September 2016 Article: “Heavenly Confirmations”

The power of agreement is of vital importance in an environment where so many things are separated and dislocated. It is through agreement that progress is made in life and any other endeavor in which people may be engaged. While this is a biblical principle, it is not always applied towards those things that glorify God. When an agreement is reached, the people are of one mind and purpose, and the momentum set in motion has the potential of enlisting unengaged bystanders and absorbing them into the effort of accomplishing that goal. The erection of the Tower of Babel would have been completed unless God Himself had not intervened. We have seen groups of people come together and organize movements either in defense or defiance of a particular cause. It is especially effective when those in favor take ownership of that cause. Yet the question of rightness and wrongness is yet to be determined. However, a conclusion can easily be reached from the surface. But there are variables that could completely change the equation, and if known, could influence the decision of those who had committed themselves to that end. It was stated, “believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see.”  Even our eyes and ears can be deceived, and it is pride that will cause one to hold on to an opinion when the current information contradicts all that he once believed. If my eyes and ears cannot be completely trusted, then what can I trust and who can I trust? There has to be an absolute from which all other things originate. It must be above all things, yet inclusive of any facts that are known or may be discovered in the future.

It is our agreement with God who has full knowledge of all things that will bring peace on earth and peace within our souls. The frustration of the soul that often leads to violence and rebellion is merely an indication of the disharmony that exists between man’s intent and God’s will. It is not His intention that any would find perfect peace and contentment by any other way. The Holy Spirit rested upon Jesus like a dove after His baptism, thereby indicating the stillness of His soul. He only rests as a dove when there is no turbulence and disquieting within. The announcement from heaven was, “this is My Beloved Son in whom I Am well pleased!” His submission to baptism was more than a mere ceremony. It was His inauguration into the work that led to our salvation. He, through baptism, demonstrated His submission to the will of the Father, and expressed the course in which His life was to take in order to provide the way for all to be rightly related to Him.

Today, as with Jesus, the Lord both affirms us as being His own and confirms that His Presence is currently with us. The voice was not for Jesus, but about Him to others. He knew that He was the Son of God and that His ways pleased the Father, but did others know? Today, God confirms His Word with signs following. We are embarking upon a time when the signs, wonders, and miracles of God will manifest among true believers like never before! Yes, there will always be the counterfeit attempting to disprove the authentic. How can one distinguish the difference between the true and the false? All that is true will lead to the development of character. The confirmation will not just be the demonstrated power of Christ, but His power leading to the character of Christ lived. It will be in Word and in power in the Holy Spirit with much assurance, so you may know what kind of men were among you for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1:5) Those who were waiting on the Lord to manifest Himself must come to realize that God had been waiting on them to come into full agreement with Him. When we meet His criteria, He will open Heaven and rain down His Spirit upon all manner of flesh!

August 2016 Article: “The Shaking of Kingdoms”

Heb 12:27-29 The phrase, “one last shaking,” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered. (28) Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. (29) He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (The Message Paraphrase)

God’s established authority, having been compromised, gives rise to resulting calamities that expresses violence within the heart of the rebellious. Sin is rebellion and is practiced by those who contradict God’s Word and is offended by His standard of absolute righteousness. Since it is impossible to measure up to His standard independent of surrendering to His Son, Jesus Christ, the futile search for alternatives merely lead to further frustration of the heart. The essentials stand clear and uncluttered regardless of contrary opinions among those who consider themselves too intelligent to trust the simplicity of God’s Word. Jesus spoke of the ignorance among His own people when He said, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42b) The practice of sin blinds one from understanding or even having an interest in what works and produces a permanent resolve to the issues of our day. Therefore, more laws must be passed and further modified, increased military strength to regulate the inevitable, and a dependency upon the decisions of ungodly leaders leading to increased fears and ultimately hopelessness and despair. When His authority is violated, security and the people are threatened.

The closer we come to the return of Christ, the more the light of His glory exposes the intent of the hearts of mankind. The increase of warring factions is not coincidental. Injustice becomes the measure among those lacking an absolute standard. Unfortunately, most are not able to draw the line that connects decisions made on a personal and collective basis and the consequences that follow. God merely withdraws a small measure of His grace that allows people to have it their own way. Only God knows the end from the beginning. All of us have the right to choose what we will to do with our own bodies, what we wish to say, and where we wish to go, but we do not have the right to determine the consequences of our decisions. The prophetic Word is a warning to all; yet it is still be ignored today as it has throughout history!

There will come a time when there will be one last shaking. A shaking of our economy, a shaking of our educational, and economic systems, a shaking of our political system, a shaking among religious institutions; everything will be shaken. The shaking will take place as a means of exposing the futility of everything established where the Lord has been expelled. God is actively cleaning house! First, there must be the uprooting of the residue of rebellion that stands as a monument of man’s strength when he stands alone. Babel was incomplete and its structure was not secure—it represented confusion. However, God is erecting a Kingdom that cannot be shaken!  It is time for each one of us to examine ourselves and ask the question, “What are you building? Whose side are you really on?”  He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and the time is soon coming where are will eventually realize that the only thing that matters and will have a lasting effect are those things initiated and sustained by Him.