Category: Christian Living

Are We Groupie’s or Disciples?

The Bible is clear not to lay hands suddenly on any man in giving them leadership roles, or else they will fall in the condemnation of satan.

 

The Bible is clear not to lay hands suddenly on any man in giving them leadership roles, or else they will fall in the condemnation of satan.  

It is the pride of being lifted up in the eyes of man can really do a lot of damage to a lot of people.

It takes discipline and a leader that is a “servant leader” to show them how it is done.  Leadership by example is the way of Jesus.  Leadership should refrain for time to watch and pray to be sure the disciples are ready to hold leadership positions.

To elevate man or woman too quickly, without going to God’s word, proper maturity and knowing their life, could cause a huge shipwreck in their lives and damage a lot of people.

It’s in knowing and allowing them to mature (in a safe environment; to learn how to exercise their gifts without fear of reproach), also in producing godly spiritual fruits and testing their gifts as seasoned leaders get to know them.  As prospective leadership, the leaders learn to recognize those who are truly being groomed by the Holy Ghost.

It is the LORD who promotes.  If man promotes too quickly, the messages may have truth yet error, as there is a mixture of the truth.

Scriptures tell us not to put a novice in a place of authority, else they fall into the condemnation of the devil.  The devil thought he could take God’s place in heaven and be God.

Lucifer started a rebellion in heaven, he felt he should be God.  You know the story, the devil rose up in pride thinking he could be like God; Lucifer and one third of the angels were then thrown down to the earth.

The devil does the same today.  He seeks access through man’s pride, and a position of leadership over man.  The devil and demons are actively looking for any way to take positions in all sorts of leadership positions including the churches today.

Man will always make mistakes and no matter how we avoid to do it, we still hurt people.  It isn’t our desire, but because of the fall we all make mistakes.  We are human.  We know we never want to offend or hurt someone.  However, we all fail in many ways.

As leaders allow the Holy Ghost to lead us, we can avoid a lot of pitfalls and hopefully avoid some of the scenarios.

Here’s some scenarios I have seen:

The anointing is not there, so the leader feels pressured to move forward in the flesh instead of waiting on God.  What happens in this is these ministers are moved by the flesh with a mixture message.  What is worse is that the people pressure you to go beyond His leading.

You can feel what seems like an anointing?  There are counterfeit anointings, we must base all things on God’s word, no matter how spiritual it seems.  Know those who labor among you.

Here is something I have learned over time.  If I get into a pressured situation to move on with the service and His Spirit doesn’t move, I have and I will shut down a meeting and call for repentance, or just close the doors.  Oh I hate to grieve the Holy Spirit.

We worry about other’s feelings and we fail to understand the LORD’s feelings about the matter.  Do you know He grieves over us?

I will pull away when something is off, even it seems like I am the only one feeling it.  I must learn to trust the master above all voices of man.

Man can do mighty feats.  Must we have another tower of babel?  Does God have to come and frustrate our plans and our language that we don’t speak the same thing anymore?

Frustrate my plans LORD Jesus!  Please frustrate my plans!  We must repent of doing our own thing and accomplishing our own plans!  We should remain in repentance until we are in the will of our LORD Jesus Christ!

It is the time to hold silent repentant meetings to purge us of all hindrances.  How long has it been since we have had a watch service?  Could we be silent enough to press through and tap into the LORD’s will?

Are we groupies or disciples?   When we become too busy for intimacy with God, we are too busy!

We will always be tempted to move too fast if we excel to excellence, instead of allowing God to elevate us in His time.  Yes, even workaholics are just as bad and those who are slothful.  There will always be balance in the kingdom.  Even and especially with ministry work.

Ask yourselves this:  For ministry, are you happy if the LORD gives you just ONE person to help, or are you into numbers and crowds?  Please tell me how big the group is?

Jesus went to the One person!  Jesus did the majority of His ministry outside established religion, and He still does today.

Really think about this.  What is your motive in ministry?  You may not realize within yourself that there is some of that “stinkin’ thinkin’.”

I don’t ever want to get so big in man’s eyes and miss out on the intimacy of my LORD and Savior in the secret place.  He is so precious to me and I gotta have HIM being big in me.  The secret of our power with God comes from our alone time with Jesus.

We must know who we are and be satisfied with that!  No matter what man will say, nothing will cause us to stray away from His finished work of grace in our hearts.

This is how it has always been with Jesus and me.  He won’t let me remain in what is popular, or remain where man thinks people are so great.

We can idolize people and God will take them home, because no flesh can glory in His presence.  Keep your eye’s on Jesus.  No matter what, it isn’t the person.  So don’t look at them.  See them through the LORD!

Ministry with people, and ministry work day-in and day-out, can become idolatry.  Not only will it kill your marriage, it will destroy families.  Why?  Because there is no balance.

It is wonderful ministering under the anointing, and before you know it, you forget you are human and you don’t sleep or take care of your body.  You forget you need intimate time with the LORD and your family suffers and it goes right down the line to spiritual burnout!  Ask me how I know…….

Personally, I have asked to have the LORD’s heart; and oh my, HIS heart!  He chooses to allow me to sense and feel him.  Oh and it hurts me when I grieve, as I am grieving in Him.

Or I can be around others and I can sense His heart and I begin to grieve.  The LORD grieves and has all emotions, and He longs for you to know His heart.  God knows where you are and what you want.

Above all things, I’ve got to have him!  If I only minister to just one in life, I will say, Yes.  As long as I know His will, have HIS purpose and remain deeply in love with HIM, I can say YES!

God wants us to remain humble, broken and lowly of heart, even when He elevates us.  Why?  He gets ALL the glory and HE is our exceeding great reward.

All I want is Him!  He wants us to desire all HE is!  He is our exceeding great reward!

To fall in love with Jesus, everything we go through fades away, until all we see is HIM no matter where and what we do, HE is our Everything, our exceeding, great reward!

 

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

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Elevation ~ the Place of Humility

Often we all get impatient by not waiting for God to prepare us for our day and future.

 

Often we all get impatient by not waiting for God to prepare us for our day and future.

God will make room for us, and our gifts in His time; He will do the revealing and He will show where HE wants it to happen too!

Be at peace knowing He has your life totally mapped out, for He goes before us and makes the crooked places straight.  You are, and have been, always on His mind!

Your relationship with God is THE most important purpose you have in this life and the life to come.  We never come to a place where we never need the Holy Spirit, each other, and the body.

People think we must be in certain circles or around specific ministry for God to elevate us, but that is not true.  As we lay in our prayer closet and intercede for others, He can elevate us.  God can elevate us in secret and reveal it publicly. God can prepare us to do anything!

John the Baptist was elevated in the desert.  Look at the apostles and what they went through to be elevated in the kingdom.  They suffered for their stance in obedience to Christ and they were elevated because of it.  Their elevation was not comfortable.

“Being elevated” is not some popular catch phrase that people speak about.  To be elevated, is to have the heart of a servant that keeps us humble, broken and lowly of heart.  The last shall be first and the first shall be last.  Elevation is actually a low position in humility.

The qualification for each person is not limited to our circles or specific ministry either.  The Holy Spirit has the ultimate paradigm pattern shift.  He’s got the goods and we got HIM!  So as we abide in Him, we will know the thoughts and intentions of His heart.

We aren’t to cast our pearls before swine.  Don’t take what is precious (in your life) and uncover the message about your life until God brings you to the front-line for HIS purpose.

Your life is hid and valuable to God!  We must learn that about ourselves then we can properly relate that and understand that value in others.  We must know who we are and why we are sent.  We don’t come with pomp and circumstance, but contrary, as a lowly child of the living God.

What is our motives?  Are we doing and following others to be accepted?  Or are we running the race that is set before us?  God knows the truth, but He wants us to see the truth in our own hearts.  It isn’t what pleases man that’s important but the one who pleases the LORD!

Disrespect is rampant in the body.  We need to respect all the body and build each part up.  Each part of the body is of such great importance.

Political games with ploy’s, always try to get others to climb the ladder of success with them.  These are wanting others to climb with them.  These that think once they get into that high arena in the church, In their minds, they have arrived.

These deceived will gain some sort of elevated stance with man.  Their attitude is that “we are so high and mighty and those others are so low”.  In reality, we are ALL so low, but God will have to humble us so we can be proper ministers of the new covenant.

The church is not a political group.  It is to be the LORD’s body in the earth representing Him!

Pride, arrogance, and haughtiness are a stench in the nostrils of God.  God knows when we get too big for our breeches, and have no time for God.  Yes, NO Time for GOD!  Being too busy for God is a very serious place to be.  Why?  He is to be our first love!

Being too busy for our spouse (if we are married) or allowing ministry work to take our time away from God, can become an idol! It does when it keeps us away from our quiet time and intimacy with the LORD and our family.

We can never graduate from our relationship with God, no matter how popular or well known we are.  Pride is a very dangerous attitude and sin.  We can be doing so well that we forget where we came from.

Then we start believing we are above the sin of pride, because we seem to have success in ministry.  People tend to elevate certain ones because of Pride.  These will have to fall because God will not share HIS glory with no man.

Remember the anointing is for the people not for our benefit.  Just because there is an anointing on us for the people doesn’t mean our life is in order!  Behind the scenes, God will use us in spite of us.  We must find out who we are, and be content.

A flattering mouth worketh ruin.  Man can puff us up, but God looks for a man of a contrite, humble and lowly heart.

Rejection is in the life of every prophet.  Once we learn and know who we are in Christ, the words and rejections won’t move us like they use to.  Humility comes before honor.  We are not to seek after honor, we seek God, and He will honor or promote us.  Many are the plans in a man’s mind but it is the LORD’s purpose that will stand.

Jesus wants all of our undivided attention and within that place is HIS purpose and plan.  I refuse to minister and in the past I have shut down service’s if we grieve the Spirit of God.  It’s all about God not us.  Be still and know that I AM God!

It is so so easy to trust in man when we get so many that follow us and our ministry.  We can flow by the anointing or flow from the anointing.  God wants us to minister from the overflow, as we listen for his still small voice as we are still, small and quiet.

 

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

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The Greatest Test of Our Hearts

Many new places and boundaries are coming into being. So many of us don’t know where we fit, or how we fit. We try to incorporate old ways, thinking it’s better and safer. Many feel insecure about all the changes.

 

Many new places and boundaries are coming into being.  So many of us don’t know where we fit, or how we fit.  We try to incorporate old ways, thinking it’s better and safer.  Many feel insecure about all the changes.

What we must remember to never compare ourselves among ourselves, because every time we do that, we limit God in us.  For when we measure ourselves among ourselves we are not wise.

We must know who we are in Christ and know why we have been sent.  Then we wait on God to make room for our gift.

If you don’t know who you are, then people will tell you who you are.  You will become who they want you to be, instead of who God wants you to be.  The refinement of men pleasers goes into action when we fail to know who we are in Christ.  Leave your destiny to God and not man.

Humans always gravitate toward the herd mentality and what is popular.  It takes a strong identity in God to go against the herd mentality.  The devil and man wants to snuff out your identity.

Shall we be men pleasers or God pleasers?

Jesus lost his identity on the cross because of our sin when he hung there.  That means, you will never have to loose your identity in Him.  The LORD will be there to affirm you.  The LORD has not changed HIS mind towards you.

Elijah stood against a whole nation when he confronted Baal that day.  The people were like lost sheep who had lost their way.  They didn’t know who was right, until God proved His Way!  Oh yes!  Don’t think because a great victory comes that it will keep you esteemed highly in the eyes of man!

The spirit of Jezebel sits in her lurch ready to launch a massive campaign to discredit and kill the prophet, because her works are being destroyed.  So what did Elijah do?  He ran to hide in the cave and wondered why God would ever choose to use such wishy-washy thing like him.

In those secret places with our Master, we receive the assurance and our confidence in Him.  This will give us the determination to go once again as he directs our pathway and makes it straight.

God will keep us in the wilderness and caves to humble us, so we will learn to trust and be dependent on Him.  These times are never wasted times, but are for the purpose to further the Gospel.

Afflictions reveal the depths of our heart and produces a desperation within us.  This can cause us to seek God with greater fervency.

These pressures are designed for our growth.  Why?  Because pressure produces character and as living epistles (walking letters) we are seen and read of all men.  We must therefore be His witness to the end of the earth, by showing His nature and character.

It doesn’t matter how anointed we are!  Why?  Because the character issues are what bring us down to discredit our message.

I think a lot of saints get confused.  They see the anointing, so they think because the anointing is in operation, that God is always pleased with the individual.  Let us not be deceived.  The anointing is on the person for Gods people.  Not to approve of their bad behavior.

The LORD has a place for all of us in His body and like puzzle pieces, He connects us to each other to form a greater picture of His purpose.  The LORD said He would provide Shepherds after His heart who would guide and protect His flock.  We must stay where God leads us, and not run because of conflicts.  Conflicts are just another method we can yield to and grow by, instead of run from.

In our family we learn how to deal with one another in love.  When in crisis, we don’t run from them, we learn to work things out and how to love difficult people.  Jesus said to judge by the fruit.  The LORD created us for His pleasure and His desire is that we awake with His likeness.  That means, the fruit of the Spirit is formed in us.  Fruit cannot grow on a plant that continues to uproot itself and run.

Fruit forms by being rooted firmly by the river of Life and by going through the seasons of life and the pruning process, which are all difficult times; however through the difficulty, comes the fruit at the time of harvest.

Our goal should be, the nature and character of Christ in us.  When we awake with His likeness, all of the discipline it took to change the mindsets to the mind of Christ, will be evident to all who see and know us.

Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations.  Making disciples is not easy.  You first must have willing vessels that allow the discipline of the LORD to come into their lives.

You never follow a leader blindly, you follow them as they follow Christ.  And when God plants you, you don’t move until He says move.

Leaders make many mistakes, but our job is to pray for them so they are free to hear and obey God on our behalf.  Before you lead, you follow.  And sometimes you won’t like to follow, but the LORD is tempering you, testing and refining you in servant hood.  Leadership is servant hood.

Because of the condition of people, they become threatened and insecure by anything they cannot control.  A religious establishment that departs from following the LORD, usually becomes an organization that resists Him.

For where sin abounds grace much more abounds.  We must show more love, more grace, for it is His loving kindness that leads men to repentance.  We must kill them with kindness.  We must learn to love the devil out of them, and give space for God to work.  Love covers a multitude of sin and iniquities.

I believe one of the greatest tests of our hearts doesn’t come in the form of our enemies, but in the presence of our friends that are close to us.  It is in these testing times that God is making sure He can release His message in us.  In this test, it will be mixed with His character with all the right ingredients of His Word and timing.  Amen and Amen!

“We, on the other hand, will not boast beyond our legitimate province and proper limit, but will keep within the limits (of our commission which) God has allotted us as our measuring line and which reaches and includes even you.  For we are not overstepping the limits of our province and stretching beyond our ability to reach, as though we reached not (had no legitimate mission) to you, for we were (the very first) to come even as far as to you with the good news ( the Gospel) of Christ.  We do not boast therefore, beyond our proper limit, over other men’s labors, but we have the hope and confident expectation that as your faith continues to grow, our field among you may be greatly enlarged, still within the limits of our commission, so that (we may even preach the Gospel in lands (lying) beyond you, without making a boast of work already done in another (man’s) sphere of activity (before we came on the scene).  However, let him who boasts and glories, boast and glory in the LORD.  For (it is) not (the man) who praises and commends himself who is approved and accepted, but (it is the person) whom the LORD accredits and commends,”   2 Corinthians 10:13-18 AMP.

 

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

The Greatest Tests Of Our Hearts

Being a prisoner is not limited by locked bars and legal decrees. A prisoner can be walking about in society looking every bit whole. What we cannot see are chains to weights and bondage’s. Those who are chained to weights and bondage’s are ashamed because others drive them into hiding.

I already know that this message will not be received by some, however, here it goes.

God was faithful to start in us, He will be faithful to complete in us.  Personal circumstances don’t limit the work of God in our lives, for He continues to work “all” things together for our good.  If Satan himself comes to attack our bodies, the Word of God declares what was meant for evil will be turned around for good.

We thank God in all circumstances, because no matter how bad our circumstances may appear, He promises that we will triumph in Christ Jesus.  You may say, “Triumph?  In this mess?  How can any good thing come from these circumstances?”

You may be in prison, convicted of some crime that you may or may have not done.  You look at the bondage and wonder how can God be working something good by this prison.

Just as there are real prisons with real criminals, there are also spiritual prisons, emotional prisons, physical prisons, prisons of our own making.

Being a prisoner is not limited by locked bars and legal decrees.  A prisoner can be walking about in society looking every bit whole.  What we cannot see are chains to weights and bondage’s.  Those who are chained to weights and bondage’s are ashamed because others drive them into hiding.

There are many who wish they could share their information with other brothers and sisters in Christ to have support and confidence in their love for them.  However, many have found they can’t be open with the body of Christ because many violate confidence.

It is not wisdom to share such personal things unless you use them to help others through the same issues.  Finding a good and faithful friend takes God to arrange.

There are also prisoners because of their faithfulness to God.  The determination of those who try to hit the mark of the high calling, sent a wave of demonic persecution that sought to completely disengage the threat to the enemies plans.

You may be one of those who are being hailed with arrows and bound to circumstances that you have no control over.  God wants you to know He is with you and is working a higher purpose through it all.

For example, look at the stroke victim.  I see an individual who is a prisoner within a body that won’t work properly.  Inside the person is free but outside they are bound.  The frustration they must feel is mind blowing.

I believe totally in divine healing, and understand the life of faith.  We the church, need balance in all things.  Does being in prison disqualify you from the love of God?

We, the body of Christ, are going through many hard trials and circumstances.  Some of us are bound with no control over our circumstances.  We can sit in our homes, go about our daily activities, be in a large group of people and still be in a type of prison of circumstances and feel alone.

There are some things we must go through and some of us have been going through these things for years.  Some feel so ashamed to even say anything to another person when in a dry season or trial.

We must be wise who we share things with and making sure we keep it personal.  Personally, when these things are shared, that is between you, the person and God, PERIOD.  You must prayerfully be led to such believers who truly know your heart and life.

In America we are good at painting a pleasant picture of the life of faith.  Not many speak of the trials and circumstances we “all” go through.

It is not a popular message, so needless to say, a lot of hurting people are suffering in silence wondering what’s wrong with me?  Didn’t I pray enough, didn’t I rebuke enough?

Some prison sentences must be gone through.  After all, God is the one designing the lessons of our lives.  After you have rebuked every devil, confessed every scripture and you still seem to be in a prison, the word of God says to stand.  God has a higher purpose for the darkness of the dungeon.  Gods word is not bound.

The trees sway when the winter winds blow, and some of the brittle branches break off, but the sap goes to the base point.  You may feel dead, dry and brittle, but know you are loved and that the sap of the tree, who is the Zoe “God kind of life” is within you both to will and do His good pleasure.

I look at the example of faith in the Apostle Paul.  You may or may not know that Paul spent a wide expanse of time, perhaps a decade in various prisons.  The incarceration of Paul began with his arrest in Jerusalem about A.D.58 and ending with his incarceration and final martyrdom under Emperor Nero in A.D.67.

I look at the circumstances in the natural and think how can any good thing come out of this persecution of Paul.  Paul was alone and cold in the dungeon, the beloved Paul wrote many Pastoral epistles that speak to us today.  Paul wrote weighty powerful letters in prison right where he was.

 “… wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds, but the word of God is not bound.  Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory,”   2 Timothy 2:9-10KJV.

With all of the suffering and persecution the church is going through, God knows the whole matter.  These things make us know that we are right on the mark with God.  If the enemy never tested your resolve, it would be time to sound the alarm!

Satan thought he could shut Paul up.  Bound and put into a pit, his ministry flourished.  Paul’s writings became weighty and powerful through trial.  His faith was not a formula or a quick fix program.  Paul’s faith was produced through many experiences that tested it.

Paul said, “I have learned to be content.”  Paul’s example revealed the prize of patient endurance.  He boasted of his afflictions that the power of Christ would rest on him!  He spoke of his imprisonment’s, how he was driven into exile, and how he had been stoned.

If Paul spoke these things and it wasn’t wrong, why are so many popular teachings telling us not to confess anything negative?  It sounds like denial to me!  Let the rock throwers hit me in the head, it doesn’t hurt, as I don my mask and cloak!

I was once in a particular church that taught the book of Job was a mistake.  The person said, “If he would have confessed right and feared not, the book of Job could have only been a few chapters long.”

Suffering has never been a popular message.  The church has neglected to properly prepare the body for these types of trials.  The idea is, “if everything seems perfect and I feel good, then I’m okay with God.”

Beloved, if you are His, no matter what circumstances you go through, you are still okay and love by God.

“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my My name’s sake.”   Acts 9:15-16 KJV.

“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witness in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the LORD Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God,”  Acts 20:22-24 KJV.

Saints, no matter what type of prison of circumstance you are in right now, know assuredly that God is with you and will use you right where you are!

Be encouraged knowing our brothers and sisters world wide are going through the same situations!  Amen?

 

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey