One morning the Lord lead me to
Zechariah 7:2-3
“when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the LORD, and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”
These are interesting verses are you to wondering why these men came to the house of God to ask if they should do something they had always done? Something so special and sacred, yet something drew the people to send these men to the House of God to ask. What was missing in their lives?
Let’s see what the Lord said
Zechariah 7:4-5
“Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me?
I love the extra emphasis on “for me”
How many things in our life start out as special, sacredand holy to the Lord and change along lives journey?
Once in a prayer meeting I asked a man to do communion, he stopped and paused. He waited, to the point, many in the room started getting restless and to be honest I was thinking and praying what do I do Lord. Suddenly he started to share his story, many years ago I was in the army, every morning we would have massand communion it was just what we did. One morning as I was leavening the barracks the Lord spoke to me sand said go back to your barracks, I said Lord I cannot ore I will get in trouble. But the Lord repeated go back to your barracks, I said Lord if I don’t go to mass I could be court marshalled. The Lord spoke a third time, Go back to your barracks. So I did as the Lord said. As I entered I asked the Lord why I couldn’t go to Mass and have communion this morning and the Lord said that communion had become a ritual without relationship. The man said this changed his life forever.
Do you remember Apostle Paul actually warned against taken communion with the wrong heart and saying to check our heart before taking it?
On another occasion I awoke one morning and had the thought to fast . So I did yet everything started to go wrong, which confused me so I put it down to the enemy and started rebuking and pressing in! Yet things got worse, it was here I said Lord I am fasting for You, help me? The Lord said “did I ask you to fast” I said Lord I am doing this for you. Suddenly I realised what the Lord was saying and walked to the shop and had something to eat.
The rest of the day was amazing, everything turned around to good. I learnt big time that day that the enemy can take something so beautiful, special and lead us to do it outside God’s will even outside relationship with Him. Often when we are lead this way and everything goes wrong we will blame ourselves or worse we blame God. It happened in the Garden with Eve remember “did God really say that you could not eat from this tree?”
Let’s look at the next verse
Zechariah 7:6-7
“When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”
I remember many years ago a pastor from a churchringing and asking if we would consider taking up the role of youth pastors. My wife and I went in front of God to enquire and He said “Say No “ so we said no and turned the role down. This upset the leadership team for they had placed all their hope on us. (Oh so often this is the way, we place our hope in the wrong place) a few months later the pastor rung back and asked would we reconsider becoming youth pastors I said “sure I will go back and ask God “ this time the Lord said yes take up the role so we did and it was very successful with not only the youth but within the community. What’s the point? God’s no today may only be for today, yet if we don’t go back to Him and ask tomorrow we may never find out that because He is working all things out behind the scenes and now knows we are ready and His plans and people in different places are ready His answer now can be different!
For He is a good Daddy, how often when a child asks for an ice cream just before lunch or dinner said no and then the very next day while driving somewhere had thatquestion asked of you by the same child and now your answer is yes? Can you relate?
Let’s conclude this message with the last piece of scripture
Zechariah 7:8-9
“Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
“Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion, everyone to his brother”
Wow sounds like Jesus’s words don’t they? Well yes they are, so how do we know when we are doing things outside of relationship with Him? The answer is in thatverse.
It will reveal the Truth, Justice, compassion and Mercy all things found in Jesus Christ and be a reflection of what He came to the world to fulfil through His life, deathand resurrection.
Challenge Time:
1. Find a still quiet place and Ask Lord to reveal to you areas of your life that have moved from relationship to ritual and write them down
2. Ask the Lord for forgiveness in this areas
3. Invite the Lord back into these areas of your life
4. Give Him Thanks for His Goodness and spend some time worshipping Him
Father thank You that You are faithful to forgive, You showed this when you were to be beaten, whipped and hung on the cross being crucified. You revealed your Love for us when You raised again on the third day. So Father as we Your children come to you with areas in our life that started out all about You, but no longer have you present! Will you please forgive us and return as Lord as we cry out to You. Will you please return to being the cornerstone of everything we do. Thank Jesus to You be all the Glory AMEN
Craig Patten
Itinerate Pastor/Prophet
Encounter Ministries
