God reminds us in this podcast series that His love for us in unconditional. When it comes to our sins, He doesn’t remember them anymore. Because of these truths, we can always come to God as we are and He will love us into wholeness! Join Dr. Siohvaughn as she speaks with God’s voice reminding us that we are loved, that we are accepted for who we are because we are His children. Rejoice in this unconditional love for this is the best you will ever get anywhere!
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Come As You Are
In this episode, we’re going to be starting what might be a new series but possibly a single episode. You don’t even believe that if you’ve been with me. We finished up and/or concluded, at least so far, the longest series in this particular show but bear with me. We want to allow God and the Holy Spirit to move freely through me and give us every single thing that God wants to give us. We take our time and do that. I’m not making any promises but we might finish up now. The title of nowadays show is called Come As You Are.
This is a good reminder. This is an on-time word but it’s a timeless word from God, nevertheless. Before we dive into that, let’s do what we always do and take a moment and acknowledge God. I thank you, Heavenly Father, for the opportunity to get at the feet of Jesus and hear His word. I thank you that you are giving and imparting to each and every one of us the spirit of your wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus. I thank you that the eyes of our understanding are being enlightened. That we may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in us, the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us and our whole house who believe according to the working of His mighty power.
I thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are expounding on the scriptures to us about the things concerning yourself. I thank you, Daddy, for revealing the heart of Jesus. I thank you that as you reveal His heart to us, His hand is moving in our life and in an area of need overly and abundantly supplying God. I thank you, Lord, there we’re seeing abounds, you’re grace much more abounds. I thank you, God, that in our weakness, your strength is made perfect. The Apostle Paul, God, when it comes to our weaknesses, we boast all of them more so that the power of Jesus Christ will rest upon us. I thank you, Alpha, that you are blessing us to comprehend the scriptures more, to know you more, and every blessing and benefit God all the prosperity, good success, all the favor, exaltation and honor. All the goodness of you, Alpha, that comes with knowing you more. Be our portion now in the earth as it is in heaven. Now and forevermore, in Jesus name, we pray.
God Forgets
As I said, this particular show is called Come As You Are. This is an on-time word and it’s a timeless word. In this particular series, God is reminding us of who He is. Let’s keep that in mind as we go through this and receive everything that God has for us. God is reminding us He is who He says He is. Not what we heard other say about him. Not who we felt like He was but who He say He is. God is our father. He cannot lie. He says, “He is love.” There’s no firmer foundation upon which we, as human beings, children of God, can stand on. God is reminding us also in this show series that He forgot. You heard it right. Let me elaborate on what I mean by that. Some of you may very well already know where I’m going. God doesn’t remember our sins anymore. God is utilizing this time, this show, this rhema word from God. Remember, it’s timeless. If you’re reading this and it’s years from now, it’s timeless.
It’s rhema. When you hear it, every time you hear it. This is a timeless rhema word from God. God is reminding us he has forgotten. He cannot lie. If God says He forgot, He forgot. The word of God promises that under this New Covenant which we are in, as who have given our life to Jesus Christ. God promises in Hebrews 8:12 and I’m reading from the new King James Version. The Bible says, “For I will be merciful to their own righteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds, I will remember no more.”
Let’s slow down, take God at His word and rejoice in Him, rejoice in Jesus, the true Lamb of God. The lamb that was slain in blood was shed so that God could justly and righteously with all that He is which is love. Declared to us, I will always and forevermore be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds, I will remember no more, ever again. I’m almost certain that in this original language, that poses as a double negative when God says, “I’ll remember your sins no more.” It’s like, I will by no means never ever, under no circumstances, it’s emphasized. This is written in Greek in your New Testament. It’s very strong language, how it was written and thank God for our translators but it doesn’t come off as strong as what God said, but he’s telling us now what He said.
It’s wonderful news. It is the gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is it translates gospel, good news. That is good news because we’re human beings, even as born again human beings. We want to get it right. We want to do that. We’re like, “I didn’t mean to say that. I even know how shit to say that.” I said that. Thank God for the blood of Jesus that has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. Thank God that that same blood from Jesus shed on the cross justifies us, declares us righteous before God and has called us by God, Himself, not guilty. These people are the grace and the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s done. It’s finished. I’m not questioning it. I’m receiving it, especially when I feel like I failed.
I know I dropped the ball. I didn’t cross the T. I tore a paper in half and then set it on fire. It was a real bad day. Sometimes that happens and I’m being transparent. I thank God for the blood of Jesus. It is more than sufficient. One drop of it but He shared plenty of it and all of our sins are off of giving. That’s good news. That is a rhema and timeless word coming from the heart of God Himself. We know that God loves us unconditionally. He has justified us in His own blood. He does not, by any means, ever remember any of our sins anymore. We got to remember that God for God.
This leads me to the focus of this episode that God has given us because God loves us unconditionally, our sins have been paid for and taken care of by Jesus, the true Lamb of God slain before the foundations of the world for all of our sins. He took our place on the cross and He gave us His place of constant fellowship with God, blood, righteousness, holiness and justification. Where is holy? Jesus is holy. God had said it, as He is, so are we in this world. You might have put up one of those fingers that you shouldn’t have.
The Bible says, “Have a little wine for your stomach’s sake but you stumbled home.” I’m not sure. If you’re a son or daughter of God, I would encourage you to sin because hangover and headaches and all kinds of consequences. I want the best for you. God wants the best for you, so do I. I’m in agreement with God but know that if you have failed and if you keep on living, that’s inevitable. All you got to do is be human. They say, to err is human. It doesn’t take much. Even well-meaning people drop the ball sometimes.
I’m simply saying rest assured, beloved, everybody who’s given their life to Christ, God has blotted out every one of your transgressions and sins. He will, by no means ever again, even so much as remembered them, let alone punish you for them. That’s it. Your case was closed on the cross. If you’re looking for God to come and judge you, that’s not going to happen. God is not sitting in your life to judge you. God is sitting in your life to father you, to shepherd you and to love you into wholeness. To teach you what real love is and real love covers a multitude of sins.
That’s written. That’s not bond. This is not a pep talk. This is not an encouraging word although you should be encouraged. This is the actual gospel truth. These words are Holy. These words come from God Himself. I’m quoting the Bible. You know that I’m not that brilliant on my own. It’s God, for sure. We praise Him, bless Him, and cannot thank Him enough for what He’s done. He did it. He came Himself in the form of His son and did what none of us could do. He kept the law who were lawbreakers. He paid the ultimate price for it and let us go free.
He served the sentence. That case is closed and I don’t want you to be looking for God to judge you for your faults, your shortcomings, or your sins. If God has already judged it, put it away. He doesn’t remember it anymore. The cases closed. The courtroom isn’t even open. No one is in there. The devil was in there trying to accuse you but you can walk straight out the door. The blood of Jesus is your way out. You might as well laugh at him. You’re not laughing or rejoicing in sin, obviously, but you are rejoicing in the one that saved you from yourself whose blood is sufficient and who said Himself, my grace. Me giving you what you don’t deserve.
Me being merciful and not giving you what you deserve. Me being gracious to you and giving you what you can never even earn or pay for is more than enough. It’s more than sufficient. Let our focus be on that. Let us know that the case is closed and God is love. He doesn’t remember our sin anymore which again, leads me to this particular show that God gave to me to share with the world. We can come to God just as we are. Angry like the diary of a mad black woman. You wrote the last page and ripped it out. You’re mad. Seething, in fact. Come to God as you are. Stumbling that way that you hide but a few that I ask God to help me, come as you are.
People may be like, “Look at this lady.” They want to shout out. Religious people blasphemy. It’s not blasphemy. It is the way. How else can we come to God other than as we are? Think about it. None of us is perfect but Jesus in our behavior and conduct. With that being said, whether you acknowledge it or not, we all have come to God as we are. We got to keep on coming and knowing that sinning doesn’t disqualify us. “Come as you are.” Come in the middle of the mess. God said, “Come boldly to the throne.” Why would God have to encourage us to come boldly if we dotted every I and crossed every T? He saying, come boldly to the throne because He knows we didn’t dot every I and crossed every T.
He knows that we’re human. God is rejoicing over us because he’s not remembering our sin. We would have experienced more joy if we started to forget it like God did. Let’s remember that God forgot and let’s remind ourselves to forget. Let’s remind each other not of what we’ve done wrong, not on what we could have done better, but of what God did for us and who God says we are. That truth transforms and liberates. Jesus said, “My people will know the truth and the truth will make them free,” not fault-finding but the truth. I pray to God to bless us and He takes all legal right, power and authority to move in and through us working in us both to will and to do this. Never forget that He forgot and always remember to forget our faults and one another’s. Love, not by almighty power but His Holy Spirit, the way He loves us. Let us love one another. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Proof Of The Promise
Back to the message. The proof of this promise that we can come to God just as we are is in the entire Bible. This series would be the rest of this show if we took it line-upon-line and precept-upon-precept because God is love and gracious even in the Old Testament. God was always love. God changes not. There’s the cross. Love and justice have reconciled forevermore, glory to God. What did they give birth to? Grace is wonderful. We are going to look at a few examples. These God gave me and I love them. You’ve heard me say that especially if you’ve been with me on this journey.
My favorite part of the Bible, you said everything but Leviticus but through veto again. We’re going to start with Hannah. Some of you know this lady’s particular testimony in the Bible but if you don’t and you’ve got your Bibles, you can turn at 1 Samuel. It’s in the first chapter and we’re going to read it because it isn’t that long. I love it when God does that. Remember that as the word of God is going forth, we see that all in the Bible in Jesus’ ministry. That’s the way Jesus blesses us. They heard and were healed. Let’s this word go forth. You set the feet of Jesus.
That’s the one thing that’s needful. You don’t have to figure it out. It never has to make sense if it doesn’t make sense. The point is you obeyed in faith. Because of faith, you did it and you believe God. As the word goes forth, what you need is being released. Let’s pray for a release of what we need and what God promised. That’s what’s happening as we do the one thing that’s needful and get at the feet of Jesus and hear His word.
Let’s start at 1 Samuel 1 as I said. We’ll read through this part and we’ll skim to the next part as far as God being faithful and demonstrating to us His truth and proving it to us, so to speak. We’re renewing and strengthening our faith those of us who already know what God did for this particular woman. I’ll point out to you what God pointed out to me by His spirit. It starts out saying, “There was a certain man,” this is Hannah’s husband.
As I said, we’ll skip a little bit, “He had two wives.” We are down to verse two. “The name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other is Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah had no children.” We got to know even at the time that this took place, a woman being able to give birth to a child with her husband was extremely significant. These people were big on passing down inheritance and having not just a child but even a son. This was very important in the time in the Jewish culture. As far as having an inheritance, it was so important that women would be nothing less than shunned and looked upon as cursed by God Himself if they couldn’t conceive.
I know nowadays, we live and it’s not the way that it was then. Women sometimes who can have children, just choose not to. Their husbands are fine with it. They go on and live a great life. Some people find still a lot of great joy and fulfillment in leaving a legacy through their children. Other people have foundations. For other people, God gives children without conception. They adopt. That’s how God got with us an option. The spirit of adoption. It’s wonderful ways to have children and there are other people who simply decide not to.
Back then, no one decided not to. I don’t think I’d go that far to say that. If someone couldn’t, it was shameful. It was a curse. Think about that as you listen to the word of God. He had two wives, which was acceptable then. That’s not acceptable now. I hope no man is longing for such a thing. Trust me, it’s an incredible challenge for you to satisfy one woman. You will utterly fail to try to have two or more. Let’s stick to what God gave us and rejoice in the wife of our youth. All the women are like, “Amen.”
It says, “This man went up from His city yearly to worship and sacrificed to the Lord of Hosts at Shiloh and also the two sons of Eli.” He had two sons. He was the priest at that time. Verse four, “And whenever the time came for Elkanah,” that was Hannah’s husband, “To make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and daughters. To Hannah, he would give a double portion for he loved Hannah, although the Lord closed her womb.” We see a picture of unconditional love here demonstrated through this husband.
This is wonderful. This lady has a wonderful husband. I’m pointing that out on purpose. It says in verse six, “Her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable because the Lord had closed her womb.” We’re going to keep it real like Paul’s. This lady is already going through. She was already going through enough. The worst shame and reproach that could come on a woman during her time was upon her life. That’s more than enough.
This wife of Elkanah who has sons and daughters is still not satisfied. The reason why was because she could discern. Women are very intuitive. This lady knew that she got the son and a daughter but this lady even with her bare womb got his heart and that drove Peninnah mad to the point that she made it a part of her life. She doesn’t have enough to do being married with sons and daughters. She takes time out of her blessed family life to torment this woman who’s already tormented.
It’s unwise to provoke people that are going through. Nevertheless, you know Satan, he’ll try you. He used this lady. I believe nothing less than the devil used this lady. What the enemy means for evil, God is so skilled and always working it together for good. I love the fact that the Holy Spirit writing this testimony said that she provoked her. To provoked is to push somebody into something. Provocation can be negative and nasty, obviously. She was provoking her to depression, resentment, resenting herself and resenting God. She is provoking her to being bitter and miserable despite the blessing of having God who loves her and her husband who loves her too and despite the double portion she received but provocation works the other way. “I got to turn it for good.”
Sometimes people go, will mess around and try to provoke you one way. Let’s say, they tried to make you angry and it worked to some extent. You feel angry but instead of doing something unproductive as a result of that anger, God puts it in your mind to do something that you need it to do and you would not have done it unless you were angry enough to do it and the enemy didn’t see that coming. That’s what I’m telling you. If you know the story of Esther, Esther is an entire book in the Bible. Haman was some arch-enemy of the Jews, so to speak, at that time.
He used His position in the kingdom to secure the death and destruction of all the Jews, men, women, and children. Queen Esther who was married to the actual King was Jewish but no one knew including dumb Haman. Haman went and he got the King to use his authority to bring about some order to kill everybody including the King’s wife. The King had no idea his wife was Jewish. I don’t believe at all he would have agreed to that. That’s evident by what he did when he found out. He had Haman hung on the very gallow he planned to hang Esther’s uncle Mordecai. Talk about God working it together for your good.
Haman provoked. He was evil. Even his background, you can see that all the way back. If I remember correctly, I believe it’s in Kings with King David’s time. You see certain people like the Philistines were always getting into it with the Israelites. You saw the Egyptians. Enemies of theirs most of the time. He was Amalekite and they were arch-enemies of the Jews. This dude tried to take his position and do this. What he wanted to do was provoke them to despair, mourning and fear. He provoked them and stay up to prey. It provoked Esther to reveal to her husband that she was Jewish and it provoked God to intervene and show what he had already been up to because God is definitely the God that goes before us.
If you haven’t got a chance, you should read that particular section. Why don’t you read the whole book? Be richly and greatly blessed and highly favorite. There’s a particular section in the book that God wrote through me. You got to let God finish where He elaborates on Himself and reveals Himself as the God who goes before us. He utilizes the entire book of Esther to do so. It’s a wonderful, very in-depth, very rich study. I know for certain, you will be blessed to never the same again. No question. It’s rich. It is a revealing and unveiling of Jesus. How He works behind the scenes is great because we don’t always feel God moving. Sometimes, He doesn’t look like anything is happening except it’s getting worse. I felt like somebody’s pupils dilated wide.
God is with you. He’s delivering. He hasn’t forgotten you. He’s working behind the scenes. He will certainly pull back and drawback those curtains, give you what you’re asking for, show it to you and you’ll hold it in your hands. It will be tangible. You don’t have to keep believing. You believe to receive. You will and you shall receive. As a matter of fact, at the crucial time to receive. As a prophetic act, open your hands and say, “Lord Jesus, thank you for blessing me with everything you promise me on my heart’s desire. I’ll receive it now.”
Haman went and he provoked them. He wanted to draw out. He didn’t get a chance to draw it out. Instead, what he drew out was the fact that one of the ladies, he put the head out on to have killed was Jewish. She’s the second in power in the kingdom at that time so his head rolled. His neck broke because he got hung on the gallows in public. All ten of his sons got hung and I believe that happened so that they wouldn’t rise up in vengeance and figure out another way to try to massacre the Jews.
I thank God for fighting for His people. God loves us. The body of Christ, no question. Look what He did for us. He died for us and He died for the Jews, too. God has not forgotten His Jewish people. He certainly hasn’t forgotten His covenant with them. God blessed the Jews in Jesus’ name. We go back to Hannah and I wanted to make that point. The provocation can work that way. The enemy can mean it for evil but know that God will always work it together for your good. We’ll see that He did that with Hannah. We are back in verse six. It says that her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable because the Lord had closed her womb.
Notice, provoked her severely. Severely as if she’s already not hurting enough. It says, “It was year-by-year when she went up to the house of the Lord that she provoked her, therefore, she wept and did not eat.” Those are signs of depression. I have sometimes use the phrase and going through who nothing quite kills when it’s been someone you deeply love. The more you deeply love somebody and they come against you, the wound goes deeper. It is real. I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’ve tasted depression. I’ve danced with that demon. It’s not a joke.
I feel for Hannah. I haven’t went in and cried in reading it but there are three people in the Bible that I could feel their pain because I can relate to it. That was Hannah, Martha and Mary. The loss of a close loved one’s pain. It’s something you desired to happen. For Jesus to come in and save it from then and Jesus chose instead to resurrect it. Resurrection is wonderful. We praise God. He’s the resurrection and the life. The truth is before you get to hallelujah, they died and that’s not a joke. If you’ve lived long enough, perhaps God has spared you.
For some of us, it was the way. It was the cross we bore where you watch something you love die. God has resurrection power. God has the power to restore but who wants to be broken down and busted up to know the power of God to restore. In our flesh, none of us wanted it. We don’t like to feel pain. I know some people do. That’s sick and Jesus got the answer for that. You got to get free from that because that’s not God. To go through life on this side of heaven and not feel any pain, is an unrealistic expectation. That isn’t God, either.
I feel Hannah and this provocation, as I said, the lady wanted to make her miserable. She wanted to hurt her. She was hurting, I believe because she was full of jealousy and insecurity because that husband loved Hannah. He loved her without children. What’s going to happen if she has children. He’s probably going to leave that other lady. He will never see her again. She had all kinds of thoughts that the devil put in her mind. Hannah was provoked. It worked. She wept. The Bible doesn’t say that she wept.
It says, “She provoked her and therefore,” and as a result, she wept and did not eat. You know it’s strong when your appetite goes. I don’t know about you all but I like food. I feel that God gave us taste buds for a reason. I like to get me different kinds of drinks. I got seven different flavors of Stevia soda. I tried all that sugar but seven different flavors in my refrigerator. Praise be to God. I’m doing hazelnut. I’m doing low-sugar syrup of doughnut flavor the next day. I like to eat. Who doesn’t? I know who doesn’t. Someone going through because I’ve been that woman.
You don’t even think about eating. That’s when you know it’s strong. Somebody has to come and remind you and got to tell you that you need to eat. “That’s right because I’m human. When people don’t eat, they die. Thank you for reminding me.” You know it’s real. This thing got real when it happened. The rubber has hit the road. Nothing about it is funny at that point. For Hannah, I’m bringing the point home and mixing it with my own life, bringing it to now so that we can know back then, it was as real for this woman, if not worse for her. That brings about the glory in our God who tells us to come on as you are.
I absolutely love it because we need it and there is no other way to come to God. The Bible tells us she was provoked. She was weeping. She wasn’t eating. She was depressed and sad. People will say, “Rejoice always.” This is the will of God. The Bible also says there’s a time to rejoice and the time to weep. She was going through. I love the fact that God loves us enough. At all times, we can come to Him just as we are, good, bad, ugly, happy, depressed, feeling good or feeling hate. It doesn’t make Him a difference. This God loves us so much. He won’t leave us like that. God is not going to teach you how to navigate life with bitterness. God lets you come to Him just as you are because you need to come to Him just as you are. Without him, we can do nothing.
We can’t be free without Him. God wants you free. This is not something necessarily that happens overnight. Tell it to the spirit of religion. Tell it to people on your back. I’m okay with the fact that I’m a work in progress. I’m on a potter’s wheel and it looks like He’s spinning it again. I’m okay with the fact that I’m human because God made me human and God doesn’t make mistakes. I always say that to my son, Zion. God made you perfectly and God doesn’t make mistakes. That’s what you have to know for yourself. We’re going to stop right here because we’re running out of time and I don’t want to rush it because it’s God. Let His will be done and we’ll pick this up next time.
Until then, God bless you. Continue to keep you, protect you, protect your family and spread His mantle over you. Cover you with the blood of His son and surround you as a shield with His very own presence and favor. May you experience the granting of your petitions in the earth just as it is in heaven. May the desires of your heart be realized according to the perfect will of God in the earth as it is in heaven. I love you so very much. I can’t thank you enough for being on this journey with me. Thank you for allowing God to use me to impart whatever it is He’s giving to me to you. I do not take it lightly. It is an honor to serve you, kings and queens. I love you very much.
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