| Do Not Kick Against the Pricks |
| I have had a few handfuls of you write me or call me asking "where my devotional is" for this month.� I was hanging on to my skin as God dealt with my heart in my own walk with Him. So today you have me for a short while. Hopefully at a moment where you can take time to swallow the message I have. The message came for me of course, but as always ... God requires that we share freely, in love, as we are led. So now, I have a question for you to chew on. When you are being whispered to -- by the Word ... by the Spirit ... by God -- How does it touch your heart? |
| Does it rattle your cage? |
| Are your feathers ruffled?�� Does it seem to nudge you, slap you, warm you -- cause you to draw nearer to Him, or run away? I am going to drop a gold nugget in your lap today. One you didn't ask for. But one I owe you. Because for whatever the reason, you are like right up there in my woo rah. Or because you chose to click a little clickie and found your own way here by design. |
| I am going to share with you the difference in being "Pricked" to the heart and being "Cut" to the heart. |
| I will not leave the book of Acts. For it is here, where outreach really begins for those who believe. It is here where real soul winning begins, and "harvesting" in the Kingdom of heaven ruled the hearts of the saints. By the way, they were folks just like you and I. They had families, and did honorable as well as stupid things, just as we do. They were fishermen, tax collectors, tent makers, businessmen and women. Some were previously thieves, prostitutes, and liars. So, if you ever get the notion that they were worthy and you are not ... scoot that religiosity right on outta the way. It just isn't true. Okay. Let us begin. |
| When the Sword of the Spirit (The Word) comes, there are two responses possible: Either you hear it joyfully with a little "prick" to your heart. Or you reject it, and the Word "cuts" you. How we receive that word will decide the outcome of our lives. In Acts 2:37, big mouthed Peter, had just finished preaching that Jesus (whom they crucified) was, in fact, the Messiah. It was a doozie of a sermon! Long winded brother! Remind you of anyone? The Word says, "Now when they HEARD this, they were PRICKED in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter then tells them what they must do, they "believed on the Word through him, gladly received his word and were baptized." "The same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." What a trip! 3000 In one day! I see that many run away from God with the way we Christians are presenting the Word. Makes you wonder if we are sharing the same word ... don't it? Pricked to the heart means ... "admonish, comfort, blessed into a holy walk." It is a positive response at the hearing of The Word. Let's get one thing straight from here on ... Preaching does NOT mean slamming someone down-- nor does it mean yelling about fire, hell, and brimstone. There is a place for everything, but preaching the Gospel means sharing GOOD NEWS! Now, not far down the way, in Acts 7:54 a guy by the name of Stephen was "preaching" a similar message. (You may want to read it beginning in Acts 6) In this particular instance the Word says, "When they heard these things, they were"CUT" to the heart, and gnashed on him with their teeth. Kinda like a Tyson vs. Holyfield thing, ey? In verse 57-58 it says, "Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul." Can you imagine grown folk putting their fingers in their ears so as to not hear further what they cannot handle? |
| Oh, Come on. You and I have done it too. Maybe not with our fingers, but in our hearts we "turn off" listening when we don't "agree", "believe", or "understand." Or plain just don't want to hear the truth. |
| By history, we know that when a stoning occurred, people would remove there outer garments and lay them at the feet of the man that ordered the stoning. This same Saul, later becomes "Paul" on the road to Damascus where the Pricking of the heart is mentioned again; by the voice of Christ Jesus himself. In Acts 9:4-5 Saul has just been struck by light and falls to the ground. I don't know if he fell off a horse, camel, donkey, or what -- But the guy fell. Big time! |
| And lay blinded on the ground. |
| Sounds like some of us at times, ey? First CUT to the heart, then the little prick can be felt later. I can honestly say, "Been there, done that." Saul had just left the city where he killed Stephen because The Word of God's truth was cutting his heart along with the rest of the mob. He was on his way to arrest/kill more believers when Christ visits him with His light saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And he asks, "Who are you, Lord"? And the Lord replies, "I am Jesus whom you persecute: It is hard for you to kick against the PRICKS." Remember, Jesus had already been killed, rose from death, and ascended into "heaven" at this time. Saul is hearing the voice of the Risen Christ talking to him. Crazy or Truth? How does your heart handle that fact? |
| Virgin birth.� Cut you or prick you? If you are a free enough spirit to share with others, Please rejoice when they laugh at you, ridicule you, hate you, and devise all manner of evil against you. At least you know that something big is going on within them, and so what if they reject you or if you had to be mocked at a bit. Why would you get any less then the King of your life? At last, Saul realizes that he is not against believers when killing them, but rather that he is really against Christ. His own Messiah, The Savior, the one whom he thinks he serves. He was a devout "man of God," a Pharisee, and Servant of the high priest. You can identify too, can't you? Growing up in your little church, taking your little classes. Believing what you are drilled into believing rather then seeking for yourself. And some of us, myself included, missed out on all that "religious" stuff all together by having faith stripped from family life. It is safe to say, that Saul's, conversion is like most of ours, only more extreme, because we didn't go around killing Christians before we came to Christ. Although I wanted to at times. :) The point today is this: When the Word goes forth, It Will accomplish what was intended. For a purpose greater then we can imagine. Whether you are "pricked" to the heart or "cut" to the heart at the hearing of the Word matters not. But, rather that you RESPOND to God eventually. THAT matters!! |
| CUT to the heart means: SAWN, mangled, ripped to shreds. To lacerate with a sharp, jagged instrument. How do you feel when someone speaks God's Truth to you? If you can respond to a little, tiny prick, fine. Good for you. But if you need a "cut" -- for God to get through to you, then His love will accommodate that tough shell you have around your heart. Cutting may be on the harsh side, but Saul came through it. So can we. Heck, most of the New Testament was written by God through the pen of Paul while he was in prison for the Faith. We do have a choice, however. We can choose to not "kick against the pricks." We can yield when the truth is presented before us and humbly say, "What must I do?" If we think we hold all the answers, and can crawl out of the mud pit on our own; then that pride may have to be cut out. I am a living, walking testimony to the power of the Sword. To the pricking as well as the cutting. The Word of Truth is so much more capable then we can imagine. Sometimes the callousness built up around our hearts needs to be cut away so that we can enter into The Call on our lives. But it is always better to stay soft in heart; to the voice of the Word when it comes. We wouldn't want to fight so hard for what the great SELF believes in, and then find out later we were boxing against our Creator all the while. |
| Stay sensitive. Stay open. Walk in the way of the narrow gate. Few there be that find it. Remember, you are not alone. You have all the grace you need. Be always ready to change, forgive, encourage others, and shake the dust off your knees as you stand up. Keep in the way of love. These are words I heard in my heart today after a good whoopin' from above. Ya know, when a father loves his kids, he corrects them. It could mean a visit to the wood shed sometimes ... Or perhaps just a tiny whisper, "walk this way little one." |
| I Thank God for His love that leaves us not to our own devices. I will retire my pen now, in hopes that you ponder your own heart before Him. That you would allow the Pricking of the Spirit of God to move on your life. Don't wait for the Cut. It is far too painful. Trust me on this one! And please, don't wait for a light from heaven to knock you off your horse. This may be the only lightning bolt He chooses to send. I love you dearly. |
| In His Hand |
| I remain Mary |
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