My Dear Precious Child,
Paul asked the Corinthians in his second letter to them to allow him to be a little foolish in his correlations about Christ being the groom and the believers being the virgin brides of Christ. He said just like the serpent, the devil, seduced Eve at the very beginning of the world, that evil serpent also corrupted the ideals of the believers in Corinth and turned them away from complete devotion to Christ. He again chastised them for welcoming with open arms a newcomer who came into their midst preaching a different Jesus, offering a new spirit different from the one they had received of the Holy Spirit, teaching a new gospel different than the real Gospel and they fell right into the arms of the deceiver. He said that those arch-apostles had nothing more than Paul had; and, in fact, they neither offered salvation through the real Jesus Christ nor did they offer a power that even compared to the power of My Holy Spirit. (II Corinthians 11:1-6).
Counterfeit apostles is what he labeled the men who had led the Corinthian believers astray by leading them away from Christ and into old covenant rules and regulations as a way to salvation. He said they were dishonest workmen disguised as apostles of Christ. He said it should have been apparent to the Corinthians because they knew that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light so it is no surprise that the devil's human servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Paul declared that those deceivers will come to the end that they deserve. Paul knew that the false prophets/apostles were sent by the politicians -- those being the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes -- and the religious leaders -- those being the priests, high priests and elders of the temple -- to woo the believers in Jesus Christ into obedience to Mosaic Law in order to stop the Good News of Jesus Christ from being spread. He knew that the new wine of My Holy Spirit poured into old wine skins will not produce My salvation and My power in the earth.
In order to distance himself from the false prophets, Paul named the distresses he had endured, his being in prison five times, whipped more times almost to death, he received 39 lashes five times from the Jews, beaten with sticks three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, lost in an open sea for a day and night, constantly traveling, escaped danger from his own people as well as pagans, experienced danger at sea and from his so called brothers. He had been hungry, thirsty, uncloaked in the cold, starved and escaped from a king. After he wrote about his distresses, then he stopped boasting about his perils. (II Corinthians 11:24-28)
In that second letter he told them about his visions and revelations, saying that he knew a man who went to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body, he didn't know. He said that he went to paradise where he saw and heard things which cannot be spoken in human languages. Paul was talking about himself, but he refused to boast that it happened to him or someone might think he was better than other humans. Because of the revelations that he had, Paul said that the devil had given him a thorn in his flesh, a demon from hell, to keep him from being proud of himself when he had done nothing, because the visions and revelations were gifts from Me. He wrote to them that he had asked Me three times to remove the demon from him, but My reply was that My grace was enough for him, that My power is best in his weakness. Paul told them that when he was weak, then I can become strong in him. (II Corinthians 12:1-10)
His plans were to visit the Corinthians a third time. He wrote in his letter that he was afraid that he would find wrangling, jealousy, tempers roused, backbiting, gossip, obstinate people, disorder, and that he would be grieved over all those who had sinned before and still had not repented of the impurities, the fornication and the debauchery that they had committed. He was afraid that the deceived sinners had not turned from their wicked ways and returned to Jesus Christ. (II Corinthians 12:20-21) He said if that was what he found, then he would have no mercy in his further criticism of them. (II Corinthians 13:2) It was a matter of life or death.
He wrote to them that they needed to examine themselves to make sure that they were still in the Christian faith. He said for them to test themselves to see if Jesus Christ was really inside of them. (II Corinthians 13:5-6) Paul prayed while he was gone that they had done nothing wrong and were innocent of the accusations he had heard. His prayers were that they were made perfect, having grown up in Christ into a perfect person, so mature in wisdom and knowledge that they were eating adult spiritual food instead of still being babies on breast milk.
Paul wrote that he was writing again to them with stern words so that when he came to be with them that he would not have to be so strict because his anointing from Me was for building them up, not tearing them down and destroying them. (II Corinthians 13:10)
Paul was grieved at the level of spiritual infancy of the Corinthians as evidenced by their bitterness and arguing. He had written to the Ephesians not to grieve My Holy Spirit by becoming bitter, arguing among themselves, holding grudges, losing their tempers and seeking vengeance against each other. He told the Ephesians to repent and be kind to each other, to forgive each other as Christ forgave them. Paul was praying that they had returned to the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ instead of continuing in the heresies of the false prophets/apostles.
The same demonic spirit had invaded the church at Corinth that had invaded the Ephesian church, causing My children to leave the spiritual luxuries of My kingdom of heaven that they had inherited in their lives when they were born of My Spirit and baptized in My Holy Spirit. They had fallen for the words of the false prophets that tickled their ears, the same ones that Jesus Christ warned them about. (Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11; Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:26) Instead of continuing to seek My righteousness after they inherited My kingdom of heaven, they believed lies about some earthly kingdom that sounded easier than seeking the narrow path that leads to their having the abundant life while in the earth. (Matthew 6:33) Some of them had departed from the faith and had returned to bondage to the old covenant rules and regulations which caused strife among them.
Paul was justified in his grief. His grief reflected the grief of My Holy Spirit that some of My children had so quickly left the gospel of faith in Jesus Christ. Their story is included in My Instruction Book so that My children will be alerted to the works of the devil and learn to discern the spirits who speak to them. I said that the path is narrow that leads to the abundant life and few find it because of false prophets sent from the devil to bring My children back into bondage to him. (Matthew 7:13-15)
My desire for My children is that they will listen to the voice of My Holy Spirit. He is My voice in your mind. If you hear His words and heed them, you will not be deceived like the Corinthians, some of which went right back into bondage to the devil again by either trying to mix the old and new covenant or they returned to worshiping idols.
I want you free, completely liberated from the devil's works in your life on earth. You have a perfect Guide, a perfect Protector, a perfect Tutor, a perfect Advocate, a perfect Savior. Jesus Christ came to earth to destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:7-8) He sent My Holy Spirit into My children to take His place in My ministry of salvation. Listen to Him.
Your Father of Liberty
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