The Critic

Ministers are constantly under critique and criticism, as was Yeshua. I believe Yeshua understands more of the heartache and sorrows of being betrayed by a friend, hurt by someone loved, and walked out on by those who were supposed to have been support than anyone Who ever lived.

I had a class under Dr. Oral Roberts once and he said something I have never forgotten, "Never answer a critic." He was right. There is nothing a person can say to their critics that will change anything. When a person is tied to their belief that another is wrong, there is very little the person accused of being wrong can do except pray that G-d open eyes. In Dr. Roberts' case, an entire group of his friends and supporters came against him and walked out thinking they were doing G-d a favor. By the way, today we don't know the names of these people but we all sure know who Dr. Oral Roberts is. G-d didn't move in the life of the critic, He moved in the life of the one daring to cry out for Him.

There's an old Bible story of man who cried out. He desired something of the L-rd. Yochanan-Makabi / Mark 10:46-52 (AMP), "Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, a son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Yeshua/Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, saying, Yeshua/Jesus, Son of David, have pity and mercy on me (now)! And many severely censured and reproved him, telling him to keep still, but he kept on shouting out all the more. You Son of David, have pity and mercy on on me (now)! And Yeshua/Jesus stopped and said, Call him. And they called the blind man, telling him, Take courage! Get up! He is calling you. And throwing off his outer garment, he leaped up and came to Yeshua/Jesus. And Yeshua/Jesus said to him, What do you want Me to do for you? And the blind man said to Him, Master, let me receive my sight. And Yeshua/Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has healed you. And at once he received his sight and accompanied Yeshua/Jesus on the road."

There are many lessons in this one story, but today I am going to focus on Bartimaeus' critics. You will not find that any of Bartimaeus' critics got anything. But Bartimaeus did. The same thing was true for Dr. Oral Roberts. Why is this? Because criticizing is a form of judgment. It's a condemnation. An unfavorable judgment.

To condemn a Servant of G-d, you place yourself on the judgement seat of Moshiach. You are saying to the world that you know more than anybody, more than the Most High and that there is no place for correction in yourself. Let's just say you are right and the Servant is wrong. It is for G-d to correct HIS Servant. Now let's say we are wrong and the Servant is right. We place ourselves under judgment for the Word that G-d tried to teach us through this Servant and we wouldn't receive. And that is precisely why we don't know the names of the many who severely censured and reproved Bartimaeus and the ones that severely criticized Dr. Oral Roberts. They set forth their own judgment by criticizing.

The prophet Isaiah had his lips burned by the heavenly coals because he spoke against Israel in heaven, allowing himself to become a judge of others instead of being purely an instrument of G-d's will and instructions. The rule in modesty is not to prejudge others and not to assume that one somehow can be certain of G-d's true intentions. Humans are fallible. G-d is infallible. This alone should engender a feeling of humility and modesty in humans.

The people who have been taken by this deceitful spirit become "crusaders." They are irreconcilable enemies of their former associations and displaced family members. In most cases, the things they deem wrong or lacking are the very areas in which the L-rd seeks to position them for intercession. What should be an opportunity for spiritual growth and meeting a need becomes an area of stumbling and withdrawal. Their criticisms are a smokescreen for a prayerless heart and an unwillingness to serve.

We have lived in a world system for so long without ABBA's glorious presence, we think we have it with a little faith and Word speak. But the truth is.......we do not. I am so hungry for the magnificent Presence of My Father I can hardly stand it. I want Him to come so badly I meditate upon Him night and day. I desire to see people swept into the kingdom by the millions upon this planet and it's not going to happen without Him. I have SEEN the work of My Father. I have HEARD His footsteps. I KNOW His heart. And I am waiting on my LOVELY YESHUA as He fills this earth with the knowledge of HIMSELF and HIS GLORY.

I have faith in Yeshua that I can come to Him and get my needs met at any time. But there is something more that has been going on in me lately. It's something deep in the core of my spirit......lead by Ruach Ha`Kodesh. It's a desire for more and more of Yeshua. It's a longing so deep and so profound that I have literally not had words to explain it. People are not understanding how deep this longing and desire and hunger is for the move of G-d I believe is coming our way. Perhaps the only ones who truly understand are the others as hungry as myself. The oil ceases to flow, as in Elijah's time, when there are no more empty vessels to be filled. People who criticize do not sense their need of G-d.

I read about the intercessors that brought the Azusa Street Revival and I believe only they could know what is going on inside me. It is so without words.....to convey the depth of the desire in me to have Yeshua visit us. To be critical of this is so without enlightenment. I pray that the light of heaven flood the souls of those who cannot understand such a desire for Yeshua.

Just as the contractions of a woman's uterus herald the beginning of labor, there are times when G-d's Spirit stirs our souls to seasons of intense travail. We must travail in prayer until G-d's purposes are birthed. That which is conceived of G-d will eventually come to birth. This is an indicator of impending revival.

There are things we must judge in this life. Right from wrong, true from false, light from dark and our own lives. If we cannot judge right from wrong, we don't know if the Bible is true or not. If we cannot judge true from false, we don't know if something came from G-d or not. And if we cannot judge light from dark, we don't know Who G-d even is. And if we don't know any of this, how can we judge ourselves thereby missing judgment?

Arrogance and religiosity are the biggest promoters of the critical spirit. Sin just doesn't cut it anymore. Doesn't it get old? Drop it off. Get rid of the critical spirit. Get rid of having to be right in your own eyes. Be right in His *grin*

I learned one thing many years ago that I will share with you. It is simply: I no longer judge others, and I am free from judgment myself. I have made a commitment to love people in spite of themselves. If I must judge, I judge myself by the Word, as I judge all things to discern truth. I then just keep going toward the prize because HE is more important than anything else.

LOVE is the main thing. This LOVE restores our souls. This LOVE redeems us. This LOVE is without fail. This LOVE is G-d. And I won't stop crying out for more and more of Adonai Yeshua until I am consumed. You can have this LOVE simply by asking Him to take your entire life. Give yourself to Him today. Cry out to Him today as your vital desire. He will answer.

“Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible."