Ok....so there is this move of the Holy Spirit here at IHOP. Mind you...they have been praying and worshipping 24/7, 365 days a year since 1999, and this has never happened. They have been patient....they have waited, not tried to fabricate or produce revival "symptoms" or manifestations. I was really confused. Having been deceived before, I am a cautious, to the point of paranoia at times, "gentle" charismatic. I have seen so much ego and "flesh" in this sort of thing, that I'm actually more a skeptic, than even cautious. Human beings can just be such messes, present company and writer, the poster child for such messes.....
God, through a book I have, showed me a story about Elijah. How he sent Elijah out to the brook Cherith and told him to hide himself. He said you'll drink from the brook Cherith, and I'll send ravens to feed you.
To Elijah, a prophet of God, capitol P, this would have been offensive. In Levitcus 11, the law said to avoid these unclean birds, who were scavengers, birds of prey.
(I find it interesting that the root of the word Cherith means to destroy, specifically to covenant. I'm not sure I understand the meaning behind that yet...it was just curious to me.
OT:3772
karath (kaw-rath'); a primitive root; to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces):)
As a prophet, Elijah knew the word of God. He not only knew it, he lived, ate, and breathed it. He walked in power in it. This was a man dead to himself, and alive to God. But as Art Katz writes, we sometimes have "to relinquish our own spiritual correctness. The only one that can pass through that threshhold is not someone who is indifferent or casual to the scriptures. It is the person who is most insistent upon the truth of them."
Basically...God is God, and He can do what He wants. If He wants to exceed or "seem" to contradict Himself, in His wisdom, can we trust Him and remain secure in our relationship?" Art asks.
This isn't to say we shouldn't always look to the scriptures for the measurement of truth. That IS the yardstick of truth. But if God wants to move outside of that box, beyond the end of that yardstick....well.....I'm not gonna stop Him, and neither are you. You can only refuse what He is trying to give or send.
So what did I find in my soul today? Pride. Tons of fear, TONS. A misunderstanding, of understanding.....wha,huh?
Our Greek way of thinking that is rife in the American church, always must understand and define. Jews are ok with God's mysterious seeming contradictions. He's God. He can be one thing AND another. They are comfortable with that. I think that is a good thing to grasp hold of. So from now on, God can be God. (aren't you relieved Lord?) He can be this today, that tomorrow. Both the next day.
If He wants to move in a way that offends me to get at something in me, like pride, fear, control, having to understand everything, define it, label it and file it.....He can do that. In fact, I say Yes, God and Amen. If it's good in your sight, it's good.
Having said all that...how then do we know if something is of God, if He moves beyond or outside of the letter of His scriptures?
The Lord reminded me today, you don't get good fruit from a bad tree. Examine the fruit. Fruit is not results....I always thought that good works was fruit. No..
Gal 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
NKJV
Examine the leader. If it is a person of integrity, manifesting the above fruit in increasing measure...and if they are, they have crucified their flesh, and you can trust that the move of God will be stewarded in integrity and wisdom, whether because of our human condition our flesh gets mixed in a little or not. And God will not cause us to sin, to bless us. He can't violate His own character.
So we don't have to fear deception. We need to use the Word, and wisdom God has given us to discern error. Knowing Satan appears as an angel of light, we must be diligent to observe, pray, and judge correctly. Not all that looks good, merciful,and beautiful, is. (2 Cor.11:14-15)
As we move towards the end of the age, deception will increase. The time is NOW..to get ready...to know our God. We don't have to be afraid...we need to be prepared. Jesus commanded us to know the time of our visitation. Not the day or hour..the season. Mark 13:32, Luke 21:7-36.
He is so faithful! Watch and pray!
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