You did not choose Me, but I choose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name He may give you. (John 15:16)
Anita Lee-Gimfil, the chosen vessel of God, was appointed to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Truth and the Light, to the people who have yet to see and know Jesus Christ in their hearts.
When her sister fell sick with cancer, lo and behold, she encountered the Holy Spirit for the first time during a prayer revival meeting held at a church.
There, she saw the manifestation of God’s power, which shook the people off the devil’s bondage.
“It was really a message to me. I saw everything with my own eyes. The power of God was at work.”
She felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, who was real to her. So, at the end of the meeting, she asked the prayer revival group to pray for her.
“The Holy Spirit touched me! And I was so strong for the Lord (Jesus Christ). Before then, when I was a Catholic, I could not say anything about the Lord. I could not even praise the Lord.”
“But after the prayer, I felt that I am born again in the Lord. I just wanted to talk about God, and I had so much to talk about Him. I started to share with my friends in my church.”
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:19)
But many friends in the Catholic church warned her to be careful, as many false prophets will rise during the end times and do fake miracles (Matthew 24:24-25). Also, ‘Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light’ (2 Corinthians 11:14). However, Anita was convinced of the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit over her.
Since the prayer, she also began to desire reading the Bible. She used to admire her colleagues, who were born again Christians. They were always talking about God and could quote the Bible.
“I was marveling at them. The Bible is so thick. How could they quote so easily? But nevertheless, when I was touched by the Lord, it became easy.
“After I read the Bible, maybe after half a year later, I was able to quote many Bible verses as well. After being prayed over, the Holy Spirit came, and I could grasp the meaning of the Word in the Bible so clearly.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
The Holy Spirit opened her eyes to the Bible verse in Genesis 3:15.
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He will bruise your head,
And you will bruise His heel.
(Genesis 3:15)
Interestingly, the Latin Vulgate version of the Old Testament says, “she will crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” (Genesis 3:15b), indicating Mary, the mother of Jesus.
However, the Bible clearly shows that it is not the woman, but her Seed who will bruise the head of the serpent.
Who is this seed? Apostle Paul said this clearly in Galatians 3:16:
The promises were spoken to Abraham to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
Also, in the New Testament, 1 John 3:8 says:
For this purpose the Son of God (Jesus Christ) was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
And Romans 16:20 says:
The God of peace will bruise Satan under your feet. (Romans 16:20)
Indeed, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed!
“Before that, I read over this verse so many times, but I never even notice it. But, when the Holy Spirit led, I was so amazed… I told myself, God is soooo good! From the beginning of times, God already promised us that the offspring, Jesus Christ, will crush the head of the serpent!”
She was so amazed, rejoicing at the Lord’s revelation.
Also, she began to pay attention to the preacher’s words, hungry for God’s Word. But one day, she noticed that the priest mentioned that it is the woman who will crush the head of the serpent.
“Why did the priest say God foreshadow that the woman will crush the head of the serpent?”
When she attended the prayer group in the same week, the speaker repeated what the priest shared as well.
“I was there and I heard that. How can that be preached? My heart was not settled because there were about two hundred people listening to that.”
So, she approached the speaker and asked him. But he shook his head repeatedly saying, “I’m so sorry about you… you do not know anything!” However, Anita was not dampened in her spirit.
Hence, she approached another lay leader in the church to ask. He took out three different Bibles, one that was closely translated from the Hebrew. All of them showed that it is the woman’s Seed who will crush the head of the serpent. But he said, “Nevertheless, we just follow the church’s teaching.”
At that time, Anita began to face her first persecution. Five women who were present during the discussion pointed their fingers at her with anger. They told her that she went against the Catholic teaching.
However, convinced with the Truth in the Word of God, she met with the leader of the prayer group. He acknowledged that the Bible clearly stated that it is Jesus Christ who will crush the head of the Serpent. But not many caught the announcement made for the mistake, as most were scurrying off for fellowship dinner.
Later on, Anita was challenged to check with the bishop of the Roman Catholic church in Sabah to clarify that verse and the verse in Revelation 12 (the woman and the dragon). Together with the priest of her church, both testified that the Messianic message of Genesis 3:15 was very clear. It is Jesus Christ who will crush the head of the serpent.
“I was very brave and strong for the Lord to speak. If it is in the Bible, why am I afraid?”
God says, “I will save those who love me
and will protect those who acknowledge me as LORD.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
When they are in trouble, I will be with them.
I will rescue them and honor them.
I will reward them with long life;
I will save them.”
(Psalm 91:14-16)
Nevertheless, even though all of the leaders testified to the Truth of the Word – the Bible – she was told by a few, “Nevertheless, it cannot go against the Catholic teaching. It is the woman who will crush the head of the serpent.”
Challenged to look into the Vatican document, she found that Lumen Gentium II document (Chapter 8, part 2, paragraph 55) indeed stated:
These earliest documents, as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light. When it is looked at in this way, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall into sin. (284)
Apostle Paul gave a strong rebuke to anyone who preaches the gospel other than the Word of Truth, which is the Bible.
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1: 8-9)
While many misunderstood her zealousness for Jesus Christ at church, Anita could finally find a spiritual home in a Spirit-filled group in her church.
“When I went in, I felt like I found my spiritual home. I learned a lot of things there. They taught us how to read the Bible.”
She continued to share about Jesus Christ, how He should be the center of our heart and not Mary.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
A Catholic priest from Hong Kong also resonated with Anita. After his sharing, Anita asked him the burning question in her heart.
“I asked him, ‘Why does the Catholic church talk so much about Mary that people in the church do not even know that we have to pray to Jesus? They end up praying to Mary.’”
The priest agreed and shared an analogy about Jesus Christ. Like a fish served on a platter, we need to focus on the fish, which represents Jesus, and not the decoration around the plate.
However, after the conversation, many ladies came to Anita. They shared how her question pierced their heart till they cried. Tears were streaming down their cheeks as they spoke. They said, “Mary is the center of my heart!”
“But to me, we should focus on God and not Mary. Jesus Christ should be the center of our heart.”
No doubt, the belief of Jesus is there. Nevertheless, the question to ask ourselves is: Who takes the throne in our heart? Who is number one in our heart? Who captures our heart?
Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. (Exodus 34:14)
You will have no other gods before me. You will not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You will not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
Jesus said to him, “’You will love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all our mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:36-38)
Although Anita is a born again Christian now, she needs our prayers!
The Spirit of the Lord is on (Anita), because He has anointed (Anita) to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent (Anita) to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (taken from Luke 4:19)
Let us all pray for Anita, that the Holy Spirit will walk closely with her, giving her understanding in all things when speaking the Word of God. May the LORD grant her everything she needs.
Most importantly, this also shows that no matter what denomination we are from, we are called to ‘come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the full measure of the fullness of Christ.’ (Ephesians 4:13)
Like Anita, everyone of us is mandated to ‘speak the truth in love, that we may grow up in all things into Him who is the HEAD – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.’ (Ephesians 4:15-16)
Only Jesus Christ is the head of the universal Church, all over the world. Regardless of denominations, we are all called to be worshippers in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). And yes, this Truth refers to His irreplaceable Word, which is the Bible. We praise God that all believers in Christ can read and understand His Word.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him (God) better.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength He (God) exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under His feet (Jesus Christ’s feet) and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.
(Ephesians 1:18-23)
While Good Friday is approaching, let us be reminded of what Jesus Christ done for us on the cross. May His Name be exalted above all names!
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Amen.