The Friends of Job

"My child, many are confusing you and filling you with doubt:

When you are weak, they say it as a sign of sin;
when you are poor, they say you are cursed;
when you are sick, they say you are in rebellion;
when you are unconvinced, they say it is your pride.

Many who claim to know Me and My ways
have become the same as the friends of Job.
I called them to sympathy and to carry your burdens,
but they have put burdens on top of you instead.

I am not speaking through their condemnation.
Do not be discouraged by their wise-sounding words,
for they know nothing if they have not love;
their wisdom is Jezebel's, not Mine.

I am with you, My child."

*****

Art: "Problem-Solving"
See also: "Jezebel's Secrets"

Depending On Darkness

"I am He who sees the truth of all things,
and I am He who reveals that which was hidden.
I do not need any support from the shadows!
Who can add to My righteousness?
Who can fix what I have made perfect?

"Many of My shepherds are afraid of following Me
without using old covenant laws;
they are afraid My words will not be
sufficient to sustain My church.
They have chosen spiritual insufficiency
by considering the new covenant to be insufficient.
They have chosen to depend on shadows
and darkness to sustain their light,
keeping My children in the dark
for the sake of 'the church' and their ministry.

"Woe to those who depend on old covenant shadows
and keep hidden the abuse of My children!
I will allow darkness to overtake them
and the houses they have built with darkness.
When they fall because the darkness has overtaken them,
they will see no path beneath their feet,
for their trust was not in light but in darkness—
for you cannot choose both darkness and light.

"Come into the light, My shepherds!
Let go of the shadows of the old covenant!
I will show you the surpassing
glory of the new covenant."

*****

Art & article: "Not Included!"

Slavery ("For Your Own Good")

"Many of the pastors, teachers and prophets among My people
are leading My people into prostitution:
They are teaching My people that they must do
the works of the old covenant to please Me
so that I will give them a blessed life.
Many of these leaders know I do not require obedience
to the regulations of the old covenant.
Yet they continue to teach My people the ways of slavery
in order to keep their own place and position.
They put My people in slavery and say it is for their own profit.

"And so many of My people don't know how much I love them!
Many are trying to earn enough 'currency' with Me
to attain what they are taught is 'a blessed life'.
Their teachers have them look for satisfaction
in the ways and means of the world.

"How much longer will I endure this?"

"I Hear Cries!"

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt.
I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers,
and I am concerned about their suffering."
(Exodus 3:7)

"Where are You, Lord?
We go to church every week...
We tithe our money and give many offerings...
We submit to our leaders and stay under their 'covering'...
We learn their principles and study their teachings...
We travel long distances to attend conferences and receive 'anointings'...
We go forward for altar calls...
We stand in line for healing, prophecy and deliverance...
We pray for Israel...
We follow the Hebrew calendar...

"Why are we still unhealed, Lord?
Why are we still struggling financially?
Why do we feel so far away from You?"

Therefore the Lord says:

"I have heard the cries of My abused children,
and I will deliver them.
I will send prophets to declare the testimony of Jesus alone
—the everlasting gospel of My grace—
which has been corrupted by false prophets and shepherds
who care only for themselves instead of for My people.
I will overturn the tables of the money-changers,
and I will lead My people to springs of living water."

*****

Art: "Rescue Us!"

Earning God's Favor

"I have given you My all on the Cross—every blessing, every favor, and every assurance that you need! I have made you fully pleasing in My sight by giving My Son to die in your place.

"But you have been led astray from your simple faith by a spirit of prostitution: You have been taught to seek and earn favor—through following 'anointed' leaders, being under their 'covering', receiving 'prophecies', attending conferences, 'sowing' into ministries, giving tithes, celebrating Hebrew festivals and 'blessing Israel'—and you have been told that if you did not, you would be 'under curses'.

"Leave your slavery, My people! Many of your leaders have been acting as pimps, telling you to go here and there, give your money and your heart to this and that. But I am not like them: I love and bless you freely, and ask nothing more than that you give the same grace to your neighbor."

Protected from Growing

"My people are studying and studying as hard as they can to earn My approval and become closer to Me, but they still feel outside. My people are told the words of My grace, but by actions they are taught to approach Me as though they were under Law. My people are not taught that I am strong enough to teach them, to help them grow and protect them from falling. And behold, the stronghold is armored and fortified by teachers and elders, and is embraced by My people as well!

"Woe! Woe! Woe to the stronghold protecting My people from hearing My voice! Woe to those who keep the growth of My children stunted by their teaching! Woe to those who profess My grace but practice the Law! Woe to houses that wear My Cross as an adornment but make their people climb steps to reach Me! Woe, for I am burning with jealousy for My beloved children! Woe, for I will unleash My zeal for them! Woe to anything standing between Me and My children!"

Graven Images

"To Charismatic teachers, leaders and prophets:

"Why are My people chasing shadows? Why are they going to and fro to leaders and conferences seeking anointings as if they were relics? Why are they taught to speak in difficult words and terms that no one can understand outside of your group? You speak of anointings, revelations, levels, manifestations of glory, 'release' and many more things which are like Latin—a dead language to the people outside your walls. You are building ministries, websites, libraries of books and 'words' like giant cathedrals—impressive in structure but doomed to perish with the things of this world. You have established a hierarchy of authority to keep believers in submission to you and paying indulgences in tithes. You declare believers to be in rebellion when they disagree with your teaching. You claim to be led by My Spirit and to speak My word, but you are leading My people to the shadows of the dark ages. And My children who know no better are desperately trying to catch up to you, to the image of Me that you have set before them. You are not teaching them to seek Me for themselves but to be dependent on you and your teaching. You are confusing My people; you are building Babylon.

"But I will save My children. I will call out My people from among you."

*****

See also: "Images/Shadows" (art link)

Unburdening

"To the Church (and not yet to the world):

"I will take away many things (*) that have been a burden to you, though many of you have believed these were part of My Word. Because of their loss many of you will take offense, and some of you will try to rebuild them. Many will spend their spirits on returning to their lost earthly glory.

"Do not set your hopes on protecting accomplishments (**) or you will lose sight of Me and wander from My heart. I am all you need.

"Do not cling to self-pity and believe you have been wronged solely because you are righteous and others are wicked. For you must not stand for any righteousness other than Christ's.

"I am lifting a yoke off of your shoulders, and you will be more free because of it."
_______

(*) - For example, church buildings, physical comforts, freedoms, financial prosperity, supports like "tithe", political power, church hierarchies, etc.

(**) - Things that Christianity/Christians have "accomplished" or "gained" throughout the years personally or socially, in society, in government, in legislation, legally, in nations, nationally, internationally, etc.

*****

Art: "The Sauna of Your Presence"

Not Included!

By Ramone Romero


Please click to read the writing on the batteries

Recently as I was taking a bath, God began speaking to me about the "power source" of most churches not being included in the New Covenant. We know that the gospel speaks of the freedom of the Spirit and about giving love freely. However we wonder how in the world this good news will be "financed", and have felt like it was a sort of "batteries not included" situation. The way that the church did it in the book of Acts doesn't seem secure enough or safe enough for us. So we've reached back to the Old Covenant to find the "tithe" batteries so that we can power our churches and keep them running.

For a Spirit-led study on the subject of "tithing" in Christianity, please read my spiritual mum's booklet at this blog: Transformed By Truth

When I showed this picture to Hazel, she had this to say:

While looking at your picture right now I'm getting that many church leaders see the tithe as their life insurance policy that everyone in the church must get plugged into, just in case depending on the promises of God in the new covenant gospel doesn't pan out materially speaking... Without the "tithe power" church leaders are afraid that they will cease to function as a church. They're afraid they will have to close the doors, and that their material livelihoods, and their lavish lifestyles will be at stake...

The "sheep" are the "tithe power" that pay for the shepherds lavish lifestyles, and keep the church life going. Those "batteries" are constantly needing to be replaced and recharged... so low in some churches that they can no longer function as they did before and are having to close down shop and lay-off workers.

Since many church leaders can no longer hear God's voice in these matters, they use their own voice (as the voice of God) to spiritually abuse the sheep that are under their care, fleecing them, even sacrificing some for their own selfish means. Many have not been a shepherd to the sheep under their care, but have behaved more like a ravenous wolf, devouring the weak sheep so that they can no longer walk, but have to be carried.

The sheep are being made weak by not being taught how to discern God's heart for themselves through the power of the Spirit, but are always having to depend upon someone else (a leader or anointed person) telling them what to do, and what to think, and how much to give. Pretty much like our government's welfare system. It's a "Big Brother will take care of you if you do what I say" kind of thing, instead of teaching people to rely on God's Word for themselves, and letting them know that they can each hear God's voice for themselves and don't need to come to another "anointed" leader to be told what to do in these matters.

In fact, it's God’s heart that many churches do close their doors because they are a great hindrance to the work of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not plugged into God's power source, the Holy Spirit of Truth, but are relying on themselves for power. Man's power supply quickly runs low, but God's doesn't. Moreover, since the church building isn't the church, but believers in the body of Christ are, God is preparing the hearts of more and more believers to start more and more house churches. I believe that these little "islands of power" will replace more and more of the organized churches that have become dead wood, because they have fallen away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

I believe that even the bad economy is working to God's advantage to achieve His ultimate purposes in releasing His children from spiritual bondage to man-made doctrines and traditions in many churches. Although much has been hidden up until now, God is bringing everything out into the light... everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Only our sure foundation, Jesus Christ, will remain. As long as we are found in Him, and plugged into Him through His Spirit, we will remain also.

I was surprised to read Hazel's reply because the "dead wood" thing she said explains why I was impressed to make the church building wooden!

The "storm" with lightning striking is God's discipline coming to "knock out" the ungodly power source. His storm is not meant to hit us, but rather our dependence on flesh and the old covenant.

But, the more we try to 'protect' this power source, the more we ourselves risk getting struck by lightning! He wants to knock out the false power source, not us, and replace it with Him Himself—the Holy Spirit of freedom and life! He's calling us to willingly repent and so detach ourselves from flesh, old covenant and feeding off the lives of our spiritual children, otherwise He will have to "strike us" (or flatten us) in order to fix things.

I need to pray:

Lord, You know all things and You know our hearts. Often we know we're stretching things when we try to find "tithe" in the New Covenant. But then we go further in to convince ourselves, and we want the congregation to be convinced, too. God, so often we've quieted that little voice in our heads that said, "Hey, this doesn't quite fit the context"... and that little voice was You, Lord.

Forgive us, Father, in Jesus' name. Forgive us for trying to extract support from the sheep when You meant them to give willingly. Forgive us also because when we have reached back to the Law for the support of its tithe command, we cut out "the poor" that You meant to benefit from tithing in ancient Israel, and we said tithe was meant to support our church institution instead of being given to the needy (ancient Israel was commanded to give a significant portion of it directly to the needy).

Forgive us, Father, because when we preach to people about "giving", it only rarely if ever means "giving to the needy". The whole topic of "giving" in church is reserved almost exclusively for giving "to the church"—to the building, pastors, leaders and ministry projects.

Lord, please enable Your children to see the truth and to take the daring leap of faith to allow Your people to provide for leaders and ministries freely without being under compulsion. Teach us the greater blessings in store for us when we live by the Spirit alone instead of by the letter of the Old Covenant Law. Please open our eyes and convict us, Holy Spirit, and please do so before it becomes time for You to discipline us, in Jesus' name, amen.

*****

See also: "Depending On Darkness"