God's Bidding

Christians should never live in fear of the enemy. Fear is a crippling tool that the devil uses to incapacitate the child of God. Fear creates a loophole through which the enemy can enter the lives of the believers. Engraved within the intellect of the Christian is the fact that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

Job was an upright man whom God called perfect, he abhorred evil and did that which was right in the sight of God. The bible declares that Satan stood before God. Immediately God took charge of the conversation and one of the first things he talked about was Job. God asked Satan if he had considered Job, in other words he wanted to know if Lucifer had given thought to what a perfect man Job was. Satan acknowledged the righteousness of Job but accredited Job’s love for God to the blessings and protection that God had given to him.

Satan proceeded to pull the wool over God’s eyes or so it seemed. Satan proceeded to ask God if Job would love him for nothing. Satan attempted to coax God, the all knowing, into removing his protective hand from around Job. This is like two boys on a Sunday Morning all dressed up on their way to Sunday school. While walking down the track they come upon a little pond filled with murky water. As they both stare into the grimy unknown the younger says to the older, “I’m sure you’re too scared to jump in there”

The older replies, “I aint scared to do nothing”

“I know you’re scared, I can see it in your face, you can’t jump in” the younger insists.

The older boy says, “I aint scared to jump in”

“Yes you are, scaredy cat” says the younger

“No, I’m not”

“Yes you are” replies the younger boy with an evil little half grin on his face for he knew that he had his older counterpart right where he wanted him.

The elder boy, in such a panic to prove that he could jump into the pond, without thinking closes his eyes and with one mighty leap, jumps right in. The younger boy stands with his hands over his stomach laughing uncontrollably. He managed to coax his older friend into jumping into a muddy pool of water in his Sunday school clothes.

It seems as if this is the exact thing that Satan was trying with God. To make matters worse it seems as if God was falling for it. God Loved Job so much yet Satan convinced him to remove not only the protection that he had given him but also the blessings. “Will Job love you for naught?” was the question posed to God and apparently God wanted to prove that Job would love him for naught.

With this recognized, we stand confused as to how Satan could manage to pull the wool over God’s eyes in such a manner. After all, Jehovah is the God that knows all things and is infinite in wisdom. It must be remembered that our God is the head of all principalities and powers. God was pleased with Job and God called him perfect. We cannot change this or attempt to twist Gods word to find an alternate meaning. Job was pleasing to God and God desired to bless Job more than he had already blessed him. In order for Job to receive a greater blessing he had to overcome a greater obstacle. God would not afflict his righteous servant, so he had to devise a way for Job to be afflicted in order to receive a greater blessing. Satan came up in time. There is no one better to administer evil than Satan himself. While Satan thought that he was afflicting Job he was actually creating an avenue for Job to receive a greater blessing. God is a just God and every man receives a just recompense and Job received the just reward for all the afflictions he faced in righteousness.

On many occasions we only see the suffering without seeing the possible end result. It seems as if the enemy has his way in our lives sometimes but the truth is he is only unconsciously accomplishing the bidding of God. This can also be observed when we look at the life of the dreamer, Joseph.

Joseph’s brethren called him the dreamer for he had a dream indicating that his brothers and his parents would all bow down to him. This dream within Joseph was only a seed. As Joseph wandered in the field looking for his brethren he became lost. Many Christians have a dream and an anointed unction in their lives but still wander aimlessly through the vast expanse of ministry. The bible declares that once we seek we will find so even if we spend some time wandering our steps will be ordered by the Lord. Joseph met a certain man who directed him to his brethren who were in Dothan, a place called ‘the wells’. 

As Joseph’s brothers saw him they remarked, “Behold this dreamer cometh.”(Genesis 37:19)

The plan was eventually derived to cast Joseph into a pit and so they did. Many people see this pit as the worst place but this pit actually saved Joseph’s life. Ruben, Joseph’s elder brother suggested that he be cast into the pit so he would not be slain. It must be realized that sometimes the place we at now, in the pit of our lives is exactly where God wants us to be because the walls of the pit proves to be our protection.

The pit that Joseph was cast into was excavated there to collect rain water. The bible declares that this pit was dry. It is almost as if this pit had some other divine purpose than just collecting water. This pit must have been divinely placed there by the hand of God for the commencement of Joseph’s journey. Joseph’s dream within him was a seed that God had created. All God had to do was find a place to plant the seed. This is why that pit was made ready. While Satan thought that he was killing Joseph and his dream he was actually planting the seed of a dream. Joseph died the day he was thrown into the pit. From that day he was dead to his brothers and his father. The Joseph they knew was now dead but unless a seed falls to the ground and die it cannot bear fruit. Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abideth alone: bit if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)

Christians find themselves in the pit and question God as to why they are there but the value of the pit must be recognized. With all fervency and rigidity we wrestle to find our way out of the pit. The anointed of God do not climb out of the pit but they grow out of it. This is when we become trees of righteousness the planting of the LORD. God takes his anointed from ashes to beauty, from mourning to gladness, from despair to peace and from the pit to a prince. Joseph’s journey to the fruition of his dream began with the pit and grew from that point onward. The bible did not omit the pit from Joseph’s story for the pit proved to be priceless in the realization of his anointing.

The truth remains; the position God has ordained for his chosen vessels stands vacant. As we journey toward the ordained place we encounter many obstacles but the anointing will break every yoke and destroy the stumbling blocks that hinder the growth of a Christian. The deeper the anointing goes the stronger the Christian grows.

Strain at a Gnat

Matthew 23:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

            It is imperative that the people we associate ourselves with are anointed and able to see the truth. It a natural instinct of man to judge his fellowman while being quick to indicate his faults while ignoring his own. This is a great hindrance to the anointing. When we find ourselves surrounded by people who constantly bombard us with our shortcomings, we are forced into becoming overly analytical of ourselves and our walk with God. A perfect example of the cruelty of man is seen when the woman who was found in the act of adultery was about to be stoned. John 8:3-11.

Here is an expressive look at what probably occurred to that woman and how Jesus was not quick to judge her. This is from the woman’s perspective.

Run to him

They were chasing me, I knew I was about to die

I remember the voices of angry men shouting ‘Kill her, Kill her’

My breath was now gone but I had to run

Ever time I tried to hide they would find me

In the crowd I saw men that used me, abused me

The same vile men now desired to stone me for sins they themselves shared

This was the end for me

I was caught in the act of adultery

I probably really did deserve to die

After all no god will ever let a person like me live

I ran and ran and ran until there were no more places to run

I couldn't take another step

My legs were too weak

The rapid beating of my weary heart was overshadowed only by my gasps for breath and the shouts of men who hated me

I called the names of those I knew but they looked the other way

Maybe by my death they felt as if their sins would be erased somehow

With a hundred hands tugging at me I felt the skin on my back separate from the flesh as I was dragged through the street

Help me, help me, I cried but no one seemed to hear

The crowd just laughed and jeered some exclaimed ‘the curse of God be upon you’

I remember being thrown against a wall for they were getting ready to stone this unclean woman

I closed my eyes as tight as I could ready to accept this end

The voices became clearer with my eyes shut that tight

I heard one man ask ‘what should we do with this woman for she is a whore and an adulteress

Moses said the she should be stoned what do you say?

To whom was this question posed?

Slowly…… I opened my eyes to see the figure of a man stooping

His slim fingers neatly carved a word into the dust that overlaid that wretched road

This man wasn't like the other men he seemed kind

What was he writing? I looked as hard as I could, momentarily forgetting my ordeal

I could not believe my eyes, he was writing my name

But no one called me by that name since I was a child

My parents died when I was young and they were the last to call me by that name

Moses said the she should be stoned what do you say? The voice of some angry man quickly returned me to the present situation

The goodly looking stranger looked up and said to my accusers

Those of you that are without sin cast the first stone

There was silence no man could condemn me for they were all born in sin

Every man dropped his rock and walked away

That stranger was the son of God for wisdom like that only comes from God

Then he asked me, "Where are your accusers?"

“Rabboni,” I said in fear “I see none”

He leaned over to me and gently said

“Neither do I condemn you”

I felt as if I was too dirty to behold a man as pure as him

Then he said to me, “Daughter”

When he called me daughter I felt better that when my own daddy did it

Plus he actually claimed me when the world forsook me

He said, “Daughter, your sins are forgiven you, go and sin no more”

            We are so hasty to judge one another but the church as one body is supposed to collectively embrace the deep things of God. The bible encourages us to seek God as a group. This is evident when the bible declares; where the two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them. We look at the splinter that is in our brother’s eye never beholding the beam that is in our own. A person will never grow spiritually if he is constantly badgered by the concept that he is not is worthy to receive from God because he is found in iniquity.

            While we are quick to compromise with the poorly disguised wolves that lurk among the flock we are quick to cast stones of condemnation upon our brothers and sisters that are trying to acquire a deeper anointing in God. Let it be known that even if the true anointed is cast down he will not be destroyed. A good man may fall seven times but seven times he will get back up. The time is now, when the anointed to the bone Christians will arise and shine because the Sun of Righteousness is about to rise upon the church.

            Instead of spending time in search of a gnat, tiny flies in the ointment, let us lift up our eyes to the hills from whence cometh our help. We must eliminate sin and embrace our brother but sometimes it seems as if we embrace sin and eliminate our brothers.  The anointing is what propels the church into every new move of God but if she is divided then she could never stand.

Who do you say that I am?

An individual’s perception of God is directly concomitant to how he will react to and serve him. Those who claim to know God and talk to him as a mother talking to a child has no idea of the magnanimity of the creator. It seems as if no one fears God any more because they have not had a real divine experience with him.

            Once a choir member approached her choir director to explain to him why she had not attended the Saturday practices. “My dad” she explained “He’s in the hospital and is very ill, near death I'm afraid”

            The director replied, “I understand, the Lord will heal your father just have faith.”

            The woman proceeded to exclaim, “I know the Lord could heal him but I told God if you take my dad away from me then I will be so mad at you but I know he’ll understand.”

            What the Christians of today never realize is our God, Jehovah, is a God that changes not. The only reason we can boldly approach the throne of God is because of his son Jesus Christ and his Grace, which is sufficient for us. God is still a God of justice and judgement  A man in the hand of God is like a doll in the hands of a little girl. The little girl could rip the arms and legs off that doll and toss it across the room and no one can say a thing because the doll belongs to her. What the choir member failed to see is that her father was on loan to her from God.

            If we remember the immaculate words of Job, the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord Job 1:21. We can never understand a person unless we have contact with that person. We cannot really know a person just by hearing about him, until we meet him then the true personality of that person is revealed. This is why a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is absolutely, unequivocally vital to the attaining of a true anointing in the life of a Christian.

            Many Christians today rely upon the experiences of others to determine their approach to serving God. We never realize that each man could have a totally different understanding of God because there is so much of him to understand. If we were to ask Christian believers who God is to them most of them would give answers that they have learned over the years. Many would say that God is a friend, saviour  redeemer never giving much thought to who God has really been in their lives.

            Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I the Son of man am?” Matthew 16:13

            His disciples had many names which they heard people say some said John the Baptist others said Elijah. Jesus was not very concerned with who the people thought he was but he was more concerned with whom his disciples saw him as. His disciples had the answers to his first question but they were speechless when he when he asked, “But whom say ye that I am?” Matthew 16:15

            The disciples of Jesus were all with him on a daily basis. They were all exposed to his teachings and they all had the opportunity to converse with him. Peter was the only one in the group to answer, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”

            Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven”

            Peter had seen beyond the realm of flesh and blood and as a result the divine revelatory knowledge of God became available to him. This is how the true anointed men and women of God approach the things of God. While an ordinary Christian may attend a church service and get nothing out of it, the true anointed of God, anointed to the bone, sees beyond the flesh and blood. This is why the bible declares that true worshippers will worship God in spirit and in truth. John 4:23.

            The anointed of God inevitably delve into the deeper things of God because there is always a hunger and a thirst for more of God. This hunger of God is ignited by pure untainted love for the father. When we love God we will want more of him and as a result the God will reveal himself.

            We say that Christians should love God but some may ask how can I love God when I am simply not attracted to him. How can I love someone that I just do not have any feelings for?

No one could force a person to love someone else. A person who is being forced may pretend to love but in reality it is just an act. This is a thought many Christian harbour within the mind and are almost afraid to express it to anyone.

            God is so infinite in his nature and characteristics that once we get to know him, loving him is inevitable. To know God is to love him. There is so much to love in God that he is everyone’s type. It is impossible for someone to know God and not love him unless given over to a reprobate mind. One of the greatest commandments in the bible declares, Thou shall love the lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. Matthew 22:37. Every aspect of a human being is designed to love God and the nature of a relationship with him is directly dependent upon whom we perceive him to be.

            The time has come upon the children of God to pause and ask ourselves who do we say that he is. We have never taken the time to explore the divine nature of God therefore our perceptions of him are distorted thus we cannot even begin to love him. It is time the church stop seeking for God and expecting to find who we anticipate him to be. Instead, we should seek him in truth and allow him to be the one true God in our lives and not just an image of a God that we designed in our puny, limited intellects.