Monday's Musings from Meri Ford March 6, 2016
It is helpful to remember this theme from the book of Acts: persecution does not necessarily cause church growth but church growth appears to cause persecution!
Paul clearly warns the church in Galatia (Galatians 5:1) to stand firm in the midst of freedom. Freedom is not a time to relax. Freedom often creates a new kind of slavery. There is a price tag attached to freedom and we need to count the cost. It is time to open our hearts to the valuable lessons that we can learn from those that follow Christ in restricted countries—even to their death.
from Open Doors Newsletter March 6, 2017
-----------------
As more believers allow God to change them and begin to understand the authority that is Christ in them, we should not be surprised at the opposition. This isn't a battle, as I see it, between right and wrong. This is the battle that began with the temptation of Eve and the seduction of Adam. It is the manifestation of the victory that also began when the Lord said Satan would crush the heel of the seed of woman but that Seed would crush the head of Satan.
Sometimes I think we in the USA are so focused on our freedom and the American Dream, that we miss the reality of what God is actually doing and the opportunities that lie ahead as Christians begin to bear testimony in face of the assaults that come from various manifestations of wickedness. This is a time to lay hands on the sick and heal them...not pray for their healing!!! It's time we learned to rejoice when we are persecuted instead of necessarily calling a time of prayer and fasting to restore the "status quo." Oh, is that what we are doing............I really don't know but sometimes it looks like that. Are we at times just asking God to "fix us" "protect us"? We all want to be the Daniel who was saved from the lions den instead of one of the multitudes of Christians that died in the lions dens for the delight of the Romans or those hung up and burned to light the pathway into Rome at night. Is it our American thinking that it's a lack of faith and lack of proper intercession that these things happen?
i know there are times, as scripture notes, that the congregation is to be called to pray and fast. However, I see much of our national problems and the demonic assault on the government both in the present administration and it's ease of entry in the past administration as something that rises from the corruptness and idolatry of the local congregations who name the name of Jesus. Aren't these things which must be dealt with at the root? Will lopping off the top branches help? Perhaps, but generally it is like what happened with Al Qaeda...lopping it's head off just created more heads and allowed it to seemingly regroup and actually become stronger since its roots weren't cut. There was no severing of its access to resources and finances and the open borders around the world that allow its followers to move freely across borders in Europe and elsewhere.
If we don't want these endemic attacks against the present Administration, then perhaps we must start at the roots and get rid of the idols from the ground up. Few are the people who even care about Harry Potter these days and yet the out and out witchcraft that is taught and portrayed in those movies, written by one who admits she does so with a spirit guide, has fueled a generation who now are doing protests like we've rarely seen and young men and women who now are prey to vicious forces that lie quietly behind the scenes pulling their strings.
While a few folks are now beginning to speak up about Disney productions with their blatant TV commericals, how many Christians kids sing the songs of Frozen and other children's programs that talk about curses and spells which go back even to my childhood to stories with curses and witches which scared the daylights out of me as a child and yet no one really wondered why? How long has this undercurrent of idolatry and witchcraft been growing in the foundation of the "American way of life and gaining a stronghold in the congregation of the Lord?
Scripture says the ax is laid to the root. Are we not called to speak Life and Light into situations where where things are the darkest and in the presence of that which the Word says is already defeated? Hopefully it is just a matter of words....but there is no competition between MY GOD and his creation of stones that once was one of the great powerful angelic beings named Lucifer. What a paradox....resist not evil but resist the devil by STANDING IN CHRIST..........having first submitted to God and what His plan and purpose is concerning the devil in that circumstance.
We are seeing nasty things coming to the surface both in this society and in local congregations. They are often hurtful, unexplained things. In Mark 13 it says....be on guard that you aren't deceived, don't be anxious...be alert, don't be found sleeping....these things MUST happen.....we will be put out of churches, in other places we will be found in court and not always being triumphant in terms of legal justice but always triumphant in Christ. The earth itself is going to quake and things will be shaken. There is little man can do about it overall but a whole lot we can do in the midst of it in preparation for what may come and making sure that we have clean hearts and renewed minds according to Christ Jesus. In given places we might have some respite for a period of time...but this isn't about us...it isn't about this little piece of history....it is about HIM...the one WHO CONQUERED...the battle is won...it's our privilege to walk it out until the final day when He comes back and engages in that final battle.
Your questions, comments and other discussion is welcomed.
Meri Ford merifordrh@gmail.com http://meriford.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave any insight you may have or response you have to these posts on my blog.