The Vagabond Spirit
Psalms 1:2-4
1 Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.
2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.
3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].
4 Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.
God created us and designed us spiritually to be planted. According to scripture believers who are wanderers, those who are not planted. They place themselves under curse like conditions, keeping themselves from truly bearing lasting fruit and not allowing themselves to be used to build anything in the kingdom with any lasting permanence.
PEOPLE OF ROOT WILL ALWAYS BEAR FRUIT - BUT IF YOURE ROOTLESS YOUR FRUITLESS!
Jeremiah 17:7-8King James Version (KJV)
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, NEITHER shall cease from yielding fruit.
Notice the bible teaches that when you are planted you will not cease from yielding fruit.
As I was seeking the Lord on what to bring the people. I felt the Lord speak a word into my spirit, it was the word VAGABOND.
The word vagabond was not a word I had ever really used so I began to do some research.
I went to the book of beginnings, the book of Genesis, this is where we will usually find the beginning of biblical principles and the origin of a thing.
Notice with me what it says in Genesis 4:4-12
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
In Genesis chapter 4 we see that the first time the word VAGABOND is mentioned it is in reference to a CURSE.
The Hebrew word for Vagabond means:
- A person without a permanent home who moves from place to place.
- a vagrant
- a wanderer
- a tramp (prostitute) a person who gets intimate with many but stays with none
- irregular - someone contrary to rule, accepted order or general practice - departing from the usual pattern, not belonging to a permanent, organized military force.
The word vagabond also means - to move to and fro, to take flight at a moments notice. To waver or to be a runabout
Why is God so adamant about the believer being PLANTED?
Because God knows that believers that are not planted are people without a (permanent home) they will move to and fro and will take flight at a moments notice. If corrected or rebuked, if confronted they will easily take flight. Why? Because they have no root, they are not planted. They will be like tramps that get intimate in our churches for a season, but never stay with any.
They wander from church home to church home
And if they do have a place they call "home" they seldom attend with any measure of frequency, they are wanderers in the fellowship. God can't depend on them to build his church.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOMEONE WITH A VAGABOND SPIRIT:
They are IRREGULAR:
-Contrary to rule - Always finding fault or coming up against church leadership.
-Contrary to accepted order - Always coming up against the way things are done (with no spirit of meekness or humility)
-Departing from the usual pattern - always wanting to do things their own way. When they are instructed to do something they still do things how they see fit.
-They don't take correction well or at all.
THE DEVIL KNOWS THAT A WANDERING PEOPLE WILL NEVER BECOME STRONG.
GOD DID NOT TAKE THE PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT TO HAVE THEM WANDERING IN THE DESSERT LIKE VAGABONDS. HIS PLAN WAS TO GIVE THEM A HOME.
However, the Devil knew quite well what expelled him from his own permanent residence was rebellion in the heart and murmuring - therefore if he could affect the people's heart and cause the people to engage in similar behavior it would keep them from being planted in their own land.
When a person begins to murmur they will slowly begin to uproot.
The reason God caused the people of Israel to wander In the desert was because they were wandering in their hearts. so he gave them over to their wanderings.
GOD HATES A WANDERING / VAGABOND SPIRIT - Notice what he says in the book of Jeremiah
O Lord, act for Your name’s sake!
Truly our apostasies have been many,
We have sinned against You.
Its Savior in time of distress,
Why are You like a stranger in the land
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?
Like a mighty man who cannot save?
Yet You are in our midst, O Lord,
And we are called by Your name;
Do not forsake us!”
10 Thus says the Lord to this people, “Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check.
Therefore the Lord does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” 11 So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people.
The people were asking God, Why is it that you are in our midst but do not deliver? Why is it that you are like a traveler that only pitches a tent for a night?
And notice what God answers:
"You have loved to wander and have not kept your feet in check"
In other words God was saying I am treating you the way you are treating me.
JUDE WARNS US ABOUT THE VAGABOND SPIRIT
As we read Jude's stern warning please recall the verses we have already read thus far in our study.
JUDE 1:11-13
11 Woe to them! For they have run riotously in the way of Cain (a vagabond), and have abandoned themselves for the sake of gain following the error of Balaam, and have perished in rebellion [like that] of Korah!
12 These are hidden reefs (elements of danger) in your love feasts, where they boldly feast sumptuously [carousing together in your midst], without scruples providing for themselves [alone]. They are clouds without water, swept along by the winds; trees, without fruit at the late autumn gathering time—twice (doubly) dead, [lifeless and] plucked up by the roots;
13 Wild waves of the sea, flinging up the foam of their own shame and disgrace; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of eternal darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude warns us about those who are in our church gatherings who are like wandering stars. They are also like shifting clouds that one moment they appear one way and the next moment they take on another form or shape. Notice he refers to them as trees who have been uprooted and can no longer bear fruit.
Jude says these run the way of Cain (a vagabond) In a few verses prior to verse 11 he also compares them to angels who did not hold to there first estate and like the men of sodom who wandered from there sexual identity
In summery Jude warns us against the vagabond and describes them as:
a) Spots in your love feast
b) clouds carried about
c) trees who's fruit withers, plucked up from the roots
d) raging waves
c) wandering stars
d) fault finding and murmuring
If Gods people do not deal aggressively with these traits in our lives we will usually end up as spiritual Vagabonds. Creating and causing trouble in the body and disrupting what the church is called to do and build.
The problem is that this spirit has infiltrated many churches, it has crept in. if the enemy is able to bring a wandering spirit into the church nothing permanent can be built.
God is building with living stones not tumble weed believers.
Sometimes I feel like changing the name of some folks in our church to Mr. And Mrs. tumble weed.
Phil 1:27
"Keep the unity not tossed to and fro..." - Eph 4:2-3, 11-16, 25-32
As Pastors we encounter Vagabond spirits all the time
- It is the inability to tough it out in the toughest times, to endure and be constant.
- It is usually the constant feelings of "It's better to leave" A tree will never say, "I've been through so much bad weather lately I think it's time for me to uproot and leave"
The Jews learned a tough lesson in their wanderings, that there is no place like home - this is why no one can move the Jews out of Jerusalem, they say you can bomb us, terrorize us, surround us, criticize us BUT WE WILL NO LONGER BE VAGABONDS IN THE EARTH.
If you are dealing with a vagabond spirit in your own heart and life repent of your wanderings. Ask Jesus to make you as a tree planted that brings forth fruit in due season. Ask The Lord to make you constant and reliable. Repent from easily taking flight when times get tough and abandoning those whom God has joined you to.
- Pastor Daniel Cruz
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Pastor Cruz email:
Faithworldchicago@gmail.com
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