Note:
This is the third and final post in a series of three posts used
with permission from Guest Author John Burton At
http://www.johnburton.net/.
Check out this lengthy but wildly
troubling story of an encounter by John Mulinde, a leader with a
world ministry on every continent except Antarctica. God told him,
"If I had come today to take My Bride, you wouldn't be part of
that. I wouldn't take you."
Here's His Story:
Then suddenly a bright light hit my
eyes. My eyes were closed. I was on my knees with my head on the
ground, but a bright light hit me. I lifted up my eyes and said,
"What is this?" I opened my eyes and I couldn't look in the
light. Even when I closed them, it pierced into my eyes.
I bowed my head again, and I was
trembling and thinking, "What on earth is going on?" Then I
heard a voice, deep and calm. He called my name three times. I
couldn't answer. There was no strength in me to answer, but inwardly
I was saying, "I'm here." He called me—"John"—three
times.
Then He said to me, "I knew you
before the creation of the world, and I chose you and set you apart
to serve Me as a witness in these last days. I want to say to you,
if I had come today to take My Bride, you wouldn't be part of that.
I wouldn't take you."
I can't describe the shock that came
upon me. I think I was in shock. I didn't even respond. It hit me.
He repeated it. He said, "I wouldn't take you. For it is
written, 'He will appear to those who wait upon Him' (Isaiah
49:23, paraphrased).
You're not living your life as a
person waiting upon Me. You're allowing all kinds of filth to come
into your life. You're living like one who cares not." As I
said, I couldn't speak with my lips.
At that moment I was thinking, "This
can't be happening to me. I gave up my job to serve the Lord; I gave
up my house that my father had given me because I wanted to go to the
mission field. I gave up this, I gave up that; this can't be God
saying to me that He wouldn't take me."
None of my theology and teachings
could accept that. He spoke to me these words written in the book of
1 Corinthians 6.
He quoted them; I found them later. I couldn't even remember that
they were in the Scriptures, but later on I found them in the
Scriptures.
It says: "Do you not know that
the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God"
(1 Corinthians 6:10).
"THE Heart Is Deceitful Above All
Things, And Desperately Wicked" (Jeremiah17:9).
He went on to say to me, "Your
life is so full of filth. You walk with an outward appearance, and
you cover many things in your heart. You forget that I am the Lord
who examines the heart. You are not ready to meet Me."
He began to say to me, "If your
life is full of this and this and this and this, then are you ready
for My appearance?" As He measured the various things, I could
say, "OK, Lord, have mercy." But then He mentioned one
thing that my heart rejected.
In my own understanding, I had never
turned into that. He said, "Your life is full of fornication."
And everything in me said, "Oh, no. That cannot be." I
said it in my heart, and the voice stopped. For a moment there was
silence.
Then He said to me, "There is no
crooked word that comes out of My mouth. Do you call Me a liar? But
because you don't even know your own heart, I will show it to you.
Remember this day when you were in this place at this hour?"
Brothers and sisters, I didn't even
remember. I practically saw myself back in that very moment—not as
a memory, but as a reality. I was back in that moment.
I saw myself sitting in the taxi
waiting for the taxi car to be filled. Then I was looking out at
some lady with all kinds of filthy imaginations. The moment it came
back, I thought, "Oh, God, I have sinned against You." He
said, "No, you haven't sinned. You live in sin. You live in
that. You live from morning to evening in such imaginations.
Even in your bed at night you indulge
in the same. I know every moment of your private life. I know your
thoughts. You don't even fear, even sitting in church. Someone steps
up on the platform to serve Me and you strip them naked in your
imagination. You imagine all kinds of things.
I am the Lord who examines the heart.
Have you not read that he who even looks upon a woman to lust after
her has already committed adultery with her (Matt.
5:28)?"
Pictures began to pass before me of
how my imagination works.
This isn't something of which I could
say, "Lord, I fell in sin. Lord, I was weak." It was my
way of life. It was my constant way of life. I was comfortable in
it. I was comfortable that no one else could see it, but God was
saying, "I see it. I am the Lord who examines the heart."
I was so ashamed, but then He said,
"That's not the worst of all. You still live in this."
He began to mention things that appear
humanly small: the envy, the manipulation and undercutting of one
another so that you remain appearing the best, so that you appear to
do the best, to preach the best, to work more miracles, to be more
anointed; all the manipulation and self-promotions, all the grudges
we hold in our hearts when we see someone else being promoted or
recognized before us.
The way the Lord brought it up, it was
so filthy. I cried and cried, and at some point I was so intent on my
grief. Then He raised His voice and said, "Keep quiet and
listen." "I Never
Knew You; Depart From Me, You Who Practice Lawlessness!"
I kept quiet, and He went on and on
and on, unveiling more and more things. Even the things which appear
so small, at that moment appeared so rotten. I felt like I was
standing before the judgment seat with everything being thrown out.
I wanted to say, "Stop, Stop, I accept it all," but He
wasn't stopping.
At some point I was just saying, "I'm
sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He said, "Keep quiet."
I wasn't speaking loudly; I was speaking in my heart. He said, "Keep
quiet and listen."
As He continued I thought, "I
must have been deceived. All along I thought I was serving God and
yet I'm so filthy inside. I must have been deceived. The devil must
have taken my life captive a long time ago."
At that moment I thought of the
miracles we were witnessing. I thought of the healings. I thought of
all those wonderful things, and suddenly my heart sunk. I thought,
"The devil has so deceived me that he could even use me to
produce counterfeit miracles; to produce things I thought God was
working—and yet it was the devil all along."
The voice kept quiet for a moment, and
then He said to me, "Why are you imagining such thoughts? I
don't do miracles because you're worthy. I do miracles because I
love My people before whom you stand to preach.”
Have you never read of how they will
come to Me on that day and say, 'Lord, Lord, in Your name we worked
miracles, cast out demons, and prophesied'? Then I will say to them,
'Get out of My sight, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you'"
(Matthew. 7:21–23,
paraphrased).
He said, "Don't depend on the
miracles to assess your worthiness. Your worthiness isn't in the
signs and wonders you witness in ministry. I do miracles because I
love the people, and My name shall never be left without witness on
earth."
He said, "Have you not ever read
that without holiness, no one will see God (Hebrews.
12:14)? It's not the
miracles; it's the holiness that comes from God."
He spoke to me the Scripture in the
book of Hebrews.
Do we need to confess our sins as
believers? Should we be sin-conscious? Yes and Yes.
False-grace teachers would say that
it's not necessary to confess sins because there is no sin in us.
God's grace has eradicated it.
Folks, let me be very, very clear:
that is a heretical teaching that absolutely puts people at risk of
Hell.
1 John 1:8-9 says
“If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Life Application Bible Notes:
Being
God's people does not mean denying sin (1:8), but confessing it.
Because all people are sinners, Jesus had to die. Because sin is not
completely eradicated from the lives of those who believe in Jesus,
God graciously gave his followers provision for the problem of sin.
It's not only critical, but it's
wonderful to live in a state of continual repentance! God's love for
us is so amazing, that running away from sin and to Him is awe
inspiring!
As we daily allow God to search our
hearts and reveal issues that are barriers to his love fully
impacting us, the freedom and resulting life is amazing!
I often hear people say that
Christians shouldn't be sin-conscious. Not only is that not biblical,
it does us a disservice. Ignoring sin doesn't disarm it; it empowers
it! Allow God to reveal the darkness and set us free!
2 Corinthians 7:1 says
“Since we have these
promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
We must remain diligent regarding sin.
As we grow in grace and knowledge we will have the strength to remain
stable.
2 Peter 3:14 says
“Therefore, beloved,
since you are waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be
found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.”
2 Peter 3:17-18 says
“You
therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware
lest you also fall from your own firm footing, being led away by the
deception of the wicked. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever.
Amen”
End Of Post