God’s assignment to a prophet

“See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10

God’s words through the prophet’s mouth are going to bring about a change in the atmosphere! God uses a prophet to stir things up in the spirit realm.

Assignment #1: To Root out

First and foremost, a prophet will root out, pull down, destroy, and throw down what is not of God.

“What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaters? Jeremiah 2:5

The first prophetic word that God gave Jeremiah was an indictment against His people. The Lord began by reminding them of their love towards Him in the wilderness, but now they have followed idols and walked away from Him. God used Jeremiah to root out and pull down the weeds growing in the spiritual fabric of His nation. It was important for His people to know how far they had walked away from their God.

People have a tendency over time to get comfortable and careless in their lives, and God uses a prophet to deliver a word in order to awaken people from dullness and stupor. He uses a prophet for recalibration purposes!

The first prophetic word delivered by Samuel was an indictment of Eli’s family of their wickedness. He was hesitant but obedient to deliver the word! Sometimes we have a tendency to think that we need to have a few positive prophesies under our belt before we are qualified to speak a rebuking word. God decides what we should prophesy. If we are new or unsure, we can always get help from those who are more seasoned to confirm the word. If we belong to a church that understands and operates in prophesy we should have the safety net not to shy away from delivering a tough word.

The Lord identifies the issues of hindrance in a believer’s life and uses a prophet to speak on those areas. This is not going to be directed by the prophet’s preferences or timing but by God’s initiation.

Assignment #2: To Build

Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

While God uses a prophet to uproot things out of the life of a believer, the primary work of prophet is to cast vision, establish, and build in God’s kingdom.

God reveals His heart to a prophet and shows him what needs to be built. Prophets become His mouthpiece and architect to pave the way by sharing the blueprint with His people. Nehemiah is a great example of a prophet whom God used by giving him vision and strategy on how to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah was sent to God’s people to tell them that they were going to go into captivity while the false prophets were telling them otherwise. However, Jeremiah also gave them great encouragement that if they sought after God, God was going to do a restoration in their lives because ultimately His plans for them were for good not for evil!

The purpose of prophetic gifting is not to gain popularity with people neither is it to create unnecessary enemies by delivering bad news. The purpose of the prophetic is to exhort and encourage as God instructs and directs. Whether it is received or not, we rejoice because we have obeyed God. If we desire to be popular, then the prophetic realm is not the place to be!

What truly is a blessing is that most prophets including Jeremiah had a heart for God and for His people! They did not enjoy delivering bad news or rebuking the people. Many times they were before the Father crying, praying, and interceding on behalf of the people. Their desire was to see the people of God prosper by responding to the Lord’s message.

Do we have a heart to root out and build up as God desires regardless of the person we are sent to?

In the last devotional, I shared about God’s conversation with Jeremiah and him being commissioned as a prophet.  The Lord declared that He assigned and ordained Jeremiah as a prophet before he was born. God touched Jeremiah’s mouth signifying His authority and anointing on Jeremiah’s words from now on. The Lord’s conversation with Jeremiah continues:

God affirms the prophet

Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 1:8

God expects his prophets to deliver the word that He has commanded them and not be afraid of man. The Lord reassured Jeremiah by promising to do two things:

First of all, God told him that when Jeremiah opens his mouth He will be with him. A prophet who is representing God is never alone! Sometimes, as a prophet, it may feel like one is sent before the lions to get devoured. However, the person who is representative of God and has His seal of approval, will not be left unprotected in the midst of the battle. Daniel obediently prayed to His God three times a day. When his prayers got him into the lions’ den, God was with Him and kept the mouth of the lions shut!

Secondly, God told Jeremiah that when he spoke, He was with him to deliver him. Praying for deliverance from bondages and demonic oppression is important. However, there are times that only in facing our fears we are delivered from them!

Whose face are you afraid of? What makes you afraid? Is it disapproval, anger, rejection, or indifference that you are afraid of? When God calls a prophet to represent Him on the earth, no one is off limits for delivering a message. God must deliver the prophet in order to deliver His message through the prophet accurately and powerfully!

God’s authority in a prophet’s life

 ⁹ Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:

“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
¹⁰ See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,..” Jeremiah 1:9-10a

In verse 10, God says that He is the one who has set the prophet over the nations and over the kingdoms. Because God ordains a prophet, He gives him/her authority to speak and to bring forth what He desires on the earth. What is beautiful about God’s ways is that while He anoints a man or a woman of God as a prophet, He doesn’t want them to be annoying or arrogant. A powerful prophet is still only a vessel in God’s hands.

Many may enjoy the mantle or the title of a prophet, but very few are willing to lay down their own opinions, preferences, and fears in order to be His mouthpiece on the earth.

Lord, help us to represent you well on the earth by being willing to go through the process. If we are gifted prophetically, we don’t want to just “wing” it. If we have been fearful, we don’t want to hold back anymore. If we have used our prophetic gifting as a permission to judge others, please forgive us. Deliver us from anything that is a hinderance to be truly your mouthpiece on the earth.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional about the Lord’s assignment to Jeremiah!

The Lord had a conversation with Jeremiah as He commissioned him to go forth as a prophet!

God speaks about the past

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

God reminds Jeremiah about knowing him and calling him to be a prophet since before he was born. God’s call to a prophet far surpasses man’s decision, intention, or passion. It all has to do with God’s will. God is the one who calls someone and anoints them to be His mouthpiece on the earth. The office of the prophet cannot be achieved by our effort. It is not because of consistent attendance or good behavior that one is called a prophet. It is birthed, developed, and ordained by God and for God’s purpose! However, God will develop the character of a prophet to match up the call and the gifting of God in their lives.

God speaks about the present

Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Jeremiah 1:6-7

When God spoke to Jeremiah, He told him not to consider himself unqualified for being young. Since the prophetic call comes from the throne room of God, it has very little to do with the age and the stage of man and has more to do with the anointing and the call of God. The qualifications for prophetic are not dependent upon the person’s age, education, status, or gender. God is looking for someone whom He can trust! The enemy will try to throw darts of doubt at a prophet about their adequacy for the job. It is important for the person not to take the bait and try to prove the call of God in their lives. Otherwise the person can get derailed and distracted from God’s purpose!

God’s work in a prophet’s life

Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. Jeremiah 1:9

The scripture tells us that He touched Jeremiah’s mouth. While all of us as believers are called to be careful with our words, there is a greater level of expectation for the prophet of God. A prophetic man or a woman of God cannot afford to pollute their words by speaking things that are defiling, belittling, untrue, or twisted. Since there will be mistakes, a prophetic person should be quick to admit they were wrong and try to make it right. Denying or justifying it, will cause a prophet to lose credibility before God and/or before people.

It’s a good thing for God to touch our mouths. Sometimes, He will stop us from stating something. There are times that He needs to shape the words a little differently, so they can be delivered in a more compassionate way. At other times, He needs to purify our words before He allows us to share them.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? James 3:10-11

A prophet’s mouth must be dedicated for the work of God and doesn’t belong to the prophet anymore. There is deep work that God has to do in a prophet’s heart in order to cleanse the mouth of any unrighteousness spoken. Bitterness in a prophet’s heart must be dealt with otherwise it will pollute the word of God and the will of God in delivering it to others. God is looking for consistency in our words that brings forth living waters to others and don’t harm people.

What is God expecting a prophet to do? I will share about this in the next devotional.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  John 10:1

The scripture tells us that, a thief does not use a lawful entry but climbs up some other way. A thief/robber is a person who is trying to get something unlawfully. He/she is trying to acquire something that doesn’t belong to them.

Most of us might say, “I have never robbed anyone!”. How do we rob others? When we are fighting battles for our children that are their battles to fight, we are robbing them of growth and maturity. If we backbite or gossip about someone, we are robbing them of their reputation. We rob them of the opportunity to present their side of the story. When someone manipulates their way to get into a job or a marriage, they are robbing themselves and others of God’s perfect will. When people purchase things that they can’t afford, they are robbing the family of peace and unity. They put the family in a tough financial position.

Are we willing for God’s open door to enter lawfully in any situation? Can we trust God without manipulating or pushing our way through to get somewhere?

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

 O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:10-12

Being a doorkeeper is rather a lowly position. The Psalmist declares that he would rather stay in God’s presence as a doorkeeper than to practice wickedness and be identified as one of gang members. He would rather be in God’s will than out of God’s will. It would be better to humbly stay by the door than to enter unlawfully and be among the wicked.

When we walk uprightly with God, He gives us the grace and glory to handle difficult situations. We don’t have to rescue others. We don’t have to push our way in. We don’t have to fight to be right. We don’t have to participate/create unhealthy relationships, and we don’t have to steal someone’s reputation, in order to secure a place for ourselves. God sustains a man/woman who trust in Him!

The scripture tells us that God will not withhold any good thing from us. So if we feel something is withheld from us, it is either not good for us, or it is not time for us to have it. If it is in His will, the Lord will not withhold it but bless us richly in His time. Our job is to walk uprightly and stop climbing!

Whenever Jesus speaks so clearly, He is speaking it for the sake of deliverance not for condemnation! God wants to deliver the climbers. It is important to repent from those actions even if they are in your past. Make the commitment that you will choose not to “climb” anymore. Declare your trust in Him especially when you are tempted to “climb another way”!

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:1-3

Anytime, someone does not use the proper entrance to enter a building, it brings up a few questions:

1. Does this person belong here?
2. Is he/she a threat to this place and/or the tenants?
3. What is the motive of the unlawful entry?

An illegal entry sounds the alarm that something must be wrong! A doorkeeper has the best interest of the person/people inside, and he will not allow anyone to enter in who can be a threat to his/her people.

Some people have an aggressive nature and would not mind climbing to get somewhere.  As a matter of fact, they may consider it challenging and exciting! If there was someone in front of them, they’ll somehow push their way through to reach their desired goal. They don’t take “no” for an answer, and they will force and/or manipulate the issue until they get their way. I have seen this while driving, at DMV office, in families, and a whole host of other situations.

Unfortunately, our culture equates success with one who is aggressive and can climb the ladder the fastest. The culture focuses on the goal, not the means by which someone gets there. The Lord works the opposite. He generally gives us goals that we cannot achieve with human strength. He declares promises to us that are prophetic in nature. We only understand them in part, and they will require faith to see them come into fruition in our lives. God’s promises help us to stay in tune with Him and not get distracted.

The Lord cares about the means we use to get somewhere. That’s our responsibility. How fast we are going to get there is His responsibility. He can choose to work in a situation immediately, or can choose to take us through a process for years! Our methods show our trust in Him and our care for others. If a door is closed, and we are compelled to unlawfully climb to get there, that shows our lack of trust in God and our lack of concern for others.

When we are the ones subject to unlawful entrance, we know how dangerous and potentially hurtful it can be. I would not want someone who has cheated or manipulated their way in getting Medical Board certification to be my doctor. I also would not want to be on an airplane flown by a pilot who cheated his hours of flying to get his certification. God purposefully has set lawful entry for us, and it is best to trust His ways and His timing.

Has the Lord said that it would happen? If He has, then we can be confident that His word is trustworthy, and He will bring it about in a special way. If the Lord hasn’t spoken it, do we really want what He doesn’t want for our lives? Only lawful entry can produce good results!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

I shared in the last devotional about the privilege of Priesthood that Abihu and his brother enjoyed. In a similar way, the Bible calls us royal priesthood.

Each privilege has an associated responsibility with it.  Abihu and his brother were not exempt from this, neither are we exempt from the high price of our calling!

Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lord when they offered profane fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father. Numbers 3:4

Abihu had done nothing to deserve the priesthood, but he and his brother enjoyed the blessing of being Aaron’s sons. Abihu and Nadab saw God, His greatness, and His magnificence (see Exodus 24:9-13). However, they chose to disobey Him. They took their positions for granted and became sloppy and casual. They may have assumed since their priestly position came from the fact that they were sons of Aaron that their privilege was here to remain!

My children have the privilege of having a car and driving it. They could not afford to purchase their car neither can they afford all the maintenance associated with having a car.  Our main requirement is that they need to drive it responsibly. Getting causal and sloppy can jeopardize the safety of the passengers in addition to putting other people in harm’s way. They can keep the privilege of driving the car as long as they take the responsibility of driving seriously.

God gives us privileges because we belong to Him, but we are required to follow His instructions in order to maintain our privileges. We can’t afford to take a privilege for granted! 

Abihu and Nadab had the same privilege that Joshua enjoyed, but these two took their position for granted & disobeyed God. Not only did they lose their lives, but they also lost the opportunity to leave a natural and a spiritual legacy.

God has given us the privilege of being His royal priesthood. That’s something that can’t be done on a part-time basis, but it is a 24/7 calling. This calling should impact every aspect of our lives. Those of us who are married, we need to consider our spouses a gift from the Lord and work towards maintaining our marriages strong and united. We also can’t take our jobs for granted. We are called to do our best as unto the Lord regardless of who is watching. Ultimately it is the Lord who gave us that job, and we represent Him to a lost world by serving our boss!  In ministering to others, we can’t afford to forget that God has entrusted His people to us. We are to love them and give our best as unto the Lord.

Let’s consider some of the privileges the Lord has blessed us with and remind ourselves of His requirements for the privilege!

When you think about priesthood, who comes to your mind?

Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Exodus 6:23

Aaron was the right hand man to Moses, and he became the father of four sons. By the sheer fact that they were Aaron’s sons, Abihu & Nadab gained the privilege of being included in the priesthood.

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.  But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. Exodus 24: 9-13

Abihu and his brother were invited along with seventy elders of Israel to go up the mountain to a higher place to worship God! What a privilege for the two young men to walk beside Moses, Aaron, and the elders to get closer to God and worship Him! Notice that Joshua was part of this group as well.

The scripture tells us that these individuals “saw the God of Israel”. They had the honor of seeing God without being consumed by Him. They were even allowed to have a time of fellowship and communion with God and with one another. His holiness didn’t make them tremble. On the contrary, they had an enjoyable time of eating and drinking together. This was God’s favor on these leaders.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1Peter 2:9

Abihu and his brother inherited priesthood because of their father Aaron. Spiritually speaking, we inherit the priesthood because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. If we have made Jesus as our Lord and savior, we are priests as unto the Lord! There is a great favor and privilege associated with being considered royal priesthood. We get to see God and hear Him, and we can intercede on behalf of others. He reveals Himself to us and gives us power to do His work. We have the privilege of entering God’s throne room apart from our effort or works.

Do we appreciate our position as royal priesthood? Do we utilize our God given position to intercede on behalf of others and show Christ to them?

The privilege of priesthood comes with a great responsibility. I will share more about Abihu’s priesthood in the next devotional.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:2-3

Did you enjoy taking a nap as a child? As a girl growing up in a small Middle Eastern town, the afternoon naps were very much part of my culture. In midday, people would go home to have lunch and take a little nap. During summers when we were with my grandparents, the same order still existed. However, the older kids (the teenagers) were not required to take a nap. They had the option to go out and play while everyone else was taking a nap.

As a 4 or 5-year-old taking a nap was not a problem especially if I could lie down right next to my Mom and play with her hair. However, when I was around 9 or 10 years old, napping looked like a punishment to my cousins and me. In our minds, only little people were required to take naps. The fact that we wondered what the older kids were doing wasn’t helpful either. When we put our heads down to nap, we hoped that it would be a short one, so as not to miss out on too much fun! If/when we managed to take a nap, we always felt refreshed and rejuvenated. Then we would rush down the stairs to find out what we missed while we were asleep. Most of the time, to our relief nothing had changed from the earlier hour!

Similarly, we wrestle to find rest for our souls. It’s interesting that the scripture tells us “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” Sheep are fearful animals, so it is difficult for them to relax. The shepherd’s presence can help them to feel more secure. In the same way, when we know our shepherd is close to us, we can rest in His presence and enjoy what He has blessed us with for that day.

Jesus is our Great Shepherd, and He has good things to share with us who follow Him. It is His desire to restore and refresh our souls. We will not miss anything by resting; rather, we will gain fresh perspective and strength.The Lord knows that when our souls are restored, we can handle life and circumstances better. We can see things clearly and feel the strength of God.  

Lord, thank you for the provision of restoring our souls. We don’t want to resist resting today. Help us to appreciate it and allow you to refresh and restore our burdened and restless souls.

Are there issues which have caused heaviness, anxiety, or restlessness in your heart recently?

I praise God that He not only forgives us from past sins, but He also has an answer for our restless souls! We can’t live this life for any length of time and not need a healing and restoration of our souls. Our minds, emotions, and will are continually bombarded by worldliness, sin, and temptations, and they are in need of being renewed and refreshed. The Lord has an answer for our anxiety and restlessness.

I am reminded of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. In those days, people wore sandals and walked in dirt paths. When they entered their homes, there was a need to wash their feet before they could sit down and relax. In a similar way, our souls are exposed to all kinds of toxic situations, imageries, and noise, and we are in need of being cleansed and refreshed on a regular basis.

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7

God’s truth has a refreshing and restorative power in our lives. His word washes us from all the build up of dirt and smog that covers the soul. I had a friend who grew up in a very rough and painful circumstance. She would use Bible on tape during nighttime and listen to it for hours while she was asleep. She was allowing the word of God to wash her mind, imagination, and dreams even when she was not totally aware.

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1

It is easy to get stressed by all the expectation of the culture and get caught up with what everyone is doing if we are not watchful. The world system is designed to keep us driven to do more in order to feel complete and whole. There is no rest in this system! Our soul can be in anguish from various pressures: “Am I making enough money?” , “Are my kids involved in enough extra-curricular activities?”, “Should I get more education?”, “Do I need to be more involved?”, “Is my home too small?”, and the list goes on. Sometimes, the church culture can even create some unbiblical pressures in people’s lives. When we recognize that we are not capable or required to keep up with everyone else, our process of restoration begins!

When we have flu, the first thing the doctor asks us to do is to rest and drink a lot of liquid. In the same manner, our souls need to rest in God in order to get healed. Through His word, He helps us to get rid of toxicity in our souls, and we learn to rest in Him. He gives us clarity concerning our priorities and what should be important to us.

Rest in God removes a lot of issues such as anxiety, fear, worry, anger, restlessness, and so on. He is the source of our salvation, and He knows what we need for our future. The Lord can show us what we should be working on today in order to prepare for tomorrow. We can’t do it all, and we were never intended to. The more we rest in God, the less we will second guess ourselves about our choices and priorities!

Are there issues which have caused heaviness or restlessness in your heart recently? Take some time today to get in the Word of God and rest in Him. Let Him wash you through His word and allow His presence to comfort you and give you rest. When you soul is refreshed and renewed, you will see things differently!

What are the characteristics of someone whom God enjoys to rest upon?

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
² For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:1-2

According to above scripture, the characteristic of that kind of person is that they are poor and contrite in spirit, and tremble at His word. Isaiah penned these verses centuries prior to Jesus coming to the earth. Jesus restated the issue of poverty of Spirit in the New Testament when He preached in what is now known as the Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Those who recognize their need for the Lord on a continual basis will see the Kingdom of God. When we first accepted Jesus, we had a poverty of Spirit that led us to Him. We recognized that we are in need of Him and without Him we can’t truly live. In the same vein, we can’t forget where God has brought us from, and that we are always in need of Him.  When Jesus modeled the Lord’s Prayer to His disciples, He prayed that God would give them their “daily bread”. God has a joyful rest in a person whose main occupation is to be in awe of Him and who looks to Him daily for all things.

According to above scripture, the second characteristic of a restful place is someone with a contrite heart. Our heart condition can be very tricky. When things are tough, it’s easy to have a contrite heart, but when things are going well, we can get haughty. In good times, thinking that somehow we have arrived can easily deceive our heart.  Some people show up to church only when they are in a time of great need. They have a contrite heart and are willing to receive and listen for a while. However, once the pain subsides or their problem goes away, you don’t hear or see them again. That’s why the scripture tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23).

The third characteristic of a resting place for God is one who trembles at His word. As a New Testament believer, we enjoy and appreciate God’s love, but sometimes we forget that it is because of His holiness that Jesus had to pay the price to be crucified. God never changed His standards in order to have a relationship with us. We can’t ignore/minimize His standard of holiness now that we are His sons/daughters.

I love my children dearly, but in no way do I want them to take my instruction/direction casually.  My instruction is for their benefit, and I have a greater peace when they are doing right. God cannot rest in a place where He is not honored. Sloppiness and being casual with God will not produce peace in our lives neither does it prepare a joyful place of rest for God!

The Lord has everything He wants and needs, but He doesn’t have us automatically. What a pleasure and honor for the Lord to find a joyful resting place in us!