 |
| Lord, hear our prayers! |
ANNOUNCEMENT: The Kingdom of God is right and true. It is invincible. It's not
shaking, it's not teetering, and it's not diminished by
what is happening now or will take place in the world. And neither should the people who make up the Kingdom of God!
The Lord told me 25 years ago that the Bride He returns for will have eyes for no one and nothing (read no thing) other than Him. Those words have stayed with me for all these years as His standard for His bride. We are far from that; we are distracted by more things than I can number. Don't let the immediacy of the moment continue to distract you from issues of eternity.
I'm motivated to write in response to several emails I've received lately from people being frightened or disheartened by the turn of events going on in the world. Despite being people who are exhorted by the Lord that though we are "in" the world, we are not to be "of" the world, I'm hearing some believers sounding a bit too much like their trust is in the world's system, not in King Jesus and His Kingdom.
The Lord told me 25 years ago that the Bride He returns for will have eyes for no one and nothing (read no thing) other than Him. Those words have stayed with me for all these years as His standard for His bride. We are far from that; we are distracted by more things than I can number. Don't let the immediacy of the moment continue to distract you from issues of eternity.
I'm motivated to write in response to several emails I've received lately from people being frightened or disheartened by the turn of events going on in the world. Despite being people who are exhorted by the Lord that though we are "in" the world, we are not to be "of" the world, I'm hearing some believers sounding a bit too much like their trust is in the world's system, not in King Jesus and His Kingdom.
Do you believe we might actually be in the last days of the age? Then why are we surprised, or frightened, or outraged when ungodly and evil things
happen when Jesus told us they would? Many Believers are taken by surprise at the way some thing appear to be going. The presidential election for some, seemed as if God wasn't answering prayer - or at least prayer the way they expected things to go. On a larger scale, most of us did not expect the spirit of anti-Christ to come from Islam but it sure does look that way. During the "cold war" years we were sure the anti-Christ would come out of Russia, because that's where our concerns were, but now we see that Biblically, the end time scenario is all about a mid-east conflict and Israel having to deal with the same enemies she did in times past.
All this lines up with God's warnings of the last days. Read Matthew 24 and 25, for instance. We are having to adjust to the fact that we might actually be the people who go through the last days birth pains. Many believers, especially North Americans, have expected to be "raptured" out of harms way and can't imagine they'd still be here if society as we have known it ceased to be as "comfortable" as it has been for the most part. On a number of levels - let's take morally for instance - our society has radically changed in the past decade or two. And we can't blame things on our president(s) though there are concerns. We've been frogs in a pot of increasingly heated immoral water for quite a while.
What if we are still here, even if just for a part of the days of woe the Bible speaks of? What if you are still here? What prayers would we pray then that we so much would want God to hear and respond to? What government will you pray to be made right then? The government of the Kingdom of God, or that of the world?
What would cause each individual who is of His true church, to do away with our distractions so that we are ready for His coming? What would it take for you to give up your distractions? The mercies of God come in very strange packages sometimes. And sometimes it's persecution that sorts out one's priorities. Perhaps, by His grace, He is giving us the opportunity now to come to Him and learn to receive His love in a greater measure so that we know how to find all we need in Him. As we give Him our focus and trust our distractions will fall away as we come to know His great love, His care and His commitment to us in greater measure. It doesn't take much coming to Him and being with Him for His love to capture our hearts! it's the "gettin' about it" that's the challenge.What are you distracted by?
Jesus told someone who had been to heaven and returned with messages from Him, that His people are more interested in their security in the world and their comfort than in Him coming and so we pray against the things that must happen before He returns. Now I can understand that. We are to pray for the peace of our cities, and for peace for Jerusalem, and we all want peace for ourselves and our loved ones. But even the Comcast TV guy who came to fix something today, a believer, said to me as we discussed these things, "Jesus told us these kinds of things would have to happen."
All this lines up with God's warnings of the last days. Read Matthew 24 and 25, for instance. We are having to adjust to the fact that we might actually be the people who go through the last days birth pains. Many believers, especially North Americans, have expected to be "raptured" out of harms way and can't imagine they'd still be here if society as we have known it ceased to be as "comfortable" as it has been for the most part. On a number of levels - let's take morally for instance - our society has radically changed in the past decade or two. And we can't blame things on our president(s) though there are concerns. We've been frogs in a pot of increasingly heated immoral water for quite a while.
What if we are still here, even if just for a part of the days of woe the Bible speaks of? What if you are still here? What prayers would we pray then that we so much would want God to hear and respond to? What government will you pray to be made right then? The government of the Kingdom of God, or that of the world?
What would cause each individual who is of His true church, to do away with our distractions so that we are ready for His coming? What would it take for you to give up your distractions? The mercies of God come in very strange packages sometimes. And sometimes it's persecution that sorts out one's priorities. Perhaps, by His grace, He is giving us the opportunity now to come to Him and learn to receive His love in a greater measure so that we know how to find all we need in Him. As we give Him our focus and trust our distractions will fall away as we come to know His great love, His care and His commitment to us in greater measure. It doesn't take much coming to Him and being with Him for His love to capture our hearts! it's the "gettin' about it" that's the challenge.What are you distracted by?
Jesus told someone who had been to heaven and returned with messages from Him, that His people are more interested in their security in the world and their comfort than in Him coming and so we pray against the things that must happen before He returns. Now I can understand that. We are to pray for the peace of our cities, and for peace for Jerusalem, and we all want peace for ourselves and our loved ones. But even the Comcast TV guy who came to fix something today, a believer, said to me as we discussed these things, "Jesus told us these kinds of things would have to happen."
Jesus must let sin play out its hand just as He let the sin of the
Ammorites, whatever that was, play out when the children of Israel were
enslaved by Egypt. But in the midst of the darkness over Egypt, there was
sunlight in Goshen. When the plagues came to Egypt, they didn't come to Goshen
until the day when God brought them out of Egypt with a strong Hand. I see
prophetic pictures in that. Both as pharaoh being a type of anti-Christ and in
God's provision for His people in the midst of judgment. Since we're born
again, unlike the infant nation of Israel, we will not be slaves because He has
already set us free. We will never be spiritually enslaved to anyone, no matter what
happens in the natural because we are free in Him.
Our anger then must be righteous anger and our fear must be that we would offend God by fearing the enemy which would mean that our faith is more in what the enemy could do than in what God is doing or for that matter, who He is! I understand the feelings in the natural. I would like to flee as well from what could possibly take placet. But God responds to the prayers of His people even if they are out numbered. He may not answer in the way we requested or expected, but He will answer. Is it just possible that He is in fact answering our prayers for revival by having the election go as it did, so that we continue to look to Him for revival in our nation(s) rather than to sink into being comfortable with things in the natural? (Selah).
While we are waiting for God's answer to our heartfelt prayers, we must give consideration to how we affect those around us, especially the young ones and those weak of spirit. We need not to be shouting doom from the housetops but instead declaring what God is whispering to us through His word and by His Spirit. He says to us, "Fear not, little flock. I have overcome the world." That is either true or it's not. If it is true, then we can fully depend upon it manifesting in our lives.
We MUST not loose faith in the Lord, no matter what. Christians have been suffering for 2000 years in one place or another. We are somewhat alarmed because we are now concerned that changes might possibly happen to us that we might be still here for. He is equal to keeping those who are His. He always has been! We must live as those who will stand before Him one day blameless with great joy and let nothing derail us from that.
So let us each be leaders in our own sphere of influence, holding high the standard of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as we know. Let's none of us be that weak link that breaks or diminishes the chain of faith in God. but instead be those who strengthen the faith of others, looking to our first century brothers and sisters as models of Believers trusting God in times of difficulty and affecting the world with their faith in God.Our greatest hour is before us.
Our anger then must be righteous anger and our fear must be that we would offend God by fearing the enemy which would mean that our faith is more in what the enemy could do than in what God is doing or for that matter, who He is! I understand the feelings in the natural. I would like to flee as well from what could possibly take placet. But God responds to the prayers of His people even if they are out numbered. He may not answer in the way we requested or expected, but He will answer. Is it just possible that He is in fact answering our prayers for revival by having the election go as it did, so that we continue to look to Him for revival in our nation(s) rather than to sink into being comfortable with things in the natural? (Selah).
While we are waiting for God's answer to our heartfelt prayers, we must give consideration to how we affect those around us, especially the young ones and those weak of spirit. We need not to be shouting doom from the housetops but instead declaring what God is whispering to us through His word and by His Spirit. He says to us, "Fear not, little flock. I have overcome the world." That is either true or it's not. If it is true, then we can fully depend upon it manifesting in our lives.
We MUST not loose faith in the Lord, no matter what. Christians have been suffering for 2000 years in one place or another. We are somewhat alarmed because we are now concerned that changes might possibly happen to us that we might be still here for. He is equal to keeping those who are His. He always has been! We must live as those who will stand before Him one day blameless with great joy and let nothing derail us from that.
So let us each be leaders in our own sphere of influence, holding high the standard of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as we know. Let's none of us be that weak link that breaks or diminishes the chain of faith in God. but instead be those who strengthen the faith of others, looking to our first century brothers and sisters as models of Believers trusting God in times of difficulty and affecting the world with their faith in God.Our greatest hour is before us.
No comments:
Post a Comment