Warriors Arise: October 12, 2020
John 21:15-18 (NKJV) So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
Can you imagine what Simon is thinking? First, Jesus tells him to feed His lambs and now He is telling him to tend My sheep. What is the difference? What is the difference between feed and tend? What is the difference between lambs and sheep?
If you are given the chore to feed the sheep or to tend the sheep what would you be doing? To feed the lambs you may have to bottle feed them, hold them, and stay up with them through the night. To tend the sheep, for starters, you would have to exercise, train to your voice, train them to follow, clean, shear, and put oil on their ears, noses and around their eyes to keep bugs away.
Tending sheep sound a whole lot like the training twos. You may not be familiar with that saying, "the training twos". However, you may be familiar with people calling that particular phase of life "the terrible twos." Thankfully, Scott and I were given a parenting book that helped model and craft our parenting style and abilities. It helped us tremendously. One of the gems in that book said, "You do not have to ever go through the terrible twos phase of your child's life." We wanted to hear more. We had friends who had children before us and we did not want our children to enter the terrible twos and never grow out of that selfish, unrealistic phase. Brats and bullies are the result of toddlers who never grew out of that phase.
This book shared that before your child is two years old you need to begin parenting. Parenting is not just taking care of their needs such as providing for them, food, lodging, and water. Parenting is teaching them rsponsibility for their actions and learning to keep their attitude in check. They are old enough understand if you will take the time to explain what you are expecting them to do and and how they are to act even before they turn two. This is how most children are labeled in the terrible two phase. By the time they are three their parents have either parented and trained the child to be responsible for their actions, attitudes, and abilities or they haven't and the children rule the parent through manipulation.
This relates to the difference between feed My lambs and tend My sheep. Feeding the lambs is holding them close, building a bond, and nurturing the cute little lamb. Tending the sheep is the time when the training begins. Jesus wants His sheep to be discipled in the Word of God, baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, knowing God's love to redeem them from anything in their past and restore them body, soul, and spirit. So that they are able to walk in the authority to defeat the enemy in their life, held accountable to represent Him accurately, responsible to fulfill their God-given destiny, and are a pivotal part in expanding the kingdom of God here on earth. This involves a great deal of strength from the Father, time, effort, resources, discipline, compassion, and fortitude. Jesus is not asking Simon; it is a statement, a command, "Tend My sheep." This must be why Jesus tells the disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38 KNJV)
Father, there are times when what You ask seems like it is too much for me to handle. My mind thinks of others who would do what You ask far better than I could. I know because You ask, that it is me You want to accomplish the task. The harvest is truly plentiful, there are so many people who are lost. No longer can I think that others are like me. I'm not perfect but in my mind I think, "I am in church so is everyone else.I read my Bible, so does everyone else. I tithe, so does everyone else." The chaos our world is in right now needs Your presence, to know from right and wrong, to reject the lies and receive the truth. I pray for the laborers to increase, wake up and testify of Your goodness. I pray Your laborers would gain in favor and the message they have to share about Your love will reach those in the streets, reach those in the hospitals, and reach those trapped in lies. There are those who are called by Your name in the public office who can speak the truth and others will not only listen but will heed the word they deliver. I pray for the lies of the enemy to stop controlling the people. I pray for the laborers who have answered Your command to be protected by You and their platform to be secure. I pray for nationwide revival in our land. I pray for prayer groups to be untied and strengthened in faith. Let Your Word go out again in every major city, in the highways and byways, in the streets of every town and that we will see a 100 fold return from the planting of our testimony in the lives of others in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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