We returned to church on Sunday for the first time since March, it was so good to see everyone in person. Nash man was pretty well behaved for being almost 2, I was so thankful. Leah forgot her phone in the car so she was a little antsy. It's funny how the enemy can attack our minds, even while you're sitting in your seat in church. More about that in a minute. As worship started I was dancing and singing with Nash on my hip. I had my arm raised and suddenly I began to feel extremely hot. As I looked around, I began to see fire all around me. My gaze shifted up toward my hand that was extended to the heavens. As usual, there He was. It reminded me of the scene where Jesus has Peter step out to walk on water. As Peter loses faith, he begins to sink, then the Lord rescues him. Except, instead of water, it was fire; and instead of Peter, it was me.
Jude 22-25 KJV
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen
I was dressed in a white gown, nothing else, no shoes, no fancy jewelry, just me and a white flowing gown. I was sure the hem of the garment would catch fire, but the fire couldn't touch it. I was sure that my skin was going to bubble and blister, but it didn't. His grip on my wrist was firm, I hadn't felt that grip in a while. It's one of the ways He lets me know He's near. It normally happens when I worship with my arms in the air. I'll get the feeling of His strong but loving grip around my wrist just like He is right there, pulling me from the flames. It always bring me comfort. Sometimes I'll feel Him pull my arms, just like yesterday. As if He's reminding me to keep my focus on the Kingdom at hand. Looking around, the flames intensified, multiplying in every direction. I felt the strength of the Lord as He lifted me up, flames rising higher by the second, barely kissing my toes as He rescued me. As I was standing beside the Lord, looking down at the fire, I noticed that even though I was unharmed from the flames, not burned, not singed, nothing; that my hair and robe had an odor. I smelled this awful stench of smoke and evil. It's hard to describe, it was dry and powdery like ashes so the smell stuck in my nostrils. I turned to the Lord and asked Him about it. I mean, I though the whole Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thing in the bible meant that I wouldn't even have the smell of smoke on me. What gives, am I not as good as they were Lord? The Lord looked back at me and said very simply 'That's a different lesson, Ash but your offense there was just what we need to talk about" At first I thought this was vision of the way the Lord rescues us form the enemy, but the Lord changed it up and put this message on my heart.
John 15:26 KJV
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me
The flames are the sins of the world, and the evil spirits sent from the enemy to attack. They are Hatred, Fear, Greed, Envy, Pride, Lust, Idolatry, Addiction, Suicide, Depression, Anxiety, Trauma, Pain, Affliction, Infirmity...the list goes on and on. The world is under constant enemy attack. The devil knows that his time is almost up. He's throwing a tantrum all over the earth in the end of days, and he is using any evil spirit that he can to plant seeds of offense all over the place. That's when it hit me, the smell that was on me, the smell that follows us without us even knowing it....OFFENSE.
Leviticus 19:18 KJV
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord
We as Christians can say that we are prepared for spiritual warfare. We can guard our hearts from sin, the big ones. The ones we know that we would never be involved in. We can sit on our high horses and say that we would never say, do, act, think, that way etc... but the truth of the matter is that all sin is sin the sight of the Lord. If the enemy can't get you to destroy your salvation and turn on God, he will plant seeds of offense to prevent you from living a fruitful life. There is nothing that the enemy loves more than a bunch of offended miserable Christians complaining to one another and bickering. Proclaiming our faith in the Lord, with the left hand while speaking negative curses over our own lives and the lives of others with the right hand; not realizing that the seeds sown out of our own mouths are what keeps us from seeing any kingdom fruit in our lives. Seeds of offense can grow into different nasty little sin flowers. You can be offended and grow that into hate. You can be offended and grow that into jealousy. You can be offended and grown that into anger. You can be offended and grow that into greed. It's amazing what one little tiny seed of offense can spring up into.
Matthew 18:7 & 10 King James Version (KJV)
7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
Guard your mind and do not take offense. It can be as simple as reading a text wrong in your head (guilty of that), taking someone's tone wrong, taking the way someone looks at you wrong, you can be offended by words you hear and things people say. You can be offended by people's political choices and affiliations. You can be offended by someone's actions. You can be offended when you are passed over for promotion. You can be offended when you feel like no one sees the work you do or how you care for your children. You can be offended when someone elses selfie gets more likes than yours. None of those offenses are yours to carry with you, none of them will affect you in the long run. We are called to love and share the love of Jesus to the world. That is it. Love your neighbor, love your enemy, love those with different opinions, beliefs, political stances, levels of income. Just LOVE. The enemy attacks my mind all the time. I have to stay rooted in the word, apologize when necessary and keep moving forward. It's not easy to not be offended. Leah is the biggest source of my frustration in the moment and the enemy is using that to his advantage all the time. I can very easily become frustrated with her behavior or inability to just sit still. I could let that steal my joy and in the past I have. We need to realize that the enemy is just as happy with a crabby miserable Christian as he is with someone performing satanic rituals.
James 3:16 - For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
We don't need more churches, we don't need more church members. We need more kingdom minded relationship builders and disciples of Christ. There is nothing that I hated more as I was growing up than sitting in a boring church service. I wanted no parts of it. Now, I can see why. Because so many churches are dens of thieves. (As far as I know, not my current church. I love my Grace church family but that’s both here nor there). We can't as Christians go out into this world the way it is now, blaring our one sided opinions, throwing scripture in peoples faces and expecting them to have anything positive to say about us as Christians, coming out of that situation. Pastor Harry had made a point on Sunday that I would like to reiterate. We can't wait until we are polished up and perfect to represent the Lord to the world. What I would like to add to that is, that the Lord isn't sitting up there waiting for you to finish your theology degree before He considers you valuable. He's not waiting for you to write a 10 point sermon, or a book. He's not waiting for you to change who you are before He will nurture your relationship with Him as a Son or Daughter. We don't have to live in fear with the thought that we are sinners destined for hell on earth until Jesus comes back. He is waiting arms wide open, always.
Romans 8:15-18 KJV
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Son-ship. Think of a King. Those around the king can enjoy his wealth, they can enjoy his fancy meals, they can enjoy the parades through town. The son of the king, inherits the entire kingdom. Even if that son isn't perfect. We have inherited a kingdom. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, the comforter, we get to enjoy that kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. So many people spend their days waiting to die. I know, I was one of them for a long time. I just wanted relief. I waited patiently to die most days, not enjoying a thing. Dealing with depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety and the constant feeling that I was never good enough, took a tole on me mentally and rendered me ineffective as a "christian" for years. I turned form substance to substance to try and numb the pain. The devil loved it but little did I know that the Lord would work it all out for good. I never knew that the Holy Spirit was this real, that the death of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection that brought us the comforter meant that the peace of heaven can be felt on this earth through recognizing the son-ship or daughter-ship of the Lord that we were given as a GIFT. He doesn't want a bunch of miserable fleshy Christians running around offended making Christians look like a bunch of snotty, too good, judgmental flesh driven jerkbots.
1 John 3:1-3 KJV
3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure
1 John 3:10-15 KJV
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
We are called to have RELATIONSHIP with Jesus and to be disciples. This isn't religion.
Ephesians 1:12-14 KJV
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
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