Mary Lindow ~ The Messenger Podcast
maturity in Christ
Episodes
Friday Dec 30, 2022
Friday Dec 30, 2022
By Mary Lindow
Today’s podcast is one that I am going to share with you about “another wonderful story” of how the Holy Spirit can prompt us to do things for others at the most uncanny times, and as if they were perfectly orchestrated years and years beforehand.
And, of course, the Lord knows the heart desire of every one of his children, but he often uses his own children to help bring about the heart’s desire for many other people by being obedient and acting when the Holy Spirit in first Corinthians says, “Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves.” 1 Corinthians 6:19
IT WAS NEAR CHRISTMAS TIME, and a local Women’s Aglow group, which happened to be a good sized chapter, was having a Christmas ladies luncheon and asked if I would come in and be their keynote speaker. The room was decorated beautifully and of course the tables were festive for the holiday!
As I was sitting at the table next to the team members and the president of the group, there was a conversation about the beautiful table settings. I was just listening and enjoying hearing them talk about how they went about getting everything ready, and why they wanted to make it so nice for so many other women that were coming, because many of them worked full-time jobs and didn’t get a chance to come and partake of beautiful things during the holidays because they were also busy mothers.
ONE OF THE LADIES BY THE NAME OF BILLY WAS SHARING WITH EVERYONE THAT SHE HAD JUST GONE SHOPPING WITH HER DAUGHTER A FEW WEEKS AGO, and they had picked out Wedding China for her daughter and her husband, because her daughter was going to be married in the spring. She went on to say that she never did get to have Wedding China as a young bride and wanted her daughter to have a beautiful experience and opportunity to have a beautiful table.
I THOUGHT, "WHAT A WONDERFUL THING THIS WAS THAT THIS WOMAN WAS GETTING CHINA FOR HER DAUGHTER, AND THAT SHE HAD NEVER HAD WEDDING CHINA HERSELF." She went on to mention that she had picked out a special pattern herself as a young bride, but that it was just not possible for her family and friends to give wedding china at that point, because it was a very frugal wedding, and other wedding gifts were more important.
I sat there and wondered about how wonderful it was for her as a mother, to be so concerned that her daughter would have a beautiful table to set with beautiful things, when she herself had never had any. Now, it was time for me to get up and share my Christmas message so I did, and afterwards told her how beautiful her story was to me about her daughter, and proceeded to go home for the day.
On my way home, I began to remember that I have been given an entire set a Fine China from a dear friend, whom I had come to know while I was in Bible College.
NOW, THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING!
This dear, godly, lovely man would take on students to help with jobs or different kinds of projects in his home or, other derelict properties that he would buy, and train them and also pay them so they could pay for their Bible college fees. He had been in the military with a high clearance type of job, and although he had wanted to marry, he knew that he would never be able to be home enough to justify caring for a bride. At 63 he began to take students into his home for meals and storytelling, and developing them for skill sets. He had been a trainer for all kinds of business components of the military.
WHEN I MET HIM WHEN IMMEDIATELY HAD A BOND because he was also a gifted musician, and had a love for Fine art and Fine China. He would go to the thrift stores or take me along and different places where very wealthy Texans would drop off Crystal and China and dishes and silver that they were no longer using. So he was forever scouting out Havilland china pieces or different kinds of China to add to his collection. I went on to meet my husband and marry him later and we moved to Illinois. (That’s where my husbands from.)
THIS LOVELY MAN BY THE NAME OF ALAN would occasionally sent boxes of pieces of things that he would find to add to a side of China for me, and I did have wedding China of my own. At one time we had three full sets of Fine China and I wasn’t sure what to do with all of it! Then came two boxes that he had found of a 1950s china pattern that he thought was exquisite! I had opened the boxes and noticed there were eight place settings, eight cups and saucers, eight salad plates, eight serving plates, and also a creamer and sugar set as well as a large serving bowl.
SOMEHOW, I NEVER FELT LIKE THESE WERE TO BELONG TO ME, and I really didn’t have storage for them. So, I put them away in a cupboard thinking that someday if we moved and I had a China hutch for them, I would use them as spring dishes. They had a platinum rim, they were white and off to the right side there was a spray of flowers that had a lot of teal and a little bit of touch of pink and a hint of orange, and of course soft green.
STEVE AND I WERE THEN CALLED TO GO HELP PIONEER A CHURCH IN MISSOURI, so we packed everything up and moved those dishes and everything else to Missouri. And understand these dishes have been shipped from Dallas Texas to Illinois. Now they were taking a trip to Missouri!
ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER STEVE AND I DECIDED THAT WE WERE GOING TO MOVE BACK TO DENVER, COLORADO BECAUSE THE LORD HAD PROMPTED US TO DO SO. So once again, we packed everything up and moved to Denver. There I was in Denver speaking at a Women’s Aglow Christmas banquet luncheon and I hear this woman-discussing find China for her daughter.
NOW! BACK TO ME ON MY WAY HOME.
The thought came to me, (prompted by the Holy Spirit) “Why don’t you give that set of China to Billy? What a wonderful Christmas gift it would be to gift to her, and she would have a lovely set of China for her own home.”
I was absolutely thrilled to think that this would belong to someone else, and that the Lord would want me to give it to them. But I wasn’t sure if it was a pattern she would want or not.
BUT THE PERSISTENT NUDGING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT…
… WOULD NOT GO AWAY!
I went into our basement storage area and found the two boxes and everything was still pristine and in great condition. I wrote a quick card, and told her that I felt like the Lord wanted me to give these to her after listening to her conversation about buying China for her daughter and then that I just wanted to bless her with it so she would have a beautiful table at Christmas time. I did get a hold of her telephone number and called and told her that I was having my husband and two little boys run some boxes by, just a little something for her. Would she be home? She said of course she would and she said she was “quite intrigued”.
I BUNDLED UP THE BOXES AND HELPED MY HUSBAND GET THE TWO LITTLE BOYS INTO THE CAR AND OFF THEY WENT TO DO THE DELIVERY. I was downstairs folding laundry, and just thinking about how much I hoped it blessed her, and that she would be tickled that the lord thought of her.
NOW COMES THE MOST EXCITING PART!
The phone starts ringing and I went upstairs and I missed it. (This is back when Cell Phones were way too expensive for everyone and we still had a landline with a long cord!)
Then the phone started ringing again, so I quickly answered the phone, and on the other end, there was the sound of someone gasping and crying! Now Being a pastor's wife, we often received calls from people who were in distress or who were needing prayer, so, I began to saying, “Hello? Who’s there? Can I help you?” Finally, the person on the end of the line was able to clear their throat and gather their emotions, and it was Billy the lady who Steve had dropped the China off to.
SHE BEGAN SAYING, “OH MARY! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!” And of course I didn’t, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but I could tell that she was overcome! She then began to tell me that when the boxes arrived, she was tickled to think that someone thought of her, and my husband said my wife wanted to give these to you and wish you a Merry Christmas. But, when she closed the door and went to open the packages, she reached in and pulled out one of the dinner plates that was in a slotted cardboard area. The China pattern was the EXACT China pattern that she had wanted as a young bride, but never had. It had the platinum rim that she had desired to have on her pattern! And there were eight place settings, just enough for her Christmas table and her family that was coming to feast. Also, she was able to set a beautiful place setting and table, for the Mother of the Groom, who was going to come and visit.
THIS WOMAN WAS WEEPING AND LAUGHING, AND COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THE LORD WOULD HAVE HELD ONTO THIS CHINA FOR HER ALL THESE YEARS. I told her that they have been given to me and shipped from Dallas to Illinois to Missouri to Denver. Imagine! The Lord had shipped those dishes, and had me move them “strategically”, until they got into the hands of the woman that he had planned to bless them with!
MY FRIENDS, GOD KNOWS THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS even down to the simple things like Fine China, and he knows that soft and beautiful things, in specific times of our life are so necessary, to show us how lavish and beautiful his care and love for us is.
THE STORY GOES ON BECAUSE MANY OF HER FRIENDS THEN BEGAN TO HEAR THE STORY ABOUT “THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE CHINA”, and they began to give her serving pieces that matched, or Silver pieces or Crystal, and one friend even gave her a set of family silverware to accompany her beautiful table. Everyone wanted to get in on the beautiful moment!
WHEN STEVE CAME HOME, WE JUST PUT OUR ARMS AROUND EACH OTHER AND LAUGHED AND CRIED at the joy of knowing the Lord had those dishes, literally moved and sent on his behalf, to this darling woman.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO NEVER, EVER, MINIMIZE THE FACT, THE HOLY SPIRIT ASKS YOU TO DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
It could be something as simple as giving them a beautiful scarf that you are no longer wearing, or perhaps you have tools in your garage that you’re not using.
IT’S IN THE ACT OF GIVING
THAT THE PRESENCE OF GOD COMES DOWN
AND TRANSFORMS WHAT WE ARE GIVING, INTO HOPE.
GIVING IS NOT THE NATURE OF THE DARK WORLD! Taking and grasping and hoarding is from the dark part of the world. But we as believers are to give freely because we have freely received everything we could ever need to save us from the doom and darkness of this world.
When Christ himself came and gave his life as a lamb, as a child, he gave his life to us in the form of an infant so that when his day to die up on the cross came; he could truly say that he experienced life like we have, from cradle to grave.
AS WE ALL BEGIN TO DE-CLUTTER AND PUT AWAY CHRISTMAS ITEMS, I would encourage you to look at through the lens of what you have, and ask the Lord, “Is this something that I need to be sharing with someone else?”
Is there another set of silverware in your house that you are not using that another family might need?
Do you have several pairs of sports tennis shoes that you purchased and realized you don’t like them and they’re practically brand new?
FIND A FAMILY, FIND SOMEONE WHO NEEDS THEM.
And yes, you have to look for them sometimes, but the Lord will direct your path because you are led by the Holy Spirit and you belong to Him, and the Holy Spirit wastes NOTHING!
WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHERE THE BODY OF CHRIST
IS BEING CHAMPIONED AND CHALLENGED TO LEARN
HOW TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER AND MEET ONE ANOTHER’S NEEDS SO THAT NONE ARE LACKING.
There’s no place in the Bible that talks about hoarding or keeping everything to us. None whatsoever. But it does talk about sharing and at times, “sacrificial giving to others” so that they may know the love of Christ.
I encourage you to go through your canned goods to look at your bedding, sheets, extra coats, and by all means that dozens of Bibles that we all have sitting on our shelves in abundance! There are those who would give anything to have a new Bible or perhaps a warmer winter coat.
WE CANNOT LOOK DOWN ON THOSE WHO ARE SLIGHTLY IMPOVERISHED OR IMPOVERISHED,
BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING "MORE GODLY" ABOUT BEING WEALTHY, THAN THERE IS ABOUT BEING POOR.
GOD JUDGES THE INTENTION OF OUR HEARTS,
NOT THE ABUNDANCE OF OUR WALLETS.
THERE ARE THINGS AROUND YOU THAT THE LORD HAS PLACED WITHIN YOUR REACH and maybe even you have moved from state to state or move from one house to another that you could easily ask him about and ask him to prompt you to show you who is this to go to.
You may be sitting in a restaurant and hear someone talking about something they need and you may be prompted by the Holy Spirit that you are the one that has it.
It takes simple listening.
It just takes simple listening!
It doesn’t take a Herculean effort.
But love acts!
ONCE WE SECOND-GUESS OURSELVES and never stop and buy that cup of coffee for the person in front of us that seems downtrodden. Or, we wonder if that $20 towards someone’s grocery bill in front of us makes any difference, then we miss out on the blessing. But you see it’s not for us to question the amount or the moment! It’s for us to act in loving grace and humility and kindness, and in that moment change the world!
HEAVEN COMES DOWN AND MEETS THE NEED AND KISSES SOMEONE’S HEART WITH HOPE, AND HE USES US TO DO IT.
I wish you all a beautiful week as you prepare for this up-and-coming year.
My message after the first of the year is going to talk about “Peace in the midst of chaos” because the world is becoming more chaotic, and unfortunately the world is covered with a gross darkness right now.
Believers need to be strengthened encouraged not to quit, not to hide, and certainly not to hoard!
I BLESS YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS AND I PRAY NOW THAT HE WILL TOUCH YOU AND GUIDE YOU AND SHOW YOU WHAT TO DO WITH THE THINGS THAT YOU DO HAVE, THAT YOU CAN GIVE FREELY. And, perhaps there are things that you are feeling a tug at your heart that you need to give but they’re going to cause a little pain to give away. That’s OK! The Lord does love, sacrificial, giving, and above all, he loves a joyful giver!
THERE IS NOTHING MORE JOYFUL THAN TO SEE THE ABSOLUTE SURPRISE AND DELIGHT ON THE FACE OF SOMEONE THAT YOU HAVE BLESSED IN KINDNESS, AND WITHOUT FANFARE.
Have a beautiful and Happy New Year, but above all, pray that the Lord would show you what he has to say to you in 2023 specifically for your life and what kind of assignments he has for you.
THE CHURCH IS BEING CALLED UP TO BE THE FULL ARMORED BODY OF CHRIST, AND MY FRIENDS THAT MEANS YOU AND I.
Goodbye for now please go to my website at www.marylindow.com where you can listen to this podcast directly there or you can read and listen to other things that I have posted there and a few videos.
I say thank you to all of you who have been so gracious to send beautiful Christmas cards and little notes in the mail and also emails with encouraging words, sharing what these podcasts and stories I’ve been doing mean to you.
And I thank those of you who have been prompted by the Lord to support this next year of ministry. Your response has been a bit overwhelming and I thank you for your help, and also I think you more than anything for your prayers for I truly do feel them.
God bless all of you.
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete article, podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank You!
Copyright © 2022 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
If you would be so kind and assist Mary, helping her to meet other administrative needs such as website and podcast costs, or desire to bless her ministry service with Spirit-led love gifts or regular support:
Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of:
► Personal Checks ► Business Checks
► Money Orders ► Cashiers Checks
To:
His Beloved Ministries Inc. PO Box 1253Denver, Colorado 80614USA
Or feel free to use or send a tax-deductible gift with
Pay Pal paypal.me/mlindow
Under the name of - His Beloved Ministries Inc.
ALL gifts are tax-deductible underHis Beloved Ministries 501(3)c non-profit status.
We are financially accountable and have been in full compliance since
1985 with Clergy Financial Advantage.
THANK YOU!
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Monday Jan 10, 2022
WE THINK THAT WE ARE SO KNOWLEDGEABLE about our own needs and ourselves! But, more often than not, we are just opinionated and headstrong people!
By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit
WE THINK THAT WE ARE SO KNOWLEDGEABLE about our own needs and ourselves! But, more often than not, we are just opinionated and headstrong people! We refuse instructions from anyone who could tell us about the deeper things of the spirit, because “We know”, or… “Don’t want to know!”
(How DARE you address this Mrs. Lindow)!!!
Hmmmm! I think I will continue!! **smile**
We stumble along without anyone's help, and all the while we are overlooking that gnawing, “unsettled sense” inside of us, though if we paid attention to this we would see our true inner condition. It is in this way that we acclimate our souls to straggle along in a dark spiritual wilderness, and how we do ourselves so much harm.
MANY, MANY OTHER CHRISTIAN SOULS ARE JUST LIKE THIS.
They don't know how to do anything other than let their human senses guide them, and then one day, God intervenes. He arranges things so that one day when you are all alone, there will heave from within your heart a sudden surprising awareness of absolute emptiness. He may also cause you to have a feeling of complete emptiness, but an overwhelming sense of isolation from others, and a lot of loss.
“All of a person's ways seem right in his own opinion,
But the LORD evaluates the motives.” -Proverbs 21:2
You see, there is nothing but a bottomless crater to look down into the deadness of our own souls if we are not fully committed to God. If you ever come to this place you will know how quickly your soul wants to run away and to rush to find something, anything at all, to "fill" itself up again with noise and activity.
Art! Food! Beautiful Clothing! The doing of generous deeds! Perfectionistic exercising and self-improvement to show your “Self” discipline!
After all... PEOPLE are watching!
The reality of this is, So Is God.
VERY FEW SEE THIS BLEAK MOMENT FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS.
It's a chance to see their need for something that is beyond themselves.
But my friend, this can be a moment where the soul can cross over from its own empty silence into an expected quiet that is alive with His presence.
It silences the anguish, the anxious restlessness into a calm and still place of peace. It's as if the soul finds that in this dark place, there is secret well of sweet water, and it springs up and overflows with light and life.
Learning to pass into this place of the Spirit and allowing God to keep your soul in refreshing silent tranquility is a true act of the maturing believer.
ALL OF YOUR FLESHY SOUL WILL WANT TO RADICALLY FIGHT THIS,
and it will do so by trying to analyze what's happening!
All of this kind of behavior will just weigh you down, and it'll pull you back from walking in the spirit, to walking simply in your own understanding.
The choice we all must make is encapsulated in this statement made by John the Baptist.
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” -John 3:30
Another translation of this verse says it even more plainly.
“He must become more important
while I become less important."
WHEW!
HEAVEN CAN BE ENTERED ONLY THROUGH THE NARROW GATE!
The pathway to hell is broad,
and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes that choose its easy way.
But the Gateway to Life is small,
and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. –Matthew 7:13-14
THE WORD “WAY” TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK WORD HODÓS LITERALLY MEANS “A NATURAL ROAD OR TRAVELED WAY”.
It refers to a way of life or a way of thinking.
The word is used six times in the book of Acts as a substitute for Christianity itself. We can quickly understand that the Christian faith is more than a one-time decision to accept Christ. It is a faith, which alters the very course of a life.
THE WORD “NARROW” COMES FROM THE GREEK VERB THLÍBO, WHICH MEANS TO PRESS OR CRUSH
AS A WORKER IN A VINEYARD MIGHT CRUSH GRAPES OR A CROWD OF PEOPLE MIGHT PRESS AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.
This word also means to experience trouble, difficulty, or affliction.
COMBINED WITH THE GREEK WORD HODÓS, IT INSINUATES A SQUEEZED, STRAITENED, OR NARROWING PATHWAY.
The cramped condition of the path seems to imply two valuable truths about the nature of the Christian life.
It is a way marked out by the will of God, and it is a way marked by difficulty and struggle.
Remember, when your soul discovers how to let the Holy Spirit bring it into this place of inner peace of learning to rest in this stillness, it’s only because God is carrying you in his arms and that you sense no toil or drive on your part.
Friends, this accomplishes much more than all of your own actions or works of performance, since God Himself, is at work inside of you.
“I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work in you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world.” -Philippians 1:6 (The Voice)
IF WE FACE “THE NARROWING”, THE CHALLENGE OF ALLOWING OUR SOUL, OUR FLESH, TO BE FULLY HANDED OVER TO GOD’S PATHWAY,
HE WILL TEACH OUR SOUL HOW TO OVERCOME
THREE OF THE MOST TOXIC OF SINS.
These sins are -
Anger, Envy, and, an unwillingness to obey the Lord.
These run wild through our stony and hardened hearts
and they eventually can crumble and ruin us.
YOU SEE, OUR SOULS DESIRE TO FIND COMPLETE HAPPINESS, BLISS, CONSOLATION AND SECURITY IN THIS WORLD, AND THIS CAN NEVER REALLY HAPPEN!
So, God has to show us our great darkness when our soul tries to find spiritual strength there, because there is no sweet and vibrant life when our soul is attached to the things of this world! It’s a wide and gregarious path in the world, and the crowds on the pathway adore gratification and pleasure of every sort.
Our souls have a natural demand for wanting our own pleasure and achievement, and frustration causes these sins to grow, and they bring the very ugly fruit that is produced from them right into the light! OUCH!
THE LORD ALLOWS HIS TOOL OF DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES TO CRUSH AND TO CRACK OUR HARD SOULS.
He plants His word of light deep into our darkness. And He pours the living water of His spirit on our dryness and then we soften, as he uproots our old sluggish ways and our complaining about obeying God. Meaning, having to pass up our soothing comforts and pleasures.
NOW, I URGE YOU TO QUIET THE COMPLAINING OF YOUR SOUL, WITH ITS REBELLIONS.
We will naturally want to turn back to its pleasure and demands!
But as the world goes further and further into broad deviations of every kind, you as a believer will face a fork in the road.
One of the most cunning temptations of the times that we live in right now for believers is the mindset that says,
“I’m not going to get into any trouble! I can handle things as a Christian just fine!
I wont actually “touch the fire” I’ll just play around it!”
WHAT IS THAT FIRE?
It’s justifying and adapting God’s often narrow and absolute instructions about relationships, marriage, sex, self-indulgence, arrogance, “harmless" Occult involvement and lording over those whom you feel are less astute or affluent as you.
GOD WILL AND HE MUST BRING THIS DRYNESS OUT OF OUR SOULS AND KILL THESE DEADLY ROOTS!
Quiet the pathetic demands of your soul for soothing comforts and a right to be angry and judgmental!
When your path seems empty and silent and desert dry, put your soul’s concentration on God alone. You can hardly imagine the harvest of a lasting joy that comes to you, when you learn to be free of your soul’s whining. It's there that God can speak quiet words!
They will be so sweet and tender, and he will speak of his great love to us.
KNOW THIS. DRYNESS WILL TRY TO COME AGAIN AND AGAIN.
It wants to lead you to self-justification and an easy escape from the hammer and chisel of God shaping your being, turning it into a reservoir for His purposes.
It will try to come back with greater strength each time you resist. So stand your ground and stand firm in the quietness of your brokenness.
Focus upon His presence guiding you down the narrowing path.
He will come to you and His fresh guidance will be more amazing than anything your natural mind can imagine.
A PROPHETIC WORD FROM THE SPIRIT OF GOD
FOR THOSE FACING “THE NARROWING PATH”
“Darker and broader and louder come the shouts of world to draw you into its intricate webs.
These webs of deceit are spun with silken tongues and with the softness of the promise of an easier life.
There is a reckoning coming to those that sell lies and imprison those who buy their wares.
But for those who are determined to not walk on a fence, trying to balance between their own thinking and me, there will be a “Divine Might” that will empower them to continue down the narrowing way.
Where does this narrowing journey lead?
What is the payoff at the end?
As you become more determined and lay aside the things that have hindered you over and over again from fully entering into the deeper places with me, a lightness and freedom will propel you toward a place of Living Light.
That Light is Me, and you will soon know Me in a different way than you have in past years and seasons.
My one warning to many is that they cannot argue that the path is “too narrow”.
What mankind might call “rigid” I call “Straight and Direct”.
If you choose to alter the plans that I have set down for your protection and safety, you will grieve my Spirit and allow a searing of your conscience to override the truths that you know deep in your heart.
“The path of those who do right is straight and smooth.
I, who am upright, make the way of the righteous level.” -Isaiah 26:7
“The Narrowing” has begun to increase, and the love for it has decreased among those who choose to remain passive to conviction and pure living.
Allow my Holy Spirit to move freely again.
I know what I must do, to break the constraints of man.
Let me move!
Are you afraid that I might be ridiculed?
Or, are you more concerned for your image and patterns before men?
“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies,
But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.”
-I Thessalonians 5:19-21
Choose the “Narrowing Way”. For I, Am there.
Choose the pathway of “rightness” with me, even when others scoff at your “narrow mindedness”.
When the days become darker and the world tilts and twists in further unrestrained darkness,
You will be the carrier of My Light, which can lead the lukewarm and lost down the narrow, but safe, and integral way, to Me.
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed,
Provided that complete message, podcast site link
and website information
forMary Lindow is included.
Thank you!
"The Messenger" ~ Mary Lindow
2022 ©
www.marylindow.com
www.marylindow.podbean.com
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
The World is in an absolute Turmoil!! Lives are in shattered grief!
Sound familiar?
By Mary Lindow
MY HUSBAND STEVE AND I HAVE MORE OFTEN AS OF LATE HAD SUCH A STIRRING AND AN ACHING IN OUR HEARTS.
We've had a need, to talk over and deeply ponder many “questions of the heart” and have spent hours in dialog then crying out in messy prayers to the Father, shedding many tears, much of them in unintelligible sobs and choked out words.
The World is in an absolute Turmoil!! Lives are in shattered grief!
Sound familiar?
WE’VE WEPT AND PRAYED...
...For those who are forever stirring up and demanding others to “push, to give, sacrifice” —serve "me", do for "ME", give more at the job! And yet, many of these individuals who push others so terribly hard, hide internal rage and insecurities, not heeding the warnings about their own home life and poor social practices, nor dealing with the seething anger and strife boiling within their souls. And, all too often they project shame onto others, bullying them, then demand respect regardless of what needs to be addressed in their own behaviors.
THIS IS WHERE TRAVAILING PRAYER COMES IN.
Where you "gut it out with God", standing before Him in what is called supplication.
Or, in more clear words, it's an appeal, a request for help.
"HELP OH GOD! HELP! Only YOU can address this person, this situation"!
OH THE TONGUE! IT IS A FIRE!
The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies.
It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence
-- And it is set on fire by hell.
-James 3:6
Steve's and my little piece of trying to warn about and address these things as we minister in various places and gatherings, and also meeting people for ministry advice, comfort in child rearing in a nasty digital age, and in pastoral counseling, well, we are seeing a massive escalation of many families fighting (young and old).
A STEADY STREAM OF PEOPLE RESISTING THE TAKING OF “HUMBLE STEPS” towards the change that would spare others deep wounds.
We are also learning to be even more careful about our own words.
WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT IS PASSING AWAY.
Every day this occurs and it edges us closer to the time of choosing whom we serve....
...Not whom we "casually have knowledge of" or a limited commitment to.
I’M EVER SO AWARE OF THE NEED TO LIVE, LIMP, TO EXSIST,
EACH MOMENT OF THE DAY IN "THE PRESENCE",
IN FULL EXPOSURE TO THE PROBING EYE AND HEART OF GOD.
I WHISPER REPEATEDLY,
“Have your way Father.
Have your freedom to do your work in me.
Have your way.”
ARE YOU BEING DRAWN INTO A PLACE OF DESPERATE ABANDON TO SEPARATE YOURSELF AND RE-EXAMINE THE PATH UP AHEAD?
Friend, yield to the tears, the examination and probing of your heart, and speak out to the Father about all of it.
ALL OF IT.
THESE ARE THE DAYS WHERE YOU AND I CAN “CHOOSE.”
Chose to grow, move forward, and live simpler and choose to travel along narrower paths.
OR
Draw back and remain dull, returning to the familiar and comfortable settings where WE “choose” to steer the course of our hearts.
There’s no humility there friend.
None.
Just self-protection, empty of any real mature, repentance.
WHEN THIS HAPPENS, RELATIONSHIPS DRASTICALLY CHANGE.
People go into hiding, isolation, numb living, compartmentalization, and they “shut out” help.
CHOOSE THE WAY WHERE "PEACE LEADS YOU".
Even when torrents of tears and unanswered longings are prevalent.
Keep letting go of “fears within and fears without” until your stride is firm and has consistent sweet conversation with the one called alongside to help.
THE VERY HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD IS A WONDERFUL TRAVELING COMPANION!
The heavy judgments of those who rarely risk authenticity and carefully orchestrate their control over what they allow to penetrate past their insecurities and pride, are fully engaged in denial and can absolutely be ruthless and punishing.
Let them be surrendered to God my friends.
Hand the entire setting over to Him and then, go about the humble work of digging new wells for those who value the effort that it takes. They will so appreciate the cool cup of water that you serve them in the loving name of our Redeemer Jesus.
Samuel Chadwick was a deep man of prayer, and learned how to not only stay "in it", but was know for "sticking to it".
He said:
"There is no way of learning to pray but by praying.
No reasoned philosophy of prayer ever taught a soul to pray.
We know not what we should pray for as we ought ot, and if prayer waits for understanding it will never begin.
We discover by using. We learn by practice.
Though a man should have all knowledge about prayer, and though he should understand all mysteries about prayer, unless he prays he will never learn to pray."
JESUS HIMSELF GAVE US A KEY MESSAGE ABOUT THIS!
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to walk alongside with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” - John 14:16-17
OH DEAR ACHING HEARTS!
PRAYER! Let's stay at it! Stay in it!
Let's Stay in it until we are saturated in His Peace, His Presence and His Strength to Stand in Courage, and then...
...To Continue!
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete source and website and podcast information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank you!
The Messenger " ~ Mary Lindow
Copyright ©2021
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
www. marylindow.podbean.com
Do you or a loved one need prayer?
There are faithful intercessors around the world who areready and who are prepared to pray for you.
Please send your Requests to:
www.globalprayerrooms.com
If you have been impressed by the Holy Spirit to assist and bless the needs that Mary has, helping her to meet other administrative needs such as web site and podcast costs, or desire to bless her service with Spirit-led Love gifts or regular support:
Please JOYFULLY send your gift in the form of:
► Personal Checks
► Business Checks
► Money Orders
► Cashiers Checks
To: His Beloved Ministries Inc. PO Box 1253Denver Colorado 80614USA
Or feel free to use our send a tax deductible gift with
Pay Pal paypal.me/mlindow
Under the name of - His Beloved Ministries Inc.
ALL gifts are tax deductible underHis Beloved Ministries 5013c non-profit status.
We are financially accountable and have been in full compliance
since 1985 with Clergy Financial Advantage.
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
By Mary Lindow
This message just"might" hit close to home.
I have been thinking a lot this week about arrogance and those finger pointing individuals who enjoy belittling others and simply love to be plain old snarky. Just look at the headlines of newspapers, Internet news and gossip columns! With the stroke of a key or two, words written imply things that can break hearts, ruin trust, hope, National Security and relationships.
THERE IS SUCH A HARSH STING TO THE HEART
WHEN THE CRUEL WORDS OF SOMEONE ELSE INTENTIONALLY
DOES A VERBAL SLAP DOWN OR SHAMES YOU.
Usually it occurs when THEY believe that THEY are absolutely right or have "superior" knowledge, and that others are the "lesser" and are the "wrong- big- dummies".
This mean and sour arrogance, which uses power to belittle or harm others, is something that crushes and cripples hearts and dreams. It's a secret and deep seething storm inside of the soul of those who feel they have rights and superior thinking that justifies weaponizing words. Yes... Weaponizing!
Words can deliver pinpoint missiles of pain, threats, ridicule, humiliation, subtle undertones of condescension but can also deliver payloads of healing, warmth, gratitude, encouragement, and above all, Hope.
As a believer, our faith should not be arrogant, nor should a person of faith belittle others! We should never use our faith or intelligence to pretend that we are superior or more informed than others! NO! NEVER!
Belittling is a form of bullying! It's when someone makes you feel as though you are little, minuscule, not good enough.
Proverbs 11:17 says,"Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel".
Arrogance is the opposite of humility, and humility is supposed to be a Christian virtue. Jesus Christ who, in coming into the world and living and dying alongside of us, lived out what humility is.
You will never reach the place of honor or full use by the Heavenly Father, (and can actually be disqualified from many opportunities) until your insecurities and need to needle, belittle, compete with, or shame others is addressed, repented of and buried! And, when mentioning, reaching a place of honor I'm referring to this as honor before the face and rule of God.
If your goals in life are to have men honor you first...
...You will be one who certainly tramples others with your words.
Those who have the sickness of pride in their hearts, speak of others weakness and sins with contempt, irritation, frustration, or judgment. Pride is crouching inside of your meanness and belittling of the struggles of others.
It's cowering in your jokes about the "craziness" of your spouse, the mocking of that "too sensitive friend". It may even be lurking in the prayers we throw upward for our friends that are "subtly or not" often tinted with the color of exasperated irritation.
Listen to Proverbs 15:4 from The Message translation.
"Kind words heal and help;
Cutting words wound and maim."
Sometimes, we use sarcasm to voice harsh, or cutting words we otherwise would not say, often intentionally hurting others. Once the pain is inflicted however, we retreat, saying, "Oh, I was just kidding!" But the sting of those words hurts so much that those we have injured, withdraw.
Our words don't feel like jokes at all.
Jesus' words should be a warning to those of us who are tempted to use sarcasm as a weapon:
"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken". -Matthew 12:36
SARCASTIC REMARKS USUALLY SEEM LIKE NO BIG DEAL
TO THE PERSON WHO MAKES THEM.
BUT TO THE RECIPIENT, THOSE WORDS MAKE LASTING IMPRESSIONS
THAT SCAR TO THE VERY CORE OF THE HEART.
Many times, sarcasm shames a person, causing them to feel belittled and unworthy. When shame takes root in the heart, it can cause disastrous behavior, because the person now feels worthless and seeks desperately to find anything that will make them feel otherwise.
Shaming others is a serious offense with serious consequences.
Jesus said, "Your very words will be used as evidence against you,
and your words will declare you either innocent or guilty."
-Matthew 12:37
Are your words kind and constructive?
Do they desire to seek peace and unity, or are they driven by your fleshy desire to sting, aggravate, retaliate, tease, belittle, control, alienate, shame and manipulate through sarcasm? YES ... alllll of those HURT PEOPLE!
The enemy is camping out at the gate of your every relationship. Children, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, parents, co-laborers and more. He is lurking around every corner, seeking to find that one open crevice where he can enter. If he has been entering in and camping out in your home or relationships through the use of sarcasm, it's time to boot this verbal enemy out and lock the gate behind him.
Die to your need to be snarky and always the one with a chirpy sarcastic comeback! Allow Christ to show you His ways that love, peace and compassion can be the source of every word that proceeds from your mouth.
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another,
because, 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.
Humble yourself then! Bow low under God's mighty hand,
that he may use you to the fullest at the proper time.
-1 Peter 5:56
Prayer of Brokenness and Confession
(I Highly recommend praying this out loud.)
Holy and All seeing Father God,
I confess now to You, that I do not always love my neighbor.
I confess that I have despised others, even to the point of hatred.
I confess that I have been hurt by others.
I confess that forgiveness and reconciliation at times are just impossible for us.
I realize that I have spoken words that have broken people or have humiliated them and although asking for forgiveness, they have distanced themselves from me, and rightly so because they don't want to take any more of my unkind words.
Father I ask you to heal them from the things that I have said that caused broken and crushed spirits.
Restore them; bring them Friends that will treat them kindly.
I know that nothing is impossible in You.
So, I come to You, seeking healing and wholeness for myself.
Heal whatever is inside of me that needs to speak poorly of others, or to speak down to others.
Show me the parts of me that are insecure or needy.
Help me, whenever possible, to live in peace with others, to seek reconciliation and healing and forgiveness.
For Your Son Jesus came and lived among us, and was betrayed and denied, abused and put to death.
Yet, He rose again, and came with the message of peace to those who had denied Him and abandoned Him.
Oh Father! May I walk in His ways and model His kindness in my speech and actions.
I pray this in Jesus' loving name.
Amen.
Duplication and sharing of this message is welcomed provided that complete article, podcast link and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You Copyright © 2020 " THE MESSENGER "
Your Gracious Support and Donations Are So Very Helpful And Assist Mary In Publishing Her Teaching Podcasts and Blog Materials.
THANK YOU!
Please go to PAYPAL to donate or support this blog:
Donate to the tax deductible ministry name of:
paypal.me/mlindow (His Beloved Ministries Inc.)
orYou Can Mail a Check or Cashiers Check to:
His Beloved Ministries INC.
PO Box 1253
Eastlake CO 80614
United States
Wednesday Sep 11, 2019
Wednesday Sep 11, 2019
By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit
If you would ask the true "heart determined" believer in Christ today just what it is that they need now more than ever, it would be totally answered by the very raw words;
“I am need to have full clarity of mind and a fearless trust in the knowledge of how much God loves me.”
WE ARE IN ONE HOT REFINERS FIRE!
People are winding up in anger, disbelief and frustration over this "Unfair" season the Bride of Christ is in! It just isn't fair! We have been so good! We have laid down everything!
Why oh why are WE being singled out?
“I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.”
~ Psalm. 69:3
“ I am weary with my sighing; every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.
~ Psalm. 6:6
Does this sound like you right now?
EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE TESTED SOMETIME!
The strongest impression I have received from the Father about the condition of His Bride is this. When things are going "fabulously" for her, when all of heaven is blessing, she wants to keep it that way! If she is not in a place of great humility and thankfulness for what the Lord is doing, she tends to assume that, “It’s about time folks knew just how long I've been waiting for them to see just how great this church, or ministry or intellectual skill I've been soooo blessed with is!”
Then comes the attitude that we have to keep it allotted to only a few “real winners” like ourselves, and we become exclusive and look for only high rollers to run with.
And then. AGAIN comes the TEST.
Persecution comes, mug slinging, attacks on personal integrity, character assassination, and again the fiery trial.........of our soul.
TO REMOVE IMPURITIES - GOD USES A HOT OVEN!
These trials as if by fire are only to test our faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-- and our faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.
“So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” ~ I Peter chapter 1: 7
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
The Lord is working the Bride overtime right now to deal with selfish ambition, personal comfort, and any other areas of personal agenda or presumption.
YES! Presumption.
We as Christians have often presumed that because we are Christians…
…we should never experience severe sorrow, grief, loss, or devastation.
This “fairy tale” stems from a huge level of denial and total self focus. It is also a very Western culture mindset.
A dear friend of mine who went to China and who was visiting a Chinese underground church group, had a reality check that shook her to the core of her faith.
She thought that she was coming to this group to “help and bless them.”
When they asked her what could they pray for the church in American about in order to bless them she was flummoxed! Her reply was, “We came to see how we might help you! ” How can we pray for you?”
The response back was, “Pray that we would not be fearful or silent about the gospel of Jesus we share when the authorities beat us or imprison us. Pray that we remain strong enough physically to endure the persecution we receive and not fear what man may do to us.”
SOBERING ISN’T IT!
When others around us are going through loss, trauma, or heart breaking circumstances, sadly, many believers turn away in disgust or even more disturbing, display an arrogant attitude of thinking they are more blessed by God because their lives are not so complex or “shattered” as those around them who must have done SOMETHING wrong to bring these things upon themselves.
Regrettably, some of the pain some saints are experiencing is due to the disobedience of those in the Body of Christ around them! They resist the hand of God and react against others in retaliation toward God bringing correction or exposure to their secret lifestyle of personal gain or need for power!
WE ARE NOT ALONE!
“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners
against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”
Heb. 12:3
Admit it! It is hard to not lose heart right now!
The world is in a tailspin and lukewarm Christians are showing their true colors! It's time to deal with this! It is NOT going to go away!
AGONY IS MORE SEVERE WHEN IT IS "ENHANCED" BY BETRAYAL!
Jesus went through it. Stephen went through it and so did hundreds of others! AND it hurts, and disillusions, and causes us to be so very very weary!
“You will be delivered up and betrayed even by parents and
brothers and relatives and friends, and [some] of you they will
put to death.
Luke 21:16
THE TRANSFORMATION FROM FRAGILE …
…TO FERVENT IS COMING!
“When?” You may ask…..
For my determined purpose is that I may know Him. That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers, and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness even to His death, in the hope…
… That if possible I may attain to the spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead even while in the body.
Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.
I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do, it is my one aspiration, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the supreme and heavenly prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.
_Philippians 3:10-14 (Amplified Bible)
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS THE LORD WOULD REQUIRE:
1.) To gain HIS strength, we must relinquish our power or control
over what we think of others. We will be judged by the way we
judge others when they struggle. Pious and lofty lectures are not
the Kingdom language of healing and restoration. Loving-
kindness and Mercy reveal the heart of godly maturity in a
believer when dealing with the sorrows and anguish of others.
“Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
Or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs
To a heavy heart.”
Proverbs 25:20
2.) Reach out in kindness to those under fire.
Encourage them to stand. Encourage them to seek the Lord.
Bless them and don't talk about them when they struggle!
"The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens me morning by morning,
He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple."
Isaiah 50:4 3
3.) Get still. Stop organizing, planning, and pushing ahead into
oblivion! God really does have a plan!
“Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord, Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become cynical. “
Is. 40:30 -31
4.) TRUST FOR A MOMENT!
It's all about trusting God in the end. Oh yes it is!
Will He REALLY refresh us in this time of struggle?
His Loving Word says so.
“For I satisfy the weary ones,
And refresh everyone who languishes."
Jer. 31:25 5
THE LORD IS PRODUCING ENDURANCE WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT!
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial;
For once he has been approved,
He will receive the crown of life,
Which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
James 1:12
THE FATHER IS URGING US TO RUN TO HIM.
He is there! Even in the fog of struggle, loss, anxiety, and also in seeming success.
He wants us to be desperate for Him and rely wholly on His voice.
To make all of our decisions based on His plan for the whole earth!
Seek Him.
Lean into His Voice.
Elevate Grace and Mercy…
…And lower your own opinion of yourself and your abilities to
“lecture” others into healing or restoration.
WALK SOBERLY IF YOU ARE LIVING IN ABUNDANCE AT THIS TIME, ON ANY LEVEL.
Keep the vigil of prayer you are keeping for others well lit by the reflecting memories of past times when you yourself needed the Merciful Hand of God to lift you from agony and redeem your life from the pit.
Let us be so devoted to the “One” who lavished and spilled out all He had, that we might repeat His actions, and in so doing, bring His Glory to it’s fullest measure and depth.
His Mercy….
…Endures.
Forever.
“Then will the lame leap like a deer, And the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.”
Isaiah 35:6
*****************************************
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source, podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You
Copyright © 2019 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
http://marylindow.podbean.com/mobile/
Thursday Apr 28, 2016
Thursday Apr 28, 2016
"THE GREATEST ENEMY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH"
DEMEANING ANOTHER GENERATION OF LEADERS
by MaryLindow
It is highly recommended that you listen to the
audio version/podcast of this message and join in with
the prayers lifted up on behalf of the Body of Christ
There is a dangerous trend blooming much like a dandelion in the body of Christ that needs to literally be nipped in the root, and in no way approached with a cowering spirit! Somehow it's now a trending youthful "call from God" to be a cutting edge voice that is sent to “correct” the current Fathers and Mothers in the body of Christ. Hmmmm.....
I DON'T CARE HOW POPULAR OR TRENDY ANY MOVEMENT IS or any individual who is a gifted speaker is. If they have been given the privilege to address the body of Christ on any stage, in any pulpit, in any gathering, they are to be judged and held accountable by those in leadership for their actions and their choices when they speak to others.
I AM ADDRESSING SPECIFIC SITUATIONS where a young-(ish) man or woman is allowed to speak in a meeting and begins to demand that the crowd responds according totheir commands.
There should NEVER be even the hint of demeaning another generation of leaders publicly, or a shaming and finger-pointing message aimed at somehow "breaking the people" and getting them to be stirred up to do something. Whatever that"something" might be, if people are shamed into action, then it is truly not God's will or God's plan.
WHO GET’S TO ADDRESS PEOPLE FROM THE PODIUM? There's a lot to be said about not quickly allowing a novice or newcomer to your team to have absolute access to speak into the hearts of those who gather to hear of the specific (and most hopefully) -GOD ORDAINED vision that you, as a leader, have been commissioned and assigned to serve and honor! In 1 Kings 12 - Rehoboam rejected the advice of the "older men" who had stood with Solomon, listening instead to the "young men who grew up with him". It divided the Kingdom. HEAR that.
Pride can cause a novice who is actually termed "a new planting" meaning, “still not having put down roots”, to defend themselves and their more "potent" message. Pride can cause them to look down on others. If you allow it, pride will rob them ofthe most treasured mentoring relationships in their lives.
WHEN ANOTHERGENERATION MOCKS THE WORDS OF GOD Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some childish boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here you old bald man!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled the forty-two the boys.
2 Kings 2:23
THE WORD FOR"CHILDREN" IN THIS VERSE IS TRANSLATED AS PERSONS OF THIRTY ORFORTY YEARS OF AGE and, though these are called "little", they were so well grown as to be able to go out of the city by themselves without anyone to guide them, or to take care of them and they were at an age capable not only of taking notice of Elijah's baldness, but knew he was a prophet. They were able to know what good and evil was and, from a malicious spirit inside of them, they mocked at him. Some Jewish writers say they were called "Naarim", which means"children” because they had shaken off the bond that was keeping people close, the commandments, and "little", because they were of little faith:
THEY MOCKED HIM, AND SAID TO HIM, “GO UP, YOU BALD HEAD! GO UP, YOU OLD BALDY!” Meaning, not up the hill to Bethel, where his coming was not really welcomed since most of the people were idol worshippers, and maybe these children were sent out to intimidate him with their jeers to keep him from entering the city! They had heard about Elijah going up to heaven so they jeeringly told him to go up to heaven after him, and then they would have gotten rid of them both! “Who needs that old man telling us what to do?!”
At the same time that they were mocking him for his baldness, and making a funny story of the wondrous works of God, the taking up into heaven of Elijah, which by behaving so disrespectfully to a “White hairedhead”, a prophet of the Lord, was terribly wicked, and therefore opened thedoor to an external attack from a destructive force. Two full-grown she-bears, who consumed them.
Folks, there are consequences for mockery and deception!
BEFORE AMAN OR WOMAN CAN LOOK DOWN ON ANOTHER, they must first assume he or she is better than the person they are speaking against. A proud man or woman is suspicious of everyone else. A humble man or woman is more suspicious of their own heart than anyone else. The proud heart will detect defects in others before him. But a humble soul sees the evil in his/her own heart before they see evil in others.
CONCEITAND PRIDE ARE THE GREATEST ENEMIES TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH! Newly acquired knowledge often leads to pride rather than wisdom. This is often true with the novice. There is no surer way to fall into sin than to allow pride to lead us into putting confidence in ourselves rather than God. This type of pride always leads to destruction, because it robs us of God’s power to stand against temptation.
WHAT WEACCOMPLISH AS MEMBERS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS DONE BY THE POWER OF GOD. The novice begins thinking that what he/she accomplishes is his/her own doing. The people in Corinth had been developed in every way as well, with the knowledge of God, but pride in what they knew was about to lead to their destruction!
KNOWLEDGECAN BE MISTAKEN FOR MATURITY, but true knowledge is designed to bring us TO maturity. When we parade our freedom before others in an effort to reveal how much we know, we reveal our immaturity and are treading on dangerous ground! Knowledge put on PUBLIC display leads to revelry and scattering.
TRUE KNOWLEDGE BRINGS THE RESTFUL DISCIPLINE OF SELF-CONTROL. Paul’s knowledge ofGod led him to lead a disciplined life for the benefit of himself and others. HUMBLING OURSELVES IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE ROOF OFF TOWARD GOD, AND THE WALLS DOWN TOWARD OUR FELLOW MAN.
Once offences have been committed, whether intentional or unintentional, they must be dealt with! “I was wrong. I am sorry. Will you forgive me?” are healing words that only a humble soul would use. Whenever you find a man or woman willing to humble themselves before God and man, you have found a person who will be exalted, because “humility comes before honor.”
REMEMBER THAT SOME MEN’S SINS ARE OBVIOUS, AND ARE EQUALLY OBVIOUSLY BRINGING THEM TO SERIOUS JUDGMENT.
"The sins of other men might not be apparent, but are dogging them, nevertheless, under the surface. Similarly some virtues are plain to see,while others, though not at all conspicuous, will eventually make themselves felt."
1Timothy 5:24-25
"Don’t reprimand or publicly talk downto a senior leader in your church, honoring him as a father by first showing respect and humility. Treat the young men kindly as brothers, and the olderwomen as nurturing mothers. Treat the younger women as sisters, and nothingmore."
1 Timothy 5:1-2
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed provided that
complete source, podcast and website information for Mary Lindow is included.
Thank You Copyright © 2016
“THE MESSENGER” ~Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com
marylindow.podbean.com