The storyline hasn’t changed even after all these years. I watched it growing up. The storyline goes like this: Mary gossiped to Ella. Ella didn’t stand up to Mary and chose to listen to the gossip. Daphne heard the gossip Mary was telling Ella, and Daphne told Joe and Elsie who then whispered to Myron then Maria then Julie then Victor. Mary made she sure spoke to everyone Daphne spoke to so she could make sure they had all the details and “correct information.” One person after another heard the gossip, either shared the gossip, participated in the gossip, or just remained silent as the gossiping was going on. Florrie, who was the object of the gossip, was unable to recover her reputation from all the lies the gossipers said. She ended up leaving the church, never to be heard from that church again. Florrie left the church completely disheartened, discouraged, and extremely hurt; the End.
Does betrayal happen in the church from one member of the body of Christ to another member of the body of Christ? Absolutely. The storyline I told above is an all too familiar storyline that still saturates the church today. Gossip doesn’t just happen within the walls of the place of worship, but members of the Body of Christ will sit down over a cup of coffee at another’s house or at a cafe.
Proverbs 18:22 & 26:22 both echo the same words, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.” Gossip has a way of seeping into your spirit, your heart, your mind, and your soul. If you allow yourself to listen to gossip about a person, you will see that person not as he/she is, but you will see them in the light of the gossip you told or entertained.
Lies are always soon exposed according to the book of Proverbs. Truth will always stand the test of time. Whether gossip is all lies or all truth or part true and part lies, gossip just like lying is a sin. The Apostle Paul even addressed this, “Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds,” Colossians 3:9. We must remember we are not controlled by our fleshly desires. We are controlled by the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us into all truth. According to Romans 8:12, we are under no obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do. As children of the Most High God, we must understand that our Heavenly Father is the God of Truth and His language is Truth. Therefore, His children should speak the language of truth, not lies.
May I encourage you not to participate in conversations that will tear someone apart? Do not allow yourselves to engage in conversations that will disrupt the unity amongst the believers within the Body of Christ. Remember always your words will either portray or betray who you are.
Heavenly Father, You are the God of Truth. Help me to always speak truth as You do. Give me the words I need to speak. Fill me with the wisdom and understanding that comes from You alone. Give me the strength and help me to walk away from conversations that will compromise my character and my witness. Help me to stand up for what is right and what is true. Your approval is the only approval I need to gain. I give You all the glory, the honor, and the praise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
King Rehoboam, King Solomon’s son, has flipped my brain inside out and upside down as I have been studying his life for the last two days. Each verse got more interesting, but what King Rehoboam did scared the living daylights out of me.
“And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord, With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 12:1-4KJV)
I shook my head as I read this passage of Scripture. It’s a little unnerving. First thing to note is that in this particular verse Israel is in reference to Judah. Second thing to note is King Rehoboam was very high in popularity at this time. Not only was he popular but he had also made an attempt to serve God. The Results: Judah prospered. We find this evidence in 2 Chronicles 11:17 (KJV), which states, “This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon.”
Rehoboam had success and was enjoying a time of blessing. He and his kingdom were firmly established and made strong. He was at the highest point in popularity and in power. Then, we see a tragic turn of events. In the time of blessing, Rehoboam “…forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” King Rehoboam committed two major sins: (1) He forsook the law of the Lord, and (2) He caused all Israel to sin because they followed his lead. We can see Rehoboam’s sin didn’t just affect him; it affected all Israel. When you are a leader, it is inevitable that people will follow you. They look at your example, and eventually, you will see them modeling what you have modeled for them. Any leadership role you play, you are held with a higher level of accountability by God. How you lead those who follow your example will affect your standing in the eyes of God. In this case, Israel took its leadership from Rehoboam and the whole nation forsook God’s law; they forgot about God and abandoned him.
There were consequences to them forsaking and abandoning God and His law. We can see the results of their sin in verses 3-5 (KJV), which states, “With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.”
I think it’s safe to say God has His limits. This verse, “…Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.” I looked up the word “forsake” in the Hebrew Language. The Hebrew word is “azab” which means “to loosen, to relinquish, to permit.” When we decide to forsake or abandon God, we are letting go, giving up on God; when we decide to forsake or abandon God, we are voluntarily surrendering our claim to God being the One we follow. There does come a time when God has had enough. We don’t like being ignored or disrespected or pushed aside. Can you imagine how God feels when we ignore, disrespect, or push Him aside? He is your Creator, who has given you life. It is not wise to push God aside or show Him any kind of disdain or indifference toward Him especially when God has lavished you with mercy and grace and has poured out His blessings upon you.
King Rehoboam and the people repented, and God saw the change of heart. Sounds good, right? Forgiveness doesn’t mean you will NOT suffer the consequences. The consequences may not be as severe as they would have been if you didn’t repent. Let’s look at verses 7-8 (KJV), which states, “And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.” What was their consequences for forsaking God and His law? They would end up the servants to Shishak, King of Egypt. By being the servants to Shishak, they would learn and know what it is like to be ruled by a man rather than being ruled by God. The NLT phrases verse 8, this way, “But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.” Need I say more on that?
Shishak attacked Jerusalem and ransacked the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple as well as the palace. Then, the gold shields which were made by King Solomon were stolen. God didn’t spare Rehoboam, a king, from the consequences of his choices. Do you think he would allow any of us to escape the consequences of our own individual actions and choices? The problem is when you make something else the lord of your life, you become a slave to that object. When you make a person the lord of your life, you become a slave to that person. Whatever consumes you is what you are a slave to.
GOD DOES NOT AND WILL NOT SHARE HIS GLORY WITH ANOTHER. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will not share the same temple with another object or another person. If you are backslidden, lukewarm, complacent, or lost God as your First Love, then you, being the temple of the Holy Spirit, will no longer be experiencing the Glory of God. You, whom the Holy Spirit once resided in, will be Ichabod, meaning “The glory has departed from Israel.” Do NOT grieve the Holy Spirit. If you find yourself in any of these conditions, I strongly encourage you to repent and make things right with God.
CAN YOU DUPLICATE OR SUBSTITUTE ANYTHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD? NO, NEVER, CAN’T HAPPEN, IMPOSSIBLE. Sure, you can try. King Rehoboam tried to. Look at verse 10-11, which states, “King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. Whenever the king went to the Temple of the Lord, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom.”
I make no apologies for finding what Rehoboam did to be foolish. He was trying to keep the former glory of the temple by using substitutes. “King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace…” He tried to keep the original appearance of the glory of the temple. Rehoboam had the guards protecting bronze shields which were cheap, shoddy, and inexpensive. He had substitutes to keep up the appearance of the former glory. The temple no longer demonstrated a genuine display of the glory of the Temple, but it only gave a FAKE appearance of the former glory of the temple. Remember everything was stolen from the temple. Now all Rehoboam could use was substitutes.
When you are no longer for God, when you are backslidden, when you are not in right relationship with God, if you have forsaken God, then the glory of God is not seen in you. You can put on a performance or even display a picture of perfection, but that fact is, when you are FAKING, the fake display you are putting on will lack intensity, clarity, vividness, and the brightness that only the true glory of God has. YOU CANNOT DUPLICATE THE GLORY OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE JUST LIKE REHOBOAM COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FORMER GLORY OF THE TEMPLE. Just because you put on a picture of perfection does NOT mean that God is going to accept you and your behavior. Nothing you do will substitute the presence and glory of God in your life. Either you are for God or against Him. You are either serving God or not. Nothing can replace God and His glory shining in your life.
The way Rehoboam ended his reign and his life was in a very sad state, “But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart.”
We can all learn from Rehoboam. First, when you go through good times and times of blessings, guard your heart. Hold your faith closely, and cling to God. Cling to the truths of God. Second, when you repent and humble yourself before God, He will NOT reject a broken spirit and a repentant heart. Third, be steadfast in your love for God and make your face like flint determined to do His will.
As we live life, let us live in such a way before God, that when we stand before Him to give an account for how we lived our lives, we will hear the words, “Well done, My Good and Faithful Servant.
“Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” -Proverbs 21:23 NLT
Practice self-control even in speech. Not everything you are thinking and not everything you feel needs to be spoken. The problem with words is that once you have spoken, you will not be able to take those words back. Will your words edify or tear down? Remember out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.” (Matthew 12:35)
“Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” (Proverbs 25:11)
“Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.” -Proverbs 12:3 NLT
The path of the wicked only leads to destruction. The wicked continue to grow eviler, more contemptuous toward what is good and holy, and their hearts continue to harden. Their deceptive words crush the spirit and they hate discipline. Their mouths spout foolishness. They devise evil schemes. Whatever success they do have is not permanent, and that temporal success costs them their integrity and honor. That temporal success comes at the expense of their character. They are NOT successful according to God’s standards.
The godly, however, are successful by God’s standards. They are deeply rooted in Christ and grounded in the Word of God. They maintain their purity before God. They walk in righteousness, and their words build up and encourage others. The success they have gained in the sight of God and in living for Him is lasting because the godly live by God’s commands and laws; they walk uprightly before God, protecting truth, and keeping up their integrity.
If you want true success that is lasting, then follow God’s ways and live by His standards. Obeying God and doing things His way will always bring about blessings.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, every good and perfect gift is from You. You are my Lord and my God, and my desire is to live for you. Remind me that true success comes by living for You and following Your laws and Your commands. True freedom is found in surrendering to Your will and Your ways, walking in obedience to you. Help me to maintain my integrity and to continue walking uprightly before You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“And you shall know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.'” -Ezekiel 11:12 (NKJV)
Israel was no different than us today. They were not supposed to be like the other nations. They were not to participate nor were they to conform to the ways of the pagan nations that were all around them.
As the children of God, Israel was not to take on the pagan customs as their own. They were to have nothing to do with pagan religious rituals; They were not to get involved in the pagan religions at all. They were set apart to stand out, not to blend in. They were called to bear fruits of righteousness and holiness.
Today, we like Israel are not to confirm to the patterns, behavior, or customs of this world. We are called to holiness, called to stand out and not to be like the world. We are to follow God’s commands and laws. We are to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” (Romans 12:2 NKJV).
GOD HAS ALREADY SET THE STANDARDS SO STOP TRYING TO REWRITE WHAT GOD HAS PERFECTED.
GOD has made it clear in His Word what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. It doesn’t matter what the culture around you says. It doesn’t matter what the culture around you calls right and wrong. The vain imaginations of men and the world’s philosophies are not approved of GOD.
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” -Romans 1:21(NKJV)
If your main goal is to please man in what you do and say, and if you are looking for man to approve what you do and say, then you are not a servant of Christ.
“Am I now seeking the approval 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 servant of Christ,” (Galatians 1:10 BSB).
As a child of the LIVING GOD, you have been chosen and called to bear fruit (Reference John 15:16). You have been called to be set apart, to be made holy, to stand for truth, not to bow down to the culture around you.
“What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.” Isaiah 5:20 NLT
“Accept the way God does things for who can straighten what he made crooked?”
Ecclesiastes 7:13
Accept the way God does things? “Linda, you can’t be serious.” Yes, I am serious. I cannot overlook what the verse says. “Accept the way God does things.” The fact is God loves us, and He wants the best for us. God’s way of doing things is vastly different than ours. If I could have some things done instantly, they would be done, but I am so glad God did not give me some of the things I wanted immediately; Some things I’m glad He didn’t give me at all. We could complain and talk until we’re blue in the face, but that will not make God answer us faster or even get Him to move out of His perfect timing. God has good things in store for each of His children, and the good things He has for us ARE WORTH waiting for. Doing things our way can only mess things up. However, when God works, His work is done in His perfect timing, and everything works out for the good of those who love Him and according to His purpose.
REFLECTION: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work God has done from beginning to end,” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Are you willing to accept God’s ways? Will you submit to God’s timing and wait for Him to work out everything? Remember, God is your Heavenly Father and only wants the best for you, and no one is able to stop Divine Providence. Accept how God does things because His ways are not our ways. You do not know the future, but God sees what is up ahead of you. He is the only One Who truly knows your future and what lies ahead. Consider the work of God and His sovereignty. God has not forgotten about you, and He is still in control.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, nothing stops Your divine providence. Your Word goes forth and Your Word will accomplish the purposes for which it was sent. Your ways, how You work, is something I cannot fathom, but I know everything is working together for my good because I love You and am called according to Your purpose. Father, I am humbled by Your goodness and Your faithfulness, and though I may not understand how You work everything out, I am trusting and hoping in You for You, O God, are still in control. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful?”
-Job 21:7 NLT
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; Do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.”
-Psalm 37:7-9 NLT
“I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.”
-Isaiah 48:10 NLT
Sometimes I wonder why it always looks like the wicked succeed, then I’m reminded that the wicked are not succeeding because they are perishing. One can be wealthy and successful by every worldly standard and yet be spiritually bankrupt. Success in the eyes of God is vastly different from how the world sees it. God takes you to heights unknown when you are following Him and He blesses those who are walking in obedience to Him.
There may be trials along the way to get to the destination God has for you, but those trials teach you endurance and perseverance. You are not refined in the times of good, but you are refined in the furnace of suffering. God is the one who will make you come out as gold. Just remember to keep your eyes and your mind fixed on the Author and Finisher of your faith, and He will be the One who gives you perfect peace as you keep trusting in Him.
REFLECTIVE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You, O God, are the Author and the Finisher of my faith. I will continue to keep my eyes and my mind fixed on You because in You alone there is hope and peace. You are the True Joy Giver. You are the One who upholds me with Your victorious right hand, and You have made me more than a conqueror. Lord, help me to always remember that no matter what comes my way, no matter what circumstances I find myself in, You will be the One who shapes and refines me and brings me forth like gold. Guide me as I walk along this narrow way for Your grace is the wall of protection around me, the netting that catches me when I’m falling, and Your grace is my covering. Lead me to the destination You have for me. Help me to carry out the tasks You have assigned me, and may my spirit always yield to You alone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Divination has permeated societies and cultures around the globe. It has filled our schools, homes, businesses, churches, commercials, television shows, media, movies, books, literature, video games, and the internet. Divination has disguised itself in what seems to be the most innocent to what is obviously blatant. It has filtered itself through words of manipulation and deceit as well as in vain repetition.
Divination is fathered by none other than Lucifer, the devil himself, called Satan, the serpent of old, and the adversary to your soul. In 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV), it states, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” and Jesus Christ Himself called Satan the Father of Lies as we can see in John 8:44 (GW) which states, “You come from your father, the devil, and you desire to do what your father wants you to do. The devil was a murderer from the beginning. He has never been truthful. He doesn’t know what the truth is. Whenever he tells a lie, he’s doing what comes naturally to him. He’s a liar and the father of lies.”
Satan will never show you sin in its actual form because Satan knows if you knew what sin looked like, there is no way you would go near it. He will dress the sin to look fun, innocent, tantalizing, and/or seductive which will leave you wanting more if you are not paying attention and are unable to discern what is good and what is evil.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength,” (Deuteronomy 6:5). THE FACT IS SATAN WILL LIE TO YOU. If you are involved in any form of divination and call yourself a Christian, understand one thing: divination removes God from the throne of your life; And if God is not sitting on the throne of your life, there is only one other sitting on that throne. You cannot serve God and Satan at the same time. They do not share the same throne nor do they share the same kingdom. Understand divination, no matter what form you are entertaining, MUST be repented of and you must turn away from all divination, not just portions of it.
You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the basic law of the temple is holiness. Do not defile your temple by entertaining that which is displeasing to God.
On the property of the house I grew up in, there was a Crabapple Tree, and I despised the tree. As a kid, I blamed the tree for the miserable apples it produced, giving me the displeasure of having to pick up all the apples falling from it onto the ground. I hated picking up those apples, and I most often could be heard shouting, “I hate this!” and “Stupid apples!”
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I braced myself before I started that chore, put a plastic sandwich bag on my hand because of how rotten they were, and then I would begin. It was the worst chore, but I had only two options to go outside and complete my chore OR be grounded. I chose to complete my chore. All I wanted was for the Crabapple Tree to work with me. I wasn’t asking for a lot when I shouted at the tree, “Work with me! Not against me.”
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It was an absolutely beautiful tree, but the fruit was rotten.
WHAT KIND OF TREE ARE YOU?
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Are you a good tree producing good fruit, or are you a bad tree, like the Crabapple Tree in this story, producing rotten fruit?
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Jesus had this to say in Luke 6:43-45, “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” -John 15:16
As a child of God, you are chosen by Jesus to go forth and bear much fruit. How you conduct yourself is very important because unbelievers are watching you especially if you are witnessing to them about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Some will try to push you to the edge to see how you will react, and so there must be a noticeable difference between you and those who are unbelievers. Your conduct and your speech must line up together. If the unbeliever cannot tell the difference between you and them, then there is a problem. All of us are to be lights in this dark world. If you live like the world while claiming to be a child of God, you are fooling yourself and still living in darkness (1 John 1:1-8).
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In 1 Samuel 9:2, King Saul is described as handsome. God, however, saw King Saul’s heart. King Saul did not do the will of God, bearing the fruits of disobedience and being more concerned about the approval of man.
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God tells Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
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And God is still telling us the same thing today. God wants us to do His will, and when we do His will out of obedience and devotion to Him, we are producing good fruit. When we spend time in prayer, the Holy Spirit is working in us, convicting us, changing us. When we conform our will to the Lord’s will, we will produce good fruit. The only reason we are able to bear the fruit God wants us to bear is because of His grace and His mercy, and as His Holy Spirit guides and leads us into His Truth, we bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control.
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What fruit are you bearing? Are your actions and your words lining up together? Are you walking the walk and not just talking the talk? Is there a noticeable difference between you and the unbeliever?
“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Divination has permeated societies and cultures around the globe. It has filled our schools, homes, businesses, churches, commercials, television shows, media, movies, books, literature, video games, and the internet. Divination has disguised itself in what seems to be the most innocent to what is obviously blatant. It has filtered itself through words of manipulation and deceit as well as in vain repetition.
On the property of the house I grew up in, there was a Crabapple Tree, and I despised the tree. As a kid, I blamed the tree for the miserable apples it produced, giving me the displeasure of having to pick up all the apples falling from it onto the ground. I hated picking up those apples, and I most often could be heard shouting, “I hate this!” and “Stupid apples!”
Stained Glass Confessions 