God In Different Form

   Many people have a fixed idea of what God, or Jesus, must be like and anything different is rejected. This has robbed so many of really knowing God.  When God chooses to manifest in a different way, they are left saying "Oh no...it can't be God".  I knew a little scrawny fellow in the Army who in civilian life was a DJ. He was a little ol' nerd but when he spoke, out came this booming, deep bass voice. I often thought about what a shock his listeners might have if they were to see him in person.   Their reaction might be similar to that of believers who encounter God in a way different from their expectations.

    How about today?   Could you, or your church accept Jesus the wine maker?  How about Jesus who walked on the water in the midst of a storm causing the disciples to think He was a ghost?  Or, how about a burning bush, a snake on a pole, a rock in the desert, a cloud by day, fire by night and a staff in the hand of Moses?  He came as a baby to those expecting a king.  To Joshua, He came as the Captain of the host of the Lord and to Mary at the tomb, she thought He was a gardner.  To those disciples on the road to Emmaeus, their eyes were "holden" at first and they did not recognize Him (Lk. 24:1-16).  To the disciples on the day of Pentecost He came like fire and then new wine.  Isaiah saw Him seated on a throne, high and lifted up.  John saw Him and said His eyes were like a flame of fire.  To some He was healer to others a deliverer and to others a master of the wind and waves.  To us, right now, He has come a Holy Spirit that is willing to dwell in us and fill us to overflowing.

   How many of those different manifestations could you accept?  Eventually, only accepting God as you have predetermined Him to be, or as you have previously seen Him to be, is going to rob you and cut you off from the Spirit of God.  The Spirit comes as He comes. He decides.  One way He comes is to blow upon you, grab hold of the tongue, bends our knee and say,  "Call Him Lord".   He comes and grabs our tongue, gives us an utterance and says "Praise Him in a tongue you did not learn".  Over the years, I have heard so many confess their love and hunger for God, only to see them pass up the chance to touch and know God, missing manifestation after manifestation, since it was not what they had in mind.  Sad indeed!  

    For me, I want God to be God and manifest as He wishes.  However, I have to confess, I would love to see the wine-maker anointing re-appear, on TV, in the First Church of The Fridgedaire and at the next great prayer conference, and denominational general confab.  Come on now, wouldn't you love to see the bottled water they might be drinking on the set of the big national Christian TV network suddenly turn to wine?  With everyone there getting drunk and the host, Sister Dodad's pink wigs fell off,  make-up smeared, mascarra running like a black river, one false eyelash comes unmoored and the men on the set, their ties come off, shirts came out of their pants, hair taking on that wind-blown look and their suit coats up over their head.  Wait a minute, that sounds like some church services I have been in!

How the enemy gains power

   The Bible says Jesus came to destroy the works of the evil one, that He stripped him of his power and made an open show of him.   If that be so, and it is, how does the enemy get power?  How does he do what he does?  It is simple; he gains power by lying. When we believe his lies, his power increases.  Most of his lies produce fear and fear is the opposite of faith, but works the same way.   Here are some ways he lies:

1. He lies about himself, his ability, his stature.  A lot of the church still believes the devil rules over hell, but that is not so.  Hell is a place God controls and it is reserved for the wicked, including the devil.  Jesus said we are not to fear him who could kill us but him who could kill us and cast us into hell. That is not the devil. That is God in final judgment.
2.  Lies by altered definitions:   Instead of outright lies, the devil cleverly lies by redefining terms, words and experiences from the Bible.  Holy Ghost baptism, which in the New Testament came with speaking in tongues and power is now just another doctrine to be studied and then put away. New birth is now church membership and sinners are just confused people.  The list of re-defined terms could go on forever.
3. Lies with ignorance:  Ignorance alienates us from the life of God (Eph. 4:18).  Just by keeping our eyes closed to understanding the rich inheritance purchased by the blood of Jesus the enemy robs us.  This is perhaps the best tool the enemy has against us.
4.  Lies with lying signs and wonders:  This one is working great for the enemy. These lying signs and wonders are not those of a cult, or magician. They are those intended to deceive the church and they will be connected with what we have come to accept as church.  There are many, many things going on in the church world that we are calling "God" that are impossible to support from the Bible. How many mega-churches do we "ooh" and "aah' over, that are too big for God, for the gifts of God, in which if the Holy Ghost manifested during the pastor's sermon, as happened to Peter (Acts 10), it would get the pastor fired and split the church.
5.  Lies by seducing spirits and doctrines of devils:  (1st Tim. 3:1). God only knows how far the modern church is from the powerful, anointed church seen in the New Testament.  Many, many among us no longer believe in the new birth, Holy Ghost baptism, speaking in tongues (a particular sign God put on us to seal or mark us), healing, deliverance, the speaking voice of God, joy unspeakable, praise, worship, etc.   How did this happen?  Seducing spirits spreading doctrines of devils.  Doctrines of devils are those that lead us away from the powerful Spirit-filled life we could have.

     So what is the answer to this?   Truth!   And, the Holy Ghost has come to lead us into all truth and away from lies.  The more full you are of the Holy Ghost, the closer your walk with Him, the greater protection you have from lies that seduce and curse.

Songs you love may tell who you love

 

    You know, songs you love best have a way of telling who you love most.  Much of what we sing in church is songs about us. Second to that are songs about what we have been given. Still, they are also about us.  Then, there are songs sang directly to Him and they express our deepest love to Him face to face.  Those are the songs I love because they are focus me on the one I love.

   The condition of being "spirit-filled", as described in Ephesians is that we start singing to ourselves psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, melodies of the heart "to him".  These are not songs about us, sung to us.  They are songs sung  "to him".  For sure, we can testify, preach, and prophesy one to another in songs, and that is good, but when songs become love songs, they are "to him" and that is wonderful. 

   There is a great absence of love songs right now in the church world, it seems to me. Lots of songs about us, about what we have, even some about the devil but not many love songs.  For those of you who are married, or seriously dating, can you imagine singing to your loved one about the devil while you are in the process of giving a deep loving kiss?  Happens all the time in the church world.  Right in the middle of a time of intimacy with God, someone starts singing about the devil, or about themselves. This tells me that they probably don't really understand worship and it strikes me as both funny and sad.  Think about some of the songs we are singing.  Can you imagine looking into His wonderful face and taking the time to sing that song to Him?

   Don't get me wrong: songs that testify, preach, proclaim, that encourage faith, etc., are not bad.   In fact some times they are best for the situation, but oh, don't you love it when the song arises that speaks your heart to His heart?  For me, I come unglued. I melt.  I fade away and He fills the vision of my heart.  In the Lakeland, Fla., revival I enjoyed Roy Fields so much. He sang those pounding testimony songs such as "I am free" and I sang with him and ten thousand other voices.  However, I remember and treasure a moment that came when he abruptly stopped that and sang in almost a whisper "Show me your face Lord, show me your face".  That was the moment when I kissed the Son.  Every fiber in my being stretched toward His presence.  I was lost in Him.  Now, those are the times I am talking about. Ever had one?

   In my experience, when a move of God, a revival is fresh, the songs become simple, straightforward and often directly addressed to HIm.  The further away from the move we move, the more complex and man-centered the songs become.   Prayer is the same.  I wonder sometimes, looking back, did He move, or, did we?  Did He drift away, or did we lose our focus on HIm and turn it on ourselves?  Could it be that we stopped singing to Him and He moved back over in the shadows to await the return of our passion for Him?  Could it be that we kill move after move, revival after revival, because we can't keep our focus on anything but ourselves?