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God loves to speak to us. Psalm 85:8 (NASB) says: "I will hear what God the Lord will say; for He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones." At the right time, the Lord offers a fresh word for us that can bring strength, guidance, confirmation, or correction. There have been countless times when I was famished for a word from God, and when He spoke it came like a drink of cold water in the desert.
HOW Jesus is taught to us makes a big difference! Many wrong doctrines have infiltrated the Church. And many things are not "fixed" in just a day or two. I had one of my sweet FB friends ask for prayer for a location transfer. And I had a prayer request like that of my own a while back. I pursued it and then the Lord spoke back and said to me it was not about the location! "I" had it all figured out, you see! He instead asked me what was I called to DO? I had wanted my personal comforts as the priority over His will! But my "comforts" were not HIS priority!
Throughout the ages, there have been some mighty moves of God and revivals. These great moves of God have brought people into the kingdom, influenced our society, and changed the church as we know it. These moves have become part of our history. But a lot of people don't believe they are history. Many people are longing for God to move again. Many prophetic voices have foretold a great move of God yet to come. Hearts are hungry and people are crying out for God to move, they are calling for revival. And with the state our culture is in God knows we desperately need it.
Have you ever struggled to live for God? To be a living sacrifice? Even to just do the things that please Him? Typically, the issue lies in the focus and "the means" of how that is to happen. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 It is through tending to our relationship with God, our communion with the Spirit and focus on the Lord that we are transformed and able to live after His desires. It's all about the relationship.
I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! (Malachi 3:10 NLT) There is very much prayer being made, and appeal being pressed for revival.... If the Spirit of God either ignores or transcends so much that marks the Christian system, and makes it as though it counts so little, (and the Holy Spirit never compromises on what is vital and really of God), does it not mean that He calls for a reconsideration of very much that obtains? The days of the Church's greatest spiritual power and impact were days when ecclesiastical forms, architecture and ritual were nil, and the Lord Himself was everything.
Voices, voices everywhere. We hear them from friends, family especially if we have small children, mothers, fathers, extended family, best friends, worst enemies, television, social media, music, podcasts, speakers, preachers, teachers, mentors, casual acquaintances, and total strangers in the grocery store line. It makes us think we are going crazy with the noise in our minds. Our thoughts and decisions are somewhere in the mix. But it becomes so overwhelming that we can't even focus on what they really are.
After several years of drought, God declares to Elijah that He is bringing relief. He is sending rain. Immediately Elijah faces resistance and battles the prophets of Baal. Overcoming the spiritual warfare, he prevails, but still not a could in the sky. Whatever God reveals, whether a promise, a truth or a need, it is His invitation for our involvement. It requires our response. It becomes our responsibility. The revelation that God shared was His invitation for Elijah to participate in what God was about to do.
This past weekend there were numerous live stream conferences online. Some had hundreds of people in attendance, and some even had thousands. People filled auditoriums, churches and tent meetings worshipping Jesus side by side. Each person expressed their heartfelt worship with joyful singing and raised hands. Each ministry had their own unique music, and each person had their own personal way of connecting with God.
Ask anyone who has been 'in the way' with the Lord during the last 30-40 years &- regardless of reports of 'this and that' happening 'here, there & everywhere' - they will almost certainly tell you, 'Things in the church are going in the wrong direction.' By & large, they are onto something that most either ignore, or refuse to see. Of course, to face this stark reality takes an honesty which betrays organizational priorities, baked-in patterns of promotional hype & the fleeting forecasts of coming circumstantial change. Moreover, to face this reality requires a humility very few are willing to even personally face, let alone publicly admit. Therefore, the question: how will we stop regressing, turn it around & then go forward?
"I was just kidding." "I was only joking." How many times have you heard that or said it yourself? What better way for Satan to deceive people into speaking words they don't mean than to disguise it in a joke, or laughing matter? The Holy Spirit recently pointed out to me that sarcasm, or using words in a joking, hostile manner carries not only "crooked speech," but also looses an energy of hostility. After all, when someone teases or berates you, do you leave feeling blessed, edified, or built up? I don't! I ask myself if that really was a joke or is that person speaking what they truly think and covering it up with a laugh.
