(Edit: Note added -- March 8.2024-BP)
Interference and Hindrances
Wherefore we
would have come to you, even I Paul, once again; but Satan hindered us.
Lest Satan
should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. [1Thes
2:18; 2Cor 2:11]
There seems to be a noticeable uptick in untimely and undesirable activities happening to many Christians (self-included) that are interfering with regular routines or schedules. These are not distractions. It is most certainly interferences and hindrances.
These matters are,
for the most part, non-emergency, yet are significant enough to require
immediate attention. They can be ethical or social issues, but more likely
pertain to business, medical, legal or personal/private matters.
For quite a lengthy
season, my time writing has been delayed or hindered to such a degree that I
seriously inquired of the Lord if it was HIS will that I stop
writing, or if it was indeed enemy interference causing frustrating, stressful
interruptions, roadblocks and delays.
Far be it from me to
go against that which my Lord may have appointed to come to an end.
It
is written that we are not to be anxious about anything, but with thankfulness,
to bring our prayers and petitions to Jehovah-Rohi (the Lord our Shepherd).
[Phil 4:6]
He will answer and establish peace – not as the world
gives, but a deep inner peace that surpasses understanding. Jehovah-Shalom (the
Lord our Peace) delights in fulfilling the promises in His Word. It seems
time has been shortened, and we are witnessing prophecies come alive.
Not About Works
This is not about ‘works’ because salvation is a free gift ([…we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, and not by our own efforts or works. [Eph2:8-9]). Jesus the Messiah died in our place, taking upon Himself all the sins of mankind [1Pet2:24], and enduring the wrath of God Almighty.
The judgement of God fell upon Jesus, He being made a
curse (the law). The weight of every sin alone must have been crushing!
When Moses put the bronze serpent upon a pole, any Israelite that looked upon
it who had been bitten was healed and lived. [Num
21:9]
The serpent in the Garden of Eden brought a curse upon
Adam (and ultimately all of mankind) when he gave into temptation and
disobeyed God. Everything became cursed, man’s fallen nature, the ground, and
later, the curse of the law.
For the longest time I never understood what was meant by
the curse of the law because surely, we are not to be a lawless people, with no
boundaries and no order. I do not know how many years passed before the
knowledge was revealed by the Holy Spirit through Paul’s epistle to the
Galatians.
It had been read several times but somehow the
understanding of it was missed. Yet when the Lord opened my eyes, revelation
shone forth, and several questions were answered at once. Bless the Word of God
– a book for everyone that truly lasts a lifetime and beyond.
For all who rely on works of the law are under
a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be
everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, and
do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for
‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ [Gal
3:10-11] ESV
Upon the cross, Messiah became that curse (which
experts claim the crown of thorns symbolizes) for the sake of redemption. “Cursed
is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” [Gal3:13]
Christ Jesus willingly sacrificed His life (the
spotless (sinless) Passover Lamb of God, taking our place), and was
crucified upon a rugged tree (cross). [Jn 19:17, 18], sealing our
redemption by the pouring out of His precious blood.
So, ‘works’ do not pay for salvation, nor does it give us special favour with God at the end of the day. It begins by having faith to believe who Jesus is and that God raised Him from the dead (resurrection – by the power of God).
It is written that faith the size of a mustard seed can
move mountains (metaphor) [Mat 17:20, 21] Definitely our faith is a gift
given by the grace of God. We must realize that as we offer our gifts
back up to Him through what we do in Jesus’ name that it is all His anyway, our
gracious Creator and Saviour.
We can be ensnared by pride if we are particularly gifted
in something, especially if it brings the approval and praise of people. The
idolization of our own accomplishments or ‘work’ can be subtle. We must do our
best to be watchful, walk humbly and guard against such a thing.
Yet if we remember Who the source is and the grace
through which those gifts were imparted to us, then we secure a good
perspective. Better the approval of God than man.
For I say, through the grace
given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think [pride], but to think
soberly, according as God has given [gifted] to every man
the measure of faith. [Rom 12:3]
Plenty can be found about faith and works in books,
articles, online material, written by some gifted, knowledgeable scholars and
experts. The living God will uphold us according to His Word [promises],
and will not let us be put to shame. [Ps119:116] We watch and pray, seeing the
times, and eagerly anticipate the King’s imminent return!
For better understanding and to help anyone discern if I
am straying from sound doctrine or not, I endeavour to encapsulate my firm
beliefs here. We are instructed to test every spirit to see if it is of God,
because many false prophets have gone out in the world.
I am no prophet, although at times, the Lord has
graciously given me prophetic messages. That is not why I mention the above
scripture, but Jesus was warning the crowd about what to look for in the end
times. When He was asked what people should look for in the days just prior (as
a sign) to His return, Messiah first warned those listening not to let any
man deceive them. [Mat 24:4] (Olivet Discourse or Discourse of End
Times)
Shortly thereafter, He spoke about false prophets
arising, and yet again, He warned of deception. [v 11] A total of three times
Jesus warned of deception in His sermon on the Mount of Olives. For a man who
did not waste words, His warnings need to be heeded.
Deception will be hard to avoid, and trickier to discern
in the last of the last days, especially just prior to the appearance of the
Antichrist, and thereafter. We can pray and the Holy Spirit will faithfully
guide us. Jesus will not leave us, nor forsake us to wing it on our own.
The apostle John echoed Christ’s warning about the false
prophets. He also cautioned brethren not to believe everyone, but to test the
spirits to see if they are of God. [1Jn 4:1] With everything kept in context,
the Word of God is the way to test what is being taught. Pray and ask the Holy
Spirit to lead you.
So, when folks share the gospel, whether online or in
person (no matter how much you like them), what they say about the
gospel and doctrines need to tested by the Word of God…and most importantly,
kept in context.
Guaranteed that most of what they say will be truth
because that is the seduction of Satan. Remember in Eden and in the temptation
of Christ, both times Satan (serpent, ancient dragon), the liar, spoke
the Word of God, but subtly corrupted it by twisting it just enough to change context and original meaning.
Seducing Spirits
Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times (last days) some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron [1Tim4:1, 2]
Please do not take the attitude that because someone says
the above, “test the spirit”, or similar wording, that they must be ‘okay’ or
they would not say it. That would be an unwise conclusion. Ever hear of reverse
psychology? The devil Satan has.
A trusting or naïve soul could read t
Not everyone likes to take notes when they are
listening to sermons or talks, and without those notes, no one can remember all
that is said in a half hour or one hour message. It is easy to become
lackadaisical about checking things out. Those who teach falsehoods or operate
in deception count on that aspect of human nature.
Then the adversary [Satan] whispers: “Wait a
second -- if they were a false prophet or teacher, they wouldn’t tell people to
check them out, would they? Right, so why bother? I’m just going to listen to
what they have to say. They speak a lot of truth, so I’m sure what they say can
be trusted. I’ll check it out later…”
(Only ‘later’ never come…)
Satan will often speak in the first person, thus
convincing a soul that it is their thoughts. It is one of his strategies used
to subdue people psychologically. Many false teachers or wolves in sheep’s
clothing are still in the pulpit, even after being scrutinized and warned
against, for as long as twenty, thirty or forty years.
Woe to such when they stand before a holy and righteous
God. Seducing spirits will persuade some that the way of the gospel is not
truth (all demons are lying spirits). The mind that is numbed by
seduction [a strategy of Satan], can easily be lured into the kingdom of
darkness to seal their destruction.
Remember, Satan came to steal, to kill, and to destroy,
but Christ came that we might have abundant life. [Jn 10:10] The devil can
appear as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness.
[2Cor 11:14,15]
Only the Word of God can shine the light on the lies of
those seducing spirits, operating through false teachers and wolves in sheep’s
clothing, and expose their false doctrines. When we try every spirit by
searching scriptures, the Holy Spirit helps us to see if it aligns with the
Bible. We need to be cautious about who we allow to indoctrinate us.
None of us are perfect, and we all make mistakes in our
understanding as we grow and learn in our walk. That is a given (well
understood by all). That is not what is meant. We have to be willing to
receive correction. There is no shame in learning. It is something we do right
up to the day we draw our last breath.
False teachers who will not receive correction are
knowingly deceptive, whether due to pride, or for the purpose of becoming well
known (perhaps even go down in religious history), status/recognition,
connect with people in power, ambition, monetary gain – pride can be subtle. It
is something we can all be ensnared by, so we must tread carefully.
These teachers present plenty of truth to draw the people
in, but they tuck false doctrine (teaching) smoothly in with that truth.
Kent Horvind once said that false doctrines are 98% good food and 2% poison,
but it is the 2% that kills.
I never followed his teaching, but someone lent me a tape
of one of his conferences, back in the mid-to-late 90s, before I was committed
to Jesus. For whatever reason, the only thing I recall from the tape is that
saying. It describes deception in a keen, understandable way.
Simple Faith
Therefore, in case someone has been taught that works are necessary to obtain salvation, I share my understanding. People need to know that the ‘works’ doctrine is false, and taught in a ‘spirit of error’. Works do NOT save us, or give us special favour in God’s presence.
Should Christ have suffered such cruelty, or death on a
rugged cross at all, if our works were the means by which our salvation was
accomplished? Perish the thought! However, faith does produce works;
they flow together. The apostle James explains it quite well, and reveals that
works are the ‘fruit’ of faith. [Jam 2:18-26]
But someone will say, “You
have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith WITHOUT your
works, and I will show you my faith BY my works. [vs 18]
(Emphasis mine) NKJV
For as the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is
dead also. [vs26]
God’s wisdom is something to behold, the way He gives
each of us in the Body of Christ a part, something to do to further His
kingdom, distributing His gifts amongst us, so that He can be glorified through
Jesus the Messiah.
So many in the Body of Christ seem to be competing with
each other, but Abba disapproves of such. “Let us not become conceited,
provoking one another, envying one another.” [Gal 5:26] ESV
He also is against people stealing prophetic words from
each other. [Jer23:30] No member is to outshine another because as ONE united,
the glory of God’s light covers the world through the body of Christ, for Jesus
is the Head. [Col 1:18-19] “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and
for mutual upbuilding.” [Rom 14:19] ESV
Do the eyes compete with the ears, or the nose with the
mouth? Does the hand steal the shoes to wear as they proudly compete with the
feet by doing handstands? Do we not realize how each part is important; each part
is meant to move in sync with each other. The true Body works together, as led
by the Head (Jesus/Yeshua). Amen
All that said to bring understanding about where I stand
in my faith, and with my writing. The purpose of transparency is not only for
accountability, but to be an example as scripture advises us to be, and by
telling us that those who went before us were examples for us.
Now these things happened to them as an example,
but they were written down for our instruction
[warning], on whom the end of the ages has come. [1Cor 10:11] ESV
Most importantly and foremost, my writing is to point the
way to Messiah (the Christ), who is the way, the truth and the life, and
the ONLY way back to the living God (the heavenly Father). [Jn
14:6]
We all have been gifted by God through the Holy Spirit,
and we seek the best ways to utilize our gifts to share the good news of the
gospel, and to bring glory to God by sharing the good news of salvation through
Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins, reconciliation back to God, and the coming
restoration of this broken, corrupted world. [Rom 5:10; Rev 21:1]
So again, I was praying to the Lord about whether it was
His will that I stop writing, or was it truly hindrances and interruptions from
the enemy halting me. As an average person, and one in a crowd of eight billion
people, I realize that my writing has no significant impact on the world…but
even if I can make a small dent that will turn some to (or back to, as in
prodigals) Jesus, then it is all worth it.
However, like the little drummer boy, I would like to
give my gift back to the Giver by honoring Him in loving Him first, and others
second. As stated before, we all have a part as members of the same Body, in
sync.
Behind the
Scenes
As can be seen over the years in my writing, no glorification is given to the adversary, but balance is always the intended goal. Often stated is that it has been noticed that there are people who see Satan or a demon in everything, even blaming personal sins on the devil.
It is not just comedians, or actors in sitcoms that glibly state, “The devil made me do it!” In the Garden of Eden, Adam defended his actions by blaming God and his wife. “The woman that You gave me, handed me of the tree, and I did eat.” [Gen3:12] Eve countered by blaming Satan. “The serpent beguiled (deceived) me and I did eat.” [Gen 3:13]
Blaming Satan is
nothing new. The devil can tempt us, but we alone are responsible for our
choices. Others, if they are not blaming the devil, put the blame on God,
saying He is not a God of love or He would not allow what He allows. But if He
interfered every time, they would blame Him for taking away their ‘free
will’, or power to choose.
On the flip side of
the coin are the many people globally who do not believe in a devil, demons, or
spiritual warfare. To them, the devil is a figment in the imagination of
Christians, the disillusioned, the paranoid, the ignorant, or superstitious
people.
It is written in the
Word that mankind has an unseen enemy; however, there are also countless
Christians who downplay the notion of Satan’s activity in people’s lives. They
consider heartaches, tragedies, and cataclysms part of being in this world, a
normal part of life, which it often can be.
However, they do not
consider that much of what happens is a direct result of sins and/or demonic
influence, as well as spiritual warfare from enemies of the cross, whether
physical or spiritual. The raging hatred Satan has for God and mankind is
lethal.
He is the prince of
darkness, the ruler or ‘god’ of this world (ruling over unbelievers, the
unsaved). He is not Sovereign, but God has allowed him to operate within
boundaries. One day we will fully understand.
Satan is the prince
of the power of the air [Eph 2:2], who has legions in his armies who carry out
his demands. Demons can possess unsaved people. Believers can be heavily
oppressed if there is an open door or a chink [weakness] in the armour (a
legal way in, such as when one sins).
The balance in
understanding the reality of spiritual warfare comes by searching the Word of
God. Truth soothes the mind, piercing through the fog of confusion, the fog of
war. We know that Satan (aka Lucifer) was once a beautiful, holy angel, the
anointed cherubim that covered the throne of God, until the sin of pride overtook
and deceived him – and he rebelled, taking along with him one-third of the
then-holy angels.
Jesus is our Advocate
before the accuser of the brethren. El Shaddai (Almighty God) knew of
Satan’s plot when the serpent deceived the woman. After Adam sinned, Jehovah
warned the serpent that He would put enmity (hostility) between the woman’s
seed and the serpent’s seed, and one would come who would bruise the serpent’s
head, but the serpent would bruise his heel. [Gen 3:15]
When a beloved sister
in Christ accidentally led me to a plagiarist (my friend did not realize the
wrong done, but instead thought to encourage me with confirmation
for something I had written). I would have quit after seeing the depth
and reach of the damage done over a short season (1.5 – 2 years
perhaps? - although the gleaning occurred throughout my entire archive),
had it not been for the Lord whose lead is ever consistent and dependable.
It was imperative to
seek God’s will and wisdom on the matter through prayer and fasting, in order
to ascertain whether it was Him winding down the couple of decades of my wee
part in spreading the good news of the way back to God, or whether it was the
adversary targeting me, determined to bring me down, to dash my hope against
the rocks.
Commit: to carry out or perpetrate; perform, to pledge or
dedicate, to bind, devote
Submit [submission]: to yield; to give way to someone
or something that one can no longer resist; full surrender after resistance or
conflict to the will or control of another – a repentant sinner vowing to submit
to the will of God
SOURCE: (for full description) – Merriam-Webster.com
 |
| naval blockade |
Hindrances are not distractions. They are blockades, matters that cannot be avoided. More often than not, the hindrances are ‘oddly’ (often, but not always) linked to things we have been praying about, or involve matters of unavoidable importance such as family, friends, business matters, work, health – an exhaustive list of things.
The good news is that
pressing matters such as the ones these hindrances present tend to draw us
closer to the Lord; at least, it does me. It causes me to firstly realize my
earnest, at times, desperate need of the Lord’s intervention, yet more.
I do not speak of a
need with impure motives for selfish desires [Jam 4:3], or a need that arises
merely in times of trouble, or a season of hindrances (whether sudden or
slow-building). But rather, a need for Him and His wise counsel and
guidance in all things in this life. A healthy part of having an intimate
relationship with our Creator.
Secondly, it stirs up
an attitude of gratitude. With a healthy fear of the Lord, my heart is
filled with thanksgiving and appreciation simply for the fact that we
can boldly, yet reverently, spiritually approach the throne of the living God,
pure and holy as He is, through our prayers. All because of Jesus. Glory!
The Holy Spirit leads
us. What a privilege, what an honour! And I learned all this (and continue
learning) through the Word of God, the Spirit, through listening to others,
and during times of suffering.
Although He [Jesus] was a Son, He learned obedience through
what He suffered. [Heb5:8] ESV
Knowing that it is
all because of Jesus/Yeshua and what He accomplished upon the cross, willingly
offering up His life as the sacrificial, spotless (sinless) Passover
Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world.
And with His
resurrection, the power and the glory of God is revealed to all mankind, but to
those who turn away from their sins, confessing Messiah Jesus as Lord, and
believe that God raised Him from the dead, the same can be reconciled back to
the holy, heavenly Father. [Rom 10:9]
A Repentant
Heart and Overcoming
I never knew the love
of a father, or any male in this life; I only knew lust. The father of my
children eventually married me, but he did not love me. It took me a long time
to admit it. I often stated: “Bad love is better than no love” – but we
all know that bad love is not love at all. Did Satan deceive me, or did I
deceive myself? It was a combination of both; Satan works with the flesh,
tempting us, but the final decision is ours alone.
We have to take
responsibility for our sins because the day comes when we are held accountable.
That is why we disciples/followers of Jesus must keep a repentant heart
throughout our walk. It is not a one-time thing.
Although we strive to
keep on top of every thought, word, and deed, we cannot, and we can still miss
the mark. Our fallen nature is corrupted. Picking up the cross daily to crucify
our fleshly desires, the sinful/carnal nature, is something we discipline
ourselves to do. But when we least expect it, we hear flesh boast, “I’m
back-kk!”
We start again with
repentance with godly sorrow. This fallen nature is relentless, and strong. But
we overcome Satan (and our flesh) by the blood of the Lamb and the WORD
of our testimony, and love NOT our life unto death. [Rev 12:12]
Keep a clean slate
between you and the Lord with a repentant heart, like king David. God already
knows, but He wants us to see where we stand, but also to see the work He is
doing in us – love for each other and good fruit do bear witness. We sometimes
miss the obvious.
Throughout life’s
journey, even saved, we can still miss the mark, but as we mature, we do all to
avoid sin and overcome temptation. It is ongoing process, as long as we are in
these vessels of clay. The Creator is merciful because He knows our frailties,
our weaknesses, but He will not excuse sin, especially presumptuous or willful
sins.
For He knows our
frame: He remembers that we are dust. [Ps 103:4] NKJV
Rebellion Is as
the Sin of Witchcraft
After the first year, my ex and I began a common law relationship. That platonic first year had nothing to do with morals. He was in jail. Over the course of the first five years that we knew each other, we only lived together two years; yet even that time was fragmented. Six or seven months was the longest we cohabitated at any one time without a breakup.
The first time Jesus
(Yeshua) appeared to me (29) wholly in person, was when I was
beaten beyond recognition, several years before marriage. I could not see the
details of His face due to the light of His countenance, but I knew it was Jesus.
The Lord gently and
quietly revealed to me that the man was not meant to be my husband. I was not
to marry him. God knew things about him that I would never have stood for, lust
or no lust, but He did not give me any details. I was filled with unbelief, not
faith or trust.
After he had brutally
beaten me, my then-ex-boyfriend had fled to another province to avoid being
arrested. It had been later in the following day that the Lord appeared to me
in my bedroom. Shame and disgrace fell upon me like a blanket when Jesus
revealed His plan for me in the matter – I hastily gasped, “O Lord, no…”
Immediate rejection of His will!
The Messiah extended
undeserved grace to me, as if to grant me time to reconsider my choice. He
noticeably hesitated for a minute, flashing choppily in my spiritual eyes like
Alka-Seltzer dissolving in water, giving me room to change my mind and repent…
before He finally disappeared. I had no fear of the Lord then. My heart was
cold, my neck was stiff.
[NOTE: Surprise revelation! For decades, I did not understand why the Lord 'flashed in and out, like Alka-Seltzer dissolving in water' meant. In other testimonies, I had never heard of the Lord's presence as a 'flashing' or 'dissolving', as if endeavouring to stay in our dimension before 'disappearing'.
The Holy Spirit revealed to me that in that time, after having rejected the Lord to go after idolatry with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, I was going blind, spiritually.
When He 'disappeared', full blindness had taken over. Was I spiritually dead, or was I comatose? Spiritually blind, and my sins separated me from Jesus. My wilderness journey had begun, all because of my choice. I had to own it, as I was responsible for my decision. I would be held accountable and would die in my sins...unless I repented. (end note) - BP-Mar8.2024]
The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that does good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Everyone of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that does good, no, not one. [Ps 53:1-3] NKJV
My covering lay
crumpled upon the floor – no robe of righteousness or joy of salvation came
upon me that day. Rebellion reigned and darkness surrounded me. Deception
blinded me.
For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
[is as] iniquity (wickedness, immoral conduct) and idolatry. Because
you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from [being
king]. [1Sam15:23] KJV
When Saul was
anointed king over Israel, he rebelled and disobeyed a specific command of God,
spoken through the prophet Samuel. He was to utterly destroy every single
Amalekite, from the king to all the people from young to old, as well as all of
their livestock, for the people were devilishly wicked.
Saul was to take no
spoil or plunder from the battle, having absolutely no part in their
possessions or great evil. [1Sam 15:3] The Amalekites were descendants of Esau.
And Timna was
concubine to Eliphaz, Esau’s son; and she gave birth to Amalek: these were the
sons of Adah, Esau’s wife. [Gen
36:12]
Israel’s king kept
the best sheep and oxen to sacrifice to God. But worse yet, he also spared the
life of the corrupt king Ahab. Saul lost his favour with God – his pride,
rebellion and disobedience separated him from the One who chose him to be king
in the first place.
Saul’s carnal nature
ruled. He was more concerned about the favour of people than the approval of
God. He had no fear of the Lord, and disobeyed God’s instructions through
Samuel. The prophet rebuked Saul, informing him that God would speak no more to
him.
Shortly after that
time, a young lad named David, a shepherd boy and the youngest amongst seven
brothers, was anointed to take Saul’s place as king, but it would be many years
before it came to pass. [2Sam 5:4]
The Folly and
Destruction of Lust and Pride
God is no respecter
of persons when it comes to salvation, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance. [2Pet 3:9] Yet sadly, not all will
come.
Have I any pleasure
in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord God, and not rather that he
should turn from his way and live? [Ezek 18:23]
The Creator never
forces anyone. He will woo; He has creative ways to reach out to people, no
matter how ‘good’, or how ‘bad’ one thinks they are. His grace
gives us all the freedom to choose. We must acknowledge that we are sinners in
need of Jesus, and that God raised (resurrected) Jesus/Yeshua up from
the grave (tomb). The stone was rolled away.
He ascended into
heaven, and is soon returning for those who are saved, born-again,
Spirit-filled children of light and salt; children of obedience. The Bible
explains things that are coming upon the world – judgment, the wrath of the
devil (Satan), and then the wrath of God (the two are NOT to be
confused, but likely will be.) We cannot take our next breath or even the
next day for granted. It is not ours unless the good Lord grants it.
Back then, to my
shame and to my folly, I fell into sin – not just into rebellion, which the
living God likens to witchcraft, but also into idolatry, an abomination, by
choosing a person [the created] over God Almighty [the Creator].
It was then that the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life was
embraced, and my heart waxed cold.
A prodigal, about to
squander all the inheritance on promiscuous and wasteful living, or the
proverbial black sheep, which is symbolic of a rebel (rebellion), symbolically
a disgrace and outcast, the one of no value in the flock?
TRIVIA: Black wool cannot be dyed; therefore, the black
sheep was labeled ‘worthless’ or ‘of no value’, ‘rejected’.
According to a Wikipedia snippet, the wool was “commercially undesirable” in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries since it could not be coloured.
Even the
righteousness of God [which
is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them
that believe: for there is no difference: For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God. [Rom
3:22-23]
Season of
Consequences
Little did I know then that it would be seven unstable, fleeting years before the Lord allowed my world to come crashing down around me so that He could draw me back to Himself with a spirit of repentance.
Seven years was
ordained as my season of suffering, reaping the brutal consequences for
my choices, and intense battles as the adversary, the world, and flesh were
allowed to wreak havoc in my life. Sin brings suffering to everyone.
As difficult as it
may be for some to understand, those turbulent years were allowed by God
because it was what was necessary to humble me and to bring me to the end of
myself, and to the confession of sins, and repentance.
Over 30 years ago,
the man divorced me after five years (we only lived together about a year
and a bit out of the five-year union of marriage). He had been living with
another woman. Infidelity [fornication] had always been a key issue
within the entire relationship, even before marriage – but the power of lust is
strong, selfish and blinding.
The consequences that
I harvested from my many sins nearly destroyed me, but even worse, it affected
three innocent children. The first child had been born out of wedlock, nearly
three years before marriage. The next two were born within the marriage, but
each pregnancy happened after a lengthy breakup. It was a toxic, abusive,
unhealthy marriage.
The Lord tried to
spare me before marriage, and before any child was born, but I had no fear of God
back then, nor did I understand that He is Sovereign and all-powerful (omnipotent).
I was on the well-traveled broad road leading to the lake of fire. [Rev 21:8]
Twenty-one (21) years of heart-breaking trials,
intensifying fiery furnaces, forceful, violent shakings, all included in the
judgment of my season of consequences. A great shaking,
just as Jesus (Yeshua) had revealed to me in a dream in 1999, with a
song called “Sifted Like Wheat” – the ups and downs, tossed ‘to
and fro’, shaken violently, a separating. Rattled by the shaking, nothing made
sense in those turbulent days.
Here is some amazing
trivia – only Jesus! Everything God does is done decently and in order! Going
to bible study, I searched out the meaning of the number 21 in the Hebrew and
Greek. I rebelled against a loving, righteous, living God, but instead of a golden
calf, I chose an unsaved man (who wanted nothing to do with God or Jesus)
– idolatry.
That day my bondage and
captivity were secured, blindly and foolishly walking away from God’s begotten
Son, and into the kingdom of darkness, ruled by a cruel taskmaster, Satan. My
long wilderness journey began, with no one to blame but myself.
TRIVIA: “The meaning of number 21 in the Bible is that it
represents great wickedness of rebellion and sin.
After the children of Israel left Egyptian bondage, they had twenty-one major rebellious
events as they wandered the wilderness.
13, which
symbolizes depravity and sinfulness, and 21 are closely related. What
twenty-one symbolizes is an outgrowth of thirteen. Adding thirteen (sinfulness)
and eight (symbolizing a new beginning) gives us twenty-one or a number that
represents beginning a new level or effort that is sinful and disobedient against God.
On the last day
of God’s seven-day spring festival, day 21 of the month of Nisan, the Eternal
carried out His last judgment against the Egyptians. He drowned Pharaoh and his
entire army in the Red Sea as they were pursuing the Israelites in order to
make them salves [sic]
again.”
SOURCE: biblestudy.org
(NOTE: I
highlighted ‘rebellion, rebellious, sin, disobedient’ because they
describe some of what I was guilty of in the vision of Jesus/Yeshua. They are
not highlighted in the original, source article. BP)
Offering Up
Thanksgiving for Mercy and Forgiveness
Thanksgiving goes to You Lord for undeserved mercy, grace and forgiveness. Thank You that all who call upon You can be saved and receive the same, for You are no respecter of persons. Thank You Yeshua for what You accomplished on the cross – and for spilling Your blood which cleanses us. Thank You Father for the resurrection of Your Son, the Messiah.
Thank You that we
become a new creation, filled with Your Holy Spirit once we are born-again. And
thank You for teaching us that unless we forgive, we will not be forgiven.
Thank You for taking all my sins upon Yourself on that cross.
It is Your Holy
Spirit, Father that finally brought me to the place, years ago now, to forgive
my ex-husband. His sins were not mine, and mine were not his, but sin is sin,
and we both fell short of Your glory. There are no stones in my hand, Yeshua –
You showed the way.
It has been over 30
years now, Lord and I do not know where he is, or even if he is dead or alive,
but I thank You for working on my heart so that I understood that the past is
dead and gone. My own sins are under the blood of the Lamb. I pray Lord that You consider
wiping out from the book of records in heaven any sin my ex did to me.
I do not know how it
works, Father, but if it is possible, I ask this – but as for any other sins he
committed aside from me, remains between You and him, and I have no right to ask for the removal of his sins committed against others.
I speak only of the
ones done against me – it is Your doing that put that kind of love in my heart,
for this flesh is incapable of it without You. For all of this, I offer up
thanksgiving, for You truly ARE good, and Your MERCY does indeed endure forever.
My heart bows before
You. You are El Shaddai, Almighty God, my shield and buckler, my Rock and
refuge, my King and Lord. You are exalted on high Jesus – and Your name is
lifted high above every other name!
Hallelujah…thank You
for teaching and guiding all Your people, Yeshua, to the glory of God. Amen
Brethren, dear sisters in Christ -- if you are
hanging onto a past injury or offense, I urge you to let it go and forgive. Shackles will
fall off you spiritually, thus, freeing you from a prison of misery. It does not
mean you accept or approve of the sin against you, but you release it into God’s
competent hands.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. [Rom 12:19]
Thank Yeshua/Jesus
for a way out of the torment that comes from bitterness. Unforgiveness is a
portal – an open door for the enemy to waltz in and wreak havoc, pushing you
along the path that leads to destruction.
The bitterness hurts
only you, not the offender. The thief robs you of any good testimony as you
wallow in self-pity and heaviness. Satan rubs his hands in delight. Stop the
adversary by turning things all around by the act of forgiveness.
Trust God to take care of it. You may never know how, why or when, but you can be sure that the offender will stand before a holy, righteous God. We all will. Let us go before the majestic King with crowns to lay at His nail-pierced feet, where He sits upon His throne.
Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. [1Pet5:3-4] ESV
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. [Jam 1:12]
Add hot coals to the head of Satan by praying that person come to repentance and be delivered [out of Satan's grip] and saved. Then, may El Shaddai (God Almighty) bring swift and deep inner healing to you, and bless you mightily. In Jesus’ name, I pray for those who need this.
The blood-stained
banner of VICTORY always is waving above the Warrior King, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. [Rom 9:37] He is soon returning -- believe it!
Romans 8:28
Proves True
This is the first verse I ever memorized – now I understand why. We are all different; the Creator of all knows what He is doing. He knows the way to each heart.
(Once we choose Jesus, His love will fill that empty void, and like the rest of us children, you will find yourself speechless trying to describe His agape love.) God works behind the scenes more
than we realize…Sovereignly, invisibly.
For we know that all things work together for
good, to those who love God, and are the called according to His purpose. [Rom
8:28]
That verse is not
saying that everything is good; it is stating that God will take all that
happens and ‘work it together’ so that He is glorified
through His Son Jesus, and to those who love Him – those called according to
His purpose (His will, His [individual] blueprint[s]).
Consider the story of
Joseph, the second youngest [Benjamin was youngest] of Jacob’s twelve sons, who was sold by his
hateful, envious brothers for twenty pieces of silver to a caravan of
Ishmaelite traders heading for Egypt.
Thirteen years of
slavery, falsely accused of attempted rape, shackled – years of great hardship.
Yet, the Lord worked it all together for good when Joseph was chosen to oversee
the stockpiling of grains for a future famine. He was placed in a position of
such power and authority that he was second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt.
Hit by the
desperation of famine, Jacob had no choice but to send his sons to Egypt in
order to buy food to survive. One thing led to another, but eventually,
Joseph’s identity was revealed to his brothers. They repented with godly
sorrow, and Joseph forgave them all.
Yet another
victorious story to the credit of the living God of Israel.
The verse reveals to
us that God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. [Rev 22:13]
He knows the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is to come [Is
46:9]
He is in the past,
present, and future all at once. Yes, it is hard to get one’s mind around it –
nevertheless, it is truth. It reveals His goodness, in that we love Him because
He first loved us.
In this is love,
not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.
[1Jn 4:19]
But the hidden beauty
was that each shaking, every fire, all the turbulence was bringing me step by
trepid step closer to the Lord, until the day came where with brokenness and a
contrite heart filled with godly sorrow and true humility, I repented of my
evil ways.
Throughout the years
that I was lost in the wilderness, I had an unhealthy fear of the Lord. I
believed in God and Jesus, but I did not know them. I only knew of Him. Many
years later, after my idolatrous, rebellious rejection of Christ, I realized my pitiful,
sinful state [a great stench] and desperately cried out to God to save me, to help me…if it was
not too late.
Tears flowed until
all were completely drained. As I lay there in sweat, tears and snot, the Lord
comforted me. No, He did not appear to me where I could see Him with my
spiritual eyes, but I was keenly aware of His peaceful and glorious presence.
It was not too late.
The crushing weight of my burden, all my sins up to that point were lifted
from me by the merciful Redeemer. And tsk! Be that as it may, it still took a
further 11 years before a total and full commitment to a magnificent, living
God occurred.
What a waste of years
on my part. What a hard-hearted, stiff-necked, stubborn fool, but it is all behind me now.
Forgiven, covered over by the precious blood of Jesus the Christ. Thank You
Lord for understanding because even I do not understand what took me so long.
Your wisdom and love are humbling.
No one will ever
convince me that God does not pursue the unlovable, the rebellious, the worst
sinners, or the least of the least. No one can persuade me that He is not
longsuffering (patient), merciful, gracious and compassionate.
It took me a long
time to forgive myself for everything I was guilty of. Even the ability to
truly forgive myself was accomplished by the counsel and divine help of the
Holy Spirit. I am confident that it is only by the grace and mercy of Yeshua
that I am even able to share testimony about the faithfulness, love and care of
the risen Christ!
That piece of
testimony was shared to let any unsaved reader who may stumble across this
article know that the Messiah is no respecter of persons when it comes to
salvation. What Jesus did for me, He will do for any lost soul who genuinely comes to see their sin for what it is - wicked. Show repentance
wrapped in godly sorrow – the Lord is close to a broken and contrite heart.
Heavy Burdens
Lifted
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the weight of sins overburdens you Houston, we have lift-off... |
The weight of our sins will knock us off our feet. Jesus/Yeshua took all our sins upon Himself when His compassion for us led Him to willingly be crucified upon the cross in our place. He died, yet rose again -victoriously! He beckons us:
Come to Me, all
who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me, for I AM
gentle and lowly in heart [humble] and you will find rest
for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. [Mat 11:28-30]
ESV
If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [1Jn1:9] He will turn again; He will have
compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities, and You will cast all their
sins into the depths of the sea. [Micah 7:19]
Jesus’ precious blood washes us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Yeshua removes our filthy rags and clothes us in clean linen. He forgives our sins up to the day we repent, and remembers them no more. All of heaven rejoices.
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. [Lk 15:10]
We keep a repentant heart because as hard as we may try, we do not reach sinless perfection [the carnal nature is fallen: we are to daily put fleshly desires upon the cross]. As a new creation, we no longer have the same desire to sin. Even still, we cannot do it on our own - the Holy Spirit helps us, but we must be willing to overcome.
Evidence of Good
Fruit
Long ago, I had no fear of the Lord, but now, my fear of the Lord is healthy and genuine; He truly is my first love – in every way, but that does not mean I am flawless, or that I have ‘arrived’. I live in a body of dust, clay – corrupted with a fallen nature, but as we all are instructed to do, I work out my salvation with fear and trembling.
Therefore, my
beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now
much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
[Phil 2:12] NKJV
I will share my
understanding of that scripture, but I am open to correction or improvement on
that knowledge. I have no credentials as a teacher or preacher; simply a woman
who loves Yeshua first, and others enough to obey His instruction to convey or
bring the good news – (gospel of Jesus the Christ [Messiah]). [Mk
16:15]
Gospel:
• New Testament
= “to announce good news”
• Jewish =
“bringing news of victory”
• Greek =
“announcing a victory”, “good news”
God’s wisdom is deep
and rich. He distributes it generously amongst those in the Body of Christ who
ask for it. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who
gives generously to all without reproach (without criticism or rebuke), and
it will be given him. [Jam 1:5] ESV
That is the healthy
kind of fear, as in the ‘fear of the Lord’, [Prov 9:10] the fear that
produces reverence, awe, honour, respect, humility, understanding of God’s
greatness, His power and Sovereignty; ever aware that He is the Creator of
mankind (the created) – a healthy fear.
In the fear of
the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. [Prov14:26] ESV
Trembling is a normal
reaction of the flesh in the presence of Almighty God and His holiness. It is
combined with a deep inner sense of belonging, like the major missing piece
that fills the void that nothing else can fill – a wonder, an amazement, a rejoicing,
to be accepted and loved by the living God.
The words of Jesus
from the Sermon on the Mount were recorded. It is written: “Therefore, be
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Mat 5:48] ESV
Greek: teleios
= perfect: whole, complete, mature, [spiritually]
When understanding
the meaning of the original text, it is clear that it is attainable to be ‘perfect’
in these bodies upon this earth because God does not ask the impossible of us.
The impossible is His department, not ours.
There was a struggle
coming to grips with the ‘working out salvation with fear and trembling’,
especially if salvation is a gift given by grace. And why would God always
encourage people to ‘fear not’, if we have to stand before Him afraid
and trembling?
It was not as easy to
get the answer as one might think, but then again, most of my life was outside
of church. When I did begin to show up at some church, visits were random,
inconsistent. It also remained an unfamiliar scripture for a long time.
But in due season,
the Holy Spirit brought conviction and I finally decided to read from Genesis
through to Revelation and doing my own small studies. The word ‘trembling’
mostly seemed to be in the negative, coupled with the hear related to horror or
dread
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Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [Ps 2:11] KJV
And his inward
affection is more abundant toward you, while he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear
and trembling, you received him. [2Cor7:15] (Paul
refers to Titus)
It is with the
strength and instruction of the Holy Spirit that I overcome, step by step. We
all have moments where we struggle. It is part of growing. All who are His
desire to walk without sin, and to please our loving Shepherd…but sin lurks in
our very nature.
It requires the help
of God, which comes with that intimate walk – there is no explaining it; it is
just right – to abide in Christ, and He in us. He is the Vine and we are the branches – and we long to go deeper and
closer – but sometimes we do not know how. That is where the Holy Spirit comes
in.
That is where pouring
out your heart to the One [the Good Shepherd] who died in our place
comes in. That is where intimacy is proven.
Greater love has
no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. [Jn 15:13]
I AM the good
shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. [Jn 10:11]
I will not justify or
excuse rebellion, or the sinful ways I walked in, such as idolatry, and more,
yet it was the fear of rejection and tyranny, or harsh punishment (judgment)
outside of love or mercy that I expected from God, halting me for most of my
life from seeking Him. I expected a harsh disciplinarian with a short fuse (impatient, unwilling to tolerate much).
One would think that
because I saw Him with my spiritual eyes when I was in my late 20s (29) that I
would already be acquainted with His mercy, His grace. No, I was blind and
foolish indeed!
I truly pray others
are not as foolish as I was, but I know that I am not the only late bloomer
that every existed. Take note how rebellion led to much suffering, hurting
others along the way, and idolatry, which leads to a dead end.
But Jesus – so great
is His love that He can literally soften the hardest ground, or melt the
coldest heart. Even still, He leaves the final choice up to us.
The purity, holiness,
richness, fullness of Jesus (Yeshua), of Almighty God and His agape love
truly is beyond words, and all of His people around the world who truly know
Him, will say the same thing. His majesty and beauty are indescribable – no
language has the right words to adequately describe even a portion of His
goodness, or all that He is.
It has been a long
life, but I am grateful for all the Lord alone has done. For someone who
detests drama, my life has been jam-packed full of it, from the womb (failed
abortion) to nearly 70 years later, with multiple challenges – just as
every true believer is randomly going through now in these turbulent end times.
Targeting God’s
People
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| battlefield is the mind Satan and technology |
It was late 2019 or perhaps sometime in early 2020 that it was mentioned to a group of people (during one of the regular Friday night meetings I fellowshipped at when I still lived in B.C.) that the word “target” was strong upon my heart.
It was my
understanding that although Christians were (are) already targeted by
Satan and his legions, [both in the spiritual (the entire hierarchy), as
well as in the physical realms (Luciferians, Satanists, witches, false
brethren, et al)], that it was about to increase fiercely.
When a word makes a
strong impression upon my heart, it requires seeking the wisdom and knowledge
of God. It is usually a warning, or a heads up, something to pay attention to
prophetically, for all who are His - a global alertness. Abba does not waste
words, never has, never will.
He does not give me
words every day, week, month, or on any regular schedule. In fact, I am unsure
how or when exactly it all started, but it is never anticipated; it is always
unexpected. It is not some ‘game’ we play, nor is it a distraction.
For example, when ‘alignment’
was strongly impressed upon my heart (align/ing) and
variants of the word), it was followed by an understanding that it was a ‘call
to holiness’ (for those who had walked a time with Him), to align
ourselves with God’s Word and His will, His Spirit, which would also
mean spending more dedicated time with our first love, who is to be our
Saviour, Jesus.
There is even more to it also. However, there were times that I myself got (and get) sidetracked, and find myself busy with other things…priorities were (and can be) at times out of whack. Abba corrects us through His precious and Holy Spirit. There was a warning that a time of severe judgment was coming, as we are forewarned in scripture. Signs are all around us - but He never gives me dates.
However, that is usual, par for the course -- He gave no timeslot regarding 'severe' judgment, but I do know judgment begins in His house and it began some time ago. I expounded about alignment in March 2016 – Time of Alignment.
Back to “target”: those who love the living God and are disciples of Jesus the Messiah have always been targets of the adversary; however, the warning back then was that the targeting was soon going to become more intense, more frequent, and more trying [hardships].
Why do you think my
heart is to serve others, to wash their feet spiritually, and advise younger
women if so led [chin(s) up ladies, not to worry, for me, even
68 is younger lol] to help my brethren in any way.
Yet especially, if
possible, attempt to shield them from making the same mistakes I made (along
with the sorrow and the consequences that sins and yes, errors bring). We
all make mistakes in this life, guaranteed. I have often said, not every
mistake is a sin, but every sin is a gross mistake.
All any of us older
folks can do is try and help the younger ones to avoid the destruction and hurt
that comes from making the wrong choices. The sad truth is that we cannot
shield others from making their own mistakes. It is part of learning – and
growing.
It is an incredulously evil time. My desire is to see the Lord work things together for good to those
who love Him, and are called according to His purpose [see Rom 8:28] in
situations where hope for many seems to be a stranger. He absolutely never
leaves or forsakes us. His Word is true -- He is Faithful and True. So it is
written, so it shall be.
Just a side note, but
I have seen great hope with a remnant of the youth rising up strong, and boldly
standing for truth, zealous for the gospel to go forth, praying for revival,
and a move of God over all the nations.
Let us be vigilant in
prayer for the youth, as well as for godly men to rise up and take the lead,
without compromise, pride or greed, but walking in the footsteps of the Master.
Let us pray for godly women to rise up to guide the younger ones without gossip,
slander, jealousy or any worldly ways [Eph 4:25; 31], but rather to be an
example of a virtuous woman. [Prov 31]
We are in a time like
no other. Hallelujah, Jesus is soon returning, and how all of His children are
pulling at the bit, expectant and joyful at the reality.
The Illusion of
the Auspicious Dragon
In an article posted in January, it was stated that the Lord impressed upon me that 2024 was a “Year of Fruition and Isaiah 5:20 Intensified”. When this burned in my heart, I understood that it was two-fold. The Chinese celebrate this year as the “year of the dragon” in their culture.
Much will come to fruition, in both kingdoms. Time is ticking and the dragon is desperate, but God's timeline is set in eternity. The Luciferians are pulling at the bit to see their 'gods' plan' unfold from invisible to visible. It is happening...The living God, the God of Israel, has the final say, for it is written.
The knowledge regarding the 'dragon' came
to me accidentally when I was looking up toys for my grandson and decided to
check out the Lego website. Lo and behold! Immediately upon landing on the
site, the ‘dragon’ was featured front and center with the title ‘Auspicious
Dragon’, which I snagged as the title to my first article of the year 2024.
[give credit where credit is due]
One thing led to another and I soon learned that for the Chinese, it is the "Year of the Dragon". Satan aka Lucifer is under the illusion that he shall win in the end, but his pride and arrogance have blinded him - the deceiver is deceived. It is interesting that Lego is offering different kits that actually promotes Satan (dragon, that ancient serpent) and his agenda.
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| click any picture to enlarge |
The devil, the accuser, the destroyer, can appear as an angel of light [2Cor 11:14], so Lego created a dragon kit, with its own light (kit sold separately, of course). It illuminates the dragon’s eye, along the side of its underbelly, and shines two lights at the base of the platform the dragon stands upon. In its claw there appears to be what looks like a glowing crystal ball.
Remember the
dictionary definition presented in the first article:
Auspicious: conducive to success; favorable; propitious
The words ‘favorable’
and ‘propitious’ are common synonyms of auspicious. While all three words mean
“pointing toward a happy outcome”, auspicious applies to something taken
as a sign or ‘omen’ promising success before or at the start of an event.
Synonyms: promising, favourable, ‘bright’, encouraging,
hopeful, advantageous, profitable, prosperous
Sidenote: (interestingly the majority of these synonyms are
used in the Word of Faith and Prosperity doctrines, but also in New Age,
Wiccan, Christian Science, ‘positive thinking’, NAR -- suffice it to say, all false religions and
doctrines) BP
SOURCE: Merriam-Webster (Dictionary/Thesaurus)
Satan is a
counterfeiter, a copycat, an imitator, deceiver
The short paragraph about
“a sign or omen promising success” sounds like something the WEF
(World Economic Forum) and UN (United
Nations) propagate. False hope wrapped up in empty promises =
deception
Now with the temple
and the words “of Energy Cores”, which would go inside the square
brackets above, we see that it is a theme created by the Lego Group. Even
though 2024 is the Chinese year of the dragon, Lego is merely highlighting
their line of Lego toys that was produced after the TV series “Ninjago”, which
premiered in 2011.
A new series was
developed in 2023 titled: Ninjago: Dragons Rising. Interesting title
considering 2024 is China’s year of the dragon, but more importantly,
considering all that is transpiring globally. Satan mimics prophecy with a
spirit of divination [deception]. The python spirit is his counterfeit
spirit, since there is absolutely nothing holy about the devil.
And now we begin to
see the illusion of the auspicious dragon, who believes he will be as ‘god’,
with his own kingdom, complete with a palace in the East, and his own temple.
The spirit of
prophecy is the testimony of Jesus (Yeshua), the spirit of divination is
all about ‘self’ and deception.
Timing is
everything – so the
popular saying goes.
September 2023, the Holy Spirit led me to fast and pray because as a
watchman I was to warn again about the increase in ‘witchcraft’
and about the “uprising of the practitioners (Luciferians, witches,
warlocks/sorcerers, wiccans) – rituals, spells, and undeniable demonic
activity.
In that article, it
was mentioned about all us being in a very real spiritual war, whether we are aware
or unaware, active or inactive in the battles. The paragraph that follows
states:
[Excerpt]:
“Not only that,
but there are peak seasons in this already-heightened demonic time that people
need to be aware of, the active soldiers more than the inactive, but woe to
those who laugh and carelessly put their guard down. The enemy most enjoys the
element of surprise.
[End excerpt]
The above is and
excerpt from: Waves Noticeably Coming In
Where Was the
Watchman?
The warning was posted October 12, 2023, five days after Hamas attacked hundreds who attended a music festival in Gaza. In truth, as the Lord witnesses this even as I write, for at least two to three weeks before the massacre, I kept coming across scripture that mentioned Gaza.
It is mentioned in
the book of Joshua, and when reading about Samson in the book of Judges, when
the Philistines took him to Gaza, shackled him, and gouged his eyes out. [Judges
16:21] That was a horrific event that took place in Gaza with the wicked
Philistines.
The story of Samson
always saddened me, as the seduction and power of lust, combined with trusting
the wrong person was his downfall. Delilah tricked Samson into revealing the
secret behind his strength. Caressing him until he fell asleep upon her lap,
she then shaved off his hair. She awakened him, warning of the Philistines
surrounding the premises.
Not realizing that
the Lord had departed from him, he went out to subdue the Philistines, thus
sealing both Delilah’s betrayal and his downfall. With a shaved head, his
strength (and the Lord) had left him. He was no longer under the
anointing of the Holy Spirit, and there in Gaza, the enemies took his eyesight.
[Judges 16:19-21]
I remember that there
were other scriptures that I came across in those 2-3 weeks that randomly
mentioned Gaza, but I cannot recall – except for one. Again, it pertained to
the Philistines, but this time it was about the victory king
Hezekiah had over the Philistines, from the watchmen’s tower to
the city, even to Gaza and its borders. [2Kings 18:8]
The story of Hezekiah
is inspirational in that the prophet Isaiah (one of my favourite books)
had warned the king to get his house in order because he was going to die from
his sickness.
Hezekiah humbled
himself upon his sickbed and cried out to God. Adonai stopped the prophet in
the courtyard and had him return to the king. Now I have heard people argue
that the God of the Old Testament is cruel, but their perception is off. They
see not clearly.
Notice the compassion
and care of our Creator as He speaks to Isaiah. “Go, and say to Hezekiah,
Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer; I
have seen your tears: behold, I will add unto your days fifteen years.”
[38:5]
The Alpha and Omega,
the living God who knows the end from the beginning. Verse “five”, and in the
Hebrew, the number 5 (five) means ‘grace’. Surely,
Hezekiah experienced grace, kindness, and mercy. Different sites may vary slightly on the
numerical meaning in the Hebrew, but ‘grace’ shows up on all.
I was very aware of
seeing the word Gaza randomly appear during that time, even wondering after
the second or third time if I was subconsciously looking for it then, but I
failed to pray about it, or even inquire of the Lord.
Whether God would
have disclosed to me why the word seemed highlighted in those days or not, I do
not know. What I do realize is that I should have prayed about it, and even for
the people there. I was unaware of any music festival happening with thousands
attending.
(More shortly,
as the Holy Spirit brought a prophetic word from January 2023 to mind)
We are in days like
never before – everything is changing, and has changed: that includes how we
ourselves now navigate through our daily lives. It was not realized at the time
that the area of Palestine (in antiquity) was where the kingdom of Judah
and Israel were.
Judah was the northern [my mistake, Judah was NOT northern, but a southern] kingdom of Israel. Yeshua/Jesus is called the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” because Messiah (Jesus/Yeshua) was Jewish.
There is much
fascinating history of the land which I will not get into here, but if
interested, a starting point or a brief introduction is here at the world history site.
The Assyrians,
Babylonians, Persians, the armies of Rome, and Alexander the Great, all left a
historical marker fighting for the land. The Syrians and the Philistines [Goliath
was a Philistine giant] were but two of Israel’s ancient enemies.
The biblical records
name the cities of the Philistine Pentapolis, which are (in alphabetical
order) Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath and Gaza. According to the archaeology website, four of the five cities were considerably excavated,
beginning back in 1990s.
“Only Gaza, which
is located beneath the modern Palestinian city of the same name, remains
unexcavated.” Some archeological websites claim that the Philistines have
been maligned by Israel and their supporters as a barbaric people, and deny it
as fact. That would be akin to saying the Bible lied about historical events
and cruelties carried out by this group of the Sea People.
Pentapolis: a union, confederacy, or group (geographically
and/or institutionally) of five cities, especially ancient Italy, Asia
Minor, and Cyrenaica
Etymology: late Latin, a district of five towns on the Dead
Sea, from Greek, group of five cities, from penta- + polis
city SOURCE: Merriam-Webster
Trust God to sort it
all out. All that is written will occur according to God’s will.
We, as people, just
have a hard time with patience, and with fully understanding His ways and
timing. Selah (He is the omniscient, Sovereign God – everything He
accomplishes is sealed in victory!)
NOTE: Please click the link: Illusion of the Auspicious Dragon PRT 2 to continue reading. This article was updated with corrections, and some added content. March 2024 - BP
in the presence of His glory
Bonita dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com
Addendum:
Back in May
2023, I had posted: “Foreboding darkness moves in, in September 2023, but the
greater darkness and troubled times will be seen manifesting in November/December
2023.” In the comment section, a sister in Christ and close friend reposted
the statement, and asked if it was a “Thus sayeth the Lord.”
I am
extremely cautious about what I attach the Lord’s name to, but my answer to her
was: “Yes, I will take risk to say, “Yes” as ‘from the Lord’ because on my own
I am as everyone else; I know nothing unless the Lord reveals.”
The answer
to her question came five (5) months after she inquired of me, but that was due
to Blogspot (this blog website owned by Google), had not sent me notification. To
validate, go here: Judgment-comes-idolatry
The article
was posted May 14, 2023. The follow-up article about darkness [with screenshots
displaying the “INFO” details that show the dates of the two separate screenshots.] [1] Sept 26.2023 [2] Oct. 26.2023 (exactly one month apart)].
It was as if the Lord was alerting me about yet another layer of darkness which was soon-approaching and about to fall, thus adding to the already-dark covering enveloping the entire world. I had been preparing to discuss the increase in witchcraft, with the rituals, sacrifices, spells, being carried out farther in advance in these latter days, compared to days in the not-so-distant past.
This was to be followed up with information on spiritual warfare, gleaned from several books in my library. Because the focus was upon warning people to be on guard and pray about this increase, and due to the preparation of said article, that when the word ‘Gaza’ kept recurring, I had not immediately connected it to the attack on Israel October 7, 2023. Post Oct 31, 2023: Waves-part3-darkness falls
It was in
retrospect that the first screenshot, dated 11 days before Hamas attacked Israel,
followed by the second sighting of the same sign, ‘Darkness Falls’ a few weeks later that
I realized the Lord had been warning (in advance) of imminent danger coming to
Israel. That was why the ‘two signs’, and why ‘Gaza’ kept showing up in my
Bible reading. Although keenly noticed, I failed to pray to discover if there was a hidden reason behind it.
The hindrances and interferences slowly built momentum ever since the Lord had impressed upon me to warn of increased witchcraft in these latter days, far in advance of well-known pagan holidays. This was to be followed up by discussing spiritual warfare, and the importance of being an active soldier in Adonai's army.
But time with the Commander-in-Chief is THE most important aspect of pre-battle preparation. He will prepare each warrior as only He can do. He equips us, instructs us, and assures us of victory before we head into battle.
Since New Years', the hindrances and interferences have been more concentrated and more frustrating ...but not now. Now the Lord has granted deeper understanding as I pressed in, discipling myself to take more intimate time with Him. And even for that discipline, the glory goes to God through Jesus.
The Holy Spirit helped me. He gave reminders, but also supplied the strength to overcome any temptation to make excuses, and there were plenty. There were a few days I wrestled with 'valid reasons' for delay, but praise God, the Holy Spirit is stronger! There just are no words to describe how 'right' obedience feels - a delight, not a burden, not some order to follow at the sound of a cracking whip, but a part of faith - a part of our reasonable service.
It is something that flows purely and gloriously, as we rest in His love. The Creator has wisdom far beyond ours, yet He gives liberally when we ask. [Jam1:5] What a good God we serve - He does this for all of us, if we - - but ask!
[Addendum added: March 8, 2023 - BP]Part TWO (2): Illusion
of the Auspicious Dragon
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