Scripture: Galatians 3 v 1 - 2: "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
When I was a child with curiosity plus imagination there were many "make believe" adventures to keep me fired up with enthusiasm. There was no TV in my young days but there were radio programs like Superman to inspire me to believe in something beyond this planet.Children's books were all about make believe. Fairies, The Famous Five, Under the Greenwood Tree. I had one record I played on the francophone every day. It was bright yellow plastic, a song called Let the Son Shine In. One line I remember said "the devil makes you feel so awful, awful so let the Son shine in".
We heard very little about the devil in Sunday School. Always positive Jesus parables and miracles He did. I went through Confirmation of the vows my parents spoke over baby me at my Christening so I could become a full-fledged Anglican communicate. Somehow it still seemed like make believe. Jesus was never real to me as One who loved me and saved me.
I had to experience the ups and downs of married life and motherhood before my world came crashing down and a kind stranger with a Bible tried to talk to me about salvation. It went over my head. But his kindness in making an effort stayed with me. I was too bruised in heart to absorb his words.
The Lord must of had me on His radar because the pressures of life escalated until I cracked under the pain. I didn't know God personally but for the first time ever took my frustrations out on Him. The Bible, still in its cellophane package, was waved furiously at Him with me shouting how am I supposed to find an answer in this Book?
I ripped the cellophane off and suddenly the Bible fell open on Psalm 51. I did not know it but it was written for me at that moment. It was the whole salvation prayer in one psalm and found nowhere else. I read it fifty times that night weeping, confessing and calling on Jesus. The weight of sin lifted off me and peace filled me completely. It's over 50 years ago but that peace has never left me.
Psalm 51: "Psalms 51
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."
That's how I met Jesus and was purged with hyssop, cleansed by His Blood. It was enough to hold me until He guided me through life's difficulties and taught me the basics.
I eventually migrated to a Pentecostal Church and found out about how the devil makes you feel so awful, awful and that started me on a journey to help others find the freedom He has given me. You never stop learning especially after you get baptized in the Holy Spirit.
His gifts are beyond amazing. He tweaked my old curiosity and hunger to learn, to experience the truth beyond "make believe". It's a whole new universe of unseen beings which through the gifts of the Holy Spirit are able to be identified and dealt with in a competent manner.
One reader complained about my Declaration of Deliverance blog this week saying none of that is in the Bible and that's why Paul forbade women to teach. I told him that when you receive strong meat that surpasses the milk of the gospels you learn and experience great things and I want to share these with others who are struggling. Another responded to my scriptural words saying I was delusional for believing in fairy tales with a mocking emoji.
Hence this blog on make believe today.
Jesus is so real to me, all day, every day. He called me to be an Intercessor, a watchman to the Body of Christ. An honour I take very seriously. All the Holy Spirit has taught me is in these blogs nearly 3000 of them. He gave me some gifts and when I learned and used them properly He let me experiment with them. We worked together, Teacher and Pupil, and it continues to this day. I never buried my talents and He loves what I have done with them.
1 John 2 v 27: "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
I share this to encourage you to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit as much as you can. Paul had to rebuke the Corinthians because they got so carried away with speaking in tongues that their whole meeting was conducted in tongues. He had to set proper parameters to bring order out of chaos. So if things get out of hand stop and take note of Paul's instructions. We learn by our mistakes.
We need to put away make believe and now be cautious of AI. It can be very harmful to your spiritual life if you use it to write sermons or blogs. Why? Because there is zero anointing of the Holy Spirit upon it. It can be very inaccurate. It may even have led some to bring great expectations of the Rapture this week that did not happen.
This does not mean the Rapture is make believe. It is a promise of God written in His Word. It will definitely happen but just realise the Timing is in the Father's hands and no one will know until its done and dusted.
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank You for clearing that up. Thank You for showing us the truth and knowing what is error. Remove "make believe" fantasies from our minds so we can know Jesus Christ in reality. Bless this blog O Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.