Romans 14:23b for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

BAO stands for By Appointment Only.

You are sick and need to see your doctor. So you call the office and they tell you that they can squeeze you in next Thursday at 3:45. Be sure to have your ID and insurance card and a list of all your medications.

They treat you like they don’t know you.

If we live our life without faith being at the forefront of everything we do and say, we have sin. People do not want to hear that. I understand, we who believe do not want to think we live a sinful life. So be it.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The truth is that we sin, like it or not, His Word declares it to be true. So how do we deal with it? Do we call to book an appointment with our Great Physician? What does that call sound like?

“I can come in on Sunday any time between 9:30 and 11 but I have to be back in time for the kick off.”

“Can I get an after-hours visit Wednesday night between 7 and 9?”

Jesus is our 24-7 Savior and we treat Him like He is an appointment in our day planner.

1 John 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

Is your life in Christ manifested in you or by appointment only?

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

I see things in black and white. There are no gray areas for me. In this I have to be extremely careful in how I treat my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It is extremely important that I have close fellowship with them, know them and watch carefully as they grow in Christ.

I was born with a prophetic gift. A gift from God. I was not raised up in the church, not instructed in what that means and it led to many painful relationships, hurts, deadly wounds, and isolation for me. When I finally surrendered to Christ I discovered what the prophetic truly means and I know that many have an improper understanding of what it means to be a prophet in this church age. It is not for me to judge others because they do not understand.

It has taken me decades to come to terms with who I am in Christ and what is expect of me. It is no different for anyone else. We all start out as innocent babes that need to be loved first and instructed second. Who does the instruction and how they receive that instruction is not part of the prophetic gift and cannot be. What is required of any of us, no matter what our gifts is to love first and take extreme care in how we speak to one another.

Ephesians 4:14-16 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

For all my decades in practice, I am still struggle with speaking the truth in love.