Meditation: January 18

“For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:6-7

The people of God were discouraged because God’s Presence appeared to be withdrawn from among them. Their Temple had been destroyed for over seventy years and the workers who would rebuild it had become weakened and wearied. There are times when it may appear as if God is silent and all hope is lost; then God gives us a prophetic word that He will be restored all who put their trust in Him while all things that others relied upon will be shaken. There will be signs in heaven and signs upon the earth. Strange phenomena will happen so that the nations of the earth will be forced to look beyond themselves for help. Then there will be people of all walks of life that will look in our direction because our eyes will be constantly focused upon Him. Only the Church of the Living God, where the message of Jesus Christ is heard, will provide a sanctuary for the bewildered souls who opted to trust in other things rather than in God. Nations or people-groups will be shaken so that God’s original intent may be established among them. Then His “glory will fill this temple” says the Lord of Hosts.

Meditation: January 6

“Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God” 1 Samuel 25:29

When our souls are joined to the Lord, our lives are hidden in Him. Our minds, our wills, and our emotions are under the influence of the Holy One. We think His thoughts in order to willfully obey Him, thus we can feel with Him the same as He feels about every matter. His objective is to draw us into a merging of hearts that we may love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Such compassion will bring us to give a fuller expression of His life. The life that we live in the flesh will be the life of the Son of God. Our lives would be hidden. We are bound to each other, but bound together with the Lord. This is the Church of God. This is the degree of protection and safety that is provided for us when we are on one accord. No man can touch us without touching God. He has identified with humanity through the incarnation. Now we can identify with Him as He identifies with us.

Meditation: January 5

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!” Isaiah 64:1

There are many things about God that are hard to explain and at best, difficult to make others to see. Dimensions of His love present among us when it feels like He is not there, and how definite the course is that we are to fully follow. We do our best in attempting to point people in the right direction, but very often our instructions are taken as an opinion equal to any other opinion. Things will continue as they have always been unless there is an infusion of life in this culture of death. If we are left to ourselves, there would be no resolving of the riddle or answer to deep question that one lack the ability to ask.

God revealed Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. Now Christ must be seen through His Body, the Church. We need the Spirit of God to come down and descend upon His people in revival! Then we will feel the need to be on one accord under the same governance and rule. God’s power will then function among us as it did on the Day of Pentecost. We cannot afford to lose this battle by default while many are merely concerned about their own personal affairs. We need to be about our Father’s business. “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!”

Meditation: December 6

“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:”We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.” Isaiah 26:1

There will be a day where the people of God will have a new song on their hearts. Those who had been driven into exile while the land had been forcefully taken from their hands will return to the land of promise. God Himself will be a firewall around them. They will live in a fortified city and their song will be of victory while they experience a level of peace beyond any that they had ever known. This is the future state of the Church of the Living God. God will provide both deliverance and protection for His people. It will not be a place inhabited by a den of thieves or corrupted by money-changers, magicians, sorcerers, or any who have a bent in the direction of corruption. God will establish His rule and His peace will abide among the people. This is the battle that is raging today. God wants His Church back and is determined to gain reentry where His praises are to be offered up by His people. It will happen for sure.  His House shall be called a House of Prayer, Praise, and Power because He will reign among His own thus establishing His peace among them.

Meditation: December 2

Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:27

The voice of God speaks from heaven and the earth is shaken. God’s Word has the power to disturb the false peace that resides upon the earth when it is not according to His design. Our lives must be established on the principles of His doctrine unless we too will have a false sense of security merely to be shaken by the calamities that are sure to come upon all who live their lives in disobedience to His will. He stands alone as the Creator of all things. He has the authority over and the design for the whole of His creation. They are unstable without His Spirit bringing all things into proper order. The Word of God may appear obsolete in our day. The true ministers of God may seem to have lost their significance among much talk and activity that in God’s eyes is meaningless chatter. God has both a heavenly message and gives a heavenly vision to those whom He has called to represent Him on the earth. It is His Church established upon the revelation of Jesus Christ that will remain when all other things have failed.

Meditation: November 19

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” Isaiah 28:16

With all that the Church and the believers must suffer in these last days, doubt may enter into the minds of many. Evil appears to triumph over good and decisions to support what is wrong outweighs the support of the truth. Yet God has made a promise to His people. His foundation is sure for He knows His own. The foundation stone or touchstone of the Lord has been laid in Zion which represents the Church. It is the support of all that God is erecting. He will hold His Church together to weather the storms of adversity because His very life is invested in her. This is the hope of the believer, not to be a reactionary to the sudden storms that may arise from time to time, for our lives are anchored in the hope of His promises. God will have the final word, but we must endure to the end. The time will come when what in the past has been ignored will be greatly treasured. People will flock to hear the Word of the Lord when all that they have desired to hear has failed them. Not only will they hear but also see the glory of the Lord rising upon His people. 

Meditation: November 17

Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” John 12:21

The religious activity today has been directed towards many causes. They tell us to be more relevant so that the Church may establish her position in society. Many leaders have risen to the occasion with the valor and courage to fight for what they believe, while others have affirmed the humanity and self-existence of mankind having rights and privileges given to them by God to enjoy life, or rather exploit this planet and its inhabitants for the sake of personal pleasure and gain. We have the selfless heroes of our day and the selfish demagogues who seek both fame and fortune merely for themselves. Yet in their pursuits for what they want to achieve remain vain and left without any eternal merit because Jesus would not have His place of prominence established among them. In the midst of the hurrying crowd looking for a reason to embrace that will give life meaning, we wish to see Jesus. He alone is able to provide what we really need. He postures us to ask the right questions so that in our seeking answers we may discover what really matters. Preachers, preach Jesus! There are too many options before us to choose when we are in preparation to address the crowd who has come to hear us. As we die to ourselves, He will take His rightful place among us and do what He alone is able to do.

Meditation: November 11

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17

The love of Jesus Christ is conveyed to the world through those who trust in Him. It is spread abroad through those who have no other motive other than to please Him. They wish for no greater blessing than the opportunity to serve others on His behalf. They can then be trusted with authority to extend His work to areas untouched by His testimony.

We are here to be witnesses His redeeming grace and love thus fulfilling our call as saints. Our salvation was not merely for our own personal benefit. It was for the expansion of His kingdom. He touches lives throughout the world through His Church. It is not a matter of trying to imagine what Jesus would do in varying situations. Rather our question is “what is Jesus doing and how much of that ought to be done through us?” We have been given this grand opportunity to demonstrate the love of Jesus among many who have not heard of Him. We are here to be as He is. Then love reaches its end and we can stand boldly when all the works of mankind are being judged.

Meditation: November 8

“And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.” Luke 4:33

The conventional wisdom and language of the people was mere talk without power to back it up. There had been many who had made impressive speeches that dazzled the crowds and arrested their undivided attention. But none was able to speak with such words of power to command spirits that controlled their environment and lives as Jesus could. He did not mince words with senseless and endless babble. Every word was direct and true even when not fully understood. It was given for His disciples to know the mysteries of His message. He presented to mankind the kingdom of heaven, an order that was strange to the disorder existing on the earth. Little wonder why they were astonished when all they had ever heard were light-hearted messages that do very little for the soul and spirit. Now that His authority has been given to the Church, it is our responsibility to represent Him in ways where the integrity of His Words are delivered intact. If it is to be His authority, it must be both His Word and His Spirit communicated through a vessel that is His own.

October 2015 Article: “A House Divided”

Matt 12:25 “But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”

What happens in a divided house? Whether it is a family household or a nation, the result is still the same. Challenges rising in these present times require unity of purpose perfectly centered in the truth. Yet most hold on to their opinions without giving consideration that there is wisdom above and beyond their limited sources of reference. In the time of crisis, their belief systems shrivel up with nothing left but endless arguments and debates without merit. The Church, the House of God, and the Household of Faith were intended to be the places where matters of morality were settled. A divided church not upholding the standard of Christ then becomes a divided house that becomes the primary cause for the moral decay in society. This indictment may sound harsh, but God’s eyes are fixed and focused upon His own people and how they represent His Son on the earth.

As part of the construction of the Babel, an observatory tower was built in order to preserve the reputation of the people as well as to establish their unity apart from God. “And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4) It was their unified effort of defiance that produced the first city. As it is today, the will of the people versus the will of God struggles against the power of the people in conflict with the power of God. Little wonder that our cities today lie in ruin. Our Christian witness has been compromised, leaving the world with limited choices. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Ps 127:1

When the moral standard is raised by the Church cities, can be transformed. The power and standard of God provides safety and protection over geographic areas, and as we know, the battle is fought and won in the heavenly places over principalities and powers. The Church is the moral compass that measures the standard established within the world. So as the Church goes, so goes the world. If Christ is not the standard within the Church, then the world has no other recourse than to degenerate into a chaotic state. Satan dominates and fills the spaces left unoccupied by God’s people. He is the author of confusion and the master of deception. If the people who are called by His name do not see this, the devil’s work continues undetected. The masses are left to choose the side of a reduced standard, never realizing that both sides lead to death.

When the enemy comes in (with his limited choices), the Spirit of the Lord will raise His standard against him! Appointed and anointed preachers who are not a part of his game of chance will preach an unadulterated Gospel in order to raise the sights and hearts of the people above the fray. God confuses the minds of the rebellious and leads His people on a path of righteousness. He calls His ministry gifts in the Book of Revelations the angels or messengers of the Church. God will raise His voice above the many voices that are speaking today with a message that will compel the hearts of people to be drawn away from the current practices and trends of society. They will clearly hear and respond to His Word of reconciliation by bridging the divide that exists. They will then know that there is only one Way, one Truth, and one Life.