Choose the Better Thing!
Hi Everyone,
Today is a new day. “His mercies are new every morning.” I have a vision to share with you today concerning our choices and the direction where the Lord would like to take us.
The Vision
A Field of Paths
I saw a cornfield with many paths cut throughout the field going in a variety of directions. In the center there were two paths that were parallel to each other. Other paths came to intersect these parallels at their midpoints. The left path reminded me of a lowercase Y and the right path appeared to be like the letter K .
The “Y” path is simple, with a single side road merging with the main road. The “K” paths on the right offer a choice between merging onto the main road, or diverting onto another side road.
The Y shaped intersecting lines show an easy merge from one path onto another. This represents an easy choice. A person on this path can easily merge with the main road, going to the destination of that road. The K shaped intersection shows a more difficult choice. “Do I merge onto the main road, or should I take the side road?”
I prayed to understand the vision’s meaning. Since the roads are parallel, they appear to go in the same direction. So, I believe that the Lord is giving me a choice. I believe that this is a choice for me personally, but I am sharing this with you because everyone of us needs to seek God regarding our choices and decisions. For me, it is a choice between a small bible church and a spirit-filled, full gospel church. I would not be having this choice except that the Lord asked me to go to the small Bible church before giving me this option. Both have their destination as heaven, but there are great differences. But before we can compare these, I would like to speak about how the believer and the non-believer make their judgments.
The Believer and Non-Believer
People tend to take the path of least resistance. An average person, who agrees with the world’s view can merge easily with a main road which is filled with like minded people. It is natural for him because the natural, unregenerated man belongs to the world and takes his cues from the cultures and ideologies of the world around him. Those holding to the world view are motivated by their natural instincts, what is pleasurable and desirable for their “flesh.” They are motivated by their egos and “What’s in it for me?”
On the other hand, a person who is born again and filled with the Spirit of God does not have the same desires. He is not enticed to follow the way of the world and succumb to the world’s temptations. When a Spirit-filled, born again Christian comes to the main road, seeing that it leads away from God, he would rather divert onto another road, than to travel away from God. Paul described the difference between the believer and non-believer.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16
Yet, the Lord has given us free will, to choose to follow him or to go our own way. Christians can fail to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit and be led astray, or enticed by sin. Everyone of us lives in a human body with a soul (the mind, the will and the emotions) that works against the desires of the spirit. So if we allow the body and soul to have their way, we can be led into sin and away from God. Trouble and bondage can come to us, when we go our own way, try to fulfill our own dreams, make our own decisions and decide our own fate.
The Churches
A little over two months ago, I received a vision showing me where the Lord would have me go on a Sunday morning. Then after attending that church for several weeks, I received this vision of the paths in the corn field. I knew that it had to do with where the Lord was leading me next. The church I was attending was very nice. It was a small Bible church, very quiet, reminding me somewhat of a church I attended as a child. But the pastor did not believe in the gifts of the Spirit. He believed what many Christian churches teach:
”But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:8
This concerned me. For thirty years this coming October, I have spoken in tongues and have received visions from the Lord, and have had many miracles in answered prayer.
I know that it was never God’s will for prophecies, words of knowledge and tongues to cease. I believe that we see in the example of the Israelites throughout history, that the desire and ability to follow God had its ups and downs. The same thing happens in church history. Complacency, lukewarmness, apathy and sin, cause hearts to grow cold, and spiritual fervor to wane. That is the main reason for prophecies to cease, for tongues to be stilled, and the desire to receive words of knowledge to fade. There are no miracles, signs and wonders where people believe that God is no longer interested in having his power available to affect change or display his greatness. Some churches promote the idea that the gifts of the Spirit are not for today, simply because they have never seen them in operation, and have not asked the Lord for them.
“You have not because you ask not.” James 4:2
Never did God want his people’s hearts to grow cold, or to doubt his power to heal, deliver and set free! The Lord criticized the Laodicean church for being lukewarm.
“So because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16
And he was critical of the Church at Ephesus for forsaking their first love!
“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:5
The Lord wants his church to be “on fire” for him, to have a holy passion for his presence, for his power and for intimacy with him. The Lord wants to share his heart with us, to live with us and commune with us.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5-8
When we do what Jesus did, we bring the Father glory. This happens when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and yield ourselves to be used by him. The various spiritual gifts the Lord gives are manifested by our faith in him and the power of the Holy Spirit moving.
The gifts of the Spirit are given when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. If you remember John the Baptist said of Jesus:
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11
The fire is the power to do miracles. Speaking in tongues is the initial evidence that we have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts come with the baptism, and are given to those who hunger and thirst for God. The gifts of the Spirit include faith, healing, deliverance, the power to do miracles, signs and wonders. They are all for today, but many do not understand their purpose. They have fear rather than faith. They do not trust God, but keep him at a distance.
What if Moses had not turned aside to see the burning bush? Is it possible that he might never have heard the voice of God, and that God may have sought another to deliver his people from the hand of Pharaoh? Possibly, but not likely, for God has planned our days from the very beginning.
“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
The word of God tells us to seek the gifts.
“Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1
We should want everything that God is willing to give us, because we need to BE THE CHURCH for the world to come to know him. We are to show forth his glory. He doesn’t want us to sit on our hands, stay in our pews and look pious! The Lord wants us to follow him and to do as he did. After all, we are his disciples. Jesus said:
“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” John 5:19
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
The Lord wants the gospel to go forth as it did long ago, “with signs following.” Why? For confirmation.
“And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.” Mark 16:20
The signs, miracles, healings, and gifts of prophecy are all given to confirm that the good news of the gospel is true, and that God has sent his disciples to share this news. These gifts come from God and he gives to each of us what he chooses. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, saw the signs and miracles that Jesus did, and believed:
“This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” John 3:2
Even a man born blind gave his testimony before the Pharisees about Jesus’s miracle of healing:
“So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” John 9:24-33
The Power to Overcome
If we see the Lord’s commands and last words before he was taken up to heaven, we realize how important the gifts of the Holy Spirit were to him. Jesus commanded his disciples saying:
“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:44-49
The disciples had already received the Holy spirit just as one receives the Holy Spirit when we become born again.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20:19-23
We see that they were in a room with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus knew that to overcome fear, they would need a greater infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was this empowerment that he had promised to the disciples. So the Lord poured out his Spirit on the disciples on the Feast of Pentecost so that they could be his hands and feet on this earth. This power was needed to be bold in the Spirit, to declare the gospel, to heal, to deliver, to cast out demons, to raise the dead, to prophesy, to speak in tongues, to receive revelation and words of knowledge, to overcome persecution and every obstacle of the wicked one.
Life is difficult. The wicked one is trying his best to defeat believers and derail their faith. We need the power of the Holy spirit to overcome his schemes and deliver those enslaved to sin. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are essential to do the work of the kingdom of God. When Jesus sent his disciples out, he gave them these instructions:
“As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” Matthew 10:7-8
Worship & Praying in the Spirit
The power to perform these signs and miracles will follow those who witness for God and demonstrate his ability to heal, deliver and set free. The Holy Spirit is also given so that we can commune with God, spirit to spirit. That is what praying in the spirit means, to pray in tongues, our spiritual prayer language. When we don’t know how to pray, we pray in the spirit. The Holy Spirit intercedes along with our spirit to pray the perfect will of the Father.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
For me, worship, prayer and the word of God are essential for me to express my love to the Lord. I can’t imagine a prayer life with the Lord without speaking in tongues. God gives us spiritual gifts to edify our spirits and to build up the church.
The Holy Spirit is also necessary for true worship. Jesus said to a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well:
“But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24
The Holy Spirit is necessary for true intimacy with God and receiving his guidance in making our choices. Jesus spoke to Martha regarding her concerns and told her about a better choice:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
The Lord was showing her, as he does with us, that there are important choices for us to make. Mary chose to sit at the Lord’s feet to listen to his teaching, while Martha wanted her to help set the table and prepare the food. Our choices lead to different outcomes. How we evaluate and make decisions can greatly affect our future.
The word of God, his presence, his love, his peace, his fellowship and especially his will for us is found by sitting at the Lord’s feet. When we listen for his voice, spend time in prayer, we begin to understand his heart. To receive all that the Lord has for us, we must choose him over everything else. Jesus said:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26-27
We have to put him first before everyone and everything. The path that we choose is a path of devotion, a path of consecration and surrender, a path of power and witness. We belong to him and he belongs to us.
I hope you will seek the Lord for the gifts of the Spirit, and follow him with all your heart. Please share this message with those who need the Lord and a greater experience of him in their lives.
God bless you!
