Many shrink back in fear and have NO desire to be a vessel of the Lord once they see the cost.  It appeared that when Moses had Pharaohs authority, he tried to help the slaves and thought himself to be their leader.  However, he killed an Egyptian and none of the Israelites wanted him.  He couldn’t understand why the Hebrews didn’t see his excellent leadership!  So he fled leaving behind everything he thought he was.  He wandered in the desert until he found a man who would be his future father in law.

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb,”   Exodus 3:1.

Moses “settled” there and married and had children and flocks.  Like Moses we tried to be something that we were not.  We thought we were ready and because of this, we become disillusioned.  We settled for second best.  Yet when God revealed the burning bush to Moses, he tried to talk God out of going back to Egypt.  Moses knew the cost of leading the people out of bondage and he didn’t want anything to do with that; even arguing with the LORD because of his slow speech..

“And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue,”   Exodus 4:10.

God prepares his people during the hard times; during the lean times.  Moses was known as the most meek man whoever lived.  Humility is not acquired by saying you are humble.  It comes from dying to self over and over again.  By the time the LORD finally speaks about our destiny… We say NOOOOOO WAY!  You finally see the cost involved and what you went through, and you honestly feel I can’t do that! I said, those people saw my flesh and think I am a demon or something.  Now you want me to lead them!

Do you realize God knew this about you?  In HIS plan he moved you in position so you would be refined, defined and broken from all peoples opinion of you.  Being free of mans opinion is not optional in Apostolic and Prophetic people.  “God takes everything in our lives and uses it even our rejections of family, friends and ministry connections.”  Remember Joseph?

It did not matter where I went… it could be in a group of people yet I felt so alone.  It didn’t make sense.  So what do we do?  We start to get a complex of wondering what they are looking at.  They would look and walk around you at least ten paces avoiding you like you had a plague.  Everyone who you thought would always be there were gone….

”This is a hard thing to go through but a necessary part of dying to self.”  Believe me there were few and far between hints of Gods destiny in my life.  So a phone call, a message from a friend from long ago or a trip had to suffice.  Yet nothing, feeling nothing!

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,“    Ephesians 6:12.

Our battle is not with flesh and blood.  Don’t fight it just surrender to the Lord.  Joseph was given a prophecy and I bet there were times he never thought it would happen.  I can only imagine how he felt.

We all go through mixed feelings at times.  We are a mess and it takes the Lord to take us through the wilderness, so we must depend on Him and HIM alone.  HE takes our mess and turns it into a very costly message.

Learning to love our enemies seems impossible.  No matter what we face, love is our greatest weapon against our adversaries.

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity,”   1 Corinthians 13:13.

“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins,”   1 Peter 4:8.

Christians are the main ones that God allows to reject us, we must realize that when we are wounded from man, we gave too much attention to their opinion of us.  We got to forgive them and let them go.  Even if they were wrong! You still got to forgive.  God deals with all of us.  Satan and his demons love to mess and cause division.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,”   Ephesians 6:12.

There are many that were kept hidden in desolate places.  It is in these places the best lessons are learned.  These things prepares us for our destiny.  These who have been kept away for many years and many of them resolved to just exist.

They didn’t deny the LORD but in their mind “I must have really failed God”.  So in our confusion we assumed that God was done with us.  So next comes a real good dose of rejection, self pity and depression to make it worse.  Then “Christians” you thought you could fellowship with, they ended up moving into a different path.

When God moves you away from someone, it isn’t because they were necessary bad for you.  Each of us must walk in the way even if we are seemingly alone. GOD wouldn’t let you lean on anyone but HIM.

I lost a good friend, a specially prayer partner.  It hurt.  I can look back now and see the Lords hand in all of it.  We each have to walk the path that is laid in front of us.  Our Lord is a jealous God and HE wants our time.  And for this sister I prayed with?  He wanted my time, as I would lean too much on man.

We know to lean too much on the staff of man it will pierce our hand.  Others I would meet along the dusty path would look at me and say, “your different, peculiar but you’re sincere. Obviously she meant I was sincerely wrong!  No one could see the real Spirit person I am.  When God prepares you in the wilderness, it is between you and HIM.  No man can take that place.

The only one that can settle us and secure us is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He covered all our mess and the mistakes of our past and became our example of yielding to the Fathers will. Jesus knew who HE was.  Do you KNOW who you are?  Do you know the authority given to you?  Once you understand these things, you will see people differently, strangers will fade away.

“In this hour the spirit of deceit and deception cannot hide as MY anointing and authority has been released to those prepared for such a time as this.  What is fire compared to ashes?  I AM a consuming fire and burning up every detail of wood, hay and stubble and it is blown away by MY breath,” says the LORD.

~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

Sherry Edwards Mackey

Back to Top