Just Resting
Hi Friends,
Several years ago, as I was praying, I heard a voice speak to me. “Are you still resting?” the voice asked. I felt like a student hiding a personal book, behind a textbook, hoping that the teacher would not see. I felt embarrassed, that the Lord saw that I was not truly engaged in seeking him, but was just resting. I understand that if you are sleep deprived, this may be a natural outcome, and unintentional. But God, wanted my attention, and my devotion.
I remember when I was nursing my first child. If I were to answer the phone or attempt to read a book while nursing, my daughter would hit the book, or hit the phone. She made it clear that she wanted my full attention. She wanted my eyes to look into her eyes. I believe that God is the same in that he wants our full devotion, our full attention. God deserves our best, and at the best time of the day. He doesn’t want our left-over time, when we are so tired, that we fall asleep. He wants our hearts, our minds, and our bodies - all of us!
The vision the Lord gave me yesterday morning was about this same topic, giving to God our best. This is a three part vision.
The Vision
First I saw a cartoon drawing. It was similar to the “Life is Good,” character used to market apparel and products with this label. The character was slouching down in a comfortable chair with his feet up on an ottoman or stool. His hands were folded across his stomach and his hat was pulled down over his eyes. He was resting.
Next I saw a tall white van come from a side street on the left and turn in front of me. Through the windows of the pair of back doors, I could see shelves and upper cabinets, resembling those on a country style hutch. I had a desire to look inside the van.
The view of the interior was suddenly visible. As I stepped inside, the interior expanded. I saw a double bed with a multi-colored quilt. The bed rested on a rocking base similar to a cradle. There was a half-canopy over the head of the bed.
Walking past the bed, I realized that I was no longer in a van, but in showroom or store. The center area was carpeted and open, without any floor displays. There was a wall to the side which displayed small packages of hardware and gadgets. On the long back wall, there was a wide opening leading to additional space. The vision ended.
While at prayer later in the day, I received another vision. I saw a clear glass jar with what looked to be a bit of tomato sauce at the bottom. The jar was being scrubbed with suds and then rinsed.
What I believe the vision means:
Before I received this vision, I had been praying to receive a message for the church. By this vision, It seems that the Lord believes that his church is on vacation. They are busy resting.
The cartoon was from the genre of “Life is Good.” The Life is Good company sells products that appeal to those who like the great outdoors, and those who like to vacation. They sell simple products: T-shirts, hats, glassware, pet supplies, beach towels, wall art, cards and stationery, and wheel covers. They promote a positive message, that most people want to hear: “Life is Good - Do what you Love - Love what you do.” The subtitle the book is: “How to Live with Purpose and Enjoy the Ride.” The things they value according to their book, (Life is Good, by Bert and John Jacobs), are: Openness, Courage, Simplicity, Humor, Gratitude, Fun, Compassion, Authenticity and Love.
There is nothing wrong with these values, except they are sourced in the heart of man, and what pleases him. God’s ideals do not negate those above, but he is more interested in character straits that are developed as we mature in the Lord. These would include: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness and Self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
The Lord has a second list as well: Obedience, Self Denial, Holiness, Righteousness, Temperance, Forgiveness, Mercy, Justice, Humility, Diligence, and Honesty.
The only intersection between the Life is Good values and God’s values is Love. And even Love is different in nature. There is love between lovers, love between friends and there is love between a parent and a child. But the love God has for his children, and the love his children have for him, and for others is quite different. God’s love is pure - there is no bondage. Man’s love outside of God can be demanding, conditional, jealous, envious, controlling and even oppressive.
In order to have the pure love that God offers us, we must be born of the Spirit. When the Spirit of God dwells in us, only then can we have a love that pleases him. His love flows through us to other people, and we are even able to love those who persecute us, slander us, or harm us. Pure love leads us to forgiveness, and obedience to God and his ways. Without God’s love, we love those who love us, but would find it difficult to love our enemies.
In the vision, the cartoon character is lounging in a chair. His hands are folded and his feet are on an ottoman. The hat covers his eyes so that he will not be bothered by the light. This scene depicts many things.
Napping in the middle of the day, is fine for babies and small children. Recovering from an illness, or catching up on sleep when you are the mother of a newborn, or when you have stayed up all night preparing for an exam, are all fine reasons for napping. And of course there is the Sabbath rest. Even God rested on the seventh day from all his work. But a continual pattern or habit of napping or resting when there is work to be done, is considered laziness, or slothfulness.
“Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.” Proverbs 19:15
“Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.” Ecclesiastes 10:18
“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” Proverbs 12:24
The character’s hands were folded: “A little sleep, a little folding of the hands to rest -- and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:10-11
The hat was over his eyes: This posture says: “I do not want to be bothered. Leave me alone. I am content to rest.”
The Lord told a familiar parable about laziness, the story of the talents. A rich man went away on a trip and before he did so, he called three servants in and gave them differing amounts of money to trade, invest or steward while he was gone. To one he gave 5 talents, another 2 and a third servant he gave just one talent. When he returned, he was pleased with the first two servants for they doubled his investment. He became very angry with the third servant when he found that the man was not only lazy and attempted to do nothing with the talent that was given to him, but rather than placing it with the bankers where he would have earned interest, he merely dug a hole in the ground and buried it.
The master commanded the other servants: “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:26
Jesus speaks of the place to which the lazy servant is thrown. Jesus does not downplay hell, this place of darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth, because he mentions it many times throughout his parables:
The parable of the weeds: “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:40-42
The parable of the net: “Once again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but the threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:47-50
The parable of the unexpected return: “But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:48-51
Jesus after seeing the faith of a centurion, he wanted to tell those around him, of the importance of faith. He warned them that there would be people that come from different lands that will inherit the kingdom of God and that those that think they belong to the kingdom of God, (just because they were descendants of Abraham) will be rejected: “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:11-12
There are many other references to this place of darkness, where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Throughout the gospels and Revelations, this place is mentioned. Hell is described as “the fiery lake of burning sulfur,” and as “the second death,” in Revelations 21:8
Laziness is considered a sin - and a dangerous one, that can lead to apathy, complacency and eventually apostasy. “We want you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:11-12
The first part of this vision is a warning to the church. We must not sleep, but we must be watching and waiting for our Lord’s return. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven not the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:36-42
The Van and Showroom
The van caught my attention, because of the piece of furniture inside. I wanted to see the interior of the van. Suddenly the opportunity presented itself, so I went inside. The place was nearly empty with the exception of a double bed that looked like a very large cradle, and one wall filled with small packages of hardware and gadgets.
If you have been reading my earlier posts, you may have noticed or have remembered, that I had been an interior designer in Chicago for 19 years before God told me to give it up. Twenty-three years later, I became ensnared by design (for a brief moment), and two years after that, I became ensnared by the idea of “full time RVing. I am no longer entertaining these interests, but the van with the cabinet or hutch was definitely something that would easily catch my attention.
If you had the desire to catch a fish, you would have to bait the hook with something that would entice the fish to bite. In the vision, I wanted to see inside the van, so lo and behold, the opportunity presented itself.
The devil, is the tempter. He knows what bait to use, to tempt you. For a teenage boy, the bait to use, might be a video game. For a man, it might be an attractive young woman, a career opportunity, a new car or “toy,” For a woman, the best bait might be an attractive, charming man, the promise of marriage, a beautiful house, a promotion, or something to eat. We can be tempted to gossip, to slander, or to reveal a confidence. We can be tempted to lie in order to avoid punishment, or reprisal. We all are tempted, but God wants us to flee temptation. We should run from temptation so as not to sin.
The patriarch Joseph was tempted by Potipher’s seductive wife. He did not want to sin against the master of the house and against God, so he ran from her. Unfortunately, she clung to his coat as he escaped. Being a scorned woman, Potipher’s wife accused Joseph of making sexual advances towards her. Her husband believed her, and so he sent Joseph to prison. Even though Joseph suffered for doing the right thing, in the end, God worked it out for his benefit and for the salvation of both Egypt and the family of Israel.
David on the other hand, allowed himself to be tempted by Bathsheba. He did not flee temptation, but enjoyed the view of her bathing. His sin caused great harm to both David and his people.
Two different men, and two different ways to handle temptation. Joseph did what was right; David became trapped.
It is always better to learn from other people’s mistakes than to make them yourself. So when we are tempted, like Joseph was, we need to run! And run fast! If we stick around to watch, as David did, we can become ensnared and caught by the temptation. Once caught, sin is the next step!
If you find yourself in a situation, in which you do not belong, just excuse yourself and leave! Too many people are ensnared by believing that they can resist temptation. The Bible does not say resist temptation and flee the devil, but it is the other way around! Flee temptation and resist the devil! “Resist the devil and he will flee from you!” James 4:7
The Clear Glass Jar
The clear glass jar I believe represents us as believers. I would compare this to an earthen jar, which is opaque. When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, he called them hypocrites, because they focused on the external cleaning of cups and dishes, and of hands before eating, but were not concerned with the greater matters of the law. (The attitudes of the heart.) “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish , but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Matthew 23:25-26
The Pharisees and teachers of the law wanted to look good, and be held in high esteem by the people. So they were mostly concerned with externalities. Jesus sharply rebuked them, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greeting in the market places. Woe to you because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it….And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." Luke 11:43-44, 46
People, like the Pharisees, which only know or acknowledge the facts about Jesus, but do not honor him as Lord, or do not live their lives for him, are like opaque dishware. They do not realize the condition of their heart, for they have not yet had their eyes opened by the Spirit of God, as is the case when we are at the point of conversion.
The clear glass jar I believe represents true disciples of Jesus, our Lord, because through the Holy Spirit, their eyes are open, and they are made aware of sin. In the vision, sin is represented by the red sauce at the bottom of the jar. It was clearly seen through the glass. Unless we see the sin, and acknowledge it as sin, we will not see our need of a savior, whose very blood, washes us clean and purifies us from all unrighteousness.
We as believers still sin. We try not to sin, but we are not yet made perfect. When we sin, it is imperative that we ask God to forgive us. God forgives the sins we commit, as well as sins of omission, but only if we are truly sorry, and ask for forgiveness.
There are many Christians, who in error, believe that repentance is not required for the forgiveness of sins committed, after they were born again. They simply believe that they are automatically forgiven. Nothing is required of them. They believe that they can sin and go on their merry way without repenting, or asking for forgiveness, for what they have done. However, repentance is always required. Repentance is the act of turning away from sin. It is acknowledging that sin separates us from God, and that it grieves the Holy Spirit. If they believe that repentance is not required, each time they sin, they justify themselves saying, "It doesn’t really matter, God knew that I would sin, and his blood was to purify us from our sins past, present, and future, so I don’t have to worry. I am already forgiven.” Sinning the next time will become easier, for they justify themselves.
Jude spoke of such people who believe that God’s grace gives them freedom to do as they please. “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Jude 1:4
What these false teachers teach is so wicked. People who are taught to believe that God’s grace, and pardon are unconditional, and that there exists no requirement of holiness, are given a safety net with a hole in it. They are misinformed - their hope provides nothing more than a false sense of security. God said, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 This dangerous false teaching is just one example. Deception is one of the enemy’s favorite weapons against the body of Christ, and all people for that matter.
We need to encourage one another to not simply listen to sermons on Sunday morning, but to be in the word of God for ourselves so that when we hear false teachings we will be warned and can warn others.
Years ago I was in a very large church in Illinois. The pastor was out of town and a visiting evangelist/preacher was speaking. Suddenly about twenty-five per cent of the congregation stood up and walked out. I had only been born again for just a few months, so I don’t know what it was that he said. But there was no doubt that what he said did not agree with the word of God.
In summary,
This vision speaks of the importance of watching, and waiting for the Lord - to not be lazy in our faith, for apostasy is a real danger.
This vision warns us to be aware of the enemy’s schemes, and his desire to tempt us to sin, or to become so distracted that it takes our focus off the Lord, and places it on worldly activities and possessions.
This vision warns us to know the word of God, and to live a holy life.
And, when we sin, we need to repent, turn away from the sin, and ask the Lord to forgive us.
My hope is that this message blesses you, and if you are indeed blessed, would you be willing to pass this along to your friends and those you think will appreciate it. Thank you! And God bless you!