Have you ever had a recurring dream, continual thought or just could not seem to get a song out of your head ?... Good I am not the only one , with that being said .. a specific word has been etched on my heart for some time now and it is the word (FOLLOW ).
The word follow is described this way via the dictionary : To go after someone .
We as human beings follow other human beings, our emotions, desires, thoughts and convictions. The Old Testament scriptures " to follow" is taken in part from the word ahar which means behind or after, Describing how a believer demonstrates faith by "walking after" the One they profess to be Lord. In the New Testament we see " to follow " is from the Greek akoloutheo which speaks of the person who chooses to follow Christ. Through our daily choices, declarations, actions, responses or the lack thereof , we too are making a choice as to whether we want to follow Christ.
We follow people on Twitter, but where are they leading us ????, now there is nothing wrong with wanting to keep up with a celebrity, public figure, friend or athlete. But if I am in close communion with you , I should not have to search the internet to find out what is happening in your life .
We follow trends, if the world or a stylist says something is hot, fashionable or to die for , do we rush out and consider it a must have ?. We have witnessed the death and destruction of people who followed false gods and lost their lives due to a leader of a cult. Some were convinced to offer up their children as sacrifices, their own bodies... were deceived into going without food or water in order to reach a place of nirvana, encouraged to drink concocted beverages and some have even given all of their life savings to fund a cause that lead them straight to hell.
When we go to the doctor, we are examined and if need be medication is prescribed and we are then told to finish the medication and come back for a follow up appointment. The physician wants to make sure that you have followed his instruction and are doing what needs to be done to keep you healthy. Then we have what we call a follow through and this is where we make the necessary changes , adjustments and apply knowledge to complete a task. There are songs entitled " Follow the Leader" and as a child we played a game by the same name. Just recently we see a television program that airs with the title of "The Following "
Scripture records time and time again ...The clarion of Jesus telling us to take up our cross and follow Him, He says "Follow Me" to the disciples, He says drop what you are doing and pick up my way of doing things.. When He said Follow Me.. I believe the M in Me stands for my and the E stands for example. How does one follow another, they learn their ways, actions, speech, characteristics, likes and dislikes. They observe the way that they resolve conflict, how they answer to accusation and how they respond when someones view concerning them has been distorted. They give though taken advantage of, become vulnerable in order to reach others, tear down walls to build others up, refuse to speak , though they have much to say and they give of themselves because they fully understand what was given as a ransom for them.
Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost, His kingdom was not of this world; yet the people including his disciples mistook his coming for the overthrowing of the Roman Empire. We too as Christians will often be misunderstood, our motives and intentions will be challenged and our reputation may even be slandered. But such is the life of the one who has chosen to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel. The crowds followed him because of the miracles, though great and mighty, He came to reconcile us and to change our hearts about How we perceive God the Father, ourselves , our brothers and sisters and the world.
His popularity arose because they had never seen one do the miracles that He performed, had never heard such wisdom spoken , nor had they understood the power given to a person who has yielded themselves to the One who has sent them. If we want to be effective we have to look to the one who was most effective. A person does not go to Shaquille O Neal to learn how to successfully shoot free throws, but from his life we can learn how not to shoot them. If we are to follow the command of the Great Commission; surely we must go to the one who spoke to us commanding what is required.
Many will say ... well that is not my ministry, but is that true ???, because in Matthew 28:18- 20 it states that ....He spoke to them, saying All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Amen. Although his is the end of the chapter it is the beginning of the command.... If we profess Christ, then our actions should display the fruit of the one that we profess to love, serve and appreciate. To go means not to stay in the place where you are, to make is to construct by the putting of parts together and teach is to show , explain or educate someone how to do something.
Most want to go and build physical homes, while neglecting the ruins of their neighbors spiritual house, some want to dig a well in another country, but will not share a cold glass of water with those dying of thirst. Works ought to be accompanied by faith and I thank God for those he chooses to do those things, but what good is a nice home on earth, when a person is in danger of making hell their eternal home. And what is the profit of a well with fresh water if God has not entered the heart of the one who is being poisoned by Satan ?.
The Great Commission speaks to everyone and the responsibility that each individual has to share the Word of Life with a dying world. The United States has become the untied states because we have turned away from the teachings and example of the God we profess to trust in. We can go to any city in the country and find... all nations... Vegas, Times Square and Rodeo Drive give us a birds eye view of every ethnicity that God has created. My Jerusalem is those close to me, I must first serve them , before I endeavor to effective in Samaria or in the uttermost parts of the world.
What will it profit me if people knew my name, but not the One who created me for His good pleasure, redeemed me out of love and has empowered me to snatch someone else out of the fire ?. What will it profit me to tell another joke, when peoples lives have become a laughing matter, What does it profit me if I write a series of books, but am not a living epistle to be read before men ?
I must answer the call to take up my cross and follow Him, my cross is not a job, my weight or an infirmity.. my cross is the device God uses that very well may bring humiliation before honor. Will I follow ?... if I am forsaken by family and friends, will I follow if my motives and intentions are often misconstrued ?, will I follow and speak even if no one wants to hear ?, will I follow if alienation accompanies this journey ?. INDEED I SHALL FOLLOW !!!
For I would much rather follow the One who is high and lifted up
Than fall low and forget that I was saved to serve ; not to be served.
Hidden In Him
Pretina J Lowery
March 15, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A Wolf in the Woods
Most if not all of us are familiar with the old folk tale " Little Red Riding Hood". Today I was reminded of this story and how the enemy desires to devour us. Our minds can be renewed by the Word of God, our hope can be strengthened and restored by the power of the Holy Spirit and our soul can be kept safe by the blood of Jesus.
Many different adaptations of this tale have been revised over the years , but I will focus on the one that is most familiar to my memory.We read of a young girl walking in the woods alone... PAUSE ... I have an issue with that because as a child I was taught not to go anywhere unaccompanied and even in school they had what we called the buddy system. Why does one venture to walk through the woods ?, was it a shortcut?, were there no other open roads? or was she just that naive to think that she could take on the world aka the woods all by herself ?
Okay back to the story...She is in route to her grandmothers house whom by assumption I will say she had frequented before to give her some food. Immediately you read of how the wolf who no doubt had seen her travel before, knew the way she would take and was just looking for the opportune time to approach her. I believe that he would hide himself in the midst of bushes, shrubs and or trees to camouflage his presence. In his heart and mind he had already decided her fate, the wolf wanted to eat her alive ... not scare, kidnap or torture her... but DEVOUR her entire being.
He then reveals himself and begins to have a conversation with her, I do not know about you... but as I recall the last time a female had a conversation with an animal in a woodsy area it spawned the inception of the fall of man. Eve was chopping it up with the serpent while he was too looking for a way to consume her. Why in the world did Little Red Riding Hood think that it was okay to converse with the enemy anyway ?. This is just my two cents but I do not believe this was the first conversation that took place , to divulge information of that magnitude with someone would cause me to believe that you were comfortable enough to express your comings and goings to the point of feeling some false sense of thinking that the other party was asking questions for your benefit instead of your demise.
Now the wolf begins to give her counsel if you will as to what she should take to her grandmothers house... really Satan , now you know what`s best for me ?. Her initial plan was to take food, now she is picking flowers for her very own funeral. She agrees and is in concert with his suggestion. Sleeping with the enemy only comes after we have had discussion, contemplation and were persuaded in some way , most likely by our own hidden desires. He cannot tempt you with something that your heart isn`t already longing for.
The wolf who is just as crafty as the Serpent, beats her to her destination, did he know the address because she told him or again did he just follow her pattern of doing things the same old way , but expecting different results ? . Either way, he has found an open door and has now entered the house and grandma is nowhere to be found, could he have devoured her family member and would not stop until he overtook the young girl also ?. She arrives at the home only to notice that there is a little something suspect about her grandma. For the wolf has now disguised himself as FAMILY. Just as Satan disguises himself as the angel of light, only to be revealed as a counterfeit.Coming with the sole purpose to STEAL, KILL and DESTROY.Steal the peace you once found in wholeheartedly trusting in the power, protection and provision of God, to kill every dream, ambition and forward thinking mission that will bring life to others and to destroy your testimony, by convincing you that what he suggests would do you far better than what you already knew to be in your best interest.
Here we see her knowing in her gut that something, something, something, something ...just ain`t right !. But her next move tells much about the young girl. Instead of her realizing that things were not as they appeared , she stayed in the presence of the wolf and begin to converse with him yet again. The Bible says in Proverbs 6:27/28?.... Can a man scoop fire in his lap without his clothes being burned ?... or can a man walk on hot coals and not expect his feet to be scorched ?. What did she think was going to happen ??? .... the longer we entertain sin , we deceive ourselves into thinking that It does not have the power to overtake us.
She says " what a deep voice you have" , which leads me to believe that in the beginning he did not talk to her in the same tone, why else would she be startled ?. His response was " better to greet you with", I do not know about you , but as soon as he said that... I would have exited stage left, ran faster than OJ in an airport and leaped over the bushes in the woods like Lolo Jones over those hurdles at the
Olympics. Dialogue continues... " what big eyes you have " and he replies "better to see you with "... again I would have played dumb and been like , my bad you must have me mistaken for someone else, I will just let myself out. She goes on to say " what big hands you have", now unless she worked on CSI or was a forensic specialist by trade, she should have noticed by now her examination of him , did not coincide with what she knew about her grandmother. He responds " better to hug you with ". Really you wanna embrace me now ???. Ain`t nobody got time fo dat !.Some translations state that she then says "what big teeth you have and he faithfully replies... "better to eat you with ". His plot , plan and execution has now been made known, Now the very words that proceeded out of her mouth would cause her to be swallowed up by his mouth.
His plan was strategic from the beginning, he watched , he lurked, and learned her pattern . He coupled that information with seeing how much info concerning herself and those close to her would be released, presented himself as one who would make her journey that much more pleasant , beat her to her destination and all with the intent to use her own confession against her. The enemy is only aware of our next step when open our mouths... It`s like the container of mints , that come with two openings, one side says... to share while the other says... not to share. May we too be conscious of giving our pearls to pigs.
Though victorious in all things, we too today are susceptible to the wolf in the woods, as well as the one in sheep`s clothing. If we are not careful we ourselves can become the wolf preying on others vulnerability and using the very information that they share against them. We can and have never been able to can handle sin, that is why the very thing that you thought you just could not live without will wind up being the selfsame thing that is killing you. The craftiness of Satan can only be thwarted with the wisdom of God. Christ blood paid for and proved all for us. The person who is fully persuaded that there times and seasons are in God`s hands, do not have to try and arm wrestle with the adversary, we have shown full well that it is because of our powerlessness , that God had to send his son to sacrifice his life to redeem ours.
May we not insult the One who willingly laid down his life for mankind , by leaning on our own understanding and walking on the edge of sins cliffs. Yes we all will be tempted, but when we are , may we not blame it on God because He cannot be tempted by evil and He always provides a way of escape.
It is solely up to us if we will run with perseverance the race that is set before us or if we will listen the the "Wolf in the Woods"
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. Lowery
March,13, 2013
Many different adaptations of this tale have been revised over the years , but I will focus on the one that is most familiar to my memory.We read of a young girl walking in the woods alone... PAUSE ... I have an issue with that because as a child I was taught not to go anywhere unaccompanied and even in school they had what we called the buddy system. Why does one venture to walk through the woods ?, was it a shortcut?, were there no other open roads? or was she just that naive to think that she could take on the world aka the woods all by herself ?
Okay back to the story...She is in route to her grandmothers house whom by assumption I will say she had frequented before to give her some food. Immediately you read of how the wolf who no doubt had seen her travel before, knew the way she would take and was just looking for the opportune time to approach her. I believe that he would hide himself in the midst of bushes, shrubs and or trees to camouflage his presence. In his heart and mind he had already decided her fate, the wolf wanted to eat her alive ... not scare, kidnap or torture her... but DEVOUR her entire being.
He then reveals himself and begins to have a conversation with her, I do not know about you... but as I recall the last time a female had a conversation with an animal in a woodsy area it spawned the inception of the fall of man. Eve was chopping it up with the serpent while he was too looking for a way to consume her. Why in the world did Little Red Riding Hood think that it was okay to converse with the enemy anyway ?. This is just my two cents but I do not believe this was the first conversation that took place , to divulge information of that magnitude with someone would cause me to believe that you were comfortable enough to express your comings and goings to the point of feeling some false sense of thinking that the other party was asking questions for your benefit instead of your demise.
Now the wolf begins to give her counsel if you will as to what she should take to her grandmothers house... really Satan , now you know what`s best for me ?. Her initial plan was to take food, now she is picking flowers for her very own funeral. She agrees and is in concert with his suggestion. Sleeping with the enemy only comes after we have had discussion, contemplation and were persuaded in some way , most likely by our own hidden desires. He cannot tempt you with something that your heart isn`t already longing for.
The wolf who is just as crafty as the Serpent, beats her to her destination, did he know the address because she told him or again did he just follow her pattern of doing things the same old way , but expecting different results ? . Either way, he has found an open door and has now entered the house and grandma is nowhere to be found, could he have devoured her family member and would not stop until he overtook the young girl also ?. She arrives at the home only to notice that there is a little something suspect about her grandma. For the wolf has now disguised himself as FAMILY. Just as Satan disguises himself as the angel of light, only to be revealed as a counterfeit.Coming with the sole purpose to STEAL, KILL and DESTROY.Steal the peace you once found in wholeheartedly trusting in the power, protection and provision of God, to kill every dream, ambition and forward thinking mission that will bring life to others and to destroy your testimony, by convincing you that what he suggests would do you far better than what you already knew to be in your best interest.
Here we see her knowing in her gut that something, something, something, something ...just ain`t right !. But her next move tells much about the young girl. Instead of her realizing that things were not as they appeared , she stayed in the presence of the wolf and begin to converse with him yet again. The Bible says in Proverbs 6:27/28?.... Can a man scoop fire in his lap without his clothes being burned ?... or can a man walk on hot coals and not expect his feet to be scorched ?. What did she think was going to happen ??? .... the longer we entertain sin , we deceive ourselves into thinking that It does not have the power to overtake us.
She says " what a deep voice you have" , which leads me to believe that in the beginning he did not talk to her in the same tone, why else would she be startled ?. His response was " better to greet you with", I do not know about you , but as soon as he said that... I would have exited stage left, ran faster than OJ in an airport and leaped over the bushes in the woods like Lolo Jones over those hurdles at the
Olympics. Dialogue continues... " what big eyes you have " and he replies "better to see you with "... again I would have played dumb and been like , my bad you must have me mistaken for someone else, I will just let myself out. She goes on to say " what big hands you have", now unless she worked on CSI or was a forensic specialist by trade, she should have noticed by now her examination of him , did not coincide with what she knew about her grandmother. He responds " better to hug you with ". Really you wanna embrace me now ???. Ain`t nobody got time fo dat !.Some translations state that she then says "what big teeth you have and he faithfully replies... "better to eat you with ". His plot , plan and execution has now been made known, Now the very words that proceeded out of her mouth would cause her to be swallowed up by his mouth.
His plan was strategic from the beginning, he watched , he lurked, and learned her pattern . He coupled that information with seeing how much info concerning herself and those close to her would be released, presented himself as one who would make her journey that much more pleasant , beat her to her destination and all with the intent to use her own confession against her. The enemy is only aware of our next step when open our mouths... It`s like the container of mints , that come with two openings, one side says... to share while the other says... not to share. May we too be conscious of giving our pearls to pigs.
Though victorious in all things, we too today are susceptible to the wolf in the woods, as well as the one in sheep`s clothing. If we are not careful we ourselves can become the wolf preying on others vulnerability and using the very information that they share against them. We can and have never been able to can handle sin, that is why the very thing that you thought you just could not live without will wind up being the selfsame thing that is killing you. The craftiness of Satan can only be thwarted with the wisdom of God. Christ blood paid for and proved all for us. The person who is fully persuaded that there times and seasons are in God`s hands, do not have to try and arm wrestle with the adversary, we have shown full well that it is because of our powerlessness , that God had to send his son to sacrifice his life to redeem ours.
May we not insult the One who willingly laid down his life for mankind , by leaning on our own understanding and walking on the edge of sins cliffs. Yes we all will be tempted, but when we are , may we not blame it on God because He cannot be tempted by evil and He always provides a way of escape.
It is solely up to us if we will run with perseverance the race that is set before us or if we will listen the the "Wolf in the Woods"
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. Lowery
March,13, 2013
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