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The Scribal Anointing
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Theresa H. Johnson
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Theresa H. Johnson
Going from Unteachable to Teachable: Part 3 of 4
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Copyright 2008 Theresa Harvard Johnson
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ABOUT THIS SERIES: There are so many pot holes in our path as
we pursue the ministry the Lord has placed in our hearts. If we are not
aware of those pitfalls, then we are destined to fall into them, get
stuck, and delay our assignment. One of the greatest strongholds
affecting prophetic writers is the inability to be taught. So many
believe that it is enough for them to have a revelation from God, and
that there is absolutely no room for improvement concerning what he has
given them. Sadly, many can not tell the difference between God's voice
or their own. When the Lord sends men and women into their lives to
lovingly director, mentor or teach them -- they fight the very
instruction that will take them to the next level of ministry. This
stronghold is called being "unteachable" and is one of the toughest
impasses I've ever faced (outside of pride) in the ministry of the
worship arts.
PART II
he Lord had me focus on the relationship of unteachable people to
leaders. I know he did this because this type of relationship
(leader/mentor) is one that offers excellent examples that we can touch
on. Unteachable people, however, are in every type of environment - on
the job, in your homes (especially with children), and even in your
friendships and relationships. What I really want to share with you at
this point is some insight on the consequences of having an unteachable
spirit.
With every choice we make, there are corresponding results.
If we really get down to it, the very root of having an unteachable
spirit rests in this: PRIDE. The bible tells us in Colossians 3 that we
must be clothed in humility. What a POWERFUL statement. While, I'm not
going to go into this part of the lesson just yet, I want to plant or
water this seed of understanding as we move forward. As the "cure" for
being unteachable is walking in true, Holy Spirit led humility.
The characteristics that were posted in Part I of this discussion are
just a tip of the iceberg. I'm sure that many of the ministers here who
lead others -- and there are many -- as well as parents, can add much,
much more to this list. With that said, I really want you to consider
these truths.
When a person is unteachable they may experiences some of the following
consequences:
1. They fail to grow, and can develop spiritual anorexia. It
doesn't take spiritual awareness to gather up knowledge for ourselves.
Unteachable people will be and can be VERY knowledgeable. Their
knowledge, however, is completely rooted in intellect and they operate
solely out of their minds -- and not out of their spirit. As a result, a
person can be full of information and able to tell you how to do things,
but that lack something that is so very, very important to the body --
and that is the Holy Spirit guided ability of turning information into
revelation so that it is relevant to those who desire to eat from their
garden.
If they are not careful, at some point ... they will reach a "lid" or a
"cap" on their ability to learn even in that capacity. In addition, the
revelation that they have gone accustomed to applying (when they were
teachable) will become stale or like old bread. They will be unable to
attain that "daily bread" the King David so lovingly speaks of in Psalm
23. Literally, their minds will begin to transform back into that
"un-renewed" state. People resting in this area will rely on books and
the revelation of others verses pulling on the Holy Spirit. A person who
is intimate with the Lord and discerning -- will be able to perceive the
truth behind the mask. Truly, this is a dangerous place to be --
especially for the prophetic minister who operates under the guidance
and voice of the Lord. The voice that they "grow" to hear -- will not be
God's voice or necessarily Satan's voice, but their very own.
This is sad really. It's like having a case of "starvation" in the
spirit that is self inflicted. It reminds me of anorexia -- except in
the spirit realm. The person sees "themselves" as being fat in the
spirit, but in truth -- they are no more than skin and bones; and at a
point of spiritual death. I don't say this to offend, but to bring a
strong point across to you so that you can recognize how devastating
being unteachable can be.
2. They harbor inward bitterness and a hardness of heart develops.
This particular area is also very serious. People who are unteachable
often walk heavily under a spirit of rejection. When their ideas,
approaches or perspectives are not received in the way they desire them
to be, they become angry and bitter and their hearts turn from flesh to
stone. Everything is about them now, and the compassion we must have as
believers begins to fade away. Instead of them seeing the error of their
own ways, they think that people are "jealous or envious" of their
wealth of knowledge and their outstanding teaching ability. They come to
believe that they have out-grown the very ones who grew up with them or
even taught them. When they do hear from God, whether through prayer or
in a message from the pastor on Sunday ... that message is always for
someone else and not them. This inward bitterness causes prayers not to
be heard or answered. It drives wedges between godly relationships and
places them in the path of others, who sadly, are just like them -- or
worse.
3. They enter into a place of complete isolation and move away from
those who really have the love of Christ toward them. Unteachable
people can become so "dejected" that they completely isolate themselves
from those "godly" relationships that were built on the things of God.
Instead, they develop new relationships that connect them to people who
can identify with their "offense, pain and rejection." They build
relationships on these foundations that further turn them inward -- and
away from the most basic of all Christian beliefs which is true
fellowship. We must remember that true Christian fellowship is founded
on our ability to be taught by one another -- regardless of whether or
not a person is your pastor or mentor. We learn from "one another" --
not just certain people. This place of isolation, however, is not that
they become loners ... but that they isolate themselves from their true
connection to the body. This also includes SEPARATION from their
intimate relationship with God!
4. They become driven by a need to "prove" and "assert" themselves.
They give birth to competition and comparison. Even when others are
not trying to compete with them, they feel the need to outdo or to show
their perceived superiority.
If true humility does not come, an unteachable person becomes like the
full-blown Pharisee/Scribe that our Lord and Savior, the apostles, and
the patriarchs rebuked. Review Matthew 23 for a scriptural list of the
behaviors. The "outcome" of being unteachable isn't good. I "THANK GOD"
that there were people around me PRAYING. Now, I pray for those who are
unteachable and without prayer warriors and intercessors around them.
Unteachable people have a tendency to PUSH those who really care about
them away. Is your compassion for them great enough to stay on the wall
and pray? Is there someone in your life that once had a zeal for the
Lord, but now operate out of an unteachable spirit? If you love them in
the Lord, fight for you brother or your sister! You don't have to be in
their face. We can pray ... until the Lord says, "No more." Let me tell
you something, God knows how to break us...
Matthew 23:25-39 says:
25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You
clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed
and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup
and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You
are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on
the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the
same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the
inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You
build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would
not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of
those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin
of your forefathers!
33"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned
to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and
teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog
in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will
come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood
of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you
murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all
this will come upon this generation.
37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those
sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will
not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord.'[d]"