Love

Like David or Saul?

/ Jodie / 1 Comment

1 Samuel 15:10-23

10 Then the Lord said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.

12 Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”

13 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”

14 “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.

15 “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night!”

“What did he tell you?” Saul asked.

17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ 19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”

20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 21 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

22 But Samuel replied,

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
    and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
    he has rejected you as king.”

I’ve heard it preached that we, as believers in Jesus, are a lot like David. But I can’t say that I’ve ever heard a message that we, at times, are also a lot like Saul. No surprise there. Heroic tales of anointing and calling and cutting the head off a giant tends to outnumber those that cut to the heart.

Far more times than I care to admit, the Lord has anointed and appointed me to fulfill a mission in His name, and I’ve only done part of what He said. In truth, I simply rebelled and rejected His command. I decided to lead (pride), instead of being led by His Spirit (surrender). And once I got caught, or called out, I covered myself and hid behind shame and a list of excuses.

“I did obey the Lord, BUT…..”

Absolute foolishness.

Bound up in my heart.

God’s Word is very clear: partial obedience is disobedience. And disobedience is rebellion. And, “rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshipping idols.” (emphasis mine)

Wait.

What?!

Witchcraft?

Idol Worship?

Yes. The Word of God cuts, doesn’t it?

Why?

Because He LOVES us!

He wants us to be like children, like David, who LOVED God with all his heart. Not like an orphan, like Saul, who said in his heart, “you’re not the boss of me,” or “don’t tell me what to do!”

Rebellion always leads to rejection, my friend. When we rebel against the Spirit of God or the Son of God, we reject God. Our heart becomes a divided kingdom. In our Spirit, Jesus is still King. But in our soul, WE ARE KING.

The King of kings, in His Sovereignty, will reject [oppose] our pride until the testimony of Jesus (the Spirit of Prophesy) comes with correction. The Truth- The Living Word- always cuts between soul and Spirit, convicting our heart of sin, and convincing it of righteousness.

And when we are convinced of His LOVE, we will always return to the Father’s house of prayer.

Remembering that the Son was pierced for our rebellion.

Rejoicing that His sacrifice covers all our sin and all our shame.

And THAT, my friend, is Good News!

The Prodigal @ Home

/ Jodie / 2 Comments

Luke 15:11-32

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[a]’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Like that prodigal in the parable, I also left my Father’s house as a young child. Blind to sin because of the desire to be my own god, I spent decades wasting my inheritance on immoral living. I ate and drank and wallowed in the mud & muck, just like a pig. Until one day, praise GOD- when I came to my senses, by the power of His Spirit! Conviction cut straight to the heart, piercing between my soul & spirit. I confessed, repented and returned to my Father, where He welcomed me home with open arms.

But my story doesn’t end there.

Since being adopted into God’s family, I’ve also played the part of the older child. The prodigal at home. Distracted by the demands of being about my Father’s business, I inadvertently become disconnected from His heart. As a result, the pouting begins; grumbling and complaining about the pigs who get to party, while I do ALL the work of the ministry! Forgetting about the grace given me, I become self-righteousness and angry. Angry that they seem to be getting all the attention and affection and applause, as if they are my Father’s favorite. Over time, if I ignore that anger long enough, it grows into a root of bitterness that defiles and deceives my own soul.

But, praise the LORD!!!

There’s still good news for that prodigal stuck in the pig trough.

When we:

Get HONEST with Him, ourselves and others (confess)

HONOR our Father (repent, forgive)

He will:

HEAL our prodigal heart

DELIVER us from the pig trough

My fellow prodigals, I believe it’s time to come to our senses again. LOVE must be our highest goal! We’ve become too distracted by the work of the ministry. It’s time to repent and return to our Father’s house- and the heart of the Father. It’s time to confess our sins to Him and one another so that we may be healed. It’s time to humble ourselves, get honest, and ask others in the body of Christ for help. It’s time to submit and surrender to His Word and Spirit as He cuts through our emotions, our minds and our wills.

It’s time for prodigals to come home. It’s time for prodigals at home to come to Him. He’s waiting for all of us with open arms.

NEW BOOK Available Today!!!

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

For nearly two decades, I’ve periodically written & posted biblically based blogs @ deepintothewater.com

Never, ever, ever did I have any desire to write a book about my life.

God, however, had other plans.

After hearing His still, small voice, I put literal pen to paper and began pouring my heart out in my journal.

8 years later (a significant number for me), I felt prompted to publish some of those pages.

So, welcome to my house! Come on in…the doors open. Allow me to introduce you to The Restorer of Homes.

https://a.co/d/8NQVDsx

A Prayer (fighting the good fight)

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1 Timothy 6:11-14

11 … Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. 13 And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

God, YOU said that when we fight the good fight of faith, it’s not by our strength or our power, but by YOUR Spirit. That means: we have to SEEK first YOUR Kingdom. Then all the things, all the plans for how to resist the devil will be given to us. Only then will we be able to go – and possess the land YOU promised. When we humble ourselves, seek YOUR face and turn from our wicked ways, no power or principality of darkness will harm us. No weapon formed against us will prosper. When we submit to YOU, as children, in childlike faith, we prove that YOU are our Father. A chosen few are doing that. But many that are called are running around like orphans with poopy diapers, swinging swords they aren’t strong enough to handle. Oh, that we would grow up and become spiritually mature sons and daughters!

How many times have YOU forgiven us our trespasses against YOU? In our ignorance we’ve believed we’re grown- just because we’re gifted! Heaven, help us. Many of us are doing good works; using spiritual gifts with gusto as explosive diarrhea overflows our sagging diapers. Our sacrifices have been detestable to YOU. They stink like week old dirty diapers! YOU are not interested in our Simon the Sorcerer routine; performing miracles, signs and wonders for the crowd….without knowing YOU. Without loving YOU! It’s obvious: we love ourselves and others more. The proof is evidence against us: we refuse to obey YOU. We’ve been content performing for love instead of from love.

When will we STOP?

When will we BE STILL?

When will we LAY DOWN and let our parents (the spiritually mature believers YOU have placed in our lives) help change us?

When we confess that we’ve rejected YOU as Father. When we repent for resisting YOUR authority. When we realize we’ve been deceived, doubted and followed the advice of the father of lies. “Don’t tell me what to do!” is the mantra of his children. They’ve declared their declaration of independence in their hearts. They’ve chosen to remain orphans; independent, impetuous and impatient… willing to survive alone, as individuals.

Lord, forgive us. We do not know what we are doing! We need a spanking. We need a time out. We need to be grounded. We need our toy swords to be taken away for a season to rest, recover and be restored to YOU: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We need to become HOLY as YOU are holy! Then we need to be reconciled to our fathers and mothers & brothers and sisters in Christ.

We confess all our crap to you, Lord! We repent for acting like orphans. We repent for being rebellious children. We declare a new declaration of DEPENDANCE on YOU, our good Father. We ask for YOUR helper- YOUR Spirit to lead us into all Truth. Change our hearts as YOU change our diapers! Train us in the way we should go. Potty train us. Teach us to grow up! We wanna become spiritually mature. We want to develop into healthy & holy kids, teenagers and adults. And when we are able, we ask that YOU show us how to parent the young ones as YOU have parented us; teaching us to obey all YOU have commanded.

Amen.

God or man?

/ Jodie / 1 Comment

Proverbs 1:7

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools[a] despise wisdom and instruction.

The Word is quite clear of the miracle that happens when our heart loves God with all of our mind, will and emotions. We become wise! It is also written that when we act foolishly; despising Wisdom and instruction, destruction awaits.

If the fear of the Lord brings wisdom, then what does the fear of man bring?

Witchcraft, perhaps?

Last year, I was in a challenging situation. In the midst of a chaotic environment I reacted to ongoing foolishness by trying to assert control in the flesh. Dumb idea! It’s a trauma response I’m very familiar with; control or be controlled. You’d understand if I told you my back story, but it’s not pertinent to our current conversation. In short, we try to control what we’re afraid of. But as wise master Yoda so eloquently declares, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering….”

Indeed, the fear of man leads us down a dark street. Just read Proverbs 5, 7 & 9. Solomon urges us to listen to Wisdom – not the Ho that is also crying out for our attention. Her path leads to ruin. Her soliciting weaves a web of manipulation that promises love; acknowledgement, acceptance and affirmation from others. But once we’re in her trap, she sucks the life out of us and slaughters our soul. She is an unfaithful lover. That witch lures us in and spins us round and around, churning our love into hate. We wind up hating her, ourselves and everyone that stands on both sides of the street.

I was like that stag caught in her trap.

I was like that ox led to slaughter.

How did I escape her captivity?

How did I break free from her web?

Short answer: I chose to submit to the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

Long answer: I read the Word day after day after day. I prayed day after day after day. I remained in covenant community day after day after day. Wise ones encouraged me and corrected me and discerned a spirit of witchcraft oppressing me.

 (Allow me to interrupt this program already in progress with a brief commercial break!!!)

To all my Charismatic/Pentecostal brothers and sisters:

I love ya’ll! I love your fire. I love your zealousness for good works. I love how you just wanna run into the battle, kick butt and take names. But let’s not neglect that hidden treasure that requires us to slow down; ASKING, SEEKING & KNOCKING on the door of Wisdom. Once inside, we must be still. We must sit down, shut up and listen to what HE says before we speak. I agree, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. I agree, the enemy is under our feet. But we’ve gotta learn how to pray. We’ve gotta learn how to follow His orders; submitting to the Lord, then resisting the devil, then watching him flee. Let’s stop yelling at that snake, telling him to “GO, in Jesus name!!!” if the person we’re praying for is partnering with his lies. Don’t forget; he will go when we confess, repent, and forgive, as the Spirit prompts.

The Son wants to release captives and set prisoners FREE from witchcraft- so let’s do what He tells us to do, when He tells us to do it. And remember, healing and deliverance doesn’t always happen in an instant through our favorite conference speaker, YouTube or Facebook personality. It also occurs over time in the secret place and the corporate place as we confess our sins to one another.   

I was stuck in that web- in the swirl and twirl of witchcraft for a long time. Wisdom was needed to get me out. That Ho had made her bed and I literally crawled right up in it! I was sleeping with the enemy, people!!! My fear led to anger, which led to hate, which led to deep suffering in my soul. But thank the LORD, that is not the end of my story from the streets. God rescued me from darkness as I stopped quenching His Spirit and started submitting to His Word. He is strong and mighty to save those who are caught in a trap of sin.

My friend, as we close our time together, I’m compelled to ask: what side of the street are you living on?

The side of Wisdom…

or witchcraft?

The side where you fear God….

or man?

Guard your heart and choose carefully, dear one. For your decision will determine the course of your life.

Jell-O (part 1)

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

Ezekiel 36:26

26 I will give you a new heart …

The day after our 23rd wedding anniversary in 2019, our family visited Heart of the Father Ministry  https://www.hotfmlakeland.com/ for the first time. As the worship team started playing, the youngest elder encouraged people to press into the Father’s heart. He invited those who wanted to enter the “splash zone” (altar area) to come forward. Our eldest daughter, the prophetic pioneer that she is turned and said, “I wanna go.” Without hesitation I responded, “let’s GO! You lead, I’ll follow.” In fact, the entire family followed.

Worshipping Jesus, among our brothers & sisters – who were complete strangers at the time, I had a powerful encounter with the Lord. I saw the Lord holding two hearts in His hands…

They were mine.

One was like Jell-o. The other looked like a piece of meat that had been over cooked in a pressure pot again-and again- and again. It was done. D-O-N-E, DONE! He simply asked, “which do you want?” Tears streaming down my face, I blurted out the quietest whisper I could muster,

“JELL-O!”

Immediately, His hand crushed the done heart- turning it into a pile of ashes beneath the jiggly jell-o heart.

This was His promise to me four years ago:

 Ezekiel 36:26

26 … I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

His plans and purposes for my heart began unfolding as we left our fathers land in 2021, obeying Our Father’s call to go to a new land and live among a people who would love me back into the heart of the Father.