RHEMA 12/08/08  GOD’S FAMILY BALANCING ACT:  MERCY WITH TRUTH

AFFIRMATION:  I am building pdfs and when I clicked on God speaks through the intercessors, the above graphic popped on.  It reminded me of granting mercy through the covering of prayer, but at the same time not pulling any punches in clearly stating the Truth in God’s Word.  The scripture was the Word the Lord spoke to me when after I wrote my response to the 2008 elections,  which was in a nutshell that we are in a mess, but dont prophesy judgment, else we will get judged.  Instead, we need intercessors to be salt.  I asked the Lord if it was accurate and this is what I heard:

HEARD 11/06/08:  Exactly.  Truth.  We met together and we kissed.  An alignment.  It was well said.  Well done. 

Ps 85:10-13 NKJV

Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.  Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.  Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.  Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

I thought a lot about Him telling me that.  I suddenly understood an aspect I had not seen before: Our hearts as intercessors are for mercy and not judgment. When revealing the cold truth about our failures, we deserve to reap them and also have doors open to judgment. As our very loving Father, this is not His heart, He is our Good God and wants to give goodness to His kids.  He always searches for those who will stand in the gap against judgment. So when we with mercy, meet together with His Truth and righteous standard, we kiss Him and He kisses.

Ezek 22:30-31 NKJV
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.

WE NEED TO Understand the difference between the fruit of judgment and the fruit of correction. 

When mercy and truth meet, it connects rightful choices with peace in our lives. 

Ps 85:10-13 NKJV
Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.   Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.  Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.  Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.

Truth is the cold and calculated weighing of our lives, in contrast to God’s holy standard in scripture.  We must see and embrace the truth, and no longer slumber in lukewarm ease. 

Yet however severe the truth is, we need to place God’s GOOD heart to “cover” it.  Mercy always, always triumphs over judgment.  In the Old Testament, it was His mercy seat that was a lid covering the ark of the covenant that contained God’s laws.   Without God’s mercy, we would not have Jesus.  He came, not desiring that any will perish but have abundant and eternal life.  Jesus is the full manifestation of God’s heart for us.  (James 2:13; John 3:15,16;  John 10:10; Ex 25:17-22; John 14:9)

 

James 2:13 NKJV

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

John 13:15 -16 NKJV

 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

John 10:10 NKJV

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Exodus 25:17 - 22 NKJV

 "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 "And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 "Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 "And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 "You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 "And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

It will be helpful to remember His real heart as you process circumstances in the future.  The result of embracing truth and mercy will propel and strengthen you to make rightful choices and find deep PEACE in being encompassed and trained by God’s Good and Fatherly heart.  God’s correction leads to the peaceful fruit of making right choices.  (Heb 12:11)

Heb 12:11 NKJV

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Understanding God's correction is the opposite of what happens when acknowledging judgment and bearing the brunt of loss.  It is a fine line and an important distinction.  One understanding reveres and manifests God's ways, and the other interprets demands as intentions to destroy, which is demonic desires.  (John 10:10)

 

John 10:10

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The fine line between correction and judgment is understanding love.  God’s love is both fierce and kind.  If you have seen a mother bear with her cubs, you understand.  He uses everything for His purposes, including the spoiler to destroy.  However He earnestly seeks for men to stand in the gap that He would not destroy.  Does God judge?  Absolutely.   Does He grant mercy in correction?  Absolutely. Between the balance scales of truth and mercy, judgment and correction is the proper way to raise a child into maturity.  Because of sin and the unwillingness of man, it takes both sides of the rod to bring the balance.   (Rom 11:22;  Rom 8:28; Isa 54:16; Ezk 22:30)

 

Rom 11:22-23  NKJV

Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Rom 8:28-29 NKJV

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Isa 54:16 NKJV

"Behold, I have created the blacksmith  Who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

Ezek 22:29-31 NKJV

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.

ANSWER TO PRAYER:  As I was pondering the heaviness of all of this, I exclaimed to the Lord, “How can you not help but comfort Your children?”  At the time I was building pdf files and had highlighted all the files in one section to import them.  Then I clicked the mouse at random so they were no longer highlighted.  I clicked on the following without my seeing the title:

He is raising us in a careful balance of discipline and mercy, each one of us according to His divine plan. 

Ps 85:10-13 NKJV
Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.   Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.  Yes, the LORD will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.  Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.