God's Standard and Sin
Hi Friends,
I am sharing today about two visions that I believe came from the Lord. One I received this past Sunday and the other came later Monday afternoon. These two visions are complementary, and are speaking of opposites. The topic is of sin among believers. This is an ongoing subject because the Lord is grieved by it. I know it saddens me that there is so much deception, and complacency among believers. It seems the real hunger for the word of God is just not there with so many that go to church. I am afraid that if the Lord would return today, many of us would simply not be ready.
The First Vision
The first vision is very interesting. I saw an absolutely white shoe. It was a man’s high top leather shoe with white laces and a white sole. It was radiant, surrounded by a white mist. I also saw a gold lapel pin in the form of a pair of wings. It was like that worn by a military or commercial pilot. The wings were horizontal in design.
Fixed to the upper portion of the shoe, just to the right of the laces, was a clear plastic pocket. The pin slipped into the pocket perfectly, so that it was protected and in full view.
I believe that the shoe is a model or a standard by which other things are compared. The shoe was made to fit the right foot, with the pin displayed on the right side of the laces. Generally in the visions I receive, going towards the right means to go in the correct or proper direction. In this case the right shoe represents that which is proper or perfect.
In comparison, left usually indicates going the wrong way. “Gauche” is the French word for left. When using the word gauche in an English context, it means awkward, lacking ease or grace.
So the significance of the right shoe is that it is simply right, proper, or perfect.
The shoe represents our walk with the Lord. If we are his disciples, then we are to follow him. The shoe is the standard. It is white representing purity and holiness. So that is what our walk with God is to be pure and holy. Our standard is in reality Jesus for he is perfect. He is the one we are to follow. Paul showed himself to be an example as well: “Follow me as I follow Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1
Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are to follow the Lord’s example. Jesus was perfect in every way. He was tempted and yet did not sin. We know that none of us are perfect, yet the Lord commanded us to be perfect: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
As demanding as that is, we know that people are watching us. We are on display. If we model good Christian character we will bring glory to God. However, if we do as we please, not giving thought to our actions, we bring the Lord disgrace, and we appear as hypocrites. “As it is written: God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:24
The idea of Jesus being our model or the perfect standard, reminds me of a vision that I received years ago. There was a man on a stump of a tree with the moon light in the background. He had cut down the tree which represented the world, and then stepped off the stump. Jesus was the man in the vision.
When the man stepped off the stump, I found that I was following closely behind him. I only saw his legs from the knees down. He was walking in the grass in the moonlight. This scripture came to mind at the time: “We must do the works of him who sent me, as long as it is day; night is coming when no man can work.” John 9:4
So the Lord has set a standard of holiness and purity in himself, but represented by the shoe in the vision. He wants us to walk in that standard.
The gold pin of wings can represent a gift or calling. Gifts of the Spirit and the calling on our lives, are part of our walk with God. The wings remind us of flight, angels, messengers, heaven, and the desire to go up higher with the Lord. Angels have wings and are divine beings that bring words from God to man. So the wings may represent the idea of prophecy or bringing a message from the Lord. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29
It may also be that the golden wings represent the idea of waiting upon the Lord, for prayer is most important in our walk with God. It is in the waiting, the time spent with the Lord, that develops trust and intimacy with him. “But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
This first vision establishes the will of God for us: to become true disciples, following his leading and living a life that honors him in purity and holiness. To walk with the Lord is to be one with him, to know his word, and to have an intimate relationship with him.
The Second Vision
In contrast to the first vision, where everything was white, misty, and radiant, the second vision takes place in the dark. There was just enough light to see what was happening. I saw a person from the front about mid-thigh down walking in my direction. There was water on the ground everywhere. He stopped for a moment or two and stood in the puddle. Then he took a chair nearby and sat on it, with his feet still n the water. While seated, he began to scoot his chair forward. I notice that his shoes were brown leather, and drenched from the water.
This vision of water everywhere reminds me of still another vision, called “Water, Water Everywhere.” This is a vision about sin in the church. Just as the vision before, the water represents sin. The scene is dark, because that is where sin like to hide.
I could not help but notice that the man in the vision began by walking towards me, then he stood is the water, and after that he was sitting with his feet in the water. It reminded me of the first psalm in the Book of Psalms.
“Blessed is the man who does not WALK in the counsel of the wicked or STAND in the way of sinners or SIT in the seat of mockers, But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
“Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalm 1:1-6
WALKING IN THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY:
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:31
“Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose ways are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.” Proverbs 2:12-15
STANDING IN THE WAY OF SINNERS:
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, ‘Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for someone’s blood, let’s waylay some harmless soul....we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse.” Proverbs 1:11-14
“A companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20
SITTING IN THE SEAT OF MOCKERS:
“Whoever corrects a mocker invites an insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man Incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” Proverbs 9:7-8
“Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.” Proverbs 29:8
“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Proverbs 20:1
What I also noticed about the vision was that the person was continually moving forward. Even while seated the person kept scooting his chair to keep moving forward. The person either did not notice the water on the ground, or just didn’t care. The person was driven to go forward, to complete whatever mission he was on, or to accomplish his goals. The sin did not hold him back whatsoever.
Many people, both Christians and non-Christians are really not concerned about sin. I know I have taken issue with certain beliefs that some churches put forth, that allow people to sin, and feel justified. This is the idea that once saved always saved. People who believe this, feel that it is not necessary to experience remorse for their sin, or to repent of their sin, because they believe that all their sin, past, present, and future was forgiven and taken care of by the cross of Jesus. It is true that the blood of Jesus was shed for all sin and all sinners, yet, it does not give us the license to sin. Somehow they have justified in their minds, that they do not have to repent of any sins they commit today, or from the day that they were born again. This attitude toward sin allows them to do whatever they choose, with no conviction to change. They believe that the Lord automatically forgives them. This is serious, because it gives people the idea, that unrepentant sin is okay, and that living a lifestyle of sin is fine as well.
Just a day or two ago, a woman called for prayer. She wanted to sell her home, and she asked for God to give her favor with a former employer. She had an interview scheduled with the man who wanted her to come back. But there was unresolved anger and resentment that she had towards a former supervisor, at that same location. She also was looking for emotional healing from a relationship with a man she lived with for eight years.
This woman claimed to be a Christian, but by the things she said to me, I knew that she was not living for the Lord. She labeled two of these people with contemptuous names. Yet she was highly motivated to return to the job because there was no other place that would pay her what she was able to earn there. She was expecting us to pray for blessings from God, and favor in her interview,. Yet she saw no need to repent of her disdain for these individuals, or ask for the Lord to forgive her for living with this man, out of wedlock, for eight years.
“What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Romans 6:
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”
How can we say that we are a Christian if we are not following the Lord’s ways? How are we so blind ? Why do we fool ourselves, by believing that God will just wink at sin? Sin is sin. And when we sin, we are to repent.
How can we expect to receive God’s blessing if we are muddying the water? How did she become so deceived, that she felt no remorse? Where is the Holy Spirit to convict her of sin?
I believe that when we are enticed to do something that may be morally wrong, like living with someone outside of marriage, we think about it and then justify it with our own rationale. We may not see it as sin, because we justify it by saying, “We are just trying it out before we get married.” After all, trying it out, is just a temporary measure, because we plan to eventually get married.
Some may decide to co-habitate because of the financial benefits. The rationale: “It is more economically feasible to afford an apartment that is shared with someone else. It is not sin, it is financial responsibility.”
Some do not call it sin, because they believe that marriage is an impossible commitment. They may claim, “If God doesn’t like divorce, then I am better off not getting married. Most marriages end in divorce anyway.”
These are all rationalizations created by the person to justify sin, rather than repenting or avoiding the sin in the first place.
We are told to flee temptation - not to indulge it, and then succumb to it.
Going back to the woman who called for prayer, I am amazed by her response to us. She was indignant, and angry that we would even suggest that she needed to repent of sins that opened doors, or to forgive anyone. She was not a sinner in her eyes. She was a born again believer. and how dare we think otherwise.
If you go back to what I wrote above, you will see that she is a mocker.
“Whoever corrects a mocker invites an insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” Proverbs 9:7-8
This woman is in rebellion against God, and has opened the door to the enemy by her unforgiveness, her slanderous comments, and her love of money. Because she is not concerned for sin and chooses not to forgive, but hold onto the offense, her heart became darkened. The resentment in her heart towards these two people has grown to become a bitter root. Once bitterness is there, she will see the world from this perspective. She will believe that everyone else has the problem, they are wicked, and she is the saint who is misunderstood, or is the victim. Most relationships from this point on will sour.
When someone refuses to repent after the Holy Spirit has brought conviction, the enemy takes the opportunity to open the door. The more the person justifies his behavior, the more his conscience becomes seared. Eventually, the Holy Spirit is so grieved, that he no longer brings conviction, but turns him or her over to Satan. The person is no longer free, but is in bondage to the devil.
“Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27
That is exactly what happens, through anger, resentment, and unforgiveness, we give place to the devil. Even if we were not to say anything but just walk away and condemn the person in our thoughts, we still give place to the devil.
We need to stop and talk with the Lord. We need to ask him for help to forgive, and walk in love. We need to pray for the person with whom we are in conflict. Rather than sin, Jesus prayed for those who crucified him, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
Unless we ask for forgiveness from God, for even our unspoken words or thoughts of condemnation towards another person, God will not forgive us our sins. “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:15
Unforgiveness leads to a hard heart which fosters a bad attitude. We no longer are hearing the voice of God, but instead we may begin to pick up on what the enemy wants to speak to us. We can become confused, and not be able to distinguish God’s voice from that of the devil. This leads to poor decision making, and eventually there is no leading of the Spirit but confusion, strife, and emotional pain caused by a tormenting spirit.
What is the answer to this dilemma?
The answer is to ask for forgiveness from the person with whom you are in conflict, and ask the Lord’s forgiveness for your unrepentant heart, and your condemnation of others. Ask the Lord to shut the door that you opened to the devil through your sin.
There is no other way. We must get right with God, and walk in love and humility towards all people.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. “ Micah 6:8
Thanks for reading. I hope you can share this with someone you know will benefit.
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God bless you all!
