I Don’t Want to Be Offended: Because It Is All Coming Down
Ezra 6-7; 1 Corinthians 13; Proverbs 5
Last night, I read another troubling and heartbreaking article about the exposures within the prayer movement. It’s beyond heartbreaking. I tossed and turned all night, like many of you, grieving and processing how we got here. This morning, as I scrolled through X, the stories and pain of people who are devastated, re-triggered, angry, and shocked were almost more than I could bear. Yet, here we are.
A person going by JSBoegl on X posted this: “I’m not sure I’ve heard a voice yet expressing the macro-weight of what’s falling upon #IHOPKC…
THE DECIMATION THAT’S COME TO OUR HOUSE can be summed up in this one observation: A prophetic people-of-God who’ve prayed, preached, and profited from teaching the world about the judgments of the Lord has not recognized the hour of our own trial. When the judgment of the Lord came to our house, we attempted to treat it as a crisis, rather than a judgment.
You can manage a crisis. You cannot manage the trillion-galaxy God on the Day of His visitation.”
Underneath their post, this verse was pictured: “Who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire… He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present righteous offerings to the Lord… ‘I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who commit adultery, those who lie and deceive, and those who exploit workers, widows, and who show they do not fear me,’ says the Lord of Armies.” —Malachi 3:2-5
We’ve asked the Lord to come, and He is. We’ve asked the Lord to search us, and He is. We’ve asked the Lord to come with His fire, and friends, He is.
We’ve had our conferences and stage time, we’ve done our stadium events, and held our prayer gatherings. We’ve published our podcasts and written our books, and well, here we are. We sang the chorus, “I don’t want to be offended when it’s all coming down,” and my friends, it is all coming down.
Several years ago, right after COVID hit, I was in limbo like the rest of the world, and the Lord told me to get off social media. He told me to take a big step back from ministry. To be honest, I was devastated. That was the last thing I wanted to do. As I wrestled with the Lord, I heard Him say something that really didn’t make much sense at the time. Here’s what I heard: “I don’t want you to prop up what I’m about to tear down.” I knew He was talking about the system of ministry. And here’s the thing, while I believe with all my heart He was indeed talking about the system, the prayer movement itself, that’s being dismantled before our very eyes now, I know without a shadow of a doubt, He was speaking to the system within me that needed to come down. No more propping up.
For those who walked with me over the following years, thank you. It was the most difficult season of our lives. Financially, emotionally, spiritually, we were being stripped down. Our hearts and systems of thought were revealed. We thought we may never make it through. Our faith was tested by fire, and the truth is, we made it out by only the skin of our teeth.
There’s no strutting here. Our God will not be mocked.
And yet, we have all mocked Him, haven’t we? We thought we were getting away with something. We thought He didn’t mind. We believed we were somehow protected from His gaze, that He didn’t see.
But He did mind. And He does see. And…
And He loves us. He loves us! And He wants us free. He wants us restored. He wants us to stop playing the game and come home.
All this… all of this, is an invitation to come home. But will we? Will we come clean? Will we stop running?
As the Lord continues to expose, and make no mistake, He’s going to continue to expose, let’s not waste too much time wagging our fingers. Let’s not miss this global altar call! He’s coming! Rend your hearts. If we weren’t so cynical, so burned out on all the prophetic language that’s come to nothing, I’d ask why in heaven’s name we aren’t coming together for a day of fasting and repentance. But I know why. Because our leaders haven’t repented! Because our leaders are no longer leading.
I don’t have a meeting to herald. And to be honest, I don’t really think this is the moment for calling an assembly. It’s just too tempting to fall back into the same old pattern. It’s too familiar. We aren’t safe people yet. He’s calling us out of the system. It’s all got to come down.
So how do we respond?
In our homes. With our husbands and wives. Together as families. In our friendships. And with all of our hearts.
We get it right exactly where it counts. We confess our stuff. We get real with some people. We come back to the basics. We take communion, and plead the blood over our own lives and loved ones. We come back to the simplicity of the Lord’s Prayer, and deal with the very real temptations that assault us. We wrestle through until we come into real forgiveness. We learn to trust Jesus for our daily provision of food, grace, and love. We learn how to be with God without all the lights and stuff. We sit with Him, day after day, until we learn how to come into what He’s really after: union. We come to His table. We just finally learn how to come and sit and be with Him at His table.
This is the Way.
This is the stripping down that is required. No big meeting. No bright lights. The way forward is quiet and humble. It’s bare. And it’s holy.
I’m disappointed. I’m shaken. But I’m also grateful. The Lord is visiting us. I’ve decided to not be offended while it’s all coming down.
So, here’s the passage from today’s reading that honestly needed no commentary. Advice from a father to a son, it can stand alone. Our daughters have other pitfalls to be warned against, but the counsel remains the same: steer clear of this darkness.
Proverbs 5 – Avoid Promiscuity
1 Listen to me, my son, for I know what I’m talking about. Listen carefully to my advice 2 so that wisdom and discernment will enter your heart, and then the words you speak will express what you’ve learned. 3 Remember this: The lips of a seductress seem sweet like honey, and her smooth words are like music in your ears. 4 But I promise you this: In the end, all you’ll be left with is a bitter conscience. For the sting of your sin will pierce your soul like a sword. 5 She will ruin your life, drag you down to death, and lead you straight to hell. 6 She has prevented many from considering the paths of life. Yes, she will take you with her where you don’t want to go, sliding down a slippery road and not even realizing where the two of you will end up! 7 Listen to me, young men, and don’t forget this one thing I’m telling you— run away from her as fast as you can! 8 Don’t even go near the door of her house unless you want to fall into her seduction. 9 In disgrace, you will relinquish your honor to another, and all your remaining years will be squandered— given over to the cruel one. 10 Why would you let strangers take away your strength while the labors of your house go to someone else? 11 For when you grow old, you will groan in anguish and shame as sexually transmitted diseases consume your body. 12 And then finally, you’ll admit that you were wrong and say, “If only I had listened to wisdom’s voice and not stubbornly demanded my own way, because my heart hated to be told what to do! 13 Why didn’t I take seriously the warning of my wise counselors? Why was I so stupid to think that I could get away with it? 14 Now I’m totally disgraced, and my life is ruined! I’m paying the price— for the people of the congregation are now my judges.”
Sex Reserved for Marriage
15 My son, share your love with your wife alone. Drink from her well of pleasure and from no other. 16 Why would you have sex with a stranger or with anyone other than her? 17 Reserve this pleasure for you and her alone and do not share it with another. 18 Your sex life will be blessed as you take joy and pleasure in the wife of your youth. 19 Let her breasts be your satisfaction, and let her embrace intoxicate you at all times. Be continually delighted and ravished with her love! 20 My son, why would you be exhilarated by an adulteress— by embracing a woman who is not yours? 21 For God sees everything you do, and his eyes are wide open as he observes every single habit you have. 22 Beware that your sins don’t overtake you and that the scars of your own conscience don’t become the ropes that tie you up. 23 Those who choose wickedness die for lack of self-control, for their foolish ways lead them astray, carrying them away as hostages— kidnapped captives robbed of destiny.
Let’s come out of this, my friends. Let’s repent and steer well clear.
Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts
- Reflect on a time when you felt God’s judgment was upon your house (this could be personal, within your family, or a community you belong to). How did you respond to His call for repentance and transformation?
- Contemplate the current systems or practices in your life that might be propped up contrary to God’s desires. What steps can you take to allow God to tear these down and build something new in their place?
- As you consider the global call to repentance highlighted in the post, identify personal areas where complacency or sin might have crept in. How can you actively seek God’s forgiveness and realignment with His will?
- The passage from Proverbs 5 serves as a stern warning against the dangers of promiscuity and the allure of sin. Journal about the seductions that tempt you away from God’s path and how you can safeguard your heart against them.
- Reflect on the concept of “coming home” to God as mentioned in the post. What does this look like for you personally? How can you cultivate a more intimate and obedient relationship with God, stripping away anything that hinders this connection?
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