Today is Yom Kippur - it is considered one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar. We are no longer under the Jewish law of Moses but, prophetically, the Lord speaks during this time of year. There is a lot happening right now and we are in a major times-and-seasons change. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Daniel 2:21 NIV We are in a major shifting in the times and seasons. We are entering into a new era and preparing for a major move of God.
I once heard a testimony where the Holy Ghost was falling upon the people during worship. The preacher, R.W. Schambach, testified how the piano player got so filled with the Spirit that she fell off of the piano bench and the piano kept right on playing. No other explanation could be found except, "Jesus knows how to play a piano!" I believe we are entering into a time and place of worship and praise where we will experience some unusual anointings upon musical instruments that will be played, at times, with heavenly fingers - either through His people, and sometimes without them.
God speaks to the positives of what we are and what we can become, rather than emphasizing the negatives. For example, God does not speak to our sickness and disease; he speaks to our health. He does not speak to our poverty or lack; he speaks to our wealth and abundance. He does not speak to our failure or mistakes; he speaks to our success. He does not focus on the past; he speaks to the now and to the future.
When I was living through the darkest and loneliest days of my life, I developed an addiction. I was in the throes of depression due to years of infertility and repeated miscarriages. I sent five babies to heaven - each between 12 and 20 weeks in utero. It was a time of non-stop grief, dashed hopes and raging emotions. The addiction that I developed was not to over-the-counter drugs, alcohol, shopping or binge-eating. I became addicted to the Word of God.
We all want a deeper relationship with the Lord. We want to experience His presence in the calm and the storm. But how do you step into the presence of God when life gets busy? Whether you are a parent, grandparent, working professional, or retired traveler, you are either in a busy season or have been in one. You can get caught up in the day-to-day tasks, which have the potential to crowd out devotional time with God.
During the days of Nazi Germany, there arose a Confessing church movement that rose against the German church movement, which became the religious arm of the Fascist Nazi Socialist movement. Of the 18,000 pastors in Germany during that time (from 1933 to 1945), less than 5,000 were aligned with the Confessing church. Hence, only a remnant held fast to the biblical position, with about half of the confessing churches eventually conforming due to political and societal pressure.
God is expanding your secret place. The secret place is the place where you meet with God. It begins inside your inner being. John 7:38 says "out of your heart (belly, inner being) will flow rivers of living water." Your inner being is the hidden sanctuary of the heart where you commune with God. The secret place is also the "room" you go into to pray and talk with God. Matthew 6:6 says "Go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
As we've watched current events unfold, there is a temptation to feel powerless. The truth is, behind every negative headline and evil agenda is a redemption plan of the Lord. Recently the Lord has been highlighting five responses or postures for the church that partner with the "working all things for good" that He is doing behind the scenes. As we've watched inflation soar, the Lord has reminded me how, in the natural, inflation is caused by deviating too much from the gold standard.
To say we have no voice or say in what happens in our lives is an excuse for not surrendering to the Holy Spirit. We do have a voice, but it means we are just living by every whim we have and not by God. Galatians 5:16 (TPT) tells us, "As you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life." This lets us know that our voices will be dynamically powerful or marked by continuous productive activity, and change in an energetic way when we make sure we have left behind our desires and cravings which seem to lead us down the wrong paths.
I was speaking to Jesus one time about my supernatural encounters and asking him how to explain why I am so fortunate to meet Biblical Saints and encounter so much of what heaven has to offer, including angelic encounters. He explained it to me. He said, "Imagine you have a friend in the workplace, and you really get to know them in a deep way." I said, "Yes." "Well," he continued, "You know you are really close to that person when they start o introduce you to their friends and family members."
