May 2021
[vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”10570″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row height=”auto”][vc_column][vc_column_text]When we look across the landscape of the world today, it is easy to see that things are becoming more and more contrary to the way that Jesus commands His people to live. Against Jesus’s teachings. Against Jesus Christ Himself. This is the spirit of the anti-Christ. The cultures of the world are primed and ready to receive the one who will embody the very anti-Christ spirit. This man will be possessed by satan himself. The Bible calls this man many different names: The abomination of desolation, The Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction are just a few. He is the Anti-Christ, the one who will come to this Earth instead of Christ and will deceive many.
In this message Jack Hibbs highlights the crucial understanding of these truths, and the areas in the Word of God that we must understand that point directly to the workings of the Anti-Christ. This evil entity will be an unholy trinity, comprising of satan, the Anti-Christ, and a demonic religious prophet, who will deceive the nations of the world. Every generation must be ready for Jesus’ return. Jesus plainly reveals in Matthew 24: 15,24, His return will not come until the Anti-Christ has made himself known to the world. “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) …For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Just as there are verses in the Bible that describe what the Anti-Christ will do, we can also look at just some of the headlines in our world today and see parallels that cause a deeper look. If we are not rooted and grounded in the Word of God, walking by the Holy Spirit, we will be sucked away by the deceptive evil anointing of the Anti-Christ.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_btn label=”WATCH NOW” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Db2qD6PLlufc|target:_blank” style=”5″ icon=”fas|user”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/535445447″ hide_video_title=”1″][us_separator size=”small”][vc_column_text]In this message, we see an encounter between a business leader, a religious leader, and one who was born with a sickness that held him back his entire life from being “normal” like everyone else. This encounter was not like any other encounter they or anyone else had ever had. Little did they know that someone else would be in this encounter and would change their lives forever. If you are someone who has been in business or someone who has done all you know to be a leader in your faith or living with something that has hindered you since birth, you, along with anyone, who watches this message will be greatly encouraged. Not only did they not know who would be there, but they had no idea that He would offer them something that they had no idea they needed, something that every one of us needs, the forgiveness of their sins to have a relationship with God forever. Yes, Jesus was there showing them the most amazing love, compassion, and desire He can give for He must meet us where we are, give us what we must have to be in a relationship with Him forever! You’ll learn of the passion of God shown in what He did to cover everything that would need to be covered to allow you an opportunity to accept God’s invitation to you to be in the relationship He desires to have with you. You’ll learn how the love of God is so deep that it raised His Son from the dead, after offering Him up for you and all who call upon the name of the Lord. Yes, He died on Friday, but He was raised to live on Sunday all because of God’s love for you![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][ult_tab_element tab_style=”Style_6″ tab_animation=”Slide-Horizontal” tab_title_color=”#333333″ tab_background_color=”#42baff” tab_hover_title_color=”#999999″ tab_hover_background_color=”#e8e8e8″ acttab_title=”#1b98e0″ acttab_background=”#ffffff” tabs_border_radius=”0″ font_icons_position=”Left” icon_size=”18″ icon_color=”#1a1a1a” icon_hover_color=”#999999″ act_icon_color=”#1b98e0″ tab_describe_color=”#1a1a1a” enable_bg_color=”#ffffff” title_font_style=”font-weight:bold;” title_font_size=”desktop:18px;”][single_tab icon=”Defaults-pencil” title=”NOTES” tab_id=”1570475809108-3a42d-acf4″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/single_tab][single_tab icon=”Defaults-book” title=”BIBLE” tab_id=”1570475809180-0a42d-acf4″][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwaWQlM0QlMjJpZnJhbWVCaWJsZSUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMSUyMiUyMGhlaWdodCUzRCUyMjY1MCUyMiUyMHdpZHRoJTNEJTIyNTAwJTIyJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuYmlibGUuY29tJTJGYmlibGUlMkYxMiUyRmpobi4xLmFzdiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRSUwQSUwQSUyMA==[/vc_raw_html][/single_tab][single_tab icon=”Defaults-dollar usd” title=”DONATE” tab_id=”1570476095369-2-10a42d-acf4″][us_separator][us_image image=”11446″ size=”full” align=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fpushpay.com%2Fg%2Fgreglancaster%3Fsrc%3Dhpp|target:_blank”][us_separator][/single_tab][/ult_tab_element][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”10555″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row height=”auto”][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s no surprise that the darkness of this world is increasing and becoming more unstable. The question is, what are we maintaining our focus upon? It may be easy for things to go well for a brief moment, but what about the long run? What about the longevity of enduring? It’s easy to stick with God on the easy days, but very few remain with God on the worst days. This is when it really matters. When we have our gaze focused on what matters most, we will endure through the times and seasons that will cause many to fall away.
In this message, Troy Brewer encourages us with the reminder of how we are to remain vigilant and steadfast as the instability of this world increases, with the words of Psalm 27:13, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” If we look only to what we see in this life, it is only a matter of time until we are no longer walking with the Lord. Oftentimes, we also cannot rely on others to encourage us in the Lord, we must be able to encourage ourselves in the Lord. In addition, we must also be able to walk in compassion for others in this season. Don’t miss these important truths to help you walk in faithfulness to the Lord during these seasons.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][us_btn label=”WATCH NOW” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fchurchofhispresence.org%2Fmore-sermons%3Fsapurl%3DLytyZHNtL2xiL21pLys1ZnI1dzM0P2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZQ%3D%3D|target:_blank” style=”5″ icon=”fas|user”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Love on the rocks? What is the difference between 6.3% and 50%? It is the difference between marriages that include using minds along with their heart. In 1931 more than 50 percent of marriages in the United States took place between neighbors within five blocks of each other. What does that mean? They grew up together. They went to the same schools and if not the same churches, at least they knew the churches each other went to and if they didn’t attend a church, they knew that too. The success of marriages that occurred at that time had a greater success rate than today’s which is estimated to have a fifty-percent success rate if getting married at all.
ARRANGED MARRIAGE
The 6.3% I mentioned is reported to be the divorce rate for marriages that were planned, arranged, or had others involved in helping the couple make the decision on who to marry. Dr. John Van Epp, Ph. D. says, “Eighty percent of all cultures throughout all history practiced some form of planned marriages: arranged marriages and forced marriages. These marriages were designed to maximize a rational approach to marriage: bringing together a couple who were similar in status and family values; and beneficial for not just the two who were marrying but also the extended families involved. This historical approach to the choice of a partner was not really about love, romance, attraction, or intimacy. It was a practical arrangement that was directed by a rational plan. You could sum it up in one word: think.” He is not promoting the historical “arranged marriages” but he is promoting using your brain when making such a major decision for yours and your potential children’s future.
When others we respect and know us are involved in helping us choose our spouse, they can help us make a more well-informed decision. Remember, when someone does divorce, quite often, they end up turning to their families for help. Why would we do that? Because our families can help us with our family, our children and yes, even help us with potential spouses.
For those who are Christians and are members of a Bible believing, God-fearing church family with a pastor who God has placed in your life is someone who can be “that outside” help regarding a potential spouses. Many who divorce, have no concerns about involving their pastor when the tragedy of divorce strikes their marriage and family, why wouldn’t one seek their counsel, wisdom, and insight in the choosing of a potential spouse? If you seek their counsel “before” you seek a spouse, you might not have to seek them in the future after a divorce because there is a higher chance your marriage will not end in divorce.
HOW TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND
Dr. Epp, states, after many years of study and practice helping individuals and couples who were in this crisis of broken relationships and divorce or outright repetitive bad choices for mates, wrote the book “How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk. A Foolproof Way to Follow Your Heart Without Losing Your Mind.” The title is a mind-shifter, but inside the covers of this book is years of research and statistics that prove “God’s way” of relationships is what works and if we do not follow His way, we tend to end up in crisis.
I’ve found when I am recommending this book, I first must share some of the amazing work that Dr. Epp did and methods he learned and teaches people to help them have a successful relationship BEFORE I slide the book across the table, and they see the title. I must admit it is entertaining to watch and hear their responses when they read the bold in your face title.
JERK?
He writes that a jerk is someone who basically has a character flaw, which we all do, yet they refuse to either acknowledge it, or they may acknowledge it, but they refuse to do the hard work required to correct that part of their character. Hence, a jerk, as he calls it, are men or women who “are the problem” in the relationship but have no desire to change. As Christians we are called to love others as we love ourselves. By God’s help and our willingness to do the hard work required to change or build good character we can achieve a more loving relationship. The Apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans ‘don’t act like those who are not one of God’s followers, but transform your mind.’ Transformation is used in this scripture and that word is like the metamorphosis as a caterpillar does when it goes into its cocoon and is transformed into a butterfly. That is a big expectation of change on our behalf. For someone who claims to be a follower of Christ while at same time says they are not required to personally change how they relate to others are missing the entire reason why Jesus came to save us and lead us in the ways of His teachings. The way Christians are to live their life is even referred to in scripture as “The Way.”
He did not write his book as a “Church book” or “Christian Book” to only be read by Christians. Though, as he shared when speaking at his former university, he did ponder this, he decided to write it in a way that all can benefit from its wisdom. For God created all mankind and yes womankind and His intentions are the same for all families. For family and marriage is God’s idea and design. I see it as a perfect tool for pastors and fellow Christians. It is a great tool to help you practically approach your potential relationship. As well it is a great asset for a couple who is married to have a better marriage and work on their love walk. Though his book focuses primarily on seeking a potential spouse, it’s easy to see how to apply it to your current marriage or any relationship for that matter.
FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS
Dr. Epp proves statistically through much study, ways to approach choosing a spouse to be your family and your family’s family. Regarding your family’s family, I mention because it is important that if one spouse, parent, abandons the family or creates a coup d’état in the family, then all the family suffers. It could be your choice up front that can change the outcome on how or if it ends, Dr. Epp proves in his study.
I want to warn you before you read his book that it has everything in it the Bible does. Those who have read it share with me that they are glad he talks about everything when it comes to healthy and unhealthy relationships because that is where we are as humans. I personally believe that Dr. Epp, proves through his studies, without even saying anything about what scripture plainly tells us, that if we do things, including relationships, outside of God’s design, we are doing things that risk that relationship, or marriage to be able to endure. Or as we used to hear, “till death do us part.”
THE DAGGER
In the 1960’s and 1970’s with Woodstock, Free Love, Divorce and promotion of abortion , traditional marriage and family began to come under assault in every direction, but one of the major assaults was promoted that says, “Love is following your heart.” The Beatles even wrote a song about “All You Need is Love.” That sounds great. We have heard it so much that we just accept it. That is how long it’s been since we involved our heads, our minds in this equation. These two decades were the beginning of driving a dagger into the heart of God’s design for marriage and family.
Dr. Epp shows us how to bring both our heart and our mind together showing specific ways to “Fall in love without losing your mind.” He proves you can use your mind and heart when you are deciding who will be your family in your future.
BRAIN FREEZE
He shows through his studies how when someone follows their heart, without engaging their mind, their ability to think stops working. You could call that brain freeze. He says that specific response of the mind shutting down with intimacy is a good design for those who are married, but not when you are seeking who you will marry. I would say, I believe Dr. Epp would too, as he is a Christian, this it is a “God design.” For when you are married with a loving close relationship, intimacy between a married couple doesn’t always need the mind to be engaged. Some reports say if the mind gets too engaged in a marital relationship. the ability to be intimate is hindered.
- John Van Epp – Follow Your Heart without Losing your Mind | Cairn University Chapel
WORK IT OUT
When Dr. Epp was speaking at his former Christian university, he told all those attending that we are called as Christians to “work out our salvation” which implies we must ‘do something’ about our salvation. It requires us to be intelligently involved in our salvation. He then goes on to say, it’s the same with love, yes, we engage our hearts, but we need to “work out our love” by engaging our minds. No, he wasn’t saying you need to earn your salvation, he was just saying you need to be involved in it as scripture says, “each man should work out his (or her) own salvation.”
RELATIONSHIP ATTACHMENT MODEL, R.A.M.
After many years of work and trying to explain to others about what steps to take to apply what he learned from his studies he developed the R.A.M. Chart, which is the Relationship Attachment Model. These five key measurements are powerful to measure where you presently are in any of your relationships and where you need to be when approaching a relationship including a potential spouse.
Source: LoveThinks.com
These five gauges of a relationship which are known as KNOW, TRUST, RELY, COMMIT, and TOUCH are laid out from left to right. Starting with Knowing someone is the way we can logically approach and build a loving relationship. He writes that you should never be higher in one than the others. For example. You should not be higher in trust than knowing. He goes on to write that that really is impossible because you can’t trust someone who doesn’t know you. Yet, that doesn’t stop most people in todays’ society from pursuing a relationship completely opposite of this well studied model as many starts on the far right of R.A.M. Model with “TOUCH.” The thing about starting with TOUCH, Dr. Epp writes, is that the mind shuts down. What I call “Brain Freeze.” That means the other four KNOW, TRUST, RELY and COMMIT are not even a consideration and if they are mentioned, based on what he writes, not fully engaged mentally, as the TOUCH shuts down one’s ability to think clearly.
In reading Dr. Epp’s book, you can logically see why the divorce rate in America is estimated to be around 50% if they are getting married at all and the arranged marriages that included minds other than the ones who are getting married has a small divorce rate of 6.3%.
GET HELP
When we want to build a house, we get a contractor. When we have a legal matter, we get an attorney. When we would like some food, we go to a grocery store. When we want an education, we go to a teacher to teach us what we don’t know. What do all these have in common? They all are involving other people to help us meet our needs, or to learn what we presently do not know to get what we presently do not have. Yet, when it comes to choosing who will be our family supposedly for the rest of our lives if we seek no one other than our “hearts” I would say, something is wrong in that equation.
Dr. Epp brings it all together and gives you a way to fall in love without losing your mind. I encourage you to purchase Dr. Epp’s book and take in all the years of research he painstakingly makes available to us in “How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk. A Foolproof Way to Follow Your Heart Without Losing Your Mind.”
LOVE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT MARRIAGE
I will be writing another article soon regarding “Love.” Jesus told us that those who are His disciples, believers, are “known by our love for each other.” Jesus says in Matthew chapter seven that many people will have thought they loved Him will show up in the last days and list off a bunch of things “they did” supposedly for Him and He will say plainly, “I never knew you.” In this future article I will explore, using Dr. Epp’s wisdom in his book and studies and how to apply this same principle to all relationships. To your family, to your friends, to your co-workers, to your fellow church members to those you pastor and to any relationship as love is supposed to be our identity as followers of Jesus.
I am excited about this future article because it helps us all examine ourselves logically in how loving we really are. I personally want to grow in love and do a better job at loving others.
LOVE CHECK
Dr. Epp’s book, in my opinion, shows us how we can do better at being loving and not end up showing up on the last day before Jesus and crank off a whole list of things “we did” none of them being done out of love for Him. Paul writes that no matter what we do, if it’s not done in love is worthless and counts for nothing. Wow, that gives us pause to consider doing a love check in our lives.
LOVE FORGIVES
Finally, if we discover we are not loving as we should be to someone, it allows us to see how we can repent for not being as loving as we should have been. We can see, by these five aspects of love, where we might not have been as loving to our family, friends, co-workers, employees, fellow believers or God Himself as we should have been and go to them and ask forgiveness. If they choose to forgive you, you will have a chance to “build again” a loving relationship that God has called us all to have. Look for that article soon.
You can find out more about Dr. John Van Epp and his “Love Think” resources at LoveThink.com
Torch Category: Family, Faith, Marriage, Relationships
Sources:
John Van Epp – Follow Your Heart without Losing your Mind | Cairn University Chapel
How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk: John Van Epp
56 Marriage Statistics: 2020/2021 Global Data, Analysis & Trends | CompareCamp.com
Tidal Waves, Surge, Undertow and the Coming Glory
The Lord has shown many of His people a tidal wave coming. They’ve been seen as tidal waves of God’s glory and tidal waves of destruction. Truth is more than likely both. When God shows up, we all bow down, big, small, important, un-important, significant, or insignificant, rich, poor, employee or employer. All who do not bow potentially are swept away in the very thing that happens before the tidal wave, called the undertow. Remember, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess the Jesus Christ is Lord.
UNDERTOW
Many people who see the waves on the Gulf of Mexico or an ocean near them speak of their beauty and how relaxing they are, but what many may not know is that there is a related under tow that helped build that wave and as a consequence of that wave. The bigger the wave, the the larger the under tow and danger there is of being exhausted for fighting it, sucked under water because of it and if you don’t resurface, to die under it. What many first timers to the ocean or the gulf discover is though the waves are beautiful and they are nice to get into, they will soon loose site of their beauty by fighting for their life in the undertow that comes along with them.
SURGE
It’s reported that the surge in the gulf or oceans as a result of a Hurricane brings more damage and destruction that the strong winds and tornadoes in a hurricane. I’ll never forget Wave Land Mississippi where Hurricane Katrina came in. As we walked among the neighborhoods helping those we could there were certain marks on each house. One mark meant there were no people who died in that house and the other mark was that people died in the house from the surge and the number of people who died. It was devastating to see, what was reported to be, seventeen foot tidal waves coming in off the Gulf of Mexico that washed over neighborhoods.
There were people who understood the times and seasons and prepared who had marks on their homes where nobody lost their lives. There were others who didn’t understand the times and seasons, or had no one to tell them of the times and season, to cause them to want to prepare. This cost them and their families their lives. The water continued to rise from the surge and some people just kept going higher and higher in their houses thinking this will end at some point. Some even went as far as to get into their attics to get away from the flooding waters that reached their ceilings. They thought it was safer to get into the attic than to go outside and fight the high winds and surge. These were the people who drowned in their attics because once they got in their attics there was no way out and the water surged over their roof tops. In some place, approximately, seven feet “above” their roof tops. These were the houses that had a mark on the front with the number of people who died inside.
THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH
A wise person sees danger and prepares for it, a fool keeps going and suffers for it. Many lose their life because of being foolish and not listening to the warnings and preparing.
It’s amazing how clear warnings become AFTER the crisis has come, but how quiet they seem to the undiscerning ear of those who “do their thing” and allow life to pass them by thinking they have everything all figured out. There are those who a religious who feel as if their works, what they do, will protect them, which in the end they end us going out in the undertow or taken down in the surge with the others who failed to acknowledge God. Finally, there are those who understand “THE LORD SPEAKS” and warns those who are His of what is to come and it’s their responsibility to believe God and prepare for what is coming, but is not yet seen. Amos 3:7.
BRICKS WITH NO STRAW
When God was working out HIS PLAN to rescue HIS PEOPLE from their captivity in slavery under Pharoh, those who were fearful they were about to lose the control over them increased their work load. They were already working making bricks to build Egypt, but now, Pharoah cranked up the difficulty of their work by saying, now you’ll make bricks with no straw. You can call that an undertow as it was a consequence of the waves of deliverance God was bringing to His people.
I’m watching everyone’s work, if they are working, in America and I’m sure the world, get harder and harder. The pressure is getting greater and greater. There are others who bought into slavery for their future by not working at all thinking the “free things today” won’t cost them their “FREEDOM” tomorrow. Publicly confessing, by their actions, or in action, Pharaoh [the Government] will take care of us.
God had a wave of deliverance coming, or His people the Jews, that was going to be so big that it would take ten concurrent waves of plagues, and one last wave that would drown their enemies. Yet, many complained of the difficulty. They accused their leader, Moses, of causing the problems. They created factions among God’s people. They began saying they are better off before God showed up and sent Moses. They actually thought Moses was causing the tidal waves and under tow, complaining against him. They thought Moses wasn’t empathetic to their pain, to their struggle to the pressure they were under. They didn’t want to listen to him. Little did they know, but later would find out, they were complaining against God. They didn’t understand their times and seasons.
Many had no idea that all this was happening because God heard their crying out to Him for deliverance. God had heard their cry and His response was deliverance which would come in waves and have a corresponding undertow. If they didn’t follow God, through God’s leadership, they’d would drown in the surge and be swept away in the undertow that was not meant to destroy God’s people, but the enemies of God and His people.
PRIORITIES
Respecting the power and beauty of tidal waves, their surge and the undertow one who is wise, understands it’s not about Egypt, the nation, it’s not about the work load that has become more difficult, it’s about shifting your priorities from what they were in the last season to what they are in the current one. When tidal waves, surge and under tow is happening the priorities it to “let everything go you have to” to not be swept away or sucked under by the current.
You have to face the winds of the current times and seasons while others hide out in their house and attics thinking that will keep them safe. You are safer in the winds and what the winds of God bring that the corresponding tidal waves, serge, and undertow that follows.
You can’t hold on to old ideas, old methods, Egypt [the world] ways because the current will pull on them and take you under. These seasons are times of purging. Purging of our lives and priorities and even God’s church. With God’s people, the church, is where it, judgment, always begins. There are even people who are worldly, who can’t discern the times and seasons, who move in pride thinking they have it all figured out and plan on not preparing or preparing to the level they decide in their own heart rather then hearing God and preparing for exactly what He is saying is coming. These relationships will be one’s, if you plan to survive and go with God, you will have to let go of. Why? Because they’ll be like anchors that pull you under and the current you knew to prepare for, or even prepared for, but didn’t follow your own preparation in trying to convince others to come, goes under and dies in the current of what was meant for those who are the enemies of God and His people.
APPOINTED TO DIE
Did you know that it’s appointed for all of us to die and then we all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ where our specific eternity is laid out for us? We can also die before our time because we didn’t listen to the warning voice of the Lord of what was coming and prepare. Either way, upon an early death or a death in God’s timing, both will end up before the Judgment Seat of Christ. What is more important than anything is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, repent from your evil ways and allow times of God’s refreshing to come upon you. Then no matter what happens in these turbulent seasons your eternity is secure.
TENT OF MEETING
Though there is and will be tidal waves, surge and undertow that wants to grab all your time, attention and energy, it’s looking beyond what God is doing, the future, that will get you through this difficult time and season. God’s intentions were to use the waves to destroy the Jews enemies and then allow the waves to sweep His people out into what He would build called the Tent of Meetings. It was “THE PLACE” where God’s people would “MEET HIM.” Wow, all that was to have a relationship with God. God wanted to introduce Himself to His people as their Father, healing, deliverer, provider and so much more.
GREAT REVIVAL
God has taken me into the future, allow me to see and walk through, the Tent of Meetings [the meeting place] that He will established at some point through all this process where He will call the multitude of people to Himself to introduce Himself to them as their Father. I’m not saying that everyone will accept Him or accept the way to Him, which is through Jesus Christ, His Son and our Lord, but they will be given a chance to.
I was there, God took me into the future, He allowed me to walk in the future where people are gathered from many different nations to be with God. His glory will rest upon all who are there. It will be the most awesome place for the times and seasons for we were designed to be in the glory presence of God.
He has shown me angels going out to groups of Christians, His people, who among them were certain people who had revival in their heart. They know the work required for revival and would be honored to work in the revival while the multitude comes to meet God for the first time or to return to Him. There will be an angel(s) who will gather an army of revival workers, who will be chosen out of many different groups of Christians, and they will march into the Tent of Meetings to work at the leadership of the Lord and serve the Lord and those who have come to meet God for the first time.
MISGUIDED ANGER
The future is awesome and I want to arrive at the future the Lord has shown me and I hope that you do as well. Moses, a friend of God, got to look from afar at the Promise Land, but wasn’t allowed in because of His response to a rebellious people which resulted in him wrongly displaying before God’s people that Jesus would have to be crucified or beat all over again. I know that might not fit your theology, and I don’t have time to explain. Jesus was the Rock where water came out of to quench the thirst of His people. Their rebellion and complaining got the best of Moses, which is easy for any of us to respond the same way, and he hit the rock twice.
God knows who we are. He knows His people, their sins and the difficult responsibility it for those who asks to lead His people. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God loved us first before we knew Him. It’s so important for us to realize, that other people do not determine our future in God. It’s important for us to understand it’s God they are rejecting not us or our leadership. God will deal with His people, it’s for us to lead the one’s who will follow and to do what God says in response.
Don’t allow the current time and seasons of tidal waves, surge and undertow cause you to treat God’s people wrongly, or to disobey God out of your anger towards those who are stubborn and stiff-necked. Don’t allow those who blame you for their current difficulty or who are accusing you of being un-empathetic to their current struggles and pressure brought on by the tidal waves of God’s deliverance prevent you from following the Lord or cause you to have misguided anger.
Let God know you want to be a part of His future plans. Join me in looking to the future of us all who respond to the calling of the Lord will be in, the Tent of Meetings, to encouraging you and help you prioritize what you have to to survive the surge and undertow.
I’m not giving you any specific timing, but I am telling you what is in the future for those who hold on and learn to ride the waves, face the winds and refuse to hold on to anyone or anything that will suck them under with the undertow or drown them in the serge.
MY PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY. ‘We have NOT STOPPED praying for you. We continually ask God to FILL YOU with the KNOWLEDGE of HIS WILL through all the WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING that the SPIRIT gives, so that you may LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE LORD and PLEASE HIM IN EVERY WAY: bearing fruit in EVERY GOOD WORK, growing in the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, being STRENGTHENED with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have GREAT ENDURANCE and PATIENCE, and GIVING JOYFUL THANKS TO THE FATHER, who has QUALIFIED YOU to share in the INHERITANCE OF HIS HOLY PEOPLE [THE SAINTS] in the KINGDOM OF LIGHT. For He has RESCUED US from the DOMINION OF DARKNESS and brought us into the KINGDOM OF THE SON [JESUS] He loves, in whom we have REDEMPTION, the FORGIVENESS of sins.’ Colossians 1:9-14
The church of Colossians, which was just east of Ephesus, was birthed through the evangelistic ministry of Epaphras from the church in Ephesus. Paul had not been their or seen them yet but had a good report of how some who lived in Colossae had accepted Jesus as their Lord and the church of Colossians was birthed. Once Paul heard of this great news, he began to pray continually over them this prayer and wrote them the letter we call Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians.
Lord help us to have this same compassion for Your church so we too, like Paul, PRAY FOR the church and believers everywhere. This is my prayer for you today!