Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. (I John 2:9-11)

In this passage, the apostle John warns us about one of the greatest dangers inherent in holding an offense against another.

We walk around in darkness.

Did you notice how the darkness comes about? It is not an external darkness that descends upon us.

It is an internal darkness that comes as a result of us being blinded.

Have you ever had this happen to you? I have.

I recall vividly a time when I had taken offense at something a leader had said. From that point onward, anything he said sounded suspicious to me. I could not see anything redemptive about anything he said or did. Or I would attach a judgment to what he said either to my face or in his correspondence to me.

One day, I received an e-mail that bothered me considerably. With lightning speed, I composed a rather harsh response. But, instead of e-mailing it right away, I obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit and sent it to a trusted friend within the same congregation for his feedback.

He read my response and patiently pointed out that he had known this man longer than I had. And while he did not agree with the content of the e-mail, he did not see any of the suspicious overtones that I had spotted. As a matter of fact, he assured me that what I saw was not there at all—neither in the e-mail nor in the character of its author.

Since I trusted my friend, I took his feedback to heart and decided not to send the response that I had composed.

It became obvious to me that I had been seeing this man through offense-coloured bifocals. I had become blinded to the reality that was staring me in the face.

Dear friend, this is a snare of the enemy. He wants to get us so wrapped up in our offense that we cannot see the truth that is right before us.

Take some time now and ask Holy Spirit to show you anyone whom you may have been viewing through the eyes of offense.

Perhaps it is a member of your family. Or a co-worker. A neighbhour. A babysitter. A televangelist. A pastor or other church leader. A member of your small group. A politician.

When He does show you someone, would you then have the humility to admit that you have sinned, repent and ask Holy Spirit to remove the offense from your spirit and the eyes of your heart?

Please don’t let offense keep you blinded. Let it go, so you can experience greater at.one.ment with one another, as the Lord desires. Will you?

I hope so. I pray so. Let it be so.

Congratulations to all of you who have completed Week 1 of the 21 Days of At.One.Ment Fast! You are a third of the way there!

Over the past few days, we took great care to address various forms of sin and offense that may have been standing between us and God.

In Week 2, we will take our time to examine areas in which we may still not be experiencing at.one.ment with one another.

We begin by stating a simple yet profound principle that will undergird what we do this week. It is stated repeatedly in the Bible, particularly in the epistles:

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:14)

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

The reason why it is in the epistles is obvious, isn’t it? The early church has been living in community for a while. And, where people rub elbows with one another, at least some are bound to rub others the wrong way.

When we read through the epistles, we become aware of the various differences of opinion, divided loyalties and outright divisions that existed even in this prepubescent period of the early church.

Both of these verses acknowledge the stark reality that it is not easy to live in peace with everyone in a community. That is why we are encouraged to “make every effort.” Because, it does take effort to live in harmony with one another.

In the Romans text, the apostle Paul says something very significant to our Fast this week. “As far as it depends on you.” In other words, he is encouraging us to simply do our part, the part that depends on us, and not get all caught up in what someone else is doing.

After all, we cannot change anyone else. We let God change others. But we do what we can to make the changes we need to make, as directed by Holy Spirit.

Jesus reinforces this while delivering the Sermon on the Mount with this command: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23, 24)

Jesus wants us to make sure that we have at.one.ment with one another before we can come as one before God. Worship can wait while you work things out with your offended brother or sister. Resolving resentment takes priority over presenting the offering.

Please note that Jesus calls you and me to go on the offensive and take the first step, and not wait for the other party to come to us first.

That would meet the criterion of “making every effort to live in peace with everyone”, would it not?

Over the next few days, we will look at specific instances of offense that may be preventing us from experiencing at.one.ment with one another.

In the meantime though, would you resolve to do everything that “depends on you” and go on an all-out offensive to wipe out offense?

I hope so. I pray so.  Let it be so.

For the past two days, we have looked at how we can be offended by God when He does not meet our expectations or answer our prayers according to our timetable. Of course, that offense then stands between us and God, preventing us from fully experiencing the at.one.ment that is already ours.

I trust that you have repented (as necessary), removed any walls that may have been erected and replaced the ungodly/unbiblical lies with revealed truth.

At the root of all offense against God is a lack of understanding or ignorance about the true nature and character of God.

Job discovered this in a powerful encounter when God shows up in response to all the questions Job raised about his “undeserved” suffering.

Did you note how God provides no pat answers? Instead He asks questions that put Job’s suffering in perspective. You can read them in detail in Chapters 38-41 of the book of Job.

The Reader’s Digest version of God’s lengthy speech is: “Hey Job, you have a very limited understanding of who I am. To put it even more bluntly, you are ignorant.”

Here is part of Job’s response to God’s speech: “Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:3) Job admits that his ignorance was responsible for his outrage against his Creator.

In these words from Isaia 55:8-9, God makes it clear that we cannot fully fathom the way He works: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

When we speak and act out of our limited understanding of God and His ways, then we can allow offense to enter into our spirit.

So, the first step in preventing offense from getting in the way is to acknowledge that “Now we only know in part.” (I Corinthians 13:12) and that Daddy knows all. Daddy knows best.

Especially when we cannot make sense of what is going on at any given moment, when we do not have total clarity, when it goes against everything we may expect of God, could we could simply acknowledge the truth that “In all things God works together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose?” (Romans 8:28)

Perhaps we could go one step further as Job did when he made this incredible affirmation of faith:  “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15) Wow!

Either way, dear friend, please be vigilant to ensure that ignorance does not lead to offense and keep you from experiencing at.one.ment with God.

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us.” (Exodus 32:1)

Spurred by these words, Aaron makes an executive decision to request items of gold jewellery from the people of Israel. They oblige.

Aaron then melts the gold and makes a calf. The people declare the calf to be the gods who brought them out of Egypt. Aaron then makes this announcement: “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.”

Watch what follows: “So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”

Disappointment by the length of Moses’ appointment with God, they opt for a new god.

Sadly, this scenario is repeated on a regular basis among people of faith, including our tribe, the Christian community.

I have seen it when ministering with my friend Heather Curnew as she takes teams into holistic fairs, university campuses, malls, etc. on outreach missions. We simply put up a sign that says: “Free Spiritual Readings & Healing Prayer” and watch people line up to receive ministry.

One thing I have noticed at these outreaches is the number of people who come to us who used to be part of a church at one time, but are not connected with the Body of Christ anymore.

Among the reasons they list for this change is impatience in waiting for God to act, although they would not phrase it quite that way. They just got tired of waiting for God to come through—with healing, money, a spouse, etc.

When someone else came along and offered an option—be it a New Age group, a non-Holy Spirit based healing method or even another faith altogether—they took it, because it seemed as though they were seeing instant results, at least for a while.

Clearly they had assigned a golden calf the same value as the God who had delivered them in the past.

Virtually everywhere Sulojana and I are invited to minister, we hear someone come and say that they are just tired of waiting for the prophetic words spoken over them to be fulfilled and are at the point of giving up or have already resigned themselves to the fact that nothing’s going to come of them.

Sadly, sometimes they come to the conclusion that the prophetic minister did not hear from God at all and start attaching labels such as “false prophet” to them. Some start seeking the services of a psychic or a medium, not realizing that what they are receiving is not revelation from the Holy Spirit but information from other spirits.

See the golden calf scenario repeating itself?

How about you, dear friend? Have you ever allowed impatience with God to enter into your spirit?

Perhaps you have not done something as drastic as the people of Israel or the people cited in the aforementioned examples. But, have you allowed impatience to get in the way of experiencing at.one.ment with God?

Would you take a few minutes to ask Holy Spirit if this is the case? Once again, wait for His answer. Then respond (if necessary) with repentance. Please.

Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ (Matthew 25:24-25)

For the past 3 days we have been looking at different forms of sin that prevent us from experiencing fully the at.one.ment that is already ours through the sacrificial death of Jesus.

Over the next 3 days, we will examine three ways in which people of faith, including Christians, can allow offense against God to stand between us and Him.

The first of these offenses has to do with how we view God. More precisely about the ways in which we may have developed a twisted image of God or a misunderstanding about His true nature and character.

Quite often, when I am visiting with a family that has experienced the unexpected loss of a loved one, it is not uncommon to have someone blame God for not intervening or for allowing it to happen or for punishing them for something they had done or not done.

While it is natural to ask: “Why” and wonder why it happened, there is a tipping point at which a person can move into developing an offense against God, hold a grudge and even lose faith in Him altogether.

Perhaps you have done this too, or know others who have, amen?

In the so-called Parable of the Talents, the servants who received five and two talents respectively take risks and increase the value of their portfolios 100%. They are rewarded for their efforts handsomely with more responsibility.

However, the servant who received one talent does nothing with it. Here is his explanation of his reason for inaction:  ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

What sets apart the first two from the third servant is their belief about their master. The first two believe that he rewards risk, so they invest their capital and double it. The third one sees his master as a demanding boss with a reputation for being unreasonable. So he does absolutely nothing with what was entrusted into his hands.

Isn’t it true that sometimes we allow an unhealthy/unbiblical fear of God to erect a wall between Him and us? Now we jeopardize our chances of experiencing at.one.ment to the fullest possible measure, do we not?

This is why one of the key components of Sozo ministry (to which we have referred in previous posts) is the Father Ladder. You (the Sozo-ee) ask each person of the Trinity this question: “Is there a lie I am believing about you?” Once you receive a response, the Sozo minister helps you to seek and receive forgiveness, renounce the lie and replace it with the truth.

Dear friend, would you take some time to ask this question—either right now in the privacy of prayer time or in the context of a Sozo ministry session or other setting—and see if you are holding any offense against God because He did not meet your expectations?

Ask Him for a revelation of the truth. And let go of the offense. Please.

You will be amazed at the difference it makes in experiencing at.one.ment with Him!

I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”  (Luke 15:18-19)

Since we embarked on this journey known as The 21 Days of At.One.Ment Fast on Sept. 22, 2013, we have been looking at factors which conspire to keep us from experiencing the at.one.ment we already have with our Father in heaven.

We began by checking whether unconfessed sin and double mindedness stand in the way and took remedial action.

On Day 4 of the Fast, we look at two related but different conditions that can also prevent us from experiencing at.one.ment in full measure.

In one and the same sentence, the so-called Prodigal Son, gives us a vivid illustration of both at work in his life.

“Father, I have sinned.”—That is an admission of guilt.

“I am no longer worthy.”—That statement reeks of shame.

The difference between guilt and shame is simply this:

I HAVE sinned—admitting that you have DONE something bad.

I AM no longer worthy—declaring that you ARE bad.

This may sound radical, but shame is no longer an option for a follower of Jesus.

Why?

Because shame makes you behave as Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden when “they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8)

Jesus says in John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me.” The word “draw” implies a persuasive attraction by love. It is as though the Father woos and the child comes running to Him.

In other words, all shame is removed as the former sinner leaves his/her hiding spot and comes into the arms of a loving Father.

In the parable to which we alluded earlier, the father clearly illustrates this, doesn’t he? “When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

You could say that the father drew the son unto himself. To reinforce the fact that there was no need for shame, he commands his servants to “bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.”

So, friends, if you are dealing with shame, recognize it as the work of the enemy to keep you from experiencing at.one.ment with the Father. Call his bluff. Realize your true identity. And be set free!

Similarly, if you have confessed your sin and are still feeling guilt, something is wrong with the picture!

Read these words of David in Psalm 32:5: I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

The Lord not only forgives your sin, he also forgives the guilt of your sin. In other words, once you’ve confessed your sin, there is no more reason for you to experience guilt, hallelujah!

(Do I hear an Amen?)

Take some quiet time right now to be with your heavenly Daddy. Just stay in His Presence in silence. Let Him love on you. Let Holy Spirit wash away any lingering doubt of guilt. Let Jesus reassure you that that you are indeed in a state of at.one.ment with the Father.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God…Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  (James 4:5, 7-8)

On Day 3 of the 21 Days of At.One.Ment Fast, we look at another form of sin that can come between us and our Father in heaven.

The apostle James calls it being “double-minded.” It is straddling the fence between the world and God.

It is the state of mind that manifests itself in lukewarmness—neither hot nor cold, unwilling to take a stand one way or another. As Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, “I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

James minces no words either when he describes being double-minded as being diametrically opposed to God. Do you really want to be known as “an enemy of God?”

Clearly, when you are in the enemy camp, you are not experiencing at.one.ment with God, are you?

What are some ways in which we can be double-minded?

We could be following the ways of the world when it comes to ethical or moral matters while following Jesus simultaneously.

So, for example we could be…

• engaging in questionable accounting procedures or other business practices while claiming to have the mind of Christ,
• compromising the truth for a relativism that accepts all religions as being equally valid paths to God while continuing to profess Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life,
• engaging in sexual relationships outside the covenant of marriage and thinking there is nothing wrong about it despite the high value Jesus places on the marriage bond.

Get the picture?

One of the greatest temptations that the people of God have faced through the ages is the tendency to worship other idols concurrently and not realizing that it is sinful.

It happened in the days of the prophet Elijah, when people sacrificed to Baal with the same relative ease as they worshipped the God of Israel. Things finally got to the point where Elijah offers this ultimatum: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” (I Kings 18:21)

The apostle Paul has to address a similar situation in Corinth where it would appear that followers of Jesus were still eating food offered to the idols (chapter 8) and having sex with temple prostitutes (ch. 6).

God does not tolerate double-mindedness.

Today, would you ask Holy Spirit to show ways in which you too might be an enemy of God, practising double-mindedness? When He does, would you then wash your hands off that practice and ask Him to purify your heart, as James recommends?

When you do, you will be removing one more way in which your sin can stand before you and prevent you from experiencing at.one.ment with God.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:3)

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer (Psalm 32:3-4).

Yesterday’s DWOD ended with a suggested prayer: “Holy Spirit, what could be standing in the way of my experiencing the reality of the Atonement in full measure in my life?”

Chances are that as you waited in silence, Holy Spirit began to release some revelations. You may wish to read a detailed response posted by one of our subscribers right here.

Perhaps the most obvious answer to the question is just this one simple word: SIN.

King David puts it this way in Psalm 51:3: “My sin is always before me.”

According to the notes at the top of this Psalm, these words were penned after the prophet Nathan confronted David about how he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and conspired to commit the murder of her husband Uriah.

Clearly, David cannot experience At.One.Ment with God when sin is standing between him and God!

In verses 3 & 4 of Psalm 32, David expresses the pain this causes not only spiritually and emotionally, but also physically: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”

Once again, there is a sense of separation from God, punctuated by pain, caused by unconfessed sin.

In this first part of the 21 Days of At.One.Ment. Fast, we take time to come clean before God. The starting point is examining whether there is any sin in us that we have not yet confessed.

May I suggest that you ask this question on the 2^nd day of the Fast: “Holy Spirit, would you search my heart and reveal to me any unconfessed sin in my life?”

When the revelation comes, would you then follow the prescription in I John 1:9 and experience the fulfilment of the promise it contains? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Please feel free to share your feedback to this word, any revelations you receive, as well as your experience of the Fast to date with the rest of your DWOD family in the comments section immediately below this post.

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. (Romans 3:25)

He (Jesus Christ) is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)

As we embark on the 21 Days of At.One.Ment Fast, we need to always bear in mind that Atonement has already been made.

Both the apostle Paul and the apostle John state very clearly in the verses quoted above that Jesus has already atoned for our sins by the sacrifice of His blood on the cross.

In the words of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Atonement is a gift, plain and simple. It is not earned. It is not merited.

If then, atonement is already a reality, why are we calling this the Atonement Fast?

The answer is simple. Even though we have been made at one with God through the death of Jesus, not all of us experience this At.One.Ment with God.

You may have seen or heard this pithy saying that sums it up quite nicely: “If you are not feeling close to God, guess who moved!”

Over the past 31+ years of ordained ministry, I have repeatedly encountered faithful followers of Jesus who know with their heads that Atonement has already been made, yet, do not experience an at.one.ment with the Father.

So, the question we are asking over the first one-third of the 21 Day Fast is something like: What are we doing or not doing that is preventing us from experiencing this At.One.Ment that has already been secured for us by Jesus?

Before I share with you some revelations on this matter, may I encourage you, dear friend, to ask this question yourself.

Pray this way: “Holy Spirit, what could be standing in the way of my experiencing the reality of the Atonement in full measure in my life?”

Then take a time of silence so you can hear His response(s) to your question. Journal them.

Finally, would you kindly share your responses with the rest of us who are also on this journey with you for the next 21 days?

 

This Sunday, Sept. 22, our two churches are beginning The 21 Days of Atonement Fast, which will end on Saturday, Oct. 12.

The focus of the Fast is three-fold:
1. At. One. Ment with God
2. At. One. Ment with Others
3. At. One. Ment within the Body of Christ.

You may wish to listen to the message I delivered last Sunday at Morgan’s Point United Church about the details of the Fast. You can also watch this short video.

The DWOD’s for the next 21 days will also double as Fasting Directives for that day. We invite you to join us on this Fast. You can let us know that you are participating by commenting on this post. You can also join our facebook group “21 Days of Atonement Fast.”

Here are some pointers for preparing and observing this Fast that I shared with our churches last Sunday.

 

We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you always consult your physician prior to beginning any type of fast.

WHAT DO I GIVE UP:

A.     FOOD & DRINK-e.g. meat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol.

B.      TIME-e.g. television, social media, reading.

C.      THE 4 C’s-Criticism, Condemnation, Complaining & Comparison. (please see our post on this from another fast or watch a short video)

WHAT DO I ADD:

A.     QUIET TIME WITH THE LORD–minimum 15 minutes

B.      Praise, Appreciate, Encourage others and offer Thanks.

C.      ACT OF SERVICE/JUSTICE…e.g. offer to volunteer, sign petitions, send cards, etc.-at least once a week. (Isaiah 58)

D.     FELLOWSHIP WITH MEMBER OF ANOTHER CHURCH-at least once a week-in person or by phone.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

A.     Keep a JOURNAL

B.     Find an ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

Sulojana and I pray that this will be a time of drawing closer to the Father’s heart and being at one with Him and His purposes for the world, the Church and our individual lives.

Pastor Jeeva