Unrecognizable

by Janet Garcia

What kind of meat are you eating? Why on earth would I ask about this? Well, if you are in a church giving you the divine word of God week after week then you can get fat on the word.

You can actually eat so much you get full or overwhelmed when the cup of your heart gets full. When you eat the word of God then you know you are getting the best meal possible. We know our bodies need fuel every day to function, work and live. Also, we know what Jesus told Satan during a temptation he experienced in the wilderness, “But Jesus answered him saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” Luke 4:4. I felt very full on vacation as my family and I traveled sixteen hours to return home. I felt fat on the word of God, eating so much I was overwhelmed in my heart but it was so built up in my heart that it was time to share. How can I get so much of His word and not be changed?

After returning home, I missed my church family I was looking forward to returning home to get back to my own bed and return to church to worship the Lord and praise Him for the safety and blessings we experienced. I was anticipating getting more of the divine word from the pulpit. It just so happened our Pastors went out of town and one of our Elders came to bring the divine word. This weekend he shared a powerful, meaty word, this word was one to relish on and chew on for a while. There was something so profound he shared that really got me thinking about Jesus being unrecognizable to men. The Prophet Isaiah prophesied about the Sin Bearing Servant, “Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men” Isaiah 52:14. Elder Mark shared how oil paintings and depictions of Jesus on the Cross is not what the Bible describes. The scourging, the beatings Jesus suffered from caused him to be unrecognizable.

THIS GOT ME THINKING

This got me thinking am I unrecognizable to others? We are called to be Christ-like. Have we welcomed the Holy Spirit into our lives to help us be led by the Spirit and not walk in the flesh? This was called being born again. Are we being like Nicodemus doing night recon missions to find out what a born-again reflection looks like, “Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” John 3:4-6.

Jesus said you must be born again. Are you? Does it concern you to know if people hear you or when they see you are the reflection of Him? When people see you they see the reflection of Jesus. How do you receive His Word? Do you walk away and allow the roots to go deep or does Satan still steal it away and the weeds choke it out? Do you receive the Word and spend the rest of the week sharing reflections of Jesus, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” 2nd Corinthians 3:8.

WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR WHAT DO YOU SEE?

At times, I look at my eyes in the mirror, I get very close and I see such a gloss and reflection in my eyes. Many times I can tell whether a person belongs to the Lord. I love looking into the eyes of my husband for instance because I see such a reflection. I tell people sometimes, “Wow, I could do my makeup in your eyes.” You can tell if you pay attention. I can’t help it. I am a people person and the Lord daily is teaching me to love His people and to be concerned about their heart condition. The Lord tells us the eye is like a lamp, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23.

Is your face unveiled beholding His glory? The Lord has spoken loud and clear to the churches. Through the Apostle John in Revelation, he wrote to the churches on the island of Patmos. The Spirit is trying to speak to you but you’re not listening. He wrote to the Loveless Church, The Persecuted Church, The Compromising Church, The Corrupt Church, The Dead Church, The Lukewarm Church and only one Church seemed to be Faithful. At every specific letter, two things were spoken, “And to the angel of the church in the area of the church in which it was located. There was a boldness spoken to them. Lastly, John spoke saying, He who has an ear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches” Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13 and 3:22.

WE MUST LISTEN

We must listen intently to what the Holy Spirit speaks. Are we listening? What do we look like to others? Do we have a reflection of the very Spirit of the living God? Are we even aware of His presence? Have we invited Him in? Are you born again? Baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in another language? (See Acts 2:1-4, 5-11, 38, Acts 19:1-6). Are you building yourselves up in the holiest faith? “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” Jude 20. We are called to connect with God with our heavenly prayer languages and know what the Spirit is saying but how can we when we aren’t even in one accord with our church doctrines? (See Hebrews 6:1-6).

Or do we continually grieve the Holy Spirit with our unwholesome talk towards one another, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” Ephesians 4:29-30. Are we giving our attention to the ruler of the world or are we speaking life to those in the dark? It is time to reflect whether we are “unrecognizable” as new creatures in Christ Jesus and whether others that see you don’t recognize the new person you are IN CHRIST. Jesus told the disciples, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” John 14:30. Absolutely nothing. Do you know the popular song by JJ Weeks Band? Part of the lyrics says, “Let them see you in me.” I leave this question for you to ponder. Do the people surrounding you see the works of the enemy in you or do they see the reflection of God’s glory all over you?

Leave a Comment