Family of God: Re: [FamilyofGod] Keeping Secrets

Amen
God has a time for everthing.

On Tue Feb 15th, 2011 6:37 AM CST Shelley Cartwright wrote:

>Thanx Micheal amen
>
>On Tue Feb 15th, 2011 7:36 AM EST Michael J. Knight wrote:
>
>>
>>Keeping Secrets
>>
>>
>>You know how you can read a Bible verse a million times and still not
>>know what it means, until one day the truth really hits home?
>>
>>There is one concept in the Bible that I have struggled with repeatedly
>>over the last four years and that is keeping spiritual things a secret.
>>There are several instances in the Gospels when Jesus commanded
>>witnesses not to tell of His greatness. Sometimes this meant not
>>revealing a physical healing (Matthew 8:4, the leper; Mark 7:36, a deaf
>>and mute man; Mark 8:25-26, a blind man; Luke 5:14, the leper; Luke
>>8:56, dead girl raised from the dead). In each of these cases, the
>>healed person was not to tell anyone of what had been done to them.
>>
>>Sometimes the secret is a heightened spiritual understanding. Several
>>times Jesus told his disciples not to reveal that he was in fact the
>>Christ, the Son of God (see Matthew 16:20, Mark 8:30, Luke 9:21).
>>
>>Another type of spiritual understanding might come in the form of a
>>vision. Both Matthew 17:9 and Mark 9:9 talk about the transfiguration of
>>Jesus on the mountain. In each case, the disciples see Jesus, Moses, and
>>Elijah. On this mountain, Jesus reveals His glory. On the way down from
>>the mountain, Jesus warns them not to tell about the things they had
>>just seen.
>>
>>Why would Jesus during His ministry ask certain witnesses not to tell of
>>His greatness, His power, His will? And why would He ask us as witnesses
>>today to keep our lips sealed about these same heavenly revelations?
>>
>>It is All in God's Timing
>>
>>I think there are several reasons why this was the case. One reason is
>>timing. We know that God's ways are not our ways, according to Isaiah
>>55:8 (Boy, do I know that!). God's timing is everything and it is
>>evident throughout Scripture. In Genesis 18:14 God promises that Sarah
>>will become pregnant at God's appointed time. Ecclesiastes talks about a
>>time for everything. In Matthew 26:18, shortly before his death, Jesus
>>talks about His appointed time being near. Revelation talks about the
>>end of time. Whether you look in the Old Testament or you look in the
>>New Testament, you will find that timing is a key concept. It was key to
>>God's plan; it was key to the ministry of Jesus; it is key to our
>>ministry as Christians here on earth
>>
>>With this is mind, then, the Holy Spirit often urges us to keep quiet
>>because the timing of that revelation is not appropriate. God's ways are
>>not our ways.
>>
>>Think about it: Both the field and the sower have to be ready before the
>>seed can be planted and faith can be birthed. Therefore, both those who
>>are receiving our new revelation and those of us who are revealing
>>important stuff need to be ready for what God is doing.
>>
>>A Plowed Field
>>
>>Let me tell you about my experiences. I have had prophetic dreams that I
>>believe will come to pass in God's timing. But I have learned now not to
>>reveal all spiritual things until I get the green light from God. You
>>see, sometimes we are not ready for the responses we might get, even
>>from Christians, concerning the things we have heard or seen or
>>experienced.
>>
>>When others are not ready to hear the things that we have heard from the
>>Lord or see the things the Lord has revealed to us, whether we are right
>>or not is not the ultimate question at this point. We can throw pearls
>>of wisdom to others, but if it isn't God's protocol for us to reveal
>>that wisdom, it is going to get trampled. If the timing is wrong, we
>>might just be accused of being self-righteous, holier-than-thou, a
>>little "weird," or dead wrong. Pushing the issue is only going to get us
>>and others frustrated or angry. Discord can be one result. Another
>>result can be doubt. We might get such a negative reaction from others
>>that we doubt that God even spoke to us. Once doubt has crept into our
>>hearts, Satan can steal that seed of revelation.
>>
>>In our excitement, we forget that believers are all at different levels
>>of spiritual maturity. We need to be cautious not to cause others to
>>stumble who might not understand the things we do yet. God wants to
>>protect us from the disbelief of others and He also wants to make sure
>>we are strong enough to handle opposition when we do need to tell of His
>>works.
>>
>>Being a Responsible Sower
>>
>>Sometimes at the core of this dire need to reveal are personal
>>insecurities and pride. I know I am often tempted now as I was then to
>>divulge spiritual things so that others will consider me a worthy and
>>mature Christian and would think well of me. I want to be considered a
>>sage. But anytime my motivation is for my own praise, my way of pleasing
>>man over God, I have overstepped the line.
>>
>>When our self-worth rests in responses from others, watch out. Your
>>faith is going to shake if the response is negative. And without faith,
>>we can't believe God. Without faith we won't act on the things God
>>reveals. And without faith, we are not going to be the light that will
>>bring others to Christ.
>>
>>If God says no when we want to spill our guts, don't take it too hard.
>>It may just be God's way of training us up in wisdom and patience. He is
>>making us strong and steady and totally under His authority. Let God
>>regain control of those lips. Humble yourself before the Lord, and He
>>will exalt you in due season.
>>
>>And listen to me: One of the harsh realities of communing with God is
>>that some of the things we see and hear are simply not to be shared with
>>anyone. Sometimes it is for us alone. Sometimes it is simply a way to
>>build our faith, bring us comfort, bring us back to God. We might not
>>know why, but God has His reasons.
>>
>>It is so tempting to believe that God's plan is all up to us and that we
>>must reveal God's plans to others, so that God will move. But beloved
>>ones, we don't make anything happen. Everything begins and ends with
>>Jesus Christ. God's ways always prevail.
>>
>>The whole point is that if what you have seen and heard and experienced
>>is truly from God, then it will come to pass and the Lord will be
>>vindicated. We don't have to do that for God. God can use us to show the
>>world His power, but we are merely instruments. He allows us to be a
>>part of bringing others to a new understanding of spiritual things, but
>>we should not speak on our own. This is not our personal crusade. It is
>>the Lord Jesus Christ.
>>
>>Know that when those fruits are evident in your life, when you have gone
>>up the mountain and the glory of the Lord is seen upon your face, if God
>>wishes to use you, people will come to you. They will ask.
>>
>>As hard as it is for many of us to keep quiet, if we do and God allows
>>us to tell of His wonders at the appropriate time, it will be in
>>humility and God will get the glory. Others will see Jesus Christ, and
>>that should always be our desire.
>>
>>A Lesson From Joseph
>>
>>If we need one full-length example of the positives and negatives of
>>revealing God's will, the visions God has given us, take a look at
>>Joseph, the revealer of dreams and visions.
>>
>>Usually, when we think of Joseph, we remember how he managed to
>>interpret the king's dreams and not only get out of prison and escape
>>death, but be placed in the king's courts, and later governor. This guy
>>got an awesome promotion! When Joseph revealed the mysteries in those
>>royal dreams, he got the royal treatment.
>>
>>But, before we start concentrating on the good stuff, let's turn back s
>>to Genesis 37, when Joseph was first starting out. Joseph might have
>>been a powerful, influential man in the end, but he had a problem with
>>his mouth -- he just couldn't keep the good things of God a secret. You
>>would think Joseph would have gotten the idea that wisdom in the case
>>with his brothers was to keep a secret, but he didn't.
>>
>>In Genesis 37:5, the Scripture says that Joseph had a dream about
>>sheaves of grain bowing down to him. Joseph's brothers questioned the
>>dream saying, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule
>>us?" It says further, "They hated him all the more because of his dream
>>and what he had said" (v. 8, emphasis mine).
>>
>>OK, so Joseph lost points with his siblings. But that didn't keep him
>>from telling his next dream. And this time, dad got a bit irritated. In
>>Joseph's next dream, he saw the sun and moon and eleven stars bowing
>>down to him (v. 9). This upset Joseph's father so much he became
>>indignant: "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your
>>brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" (v. 10).
>>And of course Joseph's brothers were thinking Joseph was just plain
>>arrogant and egotistical. They called him "that dreamer" (v. 19).
>>
>>Well, we know that Joseph was speaking the truth and he truly was
>>hearing from God as far as what he saw. But here is something that I
>>think Joseph missed: Did God want that information revealed just then?
>>What would have happened if Joseph kept this nugget of truth to himself.
>>After all, if what he heard and saw was truly God, would it not come to
>>pass since God is always faithful to His promises?
>>
>>If I can project a minute, I just wonder if life for Joseph wouldn't
>>have been easier if he had kept his mouth shut. If Joseph never gave his
>>brothers more of a reason to make them hate him, would he still have
>>been sold into slavery, thrown into prison? Or would he have bypassed
>>that whole period of suffering and gone straight from being the youngest
>>son to being a leader of the nation? I cannot say for sure, but it does
>>make me think.
>>
>>Fortunately for Joseph and for us, we as Christians can mess up,
>>sometimes royally, and still gain God's blessings for us. See, God is
>>faithful, even when we aren't. We don't corrupt God's plans. We just
>>sidetrack them until we come back under His authority. Therefore, if you
>>are one like Joseph, like me, like so many of us Christians who haven't
>>quite gotten a hold of the responsibility of keeping the things of God a
>>secret until the proper time, take heart. God forgives; God restores.
>>And He will bring wisdom to you if and when you are in doubt. All you
>>have to do is ask God: Is this something I can share now, ever? Who do I
>>tell? What must my attitude be while revealing these things?
>>
>>Don't bypass this crucial step. It could save you a life of misery,
>>being mocked for being a "dreamer", or even save you from causing
>>someone to stumble.
>>
>>Remember
>>Only one life, will soon be past,
>>Only what is done, for Christ will last.
>>
>>The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
>>communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians
>>13:14)
>>
>>Love & Prayers,
>>
>>Michael J. Knight.
>>
>>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-C-T-S/
>><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-C-T-S/>
>>
>>What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
>>
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