As I turned off the exit, my mind was filled with the comment, "oh well he's always that way." I looked up. It felt audible. But neither Gideon nor Elizabeth had said anything. As I looked up I saw those cartoon type comment bubbles over the cars in front of me, "he is never going to change," "she is just like that," "could you believe her, some nerve," "she got what she deserved," "I can't take him anymore," "I can't believe she would do that," and so on and so on and so on.
I can barely write this as the heart of God is being poured out and tears start streaming down my face, and sobs take a hold of my mid-section. Those words ARE NEVER EVER going to be the HEART BEAT of God.
I have so many places to go with this post... so many things that need to be shouted from the hill tops... For you... for those that you, I, who ever would say these things about... for all of us...
Oh Jesus.. Sweet Lord, The grace to write your heart here... let it be upon me.
There are some statements I want to make before going into the body of this... FIRST, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Repentance BUT NO condemnation!!! In repentance and rest is your salvation. For the places where you and I have stepped into judgement and agreement with the enemy may we find mercy and repentance and move on in the confidence of forgiveness.
SECOND... In NO way shape or form am I saying we are entitled to behave anyway we see fit. Sin should never abound so that grace may... We are called to press into the heart beat of our Lord and in so doing our lives will be transformed. Not out of religious pressure or dutiful obligation but out of affection and the power and transformative ways of grace and kindness and love and passion. IT IS the KINDNESS of God that leads us all to repentance. KINDNESS... I need to say that again and again and again.. IT IS THE KINDNESS OF GOD (not the judgement, rejection, or pressure from others), that leads to REPENTANCE.
Having said those two things... now... now let's jump into that which I saw this morning. That which is breaking the heart of God, as a Father... the things He wants to see... Those things He wants us to know.
This morning when I was seeing all those cartoon bubbles over the cars driving in front and along side of me, I saw the judgments and anger and sorrow and disappointment of people. It wasn't just what they were saying it was that their hearts were suffocating too. In the places where they found themselves they were not able to dare to believe something different.
Listen, my mom was told that I should never get married, I should never have kids, that I would live in a mental hospital all the days of my life. That wasn't prophetic. ( SIDE NOTE: our pastor just preached the sermon of a life time (4/21/13) that will podcast by tomorrow: Renovatuschurch.com IT was brilliant and amazing.. more on that tomorrow.)
It did not take a rocket scientist to look at my life and declare those things. In those moments, however, was there someone around who would speak life and not death? Was there some one who could look at my life and not judge it for all that was true? Was there someone who was willing to speak life into a future that only had darkness ascribed to it? NO!!! In those moments there weren't.
She is just like that.
She is a liar.
She is incapable.
She is sick.
Agreements with the pit of hell and the plans of the enemy passed through many lips, came forth out of the mouths of those around me.
Could anyone see that there would be day that I would be married, that I would be the mom of six kids, that I would be leading other people out of very dark places, that I would be giving hope to the hopeless, and praying for sight for the blind?
THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!
Are those you love behaving in old patterns that drive you crazy? Are those around you stepping left and right into sin and destructive life choices? Are those around you speaking death, discouragement, fear?
We have come into agreement with the world's assessments of one another more than we have declared the truth of our Lord into each other. We have come into agreement with the pit of hell more then we have tied ourselves to the mercy and grace and power and love of Heaven. With our words and our false conclusions we have spoken death and then we wonder why we aren't changing or the lives of those we love are tied to horrible things.
I'm not saying that there are magical spells that if you just speak enough life into the situation people will change their minds automatically and leave their sin and destructive patterns and be transformed... BUT BUT BUT... Jesus did curse the fig tree and it never bore fruit again!!! Jesus did speak healing and comfort and blessing on the people and they received that which He spoke!!! The power of life and death is in the tongue and IT IS BEYOND TIME WE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!!!!
A friend of mine has never really rebuked me without tenderness and kindness until recently. When upon being exasperated with a situation I spoke wrongly. Then as if he was keeping his grandson away from on coming traffic he rose up and sternly, with the authority that is upon his life, let me know, in no way shape or form was what I said acceptable.
It was love!!!! It was a hunger to see the mouths of those who would be prophetic cleansed. WE TRULY DO NOT AND SHOULD NOT HAVE THE RIGHT AS A PROPHETIC and REVELATORY PEOPLE TO JUST SAY WHATEVER WE WOULD WANT TO SAY!!!! There is NO, "just kidding," there isn't a time when we are "off" and not ministering... we are the children of God... it doesn't matter if we are on a stage or not.. if we are living and breathing .. if there is breath in our lungs our mouths NEED to be instruments of blessing.
That doesn't always mean lovey dovey. My Friend was not being lovey BUT he most certainly was acting in love.
Friends... you want the POWER of GOD? Then you MUST get this into your life....
Over yourself and over others CEASE professing and CEASE measuring yourself against the standards of the world and the lies of the devourer.
You want transformation... TAKING ALL THOUGHTS CAPTIVE... DAY 1......
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails;
What are your conclusions about yourself? About those around you? Take those thoughts captive and speak life instead of death.
Does Heaven think that your boyfriend will always be a dead beat and will never amount to anything? Or does hell proclaim that into him as well as into you so that you and he believe it?
What is true? What does Heaven say in that moment when caught in sin? Neither do I condemn you GO and sin NO more....
PRAYER: Lord give me eyes to see how you see. Give me a heart to know what you know. Show me according to the truth of Heaven, the truth of your heart, the ways of the Kingdom... Whatever is good and lovely and pure... Help me to speak life into all circumstances and situations.. Help me to come out of agreement with my own judgments and the accusations of hell and the false conclusions of the world for myself and those I love, those I work with, those that surround me... Help me to see not as the world sees but as you see.... help me to hear your truth that there is a plan and a purpose and a hope and a future ..... Help me not judge according to what my eyes see but help me to stand and declare life and truth and hope and kindness and joy...
Even when the days are dark and grim, even when the years have only proven the accusations of hell are more rightly seen then any promise of Heaven.... each one of us has been formed into the likeness of God, we are made in HIS image... declare that forth... Dry bones do rise again... they do live again... they do walk again.. they do become part of an exceedingly great army.. I AM PROOF... MY LIFE STANDS AS TESTIMONY TO THAT TRUTH!!!!
I do declare that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living.... I do believe that those living in the land of death shade have seen a great light and upon them a light has dawned.....
Be strengthened and empowered to walk in the transformation of the ways of Heaven and the hope of God...
Bless you
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