John 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
Me:
Good afternoon Father!
ABBA: Good afternoon Jon!
Me:
Father, about this passage; nothing exists that was not created by You. How is it that we get in trouble loving what was created?
ABBA:
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” [Jesus, Matthew 10:37] The trouble is one of idolatry. What is an idol? It is an object of misplaced worship. An image of stone or wood overlaid with gold to which the deceived offer prayers or even make sacrifices is obviously an idol. Even if the object were intended to provide focus and somehow represent Me, it would be false by its limits. So is a family member who’s opinion carries more weight than what I Am saying, or even the earth I have made and which you obviously need can be an object of misplaced devotion.
Do not think that My jealousy for you is about Me. Only I know the end from the beginning [Isaiah 46:10, Revelation 21:6]. You were created to have fellowship with Me. I desire intimacy with you. In that closeness, you find fulfillment that no other can provide. Idolatry interferes with our communion because is diverts your focus. My creation is for you. It is intended to support you, to be enjoyed by you, to be managed and cared for by you [Genesis 1:28]. The wonders that I have made should properly bring you to appreciate My gift of them and your study of them should give you insight into the truth that your thoughts are not My thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. This knowledge ought to lead you straight to Me:
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And it will be a memorial to the Lord,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.” [Isaiah 55]
This is a Word of healing for you. What is the thorn bush but the bramble that has grown up in your life from seeds sown by the enemy. And what is the nettle but those irritating reminders that all in life is not as it should be. The perfecting work of My Word and the promise of joy and the everlasting fullness that I desire for you, this is what is missed when the idol is between Me and My people.
Me:
Am I guilty of idolatry? Is that why You point me to these verses?
ABBA:
Have you come to know Me fully, just as you are fully known? The growth in our relationship is “taking every thought captive”, leading you away from the false notion, the incomplete vision, and progressively into the Light of Truth that I Am. What I want you (and every one of My children) to consider is “What is first?” [Matthew 6:33]. Just as you cannot succeed in a project unless you focus on the details of the project, so you will not end up with a more thriving relationship with Me if our time together is an afterthought. But, if you come – more and more – to see me as I AM, as your all in all, then the “cypress” and the “myrtle” will indeed sprout and grow and become an everlasting memorial of our relationship.
Indeed, one aspect of the cypress and myrtle is that the ‘essential oils’ of these families of tree represent the fragrance of My Spirit at work in your life. He is a seal of My promise [2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30] and His presence in your life is essential to your transformation.
Me:
Father! Your revelations are marvelous! Help me leave behind my conceptions of You that fall short of the mark (as I suppose they must). Help me to see You more accurately! Help me to become more like You and see You more as You are. Help me to overcome the “need” to think I have arrived at a “correct understanding” and to be satisfied with the seeking and with the expansion of the vision that is possible today.
ABBA:
I Am working in your life to do these things. Today, I wanted you to recognize that your conception and perception of Me needs to keep pressing forward as I Am enabling you to grow in your relationship with Me and that anything short of that striving forward is a vestige of idolatry because yesterday’s understanding falls further from the mark than that which I have enabled in My relationship with you today.
Me:
I love You! Thank You for spending this time with me! And, thank you for Your patience!
ABBA:
I love you! You’re welcome!
Missionary Sojourn 