ONE Act of Obedience
Around 2005, in a night vision (I dare not call it a
dream since I was not asleep, but merely resting with closed eyes), I saw
the word OBEDIENCE. The capital letters highlighted the importance of
the word. And the warm, glimmering gold emphasized the purity and holiness in
the act of obedience.
As I gazed upon the word in my spirit, Christ Jesus
immediately came to mind. Because of the precious Holy Spirit, I was very aware
of Messiah’s presence. The sense of great peace enveloped me. I wondered what
the Lord was trying to show me.
My peace shattered abruptly as I witnessed a darkness moving
downward from the top of the letters of ‘OBEDIENCE’. There was a
wrestling with the fear of the unknown. What was that darkness? Jesus is
the light of this world. [Jn 8:12]
It was all happening very quickly, and soon the entire
word ‘obedience’ was covered in the dark fluid. Before confusion could consume
me, a scripture came to mind. I could not recall it verbatim, but it had to do
with Jesus stating that He is the light of the world, and when we follow
Him, we will not walk in darkness, but have light (life). [Jn
8:12]
It all happened faster than I can even type. It was an open
vision, so it was like watching a short movie. No sooner had the scripture come
to mind than everything brightened, as a light revealed what the ‘darkness’ was
that covered the word ‘obedience’ in its entirety.
BLOOD! Immediately, I understood that the precious blood was that of “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. [Rev 13:8] Indeed, the precious blood of Jesus/Yeshua the Christ.
The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and
said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. [Jn
1:29]
Once seen and understood, fear fled.
The obedience of Christ Jesus was completely soaked (drenched) in the precious blood of the Lamb that was poured out for us when the Messiah was upon the cross. [Phil 2:8]
And being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Obedience was a fruit [one of the fruits] of His love for His Father [Jn 14:31]
and for us (humankind), as He willingly sacrificed His life, spilling
His precious blood to redeem us from the penalty of death (the wages of sin
is death) [Rom 6:23] and to break the power of sin.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. [Rom
5:19]
And said to them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: [Lk
24:46]
One act of obedience brings forth the greatest miracle of
all – salvation!
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [Yeshua Mashiach], which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. [1Pet 1:3]
Obedience – A Fruit
of Love
Right now, it is very important to practice obedience. Many
of God’s people are being tested right now, and obedience will be part of that
testing. Could our suffering be to bring up the dross? To challenge our faith?
To test our heart?
Think upon it. We are in the beginning of sorrows…this is
the time to do all the Lord asks.
If He instructs you
to fast, prayerfully ask how long and what kind of fast – please be sure it is
the Lord’s direction, especially if you are elderly or have limitations due to any
physical reasons, such as diabetes or some other limitation. The Lord will lead
you properly and according to your situation. There may be something else He
requires of you instead.
Perhaps He has moved on you to pray earnestly. He gives instructions. Stay in the Word, pray.
This was to be posted
by last Sunday [three days ago, the 23rd Aug], but it has been a great difficulty due to interruptions and
distractions. Yet, all things are in God’s timing. Nothing takes Him by
surprise... us, yes, the Lord - no.
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]
Does Your Character Pass the Litmus Test?
About four months ago, I mentioned that hearts are being
tested (tried) right now. If someone questioned that God would not do
such a thing, I will repost the scripture that I used then.
Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,
the Lord tested Joseph’s character. [Ps 105:19] NLT (New
Living Translation)
Today, during prayer this morning, before I opened the
Bible, I mentioned a few things to the Lord. Then I asked Him to lead me to
what He wanted me to know. Again, I was led to Psalm 105 verse 19. I trust the
Lord when we pray sincerely to Him, humbling ourselves the best way we know
how, and then trusting Jesus to lead us by His Spirit and answer our prayer
request.
We pray with thanksgiving. That is another lesson that
has kept coming before my eyes, either in Scripture or in some of my writings
from days gone by. The testing has not been easy at times. In fact, there are times
I have broken down into tears. Pain has a way of wearing us down.
There is no desire in my heart to complain, but I do tell
the Lord that I am at my wit’s end. Year after year rolls by. I listen to what
is happening with brethren. So many are suffering in different ways.
Situations are arising
that test the character, integrity, sincerity, and genuineness of each individual.
It has always been said that a person’s true character is proven in times of
adversity. I have seen people who are thought to be so macho, so brave, yet
cower instead of protecting a woman or child when startled by a sudden loud
noise at night, out in the country.
I have seen so-called
‘good men’ kick a helpless puppy for not ‘behaving’ right when no
one could see them except ‘family’. Yet to their friends and business
associates, they are the epitome of ‘charm’.
The same charming
person can be someone could be a thief, a liar, an adulterer, even a murderer.
How often has someone been found guilty of something, and people could not
believe it? It seemed completely out of character. That is how charming someone
can present themselves – a most convincing mask.
Yet, I have seen a
person who was always mocked and ridiculed as being a ‘wimp’ due to
their quiet or laid-back nature, turn out to be a real trooper in times of
need. God knows exactly what kind of litmus test will prove the character of each
individual.
Many of us have been
going through one situation after another. Has it felt like everything is a
battle, and everyone is at odds with you? I went through a time like that recently.
Many times, I would end up in tears, wondering why the onslaught would not stop.
More times than I can
count, asking Jesus for help, I searched my heart to see what I could be doing
wrong to bring all of it upon myself. It seems that there is this unspoken
expectation that Christians are never supposed to be depressed, or get angry,
or be stressed, or have negative days. Just smile the perpetual Joel Osteen
smile and give thanks to God…
“I failed You,
Lord…” I often found myself
lamenting, but the Holy Spirit corrected me, especially when a wave of
melancholy swept over the flesh, or I spoke forth the devil’s lies. The
expectation to be positive and unmoved by even stressful and/or pressing
situations is both exhausting and unrealistic. Even those who disagree with the
false doctrines of the prosperity gospel can be affected by some teacher’s
influence, without realizing it.
The Leftover
Sting of the False Prosperity Doctrine
Many believers are stuck in the rut that faith heals everything and that it quietly subdues all kinds of suffering, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain, financial distress, marital problems, or wayward children. If not, then it must be the result of some hidden sin.
I remember being told
that people who held bitterness inside suffered from arthritis, or that if anyone
had cancer it was due to unforgiveness, and on and on and on it went. This is
not true. Not only is it harmful, but it is unbiblical. It is the “hidden
sin” mentality.
One time the
disciples of Jesus asked him if a certain man was blind because of his parents’
sin or his own sin, to which Jesus responded with an adamant no. He stated that
the condition was not caused by sin but that God’s love, power and work would
be manifested through his healing, which would ultimately glorify God [Yahweh].
[Jn 9:2-3]
This has been
something I have written about many times over the years because the first
church I chose to attend after the orphanage happened to be a Word of Faith, prosperity-preaching
church.
I was twenty-five
years old and needed a job. An apartment building a few blocks from me was
looking for a manager. I went in to apply for the job. The duties were simple
enough. I would be responsible for cleaning all the apartments before and after
occupancy, cleaning halls, lobby, and the laundry and mail rooms. I was to
collect rent, deposit monies, and screen potential renters. The then-manager
assured me that I practically had the job, but I would have to meet with the
building owner after the weekend to make it official.
Going by the prosperity
teaching that I had heard over the couple of months at the church, I gave
notice to the manager at the apartment I had. The new job provided a furnished
one-bedroom apartment and a small salary each month. I named the job and
apartment and claimed it. I would have gotten the job too, but I had no husband.
The job was for a couple. The man would be responsible for maintenance for the
building, something I could not do.
Desperately, I went
back to the manager of the apartment where I had given notice, but sadly, he
had already rented the place out. A woman at the church allowed me to stay at
her place (on the couch) in exchange for light housework and babysitting her
two school-aged boys.
That was my hard
lesson with the “name-it-and-claim-it” prosperity doctrine. It was a rude and
harsh awakening, but the Lord allowed me to find out very quickly after I had started
at the church. I only went a few more times before I left it. Something
happened that caused me to leave the church for the next 13 years, but I have
spoken of that in past articles – not for now.
I have to admit that
despite knowing that the doctrine is false and unrealistic, there have been
times that the teaching had affected me and I did not immediately recognize it.
The Lord is truly so faithful. That is not just a Christian cliché; it is a
beautiful reality.
If you have been
going through interruptions, distractions, and opposition to the point that it
has worn you down, be encouraged. You are most likely being tested. I asked the
Lord about what was happening. Yet once again, He led me to a Scripture that I
posted a couple of months back. It was confirmation of what I sensed, but I was
not 100% sure about.
Until the time
came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested (tried) Joseph’s character. [Ps 105:19]
Worship God
Through Jesus
But the hour comes and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. [Jn4:23-24]
This song beats any
AI song, although there actually are some good AI songs. Still, I hesitate and
will not be promoting them often. Steve McWhirter put out a song that I only
recently stumbled upon, but it was actually put out online in 2020.
It is called “Come
Jesus Come” – it is our heart’s cry, especially as we see the evil that is
flooding this world and knowing, as the Great Tribulation fast approaches, that
according to the Word of God, it is only going to get worse. But thank God for Jesus
and the Holy Spirit!
May it bless you as
much as it does me. To God be the glory.
Click the link at the
bottom of the lyrics to take you to McWhirter’s official YouTube channel.
Sometimes I fall
To my knees and pray
Come Jesus come
Let today be the day
Sometime I feel
Like I'm gonna break
But I'm holding on
To a hope that won't fade
We've been waiting so long
For the day You return
To heal every hurt
And right every wrong
We need You right now
Come and turn this around
Deep down I know
This world isn't home
Come Jesus come
Come Jesus come
There'll be no war
And there'll be no chains
When Jesus comes
Let today be the day
He'll come for the weak
And the strong just the same
And all will believe
In the power of His name
Come Jesus come
We've been waiting so long
For the day You return
To heal every hurt
And right every wrong
We need you right now
Come and turn this around
Deep down I know
This world isn't home
Come Jesus come
Come Jesus come
One day He'll come
And we'll stand face to face
Come and lay it all down
'Cause it might be today
The time is right now
There's no need to wait
Your past will be washed
By rivers of grace
Come Jesus come
We've been waiting so long
For the day You return
To heal every hurt
And right every wrong
We need you right now
Come and turn this around
Deep down I know
This world isn't home
Come Jesus come
Come Jesus come
Come Jesus come
Come Jesus Come - Stephen McWhirter (Official YT Channel)
for His glory alone
Bonita dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com
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