I am casting these stones in spite of the fact that I am not without sin myself. I see pervasive in the Body of Christ two major sins that are very troubling. Because it needs to be said, I'm hoping someone will hear and see.
Sin One.
Having all the answers. Knowing it all. Unteachability. Pride in position. Unwilling to hear.
Example: I have a ministry that asked my opinion on some outreach efforts. No one from that ministry reads this so I am certain no toes are being stepped upon. They were very solicitous of my advice. They wanted to hear. So, I explained some of what I believed to be true. The guy in charge of the changes needed dug in his heels. He really didn't want advice as much as reinforcement. I told him that he could do what he wanted but that the direction he was headed was a dead end. That was in August. He gave me one of those, What do you know, responses. Unteachable. Know it all. I'm the guy in charge. He ignored me. Now they have hit the wall. Hard. Really hard. They may not survive. Now, it's back to Gene. Sorry, I don't do as well fixing as I do directing. He sinned against what was Godly Counsel. He sinned in pride. He sinned in a Know it all attitude. That's what the Pharisees did. Sinned in a prideful know it all positional unteachablility. Jesus would have none of that. Called them snakes. They are still with us. They are in ministry. They are unwilling to hear. God has a cure for this. It's called failure. Sometimes he needs to keep taking people around and around Sinai until they learn. Unfortunately some of those people die in the desert and the dream they had dies with them. It's a crime. Don't ask for counsel that you plan to reject.
Sin Two
Spiritual and emotional thin skinnedness. Taking offense easily. Being angry with everyone. Thinking everyone is out to get you or is against you. Always feeling like it wasn't your fault, you are the victim, you are innocent of your failure.
Jesus said that a sign of the end would be the spirit of offense. That people would be so angry and frustrated with one another that they would even turn in their own children or parents. I see that more and more. It has become such in the Body of Christ that we walk on more eggshells than any politically correctness policeman ever would require in the outside world. There is a telling the truth in love. IN LOVE I SAID. That' doesn't mean correction. That does mean that if I am aware of a pothole in your life you are about to step in to I would do you a favor by letting you know it's there.
Sometimes that comes in hard sayings. It doesn't have to but it seems like it if you are thin skinned. What is so interesting about really thin skinned easily offended people is they seem externally to be so loving and giving. In fact, one such who's name obviously will go unspoken said to me in person once, "I'm the most loving and generous person I know". She wasn't kidding. She really believed it. And if you knew her she is the most selfish and mean person you would ever meet. When a person is overly gushy to me I automatically look for the reason. It is nearly always a thin skinned person behind the gush.
Jesus ran into this demon too. The Pharisees were constantly angry with him for calling them sons of the Devil. They were self righteous and attacked Jesus for saying such a thing. "We are Children of Abraham" they said.
People who are that thin skinned should never be in ministry and should never be in leadership until they are delivered from the spirit of man pleasing and offense. They hurt too many people along the way.
I say this all the time, I'll say it again, if you see yourself in either of these sins, cut it out. Get over yourself. Get some help. God wants to use you for his kingdom and you are stopping him by your emotional and spiritual weaknesses. Time to get some help.
6 comments:
Great advice!
You should try it.
ANON,
You just proved my point,
Yes, This was directed toward you.
I knew it would bite.
Reality does that. I had to find a way to put a mirror up for you to look into.
Now, which of those two sins or both are you going to face up to or are you going to continue to fall on it again? and again.
I wish I could help you, but I can't. I believe God loves you too much to not reach out to you.
He just did. Let those with ears to hear, hear what the Spirit of the Lord is Saying.
This may be your last chance.
From My Father's Word
Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, 3 remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye.
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.
Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.
ANON
You have been warned. What you do with this warning will manifest in your ultimate destiny. I don't question your salvation. That's not up to me. God wanted to use you, he wanted to raise you up but your stiff necked resistance brought you to this point. The question of whether you will or will not be used again by God has everything to do with your mindset toward what is happening to you right now. The answer is in your heart. What will you do with it?
No Compromise; that’s a prophets heart when he sees the thing that needs to be opposed, and hears God’s word he is merciless (Art Katz - The Heart of a Prophet).
I must be merciless in telling you the truth. You have self identified your rebellion. I offered to help, to counsel, to prophesy but you fear the word of the Lord. Now you must wander in the wilderness until you repent or die.
You don't understand what has just happened. You have been deceived. Read this to grasp what is being said and under what Spirit it has been said to you.
From the Word of God (Matthew)
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'
Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'
Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
We have all been warned by the Word of God. That is the only rock I stand on.
I will cease argument, See 2 Chronicles 18. Go find a prophet who tells you what you want to hear. Let's see how that works out.
Ignore 2 Chronicles 20:20 NAS
They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed."
You trusted God and were established, you need to trust the Prophets, one who tells you the truth, is willing to risk your anger and hatred because of the call of God on his life, in order to prosper. You did the first, the second is the issue.
You don't need to answer to me or anyone, you can just plow on, just be like Ahab and go your own way. I have said what God said. Now you must decide what you are going to do about it. The choice is now up to you. I have been obedient and will allow you to make the life's choices you make. I'm backing out.
I can't say God Bless you. I won't curse you. I'll just let the word hang out there and allow you to listen to whatever you want. Your destiny is in the balance.
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