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Seeing
Abuse Up Close
A
man looking from a distance saw 5 men being lined
up against a wall while a military commander beat
and buffeted them in their bodies. They were being
given blows with the fist to the body and etc. The
man thought this must be the price that you pay to
be in the army of God and prepare you for battle.
This man came closer to possibly join and to see more
clearly what was actually happening. Then the commander
had one of his army lieutenants strike one of the
young recruits in the eye. The young man's head dropped
in humiliation after the blow to his head holding
his eye with his hand.
Feeling disgust over the way the commander was treating
these men, the man spoke directly to him questioning
him on why he was treating these men in such a fashion.
The commander, defending himself, replied that it
was to prepare them for the real battle. The man told
the commander “if that is what you call
preparation I don't want any part of it!” The
man walked off respecting the commitment of these
men but saw that it was misguided zeal and that these
men were being seduced and decieved into thinking
they were joining the army of God.
Pictures
of Figures and Happenings
Blow
to the Eye - the blow to the "prophetic
seeing gift". The religious spirit is all about
knocking out the prophetic eye. This is the eye that
sees in the spirit by the Holy Spirit and can expose
the enemy’s plans as well as seeing the Lord’s
heart and plans.
Commander - represents the religious spirit.
Recruits - these 5 men were committed to this with misguided
zeal thinking they were doing the right thing. It
was religious misguided commitment.
Young
Man's head dropping down - this represents
shame and humiliation. The Lord does not shame us
- HE LIFTS UP OUR HEAD!
But
thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and
the lifter up of mine head.
(Psalms 3:3)
Commanders
Response – “Preparing them
for the real battle”. This man was a hard
taskmaster representing the religious spirit. This
spirit comes as an angel of light manifesting through
legalism having a form of godliness. It looks good
from a distance. But when you see close up there
is abuse and people beaten up into a shameful disposition.
People join this army thinking it is the army of
God when it is the counterfeit. In our walk with
God we will be buffeted by the enemy but it will
be because we are going against the grain of the
religious spirit, not joining his army. These men
were deceived into thinking this was the “army
of God” having misguided zeal. They would
be in turn become abusive and legalistic just like
teh others.
The
Man’s Response – He declined
and deliberately walked away knowing that these
could possibly be “fellowmen” that were
misguided. Just as Jesus longed to have his own
people (the Jewish people) receive him but they
would not, so the heart of this man felt the same
way as he walked away.
O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)
In
this verse above we also see the war to keep the
voice of God from being released in the earth, even
the prophetic spirit. This religious spirit attempts
to undermine, weaken, impair and it's desire is
to kill the intimate connection with God in the
people through "form of religion". This
is why those controlled by it could not receive
Jesus as Messiah and had to kill him. The religious
spirit and the heart that is intimate with God cannot
co-exist.
Background
Meaning for “Buffet”
Here
is a little background on the word "buffet.
In both cases it refers to the work of satan:
Definition:
Buffet - To hit or beat, especially repeatedly.
To strike against forcefully; batter: winds that
buffeted the tent. To drive or force with or as
if with repeated blows
These
verses below reveal that the power of darkness is completely connected to this kind of abuse
and activity.
And
lest I should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to
me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan
to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
(II Corinthians 12:7)
And
some began to spit on him, and to cover his face,
and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy:
and the servants did strike him with the palms of
their hands. (Mark 14:65)
The Counterfeit Army
These
men who were joining this army thought the commander
was the "leader" of the army of God. Quite
the contrary, this commander was full of hatred and
bitterness. He was training these men in his ways
being disguised as a leader in the army of God. These
men were decieved.
Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and
when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child
of hell than yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)
These
men were being trained in the ways of the religious
spirit. When we are suffering in the Name of Christ
we know who the enemy is. Jesus knew who the enemy
was and knew exactly what was happening when He went
to the cross. It is normal to be persecuted by the
religious crowd, but it must be from the same position
that Jesus had in His relationship to God. These men
did not know what they were joining themselves to.
Man’s
Kingdoms and God’s Kingdom
When
men are building their own kingdom, church, ministry
and etc they are blind to the Kingdom of God and in
subjection to a religious spirit. We must examine
ourselves allowing the Spirit to show us our hearts.
We cannot be out to make a name for ourselves, but
to make Him famous. There are no exclusive favored
ones in the Kingdom of God. We are all His favorites!
We all need one another as we co-labor in the same
heart and spirit pursuing the desires of the Father.
We can say all the right things. But is the Lord really
the focus and motivating factor in what we are doing?
The Kingdom of God is the business that Jesus was
about doing. Revival is in the Kingdom of God, not
a church building or ministry. The Lord is looking
for a people that are all about His Kingdom work and
are about promoting HIM. It is about connection with
Him and obedience to Him. Apart from Him we can do
nothing of eternal value, but through Him we can do
all things.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
Knowing
the Father
That
is why it is so important for us to know the ways
of the Father. If we don't have intimacy with Him
then we don't recognize deception when it comes. The
religious leaders were oblivious to God being termed
as “Father”. They were blind to intimacy
with God. We must know how he deals with us as children.
He does not beat us up to get us in shape! He loves
on us and encourages us. He has sent His Holy Spirit
to help us. His love corrects us gently with firmness
making us stronger, lifting us up. We don't have to
look any further than at how Jesus treated His disciples.
He was full of grace and truth. He is full of loving
kindness. The religious spirit beats us down with
shame making us feel like dirt. The Lord is not a
hard taskmaster. The Lord loves those who are his
own and holds them closely.
John
16:26-28
In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not
say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27
for the Father Himself loves you, because you have
loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from
God.
The
Root of the Religious Spirit
The
Spirit of Cain
When the Lord did not accept Cain's sacrifice it spawned
anger, bitterness and eventually murder. This spirit
of Cain is at the root of the religious spirit. It
will kill because of jealousy and envy. Just as Jesus
came to bring salvation to His own people but was
killed because the spirit of murder had hold of them,
so Cain slew Able because Able offered the right sacrifice
to God out of his intimacy with God. Jesus said if
you knew me you would know my Father also. Able had
this revelation while Cain did not. But even then
Cain was offered the opportunity to repent and refused
giving access to the spirit of murder killing Able.
The
Elder Son
This same picture is seen in the parable of the prodigal
son. The elder brother was jealous for what the repentant
prodigal son had received from his father. The elder
son had access to it all along but because of a lack
of understanding of the love and inheritance of his
father he became embittered and angered. The elder
son is a picture of the religious spirit lashing out
at the spirit of sonship.
The
Full Inheritance
We
have access as sons into the full inheritance of the
Father and this is agonizing to the devil because
it is everything he always wanted but is banned forever
from having. So he looks for every opportunity to
deceive us out of our inheritance as sons. The way
he tries to deceive is by exalting a form of godliness
over true intimacy and communion with God. These forms
become abusive, legalistic, principled and predictable.
Matthew
23:27-29
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear
beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's
bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly
appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness.
This
is why so many end up being beaten up in churches
and organizations that can look good and seem to have
a "form of godliness" but are full of death
and destruction/dead men's bones. The heart and core
of our life with God is intimacy, communion and fellowship
with Him. Everything else falls underneath and means
nothing apart from this.
Colossians
1:12-13
Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to
be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the
light.
Break
League Today
If
for whatever reason you have discovered that the spirit
of religion has seduced you into this abusive form,
then make the choice today to break league and association
with it. That means you not longer operate according
to the thoughts and patterns of that spirit. It is
a breaking away from that form of godliness (something
that looks godly to the natural mind and eye) and
committing yourself to true communion and fellowship,
welcoming the Holy Spirit to fill you with His true
riches.
PRAYER
Father,
in the Name of Jesus, I renounce all association with
the spirit of religion. I repent from engaging in
any "form" of it asking you to wash me completely
from all of it's effects. I receive your forgiveness
and open up my heart to Your love, joy and peace -
Your Kingdom life! Holy Spirit come and fill me up
with Your overflowing Presence! Saturate my mind with
Your waters and bring me into the flow of Your life.
Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in my heart
and life even now. In Your holy love . . .
Thanks
Jesus!
AMEN.
There is No Place Like
His Place!
John Belt
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