Lena's Study Journalin' to Hosea 6 Today

Why would the Lord “tear” a person “to pieces”? What does this mean? Why do we need restoring? Aha, KEY words, “that we may live in His presence”…In saying this there is a question to ask, “Where else have we been?”
The Lord has set up boundaries all over the earth; darkness and light, day and night, each day has seconds, minutes, and hours; and each week, the same with the addition of days and nights, then we have many other measurements of time, with seasons, years, decades, etc., etc. The earth is a part of a great universe and in the earth alone are vast landscapes, all with boundaries. Each boundary helps each of us to know where we are even on this small planet called earth.
The Lord is a God of grand order. Inside of His order, He has guided us and shown us where He is and where He is not. He has set up lines, partitions, and given us very clear directives on how to live, what to do, and what not to participate in.
Sin & Obedience are the staying inside or the crossing over these boundaries. It is so simple; Sin separates people from God’s presence and protection. If you go outside of the places in which He dwells, you are not where He protects. As a parent knowing about boundaries, you may teach your child, as our heavenly Father also teaches us about boundaries for safety’s sake. You may abruptly say, as you see a car coming swiftly down a road you and your child are near, “Hey Johnny, stay here! Wait! Don’t cross the road, or dart out into it just yet.” With your voice, you are offering protection to your child!
If Johnny decides to heed the voice of another, in his head, or not listen to yours, he may dart into the roadway and he may get injured, hurt, even torn to pieces. Did you cause it? No, in the order set up by God, it did, His laws did, but there was also a force that brings us within the guides and protection of all of those laws and it is called obedient action.
If Johnny had obeyed mom or dad, he’d not been hurt.
Now, Johnny could be healed, bound up from his wounds, and restored to a good relationship with his protective and loving parent, who is so thankful he is alive! He could say to his parental leader, I’m so sorry I did not listen to you, (now that I am greatly wounded) and I’d like to walk with you now and learn as I heal, I am making a mental and spiritual plan to stay inside of the boundaries you are so gracious to identify for me. I also am training my soul to like to hear your voice telling me where to stay and when to go, for I can go into a roadway that is clear. It was not the roadway that brought offense and harm to me, it was the vehicle driving swiftly down the roadway that offered me harm. As I become aware I also become wise, and can lead others to see that staying inside of the boundaries is protection inside of the Divine order of God. I did not have to be harmed to learn this, but being harmed now is fra better than being eternally separated.
Who else knows His order, but God Himself? Who else can we ask, trust, and rely on, to lead us righteously? That voice in Johnny’s head knows the order also, but wants to defy God’s order with disobedient action, for he is out to steal, kill, and destroy my life from off of the earth and out of God’s heart and presence.
Oh, that we might know the LORD!
Let us press on to know him.
This has got to be the cry, of every Christian person alive. This is the pathway to follow all the days of one’s life here on earth. This is the way to walk in, to obediently and lovingly pursue all of the Lord with all of the heart, soul, and body.
It is so disheartening to God Most High the heavenly Father and lover of every soul, to see His Divinely Destined children choose others, choose to listen to others outside of the order He has set up for us to be lovingly protected and led under.
As I wrote yesterday, who do you follow the voice of, sheep or Shepard’s? That is a Divine order of protection for proper growth in the spirit, that sheep would listen to and follow after Shepard’s. The only time sheep listen to and follow the voices of sheep, is when they are saying the same thing as Shepard’s! If they are speaking in contest to or contrary to the Shepard’s voice, there is trouble, watch out for hurt, harm, tragedy and maybe even physical death. Then again, it could be the body and even soul, after listening to the wrong voices are ok, seemingly well, but the spirit man’s relationship with God is weak and dying outside of the order of God! Be aware Wolfville is straightaway ahead of you.
I sent Prophets (Shepard’s) to say extremely hard things to you, speak truth, first in love, and then when you got to the place of a disobedient hard heart I spoke more sternly in grace and with mercy on your lost soul. I sent word, and circumstances and situations to prod you and lead you back running into the sheepfold, that was quite possibly done harshly in your measurement of things, but it was grace to help rescue your soul from eternal judgment where you’d stand before Me unholy, disobedient and unclean!
Do you see this yet? Oh that the blinded would be wiling to see Me, and Mine, and choose and desire to walk in My ways, no matter how hard they seem to be! They have no idea, no real revelation, how hard eternity will be without Me!
Remember the greatest expression of love is obedience, because one willingly obeys, not because they have to obey, or are forced to obey. Now they may feel they are being forced to, even by My Spirit, but what is going on in the heart in those moments? I’m watching for that. Remember I’m seeing the heart, I’m judging the hearts. The heart is where the want to’s happen. You can want to do what one is “forcing” you to do! If you change your want to’s!
Are you of Adam (fallen natured man)? Or have received and been born of Christ? (Have you been crucified with Christ? Where you are no longer insisting upon your own ways, but are willingly leaning on His arm of guidance, deciding to willingly do whatever He says to do, no matter how harsh it is stated or how hard it seems, because you trust in Him completely?) If you remain as “Adam” and will not become “Christ” – a Christian, willingly, you have betrayed Me, says the Lord!
Prostitution with other gods? You bought My truth and sold it to a stranger cheaply, it was not even worth you holding onto for dear life as though it was the greatest treasure on earth. It is gone where you are concerned, you’d rather walk in your own ways and along the paths of your own choosing!
This is the way back into a disobedient and unloving lifestyle. It will always offer itself, especially after each spiritual growth spurt and victory. The enemy hates when God’s children grow up or advance. EVERY time they begin to advance or take enemy territory, this offer comes. It may appear different each time, but it is the same offer, the offer for the souls of the godly.
I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back? What about when it doesn’t go your way, what about when you don’t feel like it anymore. What about when a better offer comes your way? What about when a better preacher, leader, teacher, parent, friend or even boss is offered you?
This is your test. Will you testify as a righteously tried and true son and shine for Jesus, or shrink back in weakness?
This is always the test!
A true faith must be tested true, every growth stage has tests to pass, each will be harder, each will prove a deeper and stronger love, if we remain.