I want to share a dream I believe the Lord gave me to exhort His
people everywhere. All those the Lord draws to read our site.
I had this dream in late 2008. I wished I had shared this earlier, but have been keeping back many dreams the Lord has shown me concerning His people, individually and corporate. I sense the Lord still want me to share this dream. Why do I keep back at times? Truthfully, because I fear man. Ministering to American professing Christians is very different than ministering to foreigners, like those in India. American people are very sensitive and live in such comfort that it has caused them to act like spoiled children. So, if you exhort them out of love, they easily crack and want to run away from you or become so religious and prideful. I have been unfaithful to the Lord by not stirring up the gift that He has given so that He may use me how He please. It has brought much grief in my soul because of holding back so much truth because I desire to please man above God. It is getting harder for me though, to hold in more. If I don't share the things I know that the Lord wants me to share then I myself will
explode! Like Jeremiah who wanted to hold back the truth because the
more he spoke the more people hated him, but the fire in his bones
caused him to open his mouth.
In this dream, a couple I know wanted to give me their baby that was
still in the wife's womb. I was so joyful with much excitement that
they wanted to give me something so dear and important to them. I
shared with them how joyful I was that they would give me their best.
Then it was time for the mother to deliver the baby. The couple gave
me their baby. Later in the dream I saw the couple. I wasn't in the
dream, but I saw the couple so sad and regretted they had giving me the
baby. They did not realize the cost until now. I did not want to
keep the baby now, knowing that they regretted giving it to me and
knowing now that it was not out of joy, so I gave them the baby back.
The couple was happy to receive their baby back.
I understood immediately the dream. This scripture came to mine.
Discipleship Tested
Luk 14:25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned
and said to them,
Luk 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and
mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even
his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
Luk 14:27 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me
cannot be My disciple.
Luk 14:28 "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does
not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to
complete it?
Luk 14:29 "Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to
finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,
Luk 14:30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
Luk 14:31 "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in
battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong
enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him
with twenty thousand?
Luk 14:32 "Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a
delegation and asks for terms of peace.
Luk 14:33 "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give
up all his own possessions.
The baby represented ALL- ALL the
things that are important and dear to us must be laid on the altar so
it will not have any hold on us or else we cannot be His disciples.
We must renounce ALL from our heart or else the "baby" will be in the
way and cause us not to finish what we have started to build.
In the dream, I represent Jesus because Christ lives in me.
See, this couple not only represent themselves, but many Christians
who at first, joyfully "think" they can give up everything to follow
Him, but will realize later when confronted to let go with certain
idols, could not. These people are very deceived. They think they
have let go and are His disciples until they are confronted with the
message of true discipleship. Many will use every excuse to why they
are not letting go of certain things. That they will deceive
themselves to think they have let go of what they "thought" to be
idols. But in reality they have kept the best from the Lord. They have
let go of things that are more easily to let go and keeping back
things that they have made themselves to believe not to be idols
because of the lies they have told themselves.
Many profess Christians are like the couple in the dream. They have
joyfully and hastily told the Lord I will give you everything without
seriously meditating on the cost of discipleship. They started to
build, but will realize later when the message of discipleship becomes
clearer that they are not able to finish it. Some will stop short and
use human reasoning to why they will not let go and so deceive
themselves that they are disciples, but in reality they are not. Then
there will be some who will come to more understanding of the cross
and it will make them sad. They will reluctantly give the Lord their
idols, having no joy to depart with it, but regrets. The Lord will
not take such sacrifice if not giving with joy and seeing the Lord is
worthy of ALL. He will give such offerings back. Many people will
think that the Lord allowed them to keep it because they offered it to
Him and see it has not been taken from them so they will joyfully take
it back. The Lord SEES the heart of regret, and will not take
polluted offerings!
In Malachi 1concerning polluted offerings, the Lord was grieved with
His people because His people offered the blind and lame animals to
the Lord. When the Lord commanded He wanted the best! It is the same today. Many Christian's give God their left overs and keep back the
best for themselves. Are they not like Ananias and Sapphira? Who
said they will give all, but kept back some. So have many Christians
blurted out to the Lord that they will give Him their all, but in
truth they have kept back some! Should not the Judge of the earth be
grieved with jealousy?! If His people will not listen to the small
voice of the Holy Spirit to "let go" and "give all" He will then, in
His mercy send His messengers to tell His people. But, many have
thrown stones of accusation, jealousy, madness...... to His
messengers. Many will say to His messengers, "the Lord will tell me
Himself". But they are the ones who will not listen to the small voice
of the Holy Spirit and obey the clear words in the bible. Many will
also say, "what right do you have to tell me this, you don't know
me".......And such words will go on and on to the ones who doesn't
want to count the cost and follow true discipleship.
My brethren, let us examine ourselves that we would not be numbered
with the false and are like this couple in the dream. Who at first, joyfully want to build with the Lord, but later on find it hard and will quit, will not finish walking in the narrow way. Not wanting to forsake their idols, their lust of the world will blindly lead them to the broad path of destruction.
Let us examine (comparing ourselves to His word, not our neighbors) to see if we are truly in His faith and not our own imaginary faith. Peter
encourages us to make our calling and election sure. Brethren, I too, encourage you to make your calling and election sure. For I want you to be found in confidence and not ashame before Him at His coming (1John2:28)
I am zealous for His people to be built up in His perfection,
according to His word and maturity and not by their own reasoning that
leads to much delusion. May you who claim His name have the same
desire for His body, to see the highest good in others ACCORDING TO
HIS WORD. Let us exhort one another daily while it is called TODAY.
For who knows when it will be the last. But we know the end is
approaching soon, very soon. Let us with such knowledge exhort each
other in all truth, which is love, and in seriousness and sobriety.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen (1 John5:21).
Hello All,
I wanted to share some encouraging things in hopes that it would stir your heart more toward Christ. And to let those know who have been faithfully praying for us that much grace and peace has been multiplied to us. Thank you so much for your prayers.
The Lord has been so good to us here in India. Though we had some trials, we know that it all works for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! God allows trials in the life of His saints to conform us to His Son. Glory to God!
God graciously continues to confirm that He has sent us to India so it gives us greater confidence in Him and strengthens our faith in "everything".
One thing I have noticed that has been a sign to me that He is with us and that we are in His will is that Sean's preaching has been filled with power, exalting Christ, flowing out so easily where I can tell its no works of his own. Please know I say this not to boast about my husband, but to praise God, seeing it is all Him. I see also that the Lord has given Sean much boldness to root out and pull down the things that grieves Him among profess Christians, that is contrary to His word, and to build up the right foundation that is in Christ. If God doesn't use us to win many souls to Him here I wouldn't care because I know that the Lord has been truly exalted here through preaching and good works. As long as God uses us to highly lift Him up, I will be satisfied!
The Lord has truly change my heart about missions and I so thank Him for that! I use to think that missions was just about winning souls, but its much more than that! Its about glorifying my Father in heaven through proclaiming His excellency which is in the gospel, filled with good works, letting my light shine in this dark world. I use to hunger for souls, but now I hunger to make Him known, making sure He is exalted wherever we are at, that Lord Jesus is highly lifted up. Men around us will not have any doubts that we are a family who worship Jesus and believes in all His ways and that there is only salvation through Jesus alone! In having such a revelation of this I feel so content now and trust Him in many odd circumstances.
Many people here have been open to the true gospel, but do know that you will always have those who are enemies of the cross. For the message of the cross is an offense to those who are perishing. Do continue to pray for us. That we would continue to stand boldly for His name no matter what and that we preach with much clarity and power, and that great signs and wonders would follow.
It is very important here to clearly preach that there is only ONE God and that salvation comes through Christ alone. If we are not clear with this, like many pastors here, the Hindus will just easily add Jesus to their many gods. They will say they’re Christians because they believe that Jesus is one of the gods. This great error has brought a jealousy deep into my heart to proclaim truth with all zeal and authority that there is only One God and that is Jesus and that we must separate ourselves from all falsehood! That we cannot eat at the Lord’s table and the demons at the same time! And we do know brethren and are prepared that with such clear preaching there could be persecution. We are not ignorant of this. For we do see that some already think we are trying to change their culture that is deeply rooted in Hinduism. One sister even confess to me that when she stop wearing the orange paint on her hands, the flowers, bangles, ect.. That people notice and that the Hindus treat her bad. Its o.k. to call yourself a Christian here, but once you start forsaking the Hindu culture that’s when persecution comes to the believers here. This is what happen to Graham Stains who got killed in Orrissa by Hindus. The Christians in Orissa set themselves apart from the Hindus by not taking their work days off on a Hindu holiday so the Hindus thought they were trying to change their culture. Graham and his sons then became a target. The Hindus killed those who they thought were destroying their culture. I could see this persecution happening here if the Christians would truly separate themselves, but many are living in fear and not proclaiming the whole truth. Please pray for the believers here. That they would stand firm on the truth, not being ashame of Jesus. Pray that they would not love their life, but have the mind of Christ and follow His steps to their cross. And pray for us. That God would continue to use us to encourage the saints here. For Paul the Apostle said it is through many tribulation that we enter the kingdom.
Do also pray for the children here. For God has open the doors for us to minister to many of them. We have been taking turns with each children in having them over for dinner, having bible studies and singing Christian songs with them. They really enjoy coming over. Sean has been spending time with the boys in taking them out and doing boy stuff. Many fathers do not have relationships with their kids so many children fear their fathers. The children look at Sean with amazement when they see him playing with his own kids and playing with them. They’ve been open to hearing the gospel and you can see the conviction on their faces when we do bible studies. Pray for their salvation. That God would use them (who are considered weak in the eyes of many ) to confound the wise.
I hope you have been encouraged by our report from India. I do pray that you too will separate yourselves from the world and stand firm in His truth no matter the cost. That you will not love your lives to the end, but follow the One who is worthy of all your life. Follow Him to your cross.
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