when my kids were little I attended MOPS meetings at my church. At one meeting the speaker of the day asked us what our life verse is. A verse God had given me as a kid instantly came to mind. I didn’t even know what book of the Bible it was located. I quoted it to someone and they said it was in Ephesians, but that it can’t be my life verse. I thought well, God is the one who gave it to me so it certainly can. I also learned in a Bible study we did on spiritual gifts to serve the church that I have the gift of prophecy and discernment. So the verse goes very well with those spiritual gifts. It is also an important guide in these evil/last days. The verse is the reason for needing to put on the full armor of God.
Life verse:
Ephesians 6:12 NASB1995
[12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Thus, Lesson for Life:
Ephesians 6:13 NASB1995
[13] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
When I was a kid my best friend and neighbor was also a Christian. Her mom and my mom would ride together to the beach reading the bible on the way. We went to the same church. We would car ride together, have sleep overs. Her mom would teach us about the spiritual realm, the end times and rapture. I learned there dangers of ouigie boards, Palm readers and etc. As well as learning about the holy spirit. The holy spirit is with us, in us, guiding us and helping us; so we need to be paying attention. God put her on my life when I was 4 years old. They moved away when I was a young adult but with social media we are still able to stay in contact and when my husband and parents died she grieved with me and told me about Heaven, which was very much on my mind because of the 5 people i loved the most 3 of them were there! She was such a comfort to me and God sends his people to minister to each other.
When I was 10 or so I became very interested in what my spiritual gift was. Sunday school teachers would teach that when we are saved we have spiritual gifts like preaching and teaching. I wanted to learn more about them so I could know what mine was. I asked my mom one day and she sat me down in an arm chair and handed me her bible opened to 1 Corinthians 12 where she had highlighted where Paul lists the spiritual gifts; but nothing spoke to me. None of them jumped out to me. It was discouraging to still not have any answers.
Now, I know what my spiritual gifts are but using and exercising my spiritual gifts because of my life verse is a whole different matter. I fear Satan too much and I fear retaliation of people because I know Satan will show up and I to often doubt that God will. I have to remind myself that God is always with me. Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Reminding myself of what God has already done for me. Memorizing His promises. Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
One day I was getting on the monorail at Magic Kingdom during a Night of Joy event. A man in line in front of me had the verse Jeremiah 20:9 on the back of his shirt: But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”
I got so excited YES! That is exactly how having the gift of prophecy but refusing to exercise it feels like! When I focus on other people or Satan its so weaisom or burdensome. Instead, I have to focus on pleasing God. I have to obey God and speak it and let it out! I’m so used to being silent and refusing to speak of Him that it’s easier to express it in writing. It’s always been easier to express in writing because I can take time to consider what I want to say.
Galatians 1:10 NASB1995[10] For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
The point of the gift of prophecy is to edify the church. To encourage, comfort and help. 1 Corinthians 14:3. Christians are to seek to abound for the edification of the church. Prophesy convicts, brings to account and disclose the secrets of the heart to declare God. God revealed to me to edify the church through Psalm.
Ephesians 5:19 NASB1995[19] speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
I recognized that my words were not edifying at all. God knows I function best with practical tools to implement, thus using the words in the book of psalms when speaking to be effective in encouraging, bringing comfort and help. The psalms are useful in speaking truth in love to bring conviction and accountability to God. So that we turn from our rebellious, wanting to be our own god and turn towards Jesus. Look up! Now if I would just memorize the psalms. It’s only 30,147 words. I do want to improve my speaking to help others. Build up other Christians. I have to be careful because I have a tendency to idoliz people that I admire. I don’t want to feed people’s ego in their worldly pursuits, flesh or skills. I only want to praise God. I want to use God’s words to strengthen his church to bring glory to God. To use my spiritual gifts to be part of the body of Christ and build up the Kingdom of God.
Psalms 1:1-3 NASB1995[1] How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. [3] He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Ephesians 4:29 NASB1995[29] Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Building 429 Listen to the Sound
The gift of prophecy isn’t valued by people because 1.) it’s usually perceived in a twisted way. Like a soothsayer- someone who can see the future. Which, spiritually is like terot readers, crystal balls, psychics. Thats not one of God’s prophets. The gift of prophecy is a prophet of the Lord. A messenger. If the prophet knows what will happen in the future it’s because it’s the message God gave them, usually to warn them. The message is usually repent. The are many prophets in the bible God sent to Isreal to warn them they better start following God’s Precepts or else. God even sent a prophet to Isreal’s enemies. Jonah was a prophet sent to the capital city Ninevah of Assyria. The message: 40 days and Ninevah will be overthrown. It’s a prediction of a future event, but it’s not what the prophet was sent there for. A prophet was sent to let the people of Ninevah know that their actions have earned destruction. God relented concerning the calamity because they all repented. The point of sending the prophet was for them to repent so God can spare His judgement it wasn’t so Jonah can be a soothsayer.
Jonah 3:10 NASB1995[10] When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
Amos 3:7 NASB1995[7] Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.
2 Peter 3:9 NASB1995[9] The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 NASB1995[9] “When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. [10] There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, [11] or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. [12] For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you. [13] You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. [14] For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 NASB1995[15] “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. [16] This is according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ [17] The Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. [18] I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. [19] It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.
Reason 2.) Why the gift of prophecy isn’t valued. People perceive prophets as people who think they are spiritually superior to others believers. Like God talks to prophet only. Not true. The veil was torn in the temple when Jesus died on the cross and we all have access to our high priest. We can all hear from God as we pray and read his word and be guided by the holy spirit the helper. We don’t have to wait to hear from a prophet or go through a priest. What access!! The gift of prophecy is really the spiritual gift combination of faith, wisdom and obedience to the Lord of Hosts. Being a prophet is exhausting. Moses said let me not see this great fire anymore or I will die. Being in the presence of all might God is totally overwhelming. God wanting Moses to walk up to Pharoah after leaving the family, treason, murder of Egyptian and demand he release a million slaves is exhausting to try and rationalize. Jonah being told to go to Ninevah the great city of the Assyrians who terrorize and murder the Isrealites and eventually destroy the kingdom of Isreal. Like what Lord? Do you hate me? Are you trying to get me killed? It feels like anything but superior when God asks me to give a message. I feel inferior. Illequipt. Rejected. Who would want to listen to me? I’ve seen where people have a message for a specific person and God has given that to me a couple of times but only like twice in my whole life. The message God wants me to give is my testimony to edify the church. I’m like Lord. Do you hate me? Do you know how many people that is going to anger? Or call me crazy. People want to think what they already believed and they don’t want their beliefs challenged because it reveals what they have been doing based on those beliefs is displeasing to God. I lived in my hometown for 45 years and never began to obey God in writing my testimony until after I moved out of my hometown and became single because my husband and both of my parents were gone. 1 Corinthians 7:34-35 NASB1995[34] and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. [35] This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.
Mark 6:1-6 NASB1995
[1] Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. [2] When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? [3] Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. [4] Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” [5] And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. [6] And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.
Jesus couldn’t do miracles in his hometown because they thought they knew better based on what they already knew. “And He wondered at their unbelief.” They would rather think they know better then have miracles performed? They seriously missed out. In the old testament when prophets would go to Isreal with a message they would say don’t prophesy here! Isaiah 30:9-11 NASB1995[9] For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the Lord; [10] Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. [11] Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
Amos 7:14-15 NASB1995[14] Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. [15] But the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’
Deuteronomy 18:18-22 NASB1995[18] I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. [19] It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. [20] But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ [21] You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ [22] When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
Jonah’s prophecy to Ninevah came true 100 years later when the people returned to their old ways. The book of Nahum gives the account of it.
I relate to Jonah so much. I just want to run and hide and not do as the Lord has placed on my heart because people are terrible, stubborn and judgemental, hateful, jealous, malicious slanders and gossips. Not wanting to be brought near the holy one. Like the Isrealites who told Moses to go up the mountain himself because being near the presence of God was too much. When Moses came down from the mountain after being in God’s presence he was glowing so much they through a veil over him. I feel like other prophets who stated they would rather die than do what God is asking. It seems so dramatic when they say it. Lol.
I have desired to write out my testimony to teach my children and stop patterns of disfunction where we are not growing spiritually. To speak out against blindness of the church so to build them up and strengthen them. As people say if it helps one person… Thirdly to call sin a sin. To do that I have to speak personally. To show through my story of God’s work in my life. I’ve heard Beth Moore say that people will ask her why she doesn’t recount her childhood sexual abuse for us and she replies because you wouldn’t be blessed by it. I completely agree! I don’t need her to dredge up those nightmares and give details for me to understand that it’s awful. Incomprehensible. Additionally, when someone shares a trauma they have been through, other people feel comfortable to open up to them. It’s usually an unwelcome dump of Additional secondary trauma. They aren’t a professional who is a consenting to receive that information. There was an Oprah show one day where an FBI agent who finds child sex offenders was on and they gave a warning that she will graphically describe what physically happens to babies when they are sexually assaulted. I muted my tv because I don’t need to know the horrible details of that to understand that that even exists, or to have compassion for the baby or to feel angered and compelled to fight for justice. Unfortunately the audience didn’t get to mute. And as I’m watching silently her give account of what she has seen first hand she smiles as I imagine the audience begins audibly expressing sorrow and trauma. I’m thankful there are people willing to have that knowledge in order to snuff that evil out, but I’m no more helpful in that cause by listening to it. Hearing Beth Moore recount situations isn’t going to help me prevent myself from childhood trauma. Childhood is long gone and There are plenty of experts who teach how to protect our children from child predators, but that isnt Mrs Moore’s expertise.
I’m a very private person because I’m sensitive to criticism from my sin weakness of people pleaseing, holding others opion of me in high places. I’m pro accountability. I’m anti criticism for the purpose of devaluing. I’m pro correction and rebuke for the training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16. I keep things to myself not to hide darkness but to protect goodness from highly critical people who want to destroy. God has had to provide many lessons to instruct me that I have to share personal details I’ve experienced in order for my children and others to understand because it was unimaginable to me until I lived it. It was a lot to process as I was going through it and the trauma it caused wants me to be silent so it will just go away and I can forget about it. But it doesn’t go away until we face it, call it out and put on the full armor of God to fight against it.
Revelation 12:10-11 NASB1995[10] Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. [11] And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Satan accuses us day and night.