By Theresa Harvard Johnson
James 1:13-16 The Complete Jewish Bible says, “13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: 14 but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death. 16 Be not deceived, my beloved brethren."
As mature believers, our temptation general comes in the form of things that are FAMILIAR to us. When I was a part of the kingdom of darkness, I was wide-open with my sin. HELL has not forgotten that. When the tempter comes – even our spiritually mature place, he comes disguising the same old “root” SIN in a different way.
A NECESSARY TESTIMONY: Several years ago, I found myself being lured deeply into Baal worship, idolatry. The influences around me caused me to believe that people could take me somewhere that God could not. I was becoming connection driven — totally drawn away from what I knew to be true. It caused me to think that being “connected” to this person or that person was the path to my destiny instead of facing this simple truth: God is, was and always would be my source. I found myself TORN between loyalty to men (whom I perceived to be something) and loyalty to my God, Yahweh. My spirit was in all kinds of confusion. Let me tell you something, spiritual confusion will RUN YOU CRAZY.
I was in the midst of all manner of pomp-and-circumstance! I – a prophet of the Lord – had found myself in this place and justifying it day-in-and-day-out. I would hear what sounded like the word going forth, but the lifestyle behind it would make you vomit! Yet, I so wanted to believe God was in the midst and continued to allow ANOTHER GOSPEL to guide me.
My inner turmoil was so great that even those closest to me were struggling to identify the woman of God they once knew. That’s how strong the forces luring me into this place were! Even my personality began to change. I started taking on the personality of the “faction” I was following. It was so bad, that I was saying people’s names; talking about the greatness of people; and the greatness of their ministry MORE than I was calling on the name of Yahshuah (Jesus Christ) and honoring my Father. I was spending long hours “in ministry” for ministry’s sake. It was called SERVING in the midst of this faction. I was forgetting my time in prayer; intimacy with Father, my time with my husband and family, and was even neglecting time with my own ministry. This place I was in was addictive. I was completely blinded to the fact that I was dangling on a fish-hook of my own making – ALMOST completely sucked in by Jezebel, a perversion of servanthood, merchandising and most importantly the desire of blatant lust in my own heart.
I – a mature, ordained minister and PROPHET of the Lord — was being SIFTED. I had exchanged the threshing floor of my Father for the threshing floor of his enemy. People might say it wasn't that bad, but I tell you this: If they could see in the spirit it was worse than what I'm describing here. THIS EXPERIENCE proved to me that I wasn’t as rooted and grounded in the Word as I thought I was – JUST AS PETER’S EXPERIENCE wasn’t as rooted and grounded as he thought it was. Like him, I had walked into a place of DENYING my King. I can’t solely blame the people I was following. IT WAS ME WHO WAS DRAWN! Father used this situation to show me what was REALLY in my heart. (I’m not ashamed of this testimony. If I can share TRUTH of my restoration to expose the strategies of hell against you – then so BE it.)
Let’s take another look at Luke 22:31-34 in The Complete Jewish Bible:
31 "Shim`on (Simon), Shim`on (Simon), listen! The Adversary demanded to have you people for himself, to sift you like wheat! 32 But I prayed for you, Shim`on (Simon), that your trust might not fail. And you, once you have turned back in repentance, strengthen your brothers!" 33 Shim`on (Simon) said to him, "Lord, I am prepared to go with you both to prison and to death!" 34 Yeshua (Jesus) replied, "I tell you, Kefa (Peter), the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me."
You see, Peter really BELIEVED he was sold out for Yahshua. He BELIEVED his faith was unshakeable, unmoveable until the adversary IDENTIFIED AND THEN TARGETED his place of weakness. In this case, that place turned out to be A FEAR OF DEATH at the hands of men. My place of weakness was a hidden desire “TO BE SOMETHING OR TO BE SOMEBODY” due to all the rejection and abandonment issues I’d had in my life. I didn’t mean to be lured away from God no more than Peter intended to deny him. Out of Peter’s own mouth he said he was ready to die with Christ. Just a few minutes later he was doing just the contrary. Like Peter, there was a place of LUST in me that had not been dealt with. There was this inner desire of PROVING TO OTHERS that I was something or somebody. Where is YOUR place of weakness – that door to THE LUST OF THE FLESH that has gown undelivered?
The kind of SIFTING that we are up against is not overtly obvious. This is what Jesus wanted us to see in Luke 22. YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS just might drag you into the bowels of hell if you are not CAREFUL. You might end up like me, and BARELY COME OUT OF THAT THING WITH YOUR MIND! As we continue reading the story of Peter, we see that he denied Yahshuah (Jesus Christ) three times! we must understand that when all is not lost the Lord WILL SEND SOMEONE TO GET YOU. In Peter’s case, He sent Mary Magdalene.
Mark 16: 7 The Complete Jewish Bible says, “But go and tell his talmidim (disciples), especially Kefa (Peter)…”
ATTEMPTS TO SIFT YOU ARE COMING! Be watchful! Be ready! Guard your spirit! Guard your heart! Gird yourself UP! The adversary is unrelenting in His attacks against those who are CALLED BY GOD for a specific work. If you find yourself SIFTED don’t remain in the PIT! Repent quickly and allow Father to send word for you to come out! He said to Mary Magdalene, “…ESPECIALLY GET PETER!”
In the midst of my near-sifting experience — and I call it that because the adversary didn’t complete his work – I heard the call to get out! I was able to escape the threshing floor of hell! Could I have chosen to stay there? YES! But the prayers of Jesus prevailed. I used my experience as an opportunity to overcome those open doors in my life… in which I felt like I NEEDED PEOPLE TO VALIDATE ME. People of God, its time to go into our prayer closets, rend our hearts to Lord and get everything UNLIKE YAHSHUA out…
Undelivered sin will be used in hell as bait for the adversary’s threshing floor… and the sifting of your soul.
