Orkan Man
Greetings in the Lord!
"In the spring the mountainside is full of pretty blooms--but did you know that many of those blooms are weeds, not flowers?"
Whenever the Lord asks a question like that it's never like, a simple answer. It usually makes me stop what I'm doing and ponder for a moment. "What in the world is He talking about?"
Opening my Bible I came to see a passage from Hosea 10 and read about how arrogant and corrupt Ephraim has become (northern tribes of Israel) and of how deceitful and rebellious their leaders are as well. The people and the leaders alike no longer had regard for the Lord or His ways and trust only in themselves and what they can attain by their own strength, talent, and way with people. For this wickedness the Lord will allow their crops to wither and they'll yield no fruit. Their enemies will overtake them and they will be wanderers among the nations....
Not good. But what specifically is He talking about? Well, for several years now the Lord has been referring to Ephraimites (the northern kingdom of Israel who made calf idols to worship instead of God) as those people in our nation that know God but have turned away to worship other gods. They will continue to wither and be thrown out of His presence. It means that there is another round of sifting to happen in the American Church. Another round of "Orkan" weed spray being spread on the "weeds"--those who may have pretty blooms in the church but are really weeds and not flowers.
Specifically, I see the Lord targeting the "cult of personality" mentality that has bloomed in the American church. These are individuals who have a "pretty bloom"--good-looking, articulate, friendly, admired by many for their talents and persuavsive speaking ability but whose true inner character is "weed like:" deceitful, jealous, unteachable, malicious, selfish, power-hungry, egocentric, and basically all the charactieristics of a false teacher/prophet. They are harmful to the healthy growth of pure, true flowers. David had 2 sons that were such weeds--they rose up against their own father to try and take his kingdom. Both had to be done away with. But guess what? They didn't rise to their position alone--there were many other weeds that supported their endeavors.
You see, it wasn't just that Jeroboam said, "Worship these calf idols, that saved you out of Egypt." It was that the people of Samaria and Bethel and other northern tribes said, "OK, great idea. I choose to follow your lies and bad teaching over the pure word of God."
The Lord is spraying the flower garden, His flower garden, to wither and dry up the root systems of the weeds that are draining the soil of good nutrients for the real flowers. We will see many ministries and churches affected by this "weed spray." Many weeds may leave the Church for awhile...until and if good seed can be replanted into their lives. These people who call themselves Christians but have allowed a weed root system to overtake their hearts and now they only bear bad fruit, if any at all, even in a leadership position. Therefore it is a good thing for them and the whole church that the Lord deals with and eradicates their weed root systems.
So let's pray that the Giver of seed will re-plant our congregations with good seed, true flowers; flowers that will give off the sweet scent of the Holy Spirit and bloom year after year. We pray that the Lord would completely wither "weed" root systems in our midst and in our lives for the re-planting of good seed that will bear much fruit for Him.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
"In the spring the mountainside is full of pretty blooms--but did you know that many of those blooms are weeds, not flowers?"
Whenever the Lord asks a question like that it's never like, a simple answer. It usually makes me stop what I'm doing and ponder for a moment. "What in the world is He talking about?"
Opening my Bible I came to see a passage from Hosea 10 and read about how arrogant and corrupt Ephraim has become (northern tribes of Israel) and of how deceitful and rebellious their leaders are as well. The people and the leaders alike no longer had regard for the Lord or His ways and trust only in themselves and what they can attain by their own strength, talent, and way with people. For this wickedness the Lord will allow their crops to wither and they'll yield no fruit. Their enemies will overtake them and they will be wanderers among the nations....
Not good. But what specifically is He talking about? Well, for several years now the Lord has been referring to Ephraimites (the northern kingdom of Israel who made calf idols to worship instead of God) as those people in our nation that know God but have turned away to worship other gods. They will continue to wither and be thrown out of His presence. It means that there is another round of sifting to happen in the American Church. Another round of "Orkan" weed spray being spread on the "weeds"--those who may have pretty blooms in the church but are really weeds and not flowers.
Specifically, I see the Lord targeting the "cult of personality" mentality that has bloomed in the American church. These are individuals who have a "pretty bloom"--good-looking, articulate, friendly, admired by many for their talents and persuavsive speaking ability but whose true inner character is "weed like:" deceitful, jealous, unteachable, malicious, selfish, power-hungry, egocentric, and basically all the charactieristics of a false teacher/prophet. They are harmful to the healthy growth of pure, true flowers. David had 2 sons that were such weeds--they rose up against their own father to try and take his kingdom. Both had to be done away with. But guess what? They didn't rise to their position alone--there were many other weeds that supported their endeavors.
You see, it wasn't just that Jeroboam said, "Worship these calf idols, that saved you out of Egypt." It was that the people of Samaria and Bethel and other northern tribes said, "OK, great idea. I choose to follow your lies and bad teaching over the pure word of God."
The Lord is spraying the flower garden, His flower garden, to wither and dry up the root systems of the weeds that are draining the soil of good nutrients for the real flowers. We will see many ministries and churches affected by this "weed spray." Many weeds may leave the Church for awhile...until and if good seed can be replanted into their lives. These people who call themselves Christians but have allowed a weed root system to overtake their hearts and now they only bear bad fruit, if any at all, even in a leadership position. Therefore it is a good thing for them and the whole church that the Lord deals with and eradicates their weed root systems.
So let's pray that the Giver of seed will re-plant our congregations with good seed, true flowers; flowers that will give off the sweet scent of the Holy Spirit and bloom year after year. We pray that the Lord would completely wither "weed" root systems in our midst and in our lives for the re-planting of good seed that will bear much fruit for Him.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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