Early morning while sitting at my desk, God gave me this
message and I want to share it with you. God told me to stop trying to connect
with people of the world (trying to be their friends with EVERYBODY I met)
because the world loves its own and they know their own. I am also to stop
trying to connect with “church folk” who doesn’t have God’s agenda at heart.
God said just as the world knows its own, His people should know their own; we
are to know (by the Holy Spirit) who really are of God and who are not.
The
world also knows who God’s people are. Let me give you my personal example of
the world knowing who God’s people are:
Some years ago when I was really just coming to the Lord, I
had an experience I will never forget. I was living in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and
attending the Votech School there. When I woke up that morning, God told me to
fast; He knew what I would encounter at school that evening. The previous day,
the instructor had put me out her class for asking a question but I would find
out the real reason why later. She told me not to come back to her class
anymore. Therefore, when I stepped into her class that evening, she went into a
rage and started screaming at me to get out here class. I did not know what was
wrong with her (did not know anything about discernment at the time).
Finally, the instructor told me to go outside and talk with
her. Oh, I forgot to mention, she brought her daughter with her and she wore
jeans that day; she had planned to jump on me:). When we got outside she
started screaming so loud that her daughter came out to make sure she was
alright (all this time I was cool as a cucumber:) because I was fasting – God
knew me and He knew if I would not have been fasting, there is NO WAY I would
have been cool – I used to be a hot head and I would have went to jail if I
would not have fasted:) - you will see in a minute why). I made a joke when her
daughter came out to check on her, I asked her why she brought her daughter –
for backup and I was smiling.
When I made that statement, the instructor slapped me so
hard that my head hit the brick wall behind me that I was leaning against; she
left a mark on my face. Another student was coming in late (she had never been
late – God used her as a witness) and saw the instructor hit me and ran from
the car to push her back from me. I started to cry, and then everyone ran out
the school.
They thought
I was crying because she slapped me but I was crying because God had given me
the victory; at that moment I knew exactly why God ask me to fast. I later
found out the real reason she did not want me back in her class – she was a
witch and recognized the Spirit of God in me; even though I did not know who I
was in God that spirit in her did. This goes to show that the devil can
recognize the God in YOU! All throughout the Gospels, the devil recognized who
Jesus was also.
Therefore, if the devil can recognize God’s people, God’s spirit
in us should be able to recognize who other people are; whether they are in or
out of the church. Don’t be fooled into thinking everybody in church is of
God!! They are not! You will see what the Words say about this later!
What I am
saying has nothing to do with judging anyone, this has to do with recognizing
wolves in sheep’s clothing by allowing the Holy Spirit to show you who is who;
using your gift of discernment which God has given you.
What God was
telling me was to allow discernment to lead me and not be led by my emotions;
just because people act like they are nice or sound like they care, does not
mean they are for real – there are many sociopaths out there trying to deceive people; in
and out of church.
This is
something people do not want to talk about and that is why there are so many
hurt people in church. We cannot be so gullible to think there are not cons in
the church! The reason God gave me this message is because I had been deceived
by someone in the church into thinking they were my friend; this person pursued
me until I gave in (all the while the Holy Spirit was saying “No, do not get
into a relationship with this person”) and agreed to start hanging out with
them. After that, the bombshell fell and I was devastated! It was not overnight
that I forgave them but I did and God healed some deep wounds that I received
from being disobedient to the Holy Spirit. God is using me to warn you so the
same thing will not happen to you and if it has happened, ask for forgiveness
from God, the person if need be, and move on; chalking the experience up and
learning from it so you can warn others. I had to apologize to that person and
I did nothing wrong to them but God told me to apologize. I am like, “God I did
nothing to them why do I have to apologize?” I should have known better to go
there with God because He always wins:), so I apologized.
Jesus tells
us in Matthew 7:15 to be aware of false prophets who
come to us in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves. 1 John
4:1 says for us not to believe every spirit but we must try the spirit
to see whether it is of God or not. This is what these Scriptures say in the
Message Bible:
Matthew
7:15:
15-20 “Be wary of false preachers
who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are
they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with
charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing,
not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your
pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped
down and burned” (www.biblegateway.com).
1 John 4:1:
“My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear.
Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about
God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world” (www.biblegateway.com).
If we real born again believers test the spirits by the Holy
Spirit more often, people will not be able to fool us easily with their smooth,
empty words and calculating actions. God will not have us ignorant of the
devil’s devices! That is why He is warning us in the above Scripture! We must
stop ignoring God’s warning about a person, thinking we know the person; God is
the only One who can see a person’s heart – the pure motive.
I am not saying to be suspicious of everyone you meet but I
am saying to be watchful of people who you form close relationships with. If
you are being led by the Holy Spirit, you will not be fooled! God does not want
us to be entangled with everyone we meet! Show the love of God yes but that
does not mean form a relationship; we are not always compatible with everyone
we meet – Amos 3:3: “Can two walk together unless they agree?” 2 Cor.
6:14-18: “Do not unequally yoked together with unbelievers...”
I know for me, God does not allow me to form relationships
with everyone I meet; He has a few selected people who I can interact with. And
every time I try to form relationships that He does not approve of, He lets me
know. I am attaching to this teaching a poem entitled, “Life Is A Theater”
and it says it all about relationships and a poem entitled, “A Reason, A
Season, A Lifetime.”
I know if you draw close to God and He will draw close to
you and you will not be able to be deceived!
God bless you all,
Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks
____________________________
Life is a Theater —
Invite Your Audience Carefully
Not everyone
is spiritually healthy and mature enough to have a front row seat in our live.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It’s
amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time
with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships,
friendships, fellowships. Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention
to:
Which ones
lift and which ones lean?
Which ones
encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones
are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you
leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always
have drama or don't really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift
that lies within you?
When you
seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth, the easier it will become for you
to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the
balcony of your life.
You cannot
change the people around you but you can change the people you are around.
Ask God for
godly wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front
row of your life.
- Author
Unknown
___________________________
A Reason, A Season, A
Lifetime
People come
into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which
one it is, you will know what to do for each person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON . . . It is usually to meet a need
you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to
provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally,
or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for
the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or
at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to
bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our
desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you
sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.
When people come into your life for a SEASON . . .
Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount
of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must
build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is
to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in
all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love
is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Author Unknown
