I turned 67 on January second. What does that mean to me? It says I do not have time to mess up or miss what God is saying or doing. I am getting closer to the completion of my journey here. I want to finish well. I want to go out having fulfilled the desire of God’s heart for me! I want to live for the audience of ONE!
Several things have hounded me for the past 6-8 months. One is Father standing up declaring the word, “CHANGE” into the world. Another is “Choice” and the reality of how our choices affect others and the future. The last one is “Truth”. It is the truth that sets us free.
John 8:31-32 (NKJV,)
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 14:6 (NKJV,)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
On CBS morning news the other day they were commenting on 2016 and they had one of their analysts speaking about the year. The guy characterized 2016 as ushering in a “post-truth” era. Then I was online looking at some news stories and found an article, Oxford Dictionaries Announce Their 2016 Word of the Year; “Post-Truth” saying it could be a defining word of our time.
I am not really surprised by this as the world has always been trying to bury The Truth. The Truth makes us accountable to what is right and what is wrong. It is a defining line. If we can remove, bury or compromise The Truth then anything can be true and there is a freedom from guilt and shame.
At one of our seminars this last summer I brought up “manufactured truth” or that which someone wants you to believe for their benefit to be true. There are actually companies that exist whose job it is to manufacture truth from twisting or omitting facts about what they want you to believe. Whether it is politics or consumer sales, it is the same. To get you to buy what they are selling they have to get you to believe in what they want you to. They must cause you to accept what they say or show as a truth you need to accept. They mix real truth with a deception and move you emotionally or mentally by trigger words or pictures where you do not catch the truth but instead you catch their truth.
In Christianity the enemy uses The Truth spoken at an exact moment, in the right circumstances, with perfect emphasis, to lead you in the wrong direction or to the wrong conclusion, to produce doubt, fear, or compromise. Satan creates lies (a manufactured truth) from the truth to destroy faith. Compromise is ripe in the body of Christ and we have been taught that compromise is acceptable because we are to be “God’s love”. Our problem is the definition that the enemy has caused us to accept as being “God’s Love”. God’s love should be defined by His character.
The definition of God’s love is the description of who He is. IT is not weak, soft or without strength. It is powerful and is always shared in The Truth! It makes the impossible possible.
Deception must cause us to compromise Truth as it is “the truth that sets us free”! The enemy tries hard to get us to see God’s definition of truth as irrelevant. The world says that truth is relevant to facts that have changed with time, so truth must be changed. The Bible is not relevant now some say… The God of the Bible has become obsllete, irrelevant. The manufactured truth of today has to bury God’s truth and all that has been discovered that proves Him True if they are to have freedom to do what they want. Real truth restrains us, holds us accountable and keeps us safe.
What you believe to be true and what I believe to be true will never change THE TRUTH. But when we accept the truth, it will change us!
A “post-truth era” has to happen for the anti-Christ and “world” agenda.
These facts are not the problem. The problem is man’s desire to rule and reign without God, to not be accountable to Him. If people are faced with THE TRUTH it confronts behavior, morality and selfishness of any kind. To avoid conviction and condemnation, ‘the truth’ or that which will be seen as the truth in a post-truth era., a manufactured truth has to be more than convincing, and accepted. Manufactured truth must become trusted. It has to be able to deceive even God’s very elect! It has to be able to bury what is true deep enough that man is comfortable in the midst of the truth-lie he desires to live.
A few years ago Father took me on a trip to visit He and Jesus. I found myself in a room that was like an airport traffic control tower or in a high-rise apartment with a huge window looking out. The room seemed circular with windows, but I did not see the back of the room only the window area before me. From this window we could look down on the whole earth. It was a place where you could watch all that was going on! As this vision began I found myself in this tower seated in a wooden chair with armrests, with Jesus standing behind me on the right side. His hand was on my shoulder. We were facing the window. Father was walking back and forth in front of the large window area looking at the earth. I got the impression that I was looking down on the North American continent. His hands were behind his back and I felt He was deliberating some action.
Unexpectedly, He turned from the window with a look of deep pain and anger and focusing His eyes on me. He began to speak, “I will hold you accountable to give me a reason as to why I should not destroy this people”. It was a strong statement not a question.
I was so startled and simply could not comprehend what He was implying or saying. Me, being accountable as to give a reason to Him, as to why He should not destroy His people in the USA? What is this, some kind of test, what? This cannot be happening and can’t be Father! He took a step closer and with a bit more authority in His tone repeated, “I will hold you accountable to give me a reason why I should not destroy these people”! All of my doubts about whether or not it was Father simply disappeared as I was faced with His second declaration.
Jesus hand on my shoulder moved a bit and instantly I remembered Moses and a few others He had held accountable for a group of people and their actions. Looking into His eyes, realizing that He was waiting for me to answer Him was so scary! I was so undone! Father turned His back to me and again was looking out the window with such anger and pain. Turning toward me again He began; “This people have come to me and prayed, sang and cried to me for gifts from heaven, insights on how to defeat my foes, how to inhabit my presence, etc and I have answered them. I have given them unique gifts and presents to manifest my presence to others. I have shared secrets of my kingdom and my plans with them.” His expression hardened as He continued, “ I spoke to them my secrets and plans and they went from my presence with wisdom and anointing. Then, they would go home, to a restaurant, to go boating or to watch their kids play sports and they would openly share with anyone they were around things I had shared with them in secret.” (During this time, as He spoke, I was seeing and hearing what He was saying. I can’t explain it but I was watching a manifestation of His voice as He spoke and the events in peoples’ lives that He was speaking about. The people never did anything with the wisdom God gave to spread His Kingdom’s influence, but they would talk about it a lot. There was always a spy in the midst of them in what they would do after meeting with God and it listened then left to report to their commander what they had heard).
I could see the enemy laughing as God’s secrets where being stolen. Father continued, “These people are taking what is mine and for my kingdom and without thought about what they are doing, giving it to my enemy who then uses it AGAINST my people and purpose”! By this time Father is right in front of me and the pain in His eyes was so evident. He was so hurt and angry at what was happening. I had at some point stood up, Jesus was still behind me with His hand on my shoulder and I was beginning to cry at the pain I was feeling in Father’s heart. He stopped talking and backed up a bit looked out at the world, and then turning toward me again He raised His hand, pointed His finger at me, and with such a deep profound look in His eyes repeated to me for the third time with a strong emphasis to His words, “I will require of you why I should not destroy this people”!
I was so undone, did not know how to respond and did not want to think any response because I knew He would know my thoughts. At that moment Jesus squeezed my shoulder, and I knew! I stepped forward toward Father and with a confidence I cannot explain began to speak, “You said the blood of Jesus was enough. You said that His sacrifice cries out Mercy and Grace, not judgment!”. (Inside I was so terrified that I was about to die for my boldness but Jesus was there still reassuring me and giving me an incredible confidence). Father looked into my eyes, turned away, then went back to the window and stood quietly looking out at the USA and the world. I went back and sat down in the chair, shaking violently from the moment of boldness I had just experienced. After a few moments of silence He turned toward me again and stated, “You are right”. Then after a slight pause He continued, “So now you go and tell this people, I will send my grace once more across this land. Also tell them that if they do not receive my grace and continue to use my gifts and love in selfishness, giving power to my enemy, I will destroy this land”! “ You tell them that if they treat my grace cheaply, or ignore my voice calling them, I will not issue another warning! Destruction will come”!
Father was not asking me to go, He was telling me. I wanted to respond with a ‘why me’ or ‘this is not fair’, ‘who am I that they would listen to me’, but the look in His eyes told me that it would be very unwise to respond with anything but, YES SIR! It seems that Jesus embraced me for a moment and then I found myself on a street corner in some city crying out to the people walking by, “You must receive God’s grace, you must turn your eyes to Jesus and receive His sacrifice for you! Do not ignore Him but turn and receive His love”! God’s throne of grace was somehow visible to all but no one would turn and look or listen to me. They would not even look up but continued to walk in whatever direction they were headed in. I was screaming and crying. I got a box and stood on it so people could see me better. I did everything I knew to get the people to listen. I told them that if they did not receive this Grace offered them judgment was coming and destruction would overtake them. I shouted, “this is the last chance. This is the last wave of grace God is sending”. I shared that Judgment was coming if they did not listen, receive, and turn away from their selfishness. Nothing I did worked. I talked of healing, deliverance, redemption, freedom, and Love. Nothing would turn the people, they never looked up or turned to see His throne. They just kept walking.
I was so mad. How could Father send me to do this and not a single one would stop and at least listen to what I had to say. I was not mad at the people, I felt sorry for them and was broken because God’s offer was being ignored. But, I was so mad at Father. Why would He put me through this and send me to speak His ultimatum yet no one turn… Then, I suddenly found myself yelling at heaven and Father, “I will not do this anymore, send someone else”! I am through! I stepped off the box and started to walk away, only to find myself back in the window room with Father and Jesus, sitting in the chair once more. Immediately I stood, walked up to Father and started to speak to Him with such strong resolution in my voice it scared me, “I will not do this anymore! If you do not send Holy Spirit with me and give me power, I AM NOT GOING”! Jesus hand was again on my shoulder. Father looked steadily at me for a few moments. I slowly backed up and began to sit down. Father was not mad, nor did He look at me with distain, instead He turned a bit, looked at Jesus, nodded to Him and turned from us to the window again. Jesus squeezed my shoulder once more and I found myself back on the street corner speaking and saying the same things as before, but this time my words seemed filled with God’s presence, power and Love. People began to turn and look toward what I was pointing at with my arm, God’s throne of Grace with Jesus sitting on it.
There was a stairway leading up to an elevated stage area Jesus throne was on. The stage area Jesus was seated on seemed to stretch beyond what could be seen in two directions. People were crowding this stairway beside me that led to Jesus. It was so amazingly different from my previous experience where no one would even glance at me or look where I was pointing. The experience was so fulfilling, people were looking to Jesus and crowding into His presence.
Somehow I found myself on the stage area on the fringe of the crowd looking at Jesus and the people fellowshipping together. I was so overwhelmed with Joy watching this happen! I turned away and looked down the stage. It was empty as far as I could see but there were other stairways leading up to the area, where others could come up and enter into Jesus presence. I looked back at the crowd again smiling then looked at the empty stairways and thought, why not, these people do not need me, they now have Jesus. I think I will go explore these other stairways and see if we can fill them with people also. As I stood there taking one final look at what was happening, enjoying every moment and the looks on peoples’ faces as they gazed upon Jesus, I noticed a strange thing. As I looked around watching what was going on, I would see someone jump into the air occasionally and scan the area. As my eyes continued to roam over the crowd I would see another do the same thing. It was funny to watch and it seemed these jumping people were all looking for someone in the midst of the crowd. Then I realized they were looking for me. I turned away wondering, “what is that about”?
I made my way out of the crowd completely and began walking toward the next stairway. As I walked I began to notice others joining me. I looked to my right and then my left and found a line of people all smiling, glancing back at me then looking back forward at the next stairs with a great anticipation. As I looked at those with me and then back down the staging area and empty stairways, tears began to run down my cheeks. I was filled with so much Joy and wonder. We would see more receive His grace! What we were doing DID make a difference to Jesus and His Kingdom. Wow, I am not worthless!
This is the time of that vision! I know that Father is dismayed at what is going on in the USA and the world. I know He is tired of the enemy using what belongs to him to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to give us life with Father (that is abundant life). The life He gave is not just about us but others.
We are in a time of Father offering us grace once more, but with an accountability to take His grace to all! Receiving His grace for ourselves in just the beginning, not the end, His purpose is for us to give His grace and TRUTH to others. He wants ALL to know who He is and what He has done for us. He wants ALL to “GO”!
Grace without Truth is only half of all. Truth is about accountability, righteousness and justice. Without justice and judgment, grace cannot be understood and has little value. Grace and Mercy is God’s nature but without justice and judgment we will never understand the depth of His Love for us nor the cost of our salvation to Him.
Neil
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