Scales Removed

‘The source of revelation-knowledge is found as you fall down in surrender before the Lord. Don’t expect to see Shekinah glory until the Lord sees your sincere humility. ‘ Proverbs 15:33 TPT

Jesus is the way, the truth, the life, and the light. The light the knowledge and the wisdom of God—the light is God; the light is the truth; the light is the way. When we operate in a way that rejects truth, we operate in darkness. John 3 says, “‘For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.” ‘” (Jn 3:16-21 CSB)

2 Thessalonians 2 says, “‘…and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie,…'” (2 Th 2:10-11 CSB) In verse 12 (‘and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, so that all will be condemned — those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness.’), the Christian Standard Bible has a footnote at the word “condemned,” referring to John 5:22. Jesus speaks in this verse, saying, “‘The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son,…'” so all may honor the Son as they do the Father. When we obey Jesus, we obey the Father.

Later, between John 15 and 16, we find Jesus revealing many truths to His disciples, like how He is the true vine and the Father is the vinedresser; that He must go away so we would have the Holy Spirit (Counselor) sent to us, all so “that ye should not be offended.” (Jn 16:1 KJV) It’s very interesting that “offended” is used.

In scripture, “offend” means “to cause to sin.” What is sin? Sin ultimately is rebellion against God’s authority, sovereignty, and justice.

God is just. He has grace and mercy and endures us patiently even when we rebel against Him, knowingly and unknowingly. As I questioned God’s authority, I became under the influence of the spirit of pride: simple put, I believed I knew better than God, and He allowed me to go through deception to shake me and wake me up to the truth that I was wrong. Before my shaking and deliverance, I had scales on my eyes and was believing untruths about myself, the ways of the world, I was doing harm to my mind and body with substances (using alcohol for the sake of not being sober, using marijuana to “numb” myself, using pornography to mask rejection, for a period of time within two years—with psychedelics, an inhalant, and some of all of the above things in combination, each on a handful of occasions), but God still preserved me because I had not yet humbled myself before Him as someone who had the seeds of being someone God has not made me to be planted and watered in my life in my early years. The “harvest” of these unrighteous seeds was my rebellion. I didn’t hate God at all, I simply did not believe what He said was all true—I believed the lie.

As God delivered me out of these sins, He made the crooked places straight and set the wrong things right. He has allowed me to see not only His plans for my life, but His plan for the world in this time and on revival. It doesn’t matter how far we go from God, He is omnipresent and cares for us; we were created to praise Him. Jesus says, “‘No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life  for his friends,’“ (Jn 15:13) which is why He laid His life down for all of humanity on the cross. God loves us so much and wants to bring us back to Him so deeply that He allowed Himself to be mocked, beaten, destroyed, and maimed by us as creation to demonstrate this great love. I wish we could get a fresh grasp on how powerful this truth is.

No matter where you are in your life, no matter your past—if you feel the nudge of God and Jesus calling you higher, put any pride aside and put on humility. He wants to elevate us into His high calling and promise. Humility comes before honor (Pr 15:33).

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Scriptural Reading (blog post)

‘For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.’ John 5:16-23 NKJV

‘“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.’ John 15 NKJV

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‘At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight… ‘ Acts 9:18 CSB

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Scriptural Reading (from video)

He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him.’ Daniel 2:22 CSB

‘I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one can close; what he closes, no one can open.’ Isaiah 22:22 CSB

‘Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.’ Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

‘“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.’ Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV

‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.’ Romans 8:28 NKJV

‘Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.’ Hebrews 4:13 NIV

‘ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God ; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”‘ John 14:1-7 NIV

‘The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.’ Proverbs 9:10 AMPC

‘Lord, I know you will do what you have promised. Lord, your faithful love will last forever. You are the one who made us, so don’t leave us!’ Psalms 138:8 ERV

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Scriptural Reading (from video)

“Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven — if I have forgiven anything — it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:10-11‬ ‭CSB

‘There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.’ Romans 8:1-4 NKJV

‘I, the Lord , search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.’ Jeremiah 17:10 NKJV

‘Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!’ Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

‘What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?’ Romans 9:14-24 ESV

‘ “I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away. They will put you out of the synagogues and make you outcasts. And a time is coming when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me. I have told you these things [now], so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts [and taken complete possession of them]. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message]; about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me; about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned. ‘ John 16:1-11 AMP

‘Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” ‘ John 4:21-24 CSB

‘Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God. Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie, and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, so that all will be condemned — those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. ‘ 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 CSB

‘Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world. ‘ 1 John 4:1-3 CSB