Recently, I saw a meme featuring a lunchroom with tables marked, Moses and Aaron, Noah, Abraham, David, Mary and Joseph, Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy, The Disciples, Peter, and finally, Adam and Eve. The title of the meme asked the question, "If you have 30 minutes for lunch, who are you going to choose to sit with?" Think about it. That's a pretty intriguing question. And so were the answers. To be honest, it's hard to pick just one, but if I'm forced to just choose, I think I'd like to spend 30 minutes with Adam and Eve and find out what it was like when they had dominion on the earth and were in intimate relationship with God. What was it like to be a spirit being, walking with Him and having access to His Presence? What did the Father impart to them about His purpose for their lives; what was His original plan for mankind? And because they knew the rules of the Garden -- that on the very day that they disobeyed God and chose to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would die (Genesis 2:17) -- what about Satan's deceptive invitation convinced them it was worth the cost?
Obviously, 30 minutes isn't enough time to get all those answers. But that simple little meme has me meditating on greater questions and truths. To begin, I know that the Bible is all about God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. But everything I want to know about my relationship with them is not spelled out within the 1545 pages of this Holy Book. As I mature into the fullness of the understanding of my faith, I am relying on Holy Spirit to reveal more and more about the significance of the Word for my life... and yours. I can only describe what I have discerned as both magnificent and deeply concerning.
It is magnificent because I have seen the extravagant love that both the Father and Jesus have for us, and am so thankful that the Holy Spirit is the conduit for re-establishing our kinship and connections with the Godhead. It is deeply concerning because while I believe I gain a greater understanding [every day] of just how big God is (in all His manifestations), I know that I only discern in part. But my spirit is recognizing [and worried] that far too many of my Christian brethren are unenlightened as to their true identity and are at risk in these tumultuous times to falling prey to the spirits of fear, deception, doubt and unbelief. I daresay we all are aware that Evil is on the rise. It cannot be denied.
Yet I see faithful, God-loving Christians unable to face any concept of what the Bible tells us we should expect to see in these days. There seems to be a desire to "soften" or "ease" the message of the Bible to include only those verses that speak of revival, restoration, and our final victory. Make no mistake ... that message is true and glorious and worthy of repeating! But it is a disservice to our faith to turn a blind eye to what the Bible clearly says we will have to endure! And what does this diluting of the Word say about our ability to be effective and impactful in the world? How are we to encourage others in times of struggle, if we only want to concentrate on the joyful verses? And if we are willing to look at the portions of Scripture that are scary, it doesn't mean we are denying the goodness of God! Do Christians even understand who they are and their status in today's world?
I know I keep pounding home my message of Identity, but I think it is one of the most important aspects of our faith. Do you know that our God is so big that even while having foreknowledge [from the beginning of the world] that His creation would be tempted to go astray, He wrote in His Book of Life what His purpose was for each one of us? We each have a page [or a scroll, if you will] that details all He planned for us to accomplish in this short time on earth in this host body. But in His humility, God didn't force us to obey Him. He gave us free will to choose who we would follow, and that gift of freedom leads either to glorifying God or rebelling against Him.
But the foremost aspect of God's Nature is His love for us, and He demonstrates that by showing us that even though He knew we would lose our authority over the earth, and that these dark days would happen, He planned on sending Jesus to provide a way for us to reconcile with Him and restore our identity [made in His image] and our dominion [authority in the earth]. Yet, why don't Christians wake up to the truth of this amazing identity? Why do we still "play it safe" and make decisions based on fear? Why do we not step out in the knowledge that our power and authority to act in this world is greater than Satan's or any of his demonic partners? Why do we allow the Father of Lies to whisper that we are too small or too insignificant; that our position on the earth is inadequate to stand against his schemes to keep us in bondage to plagues, poverty, tyrants, or sin of any kind?
We must not cower from our responsibility to walk in that identity. If we know who we are and are unafraid to speak in bold truth, there is nothing the Enemy can bring against us that will defeat us. We must know that the love of God has transferred not only His power to us, but His authority to take rulership over all circumstances in our lives, in our culture, in the laws of this nation, and in our faith. We must not "soft sell" this power or the Truth that stands behind it. We must be bold in our declarations, even if we find ourselves on the fringes of "accepted" doctrine or Christian theology. God did not design and create us to be "comfortable" in our faith. We have a formidable Enemy and if we are to fulfill the reason for which we were created, we need to become willing to take risks to fulfill our destiny in the Kingdom of God on earth -- even unto death. We must not be afraid! For fear will inevitably lead to doubt and a desire for self-protection.
I was greatly disheartened to read an article on the Charisma News website titled, "How Halloween is a Catalytic Day for Reformation, Revival and Destiny." It exhorted readers to become free from a religious spirit that foments fear regarding this holiday, and rejoice in the rich history of all that has happened on this date in years past -- Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Church door on October 31, 1517; and the Welsh Revival was begun on October 31, 1904 that resulted in 80,000 people choosing Christ as their Savior! I wholeheartedly applaud these accomplishments for the Christian faith, but my spirit was disappointed that the article didn't tell the whole truth. The fact that Halloween is the height of the Satanic Holy Days, and more children go missing during this week of demonic blood rituals than any other time of the year was never mentioned -- merely that Halloween has its roots in an obscure ancient Celtic pagan festival called Samhain. To obscure the depth of evil that is Halloween in today's world is to give Satan and his legions of followers full reign to carry out their heinous rituals.
I will tell you, Satan loves it when Christians are unwilling to tell the full truth about the evil that happens, and they are satisfied to ignore the wicked ways of Satanists, while declaring that Halloween is "pregnant with potential" to become a powerful day of reformation and revival. Meanwhile, Christians wait in the hopes that revival will take place, and Satanists continue unopposed in their diabolical practices. Yes, we Christians have the potential to partner with God to redeem the world. And I praise our Great God every time I see His presence in the life of one who has chosen to receive His love and is willing to obey Him at all costs. Every victory is precious and God rejoices! But I pray that the Body of Christ will rise to their full potential and fulfill what is written on their page in God's Book of Life. In today's world, we don't have the luxury of playing it safe, or being comfortable in our faith. Satan is trying to use his old playbook of Death to scare us into submission and laying down our calling and inheritance. If we truly desire to mature into the fullness of Christ, we must be ready and willing to walk in His shoes and pay the ultimate price. Our Great God deserves nothing less.
Psalm 27:1 Yahweh is my revelation-light and the source of my salvation. I fear no one! I’ll never turn back and run for you, Yahweh, surround and protect me.
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