CROWNS AND REWARDS PART THREE

Just want to backup and finish part two. If you have not read it please go back and read part one and part two.

Revelation 3:11 Behold I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

I discussed this in part two, but wanted to reiterate that the possibility of anyone taking our crown or reward is not about our salvation, the word tells us no one can take us out Jesus' hand. Go back to John 10:28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall not perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

Yet in this world we live in we must walk in the new creation we have been given, because our old man, our flesh/carnality, rises up. When we continually allow our emotions to control our thoughts, our words and our actions, when we do the work of the Lord but with the wrong motive, not for the love of Jesus but for the recognition of our own abilities, we may find ourselves forfeiting our crown and reward. I believe that the spirit of offense is growing stronger within the body of Christ.

My burden for prayer has been for some years for Christ's Church, not only my church I attend but for His body everywhere. God had already told me, in December, I would be spending more time in His presence, in His word and in prayer for His church. Yet I allowed my sadness over my situation, to cause me not to be in total obedience to what God spoke to me. Last week in my desperation of not hearing God and feeling like God was not listening. (Awww emotions again). I cried out "God how do I pray?" I went to bed and in my deep sleep I began to dream now I believe God still gives His people dreams and visions. Not every dream is from God, some are from some movie we watched and Satan can attack us within our dreams. With me when God gives me a dream it stays and in the morning He will give me an understanding of the dream. So here it is:

I was an observer in this dream, not interacting not being noticed by anyone. Though it was very graphic, it was not blood and gore, yet it was terrifying, to the point I was calling out in my dream, God get me out of here! But I remained, what I saw was a group of people sitting at a long table devouring the body parts of others, arms, legs, feet etc. Now they weren't killing them they were maiming them, rendering them useless. I had watched a man with a young girl trying to get her to safety, I knew he wasn't her father, but he had become her protector, but she wandered off and he kept searching for her, but she kept moving farther out of his reach. Then I heard this old woman, who apparently liked to eat fresh eyeballs, scream I need some young eyes to feast on! I saw the young girl be grabbed up placed in a chair, I saw the man getting closer to her but not in time, they took out her eyes and sewed up her eyelids. By now I am screaming "God get me out of here"! Immediately I heard "eye has not seen nor ear heard what I have prepared!" I sit straight up in bed, wide awake, I wasn't even sure it was a verse, so I googled exactly what I heard and sure enough there it was in 1 Corinthians 2:9 and Isaiah 64:4, now these two scriptures were a personal word from God to me, concerning how I had been feeling. But now the dream was about His church, as found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-32. God was showing me that our enemy was devouring His gifts He had given His children, gifts that were suppose to be used within His body, he wasn't killing them but maiming them, hurting them, causing pain in their lives, making them useless in His purpose for them. I believe the greatest tool of the enemy is "Offense" against God's people, words that hurt, and causes pain so much that they leave the very church God set them in. A church that needed the gifts and talents that person provided. When we allow offense to govern our lives, to leave the very place God has placed us,(1 Corinthians 12:18) then we have not overcome but ran away from and are forfeiting our crown, because we allowed our flesh to rise up. And instead of offering forgiveness, we allow it to fester and turn to bitterness. In this God gave me a very specific way to pray for His church.

The Crown Of Life can be called the Crown Of Victory or also the Overcomers Crown. Given as an athlete who has finished his race. Galatians 6:9 And let us not become weary while doing good, for in due season we shall rap if we do not lose heart. (do not become discouraged)

Now let's move forward to another crown, the Crown of Rejoicing, or could be called the Crown of Joy:

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 For what is our Hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.

Do we really celebrate the salvation of another, do we rejoice in their salvation, the word says that even the angels in heaven rejoice in a sinners salvation. Imagine that created beings who truly do not understand salvation when one is saved, rejoice and yet often times the body of Christ sits and ponders "hope it is real"! Already thinking critical thoughts, placing a curse upon God's newest creation. May God help us to rejoice. May God help to lead another to Him. May reflect Jesus in all we say and do.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice!

Yet, how often to we allow someone's words or actions steal our joy? Sorrows in life, death of a loved one, death of a marriage, children running into the world, loss of jobs, health declining, bills mounting, growing old, loneliness. We all experience these times in one area or another. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 tells us that in this life there is a time for everything, both good and bad.

Ecclesiastes 3:4  A time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

The Word became flesh that He, Jesus, might understand what we go through in these times in our life. He understands our sorrow, our pain and yes our anger. Yet He has given us His joy, His hope, that through it all a new day is coming, and this too will pass. I want to give you a few scriptures to encourage us and then I want to even consider in what way can someone or some happening steal our joy.

Psalm 30:5b Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning.

According to the Jewish time count, night is from 6pm to 6am. The women grieved in much sorrow over the crucifixion of Jesus, but at 6am they traveled to the tomb and behold their sorrow changed to joy. So let's hang on joy is going to come.

Isaiah 61:3 to console to those who mourn in Zion, to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD that He might be glorified.

Have you ever had a spirit of heaviness, cover you? This heaviness of sorrow of sadness, of grief that no words of anyone could console you or comfort you? I have! It is during these times when Satan will blanket our minds to blind us to the joy of the Lord that is in us and for us, and at times that joy  may appear to be gone. What man cannot say that comforts us,  God has provided through His Holy Spirit to wrap us in His comfort. When in our sorrow, for whatever it may be, we can begin to thank God, to praise Him, to seek Him, then when we do this we will see the spirit of heaviness lift from our soul. Read Psalm 103. I have never forgotten what my pastor taught on this, "sometimes you just have to reach down in the depths of our soul and begin to praise Him, remember all He has done for you". Now this is realigning our focus off of our situation and back on to Jesus, our Hope and our Joy.I have made it a practice in my life that when I feel that spirit of heaviness coming on me to go back and read Psalm 103 and begin to do as the psalmist has said. I want to add this; we are allowed to grieve, God understands our grief, He understands our sorrow, but we can not allow this time of sorrow for whatever is happening to consume us. I will share in a little further down how it consumed me and as a result I found myself  running from God for 12 years.

Now we all can stand up and say Amen to this verse James 1:2 "My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials." Testings are never meant to harm us, but to refine us, to help us to grow, that the fruit of our lives will bring God the glory. That the unbeliever watching will see there is something different about us; when we handle problems, sorrow, pain, suffering not as the world does but as believers in Christ who have this hope. We walk with Jesus who is our Joy and in knowing He is always working on our behalf, never abandoning us, knowing all things work together for our good for those who are called according to His purpose. REALLY! All things, you mean death, divorce, lost relationships, lost jobs, old age, etc! It is as we walk through these life happenings that we find ourselves drawing nearer to God, our faith growing, our hope steadfast, our strength developing, our testimony being established, our joy remaining we find all things work together for our good. We may not see it in the present but we will look back and know God kept us. I remember a few years back I had prayed "God what ever it takes draw me closer to You." Unless you are serious don't pray it, because storms started coming that I began to feel like one more wave and I would surely drown. Then on a Sunday morning I heard God's small still voice "You are the closest to Me when you are in the middle of a storm". It is in that storm God is giving me His grace to make it through. It is in the middle of a storm that God is drawing me closer to Him, it is in the middle of the storm that my faith is growing. So hold on the sun will shine again.

Think back how many times has Jesus brought you through? Your testimony was and is continuing to be built, it is in the word of our testimony and the blood of the Lamb that we overcome, found in Revelation 12:11. Your testimony is unique for you, we may all have similar testimonies, yet each of ours are meant to help someone who needs to know they can get through this. Our testimony goes beyond the salvation it extends to how God brings you through life each day. Handling what life brings us in faith, knowing we overcome. That our joy might be full!

John 15:11 These thing I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

Jesus has placed within us His eternal joy. It is a fruit of His Spirit. I have often heard people say "I am not happy". I must confess I am not always a happy person! My life can be hard at times and situations don't make me happy but just as happiness is temporary, so is unhappiness. it is found in moments that we experience in life; I am thankful God gave us emotions otherwise we would be like a robot going through life, yet our emotions of happiness, unhappiness, anger, etc can not rule our thoughts, words and actions. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:9), in our of time of trouble, His joy is eternal. Never allow a temporary feeling steal our eternal joy.

With so many scriptures pertaining to joy and rejoicing time does not allow me to write them all. So I suggest if you are struggling with joy do a word search and fill up yourself with His words pertaining to joy. That is renewing our mind.

But this I want to share, because many of us from time to time have allowed the enemy to come in and steal our joy. When the pain in us is so severe that a cloud of such heaviness is over our minds, when we see no light at the end of the tunnel, the enemy is stealing our joy, he is oppressing our minds, putting a basket over the light of Christ within us, a shroud of death to steal our hope, kill our joy, destroy our faith and as we continue falling into this black hole, abyss, a spirit of depression comes over us, our ability to think becomes darkened and a spirit of suicide can attach itself to us. How do I know? Because when my marriage ended, and I chose to follow the world in sin instead continuing to follow my God. You see I was angry with God, because I believed in Him, I was saved and seeking Him and when my marriage ended, and I fell into sin (willing), I blamed God, but I was confused about how I was to submit to God, resist the devil and he would flee from me. I left out the resisting part and believed God would just magically keep me from temptation, yes I was that ignorant. In such a dark place I attempted suicide, but God kept me and He wouldn't let me go. When we remain in a depth of sorrow, that we cannot get back our joy then the enemy has won. I asked God once "why did You not let me die?" He answered "I have something better for you!" Thirty years have past and at times I hear the enemy say "just give up, just lay down and die!" And in a moment, or a day and for a few days I fall into the trap, but God is faithful I remember Him and His faithfulness, and I get up, my God has something better for me. And my joy rises up in victory.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good like a medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

 The best medicine in the world for a broken spirit is joy, laughter, remember God has a good plan for your life, trust Him, trust Him, He sees your tears, He hears your prayers, He holds you in His hand, don't let the enemy steal your Crown Of Rejoicing.

Psalm 51:8 Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.

Even in our brokenness pray to hear His joy, remember His gladness. For He lives in us and His grace and mercy are with us. Remember joy of your salvation, do you remember what that day was like, weeping in repentance, rejoicing by faith, knowing Jesus and knowing He knows you. Do you remember how excited you were, how you couldn't wait to tell others about your salvation, to share Jesus with them, how excited you would get to spend time in His word, in prayer, getting up early excited about going to church, every time the door was open you couldn't wait to get there? Are you still just excited today as you were 20, 30, 40 years ago, if not what happened? Did someone say something to offend you or didn't do something like you expected them to? I confess I get offended! The enemy knows how to push my buttons and he knows exactly whose mouth he can use to bring offense, so what do we do when offense comes? I have learned that most of the time they don't realize they have said or done anything to offend me or you. But the enemy will shout in my ears "They do not care about you"! And after I cry for a bit, have a pity party for a little bit (longer than I should) I rebuke the enemy and declare the truth, what truth do I declare? They do love me and I love them! I would like to say that it never rises again but that would be a lie, it does so I continue to tear down that stronghold and rebuke my thoughts and repeat again "they do love me and I love them", and I do it over and over again for as long as I need to. But what about that righteous indignation that comes up over something someone says, well we get over it, and sometimes we think we have gotten over it and then out of  the clear blue there a faded memory rises up, so once more we take that thought captive and we remove it from our thinking. Now to be completely honest I know what to do and I do it but I sure haven't mastered it yet. But I don't stop rebuking, and speaking the truth over my mind and myself.

Psalm 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous spirit.

Psalm 51 is David's Psalm of repentance. When I returned to the Lord after my years in the wilderness, this Psalm became my prayer. Perhaps we all need to take time to examine our hearts and see if this prayer should be each of ours. Is it time to walk in the victory that has already been given us?