SOBER

Transcript From RING OF FIRE Broadcast ~ March 7, 2020

Today I need to apologize in advance because lately I have been in an extreme mental state of soberness.  Partly due to understanding the gravity of all that is going on in the World around us and partly because many do not understand the severity of that which is to come.  Where my concern lies is not with the World per se… but rather with those in it who are still cutting up, lacking the fear of the Lord and in their careless ways are mocking God.  So today I am sober for that reason, today I am speaking to us about us and pleading that we turn from our wicked ways and repent before the Lord starts His judgment in His own household.  Many like to fool themselves that judgement will start in the World, however, it doesn’t… it starts inside the church.  And if we are not sober right now, this moment, then a time of sifting is going to catch us off guard so suddenly, many will be shaken awake into soberness.  It’s truly rare I get a warning message like this one He gave me today.  Today’s message he titled:  SOBER.  That is all He said to me… just SOBER.  Usually He gives me eloquent words for titles, but today is not like all the others, today is a call to stand SOBER.  You all ready?

Lord Jesus please walk with us today hand in hand.  Our hearts and ears are open to You and we thank You for being the perfect example we are to follow.  Collectively we surrender this teaching to You, along with ourselves.  Have Your way in us Lord, especially today.  Amen

WISDOM…  Which is oil by the way, you know… the oil in the virgin’s lamps is wisdom.  No time to go over all that today.  WISDOM…  Every single person has some amount of wisdom – some more, others less, but WISDOM is granted nonetheless. 

It took a precious letter from my inmate friend, Van Edgar to open my eyes up to an amazing revelatory truth about wisdom.  He was talking to me about Solomon and how he had so much wisdom, that many envied all the wisdom he had.  Then all of a sudden a revelation came to me…  WISDOM everyone wants to attain more and more of it – but that is not what is important…  What is important is HOW WE APPLY THE WISDOM WE HAVE.  Wisdom is gained by suffering and as a result we learn what is allowed and good or bad and harmful in our lives.  King Solomon had much wisdom, however, he did not apply it correctly in his life and was practically a crazy man obsessed with power and women – just as Van Edgar explained to me in his letter. 

So we can know good from evil and yet still choose to do evil…  Therefore, we can have wisdom and yet not apply it.  Being sober minded means…  Applying the wisdom to our lives continually while learning from our mistakes and actually going and sinning no more.  And this is how— we take our oil out to go meet our Bridegroom!  Yayyyyy!  It is all making so much more sense now – trimming the wicks is repentance and now He gave us this pearl to match it with…  Apply what we have learned from past mistakes so we do not repeat them…  Wisdom

Okay… that was the good news… lol…  Well it’s all good news, but today we are focused on being SOBERMINDED.  I just wanted to let you down easy with a pearl.  lol

I really want to talk about drunkenness, but the Lord told me we have done that enough and we already know what is right or wrong, even if we choose to ignore it, we know.  Having a Momma’s heart, I always want to get down on my knees and explain what someone is doing in opposition to Jesus and explain why it will hurt them and to please stop so they do not hurt anymore.  He won’t let me do that today…  He says you already know.  Just like I already know when I am disobedient.  We know, don’t we?

The Father is pleading with His people who have rejected Him.  As a matter of fact, all struggles work together for our good in such a way.  He’s doing this constantly behind the scenes and always has, but for some reason we get really nervous when it manifests openly like it has lately.  Staying sober minded in understanding He is Sovereign – which will keep us from drifting into a place of compromise where if we are not pulled from that place, we will eventually curse the Lord for what He is bringing upon the Earth, so that hearts cry out and knees bow down in worship to Him.  If I would be so bold to say… In such a way – coronavirus is a blessing, not a curse.  And since we serve such a merciful Father, even His judgments as laced with an element of love.  He is seeking to save souls, while we believe if He isn’t saving our physical bodies He is rejecting us, but in truth He is receiving us.  Man’s hearts will fail them, but ours will not because He is preparing them for Jesus to abide within us on the throne of our hearts in a most beautiful way.

Tatum shared a beautiful pearl of wisdom the Father laid upon her heart with the COT Family the other day and I am going to share it with you all since many of you missed it…

I Just Wanted To Flow In The Spirit About What THE LORD Has Laid Upon My Heart. Because I Keep Noticing Something, Not Only Out In The Community, But Also In The Body Of CHRIST. That Ever Since There Has Been An Uptick In This Virus, That It Spiritually Is Revealing Something About People. Well A Virus Makes People Sick & Not Well. This Also Is What I’m Noticing In Many Spiritually, Where Their Minds Aren’t Well Or Sober. And I’ve Notice It Spread Like A Virus From One Believer To Another. Where Things In Their Thought Process Seem Chaotic, Paranoid & No Clarity, Like Drunk In One’s Chaotic Thought Process, Where Justifying Things Also Just Don’t Make Sense. And So I’m Led To Pray, Because I Also Keep Hearing The Word, “Repentance” & “Get Your House In Order Immediately”. I’ve Realized A Serious Truth, That No One Can Save Me But JESUS Of Nazareth Can. And That Now Are Truly Sober Times Needed To Be Alert For When Our Time Could Be Up & To Stand Before JESUS, Before JESUS Returns. And This Truly Is My Hope For ALL Of Us. I Can’t Shake It Off, But Rest In HIM. GOD Bless You All, Thank You For Letting Me Share

• Thankfully He is removing all fear of man from within us at the moment.  Sheep have a tendency to be skittish and due to betrayal and pain, we too are skittish to some degree.  However, Jesus is an awesome Shepherd and we follow Him wherever He goes – WE GROW WHEN THE WORDS OF GOD MEAN MORE TO US THAN THE WORDS OF MAN.
• Right after we finished our teachings on rejection the Lord spoke to me in my heart saying…  You have focused so much on how you were rejected – Have you considered the ways in which you rejected Me?  So after much soul searching I discovered the unmeasurable ways I have rejected the Lord on every level.  This gave me much time to reflect and repent and also to become more sober in the mind.  My eyes were opened to the truth it is not so much I do not know how not to do evil, but rather I choose not to do good.

So let’s talk for a moment about… REJECTING GOD

This may hurt the flesh a little I must warn you – because the flesh naturally opposes surrendering fully to the Lord in every way so we wrestle with it instead of dying to it.  He reminded me how He sends no one to hell, they choose to go there and many are experiencing a living hell right now in their minds.

As He opens our ears and the scales fall off, our hearts will embrace His truth.  When we are still primarily in rebellion we get offended and mad at anything that sears the flesh.

REBELLION is – self-will, wanting things our own way, as disobedient children and we often surround ourselves with others who will join with us to take up our cause and come into agreement with the sin we both share. 

FALLING AWAY is – rejecting God and His moral ways and is becoming more hard to hide now because so many reject the victory over sin found in Jesus.

THE RESULT is – The Lord removing His hand of protection from us when we are in rebellion.  Just like Jesus told Peter – be sober, wake up… Don’t you know the enemy desires you?  And later, He explained the enemy may sift you as wheat.  Remember Job?  The enemy was granted permission to destroy all fleshly, carnal things in his life and steal them.  The only safe place to be is surrendered to the Lord fully, as He is our only protection from fiery darts in that they do not prosper against us.

Currently the Father is pleading with His people by allowing pressures of all kinds of flesh trials to remove all which is not of Him from us.  There are countless times recorded in the Bible where He removed His hand of protection to get a rebellious people to seek and embrace Him.  By denying the full truth of the Gospel, we are tempting God in a way we surely do not want to out of ignorance.

If we do not take captive our own thoughts, our own thoughts will take captive of us.  We are at a point in time Spiritually speaking it is very dangerous to play with fire just to tickle our ears.  We cannot just gloss over what we perceive is bad in the Bible and drink only what is pleasing to the eyes.  If we love Him, all is good and all is beneficial for Spiritual growth.

SEEKING…  It is all about seeking…  For everyone who does not SEEK to surrender all – including self plans, wills, desires, etc… to the Lord fully is a rebellious child and discipline will follow.  Now notice I said SEEK, because the Father knows the intentions of our hearts and tries them.  We may fool ourselves or even one another – but He cannot be fooled in such a way.  He knows, He certainly does know us more intimately than we know ourselves.

The truth is – not only do many refuse to seek to surrender to Him they are opposed to it.  And as a result, they despise His correction.  Which is sad really, because correction really means – Let me correct your course you are on.  It is really non-threatening and very simple. 

Hebrews 12:6 says…

Who the Lord loves, He disciplines and He chastises every son whom He receives.

Chastises means – a calamity sent by God, a spanking to devour or decrease the flesh

Now I understand many of us have been harmed times over by a strong hand which strikes by man.  But please do not compare at all what man has done to God, Himself.  Take captive those thoughts which bring our Father down to the fallen nature of man – so that you learn to love His discipline, not run away from it.

Godly fear is healthy and preserves us in many ways.  We must have a godly fear or we will keep too much rebellion within us.  Godly fear keeps us firmly on the straight and narrow path and insures we do not get a seared conscience in which we will call evil good and good evil.  Remember – the fear of the Lord is only the beginning of wisdom (knowing right from wrong) because it places us into a position of receiving the gift of repentance which delivers us from excusing our sin to going and sinning no more.

Proverbs 3: 11 says…

His children do not reject His discipline or hate it when he rebukes us.

His children know – all He has towards us is love and that He is really infusing His promise to keep us covered and protected, even if at times, it is from ourselves.  I don’t know about you all… But I don’t trust me, do you trust you?  It really helps to know that the Father is so loving and Sovereign He won’t let us corrupt ourselves to the point we perish.  I should have been a lost cause a long time ago… But He intervened.

Finally, Revelation 3:19 is a beautiful promise of love…

Those I love I rebuke and discipline so be zealous and repent.

REBUKE means…  Conviction of the Holy Spirit as darkness is exposed by the light – basically feeling guilty for doing something wrong  – the Lord loves us so much He will allow guilt to come upon us so we know when to ask for forgiveness and not call evil good or hide our sin… this is true deliverance.

ZEALOUS means…  Burn with a desire for and to pursue constantly

How amazing is that?  Let’s read it now in layman’s terms…

Those I love I convict with the Holy Spirit to reveal all darkness by My light and I discipline you so that you burn with a desire for and pursue constantly to repent from all darkness that influences you.

See… Now it isn’t so scary is it?  Now with Spiritual eyes we can see, His discipline is nothing more than a loving Father keeping guard and watch over us because He loves us so very much.  When we remove the heavy hammer of man we begin to receive all that is written, just as it was written in love as love.

Discipline in loving context takes on a whole different meaning and His perfect love casts all fear away from us.  Discipline also is the birthing word for DISCIPLE…

Discipline teaches accountability, accountability teaches good from evil, knowing good from evil teaches repentance and repentance teaches us how to follow in Jesus’s footsteps.  Jesus’s ways keep us on the straight and narrow path which leads us to life everlasting, rather than the broad way which leads to destruction.  One of the most crucial mistakes we can make is not finding the narrow eternal path because we refuse to accept, let alone love the discipline of the Lord.  Again, discipline is instruction and guidance done in a perfectly loving way.

All have sinned just as it says in Romans 3 – But do you know why we keep sinning?  The answer is in verse 18 – There is no fear of God before their eyes.

We all know what fear means – but listen, it also means to revere one’s husband… I found that interesting.  I am pretty sure all our preconceived notions about the Lord are pretty much worthless at this point.  The more I learn the less I know.  All powerful is about all I can say right now.  He isn’t coming as a Lamb this time…  He is coming like a lion – so sober up.  We can pray we are worthy to stand before Him all we want, but right now, truthfully I don’t even know what that looks like to be worthy in such a way, I feel much more worthless than worthy, thankfully it says pray we are worthy – that we can do.

The Father created us all perfectly and He wove into us the freewill to make our own choices in a most beautiful way.  With that comes some responsibility… And a lot of accountability.  But knowing He is a very good Father, He gives us many opportunities to choose good over evil.  For example, every single action we take here on Earth contains the fruit of consequences.  Sometimes good or sometimes bad, but a reaction/fruit is always produced in what we say or do.  Just as His words go out to perform – so do ours or like how one pebble thrown into a lake creates ripples…  So do our actions. 

Remember, when we choose the action, we choose the consequence and as little children learn to walk… often stumbling and falling, bumping their heads and touching hot stoves – so do we.  This is how we often learn to lean on Him through pain.  But on the flip side of that is a heart of brotherly and sisterly love, one to another which produces good fruit… Very good fruit indeed.  For example, when we walk in forgiveness and mercy one to another, we are at peace with one another in a most Heavenly Kingdom way.

The Lord has led an example for us to follow, to not always take the easy way out.  Remember, before He could rise from the dead, He walked the path to crucifixion…  Therefore, we too must die to self, the old nature to be risen and born again a new creature in Christ.  Unfortunately, this process is delayed when we refuse to yield and surrender and choose the sinful ways of death.  And worse is when we deny we even have sin still in us.  Jesus came and called all sinners to repentance.  We cannot say one thing and do another.  Jesus said in Luke 13:3 – Unless you repent you will perish.  It is true some will enter in another way, but only to be eventually thrown out.  We do not want this to be us.

Just to review why Jesus came?  Our answer is found in the Word in Luke 5:32 and it reads as follows:

He came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repent.

There is a hint here – Jesus is only calling those who are willing to be disciplined, corrected and purged of anything and everything that cannot enter into His Kingdom.  This Scripture tells us He did not call the righteous – it is because those who think they are already saved are not looking for a Savior.

So there is really something very beautiful about repentance – it is nothing to be shy about or it is not condemning whatsoever, it is a calling forth to be cleansed, healed and made whole.  Jesus is not harsh like man – He is love and all He does is loving in nature.  Man has twisted what the Lord calls beautiful, especially repentance.

You see the enemy does not want us to be made whole, because he keeps tricking us to corrupt ourselves and he knows if we allow shame to separate us further from Jesus we will live a miserable life.

We need to practice every day reading the words of Jesus so what He taught is sealed in our hearts and minds to block out the whispers of condemnation from the enemy.  Just as he told the truth and whispered to Eve, he does the same with us.  And yes, I did say he told the truth… When he said you will not surely die – and she didn’t die physically but spiritually.  In the same way he attempts to lure us away from Jesus, Who is the Way, Truth and Life.  In the Bible when it speaks about those “who love not the truth…”  It is speaks of Jesus, our First love and it doesn’t say… who knows the truth, but LOVES THE TRUTH.  You see, you can KNOW about all the Scriptures like a righteous person – but unless YOU LOVE THE TRUTH Jesus will not know you and say depart from Me you worker of iniquity.  I’m sorry, I know that sounds really hurtful, but remember everyone is given a chance to repent, everyone.  Life or death is the consequence to that action.

As we work out our salvation daily, we see the importance to live a changed life, as Jesus changes us from the inside out… that is the fruits of our labors, so to speak or consequence to surrendering all to Him and this is a good consequence by the way.  He came to give us life and life abundantly and when we follow His ways that is exactly what we will have – an abundant life.

Remember – the Lord only expects your very best.  Whatever you have to offer however small it may be… that is the best to Him.  When you get out of carnal thinking, what Jesus desires is not riches or gold – He has all that anyway… He desires you and you giving yourself to Him is of highest value on Earth, it is eternal – you are priceless like this to Him.

We do not want to reject the Father by rejecting His discipline.  It is very unsafe to live a life like that, we can really get hurt.  Can you imagine a toddler running on train tracks – we would panic wouldn’t we?  Well, the Father wants us to have abundance in His Son Jesus our eternal reward to be content here on Earth in plenty and want.  Many of the precepts He has given us are truly for our good, to keep us safe from heartbreak and fragmentation of the soul.

We are all being transformed by the renewing of our minds, going from carnal mindsets to Christlike in nature – before you know it, you will see you think differently, talk differently, want to do different things than before and soon, as you look back – Jesus changed your whole life, little by little one step at a time.  The renewing of the mind is pivotal in our process to being transformed into a new creature.

I bet you are curious what a non-carnal mind ponders?  Dreams about? Has curiosity about and so forth…

I will let the Word tell you, it is found in Philippians 4 ~

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

⁵ Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

⁹ Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

A mind that isn’t focused on carnal things is REJOICING, BALANCED and SELF-CONTROLLED AROUND OTHERS, CONSIDERS JESUS IS ALWAYS PRESENT IN ALL WE DO, IS NOT TIMID AND SCARED, PRAYS TO THE LORD THANKING HIM FOR ALL HE HAS DONE and IS OPEN TO SHARE THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART WITH HIM, HAS PEACE NO MAN CAN UNDERSTAND, TRUSTS JESUS IS ENOUGH SO OUR HEARTS AND MINDS ARE KEPT PROTECTED IN HIM.

A mind that isn’t carnal THINKS ALWAYS ON THESE THINGS ~

TRUTH, HONESTY, JUST, PURE, LOVELY, GOOD REPORTS, VIRTUOUS THINGS & PRAISE WORTHY.

MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!  Here is the clincher of a life lesson of the upmost importance…. Ready?

Jesus said —- THE THINGS YOU HAVE LEARNED I DO – YOU DO, WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD I DO – YOU DO & WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN ME DO, YOU DO…  Sounds familiar like… following the Lamb wherever He goes, doesn’t it?

So that the God of peace shall be with you or another way of saying it… YOU WILL LIVE IN PEACE.

JESUS IS OUR BEST EXAMPLE, because HE ONLY DID WHAT HE SAW HIS FATHER IN HEAVEN DOING!  Can you imagine how much we would struggle without Jesus to follow as an Example??? Now you know why some of you are simply starved to know Him and know about Him in a more intimate way.  As we let go of the carnal mind – what we would think upon is just not valuable or filling to us anymore… It is almost like many of us have lost a taste for anything that is not good for us Spiritually.  Remember, there is only one way to the Father – it is through Jesus.

Can you believe it?  We are finally no longer eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil… Because Jesus the Tree of Life is all we crave, knowing it is all that satisfies and fills us.

I am doing my best to paint a beautiful picture for you of the truth of the Father’s discipline no longer tainted by the religious who use force to get one to convert.  Because that does in no way replicate the Father’s ways.  His discipline is nothing to fear, but rather embrace – it is not absent of love because it is His love, His guided love to keep us safely pulled close to Him so we do not stray and get hurt or injured in anyway.  To be in total awe and fear of the Lord means to recognize His majesty and all powerful ways to which none can compare.

An example may help…  For those who are parents.  Remember a time when your child was struggling with something or maybe got caught doing something that could bring them much harm.  As their parent, you pleaded with them in love, you patiently never let go as you set consequences in place so they would understand the gravity of their actions – but all this you did in love, because you knew if they could just get past this – brighter days would come, they would remember how painful it was to be in that place of danger and would truly never turn to that thing again.  Love never left you and you spoke to them until it clicked, then one day they realized and began to weep, they were truly sorry and then… You fully embraced them and your heart rejoiced with gladness for them.  Months passed you saw them grow out of that mess, you were front and center to a changed life and how pivotal it was that you stood your ground and you were finally able to see the fruit of your labor of love towards them.  Now… that is how the Father looks to us – with those same loving eyes and guided hand.  He is for you – not against you in this same way.  So please… Do not mix the heavy burdens that others who even call themselves Christians place upon you because they too are laden with sins, which may be different than yours… if the truth was known, they deserve the very stones they throw at you turned on themselves.

With all this being said – it is time to stand up and be accountable to the Lord and take responsibility for our own actions, no longer denying them.  Consequences that do come will come if we do not repent from our ways of old in order to teach us how to walk in the new.

So no more blaming the devil all the time, like he made us do something.  He doesn’t have that kind of power over us anyway.  When we have Jesus living and abiding inside us we are unshakable, which is why we are all being purged of iniquity at the moment.  The Lord is really going deep this time!

• He’s establishing within us His eternal Kingdom
• As He is filling us with the Holy Spirit – it most certainly does require a displacement of self
• He’s making us inwardly ready so that when all is shaken there is nothing left so that in Him we are able to stand and be worthy to stand before Him – unshakable
• The method by which He is doing this is not important – the outcome is

Take the coronavirus for example… Those who seek to save their lives are in a panic, some of us see God pleading with people in order to save a life for all eternity.  It is all how you look at it… Carnally or Spiritually. Sadly others stuck in vengeance are declaring – you are gonna get it.

Psalm 91 is a good place to start daily, these are not words just to read or proclaim but are faith filled words to believe!

The Father is doing only one work with us all – He is conforming us into the Image of His Son.

He uses many means to create the same end result, depending on what is required to get us over to the other side individually.  We are becoming a Bride made ready for her Bridegroom.  However, in order to be made ready we must be emptied of everything and anything which does not reflect the example of Jesus.  We wash our own robes white which leads us to the truth, we do play a part in our own Salvation.

The Father is not looking for righteousness, sacrifice or works…  He is looking for obedience, a surrendered heart He can mold, that is sensitive and broken that needs made whole.  There is no possible way to be obedient unless surrendered and you cannot surrender without being broken and empty of self.  Some of us are walking around in tears feeling empty like it is a bad thing – which is the very thing that Jesus is excited about because to Him that is a vessel that He can fill and occupy.

Either we rule and reign with Him fully or not at all.  If we are not fully surrendered to Him we are divided.  When we are divided, so are our:  thoughts, actions, intentions, hearts, perceptions, everything is divided or screened through carnality to some degree.

A divided house (person) cannot stand.  Jesus wants to flow freely through us – He wants to have His way in and through us – this goes hand in hand and is not divided, but whole.  Will you be made whole?  If so, you must be emptied first.  He does not put new wine into an old wineskin.

What God does not initiate He does not anoint, so we are sifted, disciplined, purged and guided in that we walk as obedient children so that all we say and do is precisely what our Father in Heaven wills to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven through us.

So you see why it is so important we be sober right now?  A sober mind is a mind fixated on one thing – Jesus.  A sober mind is a single mind so that we live like nothing else matters… Nothing.  And then and only then – all things will be added to us.  Remember… Emptied out, so that new can be put in.  He pours into us, we pour Him out to others and we become a well that never runs dry.

So I pray this message blessed you today, I also pray that you no longer fear the Lord’s loving discipline but learn to desire His covering hand of correction.

Before I go I want to thank all of you who do support ROF Ministry by time, talent or treasure.  Your prayers cover us and your support enable us to keep healing hearts His way.  Any prayer requests or ministry needs can be emailed to me at:  Markedbyheaven7@gmail.com or if you wish to support ROF with a love gift you can go directly to our website at ROFministries.com and click the donate link.

You all are just too precious for words…  Never ever forget you are loved with an everlasting, a deep and drawing love that is a rarity to experience.  It is not found anywhere here on Earth, nor can it be compared to natural love in anyway.  My prayer is that we all begin to experience this priceless gift of love to the fullest as we begin to release knowing about the Lord and are transformed into knowing Him.

Thank you for joining me today, love and bless each of you very much!

Angela ~ Ring of Fire Ministries