Hi Everyone,

I have been sewing costumes for an Easter production for the last few weeks, so I did not write.  But today, I am sharing a vision the Lord has given me recently.  

The Visions

In the vision, I saw a piece of fabric that was cut off the edge of a garment, for there was a bit of hemline on the piece.  The weave was interesting. It was a suiting fabric, tightly woven with diagonals and verticals in a tiny repeat of only about 3/16.” The fabric was dark and small, about 1 ½” by 3 ½”.  Because the hem was a ⅜” double hem it reminded me of the Biblical costumes that I had been sewing.  But because the fabric was for men’s suiting, the Lord was showing me that it applies to us today.

As is common with the Lord’s visions to me, he brings to my remembrance a scripture or passage that speaks of its meaning.  What came to mind was the story of David in the cave with Saul, found in 1 Samuel chapter 24.

When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wild Goats' Rocks.  And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.  And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe.  And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe.  He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.”  So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.  And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’?  Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you.  I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.’  See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.  May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.  As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you.  After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!  May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.  He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.  And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands.  For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.  And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.  Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.”  And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. 1 Samuel 24:1-22

In this encounter, Saul came to the realization that David was a man more noble than himself, and that he was truly going to be established as king after him.  David did keep his promise to Saul, as he also did with Jonathan, Saul’s son. He promised to protect and do no harm to their offspring.  As a matter of fact after Saul and Jonathan had both passed, David was willing to care for and treat as one of his own Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son who was lame in both legs.  David instructed a man and his family to farm Mephibosheth’s land for him, and Mephibosheth was invited to eat at the king’s table for the remainder of his days.

It is said that “David is a man after God’s own heart.”  You can see by these two simple examples, that David remained true to God and was a man of his word.  When he was forced to take refuge in the wilderness because of Saul’s great fear of and jealousy towards him, he never attempted to retaliate or even say a negative word about Saul. 

In the cave, David had the opportunity to put an end to his problem with Saul, but he did not lay a hand on “God’s anointed.”  Even though God had removed His Spirit from Saul and had anointed David as king over Israel, the Lord gave him this opportunity to test of David’s character. And of course, David passed beautifully.

Jesus is a the perfect example of Godly character, for He is God. When he was mistreated and accused falsely before the Sanhedrin and then before Pilate, he made no defense. He did not react as men generally do, by pleading their own cause and making a case against their enemies.  Isaiah prophesied about Jesus as the lamb of God sent by Him to be a sacrifice for the sins of all the world.

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7

Jesus revealed the Father’s righteousness and his character, which is love and truth. 

By David’s actions we see that he had great love and respect for God, and was willing to be pursued and mistreated rather than raise a hand against the king.  It was his love and devotion and his fear of God, that caused him to show respect for what God valued.

The apostle Paul was also a man of noble character, respecting God’s ways and having a heart that was completely submitted to Him.  We see that Paul acknowledged that the high priest or ruler was to be respected, on the occasion when he was brought before the Sanhedrin. 

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”  At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.  Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’” Acts 23:1-5

When circumstances go against us, what is our normal pattern of behavior?  Do we deny the accusation?  Do we defend our position and argue?  Do we fight or say nothing but plot a means of retaliation?  Do we simply do nothing but harbor hatred and resentment?  Do we tell the world of our mistreatment and slander those who have offended us?

None of these responses is what God would have us do.

I had this situation in my own life with someone that was like a Saul to me.  This person did everything he could to embarrass me in front of others trying to discourage me to the point where I would leave, for he somehow saw me as a threat to his control and position.  

The Lord gave me three scriptures as his directions to me.  This is what he said to me:

• Consider others more important than yourself:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3

•  Live at peace with all . 

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.  If it is possible on your part, live at peace with all men.” Romans 12:18

• Turn the other cheek.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.  And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.”   Matthew 5:38-40

I will never forget these three scriptures, for I continued to keep them foremost in my mind, especially when I knew that I would be in the presence of this person.

We need to keep these words in mind: 

“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12:19-21

We understand that it is our human nature that causes us to want to defend ourselves, especially when we feel that we have done nothing wrong to deserve the treatment or abuse that we are receiving.  But in order to have the right attitude, we have to put down the flesh, and put down our rights. We have to simply accept what is going on and live at peace knowing that God, our father will take care of everything.  Our job is to keep our eyes, our hearts and our minds stayed on the Lord.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”  Isaiah 26:3

Those words came from Isaiah, a prophet of God, who faced fierce resistance to the messages he brought to his people.  In his devotion to God and his unwavering faith, he delivered the Lord’s messages. They did not appreciate him as God’s messenger, but were insulted by his words. So - they killed him.  Tradition says that he was sawed in two.  Isaiah must have known God’s peace, even in the throws of abuse and torcherous treatment. 

When Stephen was being stoned, the word says that his face shone like that of an angel. (Acts 6:15)

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:54-60

We must be willing to be treated wrongly, or persecuted for our faith.  We must not give in to the natural flesh which wants to either run away, or fight for our “rights.”

As Paul said plainly:

“The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, even against your own brothers!” 1 Corinthians 6:7-8

The idea of turning the cheek and choosing to be wronged or cheated over being defensive and ready to fight is contrary to our natural tendencies.  But this is what our Lord expects of us.  The Christian walk is not an easy road.  It may be counter intuitive, and even difficult, but we must overcome our natural desires and defenses and yield to the Spirit of God that lives within us.

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  Galatians 5:16-17

So, how do we overcome our natural tendencies?  We walk by the Spirit.  We follow the Lord’s teachings, found in the Word of God, and we spend time with him.  The more time that we are in the Word and in the presence of God, the more we become like him and less like our former sinful nature.  We yield our wills to his will, by following the Lord’s example: 

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  Luke 42:22 

It is the Spirit of God living within us that leads us into all truth and in “paths of righteousness.”  We are changed and transformed and the desires and passions we once had, are no longer important. We begin to take on his character, for that is one of the goals of spiritual maturity.  Paul’s intense desire and goal was to see Christ’s character formed in each believer.  His responsibility in this matter he felt so passionately that he referred to it as labor pains.

“My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!  Galatians 4:19

What would this world be like if everyone took such a view of things?  What If we were in travail over our friends, loved ones, family and communities, wanting to see them living for the Lord and putting him first above all things?  But this is exactly what we are to do.  We are to stand in the gap in behalf of others for their salvation, deliverance, healing and restoration to the Lord God.  It is prayer that changes things.  It is prayer and intercession for all people and all nations that will change our world.  We are called to be faithful witnesses for God.  So let us give the Lord ourselves, holding nothing back but giving him our all.

If we simply yield to Him, His Spirit will work powerfully through us to accomplish his purposes.  It is by the Spirit of God moving through us that will show forth his glory and bring His name praise!  

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed!”  Romans 8:19

So let’s give ourselves to God becoming a vessel fit for the Master’s use!

Thanks for reading.  Please share this important message!  God bless you in your walk with him!