Confessing Jesus Before Men, or Is it?

Luke 12:4-12
4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

8 "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
NKJV

In some services it is perfectly normal for the "pastor" to make mention of everyone bowing their heads and allow those who would like to become followers of Jesus to "raise their hand" and confess with their mouth the prayer of Salvation.

 But if we are confessing God before men, why do we bow our heads? God knows what we are made of and He knows what each of us has done, then why bow the head? In making a true commitment to God and receiving His Son, do we not need to look up..........."well Shelley, it is the person looking inside himself for all that he has done wrong!" 

And to that I respond: "bunk!" 

I remember really long years of "church going" and in that I refer back to the "pastor" who wanted those to come forward and make their "new" stand for Jesus.

I think that should prevail today as well! Although I have been around for sometime now, I still see people who truly give their hearts  and want others to know they have a "risen" Savior, and they want to go through Water Baptism again, even though they did that as a youth!

People certainly do not mind making "a stand" for the music they like when you can hear it two-to-five cars away in another lane on a busy roadway. People like making "a stand" for their favorite football team, right? Well, what about making a "stand for Jesus"?

What if you did jail ministry? What if you did something you have not done before?

I liked serving in Jail Ministry and how women were excited to hear about Jesus but even more than that, they wanted others to know they "loved" Jesus!

I sometimes ask others who say they "have a ministry in outreach" and I will usually ask them where is their outreach? Who did you touch today? Where are they reaching to today? Did one of the cell phone services cause you to connect with so-n-so for the fifteenth time today........or did you allow someone to text you, but not answer them back? Or do we really need to text "minnie " during our time with our family? Can it not wait till tomorrow or is she near " a breaking point moment"? What if we left the phones shut off for about six hours at night? Just a question. I know some who cannot do that for they are the vital one who works with the: Fire Department, the Emergency Care unit, the Police or even the Rescue Squad!

But sometimes we need to shut off the phones. And when going to a service, what if we shut off the world for just a bit and hear God in that cool, calm and quiet that hears Him speak? Not in hustle and bustle fashion in a, do this and do that, but walking with God, enjoying the laughter with Him and finding pleasure in that time with others who love God!

I always think of this scripture when people refer to others bowing their heads. If we know what Jesus did that for us..........and we are the "Redeemed", then we should be standing tall, and shoulders squared, right? If the Redeemed, we should look like it!

Read on in Psalm 146:1-10

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them--
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
NIV

In verse 5.......this blessed is :esher...blessed, happy.

While you and I live, we can praise the LORD ( we can praise Him for His goodness to us). We can keep and stay happy for the Word states in verse 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help. We can praise Him who executes justice for the oppressed! That by His Word we will be the over-comer! If Jacob could become Israel, then could we not become what God planned for our good?
He gives food to the hungry and freedom to the prisoners. Those who are bowed down, cannot see anything but a lifeless existence. But when He comes in...........when He enters, we can stand tall......we can with eyes opened and body able to stand correct.......being free from the snares of the enemy, we are the righteous whom the Lord loves. Because Jesus came to set those captives free and to remove that which is from the enemy. (Is there baggage you or I need to get rid of today?)

When I travel, I like taking extra set of clothes, and shoes. In the travel, we may find a new place to check out that was not on our main itinerary. So when we take an extra day  of 24-hours driving back home, then we each have extra clothes for the extra night at the hotel before heading home.

 Verse 9, the Lord watches over the strangers and relieves the fatherless and widow, but the way of the wicked He will turn upside down.
Yes thankful are we Lord to go forward and receive "Jesus" as  Lord. We are the Redeemed. We are the joyful in glory. That when we go to rest at night ( Psalm 149:5)...... that we have loud songs to sing on our beds. We go to sleep knowing You are active in performing Your Word and that it will not return to You void, ever!

So if I like to chat on the phone, what if I chat it up with the Lord instead? What if I find those things He delights in........

Proverbs 15:8-9

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,

But the prayer of the upright is His delight. 

9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,

But He loves him who follows righteousness. 

NKJV

Colossians 3:20-25

 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. 

NKJV

So if I look at Proverbs 15 and verse 8, my Father delights in the prayer of the upright (righteous) person. And I if I really take note of Colossians 3:20............to obey my parents, and heed all their ways that are of "the righteous" then I will be pleasing to the Lord. But if I follow parents who do things that are wrong in this land and illegal.......then I follow my Father Who is heaven and Who keeps watch over me..........Psalm 101:6

6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,

that they may dwell with me;

he whose walk is blameless 

will minister to me. 

NIV

Ahh, being the blameless will minister to God the Father.

Psalm 101:7-8

7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;

He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. 

8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,

That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD. 

NKJV

Those who desire to please Father God are those who walk blamelessly and without lies. Integrity is so important today, not only for each of us as individuals, but in communication with others as well.
And if we mention that we are going to do something, then should it not be immediately .......and not days or a week later. Do we put any weight on what we say.........? Well, what about God, do we put anything of weight speaking that we have found what He desires, or are we just those remembering what some else said about finding things "the Lord delights in"?
From the above scripture, we find that he who tells lies shall not continue in the presence of the LORD!

1 Peter 4:14-19
 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,   "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,  what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will, should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. NIV

If I can see how thoroughly committed God was to his plan, should I not be the faithful as He and commit to help others get to their destination as well. That destination is known! It has the sign of the Cross and the blood splattered ground. It was for intense pain and sacrifice, Jesus submitted to His Father plan. Ahh, can we say as much? You want me to walk next door and talk to them about Jesus? What? Who me? You want me to shut my phone off.? No, .........it is my "support" system!
Is it really a support system?
Am I or you allowing people to speak negative things into our being?

Back in the 1960's there was a song out "Good Vibrations"..........and I think of it from time to time. You know the beach goers had their favorite rock n roll band and the Beach Boys had some super tunes..........well, there was a lot of things going on in the 60's. In the scheme of it all, there was the Beatles in 1964 and of course Elvis Presley since his early days in the mid 50's. You had all the British groups and the many other bands like the 5th Dimension, the Boxtops, Jefferson Airplane that became Jefferson Starship in the 80's! Yikes! Then you had "Woodstock"............some folks showing up last minute in a farmer's field and playing rock n roll was not an ideal thing to me....with no restrooms and  all that rain and mud. Yuck!


But in good vibrations.........we connect with God. In reading and meditating we find His frequency that connects to us.............and it is a true vibration. It is day in and day out, meditating on the Word, and keeping that frequency open to hear. But when I just slide through the day, and through the night.......and give very little to hearing what God speaks then I just keep on sliding through every situation in my life. But when I heed God and His holiness, His wealth of wisdom, then I move out of Limited Village and move into God of more than enough!

If we for the moment consider Elijah praying on that mountain top............and kneeling in prayer.......and asking God for rain..........he did not leave his post in praying that till he got the word that rain was coming...........and what did Elijah hear?

Elijah spoke in 1 Kings 18:41........41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.' " 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. NKJV

"For there is the sound of abundance of rain." Now that is a good vibration!

His spending time with God connected to hearing God's frequency........and it was SOUND! God makes a sound and it was an indication that something was on its way!
When Elijah spoke that there was the "sound of an abundance of rain" .........it meant the drought was over. Rain was coming to fill the dry river beds and stream beds with flowing water from bank to bank. It was new life being restored in the new and freshness of rain. The rivers were going to run strong and fast. Fish would be caught for food, crops would again grow in the drought stricken region and fullness was being heard.
God wants us to see the Father, and speak boldly that He is on the Way with goodness. God is the answer and it is with Him.
It is a busy time, it is a chaotic time, yet I cannot see what is ahead, but I CAN HEAR IT. IT IS THE SOUND OF ABUNDANCE.

Let's allow others to look at Jesus. Let's allow them to connect with Jesus at the Cross, and move forward to 'THAT ALTAR" and receive that which God desires..........and that we confess Jesus to men everywhere. If I cannot make a stand at the altar and have to hide in the sanctuary with lights so dim that I cannot see my hand in front of me.............why all the secrecy and...........?

Romans 10:8-11 amplified
8 But what does it say? The Word (God's message in Christ is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is the Word (the message the basis and object) of faith which we preach.
9 because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, relies, on Christ ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly  and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. 11 The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. [Psalm 34:22, Isaiah 28:16, Isaiah 49:23, Jeremiah 17:7]

How refreshing it would be, in a society of low -accountability, that we would want others to come forward for Jesus!

But if we continue to keep it low key........accountability to almost 0 percent......no contact with others..........Salvation..........is salvation.........let's move on .........AND ROCK THIS PLACE OUT.............WHERE IS THAT BASS GUITAR?

Let's make it count for those coming forward for Salvation.The Lord is watching over it, right? And what if we keep it real and not the low-commitment, low or no accountability..........with no direction to a Bible study or Prayer group?

To not only survive this age of technology, we must want to thrive in God and the personal relationships and make them the "REAL" from the start. If we really want to keep it the "REAL", then lead people to come forward and maybe have someone stand with them. Let's get loud about the things God loves and takes pleasure in..............and that is building His kingdom!

Father, in the name of Jesus, enlarge our understanding to know that You make all things new. (Revelation 21:5)

Show us a fresh Holy Spirit-inspired way of relating to negative things that have happened. Give us the mind of Christ to discern Your voice clearly.

Salvation was Your idea God. You sent us the Son of Your love. That salvation was to stop anything that would hinder blessings to us. It was in the death of Your Son on the Cross and the shed blood of our Savior that gave way for us to a life abundantly. That life is one that oozes with every resource we need to fulfill the call You have placed on our lives. Today Your banner over us is victory. We are the spiritually connected with the Lord. No matter the day or hour, no matter the intensity of war or however many people coming for prayer or for hearing the Word of God, we are the equipped to do all that You have for us to day. May it be to Your glory and honor and May we see Your beauty forever.........!

Lord, I pray that You would give us the “incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious” in Your sight…1 Peter 3:4.

Where anyone in our past has convinced us that we are the unattractive and less than who You made us to be, I pray that You would replace those lies with Your truth. Keep any hurtful words that have been spoken to us from playing over and over in my mind.

May we Lord not base our worth on appearance, but on Your Word. Help us to see ourselves from Your perspective.

Holy Spirit show us how valuable we are to You, so that we will be better able to convince myself of how valuable I am to our husband, to our wife, and family. 

Holy Spirit, You direct us today in the wisdom about the way to dress and adorn ourselves and remind us that time spent in Your Presence is the best beauty treatment of all.  May everyone see the beauty of Lord and Your image reflected in us............(Ps 29:2…….2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;   worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness....Ps 45:11……..11 The king is enthralled by your beauty;  honor him, for he is your lord. )  Amen.


There is a new Youtube posting as well:
PRAYER FATHER TO THE SON AND SON TO THE FATHER

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV