Amanuensis

Genesis 4:2-7 When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift – the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

Do you see the progression? It began with what you might think of as a small matter – Abel gave back to Me the best of what I had given him, but his brother Cain gave Me lesser gifts. Small matter, you might think. But, was it? The gifts offered back to Me in gratitude for what I had been providing reflected the state of their hearts. Abel understood that all came from Me, and was honoring that by offering back the best of what I had given him. Cain wanted to keep the best for himself, and offered back lesser goods. Whose heart was a heart of gratitude? Who understood that everything he had came from Me-the gifts, the talents, the aptitudes, the knowledge? Abel understood that I am the great provider, the lover of man’s soul. Cain did not. Abel honored Me, Cain honored himself. And that opened the door to sin – crouching outside, eager to enter and control. So a “simple” act of ingratitude opened the door to the progression to murder. That is how sin works. Starts small, seemingly inconsequential actions/thoughts/attitudes. But the lesser leads to greater and greater acts, more egregiously prideful and boastful thoughts, greater attitudes of ingratitude and self-aggrandizement. And as it progresses, the sins increase in number and gravity, leading to death – death of conscience, death of relationship with Me, death of the promise of eternal life. It is like dropping a bit of dye in a glass of water. The dye does not maintain its shape – it diffuses into the water, slightly coloring the clear liquid. With each drop of dye, the water becomes less and less clear. So with sin. Each sin leads to more distance from Me. Until, soon enough, your ability to hear My voice, to understand My Word, to feel remorse or guilt over your actions – all of that slowly dies and you are alone. Because if there is one thing you need to understand clearly and never forget – your enemy, once he has enticed you to enter into a sin state, leaves you all alone to suffer the consequences. He does not stay around to keep you company or help you deal with your decisions. Oh no. You are left standing all alone out in the cold.  

Genesis 3:4-7 “You won’t die!” The serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 

Little did Eve know that, although she and Adam did not physically die upon eating the forbidden fruit, they did suffer immediate death: the death of their innocence and purity. As the first creations, they did not know guilt or sin or blemish. They were created perfect in every way. They did not know physical limitations or illness. They did not know there was such a thing as imperfection. They did not know that it was possible to be separated from Me. They did not know there was such a thing as a guilty conscience, regret, sad thoughts, emotional or spiritual pain. None of that existed before she listened to the serpent and allowed herself to be wooed by his lies and influence to go against My commands. And the instant she gave in to the base instincts she did not even know she possessed is the moment that all died. Perfection was marred. Innocence was shattered. Guilt was awakened. So, although they did not die physically, so much of what I had given them died with that one act of disobedience. Do you still tell yourself disobedience is no big deal?

Jeremiah 2:35 “And yet you say, ‘I have done nothing wrong. Surely God isn’t angry with me!’ But now I will punish you severely because you claim you have not sinned.”

It is not so much your sin. I expect you to sin. You are not perfect, you are flawed, you are impressionable, you are subject to your emotions and your whims. This is what is most egregious: that you claim not to have sinned. You excuse all of your bad behavior. You excuse all of your flagrant sin. You explain why what you do is really ok. It is not. It is sin. Nothing you say or believe will change that. Nothing you tell yourself or others changes the nature of your actions. Sin is sin. And I will, if you do not repent, punish it strongly. 

Isaiah 39:5-8 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace – all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now – will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”

Hezekiah was a fool. First, he pridefully and foolishly showed the visitors from Babylon everything that was in the treasuries of the kingdom – even the weaponry.  Then, when Isaiah told him what Babylon would do, that they would steal everything and imprison his sons – even emasculating them and turning them into eunuchs in the service of the Babylonian king — Hezekiah’s reaction was yet more foolish – he was happy that it would not happen until after he was gone.  It is exactly this attitude that has allowed your Nation to become what it is today. So many of My people are only concerned about what is happening directly to them, during their lifetime. They have no concern – they do not even think about the fact that what is allowed in the world today will affect what the world becomes tomorrow. You are so used to your comfort in your everyday lives that you are not capable to thinking outside of the present moment. Wake up. You have created an impossible scenario for your chidlren and your children’s children. You have set the stage for an imprisoned society – in fact, your people were taken prisoner long ago: prisoners to self-pleasing, to ease and comfort, to distraction and entertainment, prisoners to your wants and desires and addictions. You have traded true freedom for a false reality. You believe you are free and self-determining, but you are slaves to money, to advertisement, to your feelings and beliefs, to your need to be constantly entertained and to have your egos massaged. When the reality of what you have become and what is in store for you sets in, it will be too late. Wake up. Repent. Give up all of your false idols and return to Me. Choose whom you will serve: Me or yourselves. Time is very short. 

Galatians 1:6-8 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.

Do you not see? Your world is full of false “Churches”. Your world is full of those who purport to teach My Word, yet twist it and mold it to fit their own narratives, to benefit themselves and their “Church” and to normalize sin. How can you be sure you are not fooled?  Test it. Be a Bearean. Open my Word and study. Look to those you know are solid Biblical scholars and read what they have to say. Pray about it. Day and night. Bring everything to Me and ask Me to clarify, elucidate, expand your knowledge. Do you not see that if I have warned about false teaching so many times in My Word – that if you have read time and time again that there will be those whose purpose is to misdirect you toward what they would have you believe – do you not see how important it is when I point it out repeatedly. Take heed. Your eternal future is at stake here. You need to feed on My Word – but that means the unadulterated Word, represented correctly, interpreted correctly. Your enemy is skilled in taking Truth – My Truth – and injecting just enough worldly nonsense into it that it misdirects you away from My Truth. That is his plan. That is his objective. That is his mission. And any time you allow it, you take away your ability to lead others to Me, to point others toward eternal salvation. That is how important this is: twisting Truth, misrepresenting Me by changing what I have said, sowing lies in place of Truth, just giving partial Truth – all of those things will misdirect My children from seeking and finding Me. And that, Child, is the reason for it all. Since the fallen are doomed to eternal separation from Me, their goal is to take as many of you as possible with them. Be on your guard. Be aware of their goals and methods. Trust nothing you have not vetted through Me, My Word or My trusted teachers.

Isaiah 7:9  “Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”

You always have a part to play in all of this. Your part is to determine whether or not you have faith in Me. Whether or not you trust Me. Whether or not you will stand firm in all of the chaos and destruction and lies and manipulation and everything that is now, and will be, around you and in your world. Do you believe in Me? Truly? Do you have trust in Me? Solid trust? Will you believe, no matter what happens on your earthly plane, that I am in control? That I have a plan? That I have your best interests at heart? That I can, and will, protect you, provide for you, save you? Can you place that set of beliefs above fear? Can you hold onto those beliefs even when everything around you seems to say the opposite? Do you truly believe I AM?

Isaiah 7:7 “But this is what the Sovereign Lord says…..”

This is all that matters. Men will say whatever suits them. They will lie. They will manipulate. They will say what they believe to be true. But, what matters is what I say. Do not listen to them. Listen to Me. Seek My  counsel. Read My Word. Pray for a heart that understands. Pray for ears that hear, eyes that see, a mind that can grasp what I have for you. Man is fallible. Man is, often, evil. Man is selfish and self-seeking, wants what he wants at the expense of everyone else. Do not listen to him, do not fear him. He has no power over Me. He has no control over what I have planned. Stay close to Me, Child. Eyes on Me. The world is whirling about you, into further and further darkness and chaos. Close to Me. That is where you are safe and where you will be taken care of. Under the shelter of My wings. I’ve got you. I’ve got all of it. Remember that, as I have said to you before, I am in the storm, I am in the whirlwind. I am your anchor in all of this. I AM. Solid. Unmoving. Unchanging. Remain tethered to Me, and you will be fine. Not only will you be fine, but your example will help others to draw near to me in all of this. That is the greatest gift you have to give others – the gift of knowing Me. 

Isaiah 1:21-26 See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers. Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine. Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows. Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back my foes! I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities. Then I will give you good judges again and wise counselors like you used to have.”

You know your “leaders” are corrupt. You know they work against their people. You know they take bribes, you know they do not do what is in the best interest of the citizens of your States and Nation. You know all of this, and you turn your head and look the other way. You tell yourself that it has always been this way. You tell yourself that there is nothing you can do. So you don’t act. You complain. You point fingers. Yet you do nothing substantive to change things. You cry out to Me and ask Me to change your Nation. You ask Me to save you. Yet, was it I who did these things? Did I not answer prayer in helping to establish this Nation? Did I not answer prayer in directing those who wrote your founding documents – your Declaration of Independence and your Constitutions? Did I not give wisdom and discernment to those who fought for and created the establishment of your Constitutional Republic? Then, once established, as long as your people were obedient and followed My Word, did I not protect and establish and prosper you all? What has happened that you find yourselves in this position today? Is it I who have failed? No. You turned away. Slowly, quietly, you allowed Me to be removed from every area of your lives. You removed Me from the government. You removed Me from the schools. You removed any mention of Me from your society – from your art and your literature and your music. You went from public prayer to quiet prayer in your prayer closets, in your church buildings, and in some of your homes to now only praying sporadically – and usually when confronted with troubles or illness. My Word, your Bibles, went from being taught in schools and once being in every home to now gathering dust on your shelves – forgotten and only brought out when nostalgic or in a panic. You have relegated Me to last place in your lives – yet you blame Me for not magically saving you now. You are afraid to mention Me in public – lest you anger or “offend” someone – yet in those actions you are not afraid to offend Me. You are like toddlers who have not yet obtained any sense of self-awareness – you want what you want yet you do not see where you have responsibilities in it all, you do not see where your selfishness and self-seeking have brought you to this state, you do not see what your actions have to do with your present life conditions. You only see what you want, what you think you need, what you believe others – especially Me – owe you and should do for you. You are self-obsessed and self-indulgent. You do not believe you have any part in all of this except as a victim of these horrible circumstances, of these corrupt politicians, of these freedom-stealing rulers, of the powerful crush of the corporations that are taking over your lives. And so you continue to stumble along, overwhelmed and in despair over the condition of your lives and your Nation. Yet, you hold the power. It is your Nation. These are your lives. It is in your hands. Will I help you? Have I not always helped when sincerely asked? When you bring me a repentant heart and hands ready for battle for what is right and good? I have not changed. I have not moved. I am. Let that sink it. I AM. Today as yesterday as tomorrow. I AM. So, when you change – when you repent – when you turn to me with pure hearts and empty hands – I AM ready. I AM willing. I AM able. I am not the question here – you are. 

Isaiah 1:15-17 When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. 

My “Church” will say, but we have killed no one. We do not have blood on our hands. Yet, have you not allowed abortion to continue in your Nation? Have you not ignored the trafficking and murder of my children? Do you not turn your head when confronted with the ugliness of what is done to my little ones? That is the same as if you had committed the acts yourself. Lack of action is an action. Doing nothing is condoning the sin. What say you? Will you repent, take back the Nation from the evil that is running it? Will you not repent and protect the little ones? Will you not repent and stop allowing the evil that is running your Nation to continue? Do not wonder why I do not hear your prayers. You pray out of one side of your mouth and condone evil out of the other. I will not tolerate your sin much longer. You are warned. Repent. Turn back. Undo what has been done. Before I allow the complete and total destruction of your Nation. 

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.

Do not allow the reactions to you of those who are perishing, like your brother, to convince you that you are not loved. You are deeply loved and even respected by many. Those who know Me see Me in you. Do not forget that. Do not allow the hatred and evil and attempts to destroy you convince you that everyone is against you and that you have no place in this world. That is a lie of your enemy. What does My Word say? You are deeply loved, cared for, protected, cherished. You are My Child. I love you. That is all that matters. But above and beyond that, many others love you. Accept it. Take it in. Let it refresh and strengthen your heart and soul. That way, when the enemy lies to you, you can stand firm in My Truth. I formed you. Just as you are. Exactly as you are. Flaws and all. And I love every bit of My creation. I love you. Endlessly. Tirelessly. Unconditionally. Fully. Wholeheartedly. Infinitely. With a depth and breadth that you will not understand until you come home to be with Me. Until then, remember this message. I LOVE YOU. You can never change this fact. You can never stop Me. You can never undo My love. I have promised. It is so. Just as I Am, it is.