Isaiah 42:13
The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man,
he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war:
he shall cry, yea, roar;
he shall prevail against his enemies.
Greetings -
Scriptures are from the King James Bible, except 1 Corinthians 13:2, which is from the Amplified Bible.
John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Revelation 5:5
..behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda,...
Proverbs 30:30
A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
1 Corinthians 13:2 - AMP
...but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing...
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, ...
Isaiah 49:2
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword;
Luke 1:80
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing...
Recently, our Lord emphasized to me that JESUS is a Lamb, and a Lion - both are representative of His character. The composition of our characters should reflect the attributes of both, as well.
Typically, in many circles, including religious ones, emphasis is placed on the lamb characteristics of JESUS. I obtained from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition, the following definitions:
- Lamb - figurative - used as the epitome of meekness, gentleness, or innocence
- Lionhearted - brave and determined
People who desire to continue in their sin habits favor the lamb qualities of JESUS, and His followers. Seldom do they desire the lion qualities. The Lion roars, and is bold, brave and determined. Many folks are just not feeling the jungle fever. They'd rather camp in the pastures where gentleness strokes them. In extreme, neither represents the balance of life.
It is absolute that GOD is love. The depth of His love motions is beyond our finite ability to comprehend. But this much I KNOW - GOD's love is not confined to whispers, blessings, and gentle strokes. GOD also warns, shouts, roars, and renders punishment for evil sinful actions. He is not mocked. If we sow to the Spirit, we reap life. If we sow to death, that is what we reap. To be spiritually minded is life and peace. The proof is in the Holy Bible where we can read about the FULL gospel. This earth is full of walking "dead" people. We must thrive in GOD to witness life to them.
Let's visit Luke where it describes John the Baptist. It states in Luke 1:80 that he "was in the deserts till the day of his shewing." When John came out of the deserts, he was not timid. He was lionhearted. This is just some of what he said, Luke 3:7-9, when he came out, "...O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,... And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
What was the response to John's fiery rhetoric? Luke 3:10,12,14 answers that. Verse 10, "And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? Verse 12, Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? Verse 14, And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do?" As we go further, we read in verse 19 that John reproved King Herod for having his brother's wife, and "for all the evils which Herod had done." Wow! John came out in full blast, didn't he? His utterances sound like lion roar "speak" to me.
Now let's visit the book of The Acts. This is what Peter had to say to a man in The Acts 8:21,22, "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." And in The Acts 13:10, Paul had this to say, "...O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" When the magistrates sent to let Paul and Silas out of prison "privily," Paul spoke these words in The Acts 16:37, "...They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily, but let them come themselves and fetch us out." What did the magistrates do? The Acts 16:39 answers that question. It states, "And they came and besought them, and brought them out,..."
Here I will share several of my experiences. We need to watch the company that we keep. Years ago, when I was backslidden, a dear Christian mentor of mine informed me that, due to my spiritual condition, she could not engage with me anymore. As long as I was outside of our Lord's will, we couldn't be friends. I respected her for her choice to choose GOD'S will. Romans 16:17 says, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them." I must mention here that our Lord does expect us to engage, as He leads, with those who need to be exposed to our lights for purposes of the gospel. But we must watch to practice, as well, what it states in 1 Corinthians 5:11, "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."
During my last shelter experience, one night I was in jungle fever mode when I was talking to some people there. The lion in me was in motion. Well, at one point, I said more than the Lion of Juda deemed acceptable. As soon as I got to my assigned room, the Holy Spirit convicted me, and told me that I had to go to those people to seek forgiveness. Immediately, I did as He instructed. Another day, some months ago, again, I was wearing my lion's "mane," though not on a high energy level. I was on the bus and was engaged in a pleasant conversation with a Christian woman who I had never seen before. Before she boarded, I had been engaged in conversation with the bus driver about something. I had disengaged with him and began to talk with her. A few minutes later, I resumed communication with the bus driver. At a certain point, I got out of order in my communication with him. The Christian woman rebuked me. I cannot recall what she said but I do remember that it was only a few short quick words spoken with authority. Right away, I knew that GOD had spoke through her mouth to my ears. Immediately, after she uttered those words of rebuke, I shifted gears and got back into holy formation. Thank GOD for people who do lion duties.
Last week I heard Bishop T.D. Jakes make a statement that had a profound impact on me. He stated, "JESUS had one Judas out of 12 disciples. Many pastors today have 11 Judas' out of 12 disciples." Also recently I read this phrase, "...new levels of cruelty and intimidation." When I read that, our Lord quickened my spirit. He reminded me of the scripture in 2 Timothy 3:13, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." He also alerted me to the scripture that follows that one. It says, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;"
Our Lord encouraged me with His truth that though evil people shall become colder and colder for their father, the Devil - holy people shall become hotter and hotter for our Father, GOD, and His worthy righteous causes. Thank you, Lord! As I mentioned earlier this week in another post, we can be surrounded by "polar bears." The Lion in our hearts can keep us warm, determined and assured. The heat that burns in us will cause some of those polar bears to come in from the cold. They will be drawn to the Son shine that glows from the SOURCE -CREATOR, Almighty GOD!
Some of us have come out of the deserts for our shewing. Thanks be unto GOD for our seasons with Him "in the trenches." We have no intentions of being on the ropes while Satan pummels us with his viciousness. No, we are not pushovers for the kingdom of darkness. We choose not to "buy" what he is "selling." The Devil shall not bully us into submission for engagement in his dark deeds.
Our Lord has pinned on me my revenger badge. He has done the same for others, as well. 2 Corinthians 10:6 says, "And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." Romans 13:4 says, "...But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." And in 1 Corinthians 4:21, Paul asks this question, "What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?" GOD issues His revenger badges to those who have sufficiently learned to love, and that includes love for those who oppose GOD. But of course, we know that GOD, in His sovereignty, can use any means for His revenge purposes. Back in the day, I rebuked people from a posture of self-righteousness. Love was NOT in the mix. GOD did NOT give me a revenger badge until He had humbled me. He taught me to love to an extent that He can trust me to use said badge in holy ways. Certainly, GOD trusts His faithful that are in every part of His blessed earth. Life is a journey and we must continue to learn and to teach.
Of course, we all have our flesh "moments" and need to repent and forsake that which displeases our Lord. But if we routinely walk with JESUS, He trusts us with His best. 1 Corinthians 2:14,15 says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,..."
There is much that I don't understand about the matter of Lamb and Lion. GOD "wired" some of His children to have more lamb characteristics than lion, and some to have more lion characteristics than lamb. But I do believe that none of us should have an extreme of one or the other. May GOD help us all to know wisely that "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" - Ecclesiastes 3:1.
As for me, our Lord has made it abundantly clear - I am, mostly, in the jungle with the rest of the feline creations. But we deeply love those who our Lord has wired to, mostly, be in lamb mode. Only GOD knows precisely where we all belong, and how we fit into His MASTER plan. None of GOD's missions are in vain. All of His followers perform vital assignments. When our Lord "marshals His troops" there is a formidable formation against the powers of darkness.
This is my roar out:
GOD wound us up and "jack is out of the box" to set it off in the name of JESUS! Squeeze us and out comes JESUS juice. This is how we roll, people. Oh yes, this is how we roll!
2 Samuel 3:1
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
Sandra Renee Hicks
P.O. Box 1210
Washington, DC 20013
Written Wednesday February 23, 2011
NOTE: This topic is also posted on my READ ONLY MAIN blog, LIONS SHARE MAJESTY at http://www.lioneaglesoar.blogspot.com/. The bulk of the responses to this topic are found in the comment section on that blog. Here is the specific link to the subject topic there
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! HOW DARE THEY THINK WITH THE MIND OF CHRIST!
Greetings -
Scriptures are from the King James Bible.
Philippians 2:5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:12
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by revelation of Jesus Christ.
Sound and wise counsel is something that we all need. We need to receive it and we need to give it. But it is vital to seek our Lord for His infinite counsel. The counsel of GOD trumps all other advice.
For the most part, from the outset, our Lord "wired" me as one who doesn't "go along to get along." That was my M.O. in the world and it is my M.O. now as I walk with JESUS. I have often challenged the status quo and questioned obvious abuses, especially in the area of authority. Abuses of authority have, for as long as I can remember, deeply disturbed me. In one of my previous places of employment, my supervisor teasingly nicknamed me D.A. - short for District Attorney. I steadfastly hungered for justice - still do. Our Lord has taught me more about how to feed that hunger in righteous ways.
My time spent "in the trenches" with our Lord has progressed to where He has situated me such that I am rarely fazed by what people think of me relative to my earnest aim to please our Lord. He does lead me to seek and heed counsel but mostly, I hear directly from our Lord as to what actions to pursue. Daily I am in His Word, and in prayer, and communion with Him. It is in those times that I gain the bulk of my instructions and revelations from our Lord. Sermons and Christian programs are helpful aids, as well. I'm sure that others can relate that, often, our Lord provides confirmations, from His elected resources, of what He has shared with us.
It can be to our detriment to heed the counsel of man above the counsel of GOD. We can worry, "What will people think?" What people think shouldn't intimidate us if we KNOW that we have sure directions from GOD.
We all have drama, issues and foolish actions that we engage in. We miss the marks but praise GOD that we can repent and forsake our wicked ways and receive forgiveness from our merciful Lord. We all have matters that we haven't conquered. GOD knows our hearts. He expects us to love righteousness and to hate iniquity. When we do our best to overcome, GOD honors our steps.
We cannot afford, spiritually or otherwise, to waste energy on the foolish judgmental conduct of others. And we don't always owe people explanations about why we obey GOD. If our Lord leads us to explain, that is reasonable. It helps to be mindful that those who are unrighteous in their judgments are not doing that which is acceptable to GOD. Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." There is no win if GOD is displeased.
In Hosea 1:2, GOD told Hosea "Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms..." What do you think people thought about that?
In Judges 11, Jephthah, "the son of an harlot," was "thrust out." Later those who thrust him out called upon him to be their captain. GOD thought enough of Jephthah to appoint him a judge. Judge Jephthah went on to subdue the enemy. Initially, what did people think? They thought that Jephthah was inferior because his mother was "an harlot." Eventually, what did people think? He was a "mighty man of valour" who they needed to be their captain. GOD'S thoughts always trump our thoughts.
I once heard Pastor Fred testify that a significant financial church investment opportunity came up for a vote among him and his board members. Pastor Fred stated that he received from our Lord a "no" on the investment opportunity. The board majority voted yes. Pastor shared that he didn't feel comfortable using his pastoral authority to go against the board majority so he went along with their choice. The investment was unwise and resulted in the loss of the entire financial investment. Pastor Fred said something like, "I had to get up BY MYSELF in front of the church body to tell them that we had lost that significant amount of money."
Years ago, I was the hold-out juror in a criminal case. Fellow jurors became angry at me because they were ready to leave. I believe that Mother's Day or some holiday was approaching. I refused to cave under their anger. It got "cold" in that room because of my hold-out status.
I informed the other jurors that, according to the judge's instructions, I wasn't convinced that I should change my position. Further, I said that I was prepared to remain firm in my position unless evidentiary revelations and reasonable arguments were presented by them to convince otherwise. Also, I said something like, "I plan to be here until..." The jury foreman glumly responded, "I believe you." By then, the room was in "freeze mode." I was surrounded by "polar bears." The lion in my heart kept me warm, determined, and assured. Anyway, I cannot recall precisely, but it was at least another day or two before I was convinced. What did the people think of me? My choice was not "embraced." Did I have any regrets? - Not at all.
Relative to the Little Rock Nine, in 1957, a white woman, Grace Lorch, rescued one of the Nine, Elizabeth, from an angry white mob. Grace stepped out ALONE to help that terrified black child. It was a dangerous act executed by a brave woman. I have another post forthcoming that shares more about that event in history. Did Grace wonder what people would think? Perhaps - but we know what she did - she acted courageously, regardless of what people thought. Also, Grace clearly had awareness that her actions could have further incited the crowd. Her valor froze the mob, and she and Elizabeth made it safely away from there.
In Galatians 2, we read where Peter was eating with the Gentiles until his fellow Jews arrived. Peter then withdrew and separated from the Gentiles for fear of what the Jews would think. Galatians 2:13 says, "And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him;..."
When Paul saw that they "walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel," he rebuked Peter "before them all." Paul withstood Peter "to the face." What Peter did affected others as they followed his "lead." And certainly, those unrighteous actions affected the Gentiles from whom they withdrew. What a mess - all because Peter and his "crew" were intimidated by what the Jews would think. Paul took holy authority over that nonsense. What did GOD think? "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." - Matthew 25:21.
JESUS walked on this earth in flesh form and did our Father's business. Did he unreasonably concern himself with what people thought - above the desires of our Father? No, our innocent Savior allowed Himself to be crucified so that we could be saved from our sins, and have life more abundantly. What did GOD think? "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:17.
Sandra Renee Hicks
P.O. Box 1210
Washington, DC 20013
nowgloryacts@yahoo.com
Written Monday February 21, 2011
Scriptures are from the King James Bible.
Philippians 2:5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:12
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by revelation of Jesus Christ.
Sound and wise counsel is something that we all need. We need to receive it and we need to give it. But it is vital to seek our Lord for His infinite counsel. The counsel of GOD trumps all other advice.
For the most part, from the outset, our Lord "wired" me as one who doesn't "go along to get along." That was my M.O. in the world and it is my M.O. now as I walk with JESUS. I have often challenged the status quo and questioned obvious abuses, especially in the area of authority. Abuses of authority have, for as long as I can remember, deeply disturbed me. In one of my previous places of employment, my supervisor teasingly nicknamed me D.A. - short for District Attorney. I steadfastly hungered for justice - still do. Our Lord has taught me more about how to feed that hunger in righteous ways.
My time spent "in the trenches" with our Lord has progressed to where He has situated me such that I am rarely fazed by what people think of me relative to my earnest aim to please our Lord. He does lead me to seek and heed counsel but mostly, I hear directly from our Lord as to what actions to pursue. Daily I am in His Word, and in prayer, and communion with Him. It is in those times that I gain the bulk of my instructions and revelations from our Lord. Sermons and Christian programs are helpful aids, as well. I'm sure that others can relate that, often, our Lord provides confirmations, from His elected resources, of what He has shared with us.
It can be to our detriment to heed the counsel of man above the counsel of GOD. We can worry, "What will people think?" What people think shouldn't intimidate us if we KNOW that we have sure directions from GOD.
We all have drama, issues and foolish actions that we engage in. We miss the marks but praise GOD that we can repent and forsake our wicked ways and receive forgiveness from our merciful Lord. We all have matters that we haven't conquered. GOD knows our hearts. He expects us to love righteousness and to hate iniquity. When we do our best to overcome, GOD honors our steps.
We cannot afford, spiritually or otherwise, to waste energy on the foolish judgmental conduct of others. And we don't always owe people explanations about why we obey GOD. If our Lord leads us to explain, that is reasonable. It helps to be mindful that those who are unrighteous in their judgments are not doing that which is acceptable to GOD. Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." There is no win if GOD is displeased.
In Hosea 1:2, GOD told Hosea "Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms..." What do you think people thought about that?
In Judges 11, Jephthah, "the son of an harlot," was "thrust out." Later those who thrust him out called upon him to be their captain. GOD thought enough of Jephthah to appoint him a judge. Judge Jephthah went on to subdue the enemy. Initially, what did people think? They thought that Jephthah was inferior because his mother was "an harlot." Eventually, what did people think? He was a "mighty man of valour" who they needed to be their captain. GOD'S thoughts always trump our thoughts.
I once heard Pastor Fred testify that a significant financial church investment opportunity came up for a vote among him and his board members. Pastor Fred stated that he received from our Lord a "no" on the investment opportunity. The board majority voted yes. Pastor shared that he didn't feel comfortable using his pastoral authority to go against the board majority so he went along with their choice. The investment was unwise and resulted in the loss of the entire financial investment. Pastor Fred said something like, "I had to get up BY MYSELF in front of the church body to tell them that we had lost that significant amount of money."
Years ago, I was the hold-out juror in a criminal case. Fellow jurors became angry at me because they were ready to leave. I believe that Mother's Day or some holiday was approaching. I refused to cave under their anger. It got "cold" in that room because of my hold-out status.
I informed the other jurors that, according to the judge's instructions, I wasn't convinced that I should change my position. Further, I said that I was prepared to remain firm in my position unless evidentiary revelations and reasonable arguments were presented by them to convince otherwise. Also, I said something like, "I plan to be here until..." The jury foreman glumly responded, "I believe you." By then, the room was in "freeze mode." I was surrounded by "polar bears." The lion in my heart kept me warm, determined, and assured. Anyway, I cannot recall precisely, but it was at least another day or two before I was convinced. What did the people think of me? My choice was not "embraced." Did I have any regrets? - Not at all.
Relative to the Little Rock Nine, in 1957, a white woman, Grace Lorch, rescued one of the Nine, Elizabeth, from an angry white mob. Grace stepped out ALONE to help that terrified black child. It was a dangerous act executed by a brave woman. I have another post forthcoming that shares more about that event in history. Did Grace wonder what people would think? Perhaps - but we know what she did - she acted courageously, regardless of what people thought. Also, Grace clearly had awareness that her actions could have further incited the crowd. Her valor froze the mob, and she and Elizabeth made it safely away from there.
In Galatians 2, we read where Peter was eating with the Gentiles until his fellow Jews arrived. Peter then withdrew and separated from the Gentiles for fear of what the Jews would think. Galatians 2:13 says, "And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him;..."
When Paul saw that they "walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel," he rebuked Peter "before them all." Paul withstood Peter "to the face." What Peter did affected others as they followed his "lead." And certainly, those unrighteous actions affected the Gentiles from whom they withdrew. What a mess - all because Peter and his "crew" were intimidated by what the Jews would think. Paul took holy authority over that nonsense. What did GOD think? "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." - Matthew 25:21.
JESUS walked on this earth in flesh form and did our Father's business. Did he unreasonably concern himself with what people thought - above the desires of our Father? No, our innocent Savior allowed Himself to be crucified so that we could be saved from our sins, and have life more abundantly. What did GOD think? "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:17.
Sandra Renee Hicks
P.O. Box 1210
Washington, DC 20013
nowgloryacts@yahoo.com
Written Monday February 21, 2011
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