Weekly Encouragement

Dwelling in the Everlasting Flow

By: Hannah S. Hunter

Amos 5:24(NLT) “Instead I want to see a mighty flood of justice, and endless river of righteous living.”

I Timothy 5:8(NLT) “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” KJV- says infidel.

Shepherd is what this prophet was identified as in the old testament. Sandwiched between Daniel and Matthew. Israel again was in rebellion and God had to speak a warning. How patient God is with us. He loves us so much and never gives up on us.

It grieves the heart of this prophet when I see people promote or elevate the anointing and the gift above the giver of the gifts. People chase after the excitement or goosebumps that a gifted worship leader or the acts a prophet will bring to them. It is like a show or circus we pay to be thrilled or entertained.

The bedrock of our salvation is the arrest, severe ripping and tearing of the flesh of Jesus. His trial was a mockery of justice. The cross and shedding of His blood bought of us everything. We are in the season to reflect on the road to our eternal salvation. Yet we have lost sight of the sacrifice and cost. We focus on the grace and have become careless to cultivate reverence and the holy fear of God.

In one week, as I shared last blog, we had to remove a leader for moral failings and disobedience to the corrective process. We also had one leader totally disqualify himself. Oh, my how I heard the cry in the spirit yet the maniacal laughter in the halls of hell. Both felt their strong gifting and anointing would put them above the holiness and law of God.

Difficult to look into the eyes of the spouse and see a deep almost endless pool of intense pain. To sense an aura of confusion and unanswered questions with the children. You can look down the path of the future for these leaders and see a tangled destructive web. Unless God can find one who will stand in the gap, they will not realize their full potential.

Amos says in the preceding and the following verse that God is telling them put away your instruments and stop with the singing. Do not even contemplate (my words) bringing a sacrifice. God wants to see a mighty flood of justice. Oh, how He loves justice. It is the foundation of His throne. These spouses need justice as do these children. Without being aware these fallen leaders need justice the most, but it will cost them humbling themselves, seeking forgiveness without trying to justify their behavior, action, and choices, and submitting to a process of restoration and redemption.

Somehow when we reach a certain level of leadership where our anointing is released, we begin to believe our own press releases. We are amazing and we have it to give like few, or no one else. Pride and arrogance move swiftly to the seat of power, blinds our eyes and knocks God off the throne of our lives.

At the end of the verse God desires to see an endless river of righteous living. It is in that waterfall (continuous flood) of justice and staying immersed in the river of righteousness that we please and honor Him.

Often before release of anointing He blessed us with our first and most important church – our spouse and children. When we step into the heady thin air of leadership and anointing, they suddenly seem to be more of an impediment. They sometimes seem to be our obstacles to greatness. Oh God forgive us. If your family loses their place of importance and priority in your life as a leader and you do not provide for them physically, emotionally, and spiritually you are worse than an infidel.

Family and the proper order are the strong foundation and stability of our churches and our nations. May we again go back to the flood of justice and endless river of justice to remove the shame we have welcomed into our homes, churches and nations.

Take us back in the spirit and show us Your path of our salvation and cause us to fall in love with you all over and despise the sin that drove us to the cross. Let us embrace with an iron grip You and You alone.