Hebrews 10:26-27 – “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment . . .”
Hello, Church:
It is with a heavy heart I bring you the following report . . . Paul Valle has been struck by God. He has slipped back into substance abuse after several months of being clean and sober.
I am writing this for purposes of hopefully bringing fear, trembling, and repentance to Paul — as well as a warning to the rest of the Church. God is not playing games, and our leash of grace is getting tighter and tighter as His Presence and anointing is increasing.
To back up . . . for several weeks we have suspected Paul has returned to substance usage, although we could not be 100 % sure. Paul was evasive when questioned, but his boss at work told Fay she caught him vaping in the back. Fay and others would notice he was not himself after work. He would come home late, his eyes were dark, and his demeanor like he was on a cloud. You may have noticed he was skipping Church services.
As his leader, I was very concerned for him. I would question him, “Paul, have you remained clean and sober?” to which he would reply, “Yes.” He was elusive and would not be honest with his Elders, his family, nor even his wife. In fact, he was lying.
At cell group this Friday evening, Paul was missing. He had called in to work sick and was home in bed all day. Fay informed us that Paul was suffering from severe pain in his anal area. As I write this it is unknown if it’s a rectal herniation, or re-flareup of the shingles which God struck him with in the past, or if it’s something worse.
I then knew Paul had backslid, and I will explain why . . .
Elder Rodith, I, and Fay went and visited Paul so I could pass on a word I felt God wanted him to hear. As we arrived in his bedroom, it was a horrid sight to behold. As of 9:00 p.m., he was laying on his bed, stomach down, reeling and moaning in severe pain in his butt area.
I reprimanded him very directly. I reminded him of the curse that Pastor Steve pronounced over him if he backslid. You may recall, perhaps a year ago or so, Paul and Fay were on the alter and Pastor Steve declared if Paul went back to substance abuse he would be “struck where the sun don’t shine.” Paul then came into agreement with this. Now, Pastor said this in a sort of joking manner, but Pastor was actually declaring a curse and prophesy.
And God wasn’t laughing. That day, Deuteronomy 28 was laid out before Paul – “Today I lay before you this day a blessing or a curse.”
I sternly leaned into Paul: “What the heck are you doing?” “You are at the end of your rope with God.” “God has given you chance after chance after chance.” “You almost died several months ago, and God spared your life.” “God gave you a hell experience several months ago, which terrified you and filled you with such anguish you quit drinking for several months.” “You are surrounded by people who love you, are praying for you, and trying to help you.” “There is no more that can be done for you.” “God may have to remove you for the sake of your son Joshua, who Fay is desperately trying to bring up in the Lord.” “I am very concerned what God may do next.”
I informed Paul I will pray intensely for him; I will resume meeting him during the week and going to the gym together as we had in his first deliverance; and we will take other drastic measures to help him through this challenge . . . BUT HE MUST FIRST OPENLY REPENT TO HIS WIFE FAY AND ME AND RODITH AS HIS ELDERS. As long as he is hiding, pretending, and not being open, honest, and repentant, there is nothing anyone can do for him. And God will not move either.
It’s now in Paul’s hands. And he may not have much time. He is teetering on the edge.
Church, this warning is really for all of us. We have to attain a reverence, fear and trembling before our God. The Presence, anointing, and expectation of us by our God is dramatically increasing. We see horrific judgments going on around us right now. What’s going on in Southern California is nothing short of a colossal mega-catastrophe.
But God is protecting us at Fire of God from the curses and judgments of the world. We also saw this during the COVID onslaught. But there is a price we must pay and a standard God expects us to hold to. We all have to step our game in purity, faithfulness, repentance, and separating ourselves from the world. Myself as well.
We have to understand the Church we are in. FOG is not just another Church. We are not part of the religious, superficial, and lukewarm church culture around us. Spiritually speaking, we stick out like a 10,000-watt advertising sky beam in this dark and dismal place – both to angels and to demons. God has BIG plans for us at FOG, as well as high expectations.
But be prepared . . . the Presence is a two-edged sword. We are safe under His covering, and there is much joy and breakthrough for those of us in the fight. But, on the other side of the coin, our judgment will be more swift and severe if we spit on His grace in His magnificent Presence, as when God struck down Uzzah when he simply touched the ark. The blessing or the curse will go either way.
Church, let’s get more serious before God. I am convicted as well. We have a purpose, a mission, and a calling before God to a dying world of eight billion people, where most are going to hell. Every year we don’t get it together, mass numbers of people are dying without God. It is a mortifying thing to think the God of the universe is waiting on us to “get it together.” God wants to use us for His purpose, His end-time revivals, and to be His Light in this decaying society. At some point, we will be accountable for the blood on our hands if we don’t fall into God’s timing and purpose.
Let’s choose life and not death. Today is the day of salvation. We declare – this time it will be different!
Amen.
Elder Lance
Additional Comments by Senior Pastor Yoojin Kim:
Proverbs 9:10 Voice
Reverence for the Eternal, the one True God, is the beginning of wisdom; true knowledge of the Holy One is the start of understanding.
The LA area fire brought more reverence/fear of God to my soul. The holy fear struck my soul!
God wiped out about 45,000 acres just like that. We, humans, could not stop the fire. It was impossible to stop! No one can! God has already made a decision to execute. He even sent strong winds to spread it fast so that it could burn everything.
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We should ask for more fear of God!!
Wisdom keeps us from sinning, and it helps us to make the right decisions. Why do we have to go through something hard to learn a lesson? Let us obey and surrender; that would be a wise choice you can make. Let us avoid judgment or discipline.