Lay Not This Sin to Their Charge

 

Today we take One further Step - -

 

Parents often step in when children are fighting, and even if their child is wrong, they will defend their darling.  God is like that.  God is not happy when others attack his kids, or mistreat them with words or actions.

 

Most of us at one time or the other have been wrongly or even rightly accused of being a mean hateful person.  As a Christian, we even fester and fuss before letting it go, and quoting to ourselves, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord.” 

 

God has a way of causing; “What you sow is what you reap,” to accomplish his purpose.

 

After Cain murdered his brother, God cut him off from his family members, and sent him and his wife to the land of Nod to become a vagabond.  Cain remarked “my punishment is “more than I can bear and people will want to kill me.”  God said, “No because whosoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.”

 

God is Long suffering, patient and kind, but many times in the Bible, God simply got “ticked off” and rained fire and brimstone on those who sinned, such as the two cities Sodom and Gomorrah.  Other times in his anger against blatant sin, He opened up the earth and swallowed whole families even though they were of the Children of Israel.  

 

God puts up with a lot of foolishness and nonsense, but eventually He says, “Enough is enough” and He takes action.

 

In the New Testament, God struck Ananias and his wife Sapphira, dead because they lied to the Holy Ghost. 

 

There were other occasions when God was angry and ready to punish those who were disobedient to his will, or were harming one of his sons or daughters – but because there was an intercessor, his hand was stayed.

 

While Moses was in the glory cloud face to face with God and was receiving the commandments and the law, - The Children of Israel provoked God as they quickly turned to worship the golden calves that Aaron fashioned for them.  Exodus 32:7-10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted them-selves.  They have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people:  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them:

Moses spoke up and reminded God of his promises to Abraham, and said, “What would the surrounding nations say about a God who delivers and then wipes out his own children.”

Moses was begging God “Lay Not This Sin to Their Charge.”

 

Luke 23:34 Jesus was terribly mistreated by his own people, and as he was dying on the cross, He cried out to God; “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”  He was asking God, “Lay Not This Sin to Their Charge.”

 

Acts 7:  Steven was mightily used of God performing miracles that upset the Jewish leaders.  As he spoke about Moses and the prophets and acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God who was killed by them, but now was alive for He rose from the dead - - they clinched their teeth, and began to yell and stone him.  As Steven lay dying, he saw Jesus reaching out to receive him, and he cried with a loud voice, “Lord Lay Not This Sin to Their Charge.”

 

Today as we prepare to pray over our city, let us ask God to have mercy on those who are living contrary to God’s will.  Ask God to NOT send vengeance on those who have been deliberate in their sinning and turning their back on Jesus.  Can we pray: “Lay Not This Sin to Their Charge.”

 

Understand that each of us as Children of God, when persons come against you and trouble you that we are not to retaliate, or “pay back,” but to leave the vengeance to God.  Romans 12:19-20.

 

Often we find ourselves gloating and hoping that God will avenge us and “Get them good.”  We are happy to imagine how God will bring his wrath on them for hurting and offending us.

 

I would like us to take an unusual step that we normally do not take:  Instead of desiring those who persecute us to suffer the wrath of God and His vengeance; Might we consider asking God to NOT hold those persons accountable. 

 

Yes, we are considering those really awful persons who have given you trouble - - Those mean and vicious persons who have maliciously said unkind things to you, told lies about you and your loved ones, and perhaps make fun of your faith in Jesus.  Those persons who have stolen from you, abused you, harshly mistreated you; Those persons who showed you NO respect but wiped their feet on you.

 

Can we find it within ourselves (through God’s love and mercy that resides inside us) to pray, Lord, Lay Not their Sin against me - - to their charge?

 

I assume that in your heart you have already forgiven these persons or person who came against you. 

 

Are you willing to take the next step and intercede for them that trouble will not be their friend?  Because you are praying:  “Lord, Lay Not their Sin against me - - to their charge.

 

Plead the Blood of Jesus

Today we met to Plead the Blood over our city. Not just ANY Blood, but the precious Blood of Jesus must cover our citizens, our families and our friends.

Only the Blood of Jesus will save, heal and make a person, whole in their spirit, soul and body.  His blood was pure, and did not have the nature of Adam.  The baby Jesus did not have any blood from his mother's blood from Adam. The blood of Jesus came from His Father who was God. 

This meant his blood was unique and was able to flow from Calvary and cover the sins of the world.  It is because of His blood that we may boldly enter the Holy of Holies and approach God for ourselves.

Lord we plead the blood to cover our sick city.  I sprinkle the Blood of Jesus over broken hearts, sad attitudes, sin in all of its forms, and disease, virus, flu and all infirmities.

 Reading a portion from Hebrews 9:22-28 (KJV)
 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

 

Prophets Old and NEW

Edited from our Wednesday Meeting Praying Over our City
 

 

I just returned from a Prophetic Conference at Bethel, Redding, California, and at our Praying Over our City, I gave a short review:

One of the speakers reminded us that Super Natural is not Super Weirdo, but Natural to the Spiritual Person. And we are SPIRIT, live in a body and have a Soul.   God speaks to us in our spirit but often it seems like it is our own thoughts.

The prophets in the Old Testament often warned but they also could ‘see’ into the future and would tell what would happen.  Samuel saw Saul’s lost donkeys and told him they were safe. Many times their message was full of gloom and doom. 

New Testaments prophets are to speak positive good words of what is in the heart of God as they listen to His voice.

Jesus is still speaking today, even though He is in heaven.  Of course He speaks through the Word, but today more and more Jesus speaks to the Believer in their inner person. 

Peter is preaching:  Acts 3:21-22 God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.  For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 

(Notice at the time Peter is preaching this, Jesus is in heaven doing all His speaking from there to the listening spiritual ears of believers.)

Hebrews 1:1-2  God, who at former times and in divers manners spoke unto the fathers by the prophets,  Has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 

 

(Again Jesus is speaking to us from heaven and we must prophesy the words He is saying to us.) 

Revelations 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

 We have at least 3 witnesses saying that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony (or words) from Jesus speaking from Heaven to your heart so you may share them at appointed times. 

God is rising up a Prophetic Culture of Believers who are learning to listen and then speak out the Heart of Jesus over situations.

I shared a bit about something interesting at the Prophetic conference.  A group of the students from the School of the supernatural were on the platform and were asked how they saw or heard before they would prophesy.

One young Asian woman said she loves numbers and the Lord often shows her numbers about a person as she illustrated. She gave 4 numbers and said it is part of an address and asked if it meant anything to anyone in the audience. A gentleman stood and said yes. She proceeded to give the street name and the man said, yes that is my church. She said, is your name Joshua, and he said yes. Each time, she gave praise to Jesus for telling her about this man. Then she prophesied that something was going on in his church, but The Lord was making it alright, and his ministry would grow and be blessed.

 

Actually this was a combination of two spiritual gifts. The word of Knowledge (knowing something you would not normally know.) and prophesy telling the person what God is willing for them to have in the future.

 

Then we had the lesson and something stirred within me. The name Edith came to my mind, and I asked if the name Edith meant anything to the ladies sitting there.  All seemed puzzled - - So nothing.  I said, “Well that was a test.” (Test for me to learn to obey.)  Awhile later one of the ladies said, “What if she was my friend, but she is now in heaven?” So we rejoiced that Edith is in heaven. I suggested we all need to learn to develop our listening and see what God will do in our midst.

After the meeting we dismissed, and I turned and started to re-enter the church because I thought I had forgot my bottle of water. I opened the door and Pastor Allan said, is there anything you need sister? I said, No, I thought I forgot my water, but the Lord just told me that I put it in my purse. Back to the car - - and sure enough there it was.

Learn to Listen to God's voice and go ahead and give God credit for telling you.