On the opposite end of the spectrum, freedom can lead to a spirit of lawlessness where there is absolutely no structure whatsoever. We believe that real freedom allows me to live any way I want to. We discover from Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21 that living this way will only lead to permanent separation from Him. Matthew 7:21-27 (ESV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
Ever since the mid 1990’s, I have felt the burden to “stand in the gap” for our nation. Looking back, I have always had a deep love for the United States even as a boy growing up in Canada. So, it was no surprise that the Lord moved me here in 1987. It was through men like Ed Silvoso, Chuck Pierce and Arthur Burke that the Lord introduced us to concepts like “spiritual mapping” and “redemptive gifts” for nations and cities. God opened my eyes to a believer’s mandate of “identificational repentance” and standing in the gap for our nation. I have been burdened that more believers have not caught this vision and necessity of praying for their nation. To me it is the role of true “sonship”. I am grateful to the “Band of brothers” (and sisters) the Lord has given us at Cornerstone who come together every Wednesday night to pray as the Lord leads but often times prays for our nation.
Indeed, our helps comes from the Lord “who made heaven and earth”. Even in our deepest times of despair, He will rescue us from it all. Our Lord is the only one with the power and authority to do so. Read the Word back to the enemy when he presses the attack. That’s following the example of our Master.
That is simply incredible. The scriptures tell us that our names were written in the “Book of Life” before the foundations of the world. “The book of life,” also called “the scroll of life” or “book of remembrance,” contains the names of people in line to receive the gift of everlasting life. (Revelation 3:5; 20:12; Malachi 3:16) God determines those names based on a person’s faithful obedience to him.—John 3:16;1 John 5:3.
Lift up your eyes to the hills where does your help come from? Your help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. I can offer you a way of going that you do not know and it will be pleasant to your soul and spirit. You must trust Me along this way because it is not known to you. Many have traversed it before and they have found much peace. In your going you will encounter many things that seem contradictory to My way, but stay and you will find that they are not but totally in the center of My will.
God’s purpose in our suffering is to transform us into the image of His son. What a magnificent plan the Father had, the multiplication of sons of God to reveal His glory in the last days. Those who will love and follow Jesus regardless of the cost. Jesus was our example to follow. The scripture says that He learned obedience through suffering. Hebrews 5:8 (ESV)
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.”
Even the darkest three of days of history when Jesus was in the tomb, He was at work fulfilling His promises of setting the captives free. Jesus’ own words speaks of His destination to the repentant thief on the cross, Luke 23:43
“And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
When something is a true treasure or priority in your life, there isn’t anything you won’t do to finance that treasure. I’ve seen people literally spend millions on hobbies that are temporal things. We are one of the richest nations in the world. We have been blessed without measure, yet the lust for more seems never to be quenched. Cheryl and I went fishing with her sister and husband while we were on vacation. The captain of the boat showed us a piece of property that sold for approximately $9 million, without the house. The old house that had been on the property was torn down and a huge new house was being built. No expense was spared. The new owner? Country western singer Garth Brooks.
The clash in the realm of the spirit is increasing between light and darkness for the day of the Lord is soon at hand. This will be evidenced in the earth as nation comes against nation. But fear not, for the end is not yet. Know this, His bride shall not run or hide but will walk as dread champions, just as David when he faced Goliath. They will not escape by “the skin of their teeth”, but will be protected and spared as they carefully follow His Spirit. They will come out with silver and gold. There will be an abundance of what will be needed for the furtherance of His Kingdom. The Ecclesia will rule and reign in the land as He has assigned.
Remembering God’s goodness is vital when days are the darkest. Read David’s psalms! They are medicine to your soul on difficult days. Declaring God’s goodness continuously prepared David to rule with great compassion. David was prepared to be king after he learned to “encourage himself in the Lord” (1 Sam 30:6)
The central focus of following Jesus is the cross. In fact, a person can’t follow Him any other way. You must come to a death to self and an embracing of the cross. This “woke” culture is a direct result of the church preaching a false gospel. It has created an entitlement mentality where we expect God to serve me in whatever identity or gender, I choose for myself. A Holy Spirit that only makes me feel good but does not confront my rebellion and self-serving life is not the Holy Spirit. It is a spirit that has come as an angel of light to deceive. John 16:8 (ESV).
“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment::
We must remember that God is good all the time. His heart is always towards us. No matter what, keep your heart pure and pressing into His goodness. He is preparing you to rule with Him. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
God used Elijah as an example of how to take down wicked national leadership through the power of prayer. In fact, King Ahab called Elijah “the troubler of Israel”. He confronted both Jezebel and Baal. The story is a classic which can be found in 1 Kings 18:20-40. I will never forget going to Mount Carmel in 2018 when Cheryl and I visited Israel. It sits to the west of Megiddo which will be the staging ground for the armies of the world as they gather to war against Jerusalem according to the book of Revelation 16:16. Imagine the defeat and slaughter of 400 prophets of Baal in the wake of seeing fire falling from heaven and consuming the sacrifice, the water, and the stones of the altar. What an incredible God we have.
To live in the power of the resurrection, you must first go through the cross. To be a follower of Jesus demands a death to the “self” life and a yes to the “deeper” life, life in the Spirit. This life of the cross is in many ways the opposite of what we hear coming out of the pulpits of America. So many teach the exaltation of self instead of the willingness to lay your life down for Jesus as He did for you.
Remembering the Lord faithfulness in the past gives us confidence for the future. Even when things look bleak as they did for me in 1975-1976, God was working behind the scenes to put all the details together for my future. He does that for every one of His followers because of His great mercy and love. Here is a great verse to meditate on this week; Jeremiah 29:11-13 (ESV)
The way to Jesus is through the cross. There has to be a death to self and ego and a worship and love of the Lord. A hunger for the Lord comes from stepping away from the worship of self and distraction and a responding to the invitation by drawing near to Jesus. Knowing Him must become the priority in your life. Falling in love with the lover of your soul. It does not come by “happenstance”. It comes through decisive action and purpose to make Jesus first in your life. Your soul desire must be to please and be obedient to Him. To step into the place of loving others.
The one thing that is consistent in all awakenings or revivals is the spiritual awareness of righteous God and the confession of and repentance of sin before Him. There is a hungering for more of the tangible presence of the Lord and a loss of the importance of time as those worshipping who don’t want it to end. Endless worship seems to be playing a major role in these events along with the reading of scripture and the sharing of testimonies. People are so desperate for a touch of Jesus that they will drive hours and travel from other nations to receive a touch from God. Each of God’s movements have different characteristics.
When my wife and I were in Israel 5 years ago, I was fascinated by watching the Bedouins as they cared for their sheep. There are 210,000 Bedouins in Israel. Wherever we travelled, we would see them. In fact, they were all over the various regions of Israel, from the luscious green pastures of Galilee to the dry arid desert region around the Dead Sea. Sometimes there were 3 or 4 different flocks mixed into one large flock. However, as soon as the shepherd called the sheep, they would separate and follow their own shepherd. Observing this reminded me of what Jesus said about His own sheep in John 10:27 (ESV)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
When Jesus said that He came to bring us “abundant life”, we must understand that there is nothing that Jesus did to dismiss the idea of providing abundantly. He is the source of everything. He can bring the fullness of everything. Abundance is just who He is and what He does. The actual word abundant is from the Greek word περισσός; perissos. (An adjective, derived from perí, ("all-around, excess") – properly all-around, "more than" ("abundantly"); beyond what is anticipated, exceeding expectation; "more abundant," going past the expected limit.
I was listening to a message by the late David Wilkerson today. He was referencing this portion considering the “latter rain” that is still to come. As it was in ancient Israel, the harvest couldn’t be gathered until the latter rain came first. The latter rain speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will come just before the final harvest. The recent outpouring at Asbury College in Kentucky is just an appetizer to what God is about to do. What God is about to do is pour out His Spirit on all flesh. The crowds that have been coming show just how dry and thirsty people are for the Lord. Pentecost was the former rain; we are still awaiting the latter.
