The Prophetic Word - Day 1: See Him.

“Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!"”

‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Today we set sail on our journey into “The Prophetic Word.” In seeking the Lord concerning our direction for the “Word of the Day,” He has directed that we should begin presenting the prophetic instruction He gives us for Ararat Church.

At this point we will begin with our most recent instruction, but will—from time to time—go back and cover other words He has previously given us.

Please know, anything presented to Ararat Church is based on the written word of God. We simply—by way of the Holy Spirit, our Guide into Truth—present areas of focus in which the Lord directs us (wherein the word is illuminated for our edification).

For this week we will consider the lessons we can learn by looking at some events at Kadesh Barnea.

Let us begin our word for today by considering a couple of familiar scenarios.

Have you ever been in a relationship with a person for a long time, yet came to realize that you did not really know who they were? There are many complex reasons this happens. But, for our purposes today, let it suffice to say that whether a person has a secret life into which we never entered, or they changed from who they were in the process of life and we did not follow that process, or we saw them through a “lens” we developed early on, never allowing consideration of any evidence to the contrary, that person we think we know may indeed be a “stranger” to us.

Another scenario for our consideration is the phenomenon of thinking you know someone although you have only observed them from a distance without any true personal interaction.

One of these situations we see is the phenomenon of thinking you “know” an actor or actress well because you have seen many of their movies or studied their lives by way of media. However, the person we think they are, may be very different from who they really are.

Now, how do these scenarios fit in with what the Lord would have us know?

In order to truly know the Lord, we must not allow our false assumptions, or neglect concerning our seeking of Him, make us think we know Him when we do not.

““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In our opening scripture we see that Pilate presents Jesus to the Jews, telling them to look at Him. His purpose for doing so was in order for them to determine what should be done to Him.

Whether you know it or not, our Lord is being presented to us through the word of God with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, in order that we determine what we will do with Him. Our response to the invitation to look at our Savior, and our resulting assumptions, will determine whether or not we truly know Him.

There are three truths we must know as we look at our Lord in order to truly see and know Him. We will begin our consideration of those truths tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#ThePropheticWord