Being Obedient

Hi  Friends,  We are entering the Christmas season, when our attention is upon the Lord - absolutely.  But it is time of reaching out to family members, and to those we would love to see follow the Lord.  I wanted to share about the topic of witnessing to the family, because it can be a “touchy topic” for a lot of us.

Living for the Lord today, as it has been in the past, is counter-cultural.  It is an uphill climb or a swim against the current to live for the Lord.   Many years ago, just after my personal salvation and deliverance, the Lord gave me a series of dreams and visions, that have prepared me for the "new life" in him.  In these dreams and visions, I was always going the opposite direction of the crowd.  I thought I would share one of these visions with you.

It begins with a satellite view of the west coast of Africa.  I hear a voice stating that, "The water is moving out to sea at a rate of 400 miles per hour."  Suddenly I find that I am at the shoreline, on a pier that juts into the water.  The pier is crowded with people trying to leave the land.  Because of what I was just told, I knew that it would be dangerous to stay at the water's edge, and be pulled out to sea.

While still on the pier, I stood at the point where the sand and the water met. I saw an elderly couple.  The man's head was in the woman's lap.  He was dying.  She wore a straw hat on her head, and was dressed in a bathing suit.  She exclaimed out loud, "We thought that this was where we would spend our days in peace and contentment."  I could see that she and her husband had spent their years, pursuing their personal dreams and goals, and were now disappointed that their plans were not working out. 

I looked ahead of me and saw a city in the distance.  The pier seemed to continue as a straight line all the way to the city.  There were so many people on the pier walking towards the water, that I had to walk between and around the people.  I was the only one that was going towards the city, for I knew that was the way to safety. 

This dream and several others, showed me that I would always be going against the crowd. One day I shared this with another intercessor, who asked me a question, "Why weren't you trying to get them to go the other way?"  This question struck me - "Why wasn't I telling them?  Am I so self-absorbed that I didn't care?"  I knew that wasn't the real answer, because I spent time witnessing to the people around me, and I wrote letters to those far away.

There is an answer to this question.  Recently, I was planning to visit a family member, but came to realize that in order to do so, I would be confronted with one, the Lord had formerly told me to not engage.  So I asked God, “Has the situation changed?”  In the past, God has spoken to me over and over again,  “Do not go where I have not sent you.”  So I asked the Lord, if now would be the time that she might listen, and understand.  I asked him to show me two words, if I were to go: the word "speak”  and the word "listen."  I opened my Bible, to this very passage:

"To whom can I speak and give warning?   Who will listen to me?   Their ears are  closed so they cannot hear.  The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it."  Jeremiah 6:10

 This was my answer from the Lord, I was to continue, to not engage them in conversation.  We have to be obedient.  We do not want to hinder the work that God is doing in another person’s  heart.  It says in the word, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.  If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”  Matthew 7:6

 So, God’s mandate to me still stands.  “Do not go where I have not sent you.”  He gave me a warning vision of what might happen otherwise.  Or perhaps it may come to be, in any event.  I saw ten wooden chairs in a half circle.  The last chair was painted red and its legs were cut off.  I didn’t have to pray about this vision, for I knew immediately that God was showing me that I was the red chair, whose legs were cut off and that the other chairs represented the family members who would take offense and turn against me.

So by the Lord’s direction and the visions he has given me, I understand that my family can only be reached by prayer and the Holy Spirit.  Living our lives before others is sometimes the best testimony.

The scripture that follows, has caused me much wonder about this same topic.  "Then he told me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.  Let him who does wrong, continue to do wrong; let him  who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."  Revelations 22:10-11.

 I believe, that this scripture directs us to allow people to do as they are doing, if they have ears that are closed to the gospel, and if they find the word of God offensive.  Only God can draw these people to himself.  "No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:44

I do not believe that this negates God's mandate to, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."  Matthew 28:19  For these were Jesus’ last instructions to his disciples.

Jesus sent out the twelves disciples, (Luke 9), and later he selected seventy-two, and sent them out two by two (Luke 10)  “I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”  Matthew 10:16

I believe that God is the only one who truly knows the heart of an individual.  We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be submitted to God, when it comes to sharing the gospel with those that we know well, like family members.  Our beliefs and faith in the Lord and his word can challenge them.  They may want to take a stand, and defend their own belief system, or traditions.   If we cause them to become defensive, then we are no longer an asset but a hindrance to God’s plan for their lives. The result can be very negative.  They can become more dogmatic about their beliefs and in the process alienate themselves from God.

With family members that are resistant to the gospel, it is better to live our lives for the Lord, and at the same time, try to live at peace with them.  “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  Romans 12:18

After twenty-four years, God just gave me a dream about my sister and her husband.  have prayed for them, for so long now.  This is the wonderful dream, that the Lord gave me: 

I was with several people, two of whom were my sister and her husband. I had to leave the group for a just a minute or two, and when I came back, I saw only a small person.  I cannot say whether it was a man or child.  But I ask him, “Where is my sister and her husband?”  He said, “They have just left.  They are on their way to the “Promised Land.” 

Wow!  God was showing me that they are going to be saved!  So no matter what things may appear to be right now, God is moving mountains.  My job right now is to pray, and keep praying, believe and keep believing.  And I have to stay out of the way of what he is doing.  I must be obedient to what he has said to me:  “Do not go where I have not sent you.”  Even before all that, he told me, “Give her the same chance I gave you!” 

Let’s pray.  Let’s fast.  Let’s believe for our families!  And have a very Merry Christmas!  God bless you!