I have found that the Holy Spirit loves to correct us through edifying words rather than words of condemnation. I noticed that Jesus always used parables to correct people’s mindsets and thought patterns so that through those words people could identify their errors and make the necessary adjustments.

Thus find a way for repentance to come back to their relationship with the Lord. The Lord is always more interested in us moving forward than us dwelling on the past particularly when the lessons have been learnt through the words of correction we submit to.

The Holy Spirit always wants us to know our heart and the things that make us do what we do. In other words He wants us to know what motivates us and why we yield to what we yield to because when we own our mistakes and make the right corrections on them, we are truly free because we know the truth and since it is the truth we know that makes us free we will be free indeed. Owning the truth.

So I will share with you today a situation in the bible where a refusal to deal with the truth cost a God servant to lose out on God’s best because he refused to own the truth and make the necessary adjustments that could have changed the course of his and his family’s life.

The Holy Spirit wants me to bring to the table the life of King Jehoshaphat. In 2 chronicles.19:1-3 we read of a warning given to him by a seer after he goes on a battle with king Ahab who the Lord describes as a wicked hater of God whom you helped and for that reason the wrath of God is against you.

In other words God points out that you have done wrong and wrath is set against you because you came into agreement with a wicked evil doer, hater of God so repent and turn which he doesn’t do because kind words for the other good works he has done cause him to not feel the need to make the adjustment because his good was acknowledged.

Remember: Never fall into that trap regardless of what good you have done. God tests the intent and purpose of your hearts and that will determine your end results on that. He chooses to go on to ignore the warning and that wrath begins stirring up in his house.

In 2 chronicles.20:35-37 Again He allies with those God describes as haters of God Ahab’s son now and God destroys his works using a prophet to speak to him about this trend of working and allying with enemies from God’s perspective.

In 2 chronicles.21:4 we see that the wrath of God manifested when his son as King, having replaced him, killed his brothers after how honorably Jehoshaphat had shared their inheritance before he died in 2 chronicles.21:3. It will benefit you to read all the accounts in these chapters of 2 Chronicles.20&21 and 1 Kings.15-22 to have the fuller complete picture of this reality.

What the Holy Spirit wants made clear is that our thoughts on things and our relationships are not what determines our outcomes but what God says and our willingness to change our minds with His perspective that will determine our end result.

How does a man who walked in that level of righteousness have a family where brother kills brother and Ahab who did such wickedness have a family where brothers help one another and live on until the Lord steps in to destroy them?

This was because of intermingling with wickedness by refusing to repent when challenged to change when warned by a Prophet of disaster awaiting his life from the Lord.

Unfortunately the conclusion of a righteous man is his death and the spiral of death in his family when the rewards for his righteousness should have been his deliverance from death. This is exactly what Balaam suggested to Balak would bring down Israel if they intermingle they can and will be reduced to nothing. Numbers.25:1-4.

May you selah on this reality then make the decision to follow by obeying the dictates of the Holy Spirit regardless of what you see or perceive from natural events. Take heed to make decisive action to repent and turn from error when the Lord speaks this to you.Then quit the futile excuses that they are brethren whom you have to support.

I pray that today that from seeing the reality of truth from these words concerning intermingling you will find the grace from the Holy Spirit necessary to protect you and guide you to walk circumspectly so that you do not lose out on your reward because of ignorance in your helping of those you are not supposed to help.

Though they petition you profusely with praises and seem to need you desperately. You will still be siding with evil and thus compromise your own heritage by losing the ensuing rewards that are tied with it and end up on the losing side. May that never be your portion in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I conclude this word with the message from 2 John.8 which reads: Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Let that be your portion for serving the Living God in Jesus’ name. Amen.