Sons of Promise
Greetings in the Lord!
Well, it's been a little while since my last post, but luckily February is a short month so it hasn't been that long. Anyway, I will share a dream and word I received this morning.
In my dream, I was telling a group of students that "Syria's hospitality is their saving grace." (It's true, too, their hospitality toward foreigners when I was there in 2004 was like none I witnessed and experienced anywhere in the world. And it didn't matter the age or gender of the Syrian I came across either, their first words to me were always the same, "Welcome!")
As we were discussing this and sharing how our countries compared, the dream slowly faded and I was now at my home. It was late at night and for some reason I went to the front door to see something outside, was there someone at my door at this hour? Opening the door and peering out, there was only the black night before me, with howling, chilled winds twisting the treetops and snow dust swirling on the front door step. "Hmm, nobody," I said to myself and I quickly began to shut the door from the frigid air.
Just then, a gust of wind like a crowd of unseen people rushed my open door as if to enter and take over my house! I braced my full body weight against the door and fought to push it shut. My feet had no traction on the wood floor and as I slipped bit by bit to the force of the wind barging in I called out to God, "Lord! Send Your angels--help me! In You alone do I trust, help me!" At that the wind stopped. Getting my feet back under me again, I shut and quickly bolted the front door.
The scene in my dream faded again and this time I was kneeling bedside in a darkened room, looking at an older woman while she slept. Her skin was grey and bluish almost, was she dead? Looking at her more closely I saw her shallow breaths--nope, alive, but she looked old and definitely not ready to get up and do anything. Her bed sheets were the old fashioned pinstripe kind, and the quilt over her was pieced together and worn--homemade, like back in the early American colonial days. Disturbing my observations was the sound of a large bell gonging deeply in the darkness, from out in the cold to wake the night. Would the people wake in time? The bell reminded me of our Liberty Bell, ringing out warnings in the night to awaken and get us ready. Who will get up to face the enemy?
Obviously, my dream represents the United States of America--unseen forces are trying to barge into her "house." Those who are up at "night," the watchmen and others who are spiritually alert are ready to investigate and protect the front door--calling on the Lord for His saving intervention. But many are sleeping away, completely oblivious to the thieves who come to break in and plunder the house.
I recall in 2006 the Lord sent me to Germany and other European countries to warn them to get right with God, for judgment was on the horizon. They were breaking the covenant God made with them, therefore, the Lord would allow the rise of their enemies to come and plunder their "houses" for their continued rejection of Him. In 2005, it was Albania and the Balkans. In 2004, it was Syria. In 2002, it was Russia. Here we are today, North America--it is your turn.
Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which He unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. Ezekiel 2:9
Chapter 3 of Ezekiel goes on to talk about the mission the prophet was being called to: preach to the people of God and give His warnings to them to repent. If they want to continue in His covenant blessings, then they must live according to His covenant. The Lord cautions the prophet, however, that many people will not listen to him because they do not want to hear God's words. Either way, whether they listen or fail to listen, they will have been warned and had the opportunity to make a godly decision--they could never claim ignorance.
So it is today. Enemies of our country are plotting against us, but they will only be successful in their plans if the Lord allows it. As people of faith, we should be alert to this and pray for the spiritual revival of this country. To speak out against sin and immorality when we see it, and encourage people to get right with God. Be supportive of those in need and woo them with kindness back into fellowship with the Lord. Preach and teach sound doctrine and expose those who compromise the Word of God for popularity and secular approval. We must understand the nature of the war ahead--it is not about physical combat, but about doctrine and belief systems. Brutality stems from a fleshly belief system.
The apostle Paul writes about the two sons of Abraham in the book of Galatians--one born of Hagar in a natural birth, and one born miraculously by Sarah, God fulfilling His promise to Abraham. These sons represent two different types of covenants. "One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stand for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother." Galatians 4:24-26.
"Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? 'Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.' Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman." Galatians 4:28-31
So, while it is wildly unpopular to proclaim and remind people of our unique place and covenant responsibilities as spiritual children of the Living God, I must. To live according to any other doctrine is to live as a slave to that fleshly doctrine; there is no freedom or life in it. Yes, you've avoided the impending persecution of the sons "born in the ordinary way," but have forfeited covenant blessings and an eternal inheritance with the one true God through belief in His Son, Jesus Christ.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Well, it's been a little while since my last post, but luckily February is a short month so it hasn't been that long. Anyway, I will share a dream and word I received this morning.
In my dream, I was telling a group of students that "Syria's hospitality is their saving grace." (It's true, too, their hospitality toward foreigners when I was there in 2004 was like none I witnessed and experienced anywhere in the world. And it didn't matter the age or gender of the Syrian I came across either, their first words to me were always the same, "Welcome!")
As we were discussing this and sharing how our countries compared, the dream slowly faded and I was now at my home. It was late at night and for some reason I went to the front door to see something outside, was there someone at my door at this hour? Opening the door and peering out, there was only the black night before me, with howling, chilled winds twisting the treetops and snow dust swirling on the front door step. "Hmm, nobody," I said to myself and I quickly began to shut the door from the frigid air.
Just then, a gust of wind like a crowd of unseen people rushed my open door as if to enter and take over my house! I braced my full body weight against the door and fought to push it shut. My feet had no traction on the wood floor and as I slipped bit by bit to the force of the wind barging in I called out to God, "Lord! Send Your angels--help me! In You alone do I trust, help me!" At that the wind stopped. Getting my feet back under me again, I shut and quickly bolted the front door.
The scene in my dream faded again and this time I was kneeling bedside in a darkened room, looking at an older woman while she slept. Her skin was grey and bluish almost, was she dead? Looking at her more closely I saw her shallow breaths--nope, alive, but she looked old and definitely not ready to get up and do anything. Her bed sheets were the old fashioned pinstripe kind, and the quilt over her was pieced together and worn--homemade, like back in the early American colonial days. Disturbing my observations was the sound of a large bell gonging deeply in the darkness, from out in the cold to wake the night. Would the people wake in time? The bell reminded me of our Liberty Bell, ringing out warnings in the night to awaken and get us ready. Who will get up to face the enemy?
Obviously, my dream represents the United States of America--unseen forces are trying to barge into her "house." Those who are up at "night," the watchmen and others who are spiritually alert are ready to investigate and protect the front door--calling on the Lord for His saving intervention. But many are sleeping away, completely oblivious to the thieves who come to break in and plunder the house.
I recall in 2006 the Lord sent me to Germany and other European countries to warn them to get right with God, for judgment was on the horizon. They were breaking the covenant God made with them, therefore, the Lord would allow the rise of their enemies to come and plunder their "houses" for their continued rejection of Him. In 2005, it was Albania and the Balkans. In 2004, it was Syria. In 2002, it was Russia. Here we are today, North America--it is your turn.
Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which He unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. Ezekiel 2:9
Chapter 3 of Ezekiel goes on to talk about the mission the prophet was being called to: preach to the people of God and give His warnings to them to repent. If they want to continue in His covenant blessings, then they must live according to His covenant. The Lord cautions the prophet, however, that many people will not listen to him because they do not want to hear God's words. Either way, whether they listen or fail to listen, they will have been warned and had the opportunity to make a godly decision--they could never claim ignorance.
So it is today. Enemies of our country are plotting against us, but they will only be successful in their plans if the Lord allows it. As people of faith, we should be alert to this and pray for the spiritual revival of this country. To speak out against sin and immorality when we see it, and encourage people to get right with God. Be supportive of those in need and woo them with kindness back into fellowship with the Lord. Preach and teach sound doctrine and expose those who compromise the Word of God for popularity and secular approval. We must understand the nature of the war ahead--it is not about physical combat, but about doctrine and belief systems. Brutality stems from a fleshly belief system.
The apostle Paul writes about the two sons of Abraham in the book of Galatians--one born of Hagar in a natural birth, and one born miraculously by Sarah, God fulfilling His promise to Abraham. These sons represent two different types of covenants. "One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stand for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother." Galatians 4:24-26.
"Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? 'Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.' Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman." Galatians 4:28-31
So, while it is wildly unpopular to proclaim and remind people of our unique place and covenant responsibilities as spiritual children of the Living God, I must. To live according to any other doctrine is to live as a slave to that fleshly doctrine; there is no freedom or life in it. Yes, you've avoided the impending persecution of the sons "born in the ordinary way," but have forfeited covenant blessings and an eternal inheritance with the one true God through belief in His Son, Jesus Christ.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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