Letter To A Rich Young Ruler

May 7, 2021

The Sweetness of Jesus be with you, dear Heart Dwellers.

Recently, Ezekiel and I have become aware of a rich young ruler who is lost and confused about his purpose in life. He was once a Heart Dweller but was convinced by others that he was deceived in following the teachings Jesus has given us, even though they are backed by Scripture. I have to admit this is a radical life of self-denial and faithfulness to the Gospel, and not everyone can live this life.

He has had more than a year to test the fruit of the life that others led him into. Now he is lost and confused because things are not going the way he expected. My heart is deeply grieved for him, so I pray. This is the letter I felt in my heart, that Jesus had for him. It begins with a Scripture from Proverbs 25:

25There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way death. Proverbs 16:25

Dear one, we can know the Bible by heart, recite every scripture flawlessly, and still not have a real relationship with Jesus. So how can we serve a God we cannot see or hear? Jesus promises us He will reveal Himself to us, He will speak to us and guide us in every right way. Some people do not take the Scripture seriously, they do not believe Jesus can speak to us. But that is not what the Bible says. If you love Him, you will obey Him, and He will make His home in your heart...and from there He will speak. All you need to do is obey what He reveals to you is His will for your life. And that is based on John 14.

The traditions and ways of men in any culture, African or American, are permissive and morally loose. Just because that is the way people live now, all around us, does not make it right. To please God, to hear His voice, to discover His will for your life, requires a willingness to let go of the things that offend Him, and a readiness to obey the direction you get from Him in prayer, at whatever the cost to our comforts and social status.

There was a time when your heart was on fire for the Lord, and you were a Heart Dweller because you recognized His voice in the messages. I have not changed, He has not changed, but you have. You encountered testing and trials at that time because there was serious compromise in your life, and you chose to forsake the way He was leading you.

Someone robbed you of that sweet intimacy and holy fire you once had. Someone convinced you it was not of God, so you fell back on the legality of the Bible and abandoned the intimacy you had with Jesus. My son, you need BOTH. You need to rightly discern the word of God and be His Bride.

15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. That is Second Timothy 2:15

And you also need to have a PERSONAL conversational relationship with Him, or you will lose your first love. Jesus said, Whoever has My commandments and observes them is the one who loves Me. And whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him. That is John 14:21

Here John is not speaking about a letter of the law relationship, but a Father - son relationship. You do not live with a person and keep the rulebook open on the table and refer to it minute by minute. You develop a trusting family relationship, you laugh and cry together, you trust Him with your life, so you are willing to follow Him anywhere.

Whoever loves Me will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. John 14:23

God never turns His back on us, we turn our backs on Him and wander off without taking serious time to discern, the ways pastors and our flesh are leading us, without even noticing we have lost Jesus. We know the WORD, the address of the Scriptures, but we have lost the sweet presence and guidance of the Lord and His Holy Spirit.

Every pastor has their favorite Scriptures and doctrines, but they do not always line up with the heart of the Gospel. When you discover that heart, you feel quickened...My Sheep know My voice...and a fire is lit in your heart. You desire with all your heart to follow Him, and to make a difference in the world.

John 10:27 says, My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

There was a time when you truly did hear His voice, son, and it was calling to you in an incredibly special way, a sweet and intimate way, but others who were not being called in the same way by God, convinced you that you were deceived. You have followed different teachings for all of these months and now where are you with the Lord? Where is He? Where is that sweet voice that touched you not in the intellect but in the HEART. That voice would never mislead you...because you bore witness to it in your heart, where He lives.

A perfect example of this is in Season 1, the 6th episode of the Chosen, at minute 29:40 till the end. The dialogue is straight out Scripture, and after that is the scene where the paralytic is healed and watch what the young Pharisee does. He faithfully upholds the law, but it is worth watching to see the difference between the two Pharisees, Nicodemus, who recognized his Messiah, and Schmuel, who is still a young Pharisee.

Please watch it until the end of the episode. And if you really want to understand the context watch it from the beginning or from the 5th Episode, all the way through the 6th.

The Lord has put you on my heart dear one, but if you are unteachable and closed, there is nothing anyone can do to help you. You have followed these premises from other's opinions exclusively, t and where are you now?

More importantly, where is Jesus in your life?

Do not be like the man on top of his flooded house, standing on the roof with the water rising and waiting for God to deliver him. The Lord sent him two boats and a helicopter. He turned them down. Why? Because he was "waiting for God" to rescue him. So, he died and went to Heaven, terribly upset, He asked the Lord, "Why didn't you save me??? I waited for you faithfully???" The Lord simply replied, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter, why didn't you respond to them?"

If you live in fear of being deceived, of going against the status quo, of believing something more wonderful about Jesus than the ordinary person...if you are afraid of being ostracized or falling into error, you most certainly will not grow or reach your destiny and potential in the Kingdom of God. Perfect love casts out all fear, and you will know them by their love. There is no fail-safe way to discernment. It takes work. First you must not be living in sin, then you must seek Him with all your heart, being willing to give up everything to follow Him.

Remember that the Lord warned: 36.A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37. And anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38 And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. That is Matthew 10:37

And where have you drawn the line. In your lives, saying thus far and no further? What is a vital intimate relationship with Jesus, the Son of God, wort h to you?

25.For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26.And what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? That is from Matthew 10,25 and 6.

Do you want to spend your life this way...lukewarm, watered down, compromised, and feeling lost with no real purpose other than to keep a roof over your head, food in your stomach, And to donate to a good cause once in a while? When you face the Lord, what will He say to you? "Well done My good and faithful servant...enter into your masters joy?"

Or will he take the talent He invested in you and give it to the one who brought forth five more from five given him?

After all, it is your life, your choice, but I see you from a distance, and I see that God has given you exceptional opportunities to live for Him, I pray you do not squander them.

Love and prayers and much caring for you, son.

Mother Clare