The Pride of Life - A Spiritual Snare
Hi Everyone,
Today the visions I have to share with you concern the spiritual gifts and how our motives, pride and spiritual experiences can lead to bondage. Our desire to know God and to hunger for truth must be greater than the weaknesses of our flesh. We must keep in mind that our flesh is diametrically opposed to the Spirit of God within us.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18
The Visions
The Coffee Mugs
In this vision, I saw two coffee mugs, a brown mug and a white mug. The white mug had a small chip from the rim of the mug laying in the bottom of the cup. The condition of the white mug was contaminated. The brown mug had coffee in it that was not contaminated.
As I prayed about this vision, the Lord gave me the parable that he had told to his disciples and to the crowds about two men who went to the temple and stood before God to pray. This is the story that Jesus told:
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14
The white cup in the vision I believe represents those in the church that believe that they are sinless. They find fault in others but are fully capable of justifying their own actions and thoughts. Just like the Pharisee in the parable, they believe that God sees their actions as noble and pure, and that God will reward them because they dot their “i’s” and cross their “t’s.”
But the chip that broke off the cup shows that something is amiss. They are not aware that anything is wrong. Just like the church of Laodicea, addressed in the book of Revelation, the Lord had to correct them regarding their thinking.
I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!
You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent. Revelation 3:15-19
The church of Laodicea was lukewarm in their devotion to the Lord. This is represented by the chip that fell from the edge of the cup. They were not wholly devoted to the Lord. They were worldly and judged themselves to be rich, to not need a thing. But they did not see that something was missing, that something was broken. The Lord warned them to take his counsel seriously and get right with him. He wanted them to see their true nature, and repent of the wickedness of their inner condition.
They said they were rich. Years ago, there was a prosperity gospel that was being taught in the church. I went for a short while to a small church where the woman was the granddaughter of a very famous preacher who worked miracles, and even raised the dead. She thought by merely being his granddaughter, that she was special, and above reproach. She was not a servant like Elisha who served under Elijah faithfully, and who received a double portion of the Lord’s anointing. But she was arrogant, and spoke of luxury cars, airplanes and other material possessions that she believed was in her future blessings.
I did not stay long in that church, for everything that came from her seemed to me, to defile her. Just as the Pharisee in the Lord’s parable, she believed that everything she taught and everything that she believed was in alignment with God’s plan and purpose. But the prosperity gospel is no gospel at all. I believe that her arrogance was what kept her from building the kingdom of God. She was more interested in building her own kingdom. And those who came, soon caught onto her duplicity and left.
In the vision, the white mug was contaminated. I believe that we can become contaminated by the world. Covetousness is a sin, and desiring the things of the world is abominable to God. We should desire the Lord’s presence and we should be content with what the Lord has already given us.
The brown mug represents the tax collector in the Lord’s parable. He knew that he was a sinner, and his desire was to be right with the Lord. He did not see his actions or thoughts to be perfect as the Pharisee saw his, but he was humble, and recognized his sin. He wanted to be free of the guilt and shame that his sinful actions caused in separating himself from a holy God. He wanted to be restored to fellowship with Him, so he asked the Lord for mercy. He was honest and knew that he had fallen short of God’s standard which at the time was the law. He did not justify himself, or make excuses for himself. He just wanted the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy.
Because of his humility, and his godly sorrow for his sin, the Lord said that the tax collector went home justified before God. But the Pharisee, who was self-righteous, and proud of his outward piety, did not go home justified.
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5
In the vision the brown mug was not contaminated, but was whole, and clean. This is what God wants for us, to come to him in humility, confessing our sin, he is more than willing to forgive us.
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24
The woman pastor could not see her self-righteousness and arrogance as sin. Her false gospel of prosperity was teaching the people to covet. We cannot align ourselves with such teachings for they oppose the Lord in every respect. The word of God teaches us to trust God for the things that we need, and to not covet, for that is sin.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Deuteronomy 5:21
And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
We need to know the word of God so that we understand that certain attitudes and desires that come to us naturally are in fact sin.
I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” Romans 7:7
When we are born again and have the presence of the Holy Spirit living within us, the Spirit of God will move upon our hearts, and convict us of sin. The Holy Spirit leads us to repent and seek God’s forgiveness. But if we fail to repent, and dismiss the Spirit’s prompting, we become insensitive to the spirit altogether.
If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:6-10
The Inverted Triangle
In this vision, I saw a triangle made of parachute cord in orange and red. The triangle was inverted. Macrame is a craft using string or cord knotted to create a decoration or usable object. Parachute cord is about ⅛” in diameter and very strong. It comes in a variety of colors and is often used by children to make friendship bracelets. In the vision, two different color cords were knotted to make a triangle. I saw that the triangle was inverted, reminding me of a construction road sign similar to the yield sign.
Orange denotes construction, and the common inverted triangle in in red and white warn people to yield to traffic. Putting the elements of orange, red and the triangle together, speak of yielding to construction traffic.
I believe that the Lord is asking us by this vision, to yield to him, and what he wants to do in our lives. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit to build us up and to build up the church. In order to move in the gifts of the Spirit as in speaking on tongues, we have to yield to the Spirit.
The gift of speaking in tongues is given to edify or build up the individual. In addition, when there is someone who is gifted with the ability to interpret tongues, then the message is for the building up of the church.
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit. But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort. The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 1 Corinthians 14:2-4
The Lord wants our faith to grow, and that is what is being built. As we spend time in prayer, by praying in tongues, we are able to hear the Lord’s voice, and to understand his heart. By praying in the Spirit, we pray the perfect will of the Father. By praying in the Spirit we over-ride the natural mind with its doubts, fears and unbelief. These thoughts are put to rest and will not interfere when we pray in the Spirit. James speaks of doubt and its interference with prayer:
But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8
Doubt and unbelief are cast aside when we pray in the spirit.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27
When we pray in the spirit, the enemy cannot understand our communication and his attempts to thwart our prayers are minimized. Instead we have a direct connection to God. I believe that is why we are told to pray without ceasing and to pray in the Spirit on all occasions.
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
In my experience, praying in the Spirit is the best way to enter into God’s presence. It puts my mind and focus on God and I am able to hear from the Lord and receive what he wants me to know or understand. I believe that is why Paul said,
“I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” 1 Corinthians 14:18
There is no doubt that speaking in tongues is powerful. After I went forward on a retreat to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, a demon manifested. I had two voices! It was absolutely frightening, but after the pastor could not cast it out, he told me to. I said, “I can’t. But as I lay on the floor, I looked up at the ceiling and called to Jesus, saying “Jesus help me!”
That very moment the demon was ripped out of me. There is so much about this event that I could speak of, but I will save it for another day.
In the car on the way home, the demon came into the car with me and said, “You’ve got to invite me back!” I didn’t know what to do, but the Holy Spirit prompted me to say,”Lord, send your Holy Spirit!” Suddenly I spoke in tongues and the demon left. For 3 and a half hours, all the way home, the Lord flashed faces and faces of people before my eyes. I could see in the natural to drive home, but I could also see in the spirit, all these faces that I prayed for. I prayed in tongues, sang in tongues and blessed every car, truck and house that I passed. My eyes were filled with tears as I was overwhelmed by the Lord’s love. I was in awe, and so thankful for the Lord’s deliverance. I kept thinking, where would I be if it were not for Jesus?
After arriving home, I was afraid that the demon would come back, so I decided to stay up all night and continue to pray. I sat on the edge of my bed and prayed as God continued to give me people to pray for. Thousands of faces would come, one by one, and I prayed in tongues all night long.
When daybreak came, I called my sister who had been praying for me. She asked me, “Didn’t you know that you could bind that thing?”
I told her “They didn’t give me anything, not even a pamphlet.”
But I was determined not to give the demon an inch. I was finally right with the Lord and I was not going to let anyone take Him from me. So I learned to resist the demon. For 3 days it tried to attack me. But I would tell him “Jesus is Lord and you are NOT!” I would sing “Oh the blood of Jesus it washes white as snow,” and it would depart.
Ever since that time, I have prayed in the Spirit nearly everyday, which has now been 32 years. It is easy for me to pray, for it is the time when the Lord gives me visions and sometimes he will speak. I cannot say enough about it. For those who think that the gifts have ceased or that tongues have been stilled. I would say that they are missing out, that they have no clue as to what they are talking about. For me, being baptized in the Holy Spirit with the gift of speaking in tongues is like having a Lear jet rather than a pair of roller skates.
The Infant
In this next vision, I saw an infant on his hands and knees. He was wearing only a diaper, and was probably around 6 or 7 months old. He had not yet learned to crawl, but was certainly getting ready to do it.
There are many scriptures that compare believers to infants, for infants are so new themselves, that everything is new to them. They are inquisitive, and willing to explore the world around them. They are also easily frightened and can harm themselves because they lack experience and understanding.
I have someone who I have known for a while now, who is a believer, that is like an infant. She has been born again for several years, but is just beginning to understand the danger that she is currently in. Her desire to know and to explore certain spiritual manifestations and related things has caused her to open doors to a familiar spirit that has been attacking her at night while she sleeps.
I would like to warn everyone right now that if you are interested in prophecy and the supernatural, you could easily open doors without realizing it. We are to seek God, to know him and to know his ways. We are not to seek spiritual experiences. With the wrong approach to spiritual things, we get the attention of the devil, who is more than willing to give us what we seek. He will entice us to go places that we are not meant to go and to open the door wide to possession and bondage.
This person claims to be a “prophet.” As believers we are all to hear the good shepherd’s voice.
“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize his voice.” John 10:1-5
Because we are in the New Covenant, we have the Holy Spirit, and we should all be able to hear his voice.
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. Hebrews 8:11
But, if we allow ourselves to seek the supernatural, rather than to know God, we can open the door to the demonic realm. This person became enticed by supernatural manifestations. Her interest became piqued for more, so she allowed herself to experience astral projection. This is a dangerous practice. Through meditation, deep relaxation, and the emptying of the mind, the person enters into a spiritual state where out of body experiences can happen. We are not to meditate and empty our minds, but as Christians, we are to meditate upon the truths in God’s word. We are to seek God and not the experience.
Years ago, before I was delivered, I used to practice hypnosis every day for “stress reduction.” When one empties the mind, and chooses to enter into this state of being, we can no longer sense where the body is. It “disappears.” I had an experience one day that I was in this state while lying on the bed. My spiritual body sat up and swung its legs to the floor as if to stand up and walk. My actual body was still lying on the bed, and I couldn’t move anything except my eyes. I could just squint my eyes and command the spiritual body to return to my natural body. I was so freaked out by the experience that I vowed I would never practice hypnosis again.
When I became born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit, I would be in prayer for hours everyday. A few times I was about to enter that state, which I know is being “In the Spirit,” but I was afraid to leave my body. So, I asked the Lord if he would keep me from going that deep. I wanted to pray, I wanted to know him, but I did not want to create a dangerous opportunity for a demonic presence to come while I “stepped out.”
So, the Lord has protected me for over 30 years, I can pray and commune with God in safety, knowing that he will not ever allow me to open such a door again.
I have spoken to this woman several times about this, warning her not to show interest in prophecy and in the experience of supernatural manifestations, for the devil would be pleased to give us his version of what we want. He is a deceiver, and a tempter, and he knows how to make his appeal to us. He knows how to get us to lower our guard and to sneak in. Before one is aware, the voice that one hears is no longer the good shepherd’s voice but one who mimics His voice. This is when deception takes over, and the heart becomes hard and will no longer listen to the warning and pleadings of the Spirit of God. I am greatly concerned that if she does not stop, what she is doing to open the door, that she will become like my brother.
My brother opened the door to the occult through the practice of divination. He tested himself, acting as a medium to diagnose a client’s ailment when the client was several states away. He knew that this was witchcraft, so he tried to protect himself by praying to the Lord. But this was ludicrous. God will not partner with demons! But he was interested in what would happen. He told me after I got him delivered the first time, that my sister but him up to it because she was afraid to do it herself. Now my brother is no longer in his right mind, for after being delivered, he went right back to the practice.
Jesus warned his disciples about such things.
When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.” Matthew 12:43-45
Please be ware of the enticements of gaining knowledge from demonic sources and desiring to experience the supernatural. These are unwholesome desires.
My mother opened the door to the occult through astrology, and the study of false religions. It was the desire to know about the “forbidden,” and the exotic. She read our horoscopes and tried to dissuade us from believing in Jesus as Christ. Her study of the philosophies of men, and the rejection of Christ led her astray and into bondage.
My sister opened the door to the occult through her practice of divination with regards to supernatural healing. She has a very profitable consulting and wholesale business in healing which depends on demonic communication for diagnosis and healing.
Please, again I ask that you do not become enticed by seeking information and knowledge like Eve did in the garden. It did not go well with her, and it has affect the entire human race. People today are just as they were long ago.
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5
The church can be led astray, if we seek the supernatural rather than God himself. The book of Acts in the Bible gives a clear example of this, with Simon the Sorcerer.
But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” Acts 8:9-24
Simon’s identity was still wrapped up in his over-sized ego. He longed to basked in the glory of his own fame, He enjoyed impressing others with his abilities and being called “The Great Power.”
He did come to believe the Lord, but his heart was divided. He preferred to receive the accolades of man, than to be loved and accepted by God. He did not appreciate salvation. He did not know God.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23
We may be Christians, but we still have flesh on our bones, and we can succumb to the pride of life.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17
The Football Player
In this vision, I saw a football player wearing white with a white helmet. He fell back with his arms down, not attempting to catch himself, or to fight the fall. It appeared as if he were slain in the spirit, and not simply being tackled. I believe that this vision is to be seen in contrast to the previous one. The infant in the last vision represents those of the church that are unaware of the dangers of opening spiritual doors to the enemy, and being led astray. The football player wears white from head to toe, so he represents a believer. His white helmet protects him from the fall. He falls back without concern because he trusts in the Lord. The helmet reminds us of the helmet of salvation as part of the armor of God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Ephesians 6:10-18
We need to understand that the enemy would like nothing better than to take us out of commission, to ruin our testimony, and to render our authority over the powers of darkness, null and void. If we are submitted to God in obedience, and are committed to fulfilling his purposes, then we can become a threat to the enemy. We should be aware that our enemies are not our co-workers, neighbors or family members, but are the spiritual entities of darkness. The football player in the vision knew who he was in Christ, for he was dressed in white. He trusted in God, as seen in his willingness to fall back without concern. The football player’s mind was protected by the white helmet of salvation. He was secure in his identity as Christ’s own. It is under the shelter of His wing where we are safe. He can declare: “If God be for us who can be against us?”
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.
If we are struggling with a familiar spirit, then we have to find out where we have opened the door, and close it. If we truly want to be free, we need to ask the Lord to show us the open door and be willing to repent, to change our minds, and to go in a new direction towards God. The Lord wants us to be free, and to not partner with the devil. We have to see things from God’s perspective. We have to love what he loves and hate what he hates. It may be that he will ask us to give up whatever keeps us in bondage or whatever hinders our walk with him. The person I spoke of may need to give up her prophetic ministry in its current form. For it may very well be the open door. She may be associating and training people like Simon the Sorcerer or through pride, she may have become like Simon herself. She may be unknowingly receiving prophetic messages from a source other than God. If this is the case, she may have to walk away from her ministry. I know that she feels called to lead this ministry, and that she believes that she is a prophet. We all have egos, and we can all take pride in what we do. This is the pride of life, and it can surely trip us up. We all must choose who we will serve: our inflated egos, or the one true God., for no one can serve two masters.
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
God gives gifts to whomever he chooses. And the devil will try to hijack that gift. His purpose is to destroy what God is doing. We must test the spirits to know whether we are hearing from God or from another source. We should not assume that by interest alone that we can develop a gift that the Lord has not bestowed upon us. Just because one person gives another person a prophetic message, does not mean that they are “moving in the gift.”
Years ago, I went to a small gathering at a pastor’s house who was starting up a church of his own. They were looking for a property to rent. A couple who believed they were “prophetic,” told each of us that we were going to worship and then ask God to reveal where the location for the church would be. They handed out 3 x 5 cards to each of us to record what we believed God was showing us. So we all went through the exercise, and each of us wrote down what we “heard” from God. When we looked at the results there were no two alike. Everyone “heard” something different. Did we all hear from God? Could it be that we simply used our imaginations instead?
I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.” Jeremiah 23:21-22
We have to be careful. We have to spend time with the Lord and not jump ahead or assume we understand. I remember two occasions that I will never forget. On one occasion, I was sitting on the floor speaking to another woman about a vision that I believed to have come from God. As I was sharing I heard God say, “That is not what that means!” I immediately had to stop and retract what I said. I had to repent for being too hasty.
On another occasion, I was praying for a man, not in person, but during a time of intercession, when I heard the Lord say, “Do not pray for him!”
I believe that the Lord was putting that man under hardship because he had sinned and up until that time he was not repenting.
We have to spend time studying God’s word to understand who God truly is and spend time in prayer so that we hear his heart and give him time to speak to us. We need to be obedient not willful. We need to surrender to his will and check our own motives. Why are we in ministry? Are we building our own kingdom? Do we want to be seen or acknowledged by others? Are we doing God’s will or our own?
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:1-8
This is self-explanatory. We are to only follow the leading of God, and to do our acts of kindness and our ministry to the Lord without others knowing and without others seeing. Otherwise we steal the glory that belongs to God alone.
Thanks for reading. Please share this post with others. God bless you!
