The Lord spoke this to me for his people this morning:
“I am a jealous God. There are people I love that are clinging to their demons like a security blanket. For comfort. For familiarity. I say ENOUGH.
Be rooted and established in me, not your dysfunction. It’s time to put away the deeds of darkness and come back into the light of my Son. What you cling to, you will lose, and you’ll stand in front of me to tell me why.
This is your chance. You must change if you want to live. Your life is not your own. You belong to me but you must let those things go. NOW.”
I always ask God to give me scripture to confirm what he is speaking to me. This morning he led me to Isaiah 1, verses 18-20 which I’ve included here:
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
The Significance of Scarlet
In bible times, scarlet or crimson was a red dye was extracted from the coccoid scale of Israeli oaks. I found an article online that reviews the origins of red dye in Israel and have linked it for you here, but I’m also including a quote:
“After four years of new field surveys, we located the four kermes species in Israel and tested the ability to produce dye from each coccoid. We discovered that K. echinatus contains a significant amount of bright red pigment and is a parasite of the local evergreen kermes oak (Q. calliprinos Webb), a dominant component of all Mediterranean mountain areas in Israel and surrounding countries” (Amar, et al., 2005).
In other words, a parasite that grew and hosted on the oaks of Israel produced a red dye. In Isaiah 61 the Lord calls his people “Oaks of Righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” So what is God saying? Something that grows on his oak as a parasite produces a red dye similar to the stain of sin as described in Isaiah 1, shall be made as white as snow.
Let’s look at the definition of parasite: A parasite is an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense.
The thing that is eating away at you, the thing that you’ve become familiar with, is causing your slow demise. And the Lord is pointing it out to you today. To lend context, Isaiah 1 speaks of the rebelliousness of God’s people, Israel and Judah. God’s word says in verse 2:
“I reared the children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey knows his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Why should he be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured (your thinking is incorrect), your whole heart is afflicted (your heart is suffering). From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness (you’re no longer in good condition)- only wounds and welts and open sores (untreated, vulnerable and open to infection and death). ” The Lord goes on to tell them, “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. […] Stop bringing me meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me […] I cannot bear your evil assemblies. […] when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my face from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!”
So, the stain of the red dye from the coccoid was virtually impossible to remove. So is the stain of sin in our lives, except for the blood of Jesus that washes away the stain of sin. We don’t have to go through life with the stain of sin on us, if we are willing to go to Jesus, repent of our sins, and live a new life in him.
A Call for Sincere Repentance, Faith, and Devotion
So I need to ask the question: Are you willing? While the Lord may be speaking to the unbeliever, this also suggests he is talking to his actual church. Let’s revisit the word he gave:
“I am a jealous God. There are people I love that are clinging to their demons like a security blanket. For comfort. For familiarity. I say ENOUGH.
Be rooted and established in me, not your dysfunction. It’s time to put away the deeds of darkness and come back into the light of my Son. What you cling to, you will lose, and you’ll stand in front of me to tell me why.
This is your chance. You must change if you want to live. Your life is not your own. You belong to me but you must let those things go. NOW.”
You were bought with a price: the precious blood of Jesus. To continue in whatever it is you’re doing is leading to death, not life. The Lord says his repentant ones will be redeemed with justice, but rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish (Isaiah2:27-28). Again he points to the sacred oaks (or idols in the life of the Jews), saying, “you will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water” (verse 30). Basically a dying thing. Now, the thing or things that you’ve placed as idols above God may not be killing you physically, they are separating you from life in Christ. Also, what you worship, you will serve. God tells us in his word that heaven and earth will pass away but his words will never pass away. Are you risking eternity by what you’re worshipping now? If so, it’s time to turn away. God says, NOW. God says you MUST change if you want to LIVE.
I’m praying that you heed this sobering word and do as the Lord instructs today. He loves you. Out of his love for you he is trying to lead you into repentance and back to a life of righteousness. Please don’t delay.
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