"Measuring The Honesty Of Our Own Hearts" Self Examination - Spiritual Growth - Emotional Blind Spots - Going Against the Flow

 

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By Mary Lindow 

I am by far not an expert on the subject of plumblines and righteousness, so take what I say in the light of one who at time gropes like a child in the dark, ever reaching for the hand of the ONE to lead me into a safe place filled with His Hope, His Mercy, His Light and Life.

WE LIVE IN A CORRUPT WORLD and therefore, have the “effects and affects” of that corruption ever influencing, ever tainting and ever wooing the flesh. 

Plumbline: a tool that consists of a small, heavy object attached to a string or rope and that is used especially to see if something (such as a wall) is perfectly vertical or in alignment)  

A plumbline is a simple but accurate tool used for determining whether or not something is perfectly vertical or upright. 

The Lord also used, and uses, a "plumbline," His Word, to determine how upright His people truly are in His sight. How upright they think they are, or how upright they proclaim themselves to be, means nothing to God.

"Behold, I WILL set a plumbline in the midst of My people". 
-Amos 7:7 

A PLUMBLINE SET OUT BY THE HAND OF GOD IS ONE THAT WE CAN ANCHOR OUR HEARTS TO.
It will always, always, ALWAYS, direct us to the truth in a matter; even if it requires pain, loss, persecution and perhaps death in areas we feel we may well have rights to. 
It will also be a shield, a balm, a comfort and a teacher to those who will yield to the directive positioning of the Master. 

“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumbline.”

 -Isaiah 28:17 

LIFE – DISTRESS - AND PERSECUTION 
I have found that in my life, distress and persecution do not feel like God’s care being poured out on me. My heart is not immediately drawn to thanksgiving and gratefulness for the faithfulness of God on display as I cling to the battered pieces that look like potential “rafts” of hope, only to find out that many of them have gaping holes or slow leaks in them. 

Rather, it feels like yet another hurt is being permanently woven into my tattered and war-torn soul. It seems as if another mound of questions are piling up and just waiting for an answer and a true solid REAL anchor of hope. 

I CAN REALLY CONNECT TO THE WRITER OF PSALM 42 
He said “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” It’s at those very times that the words of the Savior are so important. When we are down and in turmoil. 

But, how do we connect the dots between what we know is true about God’s faithfulness and what our hearts feel? When flipped and flung around by the waves, weary from crying and when no answer seems at hand, what is the answer? 

When my circumstances show many foes and tyrants rising up against me and my heart is prone to wander and fear, what hope is there of peace? 

When my feelings start controlling my thoughts, how can I rest in God’s promises? 

AT THIS POINT… I HEAR THE “GASPS” … 
…And perhaps shocked comments of a few who are amazed that someone who appears to walk so fervently and intimately with the Lord would have such difficulties! 

Well! Guess what?
I do struggle, I do hurt, and yes I do doubt when I have been side swiped or “rammed” by skilled cons and those who, although may have the appearance of godliness and offered friendship or fellowship, end up having private and evil agendas behind their well placed and planned schemes.

And boy oh boy! Those skilled players know the wicked art of wounding the heart and causing people to reel in pain! 

BUT, THERE IS ONE WHO FULLY SEES IT ALL 
The main skill in the issue of dealing with life as a spiritual person, is to know how to handle yourself when things not only crush and grind your heart, but what to do with the anguish and toll of their aftermath. 

✅ We have to get ourselves into a place where we hear clearly again. 

✅ We need have to address ourselves, preach to ourselves, and ask questions about ourselves. 
✅ We must say to our soul: 

"Why are you cast down –Why are you so anxious and lacking in peace?" 
✅  We must urge ourselves, and say ‘Hope in God’–instead of remaining in this paralyzed, aching state!” 

AND THEN WE MUST TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER
We must go on to remind ourselves just “Who “God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has promised that he Himself said that He would do. 

Having done that we can stand up and sing out strongly, defying the torment of the soul, and resist other people’s wicked tongues and arrogance, and refuse to go along with the devil and the whole world, and say: ‘Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” 

The hope and promise of the fairness of God’s justice when dealing with the hurtful things and presumptions of others gives me the confidence to know that God will never turn away from me in my need. No matter how they seem to prosper in the short term, wicked men and women will ultimately pay for their sins, in this life or the next. Jesus died to meet my greatest hardships and sorrows for me, and I need to preach this to myself every day.
His power is greater than my weariness and suffering. 

The comforting and instruction that comes from simply running to feed upon His word instead of the toxic poison of the replaying of trauma reminds me that what Jesus has done is strong enough for my soul to rejoice in and to be set into a place where it can rest and regroup, gaining a healthy perspective about what to give out to others and what is simply…
…. To be enjoyed by the Lord Himself. 

THE NATURAL IMPULSES OF MANKIND ARE SINFUL AND DECEITFUL! 
Human willpower alone will never be able to change this. 
We need God's help to truly change our hearts. 

REMEMBER. You cannot change the heart of anyone else either. 
If you try to, you will feel the bite of stinging venom or be laughed out of a room. Only the power of the conviction of the Holy Spirit can permeate and get around the jam-packed hardhearted egos of the self sufficient and bitter. 
Jeremiah 17:9 says that the human heart is deceitful in all things and is even beyond cure!

We must be cautious and wise in reproving and warning such types of people about their bad behaviors and wicked actions where there seems to be no appearance or hope of change and where there is danger of experiencing great and heart wrecking retaliation and slander. 

These types trample the warnings and urging for repentance and humbling of the heart under their feet, and turn again and slash at you, despising the warnings that are “tearfully and fearfully” given, and often hurt the persons who give them, either by words or deeds. 

"Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. 
Don't throw your pearls to pigs! 
They will trample the pearls, 
then turn and attack you.” 
-Matthew 7:6 

 

"GIVE ME THE FACTS MA’AM JUST THE FACTS” 
I remember that phrase from a TV show called “Dragnet”. 

The detective would not allow the details of the case to be skewed by any assumptions or pontificating from those he interviewed. He stoically and firmly demanded only the facts. 

And so, here are the “facts” about the heart of a good man or woman.

1.) The good man or woman: Brings good things out of the good stored up in his/her heart. 

And the facts about an evil man or woman. 

2.) The evil man/woman brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his/her heart. For out of the overflow of his or her heart his or her mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 

 

THE FRAILTY, BRIEFNESS, AND INSECURITY OF LIFE 
The frailty, briefness, and insecurity of life should hold down the vanity and presumptuous confidence of all of our projects and boasting about future greatness and bragging rights! We are always to depend on the will and leading of God. 

OUR TIMES ARE NOT IN OUR OWN HANDS, BUT ARE INSTEAD IN THE TIMING OF GOD. Our heads may be filled with cares and plans for ourselves, or our families, or our friends; but Divine intervention often throws our plans into bewilderment. All we have in mind, and all we do, should be with a humble and deep dependence on God.

It is foolish, and it is hurtful, to boast of trendy “latest happening” things and prospective projects, and it will bring great disappointment and will prove destructive to relationships and meaningful help to others in the end. 

“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, 

a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. 

These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” 
-1 John 2:16

LISTEN KINDLY - BEFORE SPEAKING YOUR THOUGHTS 
People don't need a lecture on the meaning of suffering or to have a barrage of scriptures “machine-gunned” at them as a reprimand for sharing their moment of grief or struggle! (Especially when their hearts are breaking, weary of the battle and if they are fatigued.)

Job could have done without some of the self-righteous answers that came from his “well-meaning” friends. All of the answers could have even been true, but Job didn't need to hear any of them. 
He needed their love, not their value judgments. 

In fact, it appears as if God judged THEM for trying to offer simple solutions to things that were beyond their comprehension. 

They had never walked in the loss he was in anguish over. 

WHEN WE SUFFER UNJUSTLY WE HAVE A MAJOR CHOICE TO MAKE
How will we respond? 

We can feel sorry for ourselves (and understandably so, for a while), become bitter and cynical, get drawn into a war of words, or even become mixed up in a major conflict.

On the other hand, we can take our suffering to the cross and allow our pain to draw us into a deeper place of understanding of what Jesus went though in his sufferings. This does not remove the pain, but does help us to know what to do with our hurt. 

This is the 'fellowship of his sufferings' (Philippians 3:10), one of the gateways to closeness with God and the release of his power in our lives. The weight of heartbreak shared with a loving friend cuts it in half. 

When the burden is shared with many friends, we can cope with almost anything.

We never feel more revitalized than when a friend loves us enough to walk with us in our pain. Not lecture us. 

The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth: 
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, 

so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we 

ourselves have received from God". -1 Corinthians 1.3-4 

SOMETIMES GOD GETS INVOLVED WITH DIRECT MIRACLES, 

Giving supernatural strength to those in need. 

But for the most part, he depends on us, his people, to do his work in the world. We love each other, work for healing, and suffer with those who suffer. 

The next time you see a friend who is suffering, Jesus may just invite you to be the warm embrace! We comfort each other with the comfort we have received in Christ. And when we do, we become the Body of Christ and he receives the glory! 

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR! 
We are to bear one another's burdens. 
We are to comfort others as Christ has given comfort to us. 
Your hard time becomes my hard time. 

We join hands in the journey. 
When you succeed, I succeed. 
When you suffer, I suffer. But we do it together. We share it together. 

And we do it, not so much in our wisdom or our words, but in our availability, our understanding, and through our presence. 

THAT'S WHAT FELLOWSHIP IS ALL ABOUT! 
But not “bland” fellowship.
It is CHRISTIAN fellowship. It is the business of burden bearing.
Authentic CHRISTIAN fellowship says that when you need me . . . I'll be there.

Support in suffering is at the core 

of what it means to share life together in Christ. 

The word for "comfort” is the same root word as the name Jesus used to describe one of the functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Paraclete). “I will be a comforter, one who comes alongside to give help.” And so as God comes alongside you, now you are able to come alongside another. As the Comforter is at work within you, so you also can be of comfort to those around you. 

WE ARE CALLED TO BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS. 

To mourn with those who mourn.
To be a follower of Jesus means to come alongside people who are hurting and find ways to help them walk even through the valley of the shadow of death. We are called to do this, as the word of God and care of God is shared with the intention of stirring, plowing up hardened hearts, creating a place for repentance and challenging saints to hope again, I know and believe that as we learn again as believers, to care, to truly listen and to hope fully again, that the sweet and heavy weight of HIS Glory will be made known and will manifest in unfettered and uncontrolled waves of worship and spontaneous adoration of the King of Heaven. 

HE REALLY DOES KNOW WHAT HE WANTS
Let's focus on bowing low and seeking His heart and plans in what matters to Him.
Indeed, HE is the Plumbline. 

Prayer 
God, I ask in Jesus' name, that you comfort, strengthen and encourage all who are hurting deeply right now and are going through so much pain and heartache. 

Don't allow them to give up in the heat of the battle. 

Let them feel your arms wrapping around them and your love overflowing and filling them up. Lord, I will pray often and I know that you will hear my voice, even when I speak to You in my silent thoughts. 

To You, I am crying out and my prayers are now before You. 
Father, I give to You my problems, I do not want them. 

Father, please restore them to You. I know that you have compassion for your children. Father, show them your ways and teach them your paths. Lead them in your truth and teach them you are the God of our salvation and on you we will wait. 

Protect them from the evils of this life and guide them through all of their days. Father, thank You for hearing my prayer Father and for considering and for having compassion on all who hear and read these words, and all who hurt, in this troubled world we live in. 

Keep them in the center of Your love. 

In Jesus’ Name

~ Amen 

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~ Mary Lindow www.marylindow.com

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The Night That I Totally Blew Off the Warning of The LORD!

 

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AS AN AUDIO MESAGE

By Mary Lindow

It’s not just “my opinion” that playing close to the edge of occult involvement is a trap and a lure.

It’s my very deep conviction after having a full on and horrifying experience when we were young and first married.

Steve and I had watched a James Bond 007 show earlier that evening called "Live and Let Die", with a lot of “harmless” voodoo, (incantations and curses being put on people) and "fun" spies disturbing graves, and dark evil spirits attacking them.

While we were watching, I had a very quiet but persistent warning inside my heart to “stop watching the show”.

I blew it off saying to myself that, “I could handle it. It was just a show… harmless entertainment.”

After we had gone to bed and had fallen asleep, I was awakened by a loud crashing sound outside of our bedroom door, which was our living room. I turned my head to look in that direction and standing in the door frame was a hunched over, very tall, long haired, naked from waist up, long armed, pig snouted with a brass ring pierced through it, hairy being.

I thought I was maybe dreaming so I shook my head and rubbed my eyes to see if I was just coming out of a bad dream. Nope.

The dark being was still there.

My body was paralyzed in fear and I could not move to wake Steve.

I spoke to the hideous creature and told it to leave in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ.

It just laughed at me and began to move into the room and alongside the bed, heading towards me. I said the same words again and it laughed, saying, "YOU invited me into your home tonight! I have every right to be here!"

I immediately knew that I had rejected the warning of The Holy Spirit to not watch the show. I was crying in terror and said, “Jesus… Please forgive me for ignoring your warning! I repent and apologize for blowing you off!”

At that point, the demonic thing stopped at the foot of the bed and was very agitated. I was no longer paralyzed with fear and then spoke to it again, telling it that I was forgiven by Jesus and that in HIS NAME, the evil being had to leave our home.

It still stood there frustrated and I told it again that the power of Christ and His poured out blood on the cross for my sins cried out against this attack and that it must leave. It started to whimper and walked towards the wall and then, walked right through it, and left.

Immediately, Steve woke up and asked what was the crashing sound! I told him everything that happened. He got up and went out to the living room. On the floor was a weather station type of decoration that we had firmly screwed into our wall. It had “somehow” ripped itself off the wall, jumped 8 inches and onto our record player, (yes…. we had vinyls!) sending the needle across the worship record we played often every day.

Both Steve And I Knew At That Point 

That We Could Never Again Justify Or Blow Off 

The Warning From The Father About

Our Entertainment Choices.

 

We were called to be worshippers and to not ever allow a strongman from hell into our home.

Here Are Some Reasons The Scriptures Warn Against

Engaging In Any Form Of The Occult:

➡ We are opening ourselves up to spirits other than God’s.

➡ We are not looking to God for guidance, but to the occult.

➡ We are turning away from true faith in Jesus.

➡ We are disobeying God’s word, the Bible.

 

The Israelites often made the same mistake and turned from God, although God clearly warned them about this.

“When you enter the land The LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or who consults the dead. 


Anyone who does these things is detestable to The LORD, and because of these detestable practices The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before The LORD your God. 


The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, The LORD your God has not permitted you to do so,” Deuteronomy 18:9-14.

 Saul, Israel’s first king, started out well. He expelled mediums and spiritualists from the land, then violated God’s word and his own conscience by consulting a medium (1 Samuel 28:3-25). His end was tragic (1 Samuel 31:1-6).

 

New Testament Christians turned from sorcery. We really need to let their example serve as an inspiration and a warning.

“Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of The LORD spread widely and grew in power.” Acts 19:18-20. 

These verses are given to us as warnings.

God wants us to learn from the examples he gives in the Bible, and to avoid making the same mistakes. He loves us and wants us to turn from anything that will get between us and the safe spiritual life that he offers.

Bible verses warning about mediums and spiritualists:

“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritualists, for you will be defiled by them. I AM The LORD your God,” Leviticus 19:31.

“I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritualists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people,” Leviticus 20:6.

“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritualists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19.

 

So, these are the things these are the scriptures that the Lord has given us, the warnings are there, and also the consequences! I can tell you that ever since then, I have been fully aware of when there’s something on television or when people want to watch a movie or, there’s people beginning to talk on a New Age level of intellectualism. Or, they talk about some of the things they’re partaking in for “medical practices”, or, different kinds of exercise programs, and my first thought is, “Doesi t has to have something to do with the occult or if it has to have something to do with “freeing your mind” so that you can relax and so your body is at peace”?

These are the lures that the enemy uses to draw us into other gods, and some Christian individuals actually say, “Oh, we’re not worshiping the god, we’re just doing things with the name of the Lord on it.”

The Lord doesn’t put his name on anything occult, and he never will, because he is The Sovereign, Ultimate Strength, THE  Sovereign Ultimate King, and he is The Voice that speaks to his people.

The word talks about those that know the voice of the Lord, the sheep, they know his voice, but the voice of strangers they will not follow, SO, I encourage you that during this time in the Earth, when the occult practices are literally overwhelming schools, college campuses, exercise regimes, television, movies, videos, (the Super Bowl was packed with these for years) DO NOT ENGAGE!

Many of the performing artists that are considered “popular musicians” have sold their souls to demonic activity in order to become wealthy. This is how it works many times, you make a pact with the devil for fame fortune and greatness, but there’s always a price to pay and that is that you are captive, held captive, and many times these people can’t get out without a tremendous amount of threat against them.

I’m Now Going To Lead You In A Prayer.

I feel in my spirit that the reason I was to put this on this podcast is that there are some of you who have been saying, “I need to know if this is really bad for me or if I’m being ridiculous, and being too stringent or too rigid”. 

Let me tell you something. You can never be too rigid against Satanic involvement in your life and you can never be too stringent against saying, “is there anything that I am opening the door to in my home that can affect my children’s sleep, affect my health, affect the safety of our home,” because our homes are to be a place of peace for the presence of God, a sanctuary for God to reside on a more personal level.

The word says, “Don’t you know you’re a temple of the Holy Spirit?”  When Jesus comes into our spirit, when the spirit of God comes to dwell inside of us after we surrender and we say, “Take that part of my life and use it”, that part dictates from the inside out. But, if we let our mind get in there and say, “I can handle it! I can handle it! It’s not that big of a deal! I feel so good! It’s good entertainment.  My body feels great when I engage in meditation!” (What kind of meditation?) 

Why do you need to meditate on something that is not bringing the presence of God closer to you are you closer to the presence of God? 

Because our flesh doesn’t want to be convicted. 

Our flesh does not like the discipline of getting still, or studying the word of God, or resting in his presence, and worshiping him. Not unless we discipline it and train it, and grow in his word so we see the gratitude of how, IT is, the voice that controls and speaks to our spirit, causing us to be at peace and to war against the things of darkness.

We live in high-pressure times, and the warfare, (yes, it is warfare), It is demonic war against God‘s people, and, the number one thing is fear, anxiety, stress, worry, and then, just go ahead and escape for a little while.  Watch something on TV. The Flesh says, “Go ahead! Watch some of those movies on Netflix that have some horror scenes or a lot of heavy sex. You can handle it!

The "F word" is being used a lot, and now many other words have become commonplace. But you see the thing is, WE CAN’T, handle it! Because, it gets into our brains, it gets into our minds. It gets into our way of thinking, and it dulls our ability to hear the clear and clean pure words of the Lord.

If you don’t want to walk with Jesus, 100% and you want a lukewarm walk, then you’re going to be susceptible to demonic activity in your life, and unfortunately if you have children, you’re opening the door to them, and the Lord talks in that one scripture about not letting children pass through the fire.

 

We Are Not To Offer Our Children Up In Sacrifice 

To Demonic Activity, And Yet A Lot Of Parents 

Go Ahead And Sacrifice Their Kids To A Lot Of 

Occult Practices Because “It’s Hard To Be Different”.

 

You don’t have to have to be locking the doors, and turning the light bulbs out all the time for fear that the devil is coming to get you! But! I can tell you this! You do want to shut your door to occult practices and the doors that come through your iPads, your computers, and your television screens.

These are the places; these are the entry points that the enemy uses. Those out there preparing programming, the majority of them in the world are all geared towards doing satanic and fearful programming and if anything, they like to do “shock value” enticing types of programs to bring stimuli and fear! That’s how they get better listeners or viewers or people chatting and talking! But their goal is not to bring goodness or peace or safety. Their goal is to get you to come back and be addicted to more or “fascinated”.

 This is where that word “fascination” and “magical” comes in.  We just feel like we’re mesmerized and drawn in, and we kind of want to know how it works. We want to know how it ends! And then before you know it, your mind has been seared, your conscience has been compromised. Then enters the guilt and then the shame, and then the hiding, and guess who did that?

When Adam and Eve engaged with the snake in the garden, he trapped them and lured them, and said, “It’s not that big of a deal! You can handle it! Did God really say that to you?” But once they tasted of evil, they were forever changed. They were forever changed and lost their innocence, and forever changed mankind.

Imagine how much that sin nature is affecting us!

Thank goodness that Jesus came to wash us clean and poured out his life, and endured a horrible sacrifice for us, so that we would have a chance to have our minds cleaned. If we are introducing our children to it, imagine the torment, and the things passing down to them.

So, I encourage you now to pray with me, and if it’s not for you, If you don’t have this problem, but you’re saying, “I agree I’ve had experiences like this or I know what you’re talking about!”

If you have family members maybe you have children, if you have a spouse, if you have grandchildren that are engaging in specific kinds of occultic things, (and friends you know with a lot of the PlayStation games and different kinds of Xbox games), there’s a tremendous amount of demonic looking creatures and a lot of darkness in those games and yeah, I guess, “you can handle it”, but if you’re murdering and killing and having guns shooting and bloodlust all the time, eventually, is it a just a game? Has it become a conquering or have you become desensitized?

SO! I ENCOURAGE YOU TO RETHINK WHERE 

YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE LORD IS.

 

Do you want to hear the voice of the Lord?

Do you want to hear the Lord speaking clearly about the times about the days?

Do you want to hear him protecting you, telling you to get in the car and leave now, or “don’t go to the grocery store” or “don’t go down “that” street”? 

He WILL lead you like that and protect you!

Do you want the Lord to tell you his secrets?

Did you know that he tells them to his servants? But! He tells them to those that will spend time in his presence, seeking his voice, seeking to know him more. 

I encourage you to consider, "which tastes better". The presence of God, and hearing his voice, or a temporary high and excitement, or the thrill that wears off, and then you’re buried in guilt, or harassed by something dark?

 

I’m going to pray now  and I’m going to ask you just to pray with me or agree with me in prayer for those that you know need to be free.

Heavenly Father, we come to you and Father you say that you roam the Earth to and fro, with your eyes you are looking all over the Earth, searching for those who will serve you, searching for those who will obey you.  Lord you know all things, you see all things, and you hear all things.

You are aware of the assignments of darkness against our families, against our children, against our grandchildren, against our spouses, against our brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles.

Father, we stand before you now individually and ask you for a clean heart. We ask you to wipe the slate clean of anything that we may have engaged in.

First of all we say we’ve sinned against you because it’s the truth.  If we’ve done these things we have done them against you. We have put our eyes upon idols or things at the world calls, current and exciting and we think that we’re just fitting in, as a part of it or maybe it seems like it’s not harmless. It looks like everybody else is doing fine.

Lord, l know that you know the condition of each man’s heart, and Lord you know those that are using this as a lure, so Father, we stand before you, and we ask that you would create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us. Don’t cast us away from your presence!

Lord, we don’t want your Holy Spirit taken from us, because we choose to listen to other evil spirits are divining spirits!

Now Lord, we say to you, we ask if there’s anything in our lives, anything in the lives of our families that they are engaging in or things that we have become accustomed to, that you would show us clearly and concisely, vividly, the things that we have put our hand to that are not from you.

Lord, we repent, we apologize. We are ashamed that we would allow even the whisper of a demonic subtlety to enter into our home.

We want to be the stewards, good stewards of what you’ve given us in children, in our spouses and our grandchildren. So we ask that you would put a barrier between us and the darkness, that conviction would rise up again, that we would heed your voice, and not the voice of a stranger!

Lord your word says whether we turn to the left or turn to the right, there you are right behind as a voice saying, “This is the way, walk in it”.

Lord, forgive us for thinking that we don’t want to be different or strange in this world that we don’t want to be ridiculed. Father we are a peculiar people as you said, you made us and fashioned us to stand out in the dark world, and when we gave our lives to you, we committed that you would be Lord, Savior, King, Ruler, Master over our lives, and we apologize to you for ever touching anything that gave others mastery over us.

Father, we just come before you, and ask you to wash us clean. Wash our children, wash our grandchildren clean, wash our families clean.

Lord, we apologize and ask that now you would make the rudder of our ship turn back out to the direction where we seek you, and seek you alone. That the entertainment choices that we make in the future will be with wisdom and if there’s something on television that is dark or dirty, or evil or suggestive, we turn it off, we don’t just mute it. We turn it off. We will not let our eyes even watch, nor let our ears hear. 

Father. We thank you that you will speak loudly, “Don’t do that! Stop now!”  Just like you did to me. Father, we ask that you would speak loud and clear, because sometimes we’re dull of hearing.

Lord we submit to you, we glorify your name. We thank you, that you deliver us completely and you set us free when we’re captive to dark things.

We call upon the name of Jesus Christ who is God, who is the Son of God, the Sovereign king, and we thank you that the Holy Spirit is there to convict us of our sins. We thank you Triune being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the privilege of being called children of God.

Lord, teach us to act like children of God, in our every day lives, in Jesus most holy and powerful name against darkness.

Amen.

Mary Lindow © 2023  - “THE MESSENGER”

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THE HARSH WINDS OF LIFE - ”When We Don’t Like Difficult” - SPIRITUAL TRUTH FOR RIGHT NOW

☝

TO LISTEN AS A FREE AUDIO PODCAST

CLICK THE PICTURE 

By Mary Lindow

The words, “The Harsh Winds of Life” 

have been playing themselves over and over in my mind.

As I have pondered them and have allowed the Voice of the Holy Spirit to instruct me as to why I have been impressed with this statement, I sense the Lord addressing many deeper issues that are well anchored and maintained within our souls as believers.

 

HARSH WINDS

These blustery currents in the natural can be devastating to property, trees, and all living-breathing creatures. We have all seen what the devastation of hurricanes and tornadoes can do in a very short amount of time.

Often when listening to the traumatic stories of those who have lived through a nightmarish storm, the realities of what they hold near and dear have been laid bear and brought to the surface. Many weep over the loss of family photographs or tender things like Grandma’s old chipped china and are unconcerned about larger material items, but are deeply thankful for the safety of family members after a traumatic event. Others, are shaking fists at the sky and are enraged that they have been infringed upon during a difficult time, and want somebody else to pay for it!

 

THE HARSH WINDS OF LIFE BLOW UPON THE GODLY AND THE UNGODLY.  NO ONE IS EXEMPT.

There are some of life's storms that threaten to blow away everything we've depended on as well.

Friendships are tested, relationships are strained, and the Lord uses these harsh winds blowing against our lives to remove the crusty chaff that can form and harden around the seed of our lives.

Those who are independent in nature find a bitterness creeping into their attitudes and heart. They feel infringed upon when things are not easily controlled or maneuvered in their favor. And so, the Holy Spirit allows the winds to blow until a conviction penetrates the self centered soul, and exposes the fleshy comfort zone of, ‘My Way, My World, My Rights”!

No man has power over the wind to contain it; 

So no one has power over the day of his death. 

And no one is discharged in time of war, 

So wickedness will not release those who practice it.

Ecclesiastes 8:8

 

HOW LONG WILL THE HARSH WINDS BLOW?

As long as we practice wicked behavior in the eyes of the Lord, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot stop it! He is winnowing us, allowing us to be caught up into the refining wind of the Holy Spirit's conviction so that the chaff and waste places in our souls are removed.

And trust me my friends, anything that you may be hiding or pretending wasn’t “that bad”, that harmed someone else, well God will allow it to come to the light to be either judged or to be cleansed and yes, there may be consequences that you don’t like.

 

WE CAN’T HARM OTHER PEOPLE, OR ABUSE THEM, SEXUALLY PREY UPON THEM, SPIRITUALLY ABUSE AND DOMINATE OR SLANDER, and then pretend that it wasn’t “that big of a deal”! It’s a huge deal to God and he will continue to pursue us in order to cleanse us if we will allow him access.

(Yes you can say "ouch" right about now!)

 

CHAFF MUST BE REMOVED.  BUT WHY?

Chaff is a waste material plowed into the soil or burned.

Chaff, as a waste product from grain processing, shows us a symbolic use of the idea that refers to something seen as worthless.

Now, this is where we read, "to separate the wheat from the chaff" from

Matthew 3. It means to separate things of value from things of no value.

Another example is in Psalm 1 which says: "Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away".

 

WE CHRISTIANS OFTEN PRESUME THAT BECAUSE WE ARE REDEEMED THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE OF CHRIST FOR OUR LIVES, THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AN EASIER AND MORE PRIVILEGED LIFE.

This is simply not so!

We are given a shield and a holy stamina to withstand the wiles of this world, but no free passes to a life of ease.

 

THE LORD LOVES ALL OF MANKIND.

He longs for ALL of mankind, (that includes you and I) to come to a place of trust in His way, not “our way”. Fully stripped of self-will, self-gratification, self- justification, and self-focus.

Matthew 5:45 says~

 “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,

And sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

 

I KNOW! I KNOW! THIS STINGS!

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. James 3:14

 

About now, I can hear a few righteous folks saying, "I would never boast about envy! "

Well! Selfish ambition is well hidden in our personal behaviors.

We offer gifts or opportunities for others to be blessed or helped as long as we are feeling in control and benevolent at the time of the offer or good intention.

But when the winds of life shift and the Lord allows the chaff of "waste materials" in our soul to be Tornadoed —bitterness and exclusive rights abound! Huffiness, abrupt harshness and passive aggression (which means getting even) will manifest and expose the soul's clinging nature, which does not want the hand of God striping away any safety veneer that we use to protect our approach to life.

 

A CHANGE IN THE SPIRITUAL CLIMATE HAS OCCURRED!

John 6:18 says, “A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.”

Jesus allowed the wind to be a teaching point for his disciples. They had walked with Him, talked with Him and served alongside Him. But trusting Him when the Storms and Harsh winds blew revealed a weakness that we all must look at, and often.

We trust the Lord when things are going our way, but when the Harshness of a storm blows us off the course that we set, many times we run to our own devices or “Plan B”.

 

SO MANY AT THIS TIME IN THIS DIFFICULT AGE ARE SCREAMING,

“Lord! Don’t you care about me? The winds are blowing, and I am fearful for my life! If you Love me, why are you allowing this horrid event to occur?”

Even Peter in his zeal to get out of the boat and see if it was indeed Jesus calling to him to come, once he was out of the safety of his own control and the winds blew against him, he focused on the wind, and not upon Jesus, who was there the whole time. Peter cries out, "LORD I am perishing! SAVE ME!”

 

CONTROL IS A DEEP, DEEP NEED.

Perhaps THE deepest need people have, is for control.

When we feel out of control, we experience a powerful and uncomfortable tension between the need for control and the evidence of “inadequate control”.

Without the Presence of God in our lives, we will attempt to control everything, every event, and every person around us in order to attain the sense of order and “identity power” that we crave.

 

DRAWING NEAR TO GOD

It was James, the brother of Jesus, who wrote to the believers in Jerusalem, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double- minded people!" (James 4:8).

If we draw near to God, he will respond and draw near to us.

Drawing near to God is spending time with Him, worshiping Him, praying and talking to Him, inviting Him into every aspect of our lives.

EVERY.  PART.  OF.  OUR.  LIFE.

 

BRING YOUR HEART UNDER HIS LORDSHIP

James gives us the blueprint for drawing near or “right up close” to the Lord. 

If you've committed sin, confess it, get rid of it.

Next, ask the Lord to examine your heart, your motives, and the things that make you do what you do.

 

Bring your heart under His Lordship as well.

May our actions be manifestations of a clean heart and conscience.

Allow HIM to remove the Chaff, the wasted time controlling things, and TRUST Him to align your life.

Notice that when he writes about this he says,

"Purify your hearts, double-minded people."

 

WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY "DOUBLE-MINDED"?

Well, a person who is double-minded is drawn in two completely different directions. And so he or she will get nowhere fast because loyalty is divided.

They will vacillate between faith and unbelief.

And, a double-minded person is unstable in all his/her ways and his/her spiritual walk is inconsistent because he/she tries to serve God and his/her own interests, and gamble their life against the Harsh Winds.

We've all learned that this kind of living never works. 

 

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS.

Friends again I say this under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the master that you serve whether it be hiding something that is a secret sin or offense to The Lord, or things that you are aware of that have dishonored others, they will be brought into the light one way or the other.

If you think you can hide it, if you think you can gloss it over, God will eventually bring it into the light and have you exposed for deception.

Or, you choose to get the help you need and you can humble yourself! Yes, there may be consequences you don’t like, because of your actions and choices. But repentance and accountability will save your soul. It may not save your marriage, it may not save your ministry, and it may not save your job or your relationships. But it will save your soul, because humility enters, and God can re-create what has been destroyed and damaged.

 

GOD DOESN'T PLAY GAMES!

No one is going to get very far with God by playing spiritual games.

It will soon be discovered that the only people playing the game with you will be you, yourself, and again, YOU.  It's just like people thinking that they can "ride the fence" into the kingdom.

There is no riding the fence; there is no lukewarm support group.

You’re either in or out.

If we really want to know Him, we are going to have to get serious about our relationship with Him.

 

WE DON’T WANT DIFFICULT! 

I will tell you right now, that even as I write and speak these words, I can feel the resistance to pruning and more change in my gut!  

Are you in a pruning, shocking, "getting trimmed back" difficult season right now? 

Most everyone is! 

Feeling like your wings have been clipped?

Are you seeing a pattern of lethargy and a dullness of joy maybe in your daily life? 

Don’t waste those struggles friends! Know that God is very... VERY... intentional. And, He has a good plan for all of it. 

Every challenge is an opportunity to practice walking one day at a time, with really clear thinking and gratitude, and He is right there, inside you, to help you.

 

LIKE I SAID BEFORE! WE DON’T WANT DIFFICULT! 

But my oh my, I do want to be like Him!

So I’m in surrender-mode now, friends. 

I’m saying, “Cut away, Lord. Go deep.” 

WHY? Because I want ALL that He has for me. 

I want the fruit. 

I want all that abundance, and I know it’s waiting for me when this weird and awkward season changes.

 

THERE IS ANOTHER PHENOMENON I FIND THAT HAPPENS DURING THE PROCESS, WHEN THE HARSH WINDS OF LIFE ARE BEARING DOWN.

And, one that I find that is unhealthy to ignore.

The enemy of our soul is observing and is feverishly “taking notes” about this difficult process, and I believe he finds it quite enjoyable; he laughs and ridicules and flings missiles of insults that shout that, "only a loser needs this kind of difficult adjustment ”. 

This of course, is a lie but, one which we can tend to believed on a bad day! Listening to the wrong voice can tempt us to believe the blowing away of chaff in our lives is punishment, and comes from God being mad at us. 

It can cause us to pull back from deeper fellowship or social engagements (social distancing tools too, like Face Time, ZOOM, integral) these paralyze honesty, transparency and humility.

It can lead to self-hatred, self-protection, denial about how we hurt others with half-truths, and so on!

 

I AM TRULY BECOMING MORE AWARE IN MY SPIRIT THAT GOD CAN ONLY USE ME—OR “BEST USE ME”, THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIP OF HIS POWER AND MY WEAKNESS. 

 

A wise and well-tested man by the name of Alan Hood must have had a few pruning clippers dig into his life at time or two and learned this lesson. He stated, 

“To Be Pruned Is To Lose The Resources, Whether Monies or Physical Strengths Upon Which Everyone Around You Measures You As Successful.”

LET’S READ THAT AGAIN…     

…S  L  O  W  L  Y ! 

“To Be Pruned Is To Lose The Resources, Whether Monies or Physical Strengths Upon Which Everyone Around You Measures You As Successful.”

 

TRYING TO USE OLD THINGS WHEN GOD IS TRYING TO GIVE US NEW THINGS IS REALLY SUCH FOOLISHNESS! 

Psalm 85 talks about Restoration, Re-tooling and Revival.

Verse 8 says, 

“I will listen to what God the Lord says;

He promises peace to his people, His saints

—but let them not return to folly.”

 

I’M TRUSTING THE LORD’S GOOD AND GRACIOUS HAND IN THE PROCESS THAT THE WORLD IS EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW. 

I know God does not intend to leave even a healthy fruit-bearing branch how it is, but He is always after a more abundant harvest for His people.

I don’t get it, I don’t like or want difficult! 

But I also don’t want a puny little sick looking basket of bitter, green, unusable fruit out of life! 

He will “give the increase” when I reach the end of this seeming devastation of stymied ideas and “put on hold” plans, and let me tell you something crazy, I feel it coming!  The increase!

I’m learning to WALK in harmony, in tune with the truth that, “He is dwelling like healthy sap, in me, and will keep sin and despair from having dominion over my life”. (Romans 6:14) YOUR LIFE TOO! 

 

A MOMENT IN HIS ANGER - A LIFETIME IN HIS FAVOR.

God disciplines for a moment when He wishes to get our attention and our lives may indeed become painful for a period, but then comes His favor.

God doesn't delight in either our depression or our damage. 

And, when He begins to deal with the chaff in our lives, it is for our advantage, that we may be conformed to His likeness and reflect His holiness.

When we sense God’s disapproval, when it appears He has withdrawn from us, it is only so that we see our utter need of Him.

 

WHEN LIFE SEEMS TO BE SO SOUR, WHEN EVERYTHING CRUMBLES, then we must remember what we “say we believe”, that God’s favor is with us, because of Christ’s worthiness given to us, because we are adopted and are His - which means, that His favor always wins out over His disapproval.

 

THIS PICTURE IS PAINTED WELL BY THE WORDS "WEEPING REMAINS FOR A NIGHT." 

Weeping and sorrow are pictured as a traveler who comes to stay for a night. The pain and sorrow we feel may seem as though it has moved in with us like an unwelcome guest, who decides to stay for a very long time.

 

REJOICING THOUGH, COMES IN THE MORNING.

Your “mourning”, will dissipate in the morning”.

Your winter, will melt into summer.

God will replace your sighing, with singing.

Grief, will give way to gladness.

What was once bitter, will be made sweet.

And, what was once a desolate wilderness, will be transformed into a paradise.

 

LIKE THE FIRST RAYS OF THE SUNRISE WHICH DISPEL THE HARSH WINDS AND GLOOM OF NIGHT, GOD GIVES US JOY WHEN THE DARKNESS OF OUR PROBLEMS SEEM AS THOUGH THEY’LL NEVER LEAVE.

 

YOUR CROSS IS HIS GLORY

What is so crucial to understand is that as a Christian, your life will be filled with times of weakness and strength, with want and wealth, with disgrace and honor, with crosses and comforts, miseries and mercies, joys and sorrows, delight and mourning.

As this cycle of separating “Chaff” from our lives reoccurs many times in our lives, and it moves us from the cross to glory.

For your own health and so that you find all your satisfaction in Christ alone, God will send you times of great growth and other times of emptiness.

When the harsh winds blow, know that God desires that you find your hope and comfort by His own fire.

When the balmy breezes come, give Him praise and thanksgiving for the warmth He provides.

Psalm 57:1 says,

"Have mercy on me, O God,

Have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”

(PROPHETIC EXHORTATION AND WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE NOT INCLUDED IN WRITTEN MESSAGE CONTINUE IN THE AUDIO MESSAGE FORMAT BEGINING AT AUDIO PLAYER TIME MARKER 21:38)

 

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed 
provided that complete message, 

podcast link and website information for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You!


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www.marylindow.com

https://marylindow.podbean.com

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