Let Us Examine Our Ways
Hi Friends,
I have been making costumes for a contemporary version of the play “Faust.” It was a 15th century play about a man who sold his soul to the devil. Then just before the devil was to collect his soul, he turned to God in repentance, and the Lord hear his prayer and rescued just in time! What a glorious theme!
I have been very busy sewing angel costumes for the triumphant battle scene! So in all my busy-ness, the Lord gave me a vision when I stopped to pray. He is so faithful, so holy! He leads us and guides us. He rescues us when we are in trouble. And he stands with us in the fiery trials of life.
This is the vision that I am sharing with you today:
The Vision - Two Rows of Stitches
I had a vision earlier today while I was praying. I saw two rows of stitches: one which was previously sewn, and another that was being sewn with the stitches very close and parallel to the first row. The machine was moving the fabric along so that I could see and compare the two rows of stitches. The first row was sewn in an intermittent fashion. There were perhaps 10 to 12 perfect stitches followed by a 1” gap in the seam, where the top thread just sat on the surface of the fabric. Then the machine began to sew another 10 to 12 perfect stitches, and then another gap about the same length. This pattern of sewing and failing to sew, continued down the length of the seam. We call this “machine error “skipping stitches.”
The second row of stitches was uninterrupted, and consistent in size, a perfectly made seam or top stitch.
What the Vision Means
When I saw the less than perfect row of stitches next to a perfectly sewn row, my first thought was something was definitely wrong, and needed correction. Then suddenly, I knew that the perfect row that was being sewn represented the Holy Spirit, for he is the helper that comes alongside us. We are human and imperfect and what we do is also imperfect. But God is our creator and He is perfect in every way. As I thought of the vision, these scriptures came to mind concerning what the Lord said and promised about his Holy Spirit.
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
The Greek word that is translated as “helper,” is the word “paraklétos.” It means “to come alongside, or to come to the aid of.” It is also translated as advocate, intercessor, consoler, comforter, and advisor.
Just as Jesus was the Father’s gift to the world to redeem us from sin, dying on the cross and shedding his blood that purchased our salvation, the Holy Spirit is the Lord’s gift to us as he was returning to the Father.
In the vision the first row of stitches followed a pattern of intermittent gaps. It was not a good thing, it was not attractive to see a 1” piece of thread lying on the surface and then an inch of sewing and then another long thread and another inch of sewing. It was not only unattractive, it needed to be pulled out and restitched, for it was worthless: neither decorative nor strong.
I believe that the first row of stitches represents how we can be in our faith and in our walk with the Lord. We can be doing well until a trial presents itself, or a change comes to our circumstances and causes an interruption in our time with the Lord. Our prayer time gets curtailed, we become busier than usual, or there is a family crisis that needs attention. We go through seasons, trials and tests which challenge us to persevere in our faithfulness to God.
So the second row of steady uninterrupted stitches that are close to the first row, represent the Holy Spirit that comes alongside us. He helps us, leads us, consoles us and strengthens us. We know that the Lord promised to never leave us. The word tells us to trust in God for our needs and to seek counsel from him, rather than to rely on our own abilities, our wisdom, clout, power or knowledge:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
“The Lord Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
As I was praying for more understanding about the vision, I asked the Lord to show me a passage in scripture that would reveal and confirm the purpose of the message. This is the passage he gave me:
“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!” Lamentations 3:40
In the vision, as I was watching the stitches being sewn, I could compare the two rows. The previously sewn row was full of skipped stitches, and the second row demonstrated properly sewn stitches. There was no break in the stitches. They were even and continuous. That is how the Spirit leads us. His presence calms us and gives a feeling of confidence that all will be okay. He brings peace and removes frustration, fear, dread and anxiety. He gives us, inspiration and wisdom, when we face difficulties. He gives us favor with other people who can help. He is there with us, giving us direction, hope, and peace when others in the same situation would be overwhelmed. All we need to do is call upon the Lord for his help and the Holy spirit is right there! Problems will arise from time to time, but if we trust in him, he will see us through.
In the Bible, we see many stories of faith and perseverance in the midst of fiery trials. One such story is of Daniel the prophet who remained faithful to God in spite of laws and decrees that were enacted to place him in jeopardy with the king. For his faithfulness to God in prayer, he was sentenced to death by being thrown into a lion’s den. Because he did not shrink back or compromise his faith, God delivered him from all harm. Daniel’s enemies who schemed against him, suffered the fate that they had arranged for Daniel. They and their families were thrown into the lion’s den, and Daniel was elevated to a position of greater authority. His faith and the Lord’s powerful deliverance moved the king to acknowledge that Daniel’s God was the true God! (Daniel 6)
God is able to rescue us, save us and deliver us from evil. We know that he will stand with us, even in the fire. as he did for Daniel’s three friends.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:16-28
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I love stories that demonstrate the power of God. They never get old! When we read the word and take to heart its messages, our faith increases, and we can trust him to stand with us, in our trials. Jesus warns us that those who trust in him will be persecuted. We have to be ready for the inevitable.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ John 15:18-25
Many people, are speaking of the increase in wickedness, especially seen in our government and among the leaders and the wealthy elite around the world. We see the effects of wickedness in the well established institutions, that are systematically removing God from our schools, and colleges and replacing him with secular “theologies” and ideologies that twist and pervert the truth. They are introducing our children to harmful ways that lead to spiritual bondage. Young children are being told that they can choose to be a boy, a girl or even an animal. Parental authority is being set aside by the government and public schools who tell young pregnant teens that they do not need parental approval for abortions and sex changing drugs. Even health practitioners are promoting this program so that we now have forms to fill out at our doctor’s offices that ask us how we want to identify ourselves? Do we or do we not have body parts given by the Lord Almighty that identify us as either male or female? When will all this perversity of the truth stop?
This twisted mindset is demonic in nature. And if it goes unchecked, it will certainly lead to very dark times in our nation and persecution of the faithful. The Church needs to stop thinking of escaping this world with the “rapture,” and start reading the word, seeking God and building oneself up in his most holy faith. Now is the time to seek the Lord. Now is the time to get right with God. Remember that Jesus said:
“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John the 17:15
The church needs to grow up spiritually and read the word for themselves, learning that God has given them authority to “trample upon snakes and scorpions,” (Luke 10:19) “ to resist the devil and he will flee.” (James 4:7) and “to bind and to loosen in the mighty name of Jesus.” (Matthew 16:19) I am concerned that the Church is poorly equipped to face the trials that lay ahead. Now is the time to seek the Lord and pray for our nation. We have to know the Lord; we have to fear his holy name!
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
Jesus wanted to encourage his disciples to understand the importance of having the fear of God. These words of his are very powerful. He is not candy coating anything. Jesus is the truth. He is God and we are to take his words to heart.
“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:27-39
The Christian life is a devoted life, a life lived to glorify the Lord. As Jesus laid down his life for us, we are to lay down our lives for him. We are to follow him wherever he leads. Jesus told Peter that someday he would give his life for the sake of the gospel.
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And after He had said this, He told him, “Follow Me.” John 21:18-19
The future of our nation, and our people is in the Lord’s hands. We do not know all that is in store for us, but I know that the Lord has shown me, that someday it will be dangerous for me to carry a Bible. I wrote about this vision in a post entitled “Huis Clo - No Exit”
So if our life’s walk with the Lord looks inconsistent, or intermittent we need to call to the Lord for his Holy Spirit to come and help us. So let us be faithful and do what the Lord has shown us to do:
“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!” Lamentations 3:40
We cannot afford to be lukewarm in our commitment to God. We cannot be complacent, or too busy. If persecution comes tomorrow will we be ready? Will we be strong in the knowledge of God, strong in word, strong in deed? Do we love anything more than God? Do we love our lives more than him? Have we given priority to our jobs, or our livelihoods before God? Are our families more important than him?
Let’s take to heart the Lord’s words, so I repeat:
“He who loves father or mother is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:38
Let us pray for our faith to not fail, and the church to be strong. Let us pray that the power of God comes with the preaching of the gospel and for our nation to experience a true and lasting spiritual revival. Let us pray for the leaders of our nation and the upcoming national election. We need God-fearing men and women in positions of authority, in every public office and in every governmental agency and institution. We need people who will stand for justice, liberty and the protection from overreach of government and the infringement of our rights as guaranteed by the US Constitution. If we do not pray, we may get what we deserve: leaders who do not support the Constitution, but are self-seeking and motivated by money and power, rather than the love of God, and the love for our country, and the citizens of this great nation.
Alexis de Tocqueville said, “When America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." This was during “The Second Great Awakening,” a time when the nation experienced a nationwide revival during the 1850s.
This is what we need right now. Let us call our friends, our families together and pray. Let us fast and pray and repent as we are told to do by the Lord.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Please share this important message with your churches, your families and friends. Let us expect God’s hand to move mightily and save our people and our nation!
God bless you!
