I believe the Lord is longsuffering and kind. He allows seasons of grace and mercy so that we, in our human frailty, have an opportunity to repent and course-correct before we do unthinkable and unrepairable damage to ourselves and the Body of Christ. We see that so elegantly expressed in the life of King David. He begged God, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7). Hyssop is a purgative used for spiritual cleansing. It is a medicine that causes you to get rid of unwanted waste. David was asking God to cleanse his spirit. He pleaded with God to blot out his iniquities; Those things flowing down his bloodline and trapped in his DNA that he had no control over. The private sins of one generation become the public sins of the next (Deuteronomy 5:9).
As we recount the story of David, he hid his deeds and God used the Prophet Nathan to expose what was hidden. We will never outrun our sins or outsmart God. What we sow we will reap. What we hide will eventually be made public if we fail to respond to the Holy Spirit correctly through repentance and humility. All of us have something, that if uncovered, would be humiliating and debilitating. David’s plea continues with, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psalms 51:10-13). In this passage, we see that David was not afraid of losing his reputation, his influence, or his money. His cry to God was, “Please don’t take your presence or the sweet fellowship I have with the Holy Spirit away from me.”
It is better to lose everything and retain unbroken fellowship with the Holy Spirit than try to hold onto the earthly kingdoms we have built. Wrapped in true humility is honesty and transparency. When God asks you to let something go, it is to your advantage to do it willingly rather than have him pry it out of your hands. David continues and asks God to restore his joy. Joy is not an emotion but a spiritual intangible force that continuously strengthens us to walk this walk. Some psychologists suggest, “Joy’s adaptive function is to motivate and increase one’s effort if progress toward goals gets more difficult.” It empowers us to complete our purpose on Earth, it is the wind in our sails and helps us finish our course. David responded to God’s grace in agony saying, “God if you have mercy on me, I will be diligent and fervent in teaching those that don’t have a relationship with you, who you are, and as a result, their souls will be converted and saved.”
In further thought, we don’t live in a silo and how we govern our lives has a tsunamic effect on those around us. We are not just impacting our now but future generations. We are still influenced by King David, thousands of years later. On one of my trips to Israel, we visited where they enshrined his casket. The respect and reverence they held for him was a life-changing and awe-inspiring event. The atmosphere demanded silence. The place was sacred and holy. May we all be blessed to live a life that still has a holy impact thousands of years later.
Now back to the topic at hand, the Lord has not spoken to me about anything specific concerning TD Jakes. But I do believe this event has been brewing for some time. This is my prophetic observation. I do think he pitched his tent too close to Sodom. Where there is smoke there is fire. I don’t think it is in the best interest to be partying with people of the world. My husband worked as a manager for some of the biggest hip-hop artists and comedians in the business and I served as the Director of Altar Ministries at a church that was the who’s who in Hollywood. It was up close and personal.
As I settled into my new assignment a prophet sent me an email that said, “The Lord said, don’t get familiar with this new crowd, their God is their belly.” What I saw was difficult to comprehend and almost impossible to digest. It was darker than you could ever imagine. I do believe some wanted a true encounter with the Holy Spirit, but many wanted to just check off the spiritual box. They did not desire the God of the Bible but the one they constructed in their minds. The one that would not frown at sin. I finished my assignment and exited as quickly as I came.
I have seen historically that when a person refuses to course correct, repent, ignores the voice of the prophets, or fails to respond to God’s correction He has no other option but to allow the covers to be pulled back. Exposure is not the response of people but the byproduct of God lifting his covering. Because if He doesn’t, that person will be destroyed. God is never after embarrassing and discrediting people, He is after the salvation of their souls and true repentance. It’s like cancer, by the time it’s identified it is raging out of control. So many want fame and influence but can you handle it? Are you disciplined enough to stay away from the forbidden fruit?
The question we all must ponder is, “Is your spirit strong enough to carry the weight of the responsibility?” Is your armor without chinks that can weaken you to the enemy’s assault and attack? In Psalms 106 the children of Israel forgot God’s works, did not wait for His counsel, lusted after forbidden things, and tested God. Psalms 106:15 said, “And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.” So, what does that mean? Their anointing was not compromised and diminished, but their soul began to waste away. Many times, the Lord has to strip you to save you.
We go into ministry with a plethora of weaknesses, and experiences; nobody has a franchise on pain. I don’t believe people go into ministry to hurt or deceive, still, trauma unchecked leaves an open door for the enemy to manipulate you. It’s our responsibility to get counsel and be the gatekeepers of our souls. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” If we are not careful, we can get to the place where we think we are untouchable and invincible. The best thing I ever did for myself, my family, and the Body of Christ was to spend 1 ½ years in therapy. I learned that therapy is not about just healing what happened to you but giving you tools and strategies to be victorious in future battles.