February 2001

[Part 82]

“IN WHOM DO WE TRUST?”

               At a recent gathering of our home fellowship, the Lord gave me a vision of a large dollar bill, and He drew my attention to the familiar words at the bottom which read, “IN GOD WE TRUST!”
Then a hand pulled the dollar away, only leaving the suspended words, “IN GOD WE TRUST”! The Lord then said to all Kingdom sons, “IS THIS STILL TRUE?”
               As I shared this vision with our body, it brought a sobering tone as each one contemplated the full weight of its message. In the wilderness testings of God’s sons, all have surely experienced some degree of financial famine that left no option but to “trust the Lord” for their provision. But here our Father is saying, as the time draws near for the unveiling of His sons to the world, we must realize what the New Life will hold for us and“Count the cost” in deep humility! For from that day,

WE WILL HAVE NO OTHER PROVISION
THAN JEHOVAH JIREH, OUR PROVIDER!

Yes, from the hour we set foot in the public arena, we will have no further means of self-provision! WE SHALL HAVE TO T-R-U-S-T T-H-E L-O-R-D COMPLETELY FOR ALL OUR NEEDS!
               In just the thought of such a state of utter helplessness makes you weak in the knees, don’t dismay, it is only your flesh reacting!! Your spirit will be made fit for this total faith walk when we are given a “new heart”!! [See more about this in the next series entitled, “Issues of the Heart”] (Eze 36:26) In the meantime, I strongly advise all those in God’s Manchild company to enter “Jacob’s tent” (your prayer closet) and wrestle with this Angel of Truth till the Christ-Light dawns upon you, and you find peace in it- just as Jacob had to wrestle with an Angel of the Lord through a long night till the morning light when he prevailed and was blessed with the new name “Israel” which means: “He who fights, prevails, and rules with God”! [Read all this exciting account in Ge 32:24-32.)
             COMPLETE CESSATION OF SELF-WILL is the final frontier every man must overcome if he is ever again to set foot in Paradise Lost! Man, in his foolish pride of life, deceives his own heart if he thinks by decree of his human will he can delay, deter, or defer the forfeiting of his soul-life (comprised of intellect, emotions, and will) to her true husband of Spirit- God’s Christ! Since our soul became an adulteress in a mad affair with this world of flesh-minded sin and death, thus making us “enemies of God”!! (See Jas 4:4 and Ro 8:6-7) We have lost all the rights and privileges of God's Spirit of Holiness!
               True sons of God cannot be deceived to think, “God helps those who help themselves” (that is, “help themselves” to all that they lust after, then ask God to foot the bill for their folly!) No, beloveds, no divided hearts (between the kingdom of man and the Kingdom of God) shall beat in any son of God. It is time we all take off our pious-looking masks of self-righteousness to reveal the grotesque image of unrighteousness hiding beneath- just like the Phantom of the Opera! For only the beautiful Face of the Righteousness of Christ shall shine from our countenances as we make our appearance in this darkened world.
           God provided fallen mankind with their systems of monetary exchange to prevent chaos that would result if carnal-minded GREED AND AVARICE went unchecked! By letting man’s heart embrace and trust in mammon, He established a program of checks and balances that heretofore has only been violated by those outlaws whose lust for ill-gotten gain was permitted to overflow their borders of self-restraint. Poor Judas Iscariot was the definitive example of this as his lusts for power and wealth overtook his love of God causing him to betray his Master for 30 pieces of silver! His hope of personal glory as Christ revealed Himself as King of the world, and, was that His apostle, he would be elevated to a high position of authority! What a sad day for that deluded one when his selfish ambition blew up in his face and he realized that what he had actually done was to betray his Lord to death - by - crucifixion!! I believe Judas was deranged with despair when he hung himself. It was just too unconscionable an act to possibly live with even had he been able to hear his Lord’s impassioned plea to heaven, “Father, forgive them, (even Judas) for they know not what they do!!” Our Merciful Lord knew Judas was “appointed” to do what he did, just as all carnal-minded men are compelled to do the faithless things that make us co-conspirators with Judas in the crucifixion of our Lord! Let us renounce our “COVENANT WITH DEATH and AGREEMENT WITH HELL whereby we have made LIES OUR REFUGE and HIDING PLACE” (Is 28:15) Rather, let us now REJECT OUR AWFUL ALLIANCE WITH MAMMON [Jesus says, “You cannot love God and money and possessions!” Mt 6:24] and confess in our hearts, “IN G-O-D WE TRUST!”

[TO BE CONTINUED]