Josiah Generation
Greetings in the Lord!
Today's word comes from 2 Kings 23:8-25~
"Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates...He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun....He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the Lord...The king also desecrated the high places that were...built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon....The king asked, "What is that tombstone I see?" The men of the city said, "It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it." "Leave it alone," he said. "Don't let anyone disturb his bones." So they spared his bones and those of the prophet who had come from Samaria."
~I had a vivid dream yesterday morning that I was watching human sacrifices and other detestable things related to ancient idolatry (mentioned in today's scriptural passage) from a window of a tomb-like crawlspace from within an apartment building overlooking a beach. The crawlspace was within a family's apartment in the building. There were more details in the dream, but by day's end I knew what the dream meant---various idolatries had overtaken a family and had already removed ("sacrificed") the mom from the family through adultery and divorce, and now the kids were at risk for being "sacrificed," as well. I remember at the end of my dream I cried out to the Lord to have mercy and intervene, "Protect them!" I petitioned.
For a couple months now, the father of that family had been telling me about their family situation, seeking counsel nondirectly. But he was not a believer and the Lord did not put on my heart to say too much. However, yesterday the perfect opportunity had been arranged by the Lord and He gave me the "green light" to minister to one of the daughters in that family. And what did I see and discern? Spirits of heaviness, addiction, depression, sexual immoralty, violence, suicide, rebelliousness, and deception were rampant in their lives. Before I even entered their house I could feel wickedness. Their front door was unlocked and she said, "Oh, we never lock the door." Yes, indeed, the 'strong men' had easy access to this house.
On the tour of their beautiful huge house, one thing after another jumped out to me as "high places:" the computer room filled with music CDs and video games; book shelves full of Harry Potter books and the book of Mormon; a shotgun cabinet (mostly belonging to the 13 year old boy who liked guns), and a lone TV and chair in the large basement, among other things/places. Even the house itself was the result of pride, as the mother had wanted a enormous, lavish house,...way beyond their means.
In love and compassion, I shared with the teenage daughter truth about some of the things that I discerned. It is interesting the Lord did not have me share (yet) with the father or rest of the family, but only this daughter. He knows the ways to their hearts, so I let the Spirit flow as He will. In the meantime, I can tell the Lord has chosen this daughter out of the family to be the first to carry His Light....and to begin the tearing down and restoring work that will have to be done as the Spirit leads her. She is the "Josiah," and I the (wo)"man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar (s)" the things that will be done in this family.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today's word comes from 2 Kings 23:8-25~
"Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates...He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun....He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the Lord...The king also desecrated the high places that were...built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon....The king asked, "What is that tombstone I see?" The men of the city said, "It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it." "Leave it alone," he said. "Don't let anyone disturb his bones." So they spared his bones and those of the prophet who had come from Samaria."
~I had a vivid dream yesterday morning that I was watching human sacrifices and other detestable things related to ancient idolatry (mentioned in today's scriptural passage) from a window of a tomb-like crawlspace from within an apartment building overlooking a beach. The crawlspace was within a family's apartment in the building. There were more details in the dream, but by day's end I knew what the dream meant---various idolatries had overtaken a family and had already removed ("sacrificed") the mom from the family through adultery and divorce, and now the kids were at risk for being "sacrificed," as well. I remember at the end of my dream I cried out to the Lord to have mercy and intervene, "Protect them!" I petitioned.
For a couple months now, the father of that family had been telling me about their family situation, seeking counsel nondirectly. But he was not a believer and the Lord did not put on my heart to say too much. However, yesterday the perfect opportunity had been arranged by the Lord and He gave me the "green light" to minister to one of the daughters in that family. And what did I see and discern? Spirits of heaviness, addiction, depression, sexual immoralty, violence, suicide, rebelliousness, and deception were rampant in their lives. Before I even entered their house I could feel wickedness. Their front door was unlocked and she said, "Oh, we never lock the door." Yes, indeed, the 'strong men' had easy access to this house.
On the tour of their beautiful huge house, one thing after another jumped out to me as "high places:" the computer room filled with music CDs and video games; book shelves full of Harry Potter books and the book of Mormon; a shotgun cabinet (mostly belonging to the 13 year old boy who liked guns), and a lone TV and chair in the large basement, among other things/places. Even the house itself was the result of pride, as the mother had wanted a enormous, lavish house,...way beyond their means.
In love and compassion, I shared with the teenage daughter truth about some of the things that I discerned. It is interesting the Lord did not have me share (yet) with the father or rest of the family, but only this daughter. He knows the ways to their hearts, so I let the Spirit flow as He will. In the meantime, I can tell the Lord has chosen this daughter out of the family to be the first to carry His Light....and to begin the tearing down and restoring work that will have to be done as the Spirit leads her. She is the "Josiah," and I the (wo)"man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar (s)" the things that will be done in this family.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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