This Blog Has Moved

Last year ended up being a rather “difficult” year in many ways.  This blog got abandoned for many reasons…one day I may go into it but I doubt it (who cares anyway, what’s past is past!)

New blog here:  http://christiansgetready.wordpress.com

A Christian Response to 2012: Hype, Hysteria, Fact, Fiction, Fantasy or What?

2012 shouldn’t matter to Christians in the least.

Okay, now that the jumping, screaming and spittle flying has ceased (from those who have differing views) I’ll explain myself.

EVERY DAY is 2012 to a Christian.  Each day we all face the reality that this day may be our last.  Every day.  All humans, actually, not just Christians.

BUT, Christians are to live every day as if Jesus might return (with the general idea that we’re supposed to be ready) so why should 2012 matter to us?  Because the Mayan calendar ends?  Ummmm…

Because some say that there is a widely debunked pseudo scientific theory propulgated by certifiable (but intelligent) con artists called Torsion Field that may rip the earth in two?

Because some New Agers say that it proves that Atlantis, The Mayans and the Egyptians all received special revelations from “The Universe” (albeit some believe the info is from aliens, surely delivered to earth to save our lowly planet by those pesky, hard to photograph UFO’s) and that 2012 will actually be the rebirth of the cosmic consciousness?

In the age of the internet, I’d say cosmic consciousness is there for anyone who can get to a computer.   Pretty easy to find the basic tenants of any belief system if you choose to do the research.

Sure, there are always divisions within ranks of believers but in general:  New Agers KNOW what their leaders are saying, those in communist countries KNOW what their leaders are saying, those who worship Allah KNOW what their leaders are saying and so on. 

So it goes to reason that Christians should KNOW what their leaders are saying.  But who is your leader?  God himself or your pastor or a pastor / speaker / encourager on television? 

I haven’t posted on this blog for awhile for varying reasons.  In prayer this morning, I felt the strong pull to get back on here.  This post is a draft that has been sitting, waiting to be finished and published since 11/16/09. 

So I finished it because it will lead me to my next post, listening to God in an age of natural AND man made disasters.  ARE you listening to your leader, the Lord himself?  Now would be a good time to start…we are running out of time to reach the lost and to fulfill the plans and purposes that God has ordained for us.  People, get ready…Jesus IS coming.

Do You Know Your Shepherd’s Voice?

I met someone recently, first in three phone conversations and then once in person.  The ‘once in person’ was due to the fact that while I actually didn’t WANT to meet him, I DID want to see his face and the look in his eyes as he poured out his contempt for Christians, church and religion based on a cult-produced belief system.

Mind you, I didn’t KNOW he was in a cult until the day after the meeting…I just knew something was seriously “off.”  At the end of the evening, I was feeling irritated and frustrated but I wasn’t sure exactly why —  beyond the obvious frustration of trying to have a conversation with someone who was more interested in “winning the conversation.”   (Not an argument but a regular conversation…something most people don’t try to “win.”)  Very annoying and confusing if you don’t know your shepherd’s voice…which I will get into a little farther on in this post. 

The next morning, I googled the fellowship called “The Way” that the man belonged to and all of a sudden, everything made sense.  The Way International is a “Christian” cult.  (Here’s just one source, there are many more:  The Way/Cults)

During our phone conversations, while we were each trying to discover the other person’s belief system, I started to notice a pattern.  He would answer any questions I asked with a question of his own and he wouldn’t ever give a straight answer.  When he did answer, he sounded strident, rehearsed and ”canned” and often went off subject and started preaching to me about how the bible was written by God BUT man’s interpretation was incorrect (and also that you had to go to the Greek to fully understand.) 

It was weird and many times during the phone calls, I wanted to hang up and forget trying to talk to him (realizing I really didn’t like him much.)  But I enjoy a good debate, enjoy discussing the things of the Lord and don’t like being “close minded.” I know full well that there is much about life, God, the bible and many other subjects that I’m clueless about so I’m open to learning and hearing new ideas. ( I also was morbidly curious, I must admit.  My spirit knew something was waaaaay wrong but I didn’t know what it was and I wanted to know.)

Whenever he asked a question, he would always ask it in a challenging way such as “Who do YOU say Jesus Christ is?”  I had the feeling that I was being tested and that he had in mind the “right answer.”  It seemed more like interrogation — or being in a classroom where I wasn’t privy to the subject being “taught” — rather than normal conversation.

On the Jesus question, I answered, “The only begotten son of God, my Lord, Savior and best friend.”  He seemed to like that answer and praised me for saying that Jesus was the son of God (like a teacher praises a student — very annoying.)    But then he asked, “Do you believe Jesus is God?”  Something in the way he asked made me hesitate so I turned the tables and answered his question with one of my own.  “Do you?”

Out came the onslaught of anger regarding how stupid Christians are to believe Jesus is God or anything regarding the concept of the Trinity, how the word “Trinity” isn’t in the bible and how it was a tool of satan to deceive believers.  My spiritual alarm bells went off…and not because he didn’t believe in the Trinity…I’ve heard of many people who didn’t believe that concept. 

My alarm bells went off instead from the hatred and contempt in his voice.  It was NOT my shepherd’s voice and to hear it with someone talking about Christian believers and subjects in this manner was particularly creepy.  “Jesus is not God” — “the Holy Spirit does not have personhood” — “the Bible contains many errors through translation and man has messed it up so the word can’t be trusted in the way it’s currently taught in most churches today”…yada, yada, yada…on and on he went.   (Of course, this man has the ONLY truth regarding the bible and the rest of us Christians are fools.)

I believe in the divinity of Jesus and I see personhood ascribed to the Holy Spirit in scripture as well as the concept of the Trinity since Jesus himself said:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  – Matthew 28:19

Jesus accepted worship unto himself, said “I Am” to the leaders (who immediately cried “blasphemy…crucify him!” because of that statement as well as said things like “I and the Father are one” and “you have seen the Father when you’ve seen me” (and I’m not going to pull out all the scriptures here regarding his divinity.)  He DID say he was the son of God more than anything else but I believe he is part of the Trinity and that all aspects of the Trinity are connected as God, through God and of God.

Jesus comforted his disciples with this passage:  John 14:26 – “These things I have spoken to you, while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” - Romans 8:16 and again in Romans 8: 26 - ”And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”

I see emotions and actions in the following scriptures (and there are many, many more, I’m only using a few here to make the point):  “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” - Romans 15:30 

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” – Ephesians 4:30

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” – 1 Timothy 4:1

All of these verses point to being, thought and emotion — all aspects of “personhood.”  But that last scripture leads me to my point…the ability as a Christian to fall away from the faith and a call for us to pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.  That is what my spirit was so upset about in this brief meeting with a man in a cult. 

I knew what I was hearing wasn’t from God, I knew that all the talk of “going back to the Greek,” the boasting of all the study he’d done and his “superior” knowledge of the bible didn’t matter because I knew in my spirit  that he wasn’t a Christian…I knew that it was NOT my shepherd’s voice coming out of his mouth!

I believe we’re in the end times so to me, that means the doctrines of demons are going to be heard more often and that more people are going to fall for it.  So how do we know whose voice we’re hearing? 

In just this one brief encounter, I can name several things the man said and did that made me know it was the voice of the enemy:

• Wrong doctrine and/or twisting of scripture - doctrine/ scripture definition/ that differs markedly from accepted Christian theology.
   
• Anger, contempt and disregard for the church, other Christians and religion (religion can be funny since it is often said today that “religion is manmade but true spirituality is from God”…that in itself can be a lie of a different sort but also contains some truth. 
   
  Usually, contempt for the church indicates someone who has been hurt or rejected in a church setting…or they were “forced” to go and didn’t like that.  In my opinion, “religion” mentioned in this way usually means “tradition” and many traditions are NOT God given but man made.  The bible says not to forsake gathering together though so I say, “find a church you DO like!”)
   
• Arguments for their viewpoint that sound rehearsed or canned.
   
• Refusal to answer direct questions about scripture but instead tries to draw the conversation back to their viewpoint.
   
• In that same light, many attempts to control the conversation so that their viewpoint is the one being discussed.  Yours is either wrong or doesn’t matter.
   
• Very important – they have the “only right” belief, truth, way of interpreting scripture, etc.  The word of God is wrongly interpreted when YOU have a point but correct when THEY have a point because they’ve “rightly divided the word of truth” (and of course, you, being stupid, deceived or whatever, have NOT figured it out.  There is always an undertone of condemnation, superiority and the method is usually a subtle “put down” of your belief system.)
   
• The last line in the previous point needs it’s own bullet:  the undertone of condemnation and superiority and the “put down” attitude.  One of the ways cults operate is to cause doubt, to put down, to break down, to bend your mind, to brainwash, to indoctrinate…to make you believe like they do.  It’s one of the reasons cults prey on vulnerable people…runaways, single parents, young people, widows, orphans, lonely people, etc.

So what does Jesus’ voice sound like?  How do we know when it’s the Holy Spirit?  How can we tell if almighty God, the maker of us and the universe, is talking to us?  Whether through the still, small voice or a preacher or a friend or a passage in scripture?

• The words NEVER contradict scripture or twist it to say something it does not.  It does not add to nor take away from the bible.
   
• The voice is loving…EVEN when correcting!  All Christians have heard the correction of the Lord but never the condemnation because “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)   That does NOT mean God does not correct us…but His correction brings CONVICTION of our wrong thinking, actions, etc….and makes us want to change what we’re doing/ thinking.
   
• The spirit inside you agrees with the words/ voice/ knowledge/ correction or whatever is coming your way.  If it’s wrong, you’ll probably have an uneasy spirit, a “check in your spirit” or a strong revulsion toward it.  If it’s true, it may bring conviction/ a desire to do or act in a manner that pleases God/ a strong sense of joy or peace. 
   
• A feeling or sense of joy or peace may not be from the Savior because satan has the ability to masquerade as an angel of light.  So one confirms the word/ message/ prophecy/ thought/ action or whatever through other means. 
   
  Very rarely does the Lord speak to you ONCE about something and then never again. We CAN be deceived but only if we’re being hasty or careless and are prone to running off in our own direction rather than going the way the Lord wants us to go.  I’ve done it, you’ve done it (but hopefully we’ve learned not to since we usually end up regretting going our own way!)
   
• My shepherd’s voice is full of grace and mercy.  People who are wrong aren’t to be mocked or shunned but rather spoken to in love and with an eye toward the truth being known. 

There are other ways to know it’s Jesus but this post is long enough.  My point is most likely to make SURE it’s the Lord before you accept whatever it is that you’re hearing.  Rage, contempt and condemnation aren’t from the Lord and not all people who claim to be Christians are following accepted teaching (even when they know scripture really well and make convincing sounding arguments — the truth is that satan knows scripture better than any of us…)

I want to be sure I’m connected so closely to God that when the enemy’s voice tries to convince me a lie is the truth that I can immediately reject the lie and seek instead the shelter and strong tower of God, the one who will always protect me and keep me from harm.   Jesus’ said His sheep would know His voice.  I want to hear His voice in my life on a daily basis!

Name It and Claim It…Or Not?

I admit it, this post is rather long and rambling…it came together over a couple of writing spurts so it’s also probably somewhat disjointed.  Forgive me, please and look at the concepts instead!

The so-called “Name & Claim It” concept / movement has been an annoyance to me for quite some time.  Why annoying?  Well, simply put, because it seems to often be based in greed more than anything and I see some people take it to a level where they almost approach God as “Santa God” rather than revere His gracious provision.  (Mind you, this is MY perception, not an out and out criticsim or condemnation of anyone who belives in the concept / follows the movement!)  

Obviously, there are also scriptural aspects to this concept / movement that are true (and as I said,  I’m not trying to judge my fellow believers so I’ll try to tread very carefully here.)  Some of the common ideas that I hear (which are indeed based in scripture) are as follows:  “Ask whatever you wish in Christ’s name and it will be done for you” and “God will give you the desires of your heart.”

These are true but in what context?  I want to know what the scriptures actually say about these concepts.  Do we have the option of calling upon God to meet all our needs, fulfill all our heart’s deepest desires and while He’s at it, to preferably give us lots of great stuff to boot? 

I hear many preaching so yet I also see and know so many Christians who are frustrated because they’re NOT getting…whether it’s an answer, a job or a new car.  Some do, some don’t and I’m curious as to why.  Bear with me, there are a few scriptures here and you get to decide whether or not they are connected.

In the NIV (New International Version), this chapter is titled “The Last Words of David.”  2 Samuel 23:2 -5 – “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.  The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise, like the brightness after the rain that brings the grass from the earth.’  Is not my house right with God?  Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,  arranged and secured in every part?  Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?”

In this scripture I see David having an assurance that God not only had provided for him but indeed granted his every desire.  I also see in the preceding verses that it was based on God’s covenant with him and that David’s house was right with the Lord.  So on one side, we see God’s part and on the other, we see David’s household being right. 

Sounds like it’s more about God than about David’s righteousness (and most Christians know that David did some BIG sins but we also know that his heart was for the Lord) but it does appear that David believed, at the end of his life, that God had indeed granted his every desire.  So overall, even throughout all the trials of David’s life, we see that he attributes to God a blessed life where God met his needs.  What we don’t know is whether those desires were of a spiritual or physical / financial nature.

 Okay, here’s another scripture and this concept is more often spoken of:

John 15:5 – 8 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

My take after reading this:  remaining in Christ = constant communication and submission to His will.  A branch that isn’t bearing fruit = a dry life of religion with no fruit.  Most Christians agree that “fruit” is connected to our spiritual life.  Asking in this passage seems to be connected to bearing fruit.  To me this means that this scripture may be dealing more with spiritual aspects rather than material or financial aspects.

Will a brand new car be more effective for ministry?  Some would say “yes, it indicates to the unsaved that a life with God brings many blessings to the saved including financial rewards.” 

Some will say “no, it shows that the Christian is simply worldly and uses God’s money for personal things rather than for true ministry.”  The world may see it as greedy.   Indeed, many inside the church see it as greedy as well…to them, a clean, well running vehicle that is not particularly flashy or showy should suffice.

The world (and make no mistake, the world IS watching the church!) often comments that it sees the sacrificial giving of the faithful and notices that the preachers have the Mercedes while sometimes the faithful are struggling terribly (while being told that if they give to the preacher’s ministry, God will bless them.)   Some take it to a rather creepy level, selling prayer items and the like.  It often looks like hucksterism (if there is such a word.)  Peddling items in exchange for money, promising that God will bless not only the item but the recipient. 

Yep, kinda creepy AND rather arrogant if you think about it.  In my humble opinion, God’s blessings shouldn’t be put on a such a trivial level nor can buying something (however anointed it might be) possibly convey God’s blessings to whoever bought it! 

In effect, it seems to say that whoever prayed over said item is SO holy that their holiness will be tranferred to the recipient (with apparently no recognition that the blessings of God are tied to the recipient’s heart, relationship with God and actions as a Christian…NOT the giver of the said “anointed item.”) 

This is part of my annoyance with the Name It & Claim It movement / concept…the idea that if you give, God will bless you.  (“Planting a seed” is what it’s usually called and many glowing testimonies are given that God did supernatural blessings for people once they gave to some ministry.  We never see the testimonies of those who didn’t get and felt betrayed, used or duped.)

The giving doesn’t appear to be tied to obedience, walking with God, living for Christ, building the kingdom or anything else.  Just that His word says He’ll bless us and by golly, He’d better because His word says so!  The idea of giving is tied to getting…rather than giving because God tells us to support and expand His kingdom.  Annoying.

Last scripture concept that’s pointed to regarding Name It & Claim It, “God will grant the desires of your heart.”  While trying to look up the specific scripture, I scanned through my concordance and noticed something rather interesting.  I started at the bottom of the list of scriptures and moved up (starting with Jude and moving backward through to the scripture that I was looking for in Psalms.)  Almost all the scriptures that mention word “desires” had to do with evil desires, fleshly desires, deceitful desires, desiring the wrong thing and the like.  Interesting.

But I digress…on to the actual scripture:  Psalm 37:3-9 – “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil.  For evil men will be cut off but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.”

Hmmm, I’m seeing it again…there is something spiritual tied to the concept (which means using it regarding “getting stuff” seems to be out of context.)  In this case, it’s tied very clearly to trusting in the Lord, doing good, delighting yourself in the Lord and committing your way to Him.   Inheriting the land is mentioned but it seems that it’s gotten after the wicked have perished…which may mean waiting (patiently) for a long, long time!

Yes, waiting patiently is mentioned, as is not being envious of others and getting angry because they’re succeeding (and apparently, those who are told to wait patiently are not succeeding or they wouldn’t be getting angry.)

Okay, after all this rambling, what are my conclusions?  That a movement / concept (which has been nicknamed “Name It and Claim It”) that tosses out scriptures out of context to support a belief system that God will give you whatever you want because His word says so isn’t perhaps such a good thing.  It seems to mock God and makes demands on Him based on our desires rather than His will for our lives…whatever that might be. 

I mean, really, what if it’s God’s will for someone to be poor because they spend so much time with Him as a result…or because they get self-sufficient when they have money and turn their back on Him as a result?  What if He recognizes that money might destroy someone so He keeps them poor to spare their life? 

After looking at these 3 scriptures, I see some common themes:  obedience, delight and trust in God, spiritual fruit, walking in righteousness, remaining in Christ, doing good and one’s household being right with God.

Are all these things in place in my life?  In yours?  If so, then we have received more than any financial blessings could possibly ever bring us!  It means we have an awesome relationship with God and no material things can EVER match that!  Does God bless His followers with financial blessings?  Yes, He does.  But He seems to be much more concerned with spiritual blessings and our relationship with Him.

Do I think we can look God in the eye and say something like this?  ”Look bud, your word says that I’m supposed to be blessed so give me good stuff, bless my business, bless me and give me the desires of my heart.”   No, I don’t.

Are we walking with God, trusting Him, delighting in him, refraining from being angry at the success of others, abiding in Christ, doing good, bearing fruit and the other concepts mentioned in just these 3 scriptures?  If not, I personally wouldn’t dare demand His blessings (just because the Bible talks about blessings) whether spiritual OR financial!  I’d get down on my knees and ask Him to create in me a clean heart and a right spirit.

But that’s just me.

Are We Getting Raptured…or Not?

I’m currently in a class at church that is studying Revelation (and I’ve learned that a study of the “end times” is called Eschatology.)   A bunch of people in the class believe we’ll be raptured before the Tribulation/Day of the Lord.  Some don’t, including our teacher.  He’s not saying it CAN’T happen, just that he doesn’t see it in scripture.  He’s also pointed out that most noted theologians up until about 100 years ago believed Christians would go through the Tribulation period.

It’s hard to know what to believe but on one point, I believe God has given me revelation today in Ezekiel.  One of the main beliefs that I’ve seen regarding a rapture before the Tribulation can be summed up quite easily:  “God will not allow the bride (us, the church) to take a beating the night before the wedding.”  John Hagee said that some years back and it’s always stuck with me.  In other words, God is going to protect his precious bride and keep us from the hour of tribulation.

BUT, that verse also translates another way….”see you through.”  Here is the verse that most Futurists (people who believe we’ll be raptured before things start to go REALLY wrong on this earth) look to this scripture to make the case that God will remove us.

Revelation 3:10 – “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial (tribulation) which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Okay, that’s a great concept…we’ll be kept from the hour of trial.  But when you look at the alternate translation, it reads “see you through the hour of trial.”  Hmmm, this poses a dilemma…if it’s keep me FROM, that means I won’t go through it at all.  But seeing me THROUGH means I go through it and God protects me.

But the point God showed me today is simple…and rather disheartening.  (I would rather be removed from the ugly stuff than go through it with God keeping me safe…I have visions of foraging for roots and the like since if we DON’T get raptured, I’m DEFINITELY not taking any mark so I can eat!!  The idea of martyrdom doesn’t sound so hot either…but I would for my Lord.  I’d just rather be whisked away into the air to be with HIM!)

So here’s what I got in my Bible this morning:  Ezekiel 21:1-7 – “And the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; and say to the land of Israel, “Thus says the Lord:  ‘Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from among you.  Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north, that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.”

“Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes.  And it shall  be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water.  Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

What I see here that really hit me is that God may NOT spare His righteous and that we will go through tribulation.  Whether or not we go through ALL of what is commonly thought of as 7 years of tribulation or not I cannot tell.  But today I recognized that if I am indeed righteous, then that is all that matters to God. 

I know that if I am righteous, earthly death…whether quick and fast or horrible and painful…is but a moment of time in the scheme of eternity.  That it doesn’t matter if I go through “THE Tribulation!”   The aftermath is CERTAIN for born again believers in Jesus Christ…eternal life with Him! 

We go through the many trials of life that we all face on a daily basis.  I’ve determined that no matter what I go through, I’ll be okay because God is in control.  I am SURE of my salvation and my Savior’s promise of eternity. 

Whether God lets His bride take a beating or not, the moment I die (and I will die one day as we all will) I will be with Jesus.  This certain knowledge gives me comfort and helps me to continue to work out my salvation with fear and trembling, to continue to prepare my heart, to fight the good fight and to overcome ALL! 

Jesus is coming soon and I want to be ready!

Divine Appointments

Are you aware of divine appointments when they happen?  People you meet in a chance encounter.  Something you read in a way that is out of the ordinary…maybe on a bus sign or on the back of the newspaper the guy across from you is reading.  Perhaps you catch a t.v. show that you don’t watch or a Christian show happens to follow your favorite version of CSI. 

Doesn’t matter how it comes but when it does, the meeting or the written word or the t.v. show just “happens” to address an issue…or answer a prayer…about something that  you’ve been wrestling with or thinking about.  An answer or conversation that seems to be beyond circumstance.  These are divine appointments.  I had one today.

I recently talked to a man of God who lives over  a  thousand miles from me and until today, was a complete stranger in my life.  After two phone conversations, I have no doubt that this meeting has not only been a divine appointment but a very important one in my life.  A kindred spirit, a friend, a kingdom co-worker…in short, one of those people that the Lord sends your way at the exact moment that they needed to appear.

I want to comment about one thing among the many important subjects we touched up in our several hours of conversation (but this ONE thing will blow your mind!)   The man is starting a ministry in a way that very, very, very, VERY few Americans would dare to do.  He’s made enormous sums of money, owns all the “American Dream” items, big house, cars, boats, etc. and he’s giving it all away because God told him to “take it down to one suitcase” and totally, utterly depend upon the Lord for everything — absolutely everything — as he steps into the lifelong ministry that Jesus has called him to.

Would YOU do that?  Would I?  99.99% of us not only wouldn’t do it, we share a secret relief that we haven’t been asked to sacrifice in such a huge way.  I mean, I LIKE my stuff!  (Never mind that the only thing I get to take off this planet with me is the souls I’ve reached for Christ…period.)

After we’d managed to kill our cell phone batteries, the conversation ended.  Afterward, I asked God to give me a scripture for David, anything…something to encourage him, lift him up, strengthen him…whatever God had.  I find where I turned in scripture to be simply…God.

“And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying , ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’  Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.  Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possesions and goods, and divide them among all, as anyone had need.”  Acts 2: 40-47

To me, it was a confirmation for him…giving it all away is the right thing to do…that sense of moving into what God had ordained was so critical for the early believers…and no less critical for us today.

Yet few have anything CLOSE to that kind of commitment to Jesus Christ.  We want our Starbucks and our designer clothes and that new car smell and the granite and stainless steel in the house…we are American Christians and darnit, God WANTS us to be blessed with stuff…just turn on the T.V. and you’ll discover that brand of popular belief and gospel truth on many, many programs, both Christian and secular.

I have no doubt that this scripture in Acts will bless this man of God and I’ll send him the link to this post when I’m done writing it.  There was more in that passage, a little before the verse I just wrote, a passage we’d talked about several times in our conversations tonight…and  a scripture that many Christians today are dwelling on:  “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prphesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.  And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.  I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath:  blood and fire and vapor of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”  Acts 2:17-21

These scriptures will bless my friend but my question is this:  do they bless you?  Is God’ spirit being poured out over your life?  Are you walking in your calling?  Can you possibly imagine walking away from the American Dream?  Most will honestly admit, “No, I can’t.”  Now, ask yourself this.

What if doing so walks you straight into GOD’S dream (read:  plan and purpose) for your life?  Would you want it then?  If giving up everything you own would cause you to begin the greatest journey of your life, would you do it?  Does the fact that God is pouring out HIS spirit over us like fragrant balm, those of us blessed enough to be living in this last generation before Christ’s return…does that fact and outpouring touch your heart?  Your spirit?

Are you willing to trade your standing appointment at Starbuck’s with your best friend, or your weekly nail or hair appointment, or that next business appointment that’s going to net you the “big bucks”…will you walk away from those appointments in favor of a divine appointment with Almighty God himself?  The answer you give yourself will make a difference on how you spend the rest of your life before the great and awesome day of the LORD.

Hmmm, prosperity or eternity?  It’s an interesting choice and brings up part of a song I wrote some time ago:

“The choice we all face is not between Heaven and Hell
Any fool would choose Heaven, this we know well
The choice we all face is between God and ourselves”

Choose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!  We’re dressing up in our finest humility and obedience and submitted hearts for our divine appointment.  Jump into God’s divine appointment for your life…the living  water is fine!

People Get Ready, Jesus IS Coming

God has been bugging me for weeks to start a blog called “People Get Ready” to put down revelations He’s giving me, to challenge “common beliefs” (as in “does the belief line up with God’s word?” and other writing as He puts in on my heart.

So I’m feeling irritated this morning over clients who aren’t paying me on time and I grab my Bible, determined to shake off the annoyance. I open to Isaiah 62:10-11 and immediately knew that what I needed to be doing was obeying God and doing the blog He’s told me to do!

Here’s what He gave me:  “Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples! Indeed the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him’” And they shall call them The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord.” Isaiah 62:10-11 (NKJV)

To me, it made perfect sense and I ran to my computer saying, “Okay, okay, I’ll start the blog!” You see, God’s been telling me for years to be a “watchman on the wall” and the purpose of People Get Ready is to “prepare the way” and proclaim that we are running out of time…Christ’s return draws near and Christians need to get serious about their calling and the work God has for them. It may sound scary or harsh, when I put it like that but the visions and words God has been giving me are powerful and serious.

And it’s not just me…Christian friends I have from all over the US are getting the same word and sense of urgency. Prophetic teachers on TV that I haven’t watched much in awhile are saying the same thing. But for me, it’s what God is saying.

I’ve been having visions again (and a lot more than the occasional ones I’ve gotten here and there over the years); God has been giving me words of knowledge and prophecy (again, not the norm for me over the last several years.) But the biggest thing He’s done has really blown me away. He gave me a date that “something bad would happen.”

I figured I was probably imagining things because of the news about potential terrorist attacks. The Lord had never given me a date before about anything and I was getting either September 27th OR 29th (which didn’t seem like God to me!) In hindsight, I know I was being warned.

Because of the recent news stories about foiled terrorists plots in the US (and some from the New York plot that are still unknown/missing) I thought that IF it was God and IF something happened, it might be something horrible like an attack on US soil. I had a sense of unease and sadness.

On Sunday, September 27th, my pastor made a public thanks proclamation about the fact that we didn’t get hit, that thousands of people didn’t die. I clapped along with everyone else but that sense of sadness and unease stayed with me.

That night, I attend a prayer meeting of a client, her first in the Houston area. I wanted to support her but I also wanted to see a movement of God! My son and I almost got into a bad car wreck on the way there. Only in hindsight did I realize the significance of the date.

On the 29th, I’m at my computer working and I look at the calendar and see September 30th. (Because I’m self-employed, I don’t always keep track of dates.) I think to myself, “Well, it’s the 30th and both the 27th and the 29th passed without a terrorist attack…yep, it was my imagination!” I feel relief.

Then awhile later, I turn on my office t.v. to the news and hear about an 8.0 earthquake off the coast of American Samoa. I hear that a tsunami is heading for Hawaii and New Zealand and then I see the date on the t.v….September 29th. I had gotten the dates wrong.

The emotions that overwhelmed me are hard to describe. Mostly, it was a terrible sadness and that sadness was because I KNOW that millions of people haven’t accepted Jesus and are going to suffer immensely in the coming tribulations. Awe and fear because I immediately knew that God IS talking to me and that He’s serious…we are running out of time. A sense of urgency to DO what God is telling me to do. But mostly sadness.

How many people do I know that don’t want to hear about Jesus? How do I reach them? How do I fulfill the plans God has for me? There are times I despair.

What about you? What is God telling you? How many people do you know who have rejected your previous attempts to share the gospel? Where do we find the nerve to try again? WILL we try harder if we know we’re running out of time?

I wonder. But I can’t just wait because I KNOW in my spirit…people, we need to get ready.

Crystal Lewis sings People Get Ready at the Harvest Crusade 2006