Sometimes as we go through trying events, or see others going through them, we try to understand why the events are happening. Is it God's judgment and punishment, or His correction of a spiritual flaw? These might be the answer. However, we need to be careful of our assumptions, because these trying circumstances might be something else entirely, in fact, that is most likely the case.
We know God through what we study of Him in His word, and we also know Him through our experiences with Him. Our experiences with God are powerful teachers.
A good example of this is the story of David and Goliath. At the time of their epic confrontation, David was young. He had been a shepherd of his father's sheep. However, while acting as shepherd, he had some trying and dreadful experiences. To chase predators away, he had to become expert using a slingshot, or sling. This is not a skill he was born with, but takes much practice, especially in hitting a moving target. Wolves, lions, and even bears, can move at a high rate of speed to make an attack against a herd or flock. To become accurate with a sling must have meant devoting many hours to practice, and having many failures along the way to proficiency. David's experience against predators did not just involve long range encounters. David gave King Saul this account:
"Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion (violence, piercing, plucking) or a bear (quiet, creeping, strength) came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth, and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and struck and killed it." 1 Sam. 17:34-35
What a horrible experience to have to face a vicious predator face to face, and kill it with bare hands. The experience of having to reach in and take the lamb out of the mouth of these beasts must be harrowing. All of these experiences, however, were a teacher, and a preparation. David's experience was in overcoming these ferocious, devouring, unreasoning animals. Compared to them, Goliath was as nothing. David's experience assured him:
"The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." 1 Sam. 17:36
When King Saul tried to clothe David with his own large armor for the encounter with Goliath, David had to reject it. Fighting in this type of armor was not David's experience, and the armor would only hinder him. It didn't make sense, though, to face Goliath of Gath (royal city and one of five chief cities of the Philistines- also the trough in which grapes are trodden with the feet), without armor. Goliath was armed with a enormous spear, and a sword. He also had a servant who carried his huge shield separately. However, David remained faithful to what his experience had taught him. David's armor was not the natural armor of men, but the supernatural whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13-17). David earned this armor piece by piece as he trained under the Headship of God, and experienced His Lordship.
Goliath mocked and disdained young David as an opponent, but David had become so fast and accurate with his sling (to grow strong, prevail) that Goliath was dead from the sling stone(precious stone, sacred stone, hailstone, to build a house, to establish a family, to cause to continue) before he could even get near David. Our teaching experiences with God, though they may be challenging to us on every level, are preparing us for the Goliath (to be uncovered, revealed, disclosed, to be removed) to come. However, as David found, Goliath will be as nothing because of what we have experienced in God.
In Psalm 144, a Psalm written by King David, he blesses the LORD for his training:
"Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle."
In Psalms 56:11, and 118:6, David spoke from his experience when he declared:
"In God have I put my trust...the LORD is on my side, I will not be afraid; What can man do unto me?"
When we are experiencing this rigorous, life-saving training, do we bless the LORD for it, as David did? As for myself, I spend most of that time, crying, moaning, and complaining. Oh, and let's not forget begging: begging for it to stop:
"...a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet (beat) me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness..." The Apostle Paul, 2 Cor. 12:7-9
By the way, David put five smooth stones in his shepherd's bag that day to face Goliath, although he only needed to use one. Five is the number of grace, God's provision to Paul in the verse above. Grace is also the fullness of Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:14, 16-17).
If I'm smart, I will thank Him, praise Him, glorify and bless His holy name, as David did, for every minute of this experiential training, because a Goliath is coming.
When a Goliath appears, and he will, if you have not submitted to this prior, prophetically equipping, teaching and training experience, you will hope someone is around who has. The seven sons of Sceva wished that they had such an experienced, trained believer available.
Seeing the ministry of Paul (who had much arduous training experience with God), as he cast out devils, and healed the sick by the authority and Name that he had learned through these experiences, the seven sons of the chief priest, Sceva (mind reader, left handed), tried to use the name of Jesus during an exorcism. They had heard the name of Jesus as Paul preached it, but they had never experienced Jesus, nor submitted to His spiritual training. Without that training experience, and experiential knowledge in the Lord, they were helpless before a strong evil spirit, who overcame them, and prevailed against them (Acts 19:11-17).
A Goliath is coming, and will appear. Those who have experiential training will be able to prevail against him in the Name of the LORD.
Our Father trains us, and gives us experiences in overcoming knowledge.
"Grace to Overcome"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkQ5ZfVIXw8
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Whom Shall I Fear"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0gu0nOaFsI
You may wonder- snails? What do snails have to do with spiritual things? I would like to tell you a story from Korea.
There was a girl and a boy in high school. She was not a very good student, barely passing. He was a genius, an athlete, tall, handsome, and respected by his fellow students and teachers. He was very aloof though, even cold and detached in personality. They both had lovely, sweet parents. The two families were close, and his parents loved the girl, and thought of her as a daughter. She was particularly treasured by the boy's mother. The boy's future was bright and unlimited. He could go to any university he chose, even the Ivy League, and his parents asked him frequently if he had decided yet which college to attend. The girl's future plans did not include college because of her poor academics. She loved him from first sight. He ignored her. She would peek through the classroom door window to get a look at him in his advanced classes. She joined the tennis team, because he had joined, although she had never played tennis. She didn't play tennis very well, and the tennis team joked about it. He continued to ignore her, although he was aware that she followed him. One day, she worked up her courage and handed him a folded love note in the hall. He took the note and said nothing, just walked away. A few days later, he stepped in front of her and handed her note back to her, and walked away. When she opened the note, he had corrected all of her spelling and grammar mistakes in red ink. Her friends were outraged that he had been so callous about her declaration of love. She just folded the note up and put it away as a keepsake. Her father was concerned about her love for this cold, yet gifted boy. He was afraid she would end up broken-hearted.
One day she asked the boy what type of girl he preferred. He told her that he could never like a dumb girl who wasn't even going to college. She thought about what he had said (as he knew she would), and she asked her teacher if there was any way a student like her could get into college. Her teacher said maybe she could get into a small third rate college, but the entrance exam was the next week. She could never study enough to pass that test in this short amount of time. This girl crammed and studied. She passed the test, barely, and the third rate college reluctantly sent her an acceptance letter.
Some time after the two families had gotten together to celebrate the girl's unexpected college acceptance, the young man came to the parents, who were visiting together, to tell them that he had chosen the college he would attend. His parents waited eagerly to hear. He told them that he had chosen the same third rate college that had just accepted the girl. The parents looked at each other, and rather than being upset at his choice, they started rejoicing. His mother exclaimed, "He likes her!" The boy's parents never doubted that their son would have success in life, but they had grown very concerned that he would never be able to open his heart and love someone else.
The girl's father just nodded and smiled and said that his daughter was called "Noah's snail" by her grandmother when she was little. The other parents asked why she was called that. The girl's father asked if they had ever heard the story about Noah's snail, and they said they had not. He begins the story about the snail:
Noah had built the ark, and the time had come for all of the animals to come to the ark and enter. The little snail started its slow, wearying, long trek to get to the ark. The big jungle cats raced passed the little snail, and the lion yelled out to the snail, "Hurry, or you will never make it in time." The snail tried to push along faster, but was still very slow. Then the next group of animals came wooshing past. It was the monkeys. They were swinging, jumping and chattering. As they passed the snail, they laughed at it, and said, "You'll never make it! Why would Noah wait for you? You are a worthless creature." The snail just kept going at its excruciating, slow pace. Finally, it made it to the bottom of the ramp of the ark, with barely any strength left. It had taken so long to make the trip, that the snail was afraid it would look up and see the door of the ark already shut. However, when it raised it's little slimy snail head, and looked up to the top of the ramp, there was Noah at the open door saying, "Come on! I've been waiting for you." With the last of its strength, the little snail made it up the ramp of the ark.
At the end of his story, the girl's father had said that even though his daughter didn't seem to have great talent, or any special ability, she had the quality of optimism and perseverance. No matter the obstacles, no matter what others thought or said, she never became resentful, bitter, nor discouraged, and she never gave up.
Like "Noah's snail", sometimes it seems there is an impossible to complete goal in front of us. Circumstances and people, obstacles and objections are ever before us. There is no word of encouragement, and little sign of progress to keep us going. We see that others have not had the challenges that we have had, and we wonder if we should give up. Are we still in the will of God, or not? In these moments, we look into the scriptures, and find our direction and encouragement. Now, we can also remember "Noah's snail":
"...we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure." 2 Thess. 1:4
"Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Heb. 12:1
"...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance (endurance); and perseverance, character; and character, hope." Rom. 5:3-4
"...if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." Rom. 8:25
(See also Lk. 8:15, Lk. 21:19, 2 Cor. 6:4, Eph. 6:18)
Our Father is a God of patience and perseverance (Rom. 15:5)
"One Thing Remains"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ
This post has been very difficult to write. I have had to put it aside several times, because I didn't understand where it was going, or what it was really about. However, weeks later, I am a little clearer about what I am to learn (I think).
Usually, when we think about spiritual yokes, we associate them with an evil, or bondage of which to be rid. There are promises in the Word of breaking yokes that cause us to hope and rejoice:
"It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing."
Isa. 10:27
"...and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the band of those who have enslaved them." Ez. 34:27
A yoke is used to control and direct an animal, and may be used to join two together to work in unity. Oxen, some of the strongest beasts in the earth, are controlled with yokes. I saw an ox once, and it was so large, it almost looked monstrous. Yet, it goes and turns as the yoke directs him to go.
Jeremiah described a yoke that might be used in spiritual training:
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth." Lam. 3:25-27
It sounds to me that even waiting and hoping is a kind of yoke, according to Jeremiah's words above.
The Hebrew meaning of the word "yoke", is to act or deal with severely, to act or play the child. The root meaning also deals with causing to drink again and again after a former drink in order to quench the thirst fully, to drink again, to drink fully. It can mean to go back over a field that has been harvested in order to glean it of what remains. It can also mean to strike again after a first blow, in order to cause death.
Our instinct, when we perceive that we are under a yoke, is to throw it off however we can. We don't like being confined and forced to go a way that we don't desire to go. We assume that it is a spiritual enemy that has done this.
However, God also uses yokes with His people.
In Jeremiah 28, there is a prophet named Hananiah, whose name means "God has favored (gracious, favor, pity, mercy, supplication)". He prophesies that God has broken the yoke of the King of Babylon over Israel. Not only that, but the vessels of the Temple taken by this king would be brought back to Israel. The captive king and people of Judah taken would be returned to the land from Babylon. What a great prophetic word. The people must have been rejoicing when they heard it. It certainly fit into all that they understood about the God of Israel, and His covenant with them.
There was just one problem. The prophet Jeremiah was prophesying the exact opposite of this good news. In fact, he was going around wearing a wooden yoke symbolizing the fact that the people of Judah were to submit to the yoke of God, through the captivity to the King of Babylon. He approached Hananiah.
If I had been there that day, and witnessed this battle of the prophets. I have a strong suspicion that I would have been rooting for Hananiah. I would have been wrong.
Hananiah took the wooden yoke off of Jeremiah's neck, and broke it. Jeremiah received the word of the LORD, and said to Hananiah, "Thus says the LORD, You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron." (v. 13).
Jeremiah proved to be correct. The King of Babylon returned, and took the remaining inhabitants of Judah, except for the poorest, into captivity. They remained in captivity in Babylon for the prophesied 70 years.
God knew the hearts of His people, and He knew their confusion. In the next chapter of Jeremiah, He speaks some of the most beautiful words to His befuddled and captive people, in order to explain His yoke:
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope( to give you an expected end)." Jer. 29:11
Jesus also speaks of yoking His believers:
"Come to Me all you who labor 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, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Mt. 11:28-30
Jesus is working hard here to sell us on the idea of allowing Him to yoke us, but He does yoke us. I wonder now, if it is possible that I sometimes confuse the yoke of Jesus for the yoke of an enemy, because I just don't want to be yoked. After all, if I could root for Hananiah, what else could I get wrong? Probably a lot.
I think of Saul of Tarsus. I think that Jesus had been trying to yoke him for some time, because He tells Saul on the road to Damascus, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." (Acts 9:5)
A goad is a sharp implement that you use to poke the hind end of a yoked animal in order to get it to move forward when it is balking. The animal can sometimes kick back in order to try get rid of the goading.
Finally, Saul surrenders, and asks Jesus, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" (v. 6). I am so glad that Saul, that is the apostle Paul, finally surrendered to the yoke of Christ, and was converted on that road. His surrender changed all of our lives, as we read and learn from his deep writings in the New Testament.
However, this all leads me to consider what yokes I have tried to throw off, and what goads I have been kicking against.
This all came together for me this morning, as I read a news report that the persecution of Christians in Middle Eastern countries, has resulted in thousands of non-Christians, becoming believers in Christ. Those Christians in that area had to submit to a yoke of persecution. If I have difficulty with even smaller yokes, would I be willing to wear a yoke of persecution if it meant that thousands could be saved as a result? What if only one got saved as a result, or if I didn't see any saved as a result of my persecution? Would I, instead, be praying and doing everything I could do to throw off that yoke?
Accepting that yoke would require that I actually believe my favorite words from Jeremiah (29:11, above).
Do I believe those words in my heart? I hope so.
Our Father yokes His people.
"I Know the Plans"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZHxZAJMHCI
"His Yoke is Easy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ_jwXnOFcg
During the last few months, we have heard a great deal about "fake news". False news stories are planted on the internet, and are spread from there. Sometimes, these fake news items even end up on mainstream news outlets.
It used to be that the six o'clock news was a "must see" in this country, and we all relied upon, and took for granted, that our newsmen, and eventually newswomen, would bring us the truth about current events. Anchorman Walter Cronkite was known as "the most trusted man in America". These perceptions may or may not have been accurate, but this is what we often thought. If it was on the news, it must be the truth, because reporters were supposed to investigate fully before reporting. Eventually, we became aware that not all reporters and news organizations were unbiased, or careful and thorough.
Now, it seems, for various reasons, people are creating false news stories, and spreading them by whatever means are available to them.. The confusion that these false reports can cause can be devastating. Once the lie is out there, it seems to take on a life of its own.
How can people make wise choices for themselves, and their nation, if they don't know if what they are reading or hearing is the truth or a lie? Will we believe everything, or will we believe nothing? Both options are deadly. We live in a time when we almost expect a lie, even from national leaders, and we have become de-sensitized to it. However, God is aware of the danger of the lie:
"These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look, a lying tongue... a false witness who speaks lies..." Prov. 6:16-19
Of all evil, why is lying considered especially hateful to God? We will see later.
While lies have always been with us, even from Genesis, it seems that they have a new force and power behind them. Jesus called the devil "the father of lies":
"You are of your father, the devil, and the desires of your father, you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar, and the father of it." Jn. 8:44
Jesus went on to condemn His listeners that day for rejecting what He was telling them, simply because He was telling truth. They preferred the lie. Who were these people that preferred lies, and were of their father, the devil? They were all identified as those who believed in Jesus! (Jn. 8:31).
The Father, and His Son are of Light and Truth, and His Son was manifested to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8), including lies. We, the followers of Christ, should not prefer lies, even if the truth does not please us.
God identified the overtaking power of lies among His people, Israel:
"For her rich men are full of violence,
Her inhabitants have spoken lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth." Micah 6:12
God exposed this pervasive climate of lies as an unclean spirit, even in prophets of Israel at the time:
"...I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, "You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD..."
Zech. 13:2-3
Idolatry among God's own people opened the door for the unclean lying spirit (v. 2). Additionally, pride and haughtiness in God's people are connected to the lies and deceit that filled the land (Zeph. 3:11-13).
Are we in the Church exempt from this condition? No:
"...who suppress the truth in unrighteousness...although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful,...therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness...who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature, rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever. Amen." Rom. 1:18, 21-25
Idolatry and an unclean spirit are again connected in the above Scriptures to lies. When we spend more time and money being concerned about, desiring and attaining created things rather than the Creator, we are idolaters.
Idolatry also involves the envy of others, or what others have. Self-seeking (also identified as strife) is also idolatry, and results in an atmosphere where lies pervade:
"But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking (strife) in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." Ja. 3:14-16
If we say we have fellowship with the Father and the Son, but we fellowship and walk instead with darkness, we lie, and do not practice truth (1 Jn. 1:3, 6). If we fellowship with darkness, we fellowship with lies. We are not just telling lies, but we have become a lie.
Why should we, the Church, be especially concerned with the spreading spirit of lies in the world today? Besides its reflection of our own personal sin and flaws, out of this widespread lying spirit arises the antichrist, according to Scripture. Antichrist is birthed out of, and inhabits this spirit (1 Jn. 2:18-22). He comes with unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth (2 Thess. 2:10-11). The fact that lies have overtaken us today should be a loud warning siren in our ears.
At this time, under God's eyes, we are called to be part of Zion, a city of light, a sign post, a way marker, a monument, a guiding pillar, pointing to the way of truth, showing for all to see the difference between the truth and the lie.
As John wrote:
"Little children, it is the last hour..." 1 Jn. 2:18
Our Father hates the lying spirit, which has no part of Him.
"The Voice of Truth"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaVg0cWkgAw
"Lead Us to Truth" (flash mob-eastern Europe)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OprsvFGUbrU
