Revealed!
Have you ever seen something many times, and then suddenly see it for what seems like the first time? So it is with the things of God. He’s always around us, leading us, and showing us the best way, and we don’t always see it. He’s often subtle, and reveals Himself to those whose eyes are open to Him.
Jesus Himself says in Matthew 5:8 – “The pure in heart shall see God.” I believe that can include: Who He is, His presence in and around us, His ongoing goodness regardless of outward situations, His good plan, and all creation. He is so endlessly creative, that He can reveal Himself to you in a way you can see it. The question is, are we looking?
When God reveals Himself to Job in the book of Job, He shows up in whirlwinds, loud sounds, and big questions that humble Job. Those events lead Job to say, “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees you. Therefore I retreat, and I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6) Job had been a respectful, obedient man. He had done everything he thought he was supposed to do. And indeed, God honored him. His disastrous issues were a test, and Job passed. How? Instead of pouring out his complaints ABOUT God, he poured out his complaints TO God. Job became awed with the powerful presence of God and responded in humility. Indeed, the pure in heart shall see God.
Jesus dealt with the issue of natural sight often – He opened blind eyes, even those who had been blind from birth. He also dealt with the issue of supernatural sight. He chided the Pharisees and other religious men who could see Him physically, but were spiritually blind enough to not see that He was the Messiah for Whom they waited. As a leader of the Pharisees, Nicodemus seemed to be one who was curious. He wanted to know, and he wanted to see. He knew Jesus could only do the things He was doing because He came from God. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:3 – “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It is noted that Nicodemus and some other Pharisees became believers in Jesus as the Messiah after the resurrection.
When Jesus was resurrected and revealing His presence to many, He walked along the road to Emmaus. He encouraged some who were confused by what had happened in Jerusalem with His crucifixion. They had been convinced that Jesus was a political messiah, not a spiritual one. Jesus explained the meaning of Himself in the Scriptures, and in a moment, they received revelation: “When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”” (Luke 24:31-32)
Are you eager for God to be revealed to you further? Ask humbly from your heart, and He is willing to respond! I pray the prayer of Paul for you: “…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:17-21)
The Power of Meekness
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) Just like all truths in the kingdom of God, we have to look at this truth with spiritual eyes. In our human minds, we see this and think, “Oh, so I need to let people overpower me to be blessed and to inherit the earth.” That’s not really what Jesus meant.
The definition of meek is: enduring injury with patience and without resentment: MILD. Other words that define meek include: down-to-earth, humble, modest, unassuming, and unpretentious. You may have heard this definition before, especially as it refers to the meekness of Jesus: “Meekness is power under control.” Think of the infinite power of Jesus as the Son of God, filled with the Spirit of God without limit, and with the authority given to Him by His Father. Yet, He chose to treat people with kindness, gentleness, and all the fruit of the Holy Spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)
How many times do we have the opportunity to show power under control rather than challenging one another? God is working on all of us to grow in this and all the fruit of the Spirit! We are tempted and tested every day to not push back on everything and everybody so that we’re not taken advantage of, or that we would have our own way. Yet, Jesus trusted His Father and the unlimited grace that comes from Him. He knew His Father had Him covered so He could finish the task He came to do – become a living sacrifice for each one of us. He paid the price for us so we can be covered with His righteousness, wholeness, and well-being.
He knows we can’t become righteous or whole on our own. He knows it’s a hard journey. We get tired, we lose our way, and we often give up. That’s why Jesus’s invitation to us is so welcome: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
His yoke means that we get to work with Him side by side, and He carries most of the weight. Our only burden is that we take His direction, knowing He’s meek and humble. He will neither bully nor abuse anyone, no matter what they’ve done or how they feel, or what they need. His beautiful character will lead the way. His meekness will show you His perfect power under control. Go to Him. He’ll give you rest for your soul and so much more.
The Mind of Christ
There is a gift already available to us that we sometimes miss! There is a way of steadiness that can make a path through noise and confusion. These past months and years have been filled with complicated, confusing issues that can lead us to feelings of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. There are so many voices constantly speaking, and there are serious issues that can tug at us from all sides. The temptation is to try to figure out the world’s problems on our own, rather than to look for God’s leading to help us think well.
That gift that’s available to us? The mind of Christ. Paul wrote about powerful wisdom that can only come from God: “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for it they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men know the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man in him? Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)
So in reality, when our minds are swirling, when we don’t know who to believe, when we pick up offenses, anger, and accusation, we have a place to go. If we ask God to stir up the mind of Christ in us, we are led to the Word, Jesus Himself, and the leading of the Spirit of God. The Word and the Spirit always point to Christ and His infinite wisdom. What is often convicting, is that He tells us to either work toward better things with Godly behavior, or He tells us to keep our eyes on Him and to watch Him work wonders. And as always, He tells us to pray for His kingdom to come amidst the trials and chaos. He tells us to be about the Father’s business, whatever He has asked you to do that brings life in this world. As we follow Him, He will equip us for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:17)
The wisdom of God that comes from the mind of Christ can keep us from being deceived by lies and foolishness. In fact, God impressed upon me to write about the mind of Christ to remind people that we can get very gullible when we get wrapped up in blind group thinking and mob behavior of any kind. We give up our connection to the mind of Christ and we are easily deceived. What can happen is that we mistake other things for spirituality and connection with God. It is His strong, fervent desire that His people not fall into any traps: “For false christs and prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, event the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)
I encourage you to follow Paul’s words: “We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every proud thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Filter what you hear. Take your time. Ask the Lord how to see and perceive each situation. Discern. Read the Word. Listen to the leading of the Spirit. Live in the peace that comes from trusting God. We can all do this because we have already been given the mind of Christ.
Life in Abundance
Have you ever felt like you just want to leave your environment and start over? Many of us do! We look for the best version of our lives. Sometimes a change of venue, whether it be a new living space, a new city, or a new job, can bring a brighter future.
The question is, though, what are you bringing with you? There’s an old adage that says, “No matter where you go, you bring yourself with you.” Sometimes the change we’re looking for is within us and not surrounding us. Our “inner lives” determine much of our “outer lives” and how we see life and its circumstances and possibilities.
Jesus Himself talks about life in a way that was (and remains) new and powerful. He said, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). (John 10:10, AMP) WOW! We’ve had a year full of real and perceived enemies, and behind the stealing, killing, and destroying is the enemy of our souls. What a helpful, ongoing revelation to us that Jesus is life, and He came to give us life that cannot be overcome. As we receive Him, the author of life provides abundant life on the inside of us now and forever.
Living in that abundant life requires something from us – allowing God to lead us. John the Baptist preached repentance, Jesus preached repentance, as did Paul and Peter in the New Testament. See what Peter says: “So repent (change your inner self – your old way of thinking, regret past sins) and return to God – seek His purpose for your life), so that your sins may be wiped away (blotted out, completely erased), so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day); (Acts 3:19 AMP) I don’t know about you, but I really like a cool wind on a hot day. There are many days when we need relief, and He provides that.
A clean conscience before God, where we are not afraid to visit Him or to welcome Him – that presence of God fills our inner life. The Prince of Peace Himself inside us can guide us through difficult and truly awful situations by helping our minds and hearts stay peaceful. As we allow God to lead us, we can see His guidance and grace in the midst of the storms. His presence in our lives changes our inner lives. As a result, our outer behavior, our words and our actions, become more peaceful. We see life from the perspective of His words, which assure us that He is good, He loves us, and He is in complete control. No matter how out-of-control life appears, He is still in us and with us. He knows our needs, and we are welcomed to ask Him for what we need.
So we don’t have to necessarily change our location to find an increase of peace or joy. We don’t even have to hitchhike to Mars. Repentance, talking with Jesus, and allowing Him to lead us can cause us to have true life on the inside of us, and that life is full. It brings a rest, a peace, and a joy that gives us and abundant life, no matter what our circumstances or surroundings may be. Peace and abundant life to you.
Waiting – The “next thing” is…
Are you waiting for the “next thing” in your life? Is it the next season of social interaction with family and friends? Maybe it’s the next job, or maybe you’re waiting for COVID-19 to be past history. Are you waiting for improved physical or mental health? A new relationship? Waiting for the pain of loss to lessen? You are not alone. So many around the world are also waiting.
Let’s face it. Waiting is hard. It is not in our basic human nature to be patient or to enjoy waiting. I was reminded a few months ago about the stories of 9/11 where some New Yorkers were delayed going to work that morning – they missed the train, or they stopped to get something to eat, or drop off a child at school. Initially, some were annoyed at the delays, but later on, they saw it as God’s provision in their lives. He kept them out of harm’s way through delay or waiting.
That leads me to the next question: How well do we wait? We all have to wait for certain things, but how well do we spend the time? We have some choices. Do we ask God what He’s got planned with expectation? Or do we get irritated, fearful, and impatient like King Saul did in 1 Samuel 13:8-14? Saul was to wait for the prophet Samuel to come and make the offerings to God. Instead, he reasoned in his mind and created excuses. He did things his own way out of the fear of people rather than the fear of the Lord:
“Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord. So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Recently, at a Spirit-led corporate prayer meeting, the pastor leading was waiting on what the Lord would have us do or pray next. After a minute or two, he got the word from the Lord that, “The “next thing” is Him!” How perfectly God is that? Here are some Scripture verses that speak about “waiting for the Lord” or “waiting on the Lord.” In all these passages, written by David (Saul’s replacement), the “man after God’s own heart,” God’s complete faithfulness. favor, and love shine through:
“Let integrity and uprightness protect me, for I wait for You.” Psalm 25;21
“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He reached down to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud; and He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3
“My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my hope is from Him.” Psalm 62:5
So, no matter what you’re waiting for, to wait for Him is far better than anything or anyone else. His presence changes everything. He provides peace, hope, and patience (see the previous post, Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit). He gives us Himself, that firm Rock on which we can find our footing, and we can walk forward. In all your waiting, the “next thing” is Him.
Growing in Fruit
God loves good fruit! As the Master Creator, He designed a creative variety of fruit for us to enjoy. Fruit is a picture of a healthy life. The same is true with spiritual fruit – the outflow of your life. How you relate to God and to other people can determine what kind of fruit you are growing. The source of good fruit is from God. Jesus tells us in John 15:1 that He is the true Vine and His Father is the Vinedresser. (See devotion number 34 in the book.)
What is this spiritual fruit? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) Those with developed spiritual fruit in their lives didn’t get that way overnight. It’s a process, much like planting and growing fruit. It takes time, and it takes resilience. The more we get tested in these areas, the more we have the opportunity to grow. The tests do come! We can only pass those test with Jesus guiding us. “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:24-26)
What are these passions and desires being spoken about? They all can be boiled down to one thing: selfishness. The root of our sinful selves is that weak, self-centered, greedy human nature. We find out what’s inside us when we’re tested. If we’ve been feeding our selves, our flesh, we see the bad fruit come out in our words and our actions. Unfortunately, if we fail these tests, we get to take them over and over until we pass. The tests may not all look the same, but they’ll be aiming at the same weakness in us. Over time, the tests become more unpleasant.
This season has been a true season of testing – one of public and private unrest as well as political and social contention. In praying for this, one word the Lord showed me was “disdain.” Disdain encompasses pride and hatred as it means: “the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect; contempt.” We like to be “right” and when we come to disdain others who don’t agree with us, we’ve crossed a line. James 3:8-10 says, “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been make in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things out not to be this way,” Society at large and some believers have missed opportunities to bear good fruit.
If we’ve been feeding our spirit in the Word and in the Spirit, we have a better chance of making better choices by the grace and strength of God. The more we pass the tests, the more we grow. In fact, when we pass the tests, we grow faster, even if we’ve experienced pain in letting go of some trait in us we’d prefer to keep. Even so, we sense the pleasure of God on the inside of us. Others may find pleasure in our growth, too, as we often become more pleasant.
People can tell what kind of fruit we’re bearing by what comes forth from us. Jesus spoke plainly when He said, “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For me do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings froth what is evil, for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (Luke 6:43-45)
Just so you know, the tests given to us to grow our character do not end this side of heaven. It’s all good, though, because Jesus continues in John 15: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which i have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing…If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (john 15:2-11)
God loves us so much, He doesn’t want us to go through life burdened and miserable. He wants us to greet us in eternity with great joy as we have developed relationship with Him and others, growing that good fruit with Him. Can we spend that time with Him in His Word and His Spirit to allow that cleansing, that pruning that He talks about? I want more fruit, much fruit, and more of that joy! God loves good fruit!
When God Says, “Here I Am.”
In the last blog post, we talked about how a childlike attitude and humble heart respond to God, saying, “Here I am.” There are times when God Himself says, “Here I am.” The good news is that we live in a new covenant, or agreement with God – when we invite Him to be our Lord and our Savior, He is always present in us and around us.
There are those days, though, when life brings us challenges that cause us to seek God in a greater way – not only because we always need Him, but because we need guidance and help. Our prayers can be “supersized” as we add fasting to our prayer. Fasting is when we forego food or other pleasures to spend time in God’s presence.
Look what God says to Isaiah and the people of God about fasting in Isaiah 58:6-11 (NASB): “Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.”
If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Although Jesus is sovereign, His nature is humble – Jesus displayed His humility as He served, sacrificed, and paid the price for us. He broke every oppressive yoke and displayed the His yoke – the yoke of humility and service. He gives us the example, and tells us: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.” Matthew 11:29 (NASB)
I don’t know about you, but I like the rewards of pressing closer to God. Every sacrifice is worth hearing from Him. Every bit of selflessness is worth the growth in awareness and character. Every humbling act brings us closer to Christ-likeness.
Like a Little Child
God has always sought out children and those with childlike humility. The more we realize He’s God and we’re not, the easier it is to posture ourselves to hear from Him. With that heart attitude, we’re open to what He has to say.
The child Samuel in the Bible heard from God at a young age, before he even knew who the Lord was. “Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place, and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”
Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord CAME AND STOOD and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”” (1 Samuel 3:1-10)
Not only does the Lord speak to him a strong message, but He came and stood near Samuel. God’s presence was with him. It later says in 1 Samuel 3:19: “Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.”
You don’t have to be a child to have a childlike heart before God. We see Jacob at age 130 in Genesis 46:2-3 when he is afraid to leave his home to join Joseph in Egypt: “God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.” Wow! God used the childhood name of Israel by calling him Jacob, and He got the humble, childlike answer, “Here I am.” You’re never too old to be a child before God.
Jesus reinforced this in Matthew 18:2-4 when: “He called a little child and set him before them, and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent (that is, change your inner self–your old way of thinking, live changed lives) and become like children (trusting, humble, and forgiving), you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.””
In these turbulent times, we look to God for wisdom and direction. We look for answers and peace. The best thing we could ever do is take that posture of a humble child and seek God. He is faithful to hear, and He is faithful to answer in His own way and timing. He is always good, and He waits for our humble response, “Here I am.”
Grateful
Grateful. This Labor Day, I join many in celebrating the hard work performed by our nation’s workers this year. Many were asked to go above and beyond the call of duty. Some lost their lives serving others. We honor you.
There is another One I honor today – Jesus. Through His death for all of us, He did a complete work. He paid for our sin, shame, sickness, and disease. He overcame our enemies and removed the barrier between God and humanity, once and for all. He declared, “It is finished!”
Our work? We ask, “What do we do?” His reply has been, “Only believe.” As we believe, we move toward Him in trust. Our hearts are moved to love and obey His leading. He leads us to HIs throne of grace, where we have access to that grace that we know we don’t deserve. But that’s what grace is all about – He gives it because He’s good, not because we’ve earned it or deserve it. Join me as I rest near Him today and enjoy the hard work that He’s done for us. Grateful.
The Shift is a Gift
Ready…SHIFT! Those were the famous words of my dad. The year was 1969. I was seven years old. Dad was driving his 1968 VW Beetle. Mom couldn’t see us. The adventurous dad was teaching his curious daughter how to shift the car on the way home from piano lessons, Even though he was steering, pressing the gas and the clutch, I felt like I was “driving” the car. What a thrill!
Subsequent “shifts” in life have happened over the years–some of them wonderful and some of them difficult. These last several months have created unexpected shifts in our lives. Some of them have been merely frustrating, some of them surprising or stressful, some of them devastating, and some of them refreshing, Most of the shifts or adjustments have required more thought and wisdom than the simple shift of car gears. Our mindsets and lifestyles have required major shifts…how we each experience isolation, loss, stress, family dynamics, work changes or loss, financial and business changes, parenting and education, political and media input, racial injustices, natural disasters, mental health, and so much more. The experiences and responses vary with each individual.
“All that can be shaken will be shaken.” (See Hebrews 12:27-29) This is the word God gave me in January 2020. When He indicated that things would be shaken this year, I honestly didn’t understand what it would encompass. Needless to say, it involved more aspects of life than I realized it would. The good news in that Scripture is that once all that can be shaken is shaken, what would remain is the unshakable kingdom of God.
This shift in our lives, I believe, is meant to shift our attention from things that are temporary on this earth to God Himself and the eternal things of God. In essence, God is (I know this sounds weird) doing us a favor by shifting our focus onto the love and steadiness that is Him. He’s where our help and comfort reside. What has shifted in me?
– Regular examination of what things / people had been placed ahead of God.
– Realizing how many everyday things I had taken for granted.
– Fully understanding the importance of family and friends.
– Realizing how much we need God in every thought, word, and action – that each would be filled with grace.
– Understanding that busyness and buildings don’t replace people, relationship, and time with God.
What is God speaking to you this season? One goal I believe He has for each of us is that we would emerge from this season changed – into increasing Christ-likeness. He wants us filled with the attitudes and actions of His kingdom that cannot be moved or shaken. He wants us filled with righteousness, peace, and joy. In that, I encourage you to take time to listen to what God is saying to you every day.
Ready…SHIFT!