The Household of God

Christ Brings Division

Matt 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’[e] 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

The word translated household is this text occurs one other time in Matt 10:25

It is the Greek word oikiakos which means one belonging to the house.

I have read this verse several times and I have always assumed that it meant the household of your family because it refers to your mother, father, sister and brother….However, about a week ago I was worshipping and praying and God spoke this word to me in the context of our church family. So I opened up my concordance and found that this particular word “household” is only used one other time in the bible…

 Matt 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

As you can see the household described is not limited to our biological family, it is referring to the house of God or the household of Beelzebub. This made me excited because God led me to it but it made me very sad…for obvious reasons.

I have been thinking about it a  great deal and then yesterday, listening to a sermon, this scripture was used:

Matthew 12:50(NKJV) For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

As you would expect, I listened at attention! For me this was another confirmation!!!! So here I am documenting what I have been hearing! Jesus does not exclude his natural family in these versus. In fact doing more of a search I remembered these versus:

Matt 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

Matt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Mark 3:31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. ³² And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”

³³ But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” ³⁴ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

Unfortunately, I believe that those that call themselves Christians but really are not, will be those that persecute other Christians. They will be the very people that deliver you up, just like Judas. The true Christian will stand on the truth of God when the others will compromise to keep the peace. This next verse gives us direction on how to conduct ourselves when we are delivered up…

Persecutions Are Coming

Matt 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God

27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Confess Christ Before Men

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

1. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves

2. Beware of men

3. Do not worry

4. Speak whatever God tells you

5. Endure

6. Flee to another city

7. Do not FEAR (x3)

8. Confess Him before men

Those who are well have no need of a Physician...

This morning I was very discouraged. I see so many falling for false doctrine. Believing things because it makes them feel good. I decided NOT to study, rather I got on my knees and talked with my Father in heaven. I expressed anguish. So many people falling into ditches. What should I do -what should I say to them? I do not want to argue but I do not want to see them headed to destruction without warning them. My heart aches. I hate that the devil has deceived so many people that seem so genuine. People I love and care about. I don’t want to be that Christian that seems like they are “judging” everyone. I know what they are believing is not biblical. Do I say something or stay silent?

Well, He answers quickly.

Mark 2:17  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Matthew 9:12-13 (NKJV) When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Luke 5:31-32 “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus dealt with the” righteous” or “the well” very briefly. The "righteous" and "the well" that Jesus was referring to were the Pharisees. They were not teachable…..He did not sit there and try and talk the Pharisees into believing. He would make a statement and literally walk away. It would make the “righteous” mad and angry. Today this can be applied to anyone that is not teachable. They think they are righteous, they think they know the scriptures but they want to believe what they want to believe. 

Many times these people have heard these things from various preachers and it “sounds good.” However, ignorance is not a plea. We are all called to study our bibles and find out for ourselves what the word actually says. When we see a brother or sister stumbling in the word, we are to offer help but ultimately they need to receive it. If pride gets in the way, all we can do is pray for them. Arguing doctrine is NOT biblical.

Jesus was actually quoting Hos 6:6

A Call to Repentance

Hosea 6:6-8 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7 “But like men[a] they transgressed the covenant;

There they dealt treacherously with Me.

8 Gilead is a city of evildoers

And defiled with blood.

Now the language of this can be confusing. Language evolves throughout time, so if we do not look up what these terms means when they were written, we will not understand correctly.

Mercy here means “loyalty” or “devotion.”

Knowledge of God does not refer to mere head knowledge, but rather "a genuine recognition of God’s authority that produces obedience to His commandments."

So the text would actually read:

I (God) desire loyalty/devotion and not sacrifice,

And a genuine recognition of My (Gods) authority that produces obedience to My (Gods) commandments.

But like men they transgressed the covenant;

There they dealt treacherously with Me.

This really helped me to understand. I am to give guidance but if it is not received, I am to walk away and shake the dust. I am not supposed to waste my time on the "righteous" or "the well." I am supposed to focus on those that know how much they truly need God. Those that will actually pick up their cross. The others are mere distractions and they are the "righteous" Jesus walked away from. 

The bottom line is if we love God, we will keep His commands (John 14:15).

The Man of God and the Word of God

2 Timothy 3:10-17 (NKJV) 10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Do Not En-cage the Holy Spirit

I was listening to a sermon and a great man of God said something about this scripture that gave me great revelation, so I wanted to document it. Some revelation is His and some is mine. Enjoy!

He Kicked Over the Tables

Matthew 21:12-17 (NKJV)

12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”

And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,

‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise’?”

17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

First, I want to talk about the money changers. The money changers sold sacrifices, they commercialized the altar. They made it EASY for people to bring sacrifices for their sins. Like they are today saying "all you have to do is say a little prayer" or "just believe." 
Our sacrifice now is Jesus. We do not need to bring a blood sacrifice anymore. However, we are still called to be a living sacrifice, we are to pick up our cross daily and we are to honor God, keeping His sacrifice Holy and we are not to exploit it or commercialize it.

Romans 12:1 (NKJV)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service

Luke 9:23 (NKJV)

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,[a] and follow Me.

Second, they were selling doves. When you sell something you have to control it, either with a cage or leash. The dove is a picture of the Holy Spirit. Those that come to exploit the church or to commercialize it they attempt to control the Holy Spirit. They try and use it for their gain rather than the gain of the Kingdom of God.  

2 Corinthians 2:17 (NKJV) For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

1 Corinthians 5:8n (NKJV) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

2 Peter 2:3 (NKJV) By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does[a] not slumber.

Third, den of thieves!!!! This refers to the people that come to Gods house just for attendance purposes. They do not come to pray!!!!! They come to make themselves feel like they did their good deed for the week. They are not expecting God to move. Why would they, they control the Holy Spirit! They en-cage Him. They control anything that forces them to look at themselves.  They kill, steal, and destroy the very thing God is trying to do!

            Mark 11:16 (NLT) and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.

Lastly, we all have seen that new Christian so on fire that they offend people around them! We tell them they need balance. We try and conform them to how we are…., this verse is talking to those older Christians that have become lukewarm and complacent. ”Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, You have perfected praise’!” They are not scared to speak. They want to tell everyone what they have! They want to share it regardless of what everyone around them is saying. HIS STRENGTH IS PERFECTED IN THEIR WEAKNESS.

Luke 19:47 (NKJV) And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him

John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

You just do not understand what I am going through!!!

You know when you encounter someone that is doing something that seems odd, or doing something that you may not agree with. Many times people will say, “You do not know what that person is going through.” Well this morning I was just thinking how often we need to remember just the opposite. People do not know what you are going through and they haven’t walked in your shoes, so why would they understand you or your position unless you explain it to them.

Many times, when I make a decision and people do not understand it, I have gotten upset. I think I should not have to explain myself.  While that is valid many times, I think communication would effectively relieve many of these issues.

Here we see a proverb that really speaks to the issue:

Proverbs 11:2 (NKJV) When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.

I know, none of us have pride lol. Just for the sake of this study, we will amuse the thought that everyone has a bit of pride in them.

The word pride here means “to boil up.” 

It refers to raging arrogance and insolence. Or in my words:  over confident, self-important and rude.

I have been guilty of these and there is no shame in it. We are all human.

What I want to really focus on is not being like this ever again! Like many proverbs the solution is in the same verse. “But with the humble is wisdom.”

Now we can know the scriptures inside and out but true wisdom is not just the knowledge but the actual practice of the knowledge that you have.  In other words, being doers of the word -not just hearers.

So that takes me to the next word….HUMILITY!!!

This word shows up one other time in the Hebrew concordance :

Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

It means to act submissively or modest.

Humility is often seen as weakness, and few of us know much about it or pursue it. For the good of our souls, we need to gain a clearer understanding of pride and humility and of how to forsake the one and embrace the other.

A good story to read is 2 Chronicles 26. King Uzziah depended on the Lord; after his fame spread throughout the land he became dependent on himself. History shows at every point how easy it is for pride to increase as we become stronger, more successful, more prosperous, and more recognized in our endeavors. In fact, anything, real or imagined, that elevates us above others can be a platform for pride. Ironically, this is true even when these things come as a result of God’s blessings.

Romans 12:3 (NKJV) For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Walking with the Lord always leads us to success and blessing. If we do not keep our attitudes and thoughts in line with the word we can easily take credit for our success. Thinking that we have done this or that but in reality we would not have done no such thing without the blessings of God upon our lives. We need to remember who we were without Him and give credit where credit is due.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Jesus was talking to the disciples and He mentioned Satan getting cast out of heaven. At first, I did not read this scripture and think it was about pride but when you read it in context you can see why Jesus warned His disciples. The disciples, just like us, have authority over demons. This could ultimately leave us with a swollen heads, if we do not remember who gave us this authority and why He gave it to us we can become powerful in our own minds. We need to keep our perspectives in line with the Word. Jesus said not to rejoice in this…this is true humility.

Luke 10:17 Then the seventy[e] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Just like power can throw us off track, so can knowledge….

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

This scripture was for the Christians that used the scriptures to make other Christians, for lack of words, feel stupid. Some believers in the bible did not think it was proper to eat certain foods. However, others thought the idea was stupid and used scriptures to back them up. We are all called to walk in our own convictions. Things that I maybe sin for me may not be sin for you. We need to stay true to our OWN convictions; we need to keep our conscious clear. Do not flaunt your enlightened point of view! We are not to belittle weaker Christians with our knowledge making ourselves feel more superior. Instead of puffing up with knowledge and telling people they do not have to do this or that. Love them! Help them! Support them!!! Do not use the scriptures against them!!! This is humility.

We need to remember that His strength is perfected in our weakness!!!

Lastly, I want to remind you that Lucifer, the devil, was cast out of heaven because of pride. This should really shake us. He was blessed, and possibly the most beautiful, powerful, and intelligent of all the angels in Heaven. He let these facts change him. He forgot his purpose and place.

I found this in the Forerunner commentary:

Jude 1:6   (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)

Jude puts this in an interesting way. They were not "the bad angels," or even "the angels who sinned." He calls them "the angels who were not content with where God had placed them."

We know from Revelation 12:4 that one-third of the angels were under Lucifer's, or Hillel's, hand, and he convinced them to leave their proper domain—the place where they had dominion, the place of their responsibility and authority—so that they could get more for themselves. In doing this, they sinned. Their discontent caused them to attempt to take by force what had not been given, but which they thought they deserved. This is the same thing that happened in Korah's rebellion (Numbers 16:1-35).

Side note: Many times people think they can do things better than others, they know it all, or they are just plan critical....this is a sign of pride...

Lace Up Your Shoes!!!

Well, today is the day! Many of you already know about my "criminal ticket." I will be facing the judge but I go with peace knowing MY STEPS ARE ORDERED FROM THE LORD!!! It has almost been thirteen years since I surrendered my Life to Jesus and have been considered a "criminal!" I go with anticipation that someone in my path needs to be introduced to my Jesus.

My prayer is: yes Lord, send me. It is my pleasure!

For the record, I am praying for Gods will to be done, not mine.

As I sit here praying and meditating this verse came to my mind…

Ephesians 6:15 (AMP) 15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.

My initial response was:

Put on my shoes of peace because I am headed to war and a soldier cannot fight without shoes…..our spiritual shoes are peace! We need to put peace on! However, I wanted to be sure I understood correctly. So here I am, doing another bible study.

I looked up shod….

It is a Greek word that means to bind, fasten with chains, to throw into chains and to under-bind or bind under one’s self….

My interpretation is to: put them (shoes/peace) on so nothing can take them off!!!!

Then I look up the Mathew Henry commentary about this verse. I am not going to share what I read verbatim because it is too long but I would like to share what helped me. 

Shoes, or “greaves of brass,”  were formerly part of the military armor (1 Sam. 17:6), the use of them was to defend the feet against the gall-traps, and sharp sticks, which were laid secretly in the way, to obstruct the marching of the enemy, those who fell upon them became unable to march and fight. The preparation of the gospel of peace signifies a prepared and committed heart to adhere to the gospel and abide by it, which will enable us to walk with a steady pace in the way of faith.

Many that are reading this have not been to physical war; however, we may have seen war movies. There is always that soldier that has no peace. He is tormented, scared, fearful and always a mess. How effective is he? Not very! In fact many times he is the one wounded or killed because his mild is not sober, he cannot think correctly. He is consumed with anxiety and worry. This is a good analogy for a Christian that fails to put on the shoes or peace. Without peace (or our spiritual shoes) we can stumble across things that the enemy has secretly put in our way that can spiritually take us out, or in some cases remove us completely from the battle, just like the above analogy. However, when we put on our shoes (peace) nothing the enemy brings can affect us. We can fight the good fight, and finish the race we are called to. The enemy can put as many obstacles in our way as he would like because with our shoes (peace) we do not stumble.

We here about putting the armor of God on, the shoes are actually part of the armor. We will not get very far if we do not have peace. We will be like that soldier in war that is falling apart or losing his mind. We need to stay sober minded!!!

Ephesians 6:10-18 (AMP)

¹⁰ In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

¹¹ Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

¹² For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

1 Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

Compassion v. Fear; how should we witness?

The big controversy on how to outreach….show them love or make them fearful. Oh how we love to go back and forth about this subject in the church. We swear that the other “group” is wrong and we insist on our way. Well I stumbled across this verse and my heart leapt within me. I know I have used both techniques to bring people to repentance.  

Ultimately it depends on the person you are dealing with. You need to be led by the spirit. If you go up to a hard core sinner and ask if you can give them a hug, you may get a bullet in return for your “love.” It will not get you too far. They will think you are crazy, loony and gay (sorry for the expression but it works)!

And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Jude 22-23 (KJV) 

Right away I am sure I have people saying that is not really what fear means. 

1. Fear in this text is the Greek word phobos. It means “to be put in fear.”  Fear, dread, and terror. It really means FEAR. 

2. Compassion (for all you crazy people like me) is the Greek word eleeō, which means to have mercy on, help one afflicted or seeking aid, to bring help to the wretched, and to experience mercy. 

It is easy for us to understand that everyone has different ways they learn in school, so I am not really sure why this concept is so hard to grasp. It may be our society pounding the politically correctness down our throat. 

I have two biological daughters. When I was raising them, I disciplined them completely different. One constantly needed a spanking. Of course the other one was not affected by spankings. It actually was counterproductive. Different personalities require different techniques. 

Another good illustration is when you have a 2 year old and he/she runs into a street. You need to do whatever it takes to be sure that child understands that running into the street will cause death of very serious injury if they do it again. Of course the child doesn't understand death yet so you communicate in a way that child understand…. BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM. You do not want anything bad to happen to them. We all heard our parents say “this hurts me more than you,” when they were spanking us. We didn't believe it, it actually sounded ridiculous to be honest. However, now that I am an adult it is the truth, I actually understand what they meant. 

The same goes for telling people the truth of their sin. It is the hardest thing to actually do. It is uncomfortable. It makes you feel like the enemy sometimes, and to make things worse, your fellow peers look down on you for doing it, just like spankings lol. When you know it is what that person needs, you do it anyways because you want to see them alive. Whether it be a child not running into the street or holding a friends hand to hell. You just do not let it continue without saying something. 

We have certain obligations to others. 

1. We need to show mercy to any kind of spiritual or physical need.

2. We need to use discernment (making a distinction).

        a.  Some require tender care and patience to help them grow in Christ

        b. Some will require a drastic action to rescue them from the temptation of sin

3. Use caution that way you do not get caught up in the sin that caused them to fall. 

I actually have experienced both extremes in churches I have attended. We need to bring the pendulum into the middle and be led by the spirit, using discernment.  We need to understand that it is a matter of life and death for the people we talk to. No matter how hard it is, we need to listen and snatch then from the enemy’s hand. I encourage you today, as you go, He is with you and He is pleased with you. We are all growing and learning, so please do not judge another’s technique, God may have told them to say the things you are judging.  We are all on the same team, and we all ultimately want the same thing. You focus on what God is telling you to do (it will take your focus off the others). 

I would not be here today if it wasn't for a courageous woman of God that explained to me the way of salvation. She told me God was not please with my lifestyle, she prayed with me and hard preaching is what ultimately saved me. If you would have tried to hug my or tell me Jesus loved me, no change would have come. In fact, I would have laughed at you. I am not downing this technique, I am merely explaining that one size doesn't fit all. 

Ultimately, it is God who anoints the words and know that he loves it when we reach out to others. 

Two or Three Witnesses

This weekend I had the privilege of participating in the "Prophetic Arrow Ministries Conference," with Paulette Reed!!! It was such a powerful conference. I believe there is no such thing as coincidence. I have said this for many years now…However, sometimes I have found myself living like I do believe in coincidences, merely walking through life without catching the signs and wonders in everyday life. 

Oh my hearts prayer is to I see Gods hand on everything, staying in awe of His communication skills!

Something that really stuck out over and over this weekend was a saying that Paulette "Rose" kept saying. She made a statement (not verbatim) that we should have two or three witness when God is speaking to us. At least this is how I understood it.  When we hear God say something to us, we should be looking for confirmation from Him (two or three witness'). She was giving examples of this, for instance: you may see a sign, a billboard, be in conversations, or it can be anywhere or anything to confirm, in your spirit, that God is speaking to you. She gave several examples but I want to document my own.

In October of last year (2014), 3 months ago, I went and got a tattoo for myself. This isn't just a regular tattoo, it means a lot to me. It is a tattoo that decrees that I stand with the persecuted (#IamN). It is the Star of David with Jude written in the middle and the Arabic N. I have a huge heart for those that are persecuted for their faith, hence the Jewish patch that the Jews wore during the holocaust and the Arabic N that Isis is using to label and identify Christians in Northern Iran today. Here is a picture of it.

This month (January 2015) I was pulled over on my way to a women’s event at my church. I was singing, full of fire, and over flowing with God. My spirit was absolutely fiery.  I was not doing anything wrong. I was pulled over by an officer that insisted that I disobeyed him. If you know me, that is something I would never do willingly. Little did I know that it was God speaking to me through him. Although my heart was shaken and I was tested to the deepest marrow of my bones, I can actually see good coming from it.

The officer kept calling me a criminal…over and over. He actual wrote me a criminal ticket not a traffic ticket. It was so hurtful. I am not a criminal, I am a very good law abiding citizen. I didn't argue with him or even defend myself. I just tried to listen and be obedient because every time I tried to open my mouth he would become angrier. I actually believed I was headed to jail. Well, to make a long story short, he wrote me a ticket and I was on my way.

This morning I was studying my bible and reading Romans 12:1 which says:

[ Living Sacrifices to God ] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

This doesn't not look like much but I was thinking about what God has called me to. It popped in my head how people are called criminals in other countries and it struck me…God was trying to speak to me again!!! I actually was looking up a quote from the Voice of the Martyr’s and this is what I stumbled across….

Okay so this is really crazy for me…so I decided to look up the different scriptures that talk about two or three witness, to make sure I was hearing correctly and this is what I found:

Deut. 19:15 (NKJV) by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

Matthew 18:16(NKJV) But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

2 Corinthians 13:1(NKJV) This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

THERE ARE EVEN THREE SCRIPTURES!!!! 

The things running through my mind right now are insane….it is scary, but it is an honor. I do not want to get ahead of myself. Nor do I want to misinterpret what I am seeing and hearing. I will continue to listen.

I am listening Lord...

"My Reasonable Service," Offering Illistration

Good evening!

I am absolutely delighted to take an offering and to give an offering to my Savior this evening. He has given us life and life abundantly, whether we realize it or not. How many of you realize it?? He gave us- His all, and didn’t hold back anything. So tonight I want to be a living sacrifice for HIM, giving Him- my all in return.

[ Living Sacrifices to God ] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

Did you catch that? It says it is our reasonable service….It is not a far-fetched, radical idea…it is reasonable.

Reasonable in this text derives from the Greek word logikos (G3050). It means logical….for all you logical people out there, this makes perfect sense lol…

When we experience salvation at its rawest point, we yield our lives and will to God. This means we give Him ourselves as living sacrifices. We yield our hearts, minds and sole to Him because we so desperately love Him and we are grateful.

Christ, who was offered to bear our sins is the only sacrifice that could ever pay the price for our forgiveness. However, we offer our hearts and service to Him in return. We present ourselves as a living sacrifice, this is a voluntary act. It must be a free-will offering (Lev 1:3).

We come knowing that we cannot earn our salvation but the verse says it is our reasonable sacrifice to present ourselves in return.

Holy love kindles sacrifice, it sets us apart, it makes us instruments and tools for His Kingdom. 

..LOVE is an action not a feeling.

Romans 6:13 (NKJV) And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  

So if we are to be living sacrifices, everything we are and everything we have should be available for His use. I am not saying sell everything and give it, or empty your accounts for the cause, although, some are called to do this. I am saying we need to understand that what we are pressed to give by the Holy Spirit and our obedience is a reasonable sacrifice. We are here for His purposes, His tools, and as His instruments- to do as He wills. So today we listen willingly to the Holy Spirit and we yield to His voice with pleasure. We give freely and we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.