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Confronted into LOVE
Episode #765
8/01/2021
With Martha Kilpatrick and hosted by John Enslow
Special Guest: Keith and Linda Massengale, Joan Wentzel
This the continuation of a series of podcasts started in Episode #763
If we say that we have not sinned refusing to admit acts of sin, we make Him out to be a liar by contradicting Him and His word is not in us.
Linda:
And then as time progressed, of course, the confronting continued and I want to put a pause here and say through confrontation I was established in a much-needed reality of the fear of God. But I always knew it was love. There was never a question that it was not the love of God come to me; ever. And so, it never drove me from Him it drove me to Him. And it caused me to come to an honor that I didn’t know of Him and a worshipful reverence and fear of Him. And that’s a gift that is irreplaceable. And I love Martha and all of Shulamite to pieces because they live it. They live relationship with Him and with one another through that.
And so, the confrontation, of course, it didn’t stop. It’s still and I’m thankful for it. It is still. But I’ve had freight trains run me over and I’ve had meteor showers take me down but it’s all been the love of the Lord and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Keith just wants to share his experience of me experiencing Martha and something of what it looks like.
Keith:
I would come home and she would be in the bedroom crying and I would look at her. “You talked to Martha?!” I would just close the door. For a husband it tears me up to see my wife cry but I know it was a good cry, so yeah.
Martha:
There’s one side to this that we haven’t mentioned and I’m the only one who can mention it and that is that somehow it ends in their love for me which I treasure because I was such a wounder. And then what Christ did in each of these was so phenomenal that literally Linda has given me a word that really transformed my idea of life. And Joan is there day in and day out and Jean, too. Oh, my goodness, Jean and Jacquelyn and my brothers, too. I am so rewarded if that’s the word to use. I’m so enriched by fighting you to destroy your façade and find the beautiful God-created person inside there. And that’s who is present with me now in you, Linda and Joan and Jean. Oh, it goes on. But the reward to me is overwhelming love and support of these people that were willing to be corrected. Some are not. Some never, ever become willing to be crossed. You don’t cross them or you pay even if it’s God’s truth.
So, thank you for enduring me and coming back to my home. So, their transformation was for my blessing and so if there’s any incentive to our audience of being willing to be a vessel, a prophetic vessel then be assured that you will grow richer than anybody ever helped…if that makes sense. It was all gain and all riches and all love. And what comes back…Joan will tell me, “You told me to go away and get some integrity.” And I said, “Did I say that to you?” And then one will chime in and say, “You said it to me, too.” Oh, the person that Jesus is in me is shocking. He scares me.
Joan:
But the truth is I agree so much with what Linda said and that’s the thing is you know it’s love. There is never a doubt…
Martha:
How can it be?
Joan:
…that you are not loved. I have been confronted in my life by religious people and I really could never swallow one word of it because I knew there was no love behind it. There was nothing but condemnation. A confrontation does not carry condemnation or punishment. It is and it’s so critical to understand that and I love what Linda said because I always knew in my heart Martha loved me. There was never a doubt. And so, I would say for anybody being confronted you will know whether it’s God or not by whether you feel loved. Because if you do not feel the love, I would just say I’m sorry, it’s not God because He is always love. In all His dealings He is love and He can say the hardest thing but then He always follows up with hope. In the OT every terrible thing He said to Israel they were never left without hope, never. And Martha has never left me without hope. She had to say terrible things to me. But like I say I have been confronted by religious people and my spirit was like no, thanks, I’ll pass because you’re not God. It’s just something you know when you’re loved.
Linda:
I think this is important because Martha would say things and they always blindsided me. I was always blind to them because that’s sin. Sin blinds you. And so, she would say something and she would say, “Does your spirit bear witness to what I just said?” And I would say, “I know that what you have just said to me is the truth. I just haven’t met the truth yet.” So, it’s very important because when God confronts, He’s giving the person that being confronted ears to hear. There’s something in you even for a split second that say, “I know that’s the truth” but you may have to go off and get alone with the Lord and say, “I need You to show me Your self in this. I need You to speak Your own truth to me in me. I know this is the truth but I don’t see it.”
There’s been times that I was an offense to Martha, to life. I was an offense the Spirit of God. And would have to go away and I would have to say, “I need You to show me my sin. I have to see it. I need You to name it to me.” Because I have to take responsibility and see it myself. It’s one thing for somebody to say to you, “This is what you’ve done” which starts everything. It’s the light that comes. But then you have to stand in that light and say, “I need You to make this real to me.” I have to stay in the reality of it, take responsibility for it so I can confess it and then be washed, cleansed, redeemed, and changed.
And so, it’s one thing to be confronted and say, “Well, I don’t see that.” It’s another thing to stand in it and say, “God, show me and let me be responsible. Name to me Yourself what it is so that I can live in your word and then Your word can transform me.”
And so, I think it’s very vital because more times than not she will say, “Does this bear witness? Is this truth?” And I could skip off of it and say “Well, no.” But the truth was I know you are speaking the truth. I’ve just got to meet the truth myself. Yes, I’ve got to meet Him and there will be the fruit of what He’s after.
Joan:
But I think our spirit, Linda, always registers.
Linda:
It does!
Joan:
Absolutely, it registers. We may not understand with our mind but our spirit registers “Oh, this is true. I want to deny it but I can’t.” And what the Lord brought me to was I John 1:10 and this was His capital T-truth coming at me was,
If we say that we have not sinned refusing to admit acts of sin, we make Him out to be a liar by contradicting Him and His word is not in us.
And that’s the bottom line. If you stay in that place of “No, I don’t see this” and you are unwilling for Him to truly let you see you make Him out to the be liar and that just exposes that His word is not in you. There’s no life in you.
Confronted into LOVE – Episode #765 – Shulamite Podcast
We’ve all been confronted by religious people who we couldn’t swallow one word of what they said because we know there was no love behind it.
Just listened to this series today and…So very thankful to you all for letting the Body share this experience with you all.
Even though confrontation by the Lord is difficult, the assurance that He will be faithful to orchestrate our lives with difficulty and also provide confrontation for us in it (whether from the Holy Spirit directly or through others), takes such a load off, I realized again after listening to this. Basically, we can trust that He will be faithful to transform us if we will simply yield to our circumstances….We don’t have to worry about trying to “fix ourselves.” He is such a good Father.
I do feel the Lord has used Martha’s (and everyone in the ministry’s) writing as a tool for confrontation. I myself have received needed confrontation from it and have been tremendously blessed. It’s true that He came to bring not peace but a sword (Mark 10:34), but that the sword separates joint from marrow and sets our hearts right (Heb 4:12), which brings so much healing and freedom. His love is so great.
Although I haven’t met you in person, Joan, I wanted to thank you for being faithful to the Lord and also for sharing this journey with the Body…It has been such a huge blessing.
Love you all and so thankful for you!
-Joelle