Tolerate the Attack?

The word "tolerate" is one that I normally think of in a negative light.  Tolerance is not a friend of the Christian, especially in modern political and social lingo.  I often  use the term in a sentence that begins like this: "I will not tolerate..."

Imagine my surprise earlier this week when a prophet who I sat down with, a female prophet from India, told me that I need to "tolerate the attack" that is coming!

She spoke to me straight from the heart of God for 35 minutes.  The meeting had been arranged by a Pastor friend of mine here where I'm ministering in Malaysia for a month.  He had Holy Spirit inspired urgency to put us together.  She spoke to me about many things that she could not have known.  I received more than a dozen confirmations in that meeting.

I noticed that she chose her words carefully (unlike some other prophets) and she is a highly educated lady of substance and means.  She could have used a more common word like "endure," but she used "tolerate."

To tolerate something is to allow it to happen even if you have the power to stop it.

Here is the exact prophecy:

"Tribulation.  A terrible time of tribulation is coming on you and your ministry.  Betrayal.  Accusation.  Satanic but carried out by the outwardly religious.  It will be terrible and intense, but it will be for a brief time and then it will be over.  Do not take matters into your own hands.  Do not defend yourself.  Tolerate the attack."

The thing that she didn't know is that I already know about this attack that is coming, at least to a degree.  I know the players and I know their game.  And I actually have the silver bullets in my gun to shoot the werewolf in sheep's clothing.  I could finish him.  But that's just what satan would want me to do now isn't it!

I have put my gun away...  I have even taken the bullets out.  And the others that I know who are tempted to shoot the same bullets on my behalf, I have strongly encouraged to also not shoot.

When we tolerate the attack, we show complete faith in God.  Earlier, the Lord had spoken to me directly, saying that "Whoever isn't really committed to the vision that I have entrusted to you needs to leave.  Let them leave son.  Trust me.  I'm working."

Once again, it's time to watch God trim the tree.  This is a moment when the fighting force will be whittled down just as Gideon experienced in Judges 7.

Here's the scripture:

Judges 7:1-8 (NIV)

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod.  The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.  The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men.  I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, My own strength has saved me."  Now announce to the army, Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.  So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.  But the Lord said to Gideon, There are still too many men.  Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there.  If I say, This one shall go with you, he shall go; but if I say, This one shall not go with you, he shall not go.  So Gideon took the men down to the water.  There the Lord told him, Seperate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.  Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs.  All the rest got down on their knees to drink.  The Lord said to Gideon, With the three hundred men that lapped, I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.  Let all the others go home.  So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.