Roots of Pretense
Rec'd Dec. 22nd, 2007
www.upstreamca.org

All week long God has been emphasizing PRETENSE 
in one form or another. There was a conversation 
with a friend about pretense in the church. There 
was pretense in the young woman staying with me 
in-between manifesting a demon. The Lord reminded 
me while it was going on of an incident when I was 
a nurse’s aide, about 42 years ago.  It was one of 
those things you don’t easily forget.

A young woman on the ward who’d had a couple children was pretending they thought in report to be epileptic, and had been under treatment with her G.P. for some time for that. So they instructed us what to do if she had another seizure, was to mildly smack her on the face to see if she reacted. Someone in a full blown seizure would not react, they’d be taken over, and not aware of it.  So I was her assigned caretaker, and sure enough she went into a seizure.  I did what they said, and she reacted, and started crying. Then I said to her, why would you do this thing of pretending to have something and taking meds that could hurt you ?  She then confided in me that she had fallen in love with the doctor [ who was a friend of my brother in law ]  Apparently she was dissatisfied with her husband of several years, and his treatment, so wanted the attention of this man who delivered her babies and was kind to her !

Honestly, that level of pretense is rare normally, but when the Lord brought it back to mind, He was trying to bring up this issue in the church, so He brought back another memory.

I had a dream once, that I had a job in the church counting the fire proof shingles on the roof. [ roof = covering/protection of the LORD ]
The supervisor came & took me down into the ladies room & I was so surprised to see on the walls tons of make up. She told me it was all FREE. I was on welfare, as I was sick at the time from a virus, in the natural, so in the dream I said, I don’t wear much make up, & only took some eyelash coloring & foundation. But others were coming in & grabbing all they could get. I was surprised at how much they took.
[Make up has to do with PRETENSE – pretending to be something you really are not]

Then in another conversation with a friend, the issue of pretense came up again, so I felt the Lord was again emphasizing as He did those years ago I had this dream, to pray against all the pretense in the church. To ask HIM to break it all down, & to destroy it in our lives.  We all are prone to trying to look better to others than we really are. We want others to think well of us, & think sometimes that if they really knew us, they wouldn’t like us. So we HIDE. But God does not want anymore hiding in His children. He wants us to RUN TO HIM, for the healing we need, for the love He so longs to give us, & the deliverance.  It is a time for intimacy so that TRUTH that He brings can be given, so that we can go free.

Here is something He spoke Aug-2-94
"Tarry not at the road of indecision & doubt for death lies there waiting, My friend. Fear is a different stuff than courage of confidence. So, embrace it not!  It leads to slow & strenuous DEATH. For it leads to all sorts of adulterations of soul. We LIE to cover fear. We PRETEND to cover fear. We yield to arrogance to cover fear, and jealousy has her root in FEAR. It led a King 
[Saul] to murder, wherein death took him, Along with divination & witchcraft. Oh, what insidiousness there is in fear & yet we see it not as SIN. But therein is the gate to HELL. FEAR NOT! For perfect love casts down all fear!  So if you discover the seeds of fear in your reactions to others, RUN!  Run to the Source of LOVE wherein fear never waits, but is overcome by His sweet breath & comforting arms. There in His tender acceptance do we find TRUST & all fear & doubt is CAST OUT!"

Now to carry this a bit further. There have been MANY in ministry pretending for a long time. I’m not claiming to be better than anyone. I’m just stating what God has shown & He is now extracting out of the church.
On April 1st, 1994, I had just finished 7 days of lying on my side like Ezekiel per His orders, & reading the book of Ezekiel as instructed by the Lord. It was not so easy to do. At the end of that time He had given me this word, which I posted 5-9-03. At that time in 1994 it was a word to a particular church which was the head of a movement.
He also told me that there were men in pulpits having sexual relationships with other women, with other men, & with children, & HE was going to uncover it, & bring an end to it in the church, separating the true from the vile. It was an admonition to PRAYER.  
Then, this is what He said.

A New Day
Dictated by Holy Spirit April-1-1994

You are at the wake of a brand new day for the world & for My church! This is not news. This is a WARNING! Take heed to yourselves that you do not make the same mistakes as those in the past who fell to lust & luxurious living, & began to pervert the gospel for their own purposes. This is why you have been tried in the fire (furnace) of affliction, persecution & suffering. Suffering perfects your character & without MY CHARACTER, how can I trust you with My glory, & My giftings?
Rom 5:3-4 Amplified - Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult & Triumph in our troubles & rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure & Affliction & hardship produce patient & unswerving endurance. 4 And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith & tried integrity). And Character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful & confident hope of eternal Salvation.

IT IS MY GRACE THAT HAS RESTRAINED YOU! - Those of you who are zealous for My sake. For I have JEALOUSLY guarded your maturing, so that you can be a PURE Vessel of gold, through whom My Holy Spirit can move at His will. Become as little Children that you may be saved in the day of wrath to come. Depend on Me for Wisdom, strength, guidance, direction, nurturing, comfort & sanctification. You Cannot become holy, as I am Holy, by your own fleshly efforts but through giving Yourselves to Me, depending on Me, & entering into MY PRESENCE; humbling yourself Before ME. Neither will I make you holy by a snap of My fingers! It takes your coming to ME! Are you willing to perservere? Pray & seek My face, not just MY HAND! Do you Believe My Word?
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to GOD must believe that He IS, & that He is a rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY Seek Him.

Is it necessary for you to spend time with ME?  I've said " But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness & all these Things will be added unto you." Are you seeking ME first? AM I YOUR FIRST LOVE? If you spend more time with one child over another, does not the first child feel slighted, as if you don't love them as much? How do you think I FEEL when TV, the lawn, your car, your work, your shopping, your ministry, your plans are MORE important than the time you spend with me. I am like a jealous husband, for relationship with you.

Matt 7:13-14 NKJ Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many, who go in by it. Because narrow is The gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it !

Jeremiah 23:23-4 "Am I not a God near at hand?" says the Lord, "And not a GOD Afar off?" "Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?" says The Lord; "Do I not fill heaven & earth?" says the Lord. Heaven is My throne, & Earth is My footstool.

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways & see & ask for the old Paths where the good way is, & walk in it; THEN, you will find rest for your Souls..."

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; Break up your fallow Ground, For it is time to seek the LORD till He comes & rains righteousness on you. 

Repent, & fall into the merciful hands of a God who loves you as no other. Again, I Say repent, for the KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.

Jer 5:22-31 NIV Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD. "Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting Barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, But they cannot cross it. 23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; They have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the LORD our God,who gives autumn and spring rains in season,who assures us of the Regular weeks of harvest.' 25 Your wrong-doings have kept these away; your sins have Deprived you of good.

26 "Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like Those who set traps to catch men. 27 Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of Deceit; they have become rich and powerful 28 and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. 29 Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? " 30 "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 

31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the End? In the days ahead we are going to see many more ministries in trouble. There has been an uncovering that has started, but it’s not over, and there will be a great falling away. People will be in shock.  In part some of this has happened because of sheep in idolatry to leadership, and in lack of prayer for leaders.  Leaders are front line warriors in the Kingdom and require prayer back up. They are who the enemy seeks to destroy first. Kill the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter it says.

Our attitude needs to be one of humility because without God’s grace, none of us would make it. Still it is important to identify erroneous teaching so that sheep will not continue to feed at dirty troughs.  So there will be articles that people post exposing the lies. It is important for each of us to take it to the LORD in PRAYER as He leads. He once told me we would weep & cry for many & feel ashamed for not praying more for them. So when you see someone caught in pride, & false doctrine, or some blatant sin, make sure you don’t judge, as if we would never do it. But discerning rightly what is true & what is false is ESSENTIAL to each Christian.

There is a lot of emphasis these days on the supernatural & I love the supernatural because our GOD is SUPERNATURAL. I’ve been to foreign nations & seen many miraculous healings. But I don’t ever want power to be more focus than the ONE who is the Source of the power, or to be exalted above the WORD of GOD.  So just a reminder that we must keep balance, though we will be so awed by the things God does, & we must give HIM ALONE ALL THE GLORY! NOT MAN!

Love, pris