If you cause some damage, take responsibility and fix it.

How many of you have gone into the supermarket and come out and found your car damaged due to somebody else and they have just driven off and not left a message or anything?  How did that make you feel?

Last night I had a dream and I saw a parked car and someone had damaged it and walked off without leaving a note or anything and so when the owner went to get the car, they found it had damage done to it, that someone had to pay for. 

It wasn’t a big deal as the bulk of it would be covered by insurance but there was still the excess that someone had to pay for.  And that somebody was now the owner and yet it wasn’t the owners fault.  The person who had caused it wasn’t owning up to what they had done or taken their responsibility to repair the damage.  

How many of us damage other peoples ministries/churches/individuals (as cars often represent those things in dreams) and walk off without so much as a note of apology that you had caused some damage?  How many of us put dings into ministries/churches/people, of slander and gossip or whatever it might be, and we are causing damage to others and yet we just walk off without any recompense leaving someone else to clean up the mess and pay for the damage caused, that was not their fault or responsibility?

Some of the damage we cause is often just an accident and we didn’t mean to do it, but we still need to be a people who take ownership to our mistakes and not let others take the fall for what we did.

Powerful word. 

Someone sent me a dream the other day and I asked if I could share it and I share it now as it is a similar word coming through.

“I had this dream where I was watching several men in charge of the running of an ocean liner line up for inspection.  All dressed in their white uniforms.  It all seemed proper and in order until a new member joined them.  At the time of the new member joining one of the long standing crew members was tragically killed.  The next day when it was time for them to all line up on deck for the captains inspection, only the new member was there to start off with.  Finally the others came out and informed the new crew member that they had had a meeting with their boss and they had come to the conclusion that since nothing like this had happened before then it had to be his fault and began to drag him away.  I kept trying to tell them it wasn't him, that it was one of them, but they weren’t listening and I also heard the new guy declaring it wasn’t him, but again they wouldn’t listen and the men began to torcher the guy.”

We often blame others for things that have happened and some of those things that happen are just accidents or perhaps our own fault, but instead we get together and gossip and blame others and walk off  without knowing all the facts, leaving others taking the responsibility for something that wasn’t their fault.

Let’s be a people who own up to our mistakes and take responsibility and trust that God will come in, as the insurance so to speak, and fix what we cannot fix.  There will be a bit of a cost to you to walk in truth, but in that God will come in and deal with the rest that you cannot fix.

Romans 8:28  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"

"Insidious"

Insidious - what does it mean?

• Intended to entrap or beguile
• stealthily treacherous or deceitful
• operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with a grave effect.           (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/insidious) 

The other day I had this dream and in this dream I was crossing a boarder into a new country with a team of other people, someone else was the leader.  We had radioed ahead to 'control' to check and see if it was alright to cross the boarder but at that time had not yet heard back from them, and the new country's people were welcoming and so we entered the new country without waiting to hear back from headquarters.  As soon as we crossed the boarder into the new country, the 'supposed welcoming people' turned and started to kill us all and as that happened, the radio came back from head quarters warning us not to go into the country as it was hostile, but it was too late.

As I have processed this dream, I believe there is a warning the Lord is wanting to show not only myself, but all of us.
Often we believe it is alright to make the next move because it feels good and it seems right, but we have not yet waited to hear from the Lord or those people around us whom we have relationship with, if it is of the Lord.
Often we can quickly move onto the next thing but we have not yet learnt the things the Lord would have us learn.  Or perhaps we are just thinking of ourselves and not others that may be involved or perhaps need to be involved, in our decision making process.
I know for myself and Jim we have many times wanted to move ahead with what we believe the Lord is saying but have sought the counsel of others and in the waiting process, the Lord has taught us so many things and it has protected us from making mistakes.  We have had many prophetic words about the future and so we know that they will happen, but often we want to try to make them happen. But in the eagerness to step into what we believe the Lord is saying, often we may not seek the counsel of others, we may not wait to hear clearly from the Lord what He is saying and we jump ahead thinking it lines up with some of the words the Lord has given and it may do, but it may just have to wait on a timing factor or perhaps the Lord has a better way,  if we would just wait and allow Him to make the way.

For myself right now I know the Lord is moving people, shifting people and strategically placing people, for what is coming, but I believe we are not individuals doing our own thing, we are part of a body.   As a body we need to seek the counsel of others of the same spirit and same body, before we jump ahead into those things as it effects not only you but those around you.  And when it is right, you will get the yes and amen from those around you, but you may need to wait to receive that confirmation, but in the end everyone will benefit.
Humility is a huge part of this and that is about listening to what others have to say, not just telling people what you are doing and expect their approval, but be a person who listens to advice, and doesn't think they have it all, but is willing to learn and grow.

Prov 13:14  "The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death."

Prov 14:12  "There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death"

Insidious - The enemy is insidious - deceptive, clever and tries to trap us in ways oftentimes that seem good but we need to keep alert to the work and schemes of the enemy that may lead us away from the counsel of others.