Pt:1 – The Correction Comes First (in harmony with Matthew 7:1-5)

It was just another day for me. While out running errands I decided to sit in the car instead of spend energy walking thru stores. Plus, because I really didn’t “need” anything, I didn’t want to buy something that I really didn’t need.  So, I sat in the car, and scrolled social media.

(My social media news feed is very diversified in the area of gender, age, nationality and RELIGIOUS BELIEFS and STATUS. When I say “status” I mean the five fold ministry gifts can all be found in my friends list and therefore on my news feed.

There are disciples of Christ, believers in Christ, and some non-believers present, although I can’t say how long the nonbelievers stay on my page, or whether unbeknownst to me they make that transition to becoming believers because of something they saw on my page. )

So, I stop to tune into what one “first lady” (oh how we love these titles) who has somewhat of a platform, fan base, and following has to say, and next thing I know I went from chilled to vexed in 0.5 seconds.

Next thing I know, I start seeing the faces of various modern day Pharisees who have at some point in time slandered various ones that they don’t personally know, judging the attempt of a child to walk and all I know is that

😒😞😣I saw Red 😠😡😤

So many questions are going on inside of me as I am being overtaken in my spirit by so many feelings out the blue.

This doesn’t alarm me because I realize that many times this happens to me to move me to pray about a situation and for people that any other time I would have not thought about. Why? Because these people are not ones that are in my immediate circle. I know of them, but I don’t know them, and they definitely don’t know me.  So, when things like this happen, I recognize that I am being moved to stand in the gap over a matter.

“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. – Ezekiel 22:30 NIV

So I guess I have been employed today to intercede for some of the infants in Christ because, out the blue, a comment that was made by one of the children of God, with a platform, moved me to feel as if I wanted to snatch all of God’s children.

I recognize that I can’t stand in the gap effectively when I’m in my feelings. I must get a grip on my emotions. I didn’t understand why I felt such raw emotion in reference to people I don’t know and never met in my life.

Then the Lord said to Cain (me), “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? – Genesis 4:6 NIV

Me: (weeping silently. Strongly grieved over comments that various different titled siblings have made about other humans.) “DADDY…”

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18 NIV

Holy Spirit (HS): what is bothering you ?

Me: some of my siblings, who present themselves to be “spiritual”, have struck a huge nerve with me in reference to how they behave in regards to the infants in the nursery. I wanted to S C R E A M as they have instigated bad behaviors amongst the babies towards the infants. But all I can do is cry because screaming won’t accomplish anything. (Crying allowed me to release the pressure of my frustration that was building up.)

HS: Your warfare is not against flesh and blood. You know that.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. – Ephesians 6:12-13 NIV

Me: Yes, Father (I’ve stopped crying, but I’m still grieved in my spirit; and it’s the loudness of my spirit’s grief that is no w disconcerting.)

HS: So what is really bothering you?

Me: I don’t know HOW to pinpoint it Father. I’m just so annoyed in my spirit by their attitude towards the newborn infants who need direction and help in their walk. It’s grieving my spirit.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

HS: To understand what is bothering you and why, let’s start with you. It’s important that you get wisdom of the situation so that you know how to proceed. (In the scriptures we consider highlight what stands out to you.)

Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. – Proverbs 4:4-7,10-11,13-16,20-23,25-27 NIV

Me: I hear you telling me to get wisdom because the first thing I initially said was that I didn’t know why I was feeling so annoyed by what I saw.

So in these verses in Proverbs, chapter 4, there are several things that stands out to me

• First, is that I need to be protected and covered.
• Second, is the need to listen to, accept, and pay attention to the instruction you are preparing to give me because in it this is my protection and covering
• Third, you are telling me to guard my heart.

HS: Why?

Me: because my heart is troubled right now, and because what I do and say flows from the heart.

HS: That is key. “Your heart” (is) troubled. In the day of trouble what are you supposed to do.

Me: (quoting the scriptures that I remember about trouble from my unfinished work on the upcoming book Giant Slayer)

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. – James 5:13 NIV

and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” – Psalm 50:15 NIV

HS: define the trouble so that you can see it

Me: (looking at the definition of trouble so that I can see…)

Me: I highlighted everthing that I initially said that I felt when I was super annoyed. But then I noticed something else, and I underlined it. Immediately, I could see the giant that was trying to attack me through the initial anger that I felt because I was reminded of what Dad said to Cain in Genesis 4.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. ” – Genesis 4:6-7 NIV

Me: …and that reminds me of why Peter said I needed to humble myself.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 5:6-11 NIV

Me: King Jesus forewarned of this. He told Peter that this would happen.

31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” – Luke 22:31-32 NIV

HS: “I have prayed for you, Simon (Jodi), that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Do you understand this?

Me: Yes, my faith didn’t fail because though I was annoyed (troubled) and my countenance (mood) had fallen, I was able to control it and get a grip on myself through prayer.

What was under attack was my heart which is why I was so grieved. The fact that I came straight to YOU in prayer over the matter allowed me to see the attack for what it actually was.

What helped me with this was to be reminded that my warfare was not against flesh and blood. This reqiired that I clearly identify what the battle is and where it’s coming from.

That, in turn, helped me to squash the anger, so that I am now able to deal with the issue. AND… In the process of “pulling the beam out of my own eye” I was able to come across two scriptures that I want to look at when I actually consider the issue that made me so angry to begin with.

Now that I am no longer angry, I am in a position to now really look at the issue of what angered me so that I can address, not the individual, but the behavior which is clearly a subtle attack of the enemy.

HS: How do you know that it was an attack of the enemy?

Me: Because he tried to sift me too, to draw me out, thru anger. But thru God’s Word, and my faith in the ability of God’s Word to help me see in order to understand, that craftily cloaked evil spirit was exposed enough for me to glimpse it; and Your instruction in Proverbs chapter 4 to listen, to accept and to pay attention so that I could be protected and covered helped.

So now I am in that position that King Jesus spoke of in Luke 22, to be able to now turn back to strengthen my brothers and sisters.  I am now in a position to speak on the issue in love and not in judgment.

…and that is what will be considered

Here are those verses that I want to look closer at later when I deal with addressing the issue of what bothered me regarding what I heard being spoken about another.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? – James 4:1-12 NIV

and

  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time it is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:1-5 NIV

To be considered in Pt:2 of this writing

Me: (continued) You said once I have turned back that I am to now strengthen my brothers. I will because I remember what Jesus said to Peter…

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. – John 21:15-17 NIV

Me: I understand that my heart should always move (to speak) in love, and not in anger.

Thank you, Father, in the name of Jesus, for correcting me first, and preparing me, so that I can stand effectively in the gap.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV