Revelation 7:9.
In The Wilderness He Completely Changed My Man’s Made Definition of Service and Rewards
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”
The past Sunday, I heard ten minutes of a sermon in which the pastor seemed to be discussing “life in […]
In my youth, I watched the movie Exorcist while living in Montreal. One viewing was sufficient for me. My belief for many years was that Satan could harm us in this way because he was so powerful.
If I were to follow Christ, He could not ignore my feelings towards Satan. Moreover, the portrayal of Satan being so alive in the film left me with the impression that Satan was more powerful than God. This is because God is the strong silent type.
In the midst of losing everything, the Spirit of God asked me to believe in Him just like the bird of the air. I recall that day vividly. Since I had no doubt whatsoever that I was following the will of God for my life, I was praying for His deliverance. However, it seemed that things were getting from bad to worse.
Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” It is not always enjoyable to find out we cannot claim God’s promise glibly and it is always a wake-up call when God teaches us the meaning of His promises viewed through His lenses. Yet, I can see it all, the prosperity, the future, the hope, all is there, so real, I can taste it.
The Spirit of God asked me, “Is nursing the notion that I have used Satan going to add to your spiritual life with me?” Then He proceeded to show me that He allowed Satan to ask Him about Job. Like an idiot I said, “oh you were in control all this time!”
True brokenness permeates your life with the words of Job 1:21. Before Him, you become saturated in your nakedness and your nothingness. You are like a sponge, taking your nothingness all in. Being broken magnifies the fact that you belong to Him. This highlights the fact that you are a royal heir with a Father who only has eyes for you as if you were the sole heir.
Apart from Him, we cannot get rid of that inward need that causes most of us to be like a vacuum seeking temporary attention. One more reason why God prepares those He calls. In contrast, nowadays most pastors and leaders are not willing to tell the truth from the pulpits. First, they know they will lose bodies, which means revenues. Then they don’t want to rock the boat, they don’t want people to not like them. But, Paul tells us in this verse that if we are pleasing men, we cannot be His servant.
When He opened my heart, I saw what no one else can see except Him, and I was shocked to see the reason I was so convinced to keep what I knew was true.
We also use the past to gauge our spiritual growth. Without looking back, it may all be smoke and mirrors, empty knowledge, rituals, and traditions. Learning to drop our masks and stop lying to ourselves is essential to looking back. The need to wear masks indicates that God has not yet dealt with our hearts.
This post is about my disobedience and sin. This is about not feeling satisfied in Christ in the manner that He desires. It is about taking captive every thought and remembering what He expects of us. It involves examining oneself day in and day out to ensure that one is following hard after Him, so we do not miss the mark. it is about making sure we keep growing spiritually because we cannot retire. It is about learning to say, that “it is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me”, because without Him, we cannot do anything.