A Storm is Coming – Assessing Our Preparation for Intimacy with Him

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:

A Storm is Coming – Investing in His Kingdom

The vast majority of the articles God uses me to write are to encourage, edify and equip. This one is different. It may encourage, edify and equip you; but that is not my primary intent. I am writing it because I need your help; help in discerning what God is trying to say to me, and to the body of Christ, about our wealth and the coming storm. I am writing with the hope of hearing the LORD’s voice in community.

To begin, let me establish a baseline for the meaning of “wealth”. Here are some statistics that I have heard over the past few years:

1. Those living at or above the poverty line in America are in the 95^th percentile of the wealthiest people in the world. In other words, 95% of the people in the world live on less than the poverty level in America.
2. Similarly, those that live at or above the median American income are in the 99^th percentile of the wealthiest people in the world.

The vast majority of Americans are “wealthy” when compared to the rest of the world – including most of our Christian brethren. These stats don’t tell the whole story, but they do help us appreciate what God has entrusted to those of us that live in this nation.

Now, there are two particular passages of Scripture that have been haunting me for the last few years.

A Storm is Coming – And Deception with It

When natural storms come, the wicked prey on the helpless. Scams and price gouging are common themes in every disaster. The chaos gives opportunity for the strong to take advantage of the weak.

The spiritual storm that lays on our horizon, and the chaos it will bring, will give the same opportunity to our enemies. They will fight us tooth and nail to keep the knowledge of God hidden from His children and the world. The agents of deception are all around us.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” Matthew 24:4

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. James 1:26

So let’s take an eyes-open and honest inventory of the deceptors in our lives: Satan, the world, and even our own minds are potential sources of deception. Of course, this is true in every minute of every hour of every day in a Christian’s life. We don’t always notice; for that is the nature of deception – it is… well, deceptive.

The thing about storms is they tend to intensify the opportunity for deception; particularly if the storm we see approaching is a part of the end-of-days tribulations that will usher in the Day of the Lord, and “The Tribulation”. Jesus, Paul and Peter warned of such things.

A Storm is Coming – The Three-fold Gift of Prophecy

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

…And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ… Ephesians 4:7-11

 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit…
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all… to another prophecy… But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1Corinthians 12:4-11

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy… he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 1Corinthians 14:1-3

There has never been a greater need for the gift of prophecy in the church than the season we are now facing. This gift, in all its forms, has been dismissed and abused, shunned and neglect.

I was not raised in a stream that talked much about prophecy; and I recognize that I am not an expert. But this I know, prophecy is a gift of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is time we searched it out seriously for our personal preparation and for the edification, exhortation and comfort of those in our spheres of influence.

As a start, let me offer a brief perspective on the ways prophecy has been offered as a gift to the children of God.

A Storm is Coming – Obeying the New Covenant

I have been reading Jeremiah and I can’t help but think it contains a warning for the American church. Check out chapter 11. We have broken our covenant with the LORD. Given His reaction to Israel and Judah over their disobedience, it is frightening (word chosen carefully) to think about the consequences for us. The New Covenant is so much more than the Old; and to those who have been given much, much is expected.

Jeremiah has been a difficult book to read. The Holy Spirit has not allowed me to read it as an historical account. He has not allowed me to project it on a “them”. He has continually reminded me that it was written not only as a warning to those that would come after, but to me as an individual child of God.

I have been challenged with two initial questions; and I am posing them to you:

1. What is the New Covenant?
2. What does obedience to it look like?

Before you give the quick answer, please consider the following passages (you might also want to read the first twelve chapters of Jeremiah):

And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Matthew 7:21-23

It feels like I am stating the obvious, but here goes: The deception that has come over the church in America is much greater than we perceive. We, each one of us, need eyes to see, and ears to hear. We need the truth that will make us free. We need courage to confess and reject our idols. We need to renew our vows. We need the prophets. Pray that it is not too late.

Humbly yours and forever His,

A Storm is Coming – Assessing Our Preparation as His Habitation

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 God’s habitation in us as the body, church and bride of Christ. The articles and assessments for the remainder of this series can be found at the following locations:

Our Preparation under His Reign

Our Preparation for Intimacy with Him

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 as His habitation 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:

The Foundations – Repentance from Dead Works

Our search for the lost foundations of our faith takes us now to “the elementary principles of Christ”. Why must we go here? Surely the Christian faith has grown beyond the elementary. Surely we know more now about Christ’s principles than we ever have. Check for yourself. Which of these do you understand and practice in your life?

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.  And this we will do if God permits. Hebrews 6:1-3

See what I mean? Unless you have been to Bible College, I am pretty sure there are at least a couple of these elementary principles that you have not been taught, much less encouraged to incorporate into your faith walk. Somehow, they have been lost to the church, in our day.

Furthermore, I suspect that what we do know, we do not know completely. Take “repentance from dead works” for example. We have all been taught about repentance from sin (or sins, or the sin); but, what is this matter of “dead works”? Are dead works and sin the same thing? If so, why did the Holy Spirit, through the writer of Hebrews, introduce a different descriptor?

What about “repentance”? What does it really mean to repent? Does it mean “to turn” or “make an about-face”, as so many have taught (you might be surprised)? How is repentance accomplished?

Let me suggest that it is very important to know the answers to these questions. It is necessary that we have a love of the truth here. The consequences are more significant than we may imagine.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

The writer of Hebrews encourages the church to move on to more advanced principles (i.e., solid food). It is this solid food that makes us skilled in the word of righteousness; to be a teacher of God’s word, and a discerner of good and evil. This may be the greatest need in the church today; so let’s be diligent to rediscover what has been lost, so that we might move on to meatier truth – truth that will make us free.

One final introductory comment: Since these are elementary principles, we will search them out in an elementary way. Guard yourself against presumption. Ask the Lord and the Spirit to reveal the fullness of the truth found in this foundation. Allow the word of God to have its full effect.

A Storm is Coming – A Glimpse into Our Preparation

Like many of you, Beth and I have been praying about, and discussing, our preparation for the coming storm. This past weekend, we focused on the sayings of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount (chapters five, six and seven of Matthew, and Luke 6:20-49). We asked the Lord two questions:

1. What are you trying to say about our preparation?
2. What would you have us do about what you are saying?

Here are some of the things we believe the Lord is saying to us:

1. Live a life dedicated to pleasing the Father.
2. Be prepared to share.
3. Pray for your enemies.
4. Continue to be who we were created to be (i.e., salt and light).
5. If you are well trained, you will be like your Teacher.

As you can see, none of these are new or surprising; but, that is not the point. Beth and I are being transformed for our assignments. We are in process; and we are blessed that the Lord would work with us in the areas that are specific to our preparation. I believe He will do the same for you and those in your spheres of influence.

I have shared this with you for two reasons. First, I truly believe this is a providential time. “The eyes of the LORD are roaming throughout the earth, seeking to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him” (2Chronicles 16:9). This is about “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 1:19).

Secondly, I believe we are to be an example to those in our spheres of influence. We are to encourage one another; to exhort and spur each other on to completion. Beth and I love the brethren. We hope this glimpse into our process will encourage you in yours.

Humbly yours and forever His,

A Post Memorial Day Message – Something has Gone Wrong

Yesterday, we honored those who have died while serving in the American Armed Forces – those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price; that we might live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. God has used them to provide a hedge of protection around His church; that His church might be a light on a hill, impacting the nations for His kingdom.

As Christians, we should particularly recognize the freedom we have been given to gather publicly and worship the LORD. As Christians, we should be encouraged by their bravery on the battle field; to be brave in our battles against the enemies of our souls. This has been the history of the church in America.

But something has gone wrong.

In this land of the free, why are Christians so bound up? In this home of the brave, why are we so fearful? What has happened to our freedom and bravery? Why are Christians in America wasting the opportunities that God has given them in this “land of the free and home of the brave”? What has happened to us?

Call to Action – His Thought are NOT Our Thoughts

Sometimes I think, if God gave me salve for my eyes (Revelation 3:18), I might try to eat it. I’m serious! As much as I have “searched out the matter”, surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s destruction of my erroneous paradigms, I still catch myself thinking like the world. Consequently, I have grown more suspicious of the way I think; and I believe that is a good thing.

1Corinthians 2:16 proclaims “we have the mind of Christ”. I believe this is the truth; but, what I also believe is that we have become so dependent and secure in our own mind, that we do not use the supernatural and holy mind we have been given.

We have not pressed on to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of us (Philippians 3:12). Like so many things we have been given by God, we have been passive in our laying hold of the mind of Christ. This is part of a deception meant to trap us in the worldly limits of our unrenewed mind.

Thankfully, the truth will make us free (John 8:32). The word of God is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). Let’s embrace that life, power, truth and freedom as we find it in the following passages.