Yesterday morning, just before waking I had this dream:
There are terrible creatures, hideous, somewhat reptile-like, somewhat human-like. They are destroying everything and everyone in their path. The people they encounter are torn apart, or squeezed to death, blood is everywhere. One looks right at me as I am looking at this terrible horrible scene. He rushes to me but I have a force field in front of me. He hits it really hard, and I can see a large crack in the shield but it remains firmly in place before me. He loses interest in me and continues killing and destroying in other directions, as I look passively on. I recognize that I am looking at all of this and have no feelings about it at all. I see death and mayhem and blood everywhere, and have no compassion, or sorrow. I see that even though I am not doing the killing, that I am no better than the demons that are doing the ruthless slaughter. I just like them, feel no love for those being senselessly slaughtered. I am cold and heartless....and then I awaken, and think about what I just dreamed...
What comes to mind first of all, is that this is truly happening in the realm of the spirit. Demons are seeking whom they can destroy, and they are having a field day, wreaking havoc on this fallen world. God protects His own, and the devil cannot touch them (me included)...but because I am not being hurt, I can be cold and unfeeling about the people who are being hurt, and destroyed, by the devil's very ill behaviour. Even though I could clearly see the perilousness of the situation, the disgusting, violent, and senseless destruction, I have no sense of pity or horror, UNTIL I think it is tainting me by making me look bad (just as evil as the demons) to not have the correct pity towards the afflicted. And this is true about me. I do not have enough of a sense of urgency for the lost and dying. I do not make use of what I know about Jesus to try to help those in the devil's clutches. God selects whomsoever He will, but He chooses to use His elect to reach others. But many of His elect are like me. We see the sin, the evil, and if it doesn't touch us directly...
we can choose to watch....
or choose to look away....
...but how often do we choose in God's strength and through prayer, to intervene?
Zec 4:6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"
Zec 4:8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Zec 4:9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
Zec 4:10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth."
I know that in my own strength and by my own ability I cannot accomplish anything worth anything in eternity...and then it is only (usually) to bring glory to myself for my heroic deeds. But in Christ I can do anything
Php 4:10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
Php 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Php 4:12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Php 4:14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
Perhaps it is partly because of "the spirit of the age" that I have become numbed to the horrors of what is going on today. I can simply turn off the television and then go on about my own business, and as long as I feel good about myself, everything is good. The rest of the world can "go to hell in a hand-basket" but if it doesn't touch me, why worry about it? It's going to happen anyway, right? Or should I still wrestle in the spirit about it, and pray for understanding, and strength and compassion to at least attempt to do some small thing for the Lord that might be used by Him to save a lost soul? Can I look on what is happening with compassion, angst, the love of Christ, instead of looking away so I can be "at peace"? So I can feel good about myself? What did Jesus do? If I do not feel for the lost, am I just as cold and unfeeling as the demons that are ripping the unsaved to shreds? Yes, I believe that I am just that cold and unfeeling, at times, and only by God's grace and His help is there any hope for me to reach his lost ones through me in this decaying and tormented world.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
There are terrible creatures, hideous, somewhat reptile-like, somewhat human-like. They are destroying everything and everyone in their path. The people they encounter are torn apart, or squeezed to death, blood is everywhere. One looks right at me as I am looking at this terrible horrible scene. He rushes to me but I have a force field in front of me. He hits it really hard, and I can see a large crack in the shield but it remains firmly in place before me. He loses interest in me and continues killing and destroying in other directions, as I look passively on. I recognize that I am looking at all of this and have no feelings about it at all. I see death and mayhem and blood everywhere, and have no compassion, or sorrow. I see that even though I am not doing the killing, that I am no better than the demons that are doing the ruthless slaughter. I just like them, feel no love for those being senselessly slaughtered. I am cold and heartless....and then I awaken, and think about what I just dreamed...
What comes to mind first of all, is that this is truly happening in the realm of the spirit. Demons are seeking whom they can destroy, and they are having a field day, wreaking havoc on this fallen world. God protects His own, and the devil cannot touch them (me included)...but because I am not being hurt, I can be cold and unfeeling about the people who are being hurt, and destroyed, by the devil's very ill behaviour. Even though I could clearly see the perilousness of the situation, the disgusting, violent, and senseless destruction, I have no sense of pity or horror, UNTIL I think it is tainting me by making me look bad (just as evil as the demons) to not have the correct pity towards the afflicted. And this is true about me. I do not have enough of a sense of urgency for the lost and dying. I do not make use of what I know about Jesus to try to help those in the devil's clutches. God selects whomsoever He will, but He chooses to use His elect to reach others. But many of His elect are like me. We see the sin, the evil, and if it doesn't touch us directly...
we can choose to watch....
or choose to look away....
...but how often do we choose in God's strength and through prayer, to intervene?
Zec 4:6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"
Zec 4:8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Zec 4:9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
Zec 4:10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth."
I know that in my own strength and by my own ability I cannot accomplish anything worth anything in eternity...and then it is only (usually) to bring glory to myself for my heroic deeds. But in Christ I can do anything
Php 4:10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
Php 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Php 4:12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Php 4:14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
Perhaps it is partly because of "the spirit of the age" that I have become numbed to the horrors of what is going on today. I can simply turn off the television and then go on about my own business, and as long as I feel good about myself, everything is good. The rest of the world can "go to hell in a hand-basket" but if it doesn't touch me, why worry about it? It's going to happen anyway, right? Or should I still wrestle in the spirit about it, and pray for understanding, and strength and compassion to at least attempt to do some small thing for the Lord that might be used by Him to save a lost soul? Can I look on what is happening with compassion, angst, the love of Christ, instead of looking away so I can be "at peace"? So I can feel good about myself? What did Jesus do? If I do not feel for the lost, am I just as cold and unfeeling as the demons that are ripping the unsaved to shreds? Yes, I believe that I am just that cold and unfeeling, at times, and only by God's grace and His help is there any hope for me to reach his lost ones through me in this decaying and tormented world.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Very thought-provoking...thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan
ReplyDeleteWho knows how long our "time of grace" will last...I thought that our economy and all the systems of this world would collapse before now, and yet the Lord is still allowing it to continue on for a season. I do sense that I need to be more concerned than I am, and confess this. The Lord will prepare us for what He will have us to do, so I'm prayerfully counting on His intervention to help me do and persevere in the things He desires of me.
Thank you for visiting. :)