The Holy One calls to me this morning. Distractions abound that are pleasant. Life is loud and even the forest dwellers are emerging from their slumber to celebrate Spring.
The Holy One reminds me that as life goes on, so do the battles and challenges we face day to day and season to season. His lessons of late have been subtle and require me to really draw close to Him in fellowship for greater understanding of the mystery of Holiness. He continues to speak His Word to my heart: "In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.
The Truth of His words to those who follow Him are so important in the world we inhabit today. Battles and challenges have always come to humanity due to the fall of man way back when. But there are times on the calendar of our years when the presence of evil is like a suffocating blanket. Today if we could have the eyes to see beyond human sight, I believe we would observe a titanic battle in the spirit realm.
Life on earth had a beginning and also has an end. Not the end like the evolutionist imagine or the one that the save-the-planet people are promoting. The end of life on earth has been ordained and written down by the Hand of Holiness; our amazing, Sovereign, Creator God.
Troubles we are told, come like birthing pains, contraction after contraction. The closer we get to the 'birth" the more intense come the pains. Questions abound as to what will be "birthed? What new is about to emerge?
The answer I find and hold onto in my faith walk is the "birth/emergence/arrival of the glorious Kingdom of the King of Kings. Jesus the Christ is about to come to planet earth once again, not as the suffering Messiah, but as the Glorious Resurrected King of Kings.
We are told to hold onto the hope we have in Christ Jesus. The hope is unto our righteous hearts, grieved by all that we see that is alien to the Kingdom of Heaven and offensive to the Holiness of our God.
But what are we to do as we look forward to that day? What is our assignment here on earth?
Looking back to the first coming of our Lord, we can see historically that a "herald" was sent to announce His arrival. John the Baptist came with the message; Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for Him. What was his message if not, repent for the kingdom of Heaven is near. He called for the people to repent and be baptized; cleansed of the old ways and open to the arrival of the One who would open the way to God.
Today we anticipate the return of Christ as King. As we await Him, the challenges to live out His life under his Lordship abound.
Looking at John the Baptist and the testimony of his life and calling as the messenger and herald of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, danger found him. As he spoke of the glorious Kingdom of Heaven evil plotted to silence his message and we live with the same dangers today.
The Church is the current day "herald" (like unto John the Baptist) and with the same mission to "prepare the way for the Lord".
The striking thing about John the Baptist and his mission was that in his confrontation with evil he lost his head and life. We may not be at risk to lose our heads as we confront evil but we are called to confront it and stand firm for our Kingdom and our King.
Can we look around and agree that there are countless places for us to make a stand against evil for our Kingdom and our King? As we make our stand, the Gospel is revealed and the Name above all Names recognized as our reason.
The Holy One says, "Pick your battle and I will be with you to overcome the evil there." Your battle is not the same as some one else's. Your passion is unique, your calling individual and your battlefield your own. But the one thing we can be sure of, we are fighting against a common enemy, a roaring lion who prowls around looking for someone to devour.
The Holy One has walked me through the account of a woman named Deborah, "a mother in Israel" as she calls herself, and one who lived in circumstances not unlike ours. In fact the conditions she faced are eerily similar to those we see around us today.
Judges 5:7-8, speaks of a life of oppression due to Israel's enemy, by the name of Sisera. "Village life ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. When they chose new gods, war came to the city gates and not a shield or a spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel."
The picture is very clear. choosing new gods brought war. Village (peaceful) life ceased. The people were defenseless for having no weapons.
There are 2 levels of view in these verses, life in the natural and life in the spirit. Deborah called for the fighting men on both fronts to step up. Deborah called for national and spiritual unity. Both were critical for the victory. Today in our society and life, both are critical to our victory as well.
The enemy has us divided, and suspicious of each other. Yet as we serve the same Lord, by His Holy Spirit we are one with Him and each other.
We are living in a land whose governmental foundation is based on the Word of God. We have laws and statutes that are being compromised and to the end of a society at war.
Judges 5:15-16 says, that in the "districts of Reuben", there was much searching of the hearts. The decision to be made seemed to be the decision to unify for battle against the common enemy.
Certain tribes came to the war Certain ones refused. For those who chose to be involved, Judges 5:20 says: "From the heavens the stars fought from their courses against Sisera" (AKA the common enemy). God's Angels came to the war.
As the battle ensued, there was this eye opening statement, Judges 5:23: "Curse Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse its people bitterly because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty". Meroz was an Israeli town distinguished because they refused to enter the battle.
There is so much to ponder as we see Israel under siege today and the US refusing to fight with her.
There is so much to ponder as we see our society in the grip of evil forces and see life as we once knew it being destroyed,
There is so much to ponder as we see a church in apathy and the very Body of Christ siding with the world and making peace with the Lord's enemies.
And there is so much to ponder as we personally choose whether to just "sit this one out" or refuse to help those who are in crisis and under attack for their faith.
The Holy One says again, "Pick your battle. Decide where to make your stand in all those areas to ponder, and I will be with you".
Does the Lord lack power to overcome any enemy? Of course not. But for whatever the reason He wants me to join Him in the battle.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
The Holy One reminds me that as life goes on, so do the battles and challenges we face day to day and season to season. His lessons of late have been subtle and require me to really draw close to Him in fellowship for greater understanding of the mystery of Holiness. He continues to speak His Word to my heart: "In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.
The Truth of His words to those who follow Him are so important in the world we inhabit today. Battles and challenges have always come to humanity due to the fall of man way back when. But there are times on the calendar of our years when the presence of evil is like a suffocating blanket. Today if we could have the eyes to see beyond human sight, I believe we would observe a titanic battle in the spirit realm.
Life on earth had a beginning and also has an end. Not the end like the evolutionist imagine or the one that the save-the-planet people are promoting. The end of life on earth has been ordained and written down by the Hand of Holiness; our amazing, Sovereign, Creator God.
Troubles we are told, come like birthing pains, contraction after contraction. The closer we get to the 'birth" the more intense come the pains. Questions abound as to what will be "birthed? What new is about to emerge?
The answer I find and hold onto in my faith walk is the "birth/emergence/arrival of the glorious Kingdom of the King of Kings. Jesus the Christ is about to come to planet earth once again, not as the suffering Messiah, but as the Glorious Resurrected King of Kings.
We are told to hold onto the hope we have in Christ Jesus. The hope is unto our righteous hearts, grieved by all that we see that is alien to the Kingdom of Heaven and offensive to the Holiness of our God.
But what are we to do as we look forward to that day? What is our assignment here on earth?
Looking back to the first coming of our Lord, we can see historically that a "herald" was sent to announce His arrival. John the Baptist came with the message; Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for Him. What was his message if not, repent for the kingdom of Heaven is near. He called for the people to repent and be baptized; cleansed of the old ways and open to the arrival of the One who would open the way to God.
Today we anticipate the return of Christ as King. As we await Him, the challenges to live out His life under his Lordship abound.
Looking at John the Baptist and the testimony of his life and calling as the messenger and herald of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, danger found him. As he spoke of the glorious Kingdom of Heaven evil plotted to silence his message and we live with the same dangers today.
The Church is the current day "herald" (like unto John the Baptist) and with the same mission to "prepare the way for the Lord".
The striking thing about John the Baptist and his mission was that in his confrontation with evil he lost his head and life. We may not be at risk to lose our heads as we confront evil but we are called to confront it and stand firm for our Kingdom and our King.
Can we look around and agree that there are countless places for us to make a stand against evil for our Kingdom and our King? As we make our stand, the Gospel is revealed and the Name above all Names recognized as our reason.
The Holy One says, "Pick your battle and I will be with you to overcome the evil there." Your battle is not the same as some one else's. Your passion is unique, your calling individual and your battlefield your own. But the one thing we can be sure of, we are fighting against a common enemy, a roaring lion who prowls around looking for someone to devour.
The Holy One has walked me through the account of a woman named Deborah, "a mother in Israel" as she calls herself, and one who lived in circumstances not unlike ours. In fact the conditions she faced are eerily similar to those we see around us today.
Judges 5:7-8, speaks of a life of oppression due to Israel's enemy, by the name of Sisera. "Village life ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. When they chose new gods, war came to the city gates and not a shield or a spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel."
The picture is very clear. choosing new gods brought war. Village (peaceful) life ceased. The people were defenseless for having no weapons.
There are 2 levels of view in these verses, life in the natural and life in the spirit. Deborah called for the fighting men on both fronts to step up. Deborah called for national and spiritual unity. Both were critical for the victory. Today in our society and life, both are critical to our victory as well.
The enemy has us divided, and suspicious of each other. Yet as we serve the same Lord, by His Holy Spirit we are one with Him and each other.
We are living in a land whose governmental foundation is based on the Word of God. We have laws and statutes that are being compromised and to the end of a society at war.
Judges 5:15-16 says, that in the "districts of Reuben", there was much searching of the hearts. The decision to be made seemed to be the decision to unify for battle against the common enemy.
Certain tribes came to the war Certain ones refused. For those who chose to be involved, Judges 5:20 says: "From the heavens the stars fought from their courses against Sisera" (AKA the common enemy). God's Angels came to the war.
As the battle ensued, there was this eye opening statement, Judges 5:23: "Curse Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse its people bitterly because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty". Meroz was an Israeli town distinguished because they refused to enter the battle.
There is so much to ponder as we see Israel under siege today and the US refusing to fight with her.
There is so much to ponder as we see our society in the grip of evil forces and see life as we once knew it being destroyed,
There is so much to ponder as we see a church in apathy and the very Body of Christ siding with the world and making peace with the Lord's enemies.
And there is so much to ponder as we personally choose whether to just "sit this one out" or refuse to help those who are in crisis and under attack for their faith.
The Holy One says again, "Pick your battle. Decide where to make your stand in all those areas to ponder, and I will be with you".
Does the Lord lack power to overcome any enemy? Of course not. But for whatever the reason He wants me to join Him in the battle.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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