This blog is designed to make you "think". Also to encourage,exhort,edify and "Warn" the saints of God as we see the day of The Lord on the horrizon.

Friday, February 8, 2008

My Sheep Know My Voice, Another's They Will Not Follow!

The Lord reminded me today, through a saint of God, what my task has been since He saved my soul. “Feed MY Sheep.” .....Not someone else’s sheep, His sheep, those who are hungry for The Truth, those who are seeking Him with all their hearts, those who have no personal agenda, those who are not seeking to be accepted by man, who have no goals out side of being pleasing to Him. Those who are willing to crucify their own flesh, those who are willing to lay down their lives for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. Those who want nothing but the Truth no matter what the cost to them.

I know in Whom I believe, and I am, as the old song says, persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him, against the day that is to come. The Holy Spirit settles in me to whom I am to listen, and I do know His voice. He drew me to salvation, He filled me with His Spirit he sealed me with His Spirit, and He leads and guides me on a daily basis, as He does all His sheep…Amen

There are many voices today, each enticing people to follow their way of believing. If it is a belief that detracts from Jesus Christ our Lord being Center and foremost, if it draws peoples attention away from the shed blood of Christ to a salvation of works, then flee people flee, and get on your face before God until He speaks to your heart, and fills you with His Spirit...Amen

The enemy folks is on the rampage to steal, to kill and to destroy your faith, and He is merciless and ruthless, and hate filled, he does not care for your soul, only his own agenda, that is why he was cast out of heaven. He wanted to be God, he wants to take the place of Jesus in your heart, and he seeks to destroy God’s own….Amen

Remember Jobs comforter’s folks, they had what seemed very good things to say to him in his time of greatest need, but in the end what did God tell them?

Job 42:7-8
And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
8Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

Even the very best of intentions and sacrifices, when not Christ centered, are not accepted of God. Rebellion is as the sin of witch craft, and stubbornness as idolatry. We may well be set in our belief system, but if it is not in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are in unbelief, rebellion and stubborness.

John 10:1-18
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”

6This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7Then said Jesus unto them again,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”


Post Script/ure:
Matt 11:6
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Matt 13:10-23
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
18Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.



2 comments:

Elm Street Chapel said...

Amen Helen.

Galatians 5:19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

un·clean
1. not clean; dirty.
2. morally impure; evil; vile: unclean thoughts.
3. Chiefly Biblical. having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to the laws, esp. the dietary or ceremonial laws: an unclean animal; unclean persons.

i·dol·a·try i·dol·a·tries
1. Worship of idols.
2. Blind or excessive devotion to something.

witch·craft –noun
1. the art or practices of a witch; sorcery; magic.
2. magical influence; witchery.

var·i·ance
–noun 1. the state, quality, or fact of being variable, divergent, different, or anomalous.
2. an instance of varying; difference; discrepancy.

em·u·la·tion –noun
1. effort or desire to equal or excel others.
2. Obsolete. jealous rivalry.

se·di·tion –noun
1. incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government.
2. any action, esp. in speech or writing, promoting such discontent or rebellion.
3. Archaic. rebellious disorder.

her·e·sy –noun, plural -sies. 1. opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine, esp. of a church or religious system.
2. the maintaining of such an opinion or doctrine.
3. Roman Catholic Church. the willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized member of the church.
4. any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs, customs, etc.

Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Being right before God is not difficult. A sincere humble heart, a love for truth and faith is all that is necessary. The Father,the Son and the Holy Spirit do the rest. Hold fast to truth, let go of everything else.

L,J,P&HG
Dave

Anonymous said...

Thank you Helen.

I realize we are talking about areas that are not only important to us as Believers, but we are speaking in areas that have are of even more importance in the spiritual realm, both good and bad spiritual entities. I am afraid sometimes to voice an opinion in regard to Israel and the church. My great fear is that I would profess something that is not true or is off base and I know without a doubt that there is a price to pay in that regard. I feel many ministries and people have been set aside because of these issues and in that regard, I have always tried to come down on the side of Israel; not to the point of worshiping such, but in the realization that it is only through our love and exibition of the gifts, power and fruits of the Spirit of God that we can make her jealous, so that Israel in turn would turn to the One who brings her salvation in these last of the last days; there is no other Name under Heaven whereby one can be saved; that Name is Jesus Christ-Yeshua Messiah (the Anointed One of God who will sit on the Throne of David!

Not to take up any more of your time since you have the day off, but on a personal note, my earthly father was an Assembly of God pastor who founded one church and ministered in several others. As a child and a young man starting out on my own, I have seen professed Christians tear him, my mother and my family apart; all in the name of Jesus; as they saw Him. Needless to say, this turns ones children against anything that even smells of church or religion. I have worked my way through these issues although the enemy of my soul brings them to mind quite often whenever I enter into contact or relationships with those professing to be Believers.

My father's mother, whom I never met, she died when he was 15 or 16, was said to have come from Balarus, near the Mediteranian Area. It is possible she was of Jewish origin; another spiritual concern that, in my bitterness of professed Christians against my family caused me to seek possible Jewish roots on my Grandmothers side. They were very poor and my father and some of his brothers and sisters received help from a Catholic Convent in Harpers Ferry WV, from what I have heard. I have always had a heart for Jews and Israel. I feel that my family has been persecuted by so called Christians, in a small way as the Jews have been throughout their history.

The bitterness I speak of took root with my brothers; there were four boys in my family. As a result, my brother Michael moved to Florida, took on a homosexual lifestyle and partied his way into eternity. He was around 28 years old when he died of AIDS. Thank God he repented and read his Bible and prayed daily, hourly in his last months on earth.

My second brother Paul abused drugs and lived a hendonist, violent lifestyle and it was his way of life, even with two children of his own, whom I never see, even though I am their Uncle. He died of a massive heart attack 10 years ago; he was in his early thirties. I do not know if he had time to pray or not; I hope so.

My third brother is a practicing homosexual and has battled an alcohol addition all of his life. He is a shell of what he once was; he is still surviving. He also prays and reads his bible and this must be what is keeping him around. He is 50 years old, I am 53.

Needless to say, this is not to say this is an excuse by any means, but my Dad had an affair and divorced my mother of maybe 30 years marriage. He wasted away after three heart attacks and would sit and weep at what he had done. Dad never recovered from his third heart attack. He said he had made peace with God and I am confident that he has.

I, almost the Lone Ranger of the protegy of my immediate family still believe, trust, and know that God is in total control; no matter how things look in to the natural eye. When I read and think of the Remnant saved mentioned so often concerning Israel and I believe also of the church, I kind of have a good feeling of what those in the Remnant must feel like.

I worked for the US Government most of my life, traveled the world (Africa, Europe and Israel) and have been married three times as a result of never being home for my wives. I like to kid an retired minister friend of mine who has was married to his wife for 65 years that I too have been married all of my life. Just to different people! So much for that mess.


My wife and I support the Voice of the Martyrs by purchasing Bibles for distribution in Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan and China. This is the way I feel Muslims and others will be convinced that Jesus is LORD of all; the only way to the Father is through His sacrifical death and His glorious ressurection. We support the Hand of Help Orphanage with a monthly contribution for that effort on behalf of Believers in Romania who are in much distress. And we support Israeli Messianic Fellowships in Israel who are taking the gospel right where it all started! I do not mention these in a boastful manner at all; just to show that God can still use an embittered ministers son, who is uncertain of his ancestory (and that is not really important) to fulfill His purpose. Not all are meant to be ministers in a building with hundreds of members. There are also "worker bees" who must do their part to advance the supplies of those who have been called to the ministry fields. Kind of like King David and his men who recaptured their wives and families and cattle that had been stolen from them; the ones of his army that stayed behind "with the stuff" while David and his men went to war and reclaim thier things, also shared in the reward after David's army returned. Some stay with the "stuff" while others go and fight on the frontlines.

This brings up an important admonition for what it is worth. The way the gospel is presented in of most importance. Persons who of Chinese origin, or African origin, or Hispanic origin have different ways, customs, and were raised in cultures that are far different from Believers in the United States. Our ways are often an offense to them; kind of a western, cowboy, shoot em up style that is even offensive to me.

As we travel in our little boat with our flags of different beliefs and way to contact our Father, we must not be surprised when we see other little boats, with their own flags and customs flowing from other streams, tributaries if you will, on their own way to their Father's house. The river is the same, it flows from the throne of God. The way and the truth is the same; Jesus Christ.

Some travel in boats with a speaking in tongues banner in the forefront. Others have good works and love, or joy, or peace in the Holy Spirit flying high. Some have ministries to the poor, like Hand of Help. Others concentrate solely on those imprisoned, others to Muslims, others to China, others are Messianic Jews who remind those of Israel that it all originated there, there is nothing more natural than for a person of Jewish origin to realize that Jesus, is really their long sought after Messiah. All is from God.

Believers in America will be shocked (and probably petition the Father for a wall to be built so they can be by themselves in Heaven) when they find out that they are outnumbered in Heaven by Chinese, Africans and Jews! From a personal perspective, I say praise God! I have always gotten along better with the outcasts anyway! Jesus was cast outside of the gates also. We will be in good company, I would say.

I appreciate your patience regarding my strong feelings on these very important issues. I often say things that offend. They are not meant to but are said to prick the hearts and minds of those who may be a little to comfortable with their beliefs to the exclusion of those who are interested in Godly issues but feel uncomfortable approaching Believer's who act like they get revelations on a daily basis from God.

We are all in this together, a massive armada of little boats with our different flags blowing in the breeze, floating down this huge stream and praying all of the way. Prayers in Hebrew, English, Chinese, Spanish and the hundreds of other languages of this troubled planet on which we live. Our boats often collide and we get perturbed, angry, and distressed.

But I am confident that the Father knew from the foundation of the creation of the earth that this would happen. I think He allows these things to work patience, love, joy, revelation, modesty in all of us. We are Brothers and Sisters in Christ (Yeshua) and He will see us through to the safe harbor.

Thanks again, Have a Sabbath resting on His promises-mtzion@hughes.net

John R. Peacher