TODAY’S PROPHETIC NUMBER – 8/14/2023
Isaiah 8:14 – He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. To both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
You might have a perfectly logical reason to choose offense, but when you partner with offense, it becomes a trap. King Jesus gave us a way out–an example of walking free of offense. Ask Him to heal any wounds others caused you, to restore your vision and to bring peace to your soul. Repent of choosing bitterness and see what the Lord will do.
Declaration: I’m dead to offense. Jesus is my defender and protector. I’m a peace maker.
A TROLL UNDER THE BRIDGE
In the late 1980s, I spent a lot of time under the I-45 bridge in downtown Dallas. It was a huge gathering spot for the homeless known as “Shanty Town.”
I sang and played guitar for a Christian rock band called Destiny. We rocked the area and handed out thousands of pounds of free food to people without jobs or hope. It was fun, powerful and unpredictable. Jesus loves to bless the rejected and the messed up.
So, I was not surprised when several messed up people unplugged my speakers in mid-song and actually pushed over the eight-foot tall wooden cross we had put up. I was greatly surprised to see those messed up people trying to stop us, and the message of Christ, were members of the church several blocks away!
These men believed they were doing the right thing in stopping us because they thought the devil was in control of our music. Why? People in the Old Testament and throughout the “good old days” didn’t have screaming guitars, tricked-out drum kits or amplifiers. Why, they just knew Jesus would be offended.
“We’re Methodists and we don’t do this,” said a man in a nice suit. “This is America and we don’t need missionaries. We also don’t need you feeding people and encouraging them to stay. They are not welcome in this part of town.”
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. – 1 John 4:20
Now, I’m not bashing this church or any one denomination. The problem is not the church. The problem is when we partner with a spirit that isn’t the Holy Spirit–the spirit of religion.
Religion is always stuck in the past. Religious people just can’t imagine Jesus going to Shanty Town to save the lost because they are certain He’s always in their stained glass church patting them on the back and complimenting them on their expensive suits.
Do you recognize the spirit of religion in your past or in your current way of thinking? Turn away from it. Love God and love people. Period.