When you are truly spiritual you never have to make others believe how spiritual you are, and when you are truly humble you never have to say how humble you are. Just be that and God will prove to others how much you are so they will say it about you. There's nothing wrong with saying that you accept or submit something humbly but there is everything wrong with bragging about how humble or spiritual you claim to be. The more you think of yourself the less God thinks of you. The more you talk about yourself the less the Devil fears you. The Scriptures say of Moses in NUMBERS 12:3; "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." Because of his character God said of him in NUMBERS 12:8; "With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold..." Since Moses only the Lord Jesus Christ has had such a relationship, and before Moses only Adam had the same. Adam was innocent, Moses was meek, and Jesus was perfect. The scriptures declare their character or state of being which coupled with grace produced these special relationships. We're far from it and shouldn't behave as if we have arrived. Adam fell but God covered him. Moses never defended himself or had a need to prove himself, and as a result God always did. Jesus never sought fame or fortune but he's the most famous and greatest person who ever lived. They've all been spoken for by God in scripture while we as men constantly speak of and compare ourselves by ourselves among other men.
God "apparently", meaning physically and audibly, manifested himself to Moses before the people, and struck down those who spoke to him with no reverence for God's relationship with him. Moses was so close to God that he literally wore God's presence and glory so much so that the people couldn't look at him unless he wore a veil over his face. EXODUS 34:30, 33-35; "And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 33) And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34) But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35) And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him." Who do you know like that? DEUTERONOMY 34:10; "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face". There isn't anybody alive today like that in "spiritual Israel" either, which is the Church. There hasn't been another like Moses since Jesus Christ and there won't be one. Moses was a type of Christ, and a foreshadowing of the relationship God desires to have with us all. The reason Moses and Christ had it was because they made themselves of "NO REPUTATION" and trusted God to build and guard their reputations for them. PHILIPPIANS 2:7; "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men". Why aren't we there? Having to say you're there means you're not. God can't trust us with such a privilege because of our pride and desire for recognition. We disqualify ourselves with our own words and behavior.
JOHN 7:18; "He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him."
In many churches today we have more money, more ministers, more messed up members, and less miracles; something is wrong with that. We have too many preaching financial prosperity for personal gain and not for the sake of the Kingdom of God which is the primary reason for prosperity. DEUTERONOMY 8:18; "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, THAT HE MAY ESTABLISH HIS COVENANT which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." We brag on ourselves, our anointings & gifts, and compare ourselves to unique biblical characters as if we're at that level. It's even been said over the pulpit by ministers using the scriptures in chapter 12 of the book of NUMBERS how that they were above being corrected by a prophet or others because they were on the same level of Moses who couldn't be corrected by his sister Miriam who was a prophetess. The fact we even make those character comparisons proves we lack the character to be on that level. Its good to shoot for it, but we need way more bullets to hit the bulls eye starting with our own humility and meekness. Moses appears physically alive in both the Old & New Testaments, spoke with Christ himself along with Elijah on the "Mount of Transfiguration", shut down the nation of Egypt by the power of God, wrote the law directly from God's lips which was so closely associated with him that it is even referred to as "the Law of Moses", and you think you really compare to him?! To think so is delusional with pride just like that of Satan which subsequently caused his fall from Heaven and grace. Until you can lay down who you are you can't pick up who God truly is.
Today there are many claiming the titles of "Apostle" or "Prophet" who lack the main ingredients to perform the work of the offices which is humility and meekness. Many have taken those titles by means of self-exaltation or human elevation and not God ordination, because they desire to have preeminence among others and not be subject to any authority that could challenge or correct them. The same ones feel threatened or intimidated by others who are not overwhelmingly impressed with them or are also gifted, and in their own insecurity seek to subjugate those individuals under them or exert their will over them for dominance rather than work with them to build the Kingdom of God. We compete with others for recognition we don't deserve; for all the glory belongs to God alone. The primary reasons why we don't see the manifestation of the signs of the apostolic office or the proof positive of the prophetic mantle in many, if not most, is because men are appointing themselves to positions they haven't been called to, or are unable to shed themselves of vain ambitions and foolish pride to become of no reputation so that God can give them a new reputation in Him and not in them. Our ministries may seem similar to Moses, Elijah, Peter, Paul, and other biblical figures but the difference is their names are in "The Scriptures" and testify of their character and work while ours are not and never will be. They represent a standard set by God worthy enough to be in His book; the Holy Bible. As close as they were to the LORD they were all humble and meek enough to admit how close they weren't. We need to be focused on making sure our names aren't blotted out of the "Lamb's Book of Life". Satan will let you get more stuff just as long as you don't get more power and win more souls.
The love of money, deceitfulness of riches, desire for preeminence, and the pride of life has distanced us further from God than we know. We're blind but claim we see. We're in our own way and can't see the Lord clearly, and nor can anyone else following us because we're blocking the way. This is the "spirit of Laodicea"; the lukewarm, arrogant, prideful, and apostate church. We all need to humble ourselves and repent, because none of us are what we think we are. WAKE UP CHURCH! WAKE UP APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELISTS, PASTORS, & TEACHERS! WAKE UP BISHOPS, OVERSEERS, PRELATES, ELDERS AND MINISTERS! WAKE UP PEOPLE OF GOD! YOU'RE SLIPPING AWAY AND GOD IS CALLING YOU BACK! ~ I.J. West
REVELATION 3:16-18; "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
No comments:
Post a Comment