The following video was shared with me after preaching on humility, surrender and death.
Before watching this video, I must ask you this question:
Do you know truth when you hear it or are you part of the "Christian" pandemic of having deaf ears having been murdered by flesh tingling messages that mock the cross?
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The following is an interesting post from Andrew Strom...Enjoy
RETURN of THE JUDAIZERS??
-by Andrew Strom.
I have friends who call Jesus "Yeshua". I don't mind it at all. I have other friends who keep the Saturday Sabbath. It doesn't bother me too much, unless there is a kind-of "aggressive attitude" about it. But in recent years I have witnessed a worrying trend - that in my opinion is growing worse - and we need to address it.
Today when a Christian tells me that they are "Torah-observant"
then all kinds of alarms go off. It may be that they are just into 'Hebrew roots' - but usually it is a lot more than that. We all know that in the early church, the biggest problem they had was with the "Judaizers" who went around trying to convince the Gentile Christians that they must obey the letter of the Old Testament Law. This shipwrecked the faith of many. It was the biggest problem they had. The book of Galatians is all about it - and many other sections of the New Testament. It was a battle between the old Law - with its subtle bondages - and the new walk of the Spirit and of grace.
A few months back, we published the testimony of a Christian woman who got involved with a Messianic group that slowly under- mined her faith in Jesus - and basically converted her gradually into a practicing Jew - even though they all thought of themselves as "Messianic Christians"! She realized later that in almost every way she had slowly had her faith in Jesus and the New Testament replaced with the keeping of the Torah. She had been "Judaized"!
And I fear this is happening to a great many Christians today - in all kinds of subtle ways.
This is exactly what the Bible warns against - losing the "simplicity"
of the faith. And that is why Paul was so strong against the Juda- izers. He saw that Christians were being tempted - not to place their faith in Christ alone - but rather in Christ PLUS the keeping of the Law. It was no longer a simple trust in JESUS to be their righteousness. They now started to feel they had to keep the letter of the Old Law too - in order to be truly "holy". And so they became "Judaized". This is the worst trap possible. And so subtle!
Let us look at a few vital Scriptures. Please open your Bible to Acts 15:1-29. This whole passage is about a great meeting of the apostles to decide whether - with the new Gentile Christians - it was "necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses" (v 5). So what did the apostles conclude about this? As Peter declared during the debate about it, "Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (v 10).
At the end of the great meeting, the apostles put out a letter to the Gentile Christians that declared: "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well."
(v. 28-29). And as far as the Old Law went, that was it!
In other words, no "Torah observance", no Sabbath, no circumcision, no Old Law apart from these few things. This brief list only. That was the pronouncement of the apostles. If they wanted to tell the Gentiles, "You must keep the Jewish Sabbath," then this was the place to do it. But it is definitely not included. And neither are a thousand-and-one other things from the Old Testament.
Of course, this should be no surprise to us. In Colossians 2, Paul tells us very clearly that Christ has "wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us" by nailing it to the cross (v. 14).
He then goes on to say: "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."
(v. 16-17).
So all these Old Testament practices are only a "shadow" of the New. In fact, as Hebrews makes clear, the entire Old Covenant was only a 'type' or shadow of that which was to come. It was not the real thing! It does not make us more "holy"! The substance is found in Christ - and Him alone. The Old Torah "requirements"
were nailed to the cross with Jesus. We don't need them any more.
If anybody ever tells you that the New Testament is simply a "continuation" of the Old, run a mile from that person. They simply do not know what they are talking about. In fact, what they are spouting is dangerous heresy.
Thus, as Paul tells us in Romans, observing the Sabbath is only necessary if our conscience is weak in this area - and we feel we have to:- "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it"
(Rom 14:1-6).
So we do not "have" to observe the Sabbath. It does not make us more 'holy' or righteous to do so. It is simply a matter of conscience.
This runs against a lot of the teaching that is doing the rounds right now. There is a lot of dangerous "Back to the Torah"-type emphasis that is bringing a lot of harm to a lot of people. Many of them don't even realize what is happening to them.
Paul clearly tells us in Galatians that you can lose your salvation by beginning to rely on the Law in your Christian walk: "You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain" (Gal 4:10-11). He then goes on to say, "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."
(Gal 5:4). Alarming statements, are they not?
You see, it is a direct insult to the work of Christ and to God for us to go back to the "works of the Law" to try and make us more 'righteous' in His sight. It is placing our trust in something other than just Jesus. We are "adding works" for our salvation. And it will not do.
I believe that just like the Galatians, a lot of people today need to repent of trying to add the Old Law to their salvation - sometimes in subtle ways - sometimes major. This is not the kind of thing to toy around with. It can be utterly deadly. If you are someone who is adding "Torah observance" to your faith, I urge you to repent.
The testimony of the woman who slowly lost her faith in Jesus through Messianic Torah-observance can be found at the top of our website. Here is the link-
http://www.revivalschool.com
Please send feedback to- prophetic@revivalschool.com
God bless you all.
Andrew Strom.
--
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Amy Carmichael was a missionary to India in the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. Read this moving and convicting dream that she had about the church’s reponsibility to rescue the lost. Powerful.
“The tom-toms thumped straight on all night and the darkness shuddered round me like a living, feeling thing. I could not go to sleep, so I lay awake and looked; and I saw, as it seemed, this:
That I stood on a grassy sward, and at my feet a precipice broke sheer down into infinite space. I looked, but saw no bottom; only cloud shapes, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow-shrouded hollows, and unfathomable depths. Back I drew, dizzy at the depth.
Then I saw forms of people moving single file along the grass. They were making for the edge. There was a woman with a baby in her arms and another little child holding on to her dress. She was on the very verge. Then I saw that she was blind. She lifted her foot for the next step . . . it trod air. She was over, and the children over with her. Oh, the cry as they went over!
Then I saw more streams of people flowing from all quarters. All were blind, stone blind; all made straight for the precipice edge. There were shrieks, as they suddenly knew themselves falling, and a tossing up of helpless arms, catching, clutching at empty air. But some went over quietly, and fell without a sound.
Then I wondered, with a wonder that was simply agony, why no one stopped them at the edge. I could not. I was glued to the ground, and I could only call; though I strained and tried, only whisper would come.
Then I saw that along the edge there were sentries set at intervals. But the intervals were too great; there were wide, unguarded gaps between. And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, quite unwarned; and the green grass seemed blood-red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell.
Then I saw, like a little picture of peace, a group of people under some trees with their backs turned toward the gulf. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them, it disturbed them and they thought it a rather vulgar noise. And if one of their number started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all the others would pull that one down. “Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite call to go! You haven’t finished your daisy chain yet. It would be really selfish,” they said, “to leave us to finish the work alone.”
There was another group. It was made up of people whose great desire was to get more sentries out; but they found that very few wanted to go, and sometimes there were no sentries set for miles and miles of the edge.
Once a girl stood alone in her place, waving the people back; but her mother and other relations called and reminded her that her furlough was due; she must not break the rules. And being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest for awhile; but no one was sent to guard her gap, and over and over the people fell, like a waterfall of souls.
Once a child caught at a tuft of grass that grew at the very brink of the gulf; it clung convulsively, and it called-but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way, and with a cry the child went over, its two little hands still holding tight to the torn-off bunch of grass. And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at which they reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary anywhere; the gap would be well taken care of, they knew. And then they sang a hymn.
Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was-the Cry of the Blood.
Then thundered a voice, the voice of the Lord. “And He said, ‘What hast thou done, The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.’”
The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered and shivered about me; I heard the yells of the devil-dancers and weird, wild shriek of the devil-possessed just outside the gate.
What does it matter, after all? It has gone on for years; it will go on for years. Why make such a fuss about it?
God forgive us! God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us out of our sin!”
I have had three events recently that have made me realize my lack of knowledge about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My curiosity and recent studies of the this group led me to this video. It was made by Jeremiah Films who is a reputable Christian based film company who has produced videos of this nature for quite some time. I was surprised, to say the least, to learn the things that I have learned about this extra-biblical organization. As always, please do your own research, but this was definitely a compelling program that has heightened my awareness and peaked my interest to learn more about current cults operating in our society that attempt to strip the atoning power of the blood of Jesus. We as the body of Christ must be able to defend the Gospel. What soldier goes into battle without knowing everything they can about the enemy (the devil)?
1 Peter 3:15 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
2 Timothy 2:15 - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
FAVOR:
Father, thank you for making me righteous and accepted through the Blood of Jesus, because of that, I am blessed and highly favored by YOU. I am the object of your affection. Your favor surrounds me as a shield, and the first think that people come into contact with is my favor shield.
Thank you that I have favor with You and man today. All day long people go out of their way to bless me and to help me. I have favor with everyone that I deal with today. Doors that were once closed are now opened for me. I receive preferential treatment, and I have special privileges. I am God’s favored child.
No good thing will He withhold from me. Because of God’s Favor, my enemies cannot triumph over me. I have supernatural increase and promotion. I declare restoration of everything that the devil has EVER stolen from me. I have honor in the midst of my adversaries and an increase of assets- especially in our businesses and an expansion of territory.
Because I am highly favored by God, I experience great victories, supernatural turnarounds and miraculous breakthroughs in the midst of great impossibilities. I receive recognition, prominence, and honor. Even ungodly authorities grant petitions to me. Policies, rules, regulations, and laws are changed on my behalf.
I win battles that I don’t even have to fight, because God fights them for me. This is the day: the set time and designated moment for me to experience the free favors of God that profusely and lavishly abound on my behalf.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
PROTECTION:
I declare that no matter what happens around me, I have a covenant of peace and wholeness with God. His love, kindness and protection will never depart from me. My prosperity causes me to be steadfast and unshakable. The Lord has granted me long life and has preserved me from destruction. No weapon formed against me prospers, and every tongue that rises up in judgment against me shall be proven wrong.
In the name of Jesus, I dwell in the secret place of the Most High God, and abide in the Shadow of the Almighty. The Lord is my Refuge and my Fortress. He delivers me from the enemy; therefore, I do not fear the terror of the night or the destruction that takes place at noonday. When I call upon the Lord, He immediately answers me. He is with me in trouble, He always delivers me.
Because the Lord has given His angels charge over me, my life is redeemed from destruction. No evil comes near me, and neither does sickness or disease come near my home.
Although hard times may come, they pass me by, because I am established in righteousness. He lives inside of me. Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. The name of the Lord is a Strong and Mighty Tower, because I am the righteousness of Christ, I run into it and I am safe!
In Jesus’ name, Amen
POLITICS, POWER and PRIDE:
How U.S Evangelicals Lost the Culture War and the Way Forward.
-by Eddie Hyatt.
Evangelicals may finally be realizing that political activism is not the path to preserving the Christian character and culture of America.
After 30 years of the Moral Majority, the Christian Coalition and the religious right, America, last November, elected what are probably the most liberal president and congress in its history. Since that time 5 states have legalized homosexual marriage and others are poised to follow suit. Chuck Schumer, the influential, liberal senator from New York, gleefully declared that, “All this talk about family and traditional values is a thing of the past.” In the midst of all this, Dr. James Dobson, whom many would consider the most prominent voice of the religious right, solemnly announced, “We (evangelicalChristians) have lost the culture war.”
Although this turn of events is disturbing for evangelical Christians, this could be the starting point for a national awakening unto God; but only if we admit our failures and turn from the notion that we can change America by our own efforts, political or otherwise.
We (Evangelicals) Have Been Wrong. Please understand that I am not suggesting that we should not be good citizens and participate in the political process; nor am I suggesting that God does not call some to civil service and statesmanship. But I am convinced that evangelical Christians in America crossed the line in trying to change America through political activism. We thought that if we could get enough Christians elected to Congress and elect a Christian president that we would preserve our Christian culture and heritage. Instead, politics, power and pride became characteristic of American evangelicalism, rather than prayer, compassion, humility and spiritual power. We forgot that America has a history of Spiritual awakenings and that this “revival heritage” has been the preserving force of our Christian culture.
God Will Not Ride in on Either an Elephant or a Donkey.
Hopefully, some are beginning to realize that God’s purposes for America will not be realized through a political process or political party. As Dr. Tony Evans once said, “God will not ride into our midst on either an elephant (symbol of the Democrat party) or a donkey (symbol of the Republican party).”
In seeking a political solution to our spiritual problems we, as evangelical Christians, identified ourselves with a particular political party and, thereby, alienated ourselves from over half of the American populace. This is not good! Neither Jesus nor the earliest Christians identified themselves with any of the many political parties that were operative in their day; but, instead, preached a transcendent government or kingdom of God that would transform individuals (and thereby society) from within. We need to take a closer look at the New Testament in this area and adjust our thinking accordingly.
Let’s Remember Our Revival Heritage. Spiritual awakenings are an intrinsic part of American history. They are a vital part of who we are as a people. Perry Miller, the late professor of church history at Harvard University, said that the Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a direct result of the preaching of the evangelists of the First Great Awakening.
Awakenings such as the First Great Awakening (1726-1750), the Second Great Awakening (1801-1840) and the great Prayer Revival of 1858 have preserved the Christian character of American culture at crucial times in our history. These were not religious excitements generated by the fleshly machinations of professional revivalists, but divine visitations in answer to the fervent, faith-filled prayers of God’s people.
It’s Time For Repentance & Change in the Church. America is in dire need of another national awakening. Such an awakening cannot be organized or strategized by skillful religious marketeers. Such awakenings are conceived in the womb of prayer and given birth through the absolute trust and simple obedience of God’s people. If evangelical Christians are ready to admit that political activism is not the way to change America, this could be the beginning of our finest hour. If we will repent for our politics, for seeking power and for pride and call out to God with all our hearts, there is no reason why God will not answer with another national Spiritual awakening.
A Prayer For Spiritual Awakening.
Here is a prayer that I offer for Spiritual awakening in this hour; and I pray that individuals and groups throughout America will begin to pray prayers such as this:
"Oh LORD God, we come to You in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ. We acknowledge that we have missed the mark in all our efforts to save this nation. We repent of self-reliance and pride, and for imagining that we could make a difference in this nation by our own human efforts and through a mere political process. Oh LORD, we acknowledge that only you can change the heart of this nation and restore to it the fear and honor that belongs to You alone. We pray today that you will turn our hearts to you. Send the fire of your presence, power and love once again to this nation. We pray for another Great Awakening!"
-SOURCE: http://www.biblicalawakening.blogspot.com/
The idea that since the emergence of Christ into our world there is no longer any sin problem is completely preposterous, and not less so is the notion that the approach of the lost man to God is theological instead of moral. Yet this is what the not-the-sin-question thing has taught the religious world to believe. This idea has been expanded, extended and illustrated in how many thousand sermons over the last fifty years till it has become part of the total belief of evangelical groups all over the world. I have personally heard earnest men tell their hearers that they need never fear being sent to hell because of their sins; that the only thing that could possibly condemn them is their failure to “accept” Christ. Thus the whole terrible sin question has been reduced to a theological technicality, and sin itself, that damning and destructive enemy of God and men, has been whitewashed and rendered tolerable, contrary to the whole spirit and mood of the Scriptures and to the beliefs of Christians since the days of the apostles.
Regardless of what men may say, we are still face to face with the sin question, and no man who has neglected to deal with his sins can even remotely understand the question of the deity of Christ and the mystery of the Godhead. Until the sinner has been brought before the bar of God and convicted of personal guilt, any notions he may have about Christ are bound to be academic, nothing more, and wholly unrelated to life. One deadly result of our failure to face up to the fact of sin is the widespread moral insensitivity which characterizes Christians these days. Because there is only a Son question and not a sin question at all, there is little or no repentance required as a preparation for saving faith. The new convert accepts Christ and adopts a certain easy code--a bit above that of the irreligious world, to be sure, but infinitely below that of the New Testament. The nerve has died in the Christian conscience and the sin that would have driven our Christian fathers to their knees in a paroxysm of repentance leaves us almost untouched. It’s lots easier to shift the whole thing over to the “Son question” and escape the pains of repentance. Lots easier, but extremely dangerous, and this latter is what we appear to have forgotten.
by A.W. Tozer
Is music playing a part in the degradation of our culture? There is a lot of debate on this topic. For years I denied that music could ever “do” anything to me or “cause” me to behave or think in a certain way. I have now had to embrace the humble pie once again and admit that I was wrong. Music is an incredibly powerful medium that has been used very successfully throughout history to shape and control people's thinking. It is not an overnight effect, but a gradual one that lulls a person into tolerance until they find themselves signing along with lyrics that would...and does grieve the Holy Spirit. What goes in our ears (as non threatening as is might seem) is crucial to our ability to attain holiness.
How long has it been since we actually examined the words to the songs we so ignorantly repeat day after day? What are we subconsciously meditating on when a song gets stuck in our head. We have so many excuses as to why it is “no big deal” to listen to certain artists, but are we justified in saying such things? As a parent, I am much more interested in what my daughter is listening to than I ever thought I would be. If we were “bought with a price” and commanded to “glorify God in your body, and in your spirit” as 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us, then what gives us the right to grieve the Spirit with what we listen to? 1 Peter 1:16 tells us to “be ye holy, for I am holy”.
About 6 months ago, I came across a documentary that was a real eye opener and I want to share it. Each part is around 57 minutes long, but once you have watched one, it will be hard to stop. I thought it was very well done and very informative.
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
Please take 12 minutes and watch this video.
John 18:37 - Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
The following is directly out of a book that I HIGHLY reccommed to any Christian who wants more of God than what they are truly experiencing. Any Christian who is tired of "status quo", tire of games, and tired of "playing church" while the world around us is walking straight off of the cliffs to eternal separation from God. The book is calld God Chasers and is by Tommy Tenney. Here is a link to it on Amazon.
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WE WANT LIFE BUT GOD IS LOOKING FOR DEATH
We need to repent for designing servises that men like, instead of yielding to what God likes. Like most men and women, we have wanted "life" in our services when God was after "death" through repentance and brokenness that ushers in the presence of God and causes you to draw near to the Lord and yet live
Some people get very uncomfortable at this point because its starting to smell a little smoky. THey can smell the odor of burning flesh in the air. It may not smell good to us, but God is drawn toward repentance. The bible says, "When a sinner repents, the angels rejoice" (see Luke 15:10). Death and repentance on Earth bring about joy in the Heavenlies.
Revival must begin in the local church before it can reach into your community. If you are ungry for revival, then I have a word from the Lord for you: Fire doesn't fall on empty altars. There has to be a sacrifice on the altar for fire to fall If you want the fire of God, you must become the fuel of God. Jesus sacrificed himself to win our our salvation, but He has called each and every person who wants to follow Him to do what? To lay down their lives and take up their cross and follow Him. According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word for "cross," stauros, means "figuratively , exposure to death, i.e. self-denial." Elijah didn't ask for God's fire to fall down on the altar until he had loaded it up with fuel and a worthy sacrifice. We've been praying for the fire to fall, but there's nothing on the altar!
If you are hungry for the fire to fall in your church, then you need to just crawl up on the altar and say, "God, whatever it takes, I lay myself on the altar and ask You to consume me with Your fire Lord." Then we can follow the lead of John Wesley who explained how he drew such large crowds during the First Great Awakening:
"I set myself on fire, and the people came to see me burn."
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If this does not stir you then I think you need to check your spiritual pulse. I am broken at my apathy and complacency for the Kingdom of God!
For more on the God Chaser's Ministry visit http://www.godchasers.net/
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The following is an email from David Wilkerson’s ministry that really blessed me and I hope it does you as well. I also included a link at the very end in case you would like to start receiving these devotionals. They are very rich and I look forward to them every day.
God has always wanted a people who would walk totally reliant on him before the eyes of the world. That’s why he took the insignificant little nation of Israel and isolated them in a wilderness. He was placing them in a school of testing, to produce a people who would trust in him no matter what their circumstance. He wanted Israel to testify, “I can go through any test, any difficulty, even those beyond my abilities. How? I know my God is with me in every trial. He will always bring me through.”
Consider Moses’ statement to Israel: “[God] suffered thee to hunger” (Deuteronomy 8:3). The Lord was telling them, “I orchestrated your trial. It wasn’t the devil. I possessed all the bread and meat you needed the whole time. And I was ready to drop it out of the sky at any minute. It was all stored up, waiting for you to receive it. But I withheld it for a while. And I did this for a season. I was waiting for you to come to the end of all your self-reliance. I wanted to bring you to a point of crisis, where only I could deliver you. I allowed you to experience your ‘wit’s end,’ a place of human helplessness. And it required a miracle of deliverance from me.”
Today, the Lord is still looking for a people who’ll rely totally on him. He wants a church that will testify both in words and actions that God is all-powerful on their behalf. He wants an unsaved world to see that he works mightily for those who love him.
Job declared, “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). Here is an incredible statement, especially considering the context in which Job spoke it.
Job suffered one of the worst trials any human could undergo. He lost all of his children in a tragic accident, and then he lost his wealth and possessions. Finally, he lost his physical health. And all these things happened in such a short time, they were utterly overwhelming.
Yet, God had put Job on this path. And the Lord alone knew where it eventually would lead. It was a plan so divinely orchestrated that God even allowed Satan to do the afflicting of Job. That’s why Job couldn’t see God in any of it: “I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: but he knoweth the way that I take” (Job 23:8–10).
Job was saying, “I know that God knows everything I’m enduring. And he knows the way through it all. My Lord is trying me right now. And I’m confident he’ll bring me through with a stronger faith. I’ll come out purged and cleansed, with a faith more precious than gold.”
To get David Wilkerson’s Devotionals or to read previous ones, visit http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/
-by Andrew Strom.
There is no question that we have covered the "Doom & Gloom"
side of the present crisis pretty well. But one thing I feel we have not discussed enough is the amazing OPPORTUNITY that God is setting before us through this crisis. In fact, it may be that what is happening now could be the answer to years of our most fervent prayers.
Have you been praying for God to act and bring massive change to the church and to our culture? Have you been praying for the return of spiritual hunger and reality? Have you been praying for God to open closed doors, to soften hearts, and to allow the real Truth of the gospel to march forth in the land once again? What if this is His answer to all of that - the only way He could bring about the kind of shaking and hunger that is so desperately required? What if He has spent years setting this up? What if it is the golden opportunity of a lifetime? Are we willing? Are we ready?
There is no question that some of our main enemies are on the run right now in the West. In fact, many of them are in rampant disorderly retreat. The great god Mammon is a good example.
I don't think the "deceitfulness of riches" will be doing too well in the West for awhile, do you? And Mammon's allies - Comfort, Apathy, Materialism and Humanism are starting to look a little shaky also.
There is a "window of opportunity" starting to open - where a gospel that was once unwelcome will be welcomed again - where change that was once thought impossible comes in like a rush. We are living in a rare moment of history.
In times of Depression - froth, bubble and hype go the way of the dinosaur. People start looking for reality and grounded truth.
They want to find a Rock to stand on instead of shifting sand. This happened in the last Depression, and it will happen in this one too.
Are you one who has spent years in the wilderness, waiting for God's moment? Are you a David in the caves, a Joseph in the dungeons? Couldn't it be that this is the very moment that God has been preparing you for, all this time?
You see, the "big boys" with their shallow gospel are in increasing trouble through all of this. They rely on big money, big media, big hype and big budgets to get their message out. And the budget is looking rather sick. Could it be that God is leveling the playing field?
Are many that were "last" about to become first? Are the little guys with their message of repentance and heart-holiness about to break through the glass ceiling that has kept them down for so long?
Has God actually been planning this for ages?
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- by AW Tozer
The temptation to gear our lives to social consequences is frightfully strong in a world like ours, but it must be overcome all the way down the line. The Christian businessman when faced with a moral choice must never ask, How much will this cost me? The moment he regards consequences, he dethrones Christ as Lord of his life. His only concern should be with the will of God and the moral quality of the proposed act. To consult anything else is to sin against his own soul.
Again, the pastor when facing his congregation on Sunday morning, dare not think of the effect his sermon may have on his job, his salary or his future relation to the church. Let him but worry about tomorrow and he becomes a hireling and no true shepherd of the sheep. No man is a good preacher who is not willing to lay his future on the line every time he expounds the Word. He must let his job and his reputation ride on each and every sermon or he has no right to think that he stands in the prophetic tradition.
And the same principle is binding upon the religious writer and editor. The scribe who will trim his copy to hold his job is unworthy of public confidence. The editor who will reject an article or a paragraph of an article because he is afraid to accept it is standing in the shadow of the fear of consequences. The publisher who allows desire for profit or the fear of losing sales to decide what books he shall print is on a moral level not too far above the money-changers Christ drove out of the Temple. All these examples point up to a grave modern evil, permitting temporal consequences to decide eternal issues.
Prayer
"I choose Thee, blessed will of God! In Thee alone my heart can rest." Those words of May Stephens are my prayer, Father.
Scripture
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.—First Peter 4:1-2
Thought
God's will extends into every area of life--public and private, secular and sacred, temporal and eternal. There can be no compromise when it comes to the clear will of God. We obey it or we disobey it.
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This was in my email today and it touched me deeply
THE LOST.. The LOST...
-Cynthia Nichols.
I thought you might be interested in the following. It was a dream that I feel is an admonition to todays' church.
Going With The Flow
I saw a wide stream flowing past where people stood on either side.
As the murky black water neared a precipice it flowed faster and ran deeper. A strong undertow drew it to the point where it roared headlong over the edge.
In the gathering darkness, which made the stream appear even blacker, a girl came drifting past. Those watching saw her, and from where they stood, could quite easily have grabbed her before she reached the rapids above the falls. But they didn't.
They murmured and pointed, even referring to her by her name, but not one ventured to help pull her out of the currents' ever increasing strength.
They were still pointing and murmuring when she tumbled over the falls and was gone.
One piercing scream drifted back to their ears and for a brief moment, they looked a bit distressed. But, it was a very brief moment indeed and then they simply picked up where they left off - murmuring and pointing as yet another person drifted into view.....
There seems to be more than one Jesus to choose from these days.
Which one is the true Jesus and who am I following?
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