RIGHT OR WRONG?

© Morris Ruddick

I've had a distinct stirring in my heart lately concerning what might best be described as a dimension of the issue of "being right or wrong." Let me begin with a story that happened to me years ago. As senior partner in a consulting firm I founded, I had a situation I needed to address with one of my partners. It was a recurring situation that I had previously addressed politely and gently - and on more than a couple of occasions. This time I came down hard on my partner. He deserved it. And I was right. I could also tell by the look on his face, that I had finally gotten through to him.

Then, afterwards the Lord spoke to me. He said, "Morris, do you know you can be wrong when you're right and right when you're wrong?" That's all He said. But I knew what the Lord was telling me. Although I had been right, I had blown it. My approach was lacking and I was wrong.

Being wrong when you're right and right when you're wrong.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not in any way implying that wrong is right. Nor am I talking about NOT doing the right thing. Nor of doing things in any way apart from doing them for the right reasons.

But, I am talking about the importance of heart attitudes. Heart attitudes that shape the poise of our soul. And with the poise of our soul, what can at times be the limitations reflected by the parameters of our own thinking.

Being right when you're wrong and wrong when you're right.

THE ISSUES OF BEING RIGHT OR WRONG

Could that involve issues like operating according the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law? Could it involve an idolatry associated with a position you consider as right - but with an overriding condition of the heart that negates the premise on which you stand? Could it relate to what 1 Corinthians 13 has to say about love - and the lack of it; which potentially can reduce our gifts and positions of "rightness" to nothing more than a hollow ring?

Right or wrong? That has been a truth I've begun seeing from a little different perspective. I've been looking at it from the standpoint of those of us who operate prophetically and genuinely strive to be right about things. Nothing wrong with that! Precision accuracy! Watching our words. Like, Samuel - "letting none of our words fall to the ground."

Right or wrong? Or is THAT always the issue? I can recall times when someone with a keen sensitivity to the Spirit of the Lord has said something - that simply did not seem to fit. Something, seemingly, that may not have lined up with the facts. And in one sense, everything I could see, pointed to them being off-base. BUT, I knew of the anointing operating. And I'd recognize a gentle witness in my Spirit. And then perhaps a bit confused - I would ask the Lord about what had been said. And sometimes they WERE wrong. But then, I've had instances, that as I'd pray about what had been said; I found it leading to another insight, which led to another - that opened up a truth I simply would not have arrived at otherwise. Were they right? No! But were they wrong? No! It was neither.

On the other hand, there are those who seem to worship at the alter of right and wrong. I'm talking about a predisposition that has long passed the issue of righteousness, and can almost be obsessive. Sometimes it's arrogance. Sometimes it's a mask. The NEED to be right. A need resulting in not seeing the forest for the trees. A deception that has that has perverted the otherwise genuine operation of the gifts of the Spirit. A "rightness" that shoots itself in the foot. Right or wrong. Again, let me ask, is it always the issue?

WALKING BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT

What I am coming to believe is at issue here is a dimension of walking by FAITH and not by sight. It involves FLOWING in the Spirit. It involves connecting the dots - when the dots aren't that recognizable or readily connected. I'm not talking about forcing issues. But, a flow of the Spirit that involves bypassing our linear approach to the way we process cognitive information - and being willing to make inferential leaps. Inferential leaps that are prompted by the Spirit of God - that show us something or get us to a place that has no context or bearing with our current frame of reference or perspective.

We KNOW that God is not limited by the parameters of our minds. But is that where we dwell? Is it our modus operandi?

"Being right" can indeed be turned into a form of idolatry. A blinding prophetic idolatry. A brittleness. A self-righteousness. A perversion of holiness. Prophetic words without wisdom, and prophetic words without love are empty. Very possible right, but also wrong.

All of which brings us back to that fine line. That dividing asunder between soul and spirit. Genuinely walking by faith and not by sight. Which means a commitment to being a God-pleaser rather than a man-pleaser. But not as a hermit; and not with any hint of arrogance or self-righteousness. That would be wrong. But hungering and thirsting after Him to such a degree that there is not one vestige of variation between His will and our will. A humility and love that operate with wisdom in the way we handle the truths entrusted to us. An orientation that Paul spoke of in Romans 14:21 and I Corinthians 8:13 that he would do nothing - illustrating with the example of eating meat or drinking wine - that might cause his brethren to stumble. Despite the fact that he had the right and he had the liberty to do so, Paul is making the point that that which was right could be wrong.

Elijah the prophet is one of my favorites. His life and his example is one I hold in very high esteem - because of the level in which he walked by faith and not by sight. And there was an awesome cost for the life he led.

ELIJAH AND THE REAL ISSUES

Elijah was a man of incredible faith. Elijah, stood against the idolatry and sorcery that ran so rampant in the seats of power of that day. He had raised the dead. By his word, the heavens were closed. By his word, fire came from heaven. Angelic interactions were common throughout his life. Then in one culminating event, Elijah came forth into the midst of those who hated and despised him - and confronted the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah.

The drama of that situation must have been off the charts. The courage and faith it took for Elijah to stride into that situation, must have been akin to marching into the heart of darkness. Was Elijah right in what he was doing? Of course he was. But he sure needed to be MORE than right in that situation. He needed to be walking by faith. He needed to be operating in the Spirit.

In years past, I spent over two years in combat - some of which was deep within enemy territory. Sometimes I think the glamour of the outcome of Elijah's encounter with the prophets of Baal tends to mask what it took for him to come forth into the presence of King Ahab, the prophets of Baal and Asherah, and the gathering of the people of Israel for this encounter. But Elijah KNEW who was with him. He knew the timing. He knew what he was supposed to do. And he was walking by faith. A faith that superceded any fear or doubt. A faith that was far beyond reason. A faith operating beyond whether Elijah was right or wrong.

A very seasoned man of God who befriended and nurtured me in the Lord early in my walk with Him, used to share with me that nine tenths of faith is patience. And that's where faithfulness comes in to play. It's also where the rubber meets the road in a walk of faith. But there is something in THAT waiting - that will bring forth the promises. And along with the promises, in this process of waiting, will come an authority and power.

An authority and power that has no need to be right.

In keeping with this truth - there is a SPECIAL type of authority the Lord grants. It operates in a realm that goes beyond human reason. Faith operating outside the box of our thinking - connects with a level of authority that cannot be explained by anything on this earth. An authority that goes hand-in-hand with strong faith. An authority that is in evidence with certain types of anointings. It's not an authority that demands. It's an authority whose very presence commands. And somehow, it seems to work more for those who have been through unusual fires - whose dedication to the Lord is such that their dreams, desires, hopes and the like have become submerged in His. In other words, they flow in Him. Not just occasionally, but in the manner they normally operate.

It's more than a territorial authority. It's the type of authority that makes demons tremble. It's the type of authority that serves to usher in the presence of the Lord. The type of authority that Joseph flowed in at the time he was first brought into the presence of Pharaoh. It has nothing to do with position or status. It has everything to do with our walk of faith; in the genuineness of our relationship with Him.

THE NEED TO BE CONNECTED

Having said all that, I've begun to ponder an observation. It seems those who operate in this realm - with this authority - in more instances than not need support in praying through their own requests; in giving birth to the promises they personally have been standing for. In maintaining that balance between soul and spirit, after extended periods of travail. There IS a fine line.

Yet, it is the very strength that paves the way into this type of walk and authority, that is also its weakness. Spending time alone. Indeed, time ALONE in His presence; but time alone nonetheless. Alone. There is a time and place that we individually are called to stand in His presence. But we also need the balance. We need one another. We need to recognize and appreciate the God-ordained diversity and perspectives of those the Lord has put within our sphere. We need to recognize the importance of our relationships in the Lord. And as people who walk by faith; as those called as prophetic intercessors, we need to realize we have entered a time in which our need for one another is not an option.

Elijah's independent role in his pivotal encounter against the seats of power supporting the forces of darkness, resulted - afterwards - in him asking God to let him die; with him then crawling into a cave. God had to twice speak to him in that cave; and ask him what he was doing there. Elijah twice recounted the conditions that had led to his awesome victory against the prophets of Baal. "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." (1 Kings 19: 10,14)

"I alone am left."

Elijah's response to the Lord did not have any basis in fact. But he believed it! It was the mind-set he was operating from. And he wanted to die. We might say that in that point in time, Elijah had lost his grip with reality.

Not only had Elijah's encounter with the prophets of Baal been the pinnacle victory of his ministry, but the result was that the people, upon witnessing God's power, fell on their faces, proclaiming that "the Lord He is God, the Lord He is God." The people had turned back to the Lord. But, Elijah's summation to the Lord AFTER this remarkable event, was that the children of Israel had forsaken their covenant.

So after this momentous face-off with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah and the achievement of this astounding victory on the Lord's behalf; when Jezebel sent a message threatening his life, Elijah fled. And he fled in terror. The job was done! And later, Jezebel, without much to-do, was disposed of by an army commander. But Elijah fled and when the Lord asked what he was doing in that cave - his response to the Lord might be summed up that "he alone was left." Not even that was correct, as the Lord advised him that He still had 7000 - a remnant, who had not bowed the knee to Baal.

"I alone am left." Elijah's greatest strength had become his Achilles' heel. That strength was his solitude with the Lord.

But from that low point, the Lord re-oriented Elijah and tasked him with anointing new kings over Israel and Judah, as well as preparing the man who God selected as Elijah's replacement. Then God honored Elijah by sending angels and the chariots of fire to take him to heaven.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

For those called as prophetic intercessors, the message is this. We are entering a season in which we will see increasingly greater manifestations of God's power. The nine-tenths of faith being patience - and faithfulness plays out in a very intense one-tenth of the times the Lord has prepared us for. And during those times, we need to recognize our need for one another. We also need to recognize when to stand alongside those within our sphere who are entering the times they have been prepared for.

We will always need those times alone in His presence. Always! But we are entering a time in which we are going to have to stand alongside one another. I happen to believe THAT is not only wisdom for us individually, but organizationally as well. We need to be connected.

Our victories are going to be side-by-side with others within the Body. Beautifully orchestrated by the hand of the Lord as he prepares and leads us individually in a way that fits with the big picture of His purposes and agendas. Individually, but connected.

We walk by faith and not by sight. That means we can be right when we are wrong and wrong when we are right. We need to discern that fine line. We need to be tough with ourselves in dividing asunder between soul and spirit. We need to stand alongside one another. And we can never take ourselves so seriously that we enter that place to where we might conclude, that "I alone am left."

THE PRAYER

Father God, in the mighty Name of Jesus, enable us to recognize when we are wrong when we are right and right when we are wrong. Lord, deliver us from getting stuck by the parameters of our own thinking. Keep us from the idols of our own minds. Lord, keep us in balance so that we can be genuine God-pleasers while maintaining the love and wisdom needed to build up and strengthen one another. Keep us far from the NEED to right, O Lord.

And Lord God, keep us connected. Keep us from allowing ourselves to become isolated - in either thought or deed. Give us right attitudes in our relationships, as well as toward ourselves. Lord, give us the wisdom to appreciate and embrace the diversity and perspectives of those around us. As we cry out to You to be more sensitive to Your Spirit, grant us that same increase in our sensitivity to those within our sphere.

We want to walk by faith and not in any way slip into the religious mode reflected by what your Word describes as "what we began in the Spirit, is now being worked out in the flesh." Lord, equip us to operate beyond the wrong or right dimensions. Beyond the limitations of our sensory levels. Forgive us where we've stumbled. Anoint us afresh and give us wisdom and love so that our words will bring Life. That we might be genuine ministers of Yours - as we are admonished in Your Word - not of the letter but of the Spirit.

Indeed, let us walk in Your Truth. But, give us the balance between Spirit and Truth. Make us able ministers of Spirit and Life. Keep us far from the deceptions and the arrogance and the fear. God, grant us the grace to be able to speak truth in our own hearts. Within ourselves, as well as with You.

Keep us from deviating from that fine line. Enable us to handle aright the authority You're entrusting us with. Give us the steadfastness to operate faithfully and effectively in that realm where the only thing we have to go on is Your direction to us.

Lord God, we indeed want to hear You more clearly than ever before. And we do want to operate with precision accuracy. But Lord, let us not obsess on it. And keep us sensitive and caring for one another. Give us listening hearts. Oh Lord, we want to be ones who consistently flow in You. We want to be making a difference - for You - in our own spheres. We're crying out to You for balance Lord - as we proceed and press more deeply into that place of Your presence. Help us in abiding in You, dear Lord.

And Lord, we want to truly walk by faith - always sensitive and obedient to your Spirit. Always rightly discerning the input we are constantly getting. Always operating with a right perspective in that dividing asunder between soul and spirit. Always being a blessing to those around us.

Thank You Father for equipping us for the days we are entering. Thank You for calling us. Thank You for being with us. And thank You for hearing this cry of our hearts.