in experience
and becomes more attuned to My Voice, he is more able to evaluate
situations in the Light of My Word, and to respond accordingly. It is
imperative to keep a pair of scissors from a toddler, but you would not
hesitate to trust a twelve-year-old with them, unless he is mischievous or
accident-prone. A good parent knows the capabilities and maturity level
of each child, and will grant him privileges accordingly.
Many things are wrong under all circumstances. There was a woman who
fell in love with an unhappily married man. At her level of Christian
maturity, she should have dismissed that temptation outright. The devil
often uses situational ethics to formulate his battle strategy. He
deceived this Christian lady into thinking it would be a far worse
tragedy for a man to stay in a shaky marriage than for her to lure him
away from his own wife and children. The man was inclined to try to make
his marriage work, but the other woman objected to this. Her pastor
learned about the situation, and reproved the woman for her attitude and
behavior. She took offense and compared him to a well-known cult leader
who had led his followers to mass suicide. He was interfering in HER
life, she said. He had no right to be dictatorial. But he would have had
to answer to Me, had he kept quiet about it.
There definitely are times when the pastor must step in and lovingly
rebuke such a straying sheep. If you have a pastor who exalts Christ in
his teaching and conduct, believes in true liberty in Christ, and yet
knows when it is necessary to speak words of warning, don’t turn your back
on him. He is indeed a priceless jewel.
Ask Me to Anoint Your Eyes
II Kings 6:17; Ephesians 4:30; I Thessalonians 5:19;
Revelation 3:18
You, My child, have been appalled over the years by the
inconsistencies in various individuals and churches. How could they
profess to love Me and yet deny My love to others? How could they dig
into My Word looking for My hidden treasures, and yet gloss over My
greatest commandment of all?
The answer: If the person concerned has truly been born again, he or
she is keeping that Treasure within them "discreetly" hidden from view.
At the very least they are dimming the Brightness of the precious Life
within by concealing it under lamp shades of flesh. At worst, they are
denying their own Lord Who bought them and setting up other idols in My
place.
The Prophet Elijah had a young servant who could only see things
through his natural eyes. He saw the forces of the Syrian army advancing
on Israel. Elijah could see the chariots of fire and angelic hosts who
had come to fight on behalf of My people. He asked Me to empower the eyes
of the young man to be able to see that which is invisible, but just as
real. The servant was delighted and amazed to see just how vast My
military machine is. Because he could see in the realm of faith, he just
KNEW all would be well.
The hour is perilously late, and so many of My people and church
leaders, especially, seem to be woefully behind in understanding what My
true priorities are. But I can see the end from the beginning, and I will
have a church without spot or wrinkle when I appear in the clouds to catch
her away. You who have been disappointed or even hurt by things you’ve
encountered in church, please ask Me to anoint your eyes to see erring
believers as I do. Pray earnestly for revival in My congregations, and ask
Me to keep you in the right attitude, lest a root of bitterness spring up
in your heart.
With faith will come hope that I am able to do even the impossible in
the hearts and lives of people. The Gold is within all those who are
truly converted; but, all too often, it is hidden from view, sometimes
deliberately, because the lure of the world means more to some than love
for Me. To suppress the outflow of My indwelling Life is to quench, or
frustrate the Spirit.
Ask Me to Lead You to the Gold
II Corinthians 4:7; Colossians 1:27; Revelation 21:8
Miners must sift through lots of dirt to find rare nuggets of gold.
To earthly understanding, the value of gold lies in its very rarity. Yet
that which is possessed by only a few on earth is commonplace in heaven.
Even the streets of Glory are paved with gold, and the homes embellished
with it. Many snow-white garments are embroidered with gold thread,
enhancing their luminous purity. The Heavenly City itself is pure gold.
It is a reflection of My Holiness, and the holiness of saints who have
attained to this glorious abode through faith. So many of these lived
long lives on the earth, contending with the dross of the flesh nature,
and their faith was refined in the fire till it shone forth with
transparent purity.
What you see in others, and sometimes yourself, is the dross of the
carnal Adamic nature striving against the Christ-nature for the mastery.
Some individuals give in without caring enough to seek My grace to mortify
the baser nature within. But it is particularly grievous to Me when My
ministers set a bad example by quenching the Spirit or giving in to the
lusts of the flesh, with the excuse that they are under grace and I’ll
overlook their faults anyway. That’s venturing into dangerous waters.
Be quick to appreciate any signs of the Christ-life you see in other
believers, or even in yourself. That’s making progress. If you are in a
position where no one seems to care about your prayer needs or really
believes in My power, pray to Me that I will send you someone who is deep
in My Spirit and doesn’t quench My Life within. If you are able to see a
strong resemblance to Christ in at least one or two other people, it will
revolutionize your life of faith.
The Glory Will Outweigh the Grief
Psalms 32:19; Isaiah 64:4; I Cor. 2: 9-10; II Cor. 4:17-18;
5:1-8; 12:1-4
In time of vexation by the enemy you might find yourself taking a
snap inventory of all the bad things that have happened to you since your
birth. How, you wonder, did you ever survive such a mountain of trouble,
as you consider all the unkind words said to you, all the sicknesses,
battles with the devil, bereavements, family setbacks and tragedies,
hurts, pains, sicknesses, money worries, shattered hopes and dreams.
These seem to loom large, even though you’ve also had many wonderfully
blessed times with Me and seen many victories because of My great
faithfulness to you.
If heaven is going to be greater than all the sum total of your
troubles, you think, it must be a very grand place. Don’t worry, my dear
child, it most certainly is. You will be bathed in the unspeakably
wondrous Glory Light of My Presence for all eternity. Your happy moments
on earth were always dampened somewhat by the realization that earthly
happiness is but a fragile flower and sadder times might be just around
the corner. But that problem won’t last for long.
It is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, what I have prepared
for My children who love Me in Spirit and in Truth. Mortal pen has not
the power to record the joys which await you as you leave this world
behind and enter into the glory world of My immediate Presence. To you,
it will be the same as a blind person experiencing the beauties of nature
through his eyes for the very first time, instead of just being told about
them. Intelligent though you are, your understanding is so crude right
now that full comprehension of the breadth, height and depth of your
glorious reward will have to wait until then.
Wait until you get here, dear child, before you reach the conclusion
that your reward couldn’t possibly be as great as the sum total of all
your earthly sufferings. I have wonderful surprises in store for you, and
the greatest Blessing of all will be just being by My side for always.
Please Come Back to Me!
Proverbs 18:24; I Corinthians 12:18
Some of My servants have known such moments of despair that they
doubted that I loved them anymore. The devil will pull every trick in the
book to get you to blame Me for the failures of others, or to hold Me
responsible for satan’s attacks on your circumstances. Some well-meaning
believers might heap the blame for your despondency on you instead of the
devil, saying that you wouldn’t be stuck in a big trial if only you
weren’t being chastised by Me for some wrong-doing. "God," they say,
"can’t AFFORD to bless you. You’d only take that blessing and squander it
on your own lusts."
Well, who are THEY to cut you down? I don’t see very many Christians
living an ascetic life-style anymore. I see them either buying the finest
food and gadgetry they can get, or lamenting the fact that they have not
yet attained to these things. Do you really believe these self-appointed
judges are better than you, just because they seem to be living
hassle-free?
Many of them are only acting out a fantasy. There are very serious
deficiencies in their lives, but they are effectively hidden from view.
They keep themselves blissfully unaware of their own spiritual poverty and
think they are truly living the Kingdom Life.They consider the likes of
you "on the outside looking in", all the while fearful that you’ll
discover how poor they really are in My sight. Please resist the
temptation to hate such game-players. Just distance yourself emotionally
from their hang-ups. These deluded saints need prayer and love, not
resentment.
Be sure that your heart is right before Me by petitioning Me for the
forgiveness of all sin, and for the cleansing of the Blood of the Lamb.
Ask Me to help you to forgive others who have hurt you. Ask Me to dispatch
angelic helpers to intervene in your predicament. You really do need My
forces waging war in the heavenlies on your behalf. Don’t say within
yourself that you’re not important enough for Me to intervene to this
extent. I gave My dear Son to give up His own Life for your sake. I
would even have sent Him to do this just for you if YOU had been the only
one requiring salvation, My love for you is so unspeakably great.
You might be so hurt you really don’t want to go back to church right
away. I don’t want you to park your body in the pew of a cold dead church
just because you fear you’ll go to hell if you don’t. That is all wrong.
There are many in hell who went to church all their lives just because it
furthered their social advancement. Trust Me. You will go back when I,
the Chief Shepherd, lead you to a place of refreshing and restoration. It
might take a little time before you are sure where to go. It is MY task
to SET My members in their proper places in My Body. If you pick a church
just because you want to gain self-esteem by joining its prestigious
choir, you might end up feeling isolated. A hollow hunger will persist in
your soul. Far better to fellowship in a humbler setting, if the group’s
priorities are centered on expressing the Life of My dear Son. As much as
possible, stay in regular contact with every truly spiritual person I
bring into your life. Draw apart frequently to listen to My Voice, and
ask Me to open your eyes to the precious Truths of My Word, that you might
be nourished and healed inside. If your soul feels dead and dry, ask Me
for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit, Who is the Comforter. Recognize
the true source of destructive thoughts. Call the devil a liar when he
tempts you to think I no longer love you. Above all, keep your mind
stayed on the Lord Jesus Christ, for He sticks closer than a brother.
Feed the Poor Among You
Luke 3:10-11; 4:12-14; Acts 4:32-35; James Chapter Two
Certain heathen groups out in the community put My Church to shame,
the way they feed poor, penniless, homeless people, even providing feasts
for them free of charge in the name of their false gods. But some of My
people even turn their eyes away from the needy ones in their midst, their
own brothers and sisters in Christ. They just wish the poor would go
away because they don’t quite match the decor. Jobless or working poor
out in the congregation feel just as pressured to give, give, give into
the offering fund to meet "church" expenses as the more affluent members.
But they hardly have a can of beans in their own homes. Some of them have
just lost their job, and have fallen out of step with the ceaseless rhythm
of regular bill-paying and daily needs demanding to be met. Even
conscientious working Christians who know how to budget, scrimp and scrape
to get by till the next paycheck sometimes get hit with a devastating need
that blows them way off course and sucks their bank account dry (if
they’re rich enough to have one). It is no fault of their own that they
face days or even weeks of severe need before any relief might be
forthcoming.
Most times they’re just too ashamed to come to church leaders to beg
for help, because they might be branded as panhandlers or mooches. It’s
like going out to pick blackberries, not for fun, but survival. One
misstep in what you say and you could lose your footing in the
walk-on-eggs discussion, thus getting a hideful of verbal stickers as well
as a few berries thrown at you. A needy saint might walk away with only
this morsel of wisdom: "Go get a job", or if they do have one, "go get a
second job." Or, the "counselor" (not loving brother in Christ) will
coldly say at the troubled individual: "This problem could have a deeper
need, you know. Have you examined your own heart and confessed your sin
of violating Biblical principles of prosperity? Had you been more faithful
in sowing seeds for your needs, and had you honored the Lord (they mean
themselves!) with the firstfruits of your paltry welfare check, you
wouldn’t have needed to come here in the first place." So like a
miserable Job’s comforter, shame and blame is cast upon a hungry,
desperate saint who’s already been soundly trounced by satan.
I don’t see that happen nearly so often among devotees of false
belief systems. They feed their hungry and reach out to others, while My
people polish off their own wounded with polished rhetoric. Could it be
that instead of keeping loaves and fishes in My storehouse to feed the
hungry, only cold carp is stored in the Church pantry?
When will My people ever learn: Faith without works is dead?
Beware of the Scribes and Pharisees
Matt.11:30; 15:14; 23:1-10; II Cor.5:21
If you feel the call to be led deeper in the knowledge of the Lord,
be led deeper by My Spirit of Liberty, not the spirit of bondage which is
sometimes at work through certain end-time scholars and prophets of doom
and gloom. These people are akin in their ways to the scribes and
Pharisees I was acquainted with when I walked the earth. These men went
about with sour faces and they depended on difficult, but impressive works
of the flesh to merit favour with God and man. They will lead you so deep
you will fall into quicksand.
Beware of cult leaders or borderline cultists which go about as
spiritual policemen to regulate your joy. That fountain of refreshing joy
I have placed within you through My Spirit they would reduce to a tiny
trickle, controlled by their spigot, dispensed only at their whim. These
men and women teach you to revel in death, not to rejoice in the life I
have won for you through the death of My Cross. They tell you that you
are worthless and no good in My sight and I don’t even need you. What a
lie of the master of religious deception, satan!
When you are alone with your espoused lover, do you tell him or her
that you want to know more about them because you need to afflict yourself
more? No! Rather you want to know more about the life they have lived
and how the loveliness of your beloved’s nature overcame every obstacle in
life and shone all the more brightly in the darkness of this world. But
these "deeper life" purveyors emphasize the darkness and how it yet clings
to you, and your utter worthlessness in My sight. They focus not on the
bright, beautiful state of righteousness and holiness into which I have
brought you through My wondrous grace. Rather, they focus on the dirty
clothes of sin I removed from you before bathing you in My own blood to
cleanse you. Then they will point to that heap of dirty clothes and say,
"That’s why you should hang your head in shame. See, you are not so
righteous after all!"
It is much easier to lord it over a weary, heavy-laden pack mule than
to overpower and imprison a newborn lamb skipping with the exuberance of
new life, a new creature which joys in the refreshing world of spiritual
springtime. Followers of cults are taught to be obedient pack mules
bearing their old burden of unworthiness, slaves which haul burdens of
guilt and shame which I removed from them through My grace. Instead of
relying on Me to confirm them in their right to feel free, they look to
their blind leader for approval, that scribe which picks apart and
analyzes the Word of God to suit their own ends, that self-righteous
Pharisee which goes about with a long face and afflicts his soul to shut
out the light which would enter it.
Do not be deceived, My people. Ye have one master, Christ. His yoke
is easy and His burden is light.
Camping Out in the Woodshed
Joshua 1:8; Psalms 16:11; Ezekiel 13:22
Lo, I see a new crop of Pharisees springing up in My Church, lading
even the youngest, tenderest lambs with the burden of having to prove
their spiritual value through glad endurance of suffering. The emphasis
is removed ever so subtly from MY worthiness and the merits of MY blood to
what the believer himself is able to endure. Little or no resistance is
put up to the evil forces attacking a believer who is discipled under the
ministers of Suffering Theology, because every ache, every pain, every
heart-rending tragedy is warmly embraced as a gift from My hand. Satan is
having a field day deceiving millions with false spirituality that
ministers defeat and death instead of life.
In a great mansion there are many rooms. There is the music room,
where the piano and other instruments of music are kept and the family
sings together. There is the dining room, where delicious meals are
served at various seasons of the night or day. There is the parlor, where
the family relaxes to engage in close-knit conversation. There are rooms
to rest in, there are rooms to work in. In former days the woodshed out
back would not only store the wood for heating, but sometimes naughty
children would be taken out there, out of sight of the family, to be
disciplined.
But now the woodshed, a sad necessity, has been brought from the
outside into My House of Glory and elevated to be the one and only
important place on My estate. Exalted far above the music room where I
sing with My children, even above the dining room where I sup with My
beloved, the place where whippings and rebukes are meted out has been
showcased as the primary place of meeting between Me and My Beloved
children. This warped concept is taking place in so-called "deeper"
ministries which exalt failure over success, tears over triumph, and pain
over pleasures which proceed from My blessing. Although I must discipline
unruly believers, it is written that at My right hand there are pleasures
forevermore, not just in the afterlife but NOW! And any truly consecrated
believer will find it a joy to walk with Me in the light of My Word, not a
drudgery to be endured.
Even in the Old Testament, a far inferior Covenant, I promised My
children good success in that which I had called them to do. I am not
glorified in repeated setbacks and failures. If that happens, seek My
face and see if there might be some hindrance to your progress, or if
spiritual warfare might be needed to prevail over hindering spirits sent
from the enemy. The blood of Jesus can be pleaded over your situation.
Fervent prayer in the Spirit, along with any needful repentance and prayer
support of others are key ways to gain the victory. And if you are shown
by My Spirit that you are on the wrong path, I am able to correct your
journey by gently leading you. A good shepherd doesn’t always have to
beat the daylights out of his sheep to set him back on the right path.
Gentle persuasion is My preferred method. Any shepherd who takes pleasure
in inflicting needless pain on his sheep is a failure in my sight, not a
spiritual superhero!
Beware of sour-faced suffering addicts who will try to "disciple" you
out of the abundant joy I have promised you.
Let ME Feed You!
Psalms 23; Isaiah 35:1-2; 43:19
Even David, John the Baptist and Elijah spent longs periods of their
lives without regular, structured fellowship. When a saint goes through
this, it is a wilderness experience. There are many reasons for this and
it is not always the saint’s fault. A building full of lukewarm,
disconnected souls who attend merely out of duty does not constitute true
fellowship in the Spirit. Sometimes there is absolutely no love, no
caring, no sharing, no reality in any of the organized religious
services available in the community. The blame for this cannot be laid
upon the saint who is looking for a true expression of Christ manifesting
Himself through living members. Even if you force yourself to attend a
dead church devoid of love and power you come home disappointed and empty.
That’s why so many of you have left nominal churches.
If you find yourself without regular fellowship don’t use that as an
excuse to stop feeding on My Word. You simply cannot live on memories
alone. It’s just like trying to survive on memories of a wonderful feast
you ate last year. Read My Word. When you feel overwhelmed by satan ask
Me for a fresh anointing of My Spirit. Let Me direct you to scriptures
which minister to your present need. I would sustain you by My Spirit
while you await My direction on where to find a loving, caring fellowship
where Christ alone is exalted.
Please Let ME Love You!
Ephesians 3:17-19
Even before Adam had a wife or children He enjoyed My constant
companionship. He and I were such good friends, we would walk together in
the Garden in the cool of the evening and just talk. Adam looked forward
to that time spent communing with his Creator. Of course, he had no
troubles to bring to My attention, so he was free to spend all his time
praying about happy things.
Adam had a brilliant mind, and eagerly soaked up everything I could
teach him about My creation, as well as deeper things pertaining to My
unspeakably great Nature. We had such a wonderful time before Adam’s sin
put up barriers between us. Rejoice in Me, for My Sacrifice has availed
to restore your broken relationship to the Father. You can now enjoy that
same intimate friendship with Me that Adam did.
There are those who are too busy for you, or who don’t see any reason
to care about you. Don’t assign the blame for their spiritual torpor to
Me; because had these people continued to abide in the Vine they would
have been nourished on the sap of His Life and acquired His flavor,
instead of drying up. Be one of those few who delight in walking and
talking with Me. There is unspeakable joy in having Me as your Friend, as
well as your Lord.
Dearly beloved, take heart. We two will be together for all eternity.
I know no greater joy than sharing My love with you.