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With a storm on the way, it is more important than ever to find the center of God will. That place is the safest place. It is the place where chaos turns to adventure; where fear has no place; where our houses will stand as a refuge for others. This is the place we want to be; so how do we find it?
God’s eternal will is for the restoration of the three things that He lost in man’s rebellion: His reign over our hearts, His intimacy with us, and His habitation in us. I believe that our pursuit of His purpose in these three areas will supernaturally propel us into His will for this strategic season.
This article relates to the restoration of our intimacy with God. The articles and assessments for the remainder of this series can be found at the following locations:
Our Preparation as His Habitation
Our Preparation under His Reign
Many in the body of Christ are recognizing the inevitability of the storm. That recognition has created urgency for preparation; and a desire to know how we are doing in that preparation. Assessing our preparation for intimacy with Him is critically important.
Is there a biblical way to assess our preparedness, and receive wisdom and revelation in the ways God would have us strengthen our house? I believe so. In fact, we are encouraged and commanded to do exactly that: Read the rest of this entry »
In anticipation of the coming storm, I have decided to request a house inspection. I want to know that my roof will not go flying off in the high winds and turbulence. I want to know that my house will not float away in the flood – to know that it has been securely anchored to a firm foundation. I want to be reasonably confident that the walls and ceilings of my house will hold up under the storm’s pressure; and that my whole house is water tight.
In anticipation of the coming storm, I have decided to request a heart inspection. I don’t want to be surprised by a weakness in my relationship with the Lord, a fault in my character, or a lack of faith in His keeping power. I want to know that I will trust Him and keep my eyes on Him, even in the most violent storm. More than anything, I want to know that I will remain steadfast in my commitment to His reign in my life.
I want the same for you. So, I hope you will join me in my request for an inspection. It’s actually a very simple process: Read the rest of this entry »
In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul is praying that God would give them “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your heart being enlightened to know…”. Paul wanted them to have an intimate, relational and experiential knowing of three things:
- “The hope of His calling” – Hope is not wishing. It is a certain expectation. His calling is found in the desires of your heart. It is His desires to give those to you (Psalm 37:4).
- “The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” – We are incredibly important to Him; a rich inheritance.
- “The exceeding greatness of His power towards those who believe” – This is the dunamis power of God. It cannot be measured. It is conspicuously missing in the church today.
It is my hope and prayer that you will come to know these things, as well. Notice that His power is tied to the desires of your heart and the glory of His inheritance (this reminds me of Matthew 5:16).
Paul’s prayer continues to describe that power as “according to the working of His mighty power (authority)”. Three good reference points are Ephesians 3:20, Philippians 2:13 and Luke 12:32. The focus of God’s power is our transformation into kingdom inhabitants that will reign with Him.
Furthermore, that power is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, seated Him at the Father’s right hand, put all things under His feet, made Him head of the church, and the church His body.
This is almost too much to believe!! We must diligently reckon the truth of this in our lives; particularly for this season. I encourage you to resist the urge to lay this truth aside. It belongs to you!! It will make you free. More importantly, it will make you a supernatural force for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.
In closing, let me remind those of you that are leaders in the workplace: You have a greater responsibility in this. You are to be faithful stewards of this mystery for those in your spheres of influence. Reckon it true for yourself and you will be better prepared to help others do the same. Let me know if I can help.
Humbly yours and forever His,
… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him… that you may know… what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places… Ephesians 1:17-20
God intends to exercise His mighty power toward those that believe. Think about that for a minute. We are talking about the same power that He exercised in raising Jesus Christ from the dead! Who in their right mind would ignore such an offer – the exceeding great power of God in their personal, family and work life?
This leads us to a couple of important questions: Why aren’t we seeing more of God’s power in the Workplace? What can we do as Leaders in the Workplace to experience that power in our spheres of influence?
In this lesson, we will explore two sources of God’s power for ministry in the Workplace: Unity and prayer. Both are particularly important in our efforts to make disciples God’s way. Both may be familiar topics. My prayer is that you will not allow your familiarity to get in the way of God’s encouragement to you for the power that can be found in them.
It is the desire of His heart for you to walk in His power for ministry in the Workplace. He has put that desire in your heart, as well. Let’s go find it! Read the rest of this entry »
As we mourn with the families of those 21 martyrs, we’d better take this warning seriously as these acts of terror will only spread throughout Europe and the United States. If this concerns you like it does me, share this. The storm is coming. Franklin Graham (Facebook post in response to ISIS murder of 21 Egyptian Christians)
Over the last month, I’ve encouraged you to force open your eyes and ears, and to decide (with the Lord) what you believe we are facing in the near future. I think it is only fair to do the same with you. I will start by saying that I believe Franklin Graham’s words are prophetic; not that we will see Christians murdered on American soil (though that is possible), but that “the storm is coming”.
It reminds me of what Jesus had to say at the conclusion of The Sermon on the Mount:
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. Matthew 7:24-27
Regardless of what the house falling or standing might mean to you, it is certainly something significant. We must prepare for the coming storm. Hearing the sayings of Jesus and doing them is the requirement for strong houses.
To assist in your preparation, I have created a list of The Sayings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. Of course, you can read them for yourself. In either case, reading alone won’t produce the faith we need. We must have His rhema (right now, spoken word). Please start seeking Him for it.
Humbly yours and forever His,
As a follow-up to What I Believe – The Storm is Coming, I would like to get your input on a couple of other things I have come to believe. First, I believe that my title for that first article is a bit misleading. I don’t believe the storm that is coming is “The Storm”, meaning the Great Tribulation. As we see in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, Jesus taught that there would be small “t” tribulations before the big “T” one occurred. This should be sobering news, particularly for those that think they are going to avoid suffering via a pre-Tribulation escape plan.
Secondly, I want to encourage you that spiritual preparation is paramount for everyone that believes a storm is coming. This is contrary to our protective nature; and contrary to what most of the world is promoting. Even in the church, many are encouraging – and selling – physical preparation (e.g., freeze dried food, hedge funds, guns and ammo, leaving the country). When you look at it from their perspective, you quickly learn that there are hundreds of things each of us could do to protect ourselves from the storm.
And that is the problem!!
Read the rest of this entry »
The following are my (rather raw) notes from a meeting that was organized to hear from God on the question, “How do we spiritually prepare for the coming storm?” I strongly encourage you to read them prayerfully; with spiritual determination and discipline to hear what God would say to you (not every word is for every person). Remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God; but faith without works is dead. You are responsible for your response to what you hear the Lord say in this exercise. Please let me know what you are hearing; it may be something that we all need to hear. Read the rest of this entry »
In Tip #29, you were encouraged to force open your ears and eyes, to bravely search out the signs of the times, and to share what you are hearing and seeing with others. Now it is time to determine what you believe about the revelation you have received. Go ahead; it’s not as hard as you think.
Belief and doubt are functions of the heart (Mark 11:23, Romans 10:10). Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). So, ask your heart what it believes; and ask God if you are missing anything. Both will have something to say – something that will have a dramatic impact on your life, and the lives of those in your spheres of influence.
Chaos has a way of proving what we believe in our hearts. That opportunity is coming (for some, it has already begun). In His mercy, God will help you challenge and fortify your faith before the chaos becomes severe. He speaks in both our quiet times with Him and in our community with others. A good place to begin is Psalm 139:23-24.
Workplace Ministry Tip: Here are some sample questions you can ask your heart: What do you believe about the chaos that is going on around you? Do you believe it will get worse? What do you believe God would have you do to prepare – if anything? Do you believe God will deliver you through whatever He allows in your life? These and other important questions will come to you, if you will take the time to allow them.
Let me know how I can help you in this regard; and let me know what you are hearing from the LORD. You can reach me at rob@inlightconsulting.com.
Humbly your and forever His,
I have been thinking about Change Theory quite a bit lately. Surprisingly, it has a lot to do with our spiritual state – our relationship with the LORD. I learned Change Theory as an Enterprise Architect. Since beginning this ministry, God has used it to help me understand and communicate the spiritual concepts of transformation and disciple making. I believe He would have me share a part of that theory with you.
As a management philosophy, Change Theory seeks to explain how systems, individuals and groups are motivated and managed from one state to another. In my vocation, that included the implementation of new technology, new technology development processes and new business processes (all in the banking industry). In a more general sense, Change Theory applies to every part of our lives: Adding quality controls in manufacturing, moving to a new town, changing church fellowships, becoming a married person, etc.
It shouldn’t surprise you that Change Theory also applies to our spiritual lives. Read 2Corinthians 3:18 and you will understand what I mean. The normal Christian life is a life filled with change; at least it should be. Moving from one state of “the glory of the Lord” to the next is God’s way for our maturing in Jesus Christ. Read the rest of this entry »
There are particular times in every person’s life when they must determine what they believe and do something about it. If you believed your house was on fire, you would not remain seated on the couch watching the television. You would be taking action comparable to the threat you perceived in the fire. I suggest to you that 2015 is such a year.
2015 is a year that will prove what we, as Christians, believe in our hearts. I have not hidden my feelings about the probability of God’s judgment on the church in America. For those of you that are hearing this for the first time, here are a few articles that will help get you up to speed: The Harbinger’s Deeper Meaning; The Foundations – Confession and Introduction; Should We Leave Them at the Gate?; The Shemittah.
My dad asked me how serious I was about my expectations for calamity in 2015. It was a good question; causing me to ask myself, “What do I believe; and what am I prepared to do about it?” For what it is worth, I am taking steps to secure my family and fellowship. Much of it is planning at this point; which means spending more time with God to understand what He would have me do. I have heard enough to get started. We will be taking intentional steps before the year is out.
I share this with you to make it clear how serious this is to me; and how serious I believe it should be to you. Some of you may wonder what I am planning to do. Give me a call and I will let you know. What you will hear first is “I am doing what God tells me.” That will be followed by, “What is He telling you?” This is important; for God speaks in community. Read the rest of this entry »
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