Fruit or Accusation - David Mitts
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain
the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:23 NKJV)
We have been discussing being the light in the world. Last
week Charles looked at the word “or” in Hebrew, which means light but is
derived from the word root “ar” which means order. God’s light or revelation
brings order out of chaos. When we let
our light shine in the world, we are bringing the revealed truth of God to the
world. Yeshua is the light of the world
and as we celebrate His birth as the light, we are celebrating the bringing of
the revelation of the Kingdom of God to the world and the possibility of
bringing the world to the light.
Listen to Fruit or Accusation
Chanukah is the Festival of the Lord where we light the Menorah
to celebrate the miracle of light. This
year, 2016, Chanukah and Christmas coincide.
This is a beautiful opportunity to press in for the revelation of Light
as we celebrate the dual holidays.
In the context of B.E.S.T., we will be pressing in for
empowerment for breakthrough. The winter
solstice is also at this time, which is the shortest day of the year. Light, daylight is in short supply as the
season of winter reaches its zenith light-wise.
In the midst of this light low point in our external environment, we
have the opportunity to allow the internal light of Yeshua to shine the
brightest!
This is a time of the now famous condition, S.A.D., seasonal
affective disorder. I personally believe
that as the external light diminishes it magnifies the lack of internal
light. For many people, this is a lonely
time. Families have lost members this
year or home situations have changed and the force of tradition supporting
people is diminished.
In the midst of all of this chaos of rushing and spending,
we search for a way to experience the true light.
So, how do we increase or magnify the light that is in us in
this time of darkness?
Well, I want to return to the parable of the sower. The parable shows us heart attitudes that can
hinder us from being fruitful in our lives and walking in the nature of God
which is increase. His word multiplies
in a heart that has repented from these heart conditions and embraces the
light. Let’s read Mark 4:14-20 again:
The sower sows the
word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they
hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their
hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear
the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in
themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or
persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are
the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of
this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things
entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones
sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some
thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." (Mark 4:14-20 NKJV)
Today, I want to drill down a bit into the first condition,
Satan taking away the multiplication harvest.
In many ways this condition is the closest to the impact of winter. It is the impact of darkness in the heart.
We spoke in the past about accusation or placing ourselves
in the place of acting as judges of others.
This is connected with Satan because this is his fundamental tactic for
robbing us of a productive life that is multiplying the Word of God, His Light
in and through our lives. This began in the Garden of Eden. When Satan, in the guise of the serpent, came
to Adam and Eve, his temptation came through offering the false viewpoint window
of judging good and evil or if you prefer right and wrong. This was his sales
pitch to man and continues to this day.
For God knows that in the day you eat of it
your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil." (Genesis 3:5 NKJV).
Satan offered to man the impossible. It’s not that we can’t know good and evil,
right and wrong, but we only can from the revealed Word of God. God is the standard not us. The reason God
alone can know good and evil, right and wrong, is because He alone is good. Yeshua wouldn’t take that title for
himself. In order to judge good and evil
you have to have a standard of pure goodness which alone God is. Man can never judge good or evil, right or
wrong apart from God, but it still is Satan’s trap for us.
What we call this is our opinion. Our opinion is our attempt at being God. God’s opinion is His Glory. He alone has the opinion that is Glory!! What He says about something or someone is
what gives that something or someone their true “is-ness” or nature. Pause and selah that for a moment…..
When God called day, day and night, night, they became that.
God called the light Day, and the
darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
(Genesis 1:5 NKJV)
God’s opinion, what we call His Glory, creates reality as it
is. He is the Spirit of Truth. He alone can reveal what is true.
However, when He, the
Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not
speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will
tell you things to come. (John 16:13 NKJV)
Satan wants us to think that we can know the truth through
our own opinion. In this way our opinion
is our attempt at being God.
When we give our opinion, our attempt at being God, we
interfere with God’s opinion, His Glory.
This is the root of the Pharisee spirit. Look at Mark 7:7-13:
'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY
WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' "Neglecting the
commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." He was also saying
to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order
to keep your tradition. "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR
MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH';
but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that
would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),' you no longer permit
him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of
God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such
as that." (Mark 7:7-13 NASB)
Tradition is nothing more than long held opinion
masquerading as the truth. It is
enforced or empowered by the mob mentality.
We call this whole process judging. And we know from the scripture that as we
judge, we lock ourselves in with the same judgments.
"Do not judge so
that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be
judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (Matthew
7:1-2 NASB)
Now what we need to realize is what happens when we act as
God, judging good and evil, or if you will being right and treating others like
they are wrong. Let’s go back to Genesis
3:
When the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and
that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate;
and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of
them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the LORD
God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis
3:6-8 NASB)
When we judge, we become naked or exposed. What do I mean by that? Our judgments reveal our ungodliness. We think they make us godlike, knowing good
and evil, right and wrong, but in truth they freeze us in bondage when we judge. Since God’s Spirit is the Spirit of Liberty,
our judgements are as ungodlike as possible.
In fact, they are satanic. They
enslave us. We become naked or exposed
by the shame of our judgments.
Then we sew our fig leaves, our man-made traditions, to
cover up, which causes us to hide from God because they are full of codified
opinions. Ultimately we have really
judged ourselves.
We actually never
judge anyone. We just judge
ourselves and expose ourselves through the judgments. Worse, we hide and then our light, the God in
us, cannot shine and produce the fruit that God wants to multiply through our
lives.
So as we come to the Festival of Lights celebrating the
light of the World Yeshua our Messiah, let’s decide to release all judgments we
hold in our hearts.
What I especially want to press in for is the judgments; the
opinions we have about ourselves. What
have we said to ourselves about ourselves that has frozen our development into
who God says we are. These are satanic
inspired lies. They are rooted in
rebellion against God and they steal our destiny.
"You are the light
of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all
who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
(Matthew 5:14-16 NASB)
Activation: The
Menorah,
The Menorah of Chanukah is called a Chanukiah. The word Chanukah means “dedication or
consecration.” It is truly a picture of
the wedding vows. We are going to use
the anointing of the Festival, and the Shamash, or servant light to dedicate
ourselves to Yeshua as the Lord of our lives and give up the petty kingdom of
self-judgment. That tree has caused
enough death in our lives.
If you forgive the sins
of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained." (John 20:23 NKJV)
Fire does many things but today we will use lighting the
candles to declare that our light will shine brighter this year because we will
allow Him to be the one true judge. We
commit NOT to defile ourselves through what comes out of our mouths.
Let’s each hold a candle and allow it to be lit as a living
Menorah!
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