Identity Theft

This post actually originated from an assignment that I was given at my prophetic school one Saturday. We were asked to look at a lily and then write an A5 page about what the lily meant to us and how we should be more like the lily.

Well anyone that knows me that telling me to write “only” an A5 page summary is pretty much impossible for me. My husband even told me that it doesn’t mean that I am allowed to write really, really smaller to have more on the page.

So this assignment revealed the following to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when doing this study myself.

For me to understand how to be more like a lily, I first had to understand what a lily is.

The name ‘lily’ can be misleading because lots of other plants use it besides true lilies, day lilies and water lilies aren’t lilies at all, and neither are lilies –of –the-valley or lily turf. With many other plants using the name ‘lily’ it is apparent that identity theft (2 Peter 2:1 – “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.”) must have been around long before the use of computers and credit cards.

Fleur de lys used for centuries on flags and on coats of arms. Is a stylized depiction of the lily.

There are more than 100 kinds of lilies.

Seasons:

Spring, summer, and fall (Lilies require a period of refrigeration; they need a cold dormant period.)

Attracts:

Butterflies: (The lesson of the butterfly is letting go of old behaviour and expounding into the next phase of existence. Transformed as you might say.

Symbolism of the butterfly – Pure Spirit

Pests:

1. Grey Mould

Biblical Meaning:

·         Grey – Old

·         Mould - As for any fabric that is spoiled! Lev 14

2. Viruses spread by aphids (Known as plant lice, greenflies, white flies, small sap-sucking insects.)

Biblical Meaning:

·         Viruses – Danger of Spiritual viruses, which can be wrong attitudes, wrong conduct (sin). 11 Cor 4:4, Eph 2:2

Viral agents come in various disguises, gossip, whispering, backbiting, rumour and innuendo, debates, and eventually manifest themselves in words and actions.

·         Aphids – Punishment, Wrath, Calamity

3. Red Beatles, Slugs, Snails

Biblical Meaning:

·         Red – War

·         Snails – Unclean, Creeping things

4. Deer, rabbits, vole, groundhogs

Environmental Conditions:

Lilies grow WILD!

1. Forest – (Temperature and rainfall)

2. Wet ground (Soil saturated for part of the growing season

3. Grassy Plain (Dominated by grasses)

Eaten as Food:

Most lilies grow from a bulb, which is sometimes eaten as a food.

1 Peter 5:8 – The apostle Peter warned that our adversary, the devil, is ‘a roaring lion’ who ‘walks about, seeking whom he may devour’.

Petals:

Lilies petals come in multiples of three!

Biblical Meaning:

1. Father/ Son/ Holy Spirit: In His likeness: Math 28:19 / Is 6:3 / Josh 22:22 / Ps 53:1

2. Divine Completion: Someone or something is made agreeable and acceptable to God. Rev 1:4

3. Resurrection: Math 16:21 / Math 27:63 / John 11:39

4. Skilful in Warfare: Judge 7:16, 20 / Judge 9:43 / 1 Sam 11:1, 13:17 /

Job 1:17

5. Sacred: Gen 6:10 / Job 1:2 / Job 42:13 / Job 43:13 / Job 2:11 / Gen 18:2 – 6 / Math 13:33

6. Called by God: 1 Sam 3:8

7. Disharmony: Can show disagreement Prov 17:14

8. Tempted: Tested through temptation Math 4:3, 5, 8

9. Denying Christ: Math 26:34, 75

Personally the white & yellow lily stood out the most to me. Therefore my summary will be around the white & yellow lily and the meanings. I have also used the black lily to identify with the identity theft. A false Christian that is living like a lily however is a black lily with identity theft.

White:

·         Purity: Lev 16:4, 32 / 2 Chron 5:12 / Gen 49:12

·         Innocence: Ecc 9:8 / Dan 7:9

·         Victory: Rev 3:5

·         Deceptive Person: Beware of a “false white” Joel 1:7 / Ex 4:6 / 2 Kings 5:27

Yellow:

·         Faith, strengthening the heart, saved by faith: Heb 2:13 / 2 Eph 2:8 / Heb 2:4

Black: Result of Sin

·         Death

·         Disease

·         Famine

·         Sorrow

·         Symbolism: Judgement

Summary:

            We should push to be more like the lily; however we should be careful of identity theft. Not all lilies (prophets) are what they may seem.

Example: White lilies are pure, innocent, victorious, however you can also have a “false white” lily that is spreading the wrong seeds. We should be careful not to adopt this “false white” which creeps up even while our eyes are open and consumes us before we can stop it.

We prophets should be more like the true white lily which is pure rather than a black lily of the world.

But the question still stands, how do we become more like the lily?

There are a few needed elements to grow into a wild pure lily.

We also need to realise that God will place us in the world to grow, where He needs us! We need to accept this and plant our roots deep into the word, rather than uproot ourselves and follow the world.

Your soil that your roots are meant to be planted can be in the forest or wet grounds or even in a grassy plain. One thing I can say though is they all have one thing in common, and that is water. A lily cannot grow unless it is saturated with water.

You might feel you are in a forest (dark, hot and smothered, maybe even small amongst the big trees), but your lily needs those elements to grow so that you can spread the nectar of the word (spiritual word o ministry) in the place.

You might feel you are planted in wet grounds, saturated soil. It might even feel dry sometimes so just pray for your cup to over follow and bring abundance of water.

You might feel you are being dominated by grassy plains, the only lily in the field, hidden, and alone, but this is when you are meant to grow taller than the grass as you are meant to reach those souls.

Remember lilies grow wild and cannot be tamed. They will pop up anywhere and grow if the elements are right. My question to you, should we Christians be tame? Or should we not be wild and speak freely about who Jesus Christ is, and that He came to die for our very sins?

No there is also a time that lilies need a period of refrigeration; they need a cold dormant period in which the seed is prepared to grow. There is always going to be a time in your life where you feel like you have just frozen in time and you are in a drought, where you feel you are not growing let alone blooming. I have news for you though, don’t feel discouraged, as God is busy preparing your seed for the next season to grow. So start praying and pushing deeper into God.

However, with all things, when certain elements are put together you will get pests that come crawling. I like to think of them as pests of the world. You will see that I mention a lot about the worldly things. These pests ofcourse will be pests that attack only lilies, old mould, viruses, beetles, slugs and other mammals.

We as lilies need to beware of two things, pests that can be our down fall and the identity theft creeping in and spreading pests of our own.

We need to watch out for the enemy proclaiming war against us and rather proclaim war against the enemy. We need to guard our petals for unclean things creeping into our lily and taking root in our bulb. And most of all is be aware of the enemy. 1 Peter 5:8 ‘A roaring lion’ – ‘walks about seeking whom he can devour’. Most lilies grow a bulb, which is sometimes eaten as food.

We need to watch out that we don’t as lilies spread spiritual viruses over the area we grow and watch our attitudes.

Now for a lily to grow, the conditions have to be just right. Spring, summer, fall, and with these season what do they mostly attract? Butterflies…beautiful butterflies.

Some will say that a lesson of the butterfly is letting go of old behaviour and expanding into the next phase of existence. Transformation from the world to the spirit. I see it like a pure spirit, after being baptised.

So before we become a lily and frown, we first need to be transformed ourselves. Once we have grown into a lily, God will send you butterflies to help you and strengthen you, other Christians who have already frown and been transformed.

Nice way to think about it is from caterpillar to butterfly to a seed that takes root and grows in the likeness of God. 

Yes you read right ‘likeness of God’, because lilies petals come in multiples of three.

This means being like a lily, you are closer to Gods greatness and the only way to be this close and have this strong relationship is to push deep into those soil zones and soak in Him.

Father / Son / Holy Spirit – in His likeness (Matthew 28:19; Is 6:3; Ps 50:1. Having divine completion, resurrection, being skilled in warfare, the lily is also considered sacred.

But remember we are also warned that multiples of three can also be disharmony, tempted, tested and denying Christ. (Matthew 26:34-37) So be careful that you don’t end up becoming a lily with some serious identity theft complex.

Being called by God to be a lily is a great honour, which I am not about to give up. NO WAY…I want to be first in line; I want to be more like a lily.