What do I mean by that? I don’t know yet, but we’re about to find out.
I was praying in response to a dream I had this morning before I woke up. The dream had to do with being deceived by people I know. As I prayed for discernment, I heard those words coming from my mouth. It was repeated twice. So I stopped speaking. I’ve learned during the course of these writings that what He instructs me to write and what He’s telling me privately for me, are two different things. Whenever He wants me to write, my prayer is interrupted. I get up from my knees and prepare myself to take dictation. The Word of the Lord to His sold out ones is this:
“Not everybody who’s dressed up, is DRESSED UP.” Satan, the Bible tells us masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14. Unfortunately so do some in the church. None of us has ever seen Satan, but we’ve seen his representatives. He works through people or situations familiar to us. We are more inclined to take advice, or accept offers to do certain things from people that we know or are acquainted with. But not everybody has our best interest at heart. In order for us to tell if we’re being set up by a dress up, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit, the Bible calls Him, the third person of the Godhead, the Spirit of Truth. His role is to not just to hang out with us, but to guide us into all truth. This includes the ability to discern voices that are speaking into our lives.
Remember the story of the young prophet who was deceived by an old prophet? 1 Kings 13. What was the line that tripped him up? “I’m a prophet just like you.” He was dressed up, but he wasn’t sent by God. The young prophet fell for the familiar, I too heard from God. Really? But what did God say to you/me/us? Always go with the last word you heard from the Lord. Because it’s dressed up, doesn’t mean it’s DRESSED UP! It may sound good, feel good, look good, but if it’s not bearing witness with what the Lord told you, it may be dressed but it’s not wearing God’s attire. The Holy Spirit is sounding an alarm to the body of Christ who has laid aside God’s righteousness to come up with a righteousness of its own. But fig leaves never cover completely. It cannot. Self Righteousness is Satan’s covering. Everything he offers is a forgery of what God has already done. Under close examination, you’ll discover if you’re being led by the Holy Spirit, that it’s designed to entrap and destroy your witness for Christ.
There are a lot of folks in God’s house that are dressed up, but it’s not God’s apparel. They look the part, sound the part, hold great positions, give lots of money, raise their hands in praise, say all the right words, but, Get closer, you’ll hear a distorted sound, and smell a foul odor emanating from them. Without discernment, you’ll invite them into your spiritual storehouses, and intimate places, and reveal things that will be used to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ, and your own life.
“Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick. Hezekiah received the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did those men want? Where were they from?” Hezekiah replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylon.” “What did they see in your palace?” Isaiah asked. “They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own—all my royal treasuries.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord: The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.”
2 Kings 20:12-18 NLT
Hezekiah brought an enemy into his house, dressed up with gifts and deception. He never consulted with the Lord or His prophet before inviting him in and showing him everything in God’s house. Don’t be so quick to receive gifts or accolades. Godliness with contentment is the greatest gain.1 Timothy 6:6. We expose ourselves to the enemy through our neediness for acceptance, prestige, affirmation, things and position. God told David through Nathan the prophet after his adultery with Bathsheba and ultimate murder of her husband these words.
“Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.” 2 Samuel 12:7-8 NLT
Satan is out to ruin the church (the body of Christ) with greed, lust for power, sexual sin and deception. How many leaders in God’s house have fallen prey to all those things? God is exposing Christians and leaders who refuse to heed His warnings. Isaiah told Hezekiah what was about to happen because of deception. His response was shocking, but unfortunately that’s the mindset of most deceived people. And others are left to deal with their bad decisions and indiscretions.
“Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”
2 Kings 20:19 NLT
God’s idea of being dressed looks nothing like the church today. We’re called to put on and bear His righteous image. To be holy as He is holy, to put on the whole armor of God. To demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit. To love justice and do mercy. To be Christ’s ambassadors, to be filled with the Spirit, to have a wholesome tongue, to consecrate ourselves, separate ourselves from godlessness, to love even those who hurt us, to be His witnesses, to overcome evil with good, to not lie to each other, but the most important one of all these is. Not have any other gods or idols that replace Him as God. Jesus called out those who were dressed up, but not by Him, whitewashed tombs. Matthew 23:27. I pray that those of you reading this message will not gloss over these words, but that we will all do a self examination not based upon human estimation but on the Word of God. Putting on His requirements for holy attire. Living authentic Christian lives. And recognize the frauds and deceivers sent by Satan to distract us from true holiness.
Not everybody who’s dressed up, is DRESSED UP. If the Lord isn’t doing the dressing up, if His Spirit and Word isn’t our covering, then all we’re left with is fig leaves. Looking the part isn’t good enough. We are a peculiar people, called by a peculiar God. We stand out, we’re not chameleons. God is about to uncover every lookalike imposter in His body. From the pulpit to the pew. People who are among us but not of us. 1 John 2:19. Check your wardrobe, who are you wearing? Who dressed you?
Go deeper: 1 Corinthians 15:49; 1 Peter 1:16; Ephesians 6:10-18; Galatians 5:22-23; Micah 6:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 5:18; Proverbs 15:4; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Joshua 3:5; Luke 6:27-36; Colossians 3:9-10; Exodus 20:3-5.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
July 14, 2021