Local churches have many good qualities and purpose, some people just love them while others have come to see some faults and reject them. I have met a lot of Christians who take great pride in going to church and even being a member. Many of them attack other believers for not attending a church service on a regular basis. They are very zealous for the church and discount the many blows some have received from local churches. I have also met a lot of lone rangers as church folk like to call them. These are people that have been burned by the local assembly of believers, brothers and sisters who don't take much stock in organized religion anymore.
I was reminded by someone this week that some people aren't bad people they just made bad choices. I guess I rush to judgment too often. I recently made a bad choice and have seen the need for God's loving grace. I would think that I would be condemned like I have condemned others; instead I have been given grace and love. We must realize when we feel like condemning and judging others that that could be us. We are all capable of making bad choices. I never was that judgmental till a person whose life revolved around illegal drugs tried to ruin my life and did some very bad things to me. I also was the victim of adultery.
Most people know the story of Cain and Abel and of that terrible event that caused the very first murder in scripture. A murder took place between brothers born of the same womb because of jealousy, greed and selfish gain. Cain was jealous of Gods favoritism and approval of Abel and Cain tried to change things by eliminating the competition, his brother Abel. But you can also see from this story that Cain's livelihood was farming and when he slew Abel, Abel's blood went into the ground, the ground was Cain's lively hood, it actually caused a curse to be on Cain's farming career and God said that it will no longer produce for you and you will be driven from it.
I love the song "I Hope You Dance." If you have never heard it you can look it up on YouTube and listen to it. As I look back on my life I can honestly say I danced. I may have failed sometimes but even though I could have chosen to do nothing in life I tried. I had some success, and some let downs but I wasn't willing to settle for the path of least resistance. I stepped out in faith many times, even when I didn't have to.
We are to desire the gifts of the spirit and especially prophecy. The Bible says in the last days I will poor out my spirit on all flesh. It says your sons and daughters shall prophesy and your old men shall dream dreams. So in the last days people will be hearing from God through prophecy, dreams and visions. We can also hear the Lord through that inner voice or some people and audible voice sometimes but mostly an inner voice. But are these things reliable? Can we always go by prophecy, dreams, visions and that voice? The truth is no. I have heard from the Lord for others many times.
Are you waiting for good things to come? Sometimes good things are on the way from God but it may take time. I can remember when God used to do good things and answer prayer within a few days. He was always doing something in lightning speed and doing something often. But as time goes on God wants to develop faith and patience in us and He doesn't answer as fast as he used to or may not be doing as much things. That doesn't mean He is not going to do it. It just means we have to be patient. Maybe you have been waiting for a while, well its coming.
Years back I had given so many things away and was faithful in tithing. I had given cars away, watches, jewelry, electronics money to strangers, you name it. The Bible says give and it shall be given unto you. But I wasn't seeing it. So one day after being enrolled in a Charismatic Bible college I took a Kenneth Hagen Faith study course. The course was great and it said faith is a now word in the present tense and you had to put action to your faith in order to see things manifest. It also said to remind God of his word.
I had a dream not too long ago that I was transported to a church and up in front of the church and a prophetess said to me that a pastor that I knew of is going to die soon and I am supposed to take over as pastor of his church. I then woke up in the natural and prayed to God and said God, "Is this true am I supposed to do that?" Then I went back to sleep and I dreamed that I was at a church and I was sitting at a table with a prophet and he said the dream wasn't true and you are called to pastor but it's not time yet. I said wait a minute I have been the pastor of several churches yet you say it's not time yet.
Years ago before the twins and Liberty were born. My wife and I were out of everything in the house and had no money. We were out of everything from toilet paper to formula and diapers for our firstborn son. We had prayed for days for the money to come and God just didn't seem to answer. Then one night, I believe it was a Sunday night we went to church and there was a guest speaker there speaking that night and he would be there for a few nights speaking on doing street evangelism and holding revival meetings.
One time in a dream God has let me hear his real voice. God's real voice is like nothing else that I ever have felt or heard. There was so much power in His voice; his voice was neither male nor female sounding it was almost like a computer or robot voice having a neutral tone to it. There was such power in his voice when He spoke, it shook everything and everything moved. It wasn't like an earthquake; it was like everything including the air itself was being electrocuted.
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