Garden Ministries

Janet Smith – 11-4-19 ©gardenministries.org

God is moving with increasing pressure and momentum toward the fulfillment of His spectacular promise to dwell with us (see John 14:23, Revelation 21:3). We are in God’s birthing picture. Jesus called it the beginning of birth pangs. The Apostle John described a pregnant woman crying out in the pain of travail and the Apostle Paul called it groaning of creation. We have to remember that the pain of birthing culminates in new life. This is Good News! A new life is coming.

What is God’s will for us during this stage of His birthing picture?

Hebrews 10:36: For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

How does endurance accomplish God’s will and position us to receive His promises?

Endurance weeds out the riff-raff. The 5 foolish virgins were shortsighted because they relied on earthly wisdom. They didn’t set their minds on heaven’s perspective so they could not prepare for the enduring aspect of waiting for the bridegroom. The proof is this: they didn’t pay the price to get the oil they actually needed. The 5 wise virgins accessed the wisdom that comes down from above and because of this, they were ready with proper supplies to meet the Bridegroom when He came.

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The Glory is a Person

Without endurance, we won’t have the character needed to house His glory. We have never experienced the Haggai 2 “glory of the latter house.” No one has. This is reserved for the last days and has a special preparation process that others may not have had to go through.

The point is, we cannot know how to properly prepare based on natural wisdom and means. We need the supernatural revelation that only comes through an intimate, daily pursuit of knowing Jesus as Romans 12:1-2 describes. To stand at the door ready for His knock, we need Him. To hear Him knock, we need Him. To open the door and welcome Him in, we need Him. Waiting on Him now is how we find Him and access His heavenly wisdom.

Patiently waiting while seemingly nothing is happening is a part of the cost of accessing the glory. The glory is a Person. It is the invisible God making Himself tangibly Present through the manifestation of His transformative essence. The glory is different than the anointing. It is far more weighty and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord comes before it.

This is the beginning of the heavenly wisdom that comes down from above. It is a whole new ball game. If we don’t let God prepare us, we will not be able to stand and minister and thrive in the glory. We will be crushed by the sheer weight of He who is present in His manifest power.

Thus, our hearts are being purified now as we wait on God. We wait because He said so—period. We wait because it is important to Him—period. We wait because He is doing something in our hearts that we can’t yet see the fruit of. Bob Jones once said, “Waiting on God is not a waste of time.” Do we believe this?

Times of patient endurance reveal whether or not we will turn away from God and look to anything or anyone else, including ourselves, to get what we want. Anything we substitute for God is idolatry. Idolatry is one of the main reasons there is a veil of separation cast between heaven and earth. But every time we refuse to seek a substitute for Jesus, we are causing that veil to thin and heaven to draw nearer.

2 Corinthians 3:16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

The time of patient endurance reveals whether or not we will wait for God to come and fulfill His promises in His appointed time or if we will try to take matters into our own hands and self-justify getting ourselves out of the painful circumstances God has purposely placed us in while we wait.

1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Even though Jesus could have summoned thousands of angels to rescue Him from His painful trials, He never took matters into his own hands—not even when it looked like the Father had forsaken Him.

Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.

All the way into death itself, Jesus never turned to Self. He did not love His own life outside the Father’s perfect will but always entrusted Himself to the Father to take care of Him and accomplish His promises.

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Faith that produces godly character requires perseverance. This kind of character brings the hope that God’s love will be poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We may even get to the point where we can exult in our tribulations. Why? Because we see Jesus, the Hope of glory in them.

Romans 5:2b-5 we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Only God knows when our enduring process has accomplished His will. That’s why He asks us to follow Jesus’ example and not love our lives unto death, i.e., seek to save our lives from pain and suffering. If we think there is a point before death when our enduring process should end, then we may be tempted to take matters into our own hands and prematurely end the enduring process and miss the fulfillment of God’s promise. The point is, we don’t know when we’re ready. Only God can read the heart and know this. Abraham even had to be willing to die to his fulfilled promise in Isaac.

Endurance Breaks Idolatrous Bondages

Overcomers know how to patiently endure. Overcoming the spirit of the world—especially in the form of the love of money—are big steps in the maturing process and these steps can take time. Jesus actually spoke more about money than He spoke about the kingdom of heaven. James 5 leads all believers into the subject of endurance but first warns the rich not to use their wealth to avoid hardship and thereby miss the blessings that come to those who do endure (James 5:11). You may not think you are rich but as Americans who are Christians, compared to most of the rest of the world, you are considered rich. James 5 warns us of the consequences of misusing our resources.

James 5: Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! 4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you.

And then James segues into the call for endurance and a proper attitude toward others.

7 So be patient [makrothumeó], brothers and sisters,

Makro-thumeó (mak-roth-oo-meh’-o) 1) to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart 1a) to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles 1b) to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others 1b1) to be mild and slow in avenging 1b2) to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish.

Be patient for how long? Verse 7 continues.

…until the Lord’s return [The Lord’s Parousia].

He’s coming to us before He’s coming for us.

Parousia: 1) Christ’s transformative Presence 2) the progression of Christ’s coming, His arrival, and His formal and glorious setup of the kingdom of God on earth.

7 (cont.) Think of how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient for it until it receives the early and late rains. 8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return [Parousia] is near.
9 Do not grumble (stenazó) against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates!

Stenazó: I groan, expressing grief, anger, or desire. From stenós, “compressed, constricted” – properly, to groan because of pressure of being exerted forward (like the forward pressure of childbirth); (figuratively) to feel pressure from what is coming on – which can be intensely pleasant or anguishing (depending on the context). [This term “denotes feeling which is internal and unexpressed,” i.e. to sigh, moan (groan) with frustration.]

Getting into the Nitty Gritty

God often uses the enemy’s opposition to accomplish His divine purposes in us. When opposition hits and squeezes us, our unsanctified soul’s response to the injustice ignites and we begin to groan. Here’s our chance to see what’s really under the hood and where we’re at with God. We may feel slighted, grieved, mad, or incensed about something or someone and we want the problem fixed. What do we do now? It’s a choicepoint opportunity. We can either look to our soul and the world or dead religion for answers, or we turn upward and look to God for His way through. We are called to stop our outward groanings toward other things and people, and groan upward toward the Lord.

Our opinion of what people or things should or shouldn’t do in response to what is happening needs to go upward in prayerful submission to the Divine filtering process of God. This may only take a few moments or it could take weeks. The point is, we are turning to God to bring His answers and not relying on our own earthly wisdom to solve the problems. We don’t see the whole picture like God sees it. As we wait on God for answers, we are submitting to His vision. We can cast our anxieties about the situation on Him and let Him carry us in peace toward His comprehensive plan of action, which often includes waiting and seemingly doing nothing.

James 5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name. 11 Think of how we regard as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 12 And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.

One way to interpret James directive to “not “swear” can mean that we don’t give into an impatient soul’s response to a perceived injustice by lashing out in verbal anger expressed through swearing. This expression of anger will not accomplish the righteousness of God.

James 1:19-20 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

Overcoming the Anger of Injustice

If we choose to indulge vengeful anger, it’s usually because we blame God and don’t trust Him to bring the kind of resolve we may selfishly prefer. We let what we want supersede what God wants. But Jesus walked in deep submission to His Father’s leadership and never took matters of injustice into His own hands. He always waited on His Father to lead and direct Him. This is God’s way for us.

Without this deep submission to God, our unsanctified, defensive, self-protecting egos will always get the better of us. Apart from God’s Truth and Love driving our motives, the human perspective can only view injustice through a foggy, self-centered lens. We cannot see clearly as God sees all things. When we align with God’s Spirit of Truth, we can expect God’s way through the situation to activate. But we must remember that His ways are not our ways. He is looking out for everyone, not just us.

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

God sanctifies our egos by means of first bringing our sense of right-and-wrong into full alignment with His Word. Through the process of dying to self and growing in intimacy with Jesus Christ, we will better appreciate His ways of dealing with injustice. He often uses injustice to heal and deliver us from retaliatory aggression and irresponsible passivity. Heaven’s wisdom promises pure and peaceable results. The best way to prevent our soulish anger from rising up and making things worse is to turn to the Father for help.

Responding to Injustice

Romans 12 describes how mature Christians should practice kingdom justice and it does not include angry, self-righteous, ego-driven reactions. In fact, the Bible requires a very different and even difficult response. One we can only give if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s why we need to spend time with Jesus and cultivate intimacy with Him. When injustice comes our way, the closer we are to Jesus, the more His nature will manifest through us. If we don’t invest in our love relationship with Jesus, we won’t act like Him when trouble comes.

Romans 12:14, 16-21 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. 20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where we are vulnerable to unrighteous anger and where our unsanctified ego is defensive, competitive, and vengeful. Then when injustice hits, and our unrighteous heart condition is revealed, we can ask Jesus to forgive and cleanse us, and then entrust what concerns us to the Father to figure things out, since He will judge all situations righteously.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, we need to endure until the will of God is done in the earth. Only God knows when His will is done. If we don’t endure, we won’t have the character to carry the glory and minister in His fullness. We need to wait on God, seek His will above our own, turn away from idols, pray with each other to strengthen and encourage each other, and not misuse our money and resources to kick the can down the road, that only delays our preparation—which necessarily includes endurance. The birthing of a new day and the new life of God is at hand. Will we enter into it or just watch it happen from the sidelines?

Janet Smith – 9-29-19 ©gardenministries.org

Psalm 34:4-5 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed.

God’s love promises to drive out all my fear, grace me with a humbled dependence on Him, and topple all my mountains of self-serving pride. If loving my friends and family is challenging, how will I ever love my enemies? I need a different love. One that doesn’t fail. I need God’s big love as it is revealed in the unshakeable love of Christ.

1 John 4 tells us that the big price behind knowing God’s love is worked out in how well we love others. Verses 10 and 19 hint at a distinction between human love and divine love. The invisible God becomes visible as we manifest His Truth in Love within our circles of fellowship. But who’s love are we manifesting? Our own human affection or His divine love? There’s a difference.

1 John 4:7, 9-12, 15-21 NASB: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God…9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [i.e., appeasing sacrifice and soothing balm] for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us…

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

God’s love manifests in us when we live through Jesus Christ (1 John 4:9). What does it mean to “live through Him?” The key word is “through.” In Greek, the word for “through” is, “dia.” Dia means: across (to the other side), back-and-forth, to go all the way through; successfully across. To go back-and-forth and across to the other side describes the process we undertake as we seek to know God and believe He loves us perfectly.

David sought the Lord and He answered David and delivered him from all his fears. The more we seek God, the more His divine love and truth confronts our fear and pride and whittles away the walls of rejection fortified by lies. Day by day, brick by brick, the wall of fear and pride crumbles under the weight of His love as He tenderly draws us into His sword of Truth and cuts away the blinder veils cast between soul and spirit (see Hebrews 4:12).

The circumcision of the heart is painful and sweet. Every time I let His Word draw me to face and acknowledge my fearful, guarded places of unbelief, I can expect my pride bubble to get pierced and the oozing infection of pain formed around it to drain. If I keep my eyes on Jesus and trust Him as He cleanses and covers my wounds, I’ll continue on toward healing (see Isaiah 19:22).

1 John 4:17-18 describes how fallen human love lacks confidence because of the fear of punishment. When we make people’s love our source for feeling loved and put their love above God’s, we will punish these people when they don’t love us well enough and reward them when they do. Why do we do this? Depending on people’s love is easier to control and manipulate than depending on God’s love. That’s why we do it. We want control of our lives—and others.

To the degree we seek control of our lives and others is to the degree we will punish and reward for falling short or succeeding in what we falsely perceive as love. The problem is: we don’t see in Truth. We’re in charge and Jesus isn’t. We are not rooted and grounded in His divine love, we are established in our own tainted perceptions and conclusions about love. We go back-and-forth within these shame and performance-based cycles that have nothing to do with God’s love. It’s a broken system.

We have no hope of ever being loved well enough by any human love because it’s impossible for humans to love us like God loves us. Since the fall of mankind in the garden, human love was separated from God and became entirely self-centered. No one can love perfectly except those who live through Jesus Christ and manifest His perfect love. What a relief. I can stop trying to love or be loved according to my carnally-minded human nature.

In order to access the deep wells of God’s love, we will have to risk surrendering our preconceived ways of being loved and showing love. It’s time to throw the scorecard away once and for all. We don’t get to lead the charge on this process—nor can we. It’s God’s call on how He will show us His love and He doesn’t play by our corrupt, self-centered rule book. We have to throw it out and depend on His insightful leadership.

The Spirit of God loves us uniquely and His ways of showing His love confront and comfort us. God’s love will always resist our attempts to hide behind pride and fear. His Truth hits hard when it finds stony, unbelieving pride and His Truth acts like a sponge when it dries up mushy, reluctant fear-ridden shame.

I cannot perceive God’s love without surrendering to the Spirit of Truth who alone reveals God’s love to me and through me. The love of God is completely outside of my unsanctified human capacity to understand. I am not able to relate through the lens of my self-centered human affections. The love of God is a power I cannot know unless and until He reveals it to me. As long as I stay in control of how I’m loved based on my own self-serving leadership and humanistic perception of love, I am limiting how much I will know and experience of the true and lasting, eternal love of God.

When I try to make love fit into my limited, fearful, controlling human box, I am not open to know the full extent of God’s true love. When I try to control how I’m loved by others, I subject my heart to them and give them power to define love to me in ways they cannot deliver. People are not in charge of my emotions and my heart. God is. When we separate divine love from human love, we see Ephesians 3:14-21 make more sense. It describes the completely other-than nature of the love of God and that we can only gain access to it through faith in Christ, not in people.

Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Paul prayed that we be strengthened by the Spirit in our inner man so that we “may be able to comprehend” love. This means we cannot comprehend it without God’s strengthening and enabling. There is an individual enabling and a corporate enabling “with all the saints.”

With this in mind, I am free to view my human relationships as a mirror on how well I am comprehending, responding to, believing in, and walking in the transformative BIG LOVE of God. If I view God’s love through my own set of controls, I will measure love within my self-centered perceptions and experiences of love. When I define love through my corrupt lens of fear and pride and call it “God’s love,” I am trying to make Him fit in my box and He will not—because He cannot.

The revelation of God’s love will transcend my human perceptions and controls. His love blows my grids. It takes humility to even want these preconceptions blown. I must want my selfish ways of relating to God crucified with Christ to gain access to His ways of relating to me. Jesus knew the human heart could not be trusted (see John 2:24). He only entrusted Himself to the Father Who judged every situation and relationship righteously (see 1 Peter 2:23). Just as Jesus modeled for us, our eyes must stay fixed on the prize of knowing Jesus and seeking the revelation of His love. If we seek Him, He will answer our prayers. He will tear down the walls of pride and lift the valleys of shame entrenched with lies. He will do this for us. Will we let Him?

The BIG LOVE of God cannot be experienced except that we first accept the BIG PRICE Jesus paid to redeem us from our broken and sinful estate. From there, further revelations of His love come from our back-and-forth crossing over through daily seeking and believing in His word. As we ask, seek, and knock, the Spirit of God faithfully confronts our fearfully proud and hostile mindsets. God is big enough to deliver us from all our fears. Fear and pride are intricately connected. Will we let Him confront and tear down any mountains of pride standing in our way? Or will we hang on to the controls, justify our excuses, and let shame’s mushy mire keep us looking at ourselves or others for answers?

Matthew 10:37-39 NASB He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

In Matthew 10:37-39, Jesus boldly declares that it is divine love that carries the day and all human love pales in comparison. He followed His declaration by telling us to take our cross and follow Him. What cross is He asking us to take? We have to stop putting human love above or on par with divine love. They are not compatible because they are not born from the same source. Human love is sourced in the uncrucified, self-centered soul whereas God’s love is sourced in God and expressed in the unshakeable love of Christ. It is in the putting down of our fickle, soulish love and its self-centered control of others that we are transformed into Christ’s likeness and made worthy of Him.

Unshakeable confidence born from God’s love will not grow apart from developing complete dependence on His ways of dealing with our fear and pride. Our faith and confidence in God’s love can only grow as we abide in Him. We abide in God by believing the love He has for us and by letting Him transmit it to us and to others through Christ’s indwelling presence (see 1 John 4:16). Our confidence, born from God’s love for us, will manifest in authentic love for others—even our enemies. Without this confidence, we are only pretending to love. The fruit of fake love will tell on us sooner or later.

In the days ahead, we will need the perfect love of God to hold us when nothing else will. Love is not a thing. Love is a Triune-natured Person we can call with affection: Father God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us His compelling story and we must respond. Do we believe He is love and His Word is true?

Janet Smith ©gardenministries.org April 7, 2019

The sanctification process of the Holy Spirit is a long, arduous road. Perhaps that explains why so few find this road, and stay on it. To sanctify, means to set apart. It is a lonely time for those who would give God their all. The process feels lonely because our self-centered ways of relating to others are getting pruned and our roots of rejection pulled out. If we better understand what the process is achieving, we will better trust the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying fires.

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 13 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Why are believers set apart? The Holy Spirit’s sanctification process prepares us to see God. When we see God as He is, we are changed; we are healed.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Hebrew 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Malachi 4:2 But for you who [revere] My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

The Greek term for sanctification is hagiasmos (https://biblehub.com/greek/38.htm). Hagiasmos involves a process of being made holy and set apart. For those who revere God’s Name, it’s a time of consecration and purification. If we are serious about getting prepared, we will respond to the Spirit-led opportunities to put down old ways of thinking and acting. We will walk out our consecration by daily presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God, ready to obey what He says today.

Romans 6:19 …For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification [Greek: hagiasmos].

As we sink down into patience, our faith-filled choice to follow God’s Truth will lead us away from indulging empty cravings. This faith-and-patience zone can feel flat and empty, but if we stay with it in faith, and keep sinking down into patience, the fruit of God’s love within us will bud and bloom.

Endurance and consistency mark the disciplined life. Those who let God love them with correction will hold fast to the Word of Life. When we purpose to believe God’s love for us is real, His Truth enters our hearts and prunes away old fears and doubt. This uprooting and pruning process separates us out from our old selfish mindset and replaces it with heavenly-minded thinking.

How do we know if we’re making progress? If we see the fruits of the Holy Spirit increasing in our life, we know we are making progress in the sanctification process. Can we see the fruit? Can others see an increase of the Spirit’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in us? If not, we’re stuck and need help getting unstuck.

Many believers want the benefits of sanctification but refuse to undergo the process toward attaining it. That’s because the process means surrender, the cross, and death-to-Self. This process feels lonely. The false comfort of old familiar ways—broken and empty as they are—tempt us to stay unchanged. Our old patterns and rituals feel oddly comforting, albeit fleeting. Surrender to the often grueling process of being set apart is key to our preparation. Can we trust Jesus is our Good Shepherd and knows how and when to wield His rod and staff to comfort us?

Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

You are not alone. The Word promises to set the lonely in families. Our process can make us feel alone, but we are not. We are being set apart. Not only do believers in Jesus Christ have intimate access to our heavenly Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God has a human-born spiritual family for everyone of His children. Have we found them yet? If we have, are we afraid to serve and commit to them?

Psalm 68:6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

The Holy Comforter’s sanctifying work produces servant-hearted lovers of Christ. If we look for opportunities to tangibly serve our God-given family, we will hasten the process of sanctification. Whether people appreciate what we do for them or not, if we serve them as unto the Lord, we are changed by His love that flows through us. We love them not because they love us, but because He first loved us.

When we serve others at cost to ourselves—especially our God-given family—we are loving like He loves. Friendship with God is born out of a sacrificially loving heart. Greatness in God is always servant-hearted. If we will not sacrificially serve those whom Jesus has given us as family, how can the King of kings and Lord of lords include us in His close circle of friends?

John 15:12-14 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.

The sanctification process leads to an end-game. This is the final stage where the few left in the race finish and receive what God has promised His overcomers—that is, His glory [1 Peter 5:1-4]. Will we stay with Him in the sanctification process and finish the race set before us?

1 Thessalonians 4 reveals a generation that will finish their race without physically dying. Will we be that generation eagerly awaiting Christ’s appearing? The rapid changes in Israel certainly validate an urgent need to, “Get ready.”

2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Janet Smith ©gardenministries.org January 6, 2019

The prophesied Global economic shift seems fast approaching. At least, my January 6, 2019 dream seems to point toward this.

On January 6, 2019, the name, “Brian Sullivan” was spoken to me in a dream. I was then brought to various levels of a tall building. I believe the tall building represents this coming global economic shift and its effects on Americans.

I was taken to the upper levels of this tall building and shown toilet bowls overflowing with human fecal waste and beyond flushing. Unlike Genesis 15:16 which says that ‘the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure’ for judgment to begin, I understood that these “bowls” on the upper levels of this tall building were full and overflowing and unable to be flushed. Judgments were needed to deal with this mess.

While on the top level observing these terrible conditions, a small, spontaneous fire broke out that I quickly snuffed out. A maintenance man appeared out of nowhere and confirmed what I was thinking about the lower levels of this building. If a fire is breaking out on this level, I wondered what was happening downstairs? The maintenance man confirmed that there was a full-fledge fire happening on the mid-levels of this building and that even if the small fire at the top was put out, the fires below would still reach the top. There was no way to save the building. People were either going to die in the fire or get out of the building.

I was then taken to the mid-level of the building. I was shown what life looked like on this level before the fire started. The mid-level of this tall building housed the people who were living on their retirement savings from years of hard work in mostly blue-collar jobs. I went to a party for a woman who lived on this mid-level called the “Goodbye Party.” I believe this woman represented the comfortable lifestyle that many retired Americans now enjoy who reap the benefits of their retirement savings. It seems that this mid-level lifestyle and its funding is one of the main things burned up in this global economic shift.

What these retiree’s can look forward to on the other side of this global economic shift is the true wealth of forming real relationships before the economic shift happens. These relationships would help them survive and recover from the changes. Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

The people at the top thought they were safer than people on the streets but as it turned out, they were not. I saw a teenage girl from the streets was in the building for a time. She received shoes and instructions on how to take better care of herself and how to care for others. At first she had a hard time listening but eventually she was re-trained. When the fire was about to break out at the top, her street-smart survival instincts kicked in. Without a second thought, she fearlessly stepped outside the tall building onto the fire escape and slid down a shoot, landing safely at the bottom.

Then I was on the ground floor level and it was time for me to leave this building. I left a tightly secured area and entered a less secured public access lobby of the building. I was headed toward the exit when security personnel stopped me and asked for my ID before I exited. It’s strange that I would need an ID to get out. A person usually needs an ID to get in.

I didn’t have my purse or my ID with me so I had to go back inside the tightly secured area to look for my purse. I wondered if it had been stolen while it was out of my hands and was surprised to find it sitting there unattended. I looked through my purse and noticed that most of the contents were gone but the cash was untouched. The cash seemed to have no value.

I believe this part of my dream means that there is no way to physically anticipate and prepare for what is lost, left behind, or even stolen in this economic shift. We will be left with what is left and will have to go with what is there once everything falls and starts to sort itself out. This is the end of the dream. Only the major highlights and interpretations of the dream are included.

Beside the obvious need to keep our eyes on Jesus through the big changes ahead; prayer, and cultivating heart-knit relationships are the priceless treasures we will be the most grateful for after this globally impacting economic shift sorts out what is real and what is unshakeable.

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I wonder if there is any connection to this dream? Warning Dream about America

Janet W. Smith, 12-27-18

“God is gracious and lavishly generous but that never means that I deserve what He so graciously and generously gives me—namely and best of all—Himself. It only and ever means that He is gracious and generous. It never means that I deserve what He gives me. I must humble myself every time and gratefully receive from Him, knowing that I never did anything to deserve or warrant His kindness.

All I can ever give God is my willingness to draw upon the Holy Spirit’s empowering grace and choose to yield in obedience to Jesus Christ and His Holy Word being formed within me. That’s it. That’s all I have to give to God, who gives me the grace to give Him even that!

All that I have and who I am is always from God, for God, and because of Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

”John 15:5 I [Jesus] am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Janet Smith ©gardenministries.org, November 1, 2018 Updated 8-9-19

Cultivating our First Love upward relationship with Jesus Christ will naturally extend outward and forge deeply bonded relationships, especially with our spiritual family. These relationships are meant to create vibrant, heart-knit, meaningful, and long-lasting friendships. So how do we process the pain of severed relationships with our brothers or sisters in Christ?

Our goals in processing the pain of severed church body relationships should be four-fold:

• To define as best we can, what exactly hurt(s) so that we know what we are specifically dealing with and seeking to forgive. We may need the help of others to find this out.
• To learn what God is after in our own hearts through the experience.
• To keep trusting God, reject fear, and purpose not to get stuck in unresolved anger.
• To remain open to reconciliation through forgiveness and repentance.

The pain of the wound that caused the severed relationship should not be ignored or swept under the rug. The wound needs personal and corporate acknowledgment. Here are some steps to help the healing process:

• Grieve: if you feel hurt, embrace and acknowledge the pain, both personally before God, and with those who you feel can help your healing process. Processing your pain about someone else with those you trust for the purpose of healing is not gossip. Talking it through to peace with the people who hurt us may not be possible if they have closed their doors of communication. Gossip simply means that we are saying slanderous and vindictive things about another person that we are unwilling to speak honestly and openly with that directly, it if was possible. It is NOT gossip when we feel the need to process our pain with others, as long as our motive is not to slander and reject the one who hurt us but seeks the truth that leads toward healing forgiveness.

• Healing process: it may take time to process through all the cycles of hurt that present as we grieve. There will be ups and downs to this process and an ebb and flow to the pain.

• Forgive: seek to forgive. If we need to say, “I’m sorry for wronging you” to someone, be sure that we do this in an honest and meaningful way. We will know there’s progress when our thoughts or possible interactions with the person who hurt us feel less painful and intimidating.

• Reconcile (if possible): consider what steps, if any, may be taken toward reconciliation.

There are two kinds of reconciliation:

1.) mutual reconciliation: both parties find common ground and understanding and can peacefully resolve their differences, restore their friendship, and feel harmonious again. Most, if not all,relationships between those who truly seek an Ephesians 4 relationship with Jesus Christ and His body should find enough common ground in their spiritual pursuit of knowing God to put aside their differences and fellowship around what they do agree on.

2.) non-mutual reconciliation: the relationship cannot find common ground to mutually resolve. We reconcile by accepting that for the time being, nothing more can be done to save the relationship. In non-mutual cases, we need to beware of trying to repair the relationship from our side, when no good reason to move back toward relationship has yet presented from the other side. Continuing to overly exert ourselves in an already lop-sided relationship excuses the other person from contributing to the relationship. We will feel used and wounded.

• Restore (based mutual reconciliation): if a former body member wants to reconnect and restore relationship on a personal and/or corporate level, it is important to revisit the reason the relationship was severed and see what, if anything, has changed to reenter into relationship building. Trust is a fragile thread. When lost, it can take twice as long to regain and may never be at the same level it was at before we left. We may not feel the same level of friendship or closeness we enjoyed before the relationship break. Then again, we may.

• Focus: stay focused on those who are still with your spiritual family and don’t project on them the fear and hurt the others who leave or break relationship may cause. After someone leaves an existing body, no one can or should ever try to legislate to the other church body members, “who can talk to who,” or “who can be a friend to who.” That is everyone’s right to determine as they see fit and is a matter of conscience between them and God. It is important however, to be sensitive to people on both sides of outstanding issues and consider that our interactions with former body members could be painful for others in our body among those who are still trying to recover from the pain of the severed relationship.

Whether people stay in or leave their church body, if we are pursuing First Love fullness with Jesus Christ, then hopefully we are learning how to process all the way through our relationship differences until we find mutual peace. Hopefully then, we won’t unnecessarily sever relationships we once held precious and show the same respect we would like shown to us. The cause-and-affect dynamic of relational fallout doesn’t always have a starting point. Who’s to blame isn’t always clear and usually involves both sides. We can simply start with “what’s my part in resolving this?” If we approach relationships with the presumption that we are right and the other person is all wrong, we won’t think to look at our own doorstep and consider our part in the healing process.

It is hypocrisy to treat others in ways we ourselves would not like to be treated. Hypocrisy is the fruit of a religious spirit and wounds incurred by a religious spirit are some of the deepest, most painful wounds a person in the body of Christ will experience or inflict. If you have experienced or inflicted a severed church body relationship and are feeling deep pain from it, ask God to show you where the hypocrisy of your words and actions and their words and actions have cut into your heart. This will help to clearly define what happened and why it hurts so much. Ask God to show you through scriptural truth’s, where the lines were crossed so you have a clear understanding of where things went wrong and what needs to happen to make them right.

Romans 12:9-21 describes the process we are to follow: 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. 20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Janet Smith ©gardenministries.org, October 30, 2018

We are all in one process or another but if these processes are not producing in us a more God-centered, God-hungry lifestyle, then our processes are just cycling us around in a circle and taking us nowhere. If we are truly after God’s own heart, then our learning-and-growing processes must produce greater hunger and thirst for 1.) Jesus Christ and more 2.) joyful fellowship with Him in His Word—or they are not working. If we are no different in these two areas than we were 1 or 2 years ago, then we are stuck on spiritual low-ground and our heart is not being transformed.

Where we get stuck in our processes is when we hang on to old ideas that seemed to have worked in past seasons but are not working in this season. We have not realized that things changed around us and we didn’t find the entry point to move forward with the changes. For example, in a past season, someone may set their heart on doing or getting something that in all honesty, they just didn’t want to hear God say “No” to that thing or that relationship.

We have to get to the point where we can humble ourselves and admit that when we didn’t want God to say “No.” If we don’t, we’ll find a religious reason why God should have said “Yes” and hide behind it. Hanging on to things out of religious pride is one of the dumbest things we’ll ever do. Humbling ourselves and admitting that we didn’t want to hear God say, “No” is a good starting point for change. Refusing to admit this keeps us stuck.

Without admission, confession, and true repentance from what isn’t working, we will just keep repeating the same life patterns that get us nowhere.If we are still thinking that this time, maybe it will work, our pattern of processing is stuck. We have to stop and look at where we are at and be willing to admit when it’s not working. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are not manifesting. We have to stop defending what we once thought was the right thing to do, but realize now that we didn’t hear God’s clear “Yes” about it.

When we defend broken ways that haven’t worked, we are closing the doors to our new season with God. Now that we have “our thing” or “our person” that we willfully wanted but we are no closer to God than before, we are struck with either admitting or denying what is right in front of us. If we feel disconnected from God and can’t figure out why there’s a distance, it’s time to admit that we missed it and get on with what God is saying now.

The Lord graciously waits for us to come to Him and be still before Him. We can start the change toward breakthrough simply by asking the Holy Spirit to help us hunger and thirst after Him again. First-Love for Jesus is a fire that needs constant kindling and refueling. It’s not a one-time deal. It’s an everyday choice, an everyday discipline. Jesus waits for our Yes to put His finger on that sacred cow that we religiously defend. He asks us, “Will you Me take this out of our way?”

Until we are willing to listen and learn from the past and become convicted in the areas where we forged ahead without His blessing, we will not draw nearer to God and we will just keep using Him for His unending grace to get what we want while we remain dreadfully unchanged. Stuck in perpetual self-centered processes, we are just using our gracious God to stay the same. Now that’s what we can truly call, “a vicious cycle.” How do I know I am stuck in a vicious cycle? I do not feel close to God. I feel stuck and unchanged.

If we really want change, do we dare ask God to put His finger on our every heart’s desire and reveal our “sacred cows?” Will we put them on the altar and relinquish them for His sake? Is He truly Lord of all that we have and who we are? Or are we still, just using Him to get what we want? Will we let God say “No” so that He can give us His bigger “Yes” elsewhere? Will we wait for Him to speak and be still before Him until He does?

Feeling loved and wanted is an innate human need. Creating a human Life, who is raised by a loving family, is our great responsibility. Pregnancy is a gift of human life that, from its conception, is to be treated by its parents and their surrounding community as the precious human being that it is.

The power to create Life means that controlling birth starts with controlling our bodies potential ability to produce Life. Responsible human beings, who are not ready to lovingly parent another human life, should assertively practice effective forms of birth control before they start making sexually-active choices.

The deep respect for Life begins early. We must treat our own children with respect for their life as we teach them, by our own examples, of the beauty and the power of the human body’s potential ability to reproduce and create another Life.

Are we, and our growing children, really learning what the scope and power of being sexually active means to all of us long-term?

Are we instilling respect for this capability and taking humble responsibility for the power of it by teaching our growing children and other uninformed adults how to use their body’s capabilities more responsibly?

Is teaching our growing children how to wait to become sexually active until they are emotionally and physically ready to handle its many long-term effects being taught as a wise and viable, first-choice option? If not, why not?

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Gardenministries.org related articles:

What Does the Bible say about Why, When, and with Whom a Person may have SEX?

PART 1: Why Do We Need God and His Word, the Bible, to Define our Identity and to Standardize Morality?

Sexual Union and Marriage

What Lawmakers and the American Public should know when making Federally Mandated Decisions regarding the Institution of Marriage

Luke 18:8 When the Son of Man comes, INDEED, will He find FAITH on the earth?

In the Greek version of Luke 18:8, there is a word included that isn’t included in many of English translations. It is the word, “indeed.” biblehub.com/text/luke/18-8.htm

This missing word adds an important insight into Christ’s coming. The word alludes to Christ’s Luke 18:8 coming as being somewhat of a “surprise entrance” and, as such, requires a unique readiness of faith to properly respond to His arrival.

The Greek word for INDEED is ára. According to biblehub.com, “this difficult-to-translate interrogative particle (adverb) injects the element of surprise and the pressing need to respond. Depending on the context, ‘ára’ will emphasize the aspect of hesitation, bewilderment, etc. (J. B. Lightfoot).”

One thing is clear from Luke 18:8. If we have the uniquely prepared, full-persuaded Christ-formed faith that Jesus is looking for when He arrives, we will be enabled by the Holy Spirit to readily perceive and recognize Him, and properly respond to Him—even though His arrival may come in a surprisedly unique way.

We must want the Person of Christ more than we want His blessings, or His things. It is only Christ formed within us that will be able to stand before Him unashamed when He arrives. If we are looking for His things or what He can do for us, not only will we wobble at His appearing, we may run away from Him, or worse, not even recognize His Personal arrival. If we have presumptuously defined how He must come to us and what things must look like when He does, we are relating to Him from a Self-centered perspective of what’s in it for us and we will miss His coming.

This distinction between pursuing the Person as opposed to His things, requires a unique level of faithful watching that involves a vigorous process of preparation. The preparation especially embraces the Galatians 2:20 process of dying to our self-centered, aggravated ego cycles. The fiery trials sent our way test and prove our faith. If we have stayed faithful to Him in this dying-to-self, sacrificed-ego process, we will also be ready to receive Him as our new and abundant Life.

Even though Christ’s arrival may come with a significant surprise, the delightfully surprised person will rejoice, eagerly respond, and “come out to meet Him!” Because they met the condition of Luke 18:8 faith that Jesus was looking for when He came. The surprise didn’t take them out, it brought them into Him! Jesus wants to marry His Beloved Bride. He Himself is our Great Reward!

The Matthew 25 parable of the 10 virgins also describes this surprise element within the wedding narrative.

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Janet Smith – 5-10-18 ©gardenministries.org

The humility of developing complete dependence upon God means that I give Jesus my First-Love affection and attention every day. Jesus wants me to seek Him out and to intimately know what is on His heart every day. The Holy Spirit wants to give me spiritual Bread from heaven and Jesus taught us to pray and ask for this bread every day (Matthew 6:11). God knows what we need even before we ask for it so this spiritual bread anticipates and is specific to fit the unique demands for the coming day. I need this daily bread to mature so that when God comes to inspect my maturing process, He will see the cumulative maturing effect that my every day choices to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness have produced. Spiritual maturity empowers and enables the Divine Nature growing within me to perceive and recognize God when He comes to inspect His harvest fields.

There is no neutral in the kingdom of heaven. Every day, the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing all around us and hopefully within us. We are either choosing to prioritize our kingdom life in God by giving Jesus, the Word, our First-Love affection and attention every day, or we are not.

• First-Love for Jesus means that every day I show deep respect for Jesus as my Savior and Lord by eagerly responding to His desire to spend time with me (Revelation 2:1-5).

• If I’m too busy or too bored and indifferent to give Jesus my time and heart-felt attention every day, then my heart is growing cold and I am in danger of becoming lukewarm toward God instead of becoming more tender and fiery toward Him.

• A kingdom of “Priests unto our God” means that we were created and called to minister to the Lord! It is a great honor to be invited to minister to the Lord (Revelation 5:10, 1 Peter 2:9).

God searches and finds. The Eyes of God search for those who passionately want Him. If we are not searching for God, who searches for us, we will miss Him. This translates into significant opportunities with God that are either realized or missed. 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

God farms. Throughout scripture, farming is used as a kingdom metaphor with humanity as the intended harvest. God regularly comes to His human harvest fields and inspects them. Sometimes we are aware that He is looking and other times, we are quite unaware. But what is God looking for? He is looking for fiery faith and spiritual maturity. He is looking for His Son Jesus to be fully formed in us. The Father’s harvest only comes when the crops are ripe and ready.

God’s inspects: God is looking to see at what stage His kingdom and His righteousness have grown up within us. What level of maturity in Christ have we reached? Is it time for harvest yet? Luke 19:41-44 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he [Jesus] wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s visitation.”

The word “recognize” in Greek is ginóskó and means to intimately know, to ascertain, to learn; enabled to perceive and recognize something or someone.

The word “visitation” in Greek is episkopé and means an overseeing, investigation, and inspection.

Luke 18:6-8 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly [swiftly]. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?

The word “faith” in Greek is “pistis” and means to be inwardly fully persuaded, faithful, and trusting.

God grows. As the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus washes us with the water of His word which matures us in our ability to fully depend upon Him, trust Him, and recognize His voice when He speaks to us. This maturing happens as we daily choose to seek Him and believe that what He has said is true. Our everyday actions will back up our inward persuasions. Spiritual maturity reflects the collective nature of our daily choices to wholeheartedly seek, love, and obey Jesus.

God weeds out religious fakers and spits out the lukewarm. The Last Days will experience strong, spiritual winds blowing across humanity (Matthew 13:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, 2 Timothy 4:1-5). When God works His harvest fields, the Bible says that His angels gather up His wheat and have the tares extracted from the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). The tares represent those who reject Jesus as the Living Word and Son of God and refuse to seek for and love God’s Truth. The tares will be gathered into bundles and collectively receive what they have asked for. In their spiritually blind and deaf states, they will experience spiritual famine and strong delusion and, darkened in their understanding because of their hardened hearts, they will no longer hear or perceive Truth (2 Peter 1:9). As for the indecisive and lukewarm who chose to remain complacent and indifferent toward the Truth, they will be spit out of God’s mouth [Rev. 3:16]. It should not surprise us when the rhetoric and lifestyles of those given over to empty religions manifest the dark fruits of that empty religion’s strong delusions.

God harvests. When the Son of Man comes, He is coming for a faithful, inwardly-persuaded, fully trusting bride who is daily walking in devotion to Him. 2 Peter 1:1-11 and Matthew 13 describe God’s measures and processes for growth. When He comes to inspect His Harvest, God is looking for an ever-increasing amount of His Divine Nature being expressed in our faith, excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and unselfish love.

2 Peter 1:1-11 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped [in the sense of fleeing from] the corruption [rottenness] that is in the world by lust [focused and obsessive urges]. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his [cleansing] purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain [fully applying oneself, not half-hearted.] about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you [or in other translations it reads, “you will receive a lavish reception, a grand entrance, and a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”.]

God transforms and inhabits. If we are eagerly seeking God’s heart every day, our eyes and ears will be more open to perceiving His Truth. The Presence of the Spirit of Truth within us empowers and enables us to perceive and recognize the Morningstar, Jesus Christ, as He rises within us (2 Peter 1:19). The more of His Presence within us, the more the 2 Peter 1:5-7* qualities of maturity will be evidenced in our daily walk with others.

The ability to perceive and recognize God when He comes is because His glorious Presence bears witness to Christ within us. Because we are readily “tuned-in” to His Presence, we have the ability to perceive and recognize Him when He comes. And by this ability, we pass His maturity inspections. He is searching for and finding those who wholeheartedly love Him with First-Love affection and have daily made their relationship with Him their First-Love priority. This is the fiery faith that the Son of Man is looking for when He comes! Check out Psalm 139. David literally asked God to come and inspect him!