in love for my brothers and sisters as I share what I know to be on His heart. And finally, I write this in obedience to Him, to respond to the prompting of His Spirit, as well as utilize the gift He has given me. Please be willing to give this post some time, reading all the way to the end. What I am sharing is something very out of line in these last days, something that needs immediate repair. It also includes a word from the Father to another sister that was divinely timed and will speak greatly to your heart and confirm all I am attempting to share. To keep this from being too long, I initially didn't want to type out this entire scripture below, but it is certainly worthy for this post, so I must start here. As you read the verses below, read them slowly and let each word sink in. I have put extra spaces in on purpose, just so each verse can be easily read and absorbed. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good. 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For we know in part and prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Most of us can say we know this scripture well – we know it intellectually and spiritually. But the question I have been asking myself, obviously through the guidance of the Spirit, is, “Do I really know this love intimately… to the point that I consistently live it, where it comes out of me in word and deed regardless of the situation, person, circumstances, or emotions involved? Is this something I seek to have Him perfect in me on an ongoing basis? Am I rooted and grounded in love, comprehending (receiving) the breadth, length, depth, and height of the love of Christ that I am now filed with the fullness of the Father? Do I live this out consistently in purpose and authenticity – truly loving Him and my brethren, abiding in His love, fulfilling the whole of the law, understanding that only this love is the kind that will enable a person to lay down his/her life for another?” I personally am not there, but I hunger and thirst to get there; it is much of what I think about anymore. I know I can’t be the only one, and obviously, nor should I be. There is no argument that most of us want only truth, and in our love for our Savior and God, we seek it with all that is in us. And through that seeking, we find ourselves wading through the lies and half-truths that have been planted amongst the pure truth. But it is in this quest for truth where many have gotten off track and distracted, even going so far as to diminish the simplicity of love and grace (2 Cor 11:3). I’ve heard some say that the “love gospel” is inflated and even not applicable to all people, thus over-spoken and over-applied. I’ve heard grace spoken of as “greasy” – in other words, over-applied and yes, certainly slippery when mis-applied. Even though these two words can be abused in a deceptive way in the mainstream, I’ve also heard these precious words sorely minimized by some believers’ misguided interpretations and perceptions, although these are foundational to our own salvation and eternal life. I’ve even seen it go so far that the mention of the words “love” or “grace” actually makes people uncomfortable. It seems we’ve forgotten the magnitude and depth of these incredible gifts that have been given to us! It’s very sad that some have come to this place, but we can’t imagine the sadness of the One who offers these things to us, unconditionally. Our misalignment with truth in the areas of love and grace is showing itself clearly in both the very evident lack of love (true agape, Godly love) and unity (as one body under the Headship of Christ) that we see amongst believers who say they love and serve the same God. Generally, the “church” is out of the plumbline of the God of love, and this should not be. We are way off… and in some cases, we can become worse than an unbeliever. Let me add this important disclaimer… As I share this post, I am talking to myself as well as sharing with you all. This is a general issue within the Body of Christ, and only you know if anything in this post applies to you, just as I know what applies to me. This really is a serious issue; there are times I can feel the sadness in His heart over it, as well as in my own. The Father has been teaching me about this for years now, and while I know it and get it, to fully walk it out is another story. He is teaching me how to do this THROUGH HIM… with His love in me. He is showing me that ultimately the call is to love to the point that you would literally die to save another… and this “another” may very well be your worst enemy. This is the epitome of what He did as He laid down His life for His enemies – us! This is the fullness of the love we are expected to walk in – and it is clearly outlined in the commandments of Christ that He shared with us while alive on the earth. But... have we turned our focus away from His words? Some of us can see from our own experiences, things we read, videos we watch, and even in our own assemblies and fellowships, that this “true love” does not seem to be the topic of focus that it should be. It’s as if it has been discounted, even to the point that we have allowed cognitive dissonance to wipe it from the forefront of our minds. Whether we realize it or not, we choose this “discounting”, and that is really not a choice afforded to us. Have we become such a law unto ourselves that we have forgotten the commandments of Yahusha (Jesus) Himself… the red letters?! Are our eyes somewhere else, and therefore, so are our hearts? Have we turned from our First Love and HIS words to go back to our own interpretations and doctrines, the letter of the Mosaic law that kills, and even shying away from grace and love for the sake of our fear of being deceived by it? It seems that by the division, disunity, condemnation, unforgiveness, and pure lack of love that exists amongst some believers that we have! This we have to change… and we have to change it now. Our lack of love will not only hold us back from everything holy and everything heavenly, it will keep us out of the presence of God! The main inspiration for this post comes from what I myself am regularly witnessing within the Body of Christ in my view… these are things we should not be seeing in a true assembly of Christ. I see these things quite frequently and have been for several years. I myself was a direct victim of the condemnation and division that comes from the wrong focus. And I can tell you that once you are exposed, you can start to become the same way. I thank the Heavenly Father that He quickened me and pulled me out before it got too far. However, the damage that was done to me from the infliction of this “lack of love” has taken years to overcome.. This is a very real issue to me as I lived it and learned from it, so it puts me in a good position to speak about it. Before I move on, I do want to say that with this personal situation I just shared, separation was absolutely necessary. A very destructive false doctrine was involved, requiring my rejection of it and separation from those walking it out. It was “another gospel” that Paul spoke of which warranted not only separation but a curse (Gal 1:9). But the person who was inflicting this false doctrine is someone I loved and still love. This person is His child (I know this, because I’ve now known her for over 25 years). This person is in need of forgiveness, deliverance, and repentance. Even though I was a victim, I had my part in it too; I learned many things! I am expected to LOVE this person, even now, in the fullness of what Christ has shown us… as HE loves her! I am to be as Stephen as he was being stoned to death, saying, “Father, please don’t hold this to her charge. Father, please look upon this offense as if it didn’t happen. Don’t give her what she deserves in this case, but instead, lead her into all truth – that truth that will set her free! And if it be your will, bring her back to me in full love and unity!” By His grace, and yes, time, I have been able to reach this place. And wouldn’t that be a glorious day if He did bring her back??! But, what if not? His will be done. And with that… I would like to share the meat of this post that I believe to be the very truth the Father is repeatedly trying to impart and instill into His people in this hour… His disciples, His “set-apart ones”… His priests; not just His children… but His sons and daughters. His message to us is so clear in His Word, but somehow, we have veered off and are facing a very concerning dismantling… and all right at the very end of time when our King is at the door to retrieve His Body/Bride! And from what I have witnessed and experienced myself, I can say with all conviction that this division and dismantling are very much a result of disagreements over the not-so-weighty matters. We have taken our eyes off the weightier matter – LOVE – as well as the One who is the weightiest of all, and we’ve placed it somewhere else… primarily on self, as this typically encompasses all distractions, even the seemingly “righteous” ones. So, because God is love, and our Savior Yahusha (Jesus) is the express image of that love, then how is it that we find it okay to operate outside of His love but yet still say we are in Him? We do… and we do it regularly, and we do it even to our brothers and sisters in Christ – the ones who we know make up the same Body with Christ as our Head. In some cases, we hold offences against them, we talk about them, we feel “ick” when we think of them, we stay angry and bitter towards them, we condemn them because their walk is different from ours, and we are in disunity with them over ancillary matters. What in the world would we do if our Savior operated in this manner towards us… while we were yet sinners against Him? Obviously, we would be dead. I am not saying this is easy, and I am not saying it’s not a process to overcome these things. But… is it possible that we have gotten too complacent and “justified” in this manner of living that it no longer convicts us, and therefore, the “process” lingers and lingers and lingers and our hearts grow harder and harder? Through many trials and tests and failures, Paul and Peter learned this love and then explained it to us very precisely… 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it [b]keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 8 And above all things have fervent charity (love) among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, we are to not seek our own, not keep an account of wrong suffered, and not be provoked… just to mention a few. Yahusha even said that it is easy to love those who love us and treat us right – the heathen can do this too. But it is precious in the sight of the Father when we still love and even serve the one who has treated us wrongly, falsely accused us, and ultimately betrayed us. There is a cost with this, and that cost is what makes it true love. Love means we hold nothing against them, just as nothing was held against us! How is it that Stephen was able to forgive those wicked Pharisees who were stoning him to death only for preaching the One who saved him, but yet he pleaded with the Father in His dying moments to not hold the offence against them?? This is the very act of love and forgiveness that set Paul free to be converted shortly after. Stephen’s love, through Christ’s love in him, covered a multitude of sins and released Paul! That love endured all and conquered all! In this love, Stephen released the very one who stood by to “supervise” and approve of his murder; and these murderers hated Christ. Could we do this?? It is impossible without the fullness of the love of the Father in us, and we receive this when we know the love of Christ. It is only in Christ and is not found anywhere else. Something to think about that my mentor said the other day… Many of us have discussed this and know that it is literally impossible to follow all 613 of the Mosaic law commandments – and yet there are still some who put much of their effort and heart into doing so. Aside from that, the point is that while we think that is impossible, have we ever considered the impossibility of following the two commandments that Yahusha said made up the whole of the law – to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself? It is impossible for man to follow these two commandments without the Spirit of the Living God in us – impossible! This is what He is after with us… LOVE! The letter is not our goal, nor our source. Our goal is Yahusha and being filled with His Holy Spirit, obeying the Holy Spirit, and allowing our flesh to die enough so He can love through us… first loving the Father and then loving our neighbor. The law alone cannot do this in us – only the Spirit can conform us into the image of the Son that we may love as purely and completely as He does. This is why we are told that the letter kills and the Spirit gives life… life is Yahusha, and Yahusha is love! Only He fulfilled the law – in love, bringing its absolute fullness (the fullness of the Father), which is written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is written in us, we receive it and obey it, and He then works it out in us that we can love the Father as He did, as well as love our brethren as He did – sacrificially! The law is good, but Yahusha is GREAT; He is better! I am very often asking, and I have heard others express this as well… “Why are love and Christ not the sole focus of the whole Body anymore? Have we lost our first love? Have we chosen to put our time and energy and focus into the not-so-weighty matters; hence, causing us to drift away from the love of Christ, which in turn makes us unable to fully love our brethren? Have we lost our dove’s eyes (our single eyes) for Him and become divided in our sight?” In my mind, these are rhetorical questions, because I know the answer. I’ve lived this and seen it played out before me, and this is exactly what is happening in many cases. And this is the very reason that our ability to forgive and love in haste (like Stephen) is waning; it seems to be fading away. We have become numb and almost delusional in some cases… completely lacking the reverent fear of Almighty God in following the weightier commandments that His sacrificial Son left heaven to come to earth and show us and sow into us… in person… in His life and in His death. What did Yahusha say – what were His commandments… He being the express image of the Father living out love in His flesh? He is the only One worthy to tell us, and that He did! But it seems we are not consistently living His words today. I can tell you that the minute I took my eyes off Him and began to seek how to do my own works, HE DIMINISHED! At that point, it was me increasing and Him decreasing, as opposed to what John the Baptist said… He must increase, and I must decrease. My eyes had drifted off Him, and boy could I tell! He did it all – slain before the foundation of the world and slain on earth, and only His finished work can make us righteous and loving – the way He requires. There is nothing we can do but submit and obey the Spirit that He sent to teach us, lead us, and ultimately be our “seal” and guarantee of salvation! Our eyes and minds must stay on Him! Yahusha pointed out one specific thing that would show the world that we belonged to Him, and that is our love for one another (John 13:35). In all of His teachings, He said nothing about us focusing on church denominations, Torah observance, calendars, or anything else – not one direct word; and neither did any of His disciples or apostles. They all continuously preached love, faith, and obedience to the Father through the Spirit – remembering that you cannot have faith or obedience without love! We can’t even have hope without love! This is what they wanted us to understand, and this is what they drove home to us, because this is where they wanted our focus. Yahusha preached love, because in and by His love, He fulfilled all the Father’s requirements for us, making us righteous by His righteousness alone. The love in Him, which was the Father’s love, caused Him to set His face like a flint, for the joy set before Him, and endure the cross and hell for our sake. And He knew that it would only be through His love in us that would enable us to love the Father and our brethren, with the kind of love that would enable us to lay our lives down and endure till the end. Love endures all things! There is, nor ever will be, anything else we can do to accomplish this in ourselves. Here’s what the Word says about this... Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:!0 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 Just as mentioned before, our love for one another is the sign to the world that we belong to Him. Our love is a light that leads to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Furthermore, we are to be made perfect in unity – in one – in love. These words were included in Yahusha's high priestly prayer to the Father about us. He even went further to say that this is how the world would know the Father’s love. 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. John 17:23 So, we must ask ourselves, what is the world hearing and seeing by our love? Are they seeing a love that is conditional, unforgiving, and condemning, or are they seeing the love that will sacrifice to another under any circumstance, bearing the true fruit of the Spirit? Are they seeing brothers and sisters falling in and out of various doctrines, unstable and unwavering in love and forgiveness, or are they seeing the Body stable, solid in the Word of truth and living with each other in the unity of the bond of peace? Are they seeing divisions and backbiting over ancillary, non-salvational issues, or are they seeing the harmony of a Body focused on the gospel and sharing the love of Christ with a lost world? Are they hearing the good news of the salvation by Yahusha ha Mashiach, Jesus Christ, the best news in all the world, or are they hearing proud, provocative messages that only diminish their child-like faith (which I would be remiss in not mentioning the seriousness of this as Yahusha spoke about in Matthew 18:6). As we ponder answering these questions, I would like to end this post with some of Yahusha’s direct commandments where He told us exactly what to do. These are His commandments, those which encompass the whole of the law, those which He told us would prove our love for Him as we obeyed them. These are the ones to which we must take heed and stay focused upon first and foremost... those commandments which He said are greater than all. 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:29-31 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:9-17 Yahusha also shared many parables about this love, and these need our focus as well (Luke 10:25-37, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 15:1-7, Matthew 18:21-35, Luke 14:15-24, just to share a few). There are so many more confirmations of this spoken by His disciples that solidify His commandments to us for this time! We cannot forsake His commandments of LOVE – these are the things He lived out in His life and death on earth, and these must be our priority. And again, we cannot fulfill these unless the Spirit of Love is in us and is allowed to do it through us. It is our following and obedience to the Spirit that will lead us into all life and love and liberty! And it is love and love alone that first must be fully received by us, abiding in us, and operating through and out of us (like rivers of living water!). This will please the Father and show the world the Light of the world that can save them! We are ambassadors of His love, and for this we will give an account. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 And there is one final thing that I must add – something quite profound. Shortly after I finished this post, I listened to a message from my mentor that she had just left for a group of ladies (myself included) who are in intercessory prayer training. She had received three dreams from the Father (one of her own and two others from other sisters) that confirmed His message to us in this hour, which in essence is somewhat of a warning. As she was sharing this with us, she also shared a specific related word that the Father gave her back in 2022. When I heard this word as she spoke it forth to us, I basically heard the main points of this post that I had just finished... repeated one by one. Of course, I immediately knew I needed to share this word with this post, because He wants His precious people to hear it! He wants us to take heed regarding this issue of love! This word says so beautifully and gracefully, just as He speaks, that message which I feebly attempted to convey in this post. Overall, this confirmed to me that I am hearing His message and that we are to speak this forth, so we can all search our hearts to see if residing there is any offensive way and then immediately take action, with His mercy and grace and strength, to repent and walk in obedience. So, in further glory and honor to Him and in love for my brothers and sisters, I share this word from our Father below (again, received by my mentor, Pietra de Bod, in October, 2022). LOVE ONE ANOTHER My children fight amongst each other as children in any household do. And just like earthly parents suffer the wounds of their children’s pain, so do I. For I love My children as I love My own body. Nobody who loves himself harms himself, but lays value on all his members. So there are many members in one body. There is only one body. Did you know that? And yet My children do not see that just as they are part of Me, they are part of Me and them. Did I not pray that they may be one as we are one? Is this not My earnest desire before My Father in a time of such great division? Yes, it is a time of great deception, and my children seek truth without love. Truth without love is as the letter without the Spirit. The truth will set free, but when truth is not spoken in love, it hurts the body. It hurts Me. The time you find yourself in is a time of removing the veil – the veil of deception. However, My children, do I not still seek the fruit of a peaceable spirit that sows in peace? Is this how the world will know you? By how well you can show them their error? What goal is there in knowing the truth, fighting for the truth, when your heart has grown cold? For everything there is a season and a time. Great wisdom is required for such a time as this of unveiling. Will you stand before Me naked? Will you stand before Me as the accuser, as you accuse the members of My body? Love covers a multitude of sin, and mercy triumphs over judgment. Therefore, bind mercy and truth, and walk in humility before Me, for I alone know all things and you only know in part. Come to Me first and learn of Me before you speak. I desire that all would come to the truth; not just the truth of the letter but the truth of My Spirit… of who I am. Are you covering your brothers and sisters in prayer, or do you find yourself uncovering them before Me? Will the world not then recognize you by the love you have for one another? Have you checked your fruit lately? I have. As the husbandman I come soon to seek fruit from My garden, My plantings. Therefore, search your hearts afresh whether you are walking in love as you desire to walk in truth. I have said that many hearts will grow cold and that there will be a famine in the land of the Word. You are the epistle they need. Search your hearts towards one another. Think not you can say you love Me whom you cannot see whilst hating your brother you can see. Lie not to yourself, but repent and seek that love My servant Paul spoke of above all things. Have mercy Heavenly Father, and give us the strength and mind and love of your Son to do that which you require of us --- and that is to LOVE at all cost, just as you did for us!
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** If you are new to this blog/site, please consider clicking here and reading the quick intro, "Why this Site?", so you will understand the reason and "Spirit" in which I write and share. Thank you! ** Regarding the subject for this post, I had been thinking about it for a few weeks, and then it came up multiple times in other things I read or watched. It’s a about a subject most of us are familiar with, and that subject is... idols. When we think of idols, oftentimes we think of a little gold Buddha or some other graven image of a person or thing. Sometimes we even take it lightly, because we think to ourselves, “I don’t worship those little idols, so this doesn’t apply to me”. You might be surprised that it does apply to you; please keep reading. Granted, these graven images are definitely considered as idols, and we should ensure we have nothing of the sort in our homes or possession, especially something or someone to which we give any attention or reverence. The Most High God of Israel (Yahuah) is to be worshipped second to no one or no thing (including the Virgin Mary or any other “good person” or saint), as He is a jealous God solely deserving all praise and adoration. Our Father was very clear with His people of His expectations in this area, so much so that two of the 10 commandments are related to this. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:2-6 Furthermore, He knew the temptation of man to have an image to worship before His eyes – something he could see or touch. I believe that this is one of the reasons that He told them not to even touch a tool to the altar of stone they would prepare for their offerings, because doing so would profane it (Exodus 20:25). Could it be that He knew they would be tempted to shape it into something from their minds – an image or idol of their own making? It’s possible. These are not really the idols I had on my mind; these are the obvious. It’s the not-so-obvious that was brewing in my heart. Aside from the little graven image idols, there are three others that I wanted to write about. I will list them below but would mainly like to focus on one in particular. An idol can be a physical image of God or Yahusha (Jesus) that we have received and kept in our minds. This is typically based on what has been fed to us by the powers that be, who say they know what He looked like. Since when have “they” told the truth? Some have adopted the image of the white Jesus with the long brown hair – the one Catholicism has given to us through religion. Others have the more middle-eastern Jesus in their minds, and others can’t seem to shake Jim Caviezel (from The Passion of the Christ movie) or Jonathan Roumie (from The Chosen series) from their minds. I will admit, it is hard not to picture these images, as they have been in front of our eyes for a long time. I will not pretend to know what my Yahusha looks like, but I have serious doubts that He is a white man; but that is another topic altogether. This is important regardless, because we must be careful of the picture we have in our minds of Him. We cannot allow this to be any part of the reason we believe Him, love Him, or follow Him. Yahusha said that the true worshippers of the Father would worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Any images we allow in our minds can cause us to deviate from the Spirit and from the Truth, so we must be aware. Another type of idol is a person or thing… that person or thing that we place on the altar of our hearts, whether knowingly or unknowingly. This can be a spouse, a child, a friend, a drug, a food, or anything or anyone that causes us to compromise obeying all truth. Think about this for a minute, because many of us have idols such as these and are not aware. This is no light matter. This actually happened with me twice – and my two idols were big enough to cause a lengthy detour in my walk as well as an open door of false doctrine to creep in and steal my joy and almost even my assurance of salvation. Yes, it was that serious. Both of my idols were people that I never meant to place above my King, but it happened. I allowed my needs and their words to trump His truth and thwart my uncompromising obedience to it. Believe me, there is a price to pay for this. Whether intentional or not, our Father will deal with it by judging it and allowing His child to walk out the consequences no matter how long or how difficult. How else would we learn the gravity of this transgression and truly repent? He corrects in love, and I am truly grateful for the whipping I received for my own “idol worship”. The last type of idol I wanted to mention is the one I’ve really pondered on much. This one I feel is the most common of all. Also, because it is so cushioned in warm and fuzzy feelings, it is the most dangerous and can have everlasting consequences. This one we must ask ourselves if it applies to us, even slightly. We must be willing to be honest, repent if necessary, and then make sure our "image" of the Father and His Son are based on His truth and not our own. This form of idolatry is the “image” of Yahuah God that we make in our minds of who He is – and who He is not, outside of truth. It is the image we make of His character based on our religion, our feelings, our experiences, and our know-it-all human wisdom. I have seen it all through my Christian walk, and it is quite easy to fall victim to – that is, if you are not seeking Him through His Word, prayer, and in fullness and wholeness of truth, no matter how it makes you feel. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, “God wouldn’t do that”, “God just wants you to be happy”, “God is all love”, and so forth. I say, really? Is that what His Word says in its fullness and entirety? Is He so small that the fullness of His being and nature is found in one or two scriptures that we hold onto for their warmth and fuzziness? The depth and gravity of this false idol is humongous, and it is prevalent amongst Christians today. When we take the Almighty God of the universe who has created all things for Himself and through Himself, and in Him all things hold together; and we make Him to fit our wants and desires and our thoughts of how He should be, then we have a false idol in our hearts that will slowly and ultimately kill us. This is the very image that satan wants us to have of the Most High God – OUR image. This is why the enemy allows this watered down, sappy sweet, all-accepting, shallow “truth of God” to be mainstream. Have you noticed that he does not fight that truth at all – he says, go for it, take it and eat it, because this will keep you satisfied and well fed with deception. The real truth is NOT mainstream – it must be craved, desired, requested and sought after as if it were precious jewels and your life depended upon it (and it does); and it must be treasured and valued. My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; t hen you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5 I think this human mental image of the Most High’s nature and character is the worst form of idolatry, because it is the most hidden and deceptive. It is quite comfortable, in some cases keeping people captive all their lives. There are people, some of whom I know well, who will argue about the truth of the Heavenly Father and His Son. They actually argue with His truth as if they know, and they don’t pick up a Bible and read at all. Where did their truth come from? What a falsely confident and powerful deception that is! They have an idol in their hearts of a god, and it is not the Most High God at all! How can they ever truly love and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth when they have formed their own image of Him, as if they were His Creator? What will happen on the day when they stand before the Son of Man, and they see that He is not at all what they thought, and He says to them, “Away from Me; I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23)? But yet, when they had the chance to hear the truth or seek the truth from the only Source, they argued that they knew the truth of God and were settled and confident about it, claiming their own gospel to be all they need. I will never understand this or accept it; but it is out there all over the place. We Americans are the worst about this. Our fatness and over-confidence has ruined us to a degree. We think we can claim the title “Follower of Christ” simply because we believe in the Son of God. The question is, do we truly KNOW Him? Do we know His ways and His expectations of His children? Are we unknowingly rejecting Him and His ways, because we don't seek His truth?? There are many who believe in Him and know He is the Son of God, including the demons, but they are not His and they will not be with Him in His Kingdom. They will fall short, because they do not know the truth of His ways. They will not be wearing the righteous, holy garments of Yahusha. Instead their sin will still be as crimson upon them and judgment will be their lot. This is because they chose their own image of God to worship -- their idol -- because it was warm, good, comfortable, and it did not require any change or sacrifice or suffering. They chose to ignore His Word, His ways, and His righteousness and stay within their own comfortable understanding. This is not meant to be pompous or harsh; this is the true state of many Christians today, and it is not Truth. The Word says these who do not seek all truth can ultimately be at risk of exchanging the truth for a lie, and the result is strong delusion that will lead to death. Please read Romans 1:18-32 to see the magnitude of the potential outcome of this problem. Staying in a state of mind where we are halfway in, believing in Yahusha as our only way of salvation back to the Father, but being unwilling to accept and live out all His truth is what Yahusha calls “lukewarm”. These are the ones He said He will spew out of His mouth. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- Revelation 3:15-17 But we won’t stop there. For those included in this group of people, there is still great hope to still seek all Truth, find Truth, and live and speak His Truth. This next scripture is what He says to these, the church of Laodecia, after He chastises them in the previous verses. His words are founded in a love we cannot comprehend, but it is His definition of love and His way of love – the very love He demonstrated His whole entire life and death – 100% total sacrificial obedience. This is His ever-enduring merciful love extended to a rebellious people when it is undeserved. And the way we reciprocate and truly love Him is to obey Him -- His words and His commands – not our ideas of Him, just as Yahusha said in John 14:15. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:18-21 I want to say a bit more about this next powerful and demonstrative scripture of Yahusha's words to a sinful woman He met (intentionally) by one of Jacob's wells. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:22-24 When Yahusha said this to the Samaritan woman at the well, He was erasing all she knew at that point and giving her the absolute truth straight from His mouth. This is the same truth we have available to us today – from His Word! This is the only way that we can know Him and obey Him. To know Him is to follow Him by the Holy Spirit and in the fullness of Truth, including picking up our own cross of sacrifice and suffering, to love and obey His ways, and to allow Him to work His nature into our image. It is His image we need to replace ours, because our image must and will be destroyed. His image in us is what the Father is looking for, and this image will not be judged but instead be accepted into the Beloved. So what do we see when we look in the mirror? Do we still see our own image... the image that takes precedence over His -- our flesh that determines its own truth? Or do we yet see the death of self and the image of Christ being formed in our reflection? This is the reflection that the world will see, and His reflection is what the world so desperately needs! If we have His image, then we carry within us His truth -- His message of fiery truth that will melt us with love and burn us with purification. His truth is the only truth that saves! This is not based solely on feel-good emotions or feelings (although we will definitely feel His love and power and conviction!), but it is a truth that will also cut and divide and birth a new creation within us. We can only impact the world with His image and His truth! We must always be willing to test our truth -- everything we have ever been taught and even all we know to this point. We must be humble enough to believe that we don't yet have all truth and remember that there is a very present and prevalent enemy that is working to not only steal truth but suppress and corrupt it -- and he has. In this day and time, we must test everything we hear or want to receive by fire, which is by His Word and His Spirit. When we stand before the Son of Man, and He looks at us with His eyes of fire, nothing apart from Spirit and Truth will stand. It will literally be burned off of us, and the question is... how much of us will be left standing before Him? Nothing false or evil or self-serving can stand in His presence. His fire of holiness, love, and light will burn it right up with only ashes remaining. In closing and to bring all glory to Him, I say... Spirit and Truth is Yahusha – His Spirit in us teaching us Truth and empowering us to live Truth. This is how we believe, know, and worship Him. This is what He is seeking. He is not seeking our version. Only His will do, and only His is absolute holy perfection! It is sooo worth every tear, trial, loss, pain, and every ounce of anguish that may be experienced as we are transformed into His image. We must die in every aspect of our fallen being; but the good news is that when we do this, that is when we truly live… and it will be forever! So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 Amen and so be it!
In these final days of the age in which we live, the battle of the two kingdoms has never been so visible in our realm. The lord of the earthly kingdom is no longer hiding himself and his followers, and he is bringing out all his tricks to prevail, even though he knows his time is very short and he will lose. On the other hand, the Creator and Kingdom of all eternity, who resides in the heavenly realm, is also showing Himself and urging all whom He has created to follow Him... and it will be, at all cost. It is past time for us to be sober, watchful, and both seeking and living in Truth, which can only be found in Yahusha (Jesus). Just in the last week, I have been blessed enough to watch and read two things that fully contrast these two kingdoms, at the root. I know this is not by chance, and I believe I am supposed to share this. Please make time in the coming week to watch and read what I am about to share. Although it may take a bit of your time, it is worth every second. The first thing I would like to share is a 5-hour video by a man from Australia who was apparently a winner on the X-factor TV show. Through his striving for fame, he became deeply entangled in something where he was able to see the tentacles of the kingdom of darkness -- of course, all cloaked in fake light. He was then miraculously saved by the grace and mercy of Yahusha ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) and set himself in motion to fully expose this dark kingdom that exists right in front of our eyes -- one which many choose to minimize and ignore and even participate in, eventually to their own peril. And of course, throughout the duration of the video, He is exalting the One True Lord and King, Yahusha! Throughout this video, the speaker encourages us to please stay with him, and I encourage you to do the same. Make it your business to know in-depth your enemy, as we are admonished in the very Word of our Creator: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8 ...Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11 And no wonder, for even satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 You may access the video below (and I encourage you to please watch it very soon, as I fully expect for it to be removed). And just so you don't stop here, please make sure that you continue reading beyond the video so that you can access the best part... a beautiful reminder and explanation of our ultimate heavenly Kingdom which will be brought to earth to rule and reign for all of eternity. UPDATE 10/13/21: As suspected, the video was removed from YouTube, but I was able to find it here (and this is one of only two places I was able to find it!) In stark contrast to the kingdom exposed in the video, we know that our Master and Lord, Yahusha ha Mashiach, has already attained the victory with His own blood and will rule this earth and all heavenly realms with His Kingdom where no evil will exist! He has already won the battle of the kingdoms, and He has done this so that we too, those who will sacrifice all to follow Him, may be with Him forever.
I would like to share a very recent writing by my sister from South Africa (Pietra de Bod) from her book, Kingdom Mandate. This is actually the very last chapter of her book, and in summary it offers the most perfect contrast to what we have learned about the wicked kingdom that constantly wars against the heavenly Kingdom. We need to know these things about our Kingdom!! Click here to access the last chapter of the book, "A Moral Conflict". In addition, click here to access the entire Kingdom Mandate book, which can also be found on the Resources page of this site under "Writings, Books, and Blogs". It is my earnest prayer that you are blessed by what you watch and read from this post. Please take sometime to feed yourself with this wisdom and understanding that is sure to equip you in these last days. |
Special NoteThese writings are written in love and a spirit of servitude. They are not designed to judge but make us think. We are all sinners in need of saving, and we all need encouragement and absolute truth to endure on the narrow road to sanctification and ultimately eternal life. Categories
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