Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
How many of us have suffered from paralysis of analysis? We are so unsure of Gods will for our life that we cannot discern our way ahead. We are afraid that if we do not hear an audible voice or even a small still voice then we could make a mistake and if we step outside of His plan, then we face ruin and attack from an enemy just waiting to pounce. It’s hard to imagine that the Royal Priesthood could suffer such bondage from the father of lies.
The truth is, that God the Father has a plan, set in stone, for each and every one of us and He has had it since the foundations of the world, and that plan will absolutely and definitely come to pass. The real test for us as Christians is how we walk through the path set before us. We have a starting point and we have a finishing point, that is the plan and that is the path we will take. Never let Satan convince you that you are a failure and that you are of no use to God and that have blown it and your usefulness is over, this is a lie from the father of lies to torment you. Our task here on earth is to walk the path set before us in a peace that surpasses all understanding. We do not determine the path, it is determined for us, but we do determine how we walk it. Do you want to be a powerful witness, a light unto the world? Do you want to walk in power, a power that amazes the unsaved?
Do you spend a lot of your energy trying to shape your life? Do you get exhausted trying to control and manipulate events in your life? Your life is not your own. What unfolds in your life is no mere chance. The Bible tells us the steps of a righteous man and woman are ordered of God, not the enemy, not yourselves, but of God. This is what we sign onto when we come to Him. We die to ourselves, we no longer belong to ourselves, we belong to Him, body and soul.
If you belong to Him then your ship has sailed. It will arrive at its destination. It will go through calm waters, windless days and months when you seem to be going nowhere. It will go through storms and hurricanes when it seems that the boat will be swamped and perhaps founder in the rough seas. Torrential rain, blistering sun, icebergs, beautiful cloudless sunny days, you will experience them all on your journey. Your journey has a beginning and it has an end. Jesus lay asleep in the boat because He already told the disciples that He was going to the other side.
“Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Rev 3:19-21)
For too long we, as the called out people have only entered into “His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.” And while there is great emphasis in ancient Israel for worship of joyful abandon and gladness, this was not the only “mood,” of worship.
Even prior to Jesus manifesting Himself on the earth there was a worship of awe and of reverence where one could barely lift their heads. The power would fall, the shekinah glory of the living God would fall with such a “Holy heaviness,” that one could barely lift their heads. There is a desperate need for this kind of encounter in our day.
If we are to move to a different place in God, as individuals and as a called out people, we must answer the knock at the door of our hearts. In order to hear that knocking we must abandon the cares of this world and retreat from its noise and distractions. Instead of seeking the gold and the silver of this world, we must turn our eyes to the treasures that belong to heaven and its throne room. We cannot do this by employing “professional,” worship teams and leaders. Genuine corporate prayer with a desire to enter into His presence is the key.
If we are to hear God, we must become silent before Him. We are moving into a time where it will be vital to be intimate with Him.There is a time for shouting and praising God, but if we are ignoring the knocking, if we never get to that place of reverence and awe when He moves and we simply bow our heads and tremble at His glory then we must stop shouting. If our lives are not reflecting the Glory of God, if we are not becoming like His Son daily, then all of our shouting and praising God will just be so much noise. How tragic for the church of the living God if, when He looks down, He does not see praise but just a group of people making a noise.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Perhaps you have a family member or friend or loved one that seems to be in a hopeless situation, you may even have given up all hope for that person. Yet Our Lord is Hope itself. Hope is the wellspring that all of our joy flows from. We have two choices in this life, even as a Christian, we can live in hope or we can despair. Hope gives birth to joy and to life and to strength. It is because I am in Christ that my hope springs eternal. It is awesome to know that our Heavenly Father is willing to go to enormous lengths to fulfill His plans.
You can only see a snap-shot of your life but the Lord sees it all, from beginning to end. Keep on seeking the Lord with all of your heart. He will bring you out of this place that you find yourself in. Lift up your eyes today and see where your help comes from. Your help comes from the Lord. He sees the afflictions of your heart and He knows your pain. Be encouraged today saint, the Lord your God is with you and He wants you to know that.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
That is one of the most life giving Scriptures I can think of. I want to speak to saints who today are struggling with the notion “does God loves me.” Yes, yes, yes He does. Think about it for just one second. If, while you were yet in your sin, in your old life, dwelling in darkness, the Lord Jesus saved you, reconciled you to Himself, how much more now that you are a child of the living God?
I am not speaking of any kind of cheap grace here, I would never give solace to those who would trample the blood of Jesus and never give it a second thought although they call themselves Christians. No, I am talking to you dear saint. Blood bought and redeemed. I know you may have messed up. This is exactly why this is for you. It is by His life that you are saved. It is His life that is coursing through your veins. It is because of His life in you that you struggle right now. If you had no life in you there would be no struggle.
“But where sin abounded grace did much more abound.” Think on that for just a moment, just a moment saints. The grace of God abounds much more than your sin. What is this grace? Is it not un-merited favor! Favor to do what? To come before His Holy throne and fall down at the feet of your heavenly Father and cry out “Holy.” “Forgive me Father.” This is favor above all favor. This is the grace of God, the ability to come and hear these words oh you of a contrite and broken heart ” rise up child for you are forgiven.” Right there, right there changes everything!
Brother, sister, don’t you dare stay away from the throne. Dont you listen to the accuser of the brethren. He wants to take away from Calvary. He wants to rob Calvary of its greatest achievement, the ability for you to come, by the grace of God, by the work on the cross, before a Holy God and not stare upon your sin but lift up your head and gaze upon His glory. Oh yes its gonna hurt as the blinding light of His glory reveals the sin that you have brought. But it is that very glory, that Holiness that drives out the darkness from our hearts and draws us deeper into the Father’s heart.
No more to run and hide naked behind a tree as the God of all creation says “come to me.” Now, naked before the throne but covered by the Blood of the greatest sacrifice of all. We can come and say ” here I am Father.” We have been cleansed by something so much deeper and so much more powerful than any coal from the fires of heaven, we have been cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb. This is where you belong brothers and sisters and don’t you let any lie persuade you otherwise. Do not be robbed of your birthright, your new-birth right given to you at so much cost. This grace I speak of is the exact opposite of cheap grace, which leads to spiritual death and separation.
So, if today you have been asking yourself ” how can God love me,” or ” does He still love me.” The answer is that He loved you when you were yet in your sin, when you were an enemy to Him. Now let me ask you something. How much do you love your very own children? How many times have you forgiven them? How many times did Jesus tell His disciples to forgive others? Are we greater than our Master? Does our love for our own Children exceed our Heavenly Fathers love for His? You already know the answer. Rest in it today dear saint and when you get up from that rest go and sin no more. You have the Blood of Jesus flowing through you, you have the power to overcome.
Philippians 3:7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
How many times was the Lord rejected? How many times was He ridiculed and scorned? How grievous the journey knowing the end? How savage the battle in the garden? How savage the treatment at the hands of Romans? How cruel the desertion of all of his friends, including his best and dearest? How indescribable the drinking of the cup? Yet even in the midst of one of the cruelest deaths known to man, He ministers. How deep the love that cries “forgive them Father?” How dead to the flesh a man must be to cry “hold not this charge against them.” How transformed must the flesh be that has a vision in the depths of being stoned by his countrymen? And brother Stephen was taken home loving those who bore the stones.
Would I respond in kind in the same situation? I pray that I would, I pray that every trial and tribulation I now suffer is a mile run by one who trains for a marathon. Can I see my trials as blessings? Can I walk counter to modern Christendom and count my trials as I count my blessings Could I sing “Count my trials name them one by one, count my trials see what God has done, count my trials, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done” This is the deeper life brothers and sisters. This is the counter-culture. This is the way of the remnant.
This is the narrow path. This is counter to the way of modern Christianity. Shall we look to stay on this path? Shall we arrive at such a place as to rejoice in our sufferings? How can a man rejoice in his sufferings? Well, a man cannot, only a saint empowered by the Holy Spirit can. “And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”(Act 5:40-41) There is much power in their obedience and rejoicing.
There is no key or magic wand or instructions on how to rejoice in the depths of suffering. There is only encounter, there is only desire, there is only that thirst spoken of by David when he spoke of the deer that panteth after the waterbrooks. Make no mistake brothers and sisters, this place, this walk of the saints, this place of peace that surpasses all understanding in born out of fire.
We have to encounter the Lord Jesus in the depths of the fiery furnace. We have to encounter Him when He reveals to us by His loving Spirit exactly who we are. Is there another way? No. It’s the narrow path, it’s the taking up of the cross, it’s the decision made in the garden of Gethsemane and even that is not it, there is still the death, even the death of the cross. Many men will die for the cause, how many are willing to die for the cross?
In Exodus 32 we read a very disturbing story. Moses leaves the people and goes up into the mountain to be with God. It was not long at all before the people come to Aaron, his brother, a priest, the religious head, and demand from him an idol to worship because Moses was seemingly gone and would not return. Aaron, rather than stand his ground, placate the people and gives them what they want. He gathers from them gold and from that gold he makes a calf, the very god that was worshiped in Egypt, and the people fall down and worship this calf as they give this false god credit for taking them out of Egypt.
We are living in a day when the Lord’s presence has all but departed from our gatherings, our meetings, our churches. The people have come to the religious leaders and demanded that they ignore divorce. They have demanded that they recognize gay marriage. They have demanded that they recognize trans-genders. Every form of sin one can imagine the people have demanded the religious leaders legitimize. And once they got it the people have risen up and played the harlot with other gods while the King of Kings is relegated to a mere afterthought and a slogan.
Now, when Moses returns and confronts Aaron, listen to what Aaron says to Moses. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf (Exo 32:24) Aaron has not only completely ignored his role in the whole affair by blaming the people, he lies through his teeth. He says that he throws all the gold that was gathered, into a fire, and out pops, as if by magic, a golden calf. Yet we know from the previous verses that this of course was not so.
And all the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.(Exo 32:3-4)
You see? He fashioned the idol with a graving tool. He, very particularly created the very god that they had been delivered from, the god that was worshiped by the Egyptians and under whose name they had been enslaved and treated cruelly for hundreds of years. They had fallen back into slavery. When Moses found them they were naked, they had been involved in every kind of sexual sin as they had thrown of all the restraints of a Holy God.
Now, the religious leaders of many of today’s denominations have thrown of all restraints. All over the world we see denominations embrace sexually sinful lifestyles for the same reason that Aaron did. Aaron feared the people. He was not a leader at all, Moses was. He feared that the people would reject him or kill him so he not only gave them what they wanted, he himself crafted the very gods that the people were bowing down to and rising up to play in the name of.
We see that the punishment was severe. Three thousand were killed by the hands of the Levites. Now we know that God could have slain them, He had slain others before who had been involved in rebellion. Yet here, the Levites must decide whom they serve. Undoubtedly they were called to slay those whom they knew, family members, friends and the like. Today, we must decide whom we shall serve. We are certainly not called to kill anyone but we are called to discern with whom we shall fellowship with.
Brothers and sisters do you dwell within an organization that is run by religious leaders who have capitulated to the noisiest and basest of people? Will you partake of their sin? We know from our reading of Scripture that not all the people indulged in this rebellion. In verse 26 Moses calls to the people “Who is on the Lord’s side?” The question for Christendom today is as relevant “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Will you be found standing upon the Lord and His Word or will you be found fallen and naked before the golden calf? The rebellion that we see in the Christian camp today all over the world is as serious if not more serious than what we read in the scriptural account here in Exodus. There comes a time when you must make a stand, you must decide if you will follow the people and what seems right in their eyes or will you follow the Lord and His Word even if it means that you will be despised and rejected by the world. As Moses learned a long time before it is better to ” suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” (Heb 11:26)
So many people out there do not have good father stories. I used to hate Fathers day at church. I used to hate having to go through all the fathers day cards and find them so outlandish in my own particular situation that I simply could not find one. I would invariably end up in the humor section. Fathers are foundational, i believe, for good of for ill. So if you do not have one or if you have a father who has been without mercy to you, there is a heavenly Father who in His very essence is a Father to the fatherless.
In many ways, being fatherless or being the victim of a terrible father is a huge open door to God. God has promises and here is one. But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.(Psalm 10:14) It says that God has considered your grief and He has taken your very grief into His hand. He sees the trouble of the afflicted and His heart is an open door to all who suffer.
So, tomorrow, when there are celebrations and no one sees your secret tears or senses the pain that resides within your heart, remember this; your heavenly Father sees. He not only sees but His heart is with you as He extends His hand to you. Take His hand and lay in that hand all the troubles and afflictions of your childhood. Know that your heavenly Father will never leave you nor harm you nor afflict you nor forsake you. He is the Father of all Fathers and within His hand lies beauty for ashes. In His hand the phoenix rises, the dead come back to life, love is born where no love should exist. He opens up paths before you where before lay an open ocean, an impassable mountain, a great gulf that humanly could not be passed.
His path, His Way, is the way of life. He beckons the fatherless and the widow and the orphan to turn from the dark path that should be their lot and to follow the light of His love. To discover His path is to foil the plans of the enemy of our souls. Rather than being drawn down into the darkness, into the fog, into the recesses of dysfunction we are drawn ever upwards towards the glory of a risen King who dwells in lofty places with His children, the broken and the contrite. Today is the day to lift up your eyes and see where your help comes from.
For thus said the high and exalted One, Inhabiting eternity, and holy is His name: ‘In the high and holy place I dwell, And with the bruised and humble of spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of bruised ones. (Isaiah 57:15)
The day that you walked through my door
Caused my poor heart to take flight and soar
You filled me with joy and my sin was no more
The day that you walked through my door
The day that you entered my heart
Caused the ocean to split and to part
You filled me with peace and that was the start
The day that you entered my heart
The day that you saved me from sin
Caused me great peace and stillness within
You rescued my heart and you gathered me in
The day that you saved me from sin
The day that you set my soul free
Caused my poor heart to leap within me
You bridged the gulf that was wide as the sea
The day that you set my soul free
The day that your victory was won
Was the day that our victory begun
You came to this earth and was bright as the sun
The day that your victory was won
Show me Lord your depths
Come now and lead my steps
Raise me up my King
To the place where I can sing
Of your majesty and spleandor
Tis a place of sure surrender
Chorus
Christ forever true
My heart it longs for you
With all my hearts desire
Baptize me in thy fire
Verse 2
Show me Lord your heights
Lead me through the nights
Lift me to that place
Where I gaze upon your face
Where there are no restraints
And no one ever faints
Chorus
Verse 3
Show me Lord your scars
Break through all my bars
So that I am surely free
With eyes that now can see
Your majesty and glory
And all of you, so Holy
Chorus
Verse 4
Show me Lord your hands
Where the nails made such demands
And the wound there in your side
There was no place for pride
And your feet nailed just for me
For all the world to see
Chorus
Verse 5
Show me Lord your heart
That I might play my part
In the story of your love
Raining down from up above
To a place that’s ever true
Where the veil was torn in two
Chorus
Christ forever true
My heart it longs for you
With all my hearts desire
Baptize me in thy fire
Wilkerson is gone now, and it is easy to forget. But the fact is,
there were often many in the modern Charismatic movement who
basically opposed all that David Wilkerson stood for. They described
him as a “Doom and Gloom” merchant – always warning of what
was coming and calling the nation and the church to REPENTANCE.
I received an email from some U.S friends awhile ago who had
just gone back to a Pentecostal church after some years. They
told me, “If I bring up David Wilkerson, they all get a hateful,
angry look on their face.” Isn’t that terribly sad.
Even though David Wilkerson was the one man who consistently
warned America of cataclysms just like the ones we have seen,
he was still denigrated. Even though he was proved right, still they
detested him! I think it is because his major message was
“REPENT”. And he didn’t pussy-foot around like a lot of these
other so-called “prophets”.
When the “God Wants You Rich” prosperity message began to
spread, David was one of the few leaders who publicly refuted it
and called the people to repent from the “love of money”. Many
hated him for that. Especially because he is so direct and
up-front.
And when the ‘Toronto Blessing’ came along, with churches full
of the most weird and often ugly behaviour – he called it like it
was. He was one of the few (if any) Pentecostal leaders who
actually stood up publicly and refuted this new ‘spirit’ that was
invading the church. You can imagine how despised he was
for that.
There is a ‘Prophetic’ movement in the world today that is in
my opinion very far removed from the word ‘Prophet’. It sells
truckloads of books and holds untold conferences, but at the
end of the day it is a mealy-mouthed travesty of the word
‘Prophetic’. It retains its popularity because it is almost always
“positive” and up-lifting. The voice of an Amos or Jeremiah is
rarely (if ever) heard in its ranks – let alone a “John the Baptist”.
It is almost never blunt or confrontational – especially about sin.
A lot of this movement has a chronic obsession with the ‘religious
spirit’. Everywhere these people look all they can see are religious
spirits of legalism, pharisaism, etc. Thus they are always talking
about “grace, grace, grace”. The words “Sin, Righteousness
and Judgement” are almost a horror to them, because they are
so fearful of being ‘religious’. And thus when they come across
a prophet who actually preaches on Sin, Righteousness and
Judgement (-which are the very things Jesus said His Spirit
would CONVICT of), they reject him. Every true prophet that I
know of down through history has been a ‘Sin, Righteousness
and Judgement’ preacher. So has every true Revivalist. (Finney,
Wesley, Whitfield, Edwards, etc). It is part of the job description!
We have invented a new meaning for the term ‘Prophetic’ in
our day that is far below the standard of the Bible. And far
below the standard that must be in place to see a true Revival.
I think it was God’s spokesman Ezekiel who coined the term
“pillow prophets”. That is the last thing that America needs in
her hour of crisis. What is needed are voices who truly tell it like
it is – who WARN the people, no matter what the cost. -A ‘clear
trumpet sound’.
David Wilkerson was just such a voice. And he was almost a
‘lone’ voice – though thank God he was widely heard. I believe
God placed him in New York deliberately – the city that
combines world political power with world financial power and
world media power. David was “God’s man” in that city – I truly
believe this. And if he said that God’s message to America
through these events was “REPENT” then personally I would
believe him rather than any mealy-mouthed ‘prophet’ who said
otherwise.
David hated sin and deception so much, and loved God and
the people so much, that he could not stand to be silent when
God’s heart-truths were being trampled underfoot. That is the
mark of a true prophet. He will be sorely missed.
In the realms of Christianity there is a lot spoken of and written about brokenness. Brokenness is not something we simply volunteer for thus avoiding the difficult situations in life. It is not merely a box to be ticked off. Brokenness is when a situation or a series of circumstances comes along where the only decision to be made is to surrender it all to God or fall back on the flesh. The old man screams to be justified, the new man falls down on his face.
Brokenness typically happens after the old man has come roaring back into our lives and takes us completely by surprise. We thought he was dead but we forgot that he still lives in our flesh. He has been replaced by Christ but he can still make a great deal of noise. He is dead in that you now are free of him and able to overcome him. In our surrender and brokenness we discover or rediscover our great need for God, every hour and every minute of the day.
What is a culture of co-existence? In countries throughout the world, for long periods of time, different cultures co-existed. Then what seems to happen is that circumstances change. A catalyst or catalystic events unfold and tensions rise. Often times in a society the minority have ruled the majority and they always seem to make the same mistakes. Greed, lust, desire for power, envy the very essence of a wicked heart begins its journey until it consumes the hosts. The Bible says “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
If this is true, and I believe that it is, then every society, as it progresses, has already begun the process of its own destruction. The only measurement of its inner ferocity and appetites for wickedness is time. As that wickedness increases and accelerates then the cultures within the dying country or empire begin to coalesce. Hemogany is the order of the day and people gather together with those whom they identify with. It does not have to be color. Class distinction has caused more deaths in the world throughout history that racism has. Man will find a way to hate his fellow-man.
The difference today that separates us from all of history is that the culture of co-existence, where different groups of people can live together with basic good will and harmony, is in free fall all over the world at the same time. On the largest scale it is globalists against nationalists. Brexit and the last election in America are great examples of the struggles between globalists and, for lack of a better word, nationalists. Nationalists will not prevail. The world is heading towards oneness. The globalists will use issues such as Climate change and monetary polices to move forward their agenda.
How does any of this effect Christians? Well we too shall gather together as cataclysmic events unfold. The line and walls that have separated us for multiple generations will crumble and fall. I celebrate that aspect of it. Yet there is another aspect of it. A one world order will require a one world religion. Constantine declared Christianity to be the official religion of Rome. In order to have one system to order the world, and it will be about order, that will require a one world religion. Ecumenicalism will finally have its day. It will not only bring about a unity among the Christian denominations of the world, it will incorporate all the major religions of the world.
Now, since order will be the order of the day then there can be no room or quarter for dissenting voices. Because the world will come to the brink of an all out war and complete financial collapse then order above all else will be the mantra. Order and the brotherhood of man, although it is doubtful that phrase could every be used in a politically correct world. It is incumbent upon the saints to know the truth and stand upon it because the world has sown the wind and shall soon reap the whirlwind. It will not be the whirlwind of chaos and anarchy, it will be the whirlwind of oneness. The construction of the Tower of Babel will once again be taken up and the cry of the world shall be “peace,peace,” but there shall be no peace. Out that darkness the saints cries will be heard around the world. Their light will shine and cause great distress to those who shall be living in shades of grey. How will they drown out the cries? How will they put out the light?
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.(Isa 63:9)
Think about that brothers and sisters. In all of their afflictions He was afflicted. Don’t let anyone tell you the Lord does not feel the pain of His people. It is for this very reason that He sent His Son, His great love for His people. He carries us on angels wings, He carries us in everything. He carries us when we are low, He carries us when there seems to be nowhere to go. In all of our afflictions He saves us, He redeems us and he bares us up lest we dash ourselves on the rocks of life and circumstances.
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.(Isa 63:10)
Brothers and sisters, this is a scary verse that follows verse 9. Can you say that you are not in rebellion against Him? Have you checked your spirit lest you have been deceived by your heart? Is it possible that you have vexed the Spirit of God? What is the way back if you find yourself in that situation today?
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: (Psa 51:3-4)Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit ;For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Let all rebellion fall away, let us not vex the Holy Spirit of God. Let us move in humility and a contrite heart and remember that in our afflictions he is afflicted. Parents know well the pain of watching an adult child go down a wrong path. It is a unique agony. God the Father knows well the pain of His people, He sees their afflictions and it causes Him pain. Yet, He rejoices at the return of His child to Him, remember the reaction of the Prodigal Father. Run back to Him this day if you have wandered away. Trust Him today if you are afflicted, He knows and He is with you.
To the father that I never had
Long ago when I was just a lad
A word of comfort, perhaps a tender touch
Would that have really been too much?
You could have stopped the falling rain
Falling on a heart so full of pain
But you were the dark cloud up above
And the rain that fell was devoid of any love
To rob a child of what he really needs
Is the sowing of some future loveless seeds
That will fail to grow and die there in the ground
A darkened place where there’s no joyful sound
Can someone give what they have never known?
Can a field give fruit that itself was never sown?
Can the loveless child find life among the dead?
Or shall he ever walk the barren road instead?
Where can the loveless man find what he needs
Who will plough these hearts and plant these seeds
The Father who from above sent down His Son
Will fall like rain and now the work’s begun
This seed alone is the answer from above
Tis Christ the King, it is the Father’s love
To every broken heart and orphaned child
That was lost and all alone and growing wild
You have a heavenly Father, whose arms are opened wide
He plants His precious seed and He plants it deep inside
And the heart that once was hard and could not feel
Begins to beat anew as it begins to heal.
Do you face very difficult circumstances today? Are there many trials in your life, too many seemingly to bear? Can you imagine all of those situations and not having God in your life? Without God, there are multiple circumstances, like waves, that can swamp us, overwhelm us, drown us. How many of us know people who are simply overwhelmed by the circumstances of life and who have given up and are given over to drugs, legal or otherwise, and alcohol and even just break downs?
So often I have felt overwhelmed by the circumstances in my life and often times felt that the only thing I had to be grateful for was my salvation and my very sanity. And in that gratefulness was the seeds of overcoming, the genesis of enduring. For where there is a spark of thankfulness there is light. And that spark, that ember is waiting. It will not go out. How do I know this? For He promised us He would not leave us as orphans, He promised us He would not leave or forsake us. He promised. My life, your life the Body is built on nothing less than what He said He would do. He will do it. He will keep us. We are often the only light in our families. Imagine our families without any light at all, not even a spark from heaven. What darkness that would be.
So I encourage you this day. Fall back into His arms and hold on to what you know. He knows. He sees. He has not forgotten. Even although we have an enemy who would scream that in our ears, it is a lie. He sees the afflictions of His people. And even if they find themselves with their backs to the sea, surrounded on every side by mountains and an enemy bearing down on them, if He has to, He will even make a way where there seems to be no way. He will open up the seas, He will create valleys in the mountains which will be passages through impenetrable trials and circumstances. He will do these things. For He is the God who set the stars in the heavens and knows them all by name.
He laid the foundations of the earth. He said to the birds of the air “fly,” and there they fly. He said to the darkness, ” let there be light,” and there is light. He said to the deep ” be full of every kind of life,” and the seas with all of their power reflect His glory. He saw man without any life at all and He breathed His very life into them. And in Him was life and that life is the light of men and this light shines into the darkness of every circumstance and every situation and confounds the darkness. We are, the Body of Christ, the light of the world for in us dwells the light of Go
One day the Lord will rend the heavens and His glory will flow down the mountains and fill every valley with His majesty. The seas will flee at His presence, the mountains will humbly bow and say ” Glory , glory to the risen King.” The sun will turn its face away in shame for it is outshone by the brilliance of His illumination. The moon and the stars will cry out ” Holy, Holy is He who was and is and forever shall be.” And every voice from every tongue will say “Jesus,” and acknowledge the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And the beasts of the earth will fall down and cover their faces and then the lion will rise up and approach the lamb and they will lay down together. And every knee shall bow in every tribe and in every nation and even the hordes of hell will fall silent as He approaches. The earth itself will grow silent and shall be still and then a glorious noise will begin to rise and will fill the earth, it will fill the sea it will fill the night skies it will fill the whole universe and all that will be heard will be the choirs of angels, that heavenly choir and the glory of God will not only cover the earth but will fill up everything that there is or has ever been. Gods saints, His children will rise on this glorious symphony, they will arise in the updrafts of His glory and majesty and it will carry them into the heart of God. And those who rejected this magnificent glory will fall and their cries will be heard as they fall into the depths of darkness, for what eyes can ever see light again that were not sanctified eyes. And He will reign forever.
Embracing your circumstances is not surrender, it is overcoming. The battle within almost every human being is the battle of circumstances. It is the source of almost all fear and all anxiety. Your life is a journey. How will you journey? Will the majority of your journey be taken up with the fear of what is going to happen? If you get caught up in the swamp of despair and anxiety then you have lost your ability to live an abundant life.
But Frank, I have cancer and I only have six months left to live. Question, will you spend your last six months on this earth in the swamp of despair? Will it change your circumstances? I have a theory. There is life in surrender. But Frank, you said that embracing your circumstances is not surrender but that it is overcoming. Yes indeed, but there is two kinds of surrender. The first surrender is the surrender of the world and it could also be known as the swamp of despair and hopelessness. In this place there is only death.
The second kind of surrender is the surrender to God. Oh brothers and sisters this could not be more different from the surrender of the world. This surrender is the entrance to His rest. A place where you have laid down your burdens. A place where you walk in peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding. In this place circumstances are merely vehicles to draw you even closer to God. In the other place circumstances are vehicles for drawing you away from God.
What world do you live in brothers and sisters? Remember, you cannot have a foot in one world and a foot in the other, if you do you will love one and reject the other. I believe God is calling you to step from one world, this world, with all of its cares and anxieties and circumstances, into the other world where those very circumstances are robbed of all of their death and are infused with the light of life. There is no escaping the circumstances of this life, there is only surrender. Which surrender will you choose? The one that leads to despair and hopelessness or the one that leads to life and that more abundantly.
A Call To The Remnant 