Leave It Behind
Hi Friends,
Last week, I took a drive with my husband to a place in Pennsylvania. We drove along winding two lane roads through forested areas. I usually like to pray in the car while my husband drives. He enjoys listening with his ear pods to a book on tape. As I was praying on this drive, I received three visions. These I would like to share with you today.
The Visions
The Straight Pin
First I saw a straight pin standing up vertically. It was a dressmaker’s pin which I use frequently while sewing. Both the head and the pin were made of steel, about 1.25” in length. In the vision, I saw the pin directly in front of me standing upright. In this position, a pin is used to mark a point on the pattern, and transfer it to the fabric below.
I also use pins to mark a cutting line when working without a pattern. I will place pins in an upright position, at intervals along the cutting line, to create a line of sight.
Then, to cut a straight line, it is important to focus on a single point at a distance. When cutting, the focus is placed on the closest pin, cutting to that point, removing the pin, and proceeding to the next. Without focus the line will not be straight.
A straight pin can also mark a location on a map, like a city, a destination, or a starting point.
The pin in this vision I believe was given to point out two things: focus and destination.
In the Christian walk, focus and destination are most important. You should know where you are going, and how you will get there. But, if you make no plans regarding your life and where you are going, then you will just meander about—hopelessly lost. If you set no goals or have no mile markers, then how can you judge your location, or know how far you have come, and how far you have yet to go?
But the Lord has marked out a path for us: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2
By this passage, we know that the Lord has laid out a path for us to follow. It has been marked out for us, so we should see and expect the Lord’s guidance along the way. The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit as our guide. “But, when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13
We also have the Bible which is the word of God. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
The Lord shows us his way and with perseverance and his guidance we will reach our destination—that is Jesus. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
So this vision is about focus and destination. And where do we focus? Upon the Lord. “I will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are stayed on me.”
The Lord is our way, “...for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 52:12 He makes our path, a path of peace. And he protects us from harm.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:1-6
The Bible is our lamp; his words are truth. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
And the Holy Spirit is our guide. “But if I go, I will send the comforter to you, who will lead you and guide you into all truth.” John 16:13
Now, why is this all so important? I believe that the Lord wants us to be aware of both small or great things that can become distractions in our walk with him. When we take our eyes off our Lord, we could easily find ourselves on a detour that takes us out of the way, and far from God. He gives us both warning and encouragement. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many find it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
It is essential that we know where we are going. We do not want to take our cue from the world and its values, for the great majority of people are on the wide road leads to destruction, or hell. Instead we must seek God and he will show us the road that leads to life. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21
The voice that we hear is that of the Holy Spirit. He is the still small voice that gives direction, understanding and wisdom. It is he who leads us into all truth and into a close relationship with God. “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and disclose it to you.” John 16:14
Keeping our focus on the Lord is key, for without him we can do nothing. Those who lack focus do not see the purpose in following the Lord, instead they make excuses. This is an example: “Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.’ “Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:61-62
In a post I wrote a few years ago, I shared about a vision the Lord had given me. I titled the post: “Are You Coming?” It was a vision of a circuit riding preacher sitting upon a horse. He turned around and looked me directly in the eye, and asked me, “Are you coming?” I knew that the Lord wanted me to follow him, wherever that might take me, so I ask the Lord from time to time, “Am I on the right track? Am I doing what you want and expect of me?”
The Lord is faithful and he answers. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
Throughout the Bible are prophets and leaders who have asked these very same questions. This is the answer that King Solomon received and wrote about in the Book of Ecclesiastes:
“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
Jesus spoke continually about God the Father and his kingdom, so that we can understand what is expected of us. However, he also gave us a summary of his teaching and the law: “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39
And now, after his death, which fulfilled the law, the New Covenant was put into effect. And we have been given instructions with his last words before he was taken into heaven:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20
The Red Knapsack
Next I saw a red bundle on the side of the road. It was a cloth pouch made of a square piece of fabric, whose corners were knotted together, like a hobo’s knapsack carried on a stick. The bundle was left alone, there was no stick.
I believe that the sack belonged to a foot traveler. He must have left his bag, containing all his possessions behind. Where did he go?
Do you remember the story of Jesus calling his disciples, Peter and Andrew? What did they do? They left everything behind to follow him. “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-20
Are we able to drop everything and go? They left their livelihoods, their only means of support. They left their families, the comfort of their homes, their friends and everything that was familiar to them. They left the familiar to go with the Lord into the unknown. This can be a very scary decision for some people, and they are not willing to make such a change.
There are some family members that I have that have been unwilling to surrender their lives to the Lord. They are afraid of what their friends might say or think. They are afraid to make a commitment to the Lord, for they do not want to give up their “sinful pleasures.” One family member has said, “I want to do my thing for now, but I’ll get right with God later.”
Some are afraid to commit to God for they believe that he will ask them do something that they are unwilling to do. There are fears and excuses for not surrendering to the Lord. But it is we who will lose out, if we let fear and excuses fill our hearts.
I believe that the Lord gave me this vision to encourage us, to be like the man who freely abandoned everything that he owned. He left everything—to follow the giver of life.
But, not everyone will make such a commitment:
A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?”
Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. You know the commandments: Don’t commit adultery. Don’t murder. Don’t steal. Don’t give false testimony. Honor your father and mother.”
Then the ruler said, “I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.”
When Jesus heard this, he said, “There’s one more thing. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.” When he heard these words, the man became sad because he was extremely rich.
When Jesus saw this, he said, “It’s very hard for the wealthy to enter God’s kingdom! It’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus replied, “What is impossible for man is possible for God.”
Peter said, “Look, we left everything we own to followed you.”
Jesus said to them, “I assure you that anyone who has left house, husband, wife, brothers, sisters, parents, or children because of God’s kingdom will receive many times more in this age and eternal life in the coming age.” Luke 18:18-30
In the vision, we must notice also that the bundle, representing our life’s possessions and treasures, was made from a piece of red fabric. The red I believe represents sin. So what we value and what we own and what we do as a lifestyle, can be sinful. These things that we treasure can be a hindrance in our walk with God and need to be left behind.
Today, we have many homeless, jobless, depressed and addicted people in our nation. And now on our southern border, great numbers of people are pouring in from other nations. Without any plans, or means of support, they willing left everything behind, to seek a new start in a country where they do not even speak the language. They have come here in hope of building a new life.
They believe that we, Americans, will not turn them away, but will provide for them. They have sent their children to us in hopes that they will have a better life in America. These people need our help and our prayers but more importantly they need the Lord’s salvation.
I am not condoning the unlawful behavior of entering the country illegally, for this is wrong. I am strictly opposed to allowing and inviting into our country, criminals, drugs, and those who smuggle people for profit, and those who sell people into the sex trade. I am opposed to the practice of releasing criminals into our communities to prey upon our citizens. The “catch and release” policy is sheer lunacy.
Wicked people need to be deported, walls need to be finished, and the laws of our land need to be respected and enforced.
However, we must also trust the Lord, for his provision. Under the circumstances, we must not fear that we as a nation cannot provide for them. Even with all the reckless government spending, if we trust the Lord he can give us leaders that will use wisdom and be good stewards of all that is rightfully his.
The Lord is our healer, our deliverer, our provider and our protector. He dispatches angels on our behalf, and he fights our battles. He will help us to to help those in need.
One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 58, which speaks of caring for the poor:
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.”
“They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’”
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. “Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.”
“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?”
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: ‘Here am I.’”
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”
“Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called ‘Repairer of Broken Walls,’ ‘Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.’”
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words.”
“Then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 58:1-14
Whatever our circumstances, if we trust in the Lord, he will help us to “feed the five thousand” or however many will show up at our border. So let us not get overwhelmed or discouraged with the events of the day. Let us not get overwhelmed or fearful because of the never-ending presidential edicts that undermine our jobs, our security, and our freedoms. We must wait upon the Lord for his direction, and be obedient to follow the instructions he gives.
It is essential that we keep everything in perspective:
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36
Every one of us needs to turn from sin, making a complete break with it. We cannot compromise, or become complacent. We need to repent of our lack of zeal. We need to repent for disregarding sin or giving it place in our lives. We must leave the things which trip us up or hold us back. We have to let go and leave it behind.
In the following example, the Lord demonstrates his compassion towards a woman caught in a act of adultery. He gives a perspective to her accusers, that they did not anticipate: “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” But at the same time he instructs her to leave her life of sin. ”Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.’” John 8: 1-11
Through these visions, I believe that God is asking us, to seek his forgiveness. “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“If we claim, we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10
When we see all the wickedness, turmoil and disregard for the law, it is easy to point the finger of blame. However if we do, we miss what God is trying to teach us. He wants us, the church, to examine our actions and our motives. Not every church, but a good number of them are engaged in building their own kingdoms, rather than building the kingdom of God. He is grieved over the complacent and lukewarm churches. He wants to capture our hearts and make them his own.
“You will seek me and find me, if you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
Because the need for God’s intervention in our nation, is dire, we should do what he commands:
“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Please join me in praying for our nation!
A Man Walking
This last vision I received just moments after the previous two. I saw a large man walking along the side of the road. His head was dropped as he was careful to watch his steps. He struggled to walk as the road was on a slight incline. His gait was slow, because he walked with his legs wide apart, shifting his weight from one side to the other. It was as if there were something between his legs causing him to straddle.
I believe this vision concerns our walk with God. The man represents someone who is having difficulty in his walk because there is something in his life causing a faulty gait. The shifting of weight from side to side represents two things that are pulling on the man. One causes him to lean to the right and another causes him to lean towards the left. There are a few scriptures that deal with the idea of having two differing loyalties or opinions:
“Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’ But the people said nothing.” 1 Kings 18:21
Elijah was demonstrating the Lord’s displeasure in the Israelites attempt to serve God and serve Baal at the same time. There is only one God, and God used Elijah to prove it. It is an awesome story, I hope you will read about it in the Bible 1 Kings Chapter 18:20-40.
Jesus told us we cannot serve two masters: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
This vision is about the American church doing what the Israelites were doing in Elijah’s day, trying to serve the Lord and another “god.” Christians can serve God nominally, and at the same time indulge themselves, with material possessions, pleasures, sexual relationships outside of marriage, and lie and cheat for personal gain and to avoid criticism. However, we have now entered a time in some churches, where sin is ignored, tolerated, or condoned.
God wants the church to repent of being double-minded. James said, “A double minded man is unstable in all he does.” James 1:8
The man in the vision was struggling to walk because of his desires pulling in opposite directions. The man’s walk was very unstable, and very slow going. What I believe the man was experiencing was the opposing desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:17
Conflict is inevitable. But in the end only one will prevail. If we listen to the voice of God, and nurture our Spirit with the Word of God, then the desires of the Spirit will overcome the desires of the flesh. If however, we neglect our time of intimate prayer with the Lord, fail to read his word, or fail to gather with the body of Christ, then surely we will find that the desires of the flesh will win out over the Spirit.
Feeding the flesh will result in sin: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10
Jesus speaks very plainly when he tells us to not love anything more than him. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26
He makes it very clear that no one, or no thing, should have a higher place than God in our lives. And the Lord desires obedience from us. He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15
This statement that the Lord makes is a very challenging one: “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:38
These are very clear statements. The Lord does not mince words. He does not flatter, or make room for sin. There are no grey areas; everything is black and white. “He who is not with me is against me and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Matthew 12:30
We are also told that to love the world is enmity towards God. “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4
Also: “Do not love the world or anything in the world, for if anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15
So let’s pray for those whose walk is not straight and whose heart is divided. Let’s pray for those who have left the narrow path and have worshiped money, and indulged the flesh. Let us pray for those who are burdened with sin, and sinful lifestyles, that they would turn to God, repent, and leave their sin behind.
In Summary
We are to understand that the Lord wants a deep and true relationship with him. He wants a relationship based on trust, intimacy and obedience. We cannot for a moment take our eyes off him, for we are easily led astray. Our focus and our ultimate destination is the Lord.
The Lord asks us to leave our sinful ways behind, and follow him. When we deny ourselves the pleasures of this world and the desires of our own flesh, we are then free to discover that our true treasure is in heaven.
We must choose to be a trusted friend of the Lord. We recognize that the world and all that it offers is only temporal. It stands in opposition to God and his kingdom, so we cannot afford to entertain loyalty to the world and to God. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot love both God and money.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.’” Haggai 1:7
I hope you will share this message with your friends, for the time is short. We all need to be ready for the Lord’s return. God bless you!
