Mistakes in the bible: yes, I have seen them like Adam who chose with his wife to sin against God. Those who choose to go without God throughout their lifetime become mistakes, not in how they were created for purpose in God, but how they aligned themselves with the world and created to alienate themselves from the truth and life in God!
Heard this
morning that two drivers were killed on one highway, the northbound roadway,
yet one driver was on the wrong roadway, driving in the wrong direction and hit
another vehicle who was actually going the right way to head toward Vancouver, Washington. Sad but true, this happens in the Portland
and Vancouver area all too often. What
direction is the accurate and true to go or arrive at the “specific”
destination where life and truth are seen and lived out?
Might Adam
and Eve in their thinking after finding fig leaves to cover themselves, speak, “
we will just hide from God and be fine. We can stay among these coverings and
God will not question us”! Yes, God knew their condition and it could not
continue within His presence. People long for the great accolades when giving
what they believe to be as an arduous endeavor, but those aligning with the
world will find only heartache, loss and death. You cannot feed yourself on
false hopes expecting God to pass you through when you fail to recognize His
will is life for you and you act outside of that!
Just like
on the roadway, two different vehicles traveling, each heading for a
destination, but not reading the warnings and going onto a freeway that is
northbound only you will find someone on the same path expecting to go
northbound but find someone coming toward you from the opposite direction.
Following directions will bring life but avoiding it will bring only death. We
must never presume God’s grace or take it for granted. We must always be the
fervent people to seek and to submit to the will of God in order to be in His
kingdom!
Yes, there
it is in the written word of God: you shall not bear false witness! And did we
not know that is written as the ninth commandment of God found in Exodus 20:16:
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Matthew 5:37 But let
your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes” and your ‘No’, ‘No’. For whatever is more than these is
from the evil one. So in believing truth and holding onto truth, celebration of
Christ should be sometime during mid Sept to mid October and not in December. For
outside of God is considered pagan. And paganism is of the evil one: is a total
lie of the devil and is from the father of that lie: John 8:44 You are of your
father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do, He was a
murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he
is a liar and the father of it.
We depend on Christ
in our salvation. There is not one ounce of spirituality that we bring to the
table! Jesus was and is the ultimate sacrifice, we are utterly bankrupt Matthew
5:3 blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Yes,
spiritual poverty is a real thing indeed. Jesus on the cross gave up His body
and by shedding His blood completely satisfied God’s requirement: Hebrews
10:12-14 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are
made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who
are being sanctified. He completely opened up the gates of heaven for anyone
that would believe in Him. (John 3:16).
Whether you are the
leader of your home or the pastor leading other believers, The Lord’s Supper’s
is an opportunity to examine our hearts. As that leader one can be overwhelmed
with the responsibility of shepherding souls. In truth, it is more than any
human being can handle and can be impossible for humans to handle. James 2:4 …have you not shown partiality among
yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren:
has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom which he promised to those who love Him?
It is worldly
standards that tries to reveal the person or his true value! It can be hard to
discern why people do what they do even when they are adults. We cannot see
their hearts but God does. Certainly the disciples never expected Judas as not
being saved. They had no idea that he would betray Jesus! They spent much time
together, going from town to town to deliver the kingdom of God that Jesus held
in His heart.
If our heart only
holds what we desire, and forget what God spoke about not touching that one
tree, then we are being our own leader without another for God! We are to be
faith people! While writing on this today, I am reminded that David did not
take the rule as king immediately when the Prophet Samuel anointed him with
oil. David slew the giant, and then he had to steer completely away from king
Saul who desired David to be gone. It was many years before David had a crown
and the royal robes, but his heart held that of God and giving Him first place,
David moved through the obstacles of life which included people!
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you
not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?---unless indeed you are disqualified.
6 But trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
It is not the opinion
of men of whether you are approved, it is their right behavior that of the
righteous man who does what is right behavior before God.
Adam and his wife did
not keep the right behavior before God. They made an opinion and followed it
after a lengthy talk with a “sneaky snake”.
Going back to the Old
Testament, I am reminded of the prophet Micaiah who warns the king Ahab. Ahab
is in battle with Syria and he enlists the help of Jehoshaphat who ruled from the south. And Jehoshaphat
wisely asks for counsel before going into battle. Now Ahab had gathered only
prophets that would speak what he wanted to hear so he could continue doing
things his way! But Jehoshaphat asks if another prophet is there for counsel.
And yes, there is another prophet: Micaiah!
1 Kings 22: 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets
together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth
Gilead to fight or shall I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will
deliver it into the hand of the king.” 7 And
Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may
inquire of Him?” 8 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still
one man, Micaiah ( Me—kaw---yeh---hoo’) the son of Imlah, by whom we may
inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good
concerning me, but evil.”
And Jehoshaphat said,
“Let not the king say such things!”
12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to
Ramoth Gilead & prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king’s
hand.” 13 Then the messenger who had
gone to call Micaiah (
Me-kaw-yeh-hoo’) spoke to him saying, “Now listen, the words of the
prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the
word of one of them, and speak encouragement.
17
Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the
mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, “These have no
master. Let each return to his house in peace.” 18 And the king of Israel said
to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me,
but evil?” 19 Then Macaiah (Me-kaw-yeh-hoo’) said, “Therefore hear the word of
the LORD; “I saw the LORD sitting on His
throne, and all the hose of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on the
left. 20”Amd the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall
at Ramoth Gilead?’
Micaiah is holding to truth and would not be given over to
the false narrative. He gives the vision and the king is now upset. King Ahab
wanted people to give him love always, and to be encouraged in all of his own
endeavors. Observing that Ahab demanded truth from verse 16….the king still
held a low or no account of honor toward the prophet. It is by verse 18 that
king Ahab makes Micaiah as malevolent without any authority…but verse 19 gives
the account of a vision given the prophet: given to Stephen in Acts 7:56! THE Word
now given, the king would fall, be cut off and his army scattered!
1 Kings 22: 21 “Then a spirit came forward and stood before
the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ Yes, if the father of lies that will persuade him….22
“The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?” So he said, “ I will go out and be a
lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets’. And the LORD said, “You shall
persuade him, and also prevail, Go out and do so.’
23 “Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the
mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster
against you.”
24 Now Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah (Ken- ah-an –aw) went
near and struck Micaiah (Me-kaw-yeh-hoo)
on the cheek and said, “Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from
me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah (Me-kaw-yee-hoo) said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when
you go into an inner chamber to hide!”
It is the wicked prophet Zedekiah who insults the prophet Micaiah! He hits him on the cheek……expressing indignation (Jesus was abused this way: Matthew 26:67) Then Ahab was pleased with this conduct of the “false prophet” and king Jehoshaphat did nothing to help the injured prophet. Micaiah tells Zedekiah that he would see his judgment when he goes into an inner chamber to hide.
1 Kings 22:26 So the
king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah (Me, kaw-yee-hoo’), and return him to Amon
the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27 “and say, “Thus says
the king; ‘Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and
water of affliction, until I come in peace.
” 28 But Micaiah
(Me-kaw-yee-hoo’) said, “If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not
spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people.”
Ahab, that wicked king, committed him ( Micaiah) to prison (v. 27), not only ordered him to be taken into custody, or remitted to the prison! He was to be fed with bread and water, (coarse bread and puddle-water) till he should return, not doubting but that he should return a conqueror, and then he would put him to death for being a false prophet (v. 27)—hard usage for one that would have prevented his ruin! There was little likelihood of Ahab coming home in peace when he left one of God's prophets behind him in prison.
Micaiah put it upon the issue, and called all the people to be witnesses that he did so: "If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me….from v. 28. Let me incur the reproach and punishment of a false prophet, if the king come home alive." Micaiah spoke with no error, for he knew whom he had believed!
Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My
mouth; It shall not return to me voice, but it shall accomplish what I please,
and it shall prosper in the things for which I send it.
To live in safety, is to live for God in His plan and from
His truth! Increasing in God is increasing in a strength of muscle that fills a
place, it is yes, a place of love but it is also a place of authority! And our
response is to give place to Him and make our own!
Jesus used the picture of sheep that have no shepherd in Mark 6:34 like Micaiah uses here. Zedekiah gave an optimistic prophecy and it confirmed what the other prophet's were giving to the kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat! But it is one prophet who stood alone to give truth. In this day and within this hour, there are still those who would rather have the lie than to receive God's truth!
Oh yes, time will tell of those who stand with God and of those who do not! And this I have heard for over a year from the Lord for many may speak, but only the true will be lived out. Only in time will one note for who has God in their speaking and one who does not!
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
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