Head Winds And Micro Bursts.

Let no one in any way deceive or entrap  you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed ..

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Amplified Bible. 

Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the Life and no mans comes to the Father except through me.” We’ve got to remain in Christ, in order not to lose our way. So that we will not become among those of the great falling away. Proceeded by a condition of the heart, where the love of many will grow cold, hearts hardened like candle wax, when the flame goes out, because of lawlessness in the earth, that creates offense.
The Church is moving into a new landscape that has no mile posts, trails, or roads. Seasons in this place will come and go, where our ability to hear God will be paramount. It will only be found in prayer, brokenness, humility, and a determination to keep ourselves from defilement of the heart.                          
In your patience possess ye your souls. Luke 21:19

Is it a great astonishment that we are being tested like we are in the times we are in now?  God has been warning, and preparing his church to not get offended.  Look at the divisions we are facing, look at relationships being challenged. Who hasn’t personally felt the reproach and push back on the values we hold sacred, as Christians in America?  How many of us have already suffered the sting of separation and broken fellowship over the climate that now exists in America that has polarized so many? Jesus cautioned His followers that if the world hated him, they will be hated, also. The Roman soldiers beat him, and made sport of Jesus, humiliating, and mocking him; his face bloodied unrecognizable. Tearing at his beard and clothes. It’s unbelievable that scenes like that would take place in the 21st century, as business, and home owners, have had to  fight back mobs from their own lively hood, and family dwellings. So we have not become more civilized since Christ’s time. These were regular people being persecuted for having shops and homes.

Do you think it will not be the same for you, when a sudden shift takes place and the mob begins a wave of violence against men and women of faith, and their houses of prayer? The rhetoric is out there to gas light much unrest, beyond what has been suffered. Do we think that the lists they’ve been compiling using social media, will not give them specific targets? Where those under the power and the spirit of this age goes in as a flash mob, to burn, beat, moleste, and pillage, before help can even come? This is an operating system that exists against Christians in other lands. We’ve got hundreds of thousands, of people flooding our borders from all over the world that don’t understand American values, and many who do not want to embrace them.  Think not that only in other countries this would happen. We are at the threshold of it becoming prevalent in America. That spirit has already become unleashed in our city streets, and it will not go away lightly.  We’ve already seen a male street preacher become surrounded and sexually molested by a mob of men with the same message and chant that terrorized families as they walked through neighborhoods and surrounded homes. What story does that remind you of in Genesis? These are just a few of many astounding acts of the spirit of the age we are living in right now. Jesus said it would come, He also said that in the same day Lot and his family was taken out of Sodom, fire came down from heaven.

Beyond that will they not lie, and misrepresent you, oh child of God? The God of this world who has blinded their eyes, knows his time is short. Who we really belong to, truly, will come to light in these trying times. This is why this past year on our conference calls, in teaching ministry, we’ve been going over the scriptures to learn how (in patience) we possess our souls. To stand for righteousness sake, in right standing. Not to act out of anger, bitterness, resentment, pride or fear. When we step back from yielding to the inner processes of the Holy Spirit, or abandon our post, because we hit a stumbling block on our way, we begin to do exactly what the enemy calculated we would do. We allow those strong negative emotions to begin to be a driving force in our lives. Rather, than love and forgiveness, that will keep us steady on the Kingdom Highway. To think many have already entered the corridors of apostasy by loving and believing a lie so early in the wake of these  times, reveal the shallow roots of understanding, what being a Christian really is. It means to be as He is. To love not our lives even to death.

I promise you the road to Zion is never easy but the destination is worth it! Psalm 84:5-7 “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca [tears], they make it a spring; [their faith and endurance draws provision for those behind them] the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; every one of them [in that pilgrimage of faith, they] appear before God in Zion.” Every quest begins with excitement and fanfare, but the journey isn’t with out its challenges.

I was on a flight a few years ago, that seemed to be delayed in the take-off. Finally the captain got on the mic and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen we are waiting for a technician to come and check something out, it seems that an indicator is indicating an indication.” My strong feeling at that time was ‘I’m getting off this plane! But, this story is a great example as to why we need to check ourselves when an emotional INDICATOR springs up, that needs a technical examination. So our interactions and outlooks will not be marred by the flesh, because we’ve begun to operate in the soulish realm, based on feelings and offense. We do this by unpacking (before the Lord) anger, suspicion, jealousy, pride, or any other kind of thing that flares up, because letting these feelings go unchecked will begin to, ultimately, delay the take-offs and arrivals in Kingdom destinations. Nothing does that more quickly and more prominently than looking at others to fix what we need to fix ourselves. The spirit of the age will separate us from one another if we let it. CUTTING ourselves off from the Body He has placed us to be in (however that may look) is a major INDICATOR,  that something is wrong! When we divorce ourselves from the body and abandon it, we separate ourselves from the head!  We can’t help it when people cut themselves off and refuse to talk about what is troubling them. We cannot stop people from deciding to go to others, and everyone else, before they come to you over there offense. However, we can teach the Body of Christ the way it should be done.  
The first line of defense in guarding our hearts is realizing that love is not easily offended but covers a multitude of sins. Pursue love, look past the short comings of others because we have them ourselves. Forgive easily. Nevertheless, where there is corruption, where there is sin that could potentially defile the body of Christ, and lead people astray or harm them, and bring shame to Christ, we need to address it.  But it needs to be done right 
Matthew 18:15-17 (ESV) “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 

As a tax collector or gentile simply means, you don’t mingle with them, or let them in your inner circle, respectfully. They are as an outsider to you, because they refused to respond. There are other scriptures that tell us to mark those that bring division among us and how to treat an apostate or fornicator. 

What can I do to examine my own motives and standing right now?

Look at your heart, think of people, think of politicians, think of all the people you feel very strong emotions over, in this season we are in right now. SEE if dislike, disdain, and most seriously, hatred for them, is finding a place to dwell in your heart. SEE if you are holding such anger against them YOU want to get justice and get even with them, and you want it now. To the point you have become a slanderer. Do you see that in there? Why do you have this uncontrollable anger, or feeling of helplessness, that has turned into depression robbing you of peace? We have all had measures of it, individually, that we’ve needed to resolve. Everyone of us. The reason we get stuck is because (deep down inside) we believe God isn’t really going to work it out for us. Is not really going to come through with righteousness, justice, and truth. There you have it, a spirit of doubt and unbelief ruling in our hearts! I’m talking to God’s people here, that are struggling with strong emotions in regard to what has happened during this pandemic and political season. When we know our God reigns we wait for Him, no matter how long it takes for Him to come. That is faith, that is the patience of the saints. Take note: how often do you think or say that you hate certain people every day? Even if it’s just a bad habit you have in regard to people you don’t like. Jesus said if you hate someone you have murder in you. Scripture says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! Did you know that you can be free from hating other human beings, even really bad ones? That the more evil they are the greater groan in your heart you could have for their souls? Rather than hate, these times can produce in you a greater passion for the lost. A burden for  their eternal destination! It is possible not to come into an agreement with the spirit of this age, as brute beasts, and murderers. Hate kills. 

That is what it feels like to have your heart of stone replaced by the living God who gives you one that feels again. Forgiveness, begins that process. We need to understand that hate has no place in a new creation’s heart. In Christ we should become a new man or woman, boy or girl. Confessing our hate, jealousy,  and bitter rage, when it rises up, because it is the only way we can begin to eradicate the roots of it out of our lives. It may be just a twitch of a thought or feeling, but really you can follow that smoke down to the fire and quench out that inordinate affection, by just dealing with what kind of ugly surfaced in your mind, and measures you took because of a strong opinion you had that was not Christ centered. Confess it and let Jesus wash it away. Based on truth or lies the Holy Spirit, will do a work. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? All of us will have to respond to un sanctified anger, in our hearts at some time or another.  Keeping our selves in check always. Certainly, in the times we are living in now. Ask ourselves this question, did I break fellowship with brothers and sister in the Lord, my fellowship, that I was nurtured in until this politically charged season came along? If so we need to examine why we felt the need to leave. Is this a stand against false brethren? Wolves in sheep’s clothing? Did you overlook bad fruit? Or maybe, just maybe, an inordinate affection, strung you out, based on cultural or social allegiances, rather than the word of God. 

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We need to recognize our inability and weakness to control everything around  us, as well. Being honest with God. Working on being genuine with Him and others, everyday all day long if that is what takes, diligently seeking Him in the process. Because strong negative emotions are indicators we have a need to pray. There is a built in mechanism, designed by God, we often ignore called self control, that our will activates, so that we will not act on our anger or rage. That is one of the fruits of the spirit we must possess in order to have good fruit. By their fruits you will KNOW them. When we have violated that inner voice to stop, over and over again, we are eventually given over to another spirit, that will enter into an agreement with the prince and power of the air. In these end times even people that call themselves Christians will fall in line with another spirit, that they will not recognize they are acting in. They will move in and out of it in shades of light and lesser light. Until, they get acclimated back into the darkness they had once come out of. That’s right! That is how becoming a backslider begins to happen! So watch for that subtle reconditioning of the heart to persuade you back into what Christ has brought you out of.  Anarchy of heart produces Anarchy of soul. Guess who the greatest ANARCHIST was that ever existed? That is right. The lawless one and he is still at it this very hour. His Children murder the innocent, because He was a murder and a liar from the very beginning. Killing comes in many forms, that includes the assassination of someone’s character, by talebearing, and stolen narratives. We know Satan and his army are on the move because a silent holocaust is leaving a trail of death in His wake, through out the earth. As lawlessness in the form of the murder of pre-born children.  Think it not strange that for millions of young people, the gangster life and music is an idol, and has been glorified in movies and music now for close to four generations. This a celebration of violence and lawlessness, and Christians think it’s alright to hang on to that culture after being saved and my question is how? When Paul said, “Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind!“ 

As there are those God has raised up for such a time as now, there are those preconditioned by the power of darkness to fall into a state of lawlessness, as well. The American music industry has been seeding the world with music and images of a lifestyle glorifying violence and anarchy for a long time. Do you not think there will be a harvest of kind? Even the church has been complicit. Jesus spoke to His disciples and said, “You know not what spirit You are of!” So we should not think we are above listening to the wrong voice. Showing grace towards those that sometimes do, we should (think not) that WE stand, lest we fall. We are all trying to work this thing out right now. A landscape untraveled, of seasons unknown. A climate of uncertainty. That’s why we should never glory in our own understanding but seek the mind of Christ, always. Adhere to the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ who taught us how to live and walk in love. When the Church overcomes the spirit of self seeking, self pity, self promotion, self reliance, and self importance, in order to discover God’s will, God’s words, and His works. Than we can trust ourselves to deliver His mandates, unashamed, and with out apology. No matter how controversial they are. Keeping our hearts pure and our hands clean, so that we can go to battle with clarity, and fight the good fight of faith that lies before us, as warriors of Light.

1 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:17 .. now I send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by FAITH in Me.’  

A companion teaching to this article is on a podcast below, that takes us to the next level. How we will live and thrive through days of uncertainty. With Jesus! 

“Where I Go, You Know.”

https://youtu.be/_JOeYdKMXqA