Overlook, Overcome, Overtake, and Occupy

One thought on “Overlook, Overcome, Overtake, and Occupy”

  1. Sando God used your word in my repentance this last week.
    Back to Church – expanded
    May 9, 2022 By admin
    Well after 12 years we went to a worship service on Sunday in the same fellowship we were in back then. This happened because last week on Sunday night the 1st May I happened to listen to a message in which the pastor taught on Hebrews 10:27 ‘Neglect not the gathering together of yourselves.’ I have heard messages so many times on that passage and somehow they never went deep into me.

    But this time the gentle kindness and gentle rebuke of the Father came to me.

    The preacher said If you are not planted anywhere you cannot bear any fruit. You are not a pot plant. You need to be planted amongst a people who know you and who will pray for you. He said lots of other things too..and I took it on board….during the week I meditated upon it. And shared it with my wonderful wife and so when Sunday came we went.

    There was a beautiful anointed presence there like there always was 12 years ago. No surprise about that — God’s children were gathered together…only about 40 people.

    But you know what.?..The biggest thing I came away with was how I had ripped them off by ‘taking my bat and ball‘ and leaving them for 12 years. That is a colloquial expression which pictures a group playing a ball game together until the one who owned the bat and ball got upset or annoyed over something and left to go home –taking his bat and ball with him.

    For a little time the ones who were enjoying the game with his bat and ball mourn the loss….but then they go on regardless.

    As for me I did not only remove myself from them , but my beautiful wife and 3 children!! 12 years ago…our 3 children were 12, 11 and 9….ripe to have His word and Spirit sown into their hearts…ripe for friendships in the Church…BUT!! I stumbled over some trivial thing and allowed pride and offence to take me out. Well that is one way of looking back at it…The other way I have looked at it over the years and when it happened is that God took us out of there. Oh Yes..”God showed me we were to leave the Church.” Yes I know it sounds off the wall…It is off the wall!! It is religious pride and deception that is all it is.

    Nonetheless God knew where I was at, and all our children. He has not abandoned them or us as a couple. And now we are reconnecting with these same people and by His grace we shall commit to them. Yes that “C” word!! Agghh–Quick RUN~!!!!! COMMIT TO PEOPLE!!? Who me? ‘No brother… I am too prophetic for that….I must be out on my own.’

    I wept as I shared apologetically with Carmel how I had stolen from the people of God for all these years. People in my own town where I shop and work and ride my bike. I had stood afar off from them and not taken an interest in their struggles…My offence and pride would not let me. I had ripped them off from having me and my sister/wife in their presence. I had taken what we are away from them. And of course I had not been able to receive what and who they are —because of PRIDE.

    After the short message that was shared we moved to the food tables set out for mothers day and chatted with the people…some new to us and others we had known years ago. A sister shared their situation with us and we were able to be a strength and an encouragement to her.

    If I dare to look back over the last 12 years and put aside my prideful story that ‘God led us out of there’ I see how offence and pride have wreaked so much trouble and trauma in our family. As the husband and father in this family I know I am responsible for these things. I cannot worm my way out of it. Yet I do not feel condemned only RELIEVED that something has shifted in me and the door has been opened again for us to be with God’s children.

    A week ago I also read a prophetic word by Sandy Holman and in it she said that in ‘order to overcome and to love we must learn to OVERLOOK offensive things’. It struck a chord inside my heart. How many times God has done that for me!!??? SO MANY TIMES!! And I cannot overlook just one doctrinal thing…or something else unimportant?

    In the world at the moment everyone is being played by these controlling religious spirits. They hold up LOVE on one side and TRUTH on the other side.

    They want people DIVIDED into one or the other group…

    I AM FOR TRUTH!– they shout…Come and join me!! they say…Those for truth seem to be devoid of any love though. They revile and malign –they accuse and condemn anyone who is not walking in truth. Then on the other side it is all about so called LOVE…a love without any adherence to truth…..So as you can see neither side has anything.. Truth without love is not TRUTH….and Love without Truth is not love.

    The answer is to REST INSIDE OF JESUS Christ and serve the ones around you in practical ways not adding fuel to the fire that the Devil is trying to ignite.

    He wants to blame all Christians for being unloving in their stand for TRUTH. He knows what he is doing. It is a sucker trap.

    Wave the lies in your face…. expose all the lies of the evil people….so that you will take a stand for TRUTH….not Jesus …but TRUTH.

    No one wants Jesus….they are fixated upon having the TRUTH instead. Now we know that Jesus is TRUTH….But the TRUTH that people are wanting to come out and the truth they want to hold dear is NOT JESUS. The Devil has shifted the goal posts.

    People who were simply loving Jesus and loving one another—are now siding with TRUTH on Truth Social or Awaken America conferences etc… If there is maligning, reviling , slandering and mocking of individuals on these venues then there is NO LOVE…Therefore the TRUTH they claim to have is WORTHLESS.

    It is time to repent for our judgements and pride against each other and look again to Jesus WHO CAME TO LIVE INSIDE EACH OF US. He rests inside us to be the Peacemaker in these days.

    Jesus meant it when He taught us to bless those who curse you and to pray for those who spitefully use you. There is nothing more powerful than doing that. Instead people are being stirred up to hate the other side and wish for their destruction. In this way the Devil has defeated a huge part of the “church”.

    Wanting to be right and to stand for truth seems to be noble but all it does is set you up to be OFFENDED with those who are obviously not right and who are lying. This then in turn causes us to EXALT OURSELVES above those who are in error….and to separate from them. Offence and pride will always whistle to their friends — “Deception” and “Extreme” to come and seduce their new host.

    The enemy does not want you to have authentic relationships with other spirit filled people. He does not want you sharing Life with them. Religious activity is permitted but not authentic genuine openness between people. In order to get you away from that he will get you offended.

    At the same time as your offence comes up–he will wave the carrot of some extreme “revelation from Gaaawwwdddd” under your nose….the result of believing it and running with it is that you become further ostracised and separated from the group you left behind. You may share your extreme views with them, but they do not agree with you…so you separate more because you are so sure God has shown you this amazingly important revelation–, ie TRUTH that they do not have and HAVE NOW REJECTED!!

    You were right to leave them…”they are so blind!!” While you see what God sees…right?

    And so you begin to find the few people who also believe your extreme position and congregate around that teaching –anything is better than going back and committing to the ones who are beneath you. And I AM NOT SAYING that the extreme revelation is wrong or false either…it is TRUE…but that is NOT THE POINT!!

    The point is that after so many years of avoiding real people in my own small country town….and instead trying to connect with people in other countries via the net…I have not grown in grace or love at all.

    There are many teachings that people congregate around. Some go on to become denominations built around that particular teaching. I want to be able to appreciate people and to understand what they believe without judging them for it. I have spent all my life wanting to know the truth — but have run from love and commitment to people. Now I sense the tide is shifting the other way….and I am quietly excited about it.

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