Are We Cultivating Seed or Weeds?

Whose Seed Are WE Carrying?

Weeds seem to grow and thrive all on their own, without any work on the part of the gardener! While seeds take a great deal of intentional attention and effort to produce the desired fruit! And it has been this way since that poor choice in The Garden of Eden, which resulted in God removing His presence from this planet! 

There's this saying, “If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.” We want to complain about our flea-ridden society, but we need to take a closer look at what is causing this issue, and who it is that God will hold responsible for “sleeping with the dogs”.

Thank God that we are finally seeing another move of The Spirit of God in His remnant. There is an awakening of responsibility that has been needed, but missing, for decades!

This last significant time of hardship, which was brought on by God's judgment of the religious system in America known as “Church”, has brought an awakening that some of His faithful ones have been calling for since the “Jesus Movement” of the late sixties and early seventies!

A profound observation on the history of our nation  and the world, actually, will reveal that there has always been two elements at work at the same time - Good and Evil.

For example, from the onset of this nation, there were those sincere believers in God, Yeshua as Messiah, “Jesus The Christ”, who truly had His Spirit as their guide. These "separatists" (called that because they dared to separate themselves from the religious oppression of England) came to America simply to pursue a life free of the religious tyranny of their homeland.

Those people made peace with the previous occupants of the land, at least with those who would be peaceful, and worked hard to establish a place among them, not to displace them!

Then there were those others, who saw this land as yet another money making opportunity, who thought nothing of killing off the original inhabitants in order to exploit and decimate their land! Most used a thinly veiled religious rhetoric to cover their real motives. 

Fast forward to our time. The older ones among us remember a time when, in the late sixties and early seventies, there arose a great deception which propounded the idea that sexual freedom was the great heal-all of every human frustration and angst!

This deception has, sadly,  produced an overwhelming surge in the divorce rate, and, even worse, a staggering, horrific, abortion rate, from the unwanted offspring which this “freedom fest” conceived! The proponents of this "sexual freedom" had huge campouts called “love-ins”, which would have more appropriately been labeled “Lust-ins”, in which people freely partook of their various lusts without social condemnation. 

While at the same time, there was a rumbling, which was also outside the basic organized system of religion, wherein people were, again seeking for REAL Freedom from THAT religious tyranny, which had crept over here with the greedy people – a religious form which they used to justify their greed and avarice, if only to themselves.

That new “movement” was a “Jesus Only” ideology, wherein young people dared to pitch the old-wineskins of accepted hymnology, and instead brought their preferred music to the table, wrote anointed songs to it, and rocked out in honor of THE ROCK of our Salvation - in real worship! There were, in that Freedom movement as well, also campouts called “Jesus festivals”, where people camped out for weeks on end, as these people brought real worship to them in a way that had not been seen! This new found religious freedom was openly condemned by mainstream “Christianity” at that time! Because religion is NOT about FREEDOM! Whether the religion is humanism or denominationalism!

So, it happened that we had “Hippie-fests” and “Jesus-fests” going on at the same time! With some people finding a temporary “freedom” in sexual expression (which led to anything BUT actual freedom), and some people finding real freedom in the Worship of the ONE TRUE God, through which, and on which, our nation was founded.

Two motivations at work at the same time. Just pick a time in our history, in the history of the world, actually, since Adam and Eve got conflicted in the Garden, and, if one observes closely, one can see this parallel-contradictory struggle of humanity, struggling with the kingdom of darkness vs The Kingdom of Light. Good vs. Evil. Historically, making up our mind on whichi is which, and which is best for us, has been a real conundrum.

It is no different today. Yet another historical reality is that it isn't just the “unchurched worldly ones” who struggle with who their god is going to be! The religious have historically been the easiest to deceive! Adam and Eve get a lot of flack in religious circles, but from my observation most people - as they did - struggle to take God at His Word, actually BELIEVE what HE says, and/or LIVE in total loyal obedience to Him!

The majority of the so-called “Church” is STILL struggling between some kind of religious standard (which most of THEM can't keep, but which they use to judge others) – and/or - the politically correct foolishness which has taken our nation hostage – usually coming down on some strange mixture of them both!

Many can not see the line of righteousness because they've never bothered to find it for themselves and apply it to their own lives! Most of the church-going masses, who make it a priority to attend some church service every week, and utterly disdain those who won't, have put the responsibility for their eternal welfare entirely on their pastors! (No wonder those who have chosen that status for a living succumb to heart failure at an alarming rate, statistically speaking! No pressure there! Listen – Yeshua took that entire burden on HIMSELF. It does not belong to any other mere human!) When GOD insists that each person be responsible to HIM for their eternal well-being! 

This utter lack of personal responsibility, mixed with an attitude of immature expectancy, is the perfect combination for utter deception and failure of real Kingdom principles, such as character building, and spiritual growth! All of which are necessary for real freedom to grow and exist. Thus the moral decline in our nation.

It isn't because “the heathens are increasing”, it is because the faithful have decreased significantly. It isn't because sinners sin! It is because those who are claiming to be righteous make excuses for their sin, and use grace as some kind of camouflage, instead of letting it be the lye soap that will purge sin from their lives!

Even many of those who caught the vision during "The Jesus Movement" got caught in the nets of many false doctrines which began circulating instantly. “The hyper-faith” movement - the “greasy-grace” movement – and the “keep the old-wineskin” movement, all came forward to twist, pervert or condemn the new found spiritual freedom that had been acquired by these brave new God seekers.

Today is no different. Today we have many “prophetic voices”, or folks who believe themselves to be “hearing from God”, who are declaring many types of messages.

Some decree and declare words of hope, some of those bordering on ecstatic denial of reality! And then there are yet others propounding visions of doom and gloom – perpetuating fear instead of faith – because they never bring God's solutions to the challenges they are “seeing”.

Most have some element of truth in their “visions”, but too many have jumped to conclusions which are either unscriptural or just untimely, because they didn't wait patiently on GOD's conclusions!

There are, as usual TWO things going on simultaneously here, in this season as well. First, God HAS decreed that He would intervene against the destruction of our nation!

HOWEVER – He NEVER said that HE was going to do some magic trick that didn't necessitate OUR involvement!

There are some people in “spiritual leadership” or who have social status, who are pushing us to take up arms, when I believe God has merely said to take up our position, WORSHIP HIM, and SEE HIS SALVATION!

Should we be FREE to take up arms? Absolutely! Could there arise a situation in which we might need to be prepared for that? Very possibly! However, to jump straight to that “solution” without hearing a direct Word from God is usually a huge mistake. (* please Read all of the account of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles)

It is the opposite end of the “All or nothing” stick, wherein the “nothing” is to ignore it, pretending that we are “believing God” for His deliverance - though we refuse to Worship Him, or actively do anything else about it! 

The Word IS clear that Faith without works is dead! But , then, it is just as clear that a lot of religious busywork without faith is just as worthless! In order for Faith to be the motivation for our works we must first have heard something to believe, so that we are clear on that which we are being expected to act!

Faith is an act of obedience, not simply a positive mental thought pattern! It is not wishful thinking! It is hearing a clear Word of God - and then acting on it affirmatively - KNOWING that what HE has said WILL come to pass – WHEN WE BELIEVE IT, DECLARE IT, and DO whatever HE has said to DO about it! (Again, 2 Chronicles 20 is a great example of this principle).

Faith and Fear are both seed bearing functions. Faith produces the will of God – LIFE, LOVE, VICTORY, Etc. Fear produces the opposite – death, hate, defeat …. and so on. But WE get the deciding vote on which seed WE will perpetuate! The question of the day, then, is what are we propagating with our thoughts, words, and actions - or lack thereof? Whose Kingdom are we supporting? Are we bearers of Life or Death, Faith or Fear, Victory or Victimization, Seeds or Weeds? Do we have more “faith”, for example, in the power of the pandemic than we do in the power of Yeshua's awesome sacrifice?

At some point we MUST decide and stop wavering between two opinions! As Elijah challenged the Israelites of his day - “IF YeHoVaH ELOHIM is GOD them WORSHIP HIM!" That is -  Make HIM the supreme decision maker of your life! OBEY HIM FIRST AND FOREMOST!'' But if “Corona”, or “Ease”, or Wealth or Personal Safety – or – Fill in the blank _______ - is your god then continue to worship that!

But here's the deal – if we choose – by our actions (despite any imagined “intentions”) to serve those other gods in our lives – by making those things the actual priorities, to give those things our attention instead of HIM – then we don't get to whine when HIS BEST WILL is NOT done in our lives! When healing doesn't make it to us, when our loved ones don't regard Him, when finances fail time and again, when what we call “life” continues to take its horrific dumps on our face!

Because we can't have it both ways people! No one can “have his or her cake and eat it too”! That is a phrase meaning that we want to consume our blessings without diminishing them. The ONLY way our blessings are used but not consumed is if we give them away - and that is a spiritual, miraculous, mystery! Consuming anything on our own lusts, however, is the way to total lack, loss and defeat! Selfishness is NOT a fruit of The Spirit! It is a characteristic of the fallen, judged, condemned flesh!

And no – simply running to the altar, one time in VBS, to get our “get out of hell free card”, is NOT going to deal with all of the sin issue! Salvation is REAL! But we can never fully benefit from it UNLESS we participate in HIS processes of Redemption afterward! (Such as - “renewing our minds with The WORD”.... Repenting of evil as needed.... and letting His Spirit crucify our flesh by choosing to feed our enlivened spirit-being!)

This why we are instructed “CHOOSE LIFE”. It is a CHOICE. It is a choice which must be made every day, every decision, sometimes every minute!

God is very “pro-choice”! He never forces His way on anyone. He actually insists that we choose!

The difference, however, in HIS idea of “pro-choice”- and what is currently popular  - is that He insists that we must choose LIFE – for the unborn – for the lost – for ourselves - if we want HIS BLESSING ON OUR LIVES – instead of merely, apathetically, choosing the ways of the flesh – ease, selfish gratification, or protection which circumvents Himself.  These flesh-motivated “choices” always lead to death and destruction. Even if it is a default “choice”, which is the result of refusing to actually choose!

It is time that HIS people CHOOSE which seed they will plant, and whether they will water weeds or seeds. This nation will not come out of this downward drift by herself. It is up to us. The choice is ours and the time is now. 

L'Chaim! #TIME2CHOOSE

SCD 4/22/22