This week God carried me back to the words that He gave Betty Jo many years ago that are more relevant today than then concerning the importance of time. “Beloved one, I am every mindful of your needs and desires and the difference in the two. Feast on Me NOW. Rumblings in My holy lands bear witness to a much larger battle in the near future. No earthly kings or rulers can quench the hatred which is so evident in daily scenes on TV screens all over the world. Do not wait until a later day, a later date, a more convenient time. The time of our fellowship is NOW. The time to pray is NOW! There is no time like the present, as men say. Look heavenward daily for every nutrient your body and soul need for healing and deliverance—to the Lord God JEHOVAH as the all-sufficient God. Rejoice!” Paul in Romans 13:11 sounds a wake-up call to all believers: “Do this knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep, for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.” Paul in Ephesians again sounds the alarm to believers: “Wake up, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. So pay close attention to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise. Make the most of your time because the days are evil. For this reason, do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (5: 14-17) God will use the most extraordinary measures to awaken His sleeping people to their imminent danger. God will move heaven and earth, if necessary, to show us His will. Our job is to obey it through the power of the Spirit. His purpose is always that we will know that He is the Lord. Jesus said to the disciples in John 10: 10 “I came that they may have life and may have it abundantly.” And so in John 14: 19 He said: “Because I live, you will live also.” Unfortunately, so many believers are content with the beginnings of the Christian life but never desire to have it in its fullness—the more abundant life. They do not believe in it; they are not ready for the sacrifice implied in being wholly filled with the life of Jesus. Now is the time that we heed the words of James 4: 5-8 “Do you think that in vain the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit which He made to dwell in us?’ But He gives greater grace. Therefore, it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore, submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!” God is calling us to take time and let Christ’s wonderful promise possess our heart. We must be content with nothing less than a full salvation—Christ living in us, and us living in Christ. May we be assured that it is meant for everyone who will take time to listen to Christ’s promises and will believe that the almighty power of God will work in us the mighty wonder of His grace—Christ dwelling in our heart by faith.
In John 1: 17 it was revealed that John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” Grace is “the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man…not by works of righteousness which we have done…being justified by His grace.” (Titus 3: 4, 5, 7) Each day God causes hearts to beat, bodies to heal, and love to be given and received. And it all happens, regardless of people’s opinions of Him. He offers forgiveness to the rebellious, freedom to sinners, and intimacy with Himself to all who trust Him as Savior. Through Jesus He offers access to the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” God wants to help us, and He has everything we need to confront any challenge we might face. The number 5 in Scripture is the number of Grace: 1. Saved by Grace (Eph 2: 8-9) 2. Covered by Grace (Eph. 1:6) 3. Forgiven by Grace (Col. 1:14) 4. Freed from sins’ chains (Rom. 6:11) 5. A partaker of Divine nature (2 Pt. 1:4) The difference between the former age and the present age is not a matter of no grace and some grace, but rather that today grace reigns. (Rom. 5: 21) Christ who has finished the work the Father sent Him, is now seated on a throne of grace at His right hand and making intercession for us as Savior, Lord, Friend, and fellow heir. (Heb. 8:1) The Word declares that God “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:6) This is not a future promise—it is a present reality. Jesus ministers to us perfectly forever. Heaven sees us not as struggling to reach victory, but as already seated in victory, reigning with Christ in the eternal now. God exists outside of time. He sees the end from the beginning—the finished work, not the process. From His eternal perspective, we are already glorified, already victorious, already seated beside His Son. The Father does not see us as trying to earn authority; He sees us walking in it. We are positioned in Messiah above every power, principality, and force of darkness. Heaven’s view of us is not earthbound—it is enthroned in the heavenlies with Jesus Christ our Great High Priest!
The central message of the Apostle Paul and the New Testaments is “not I but Christ.” “It is no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me.” It is a telling sign as to whether our belief is more than head knowledge if we are thanking God for this wonderful truth. Jesus Christ has given us Himself because we do not have what it takes to live the Christian life. It is Christ living in us that empowers us to be transformed into His image. We are seated with Him in heavenly places. When circumstances shake, we can rest in the One who reigns above it all. We are not victims of circumstance but a vessel of dominion—called to tread upon every force that opposes the kingdom. (Luke 10:19) This authority is not something we fight to gain; it flows from where we are seated.
Like our pastor said Sunday, it is time to take an inward look to see if we are truly living this out in our daily lives. These are sobering questions that we must ask ourselves: Does Jesus’ life in you impact your life? Do you believe that Christ is in you? Is it simply a mental belief or does it impact your life? In what ways does it affect your life? If you believe that Christ is in you, when was the last time you thanked God for that? Why do you think Jesus Christ would want to dwell in us? What should our response be to God? Does your life bear the evidence of God’s amazing grace? Do you delight in the liberty faith brings? Have you fallen into the trap of legalism, or used grace as a license to sin?
We can’t serve Christ unless we are convinced that He not only exists, but also that His plans for us are “good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 2: 2) Paul in Ephesians lays the foundation for our trust in Christ. He says in 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that we believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” The Holy Spirit is Himself the seal. In the symbolism of Scripture, a seal signifies: 1. A finished transaction (Jer. 32:9-10; Jn. 17:4; 19:30) 2. Ownership (Jer. 32:11; 2 Tim 2: 19) 3. Security (Est. 8:8; Dan. 6:17; Eph. 4: 30). We must trust the Lord enough to walk in the center of His will, even if His commands seem unreasonable, impossible, or make no sense to us. We must bring even the smallest decisions to Him, knowing He will lead us in the best way. We are called to bring heaven’s reality into earth’s chaos—to release divine order where there is confusion, healing where there is brokenness, and truth where there is deception.
If we move toward God, He moves closer to us. While His Spirit already lives within those who believe in Him, it is evident that we can walk according to the world, the devil and the flesh. But if, on the other hand, we are being filled (or controlled) by His Spirit, then He bears fruit in us. (Gal. 5: 22-23) Paul puts it this way: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Co. 3:16) As we focus less on ourselves and more on Him, we can be more submissive to Him. This seems to be the idea behind what it means to “draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) As we align our priorities, our desires, thoughts, and behaviors with what He prescribes, we find that we are walking with Him. Jesus talked about this in John 15:4 when He told His disciples they should “abide” in Him. God is asking for simple, quiet fellowship with Him. As we draw near to God, we will desire to separate with a world system that focuses a person on himself rather than on God. Oswald Chambers said: “All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.” The symptoms of pride are: trying to get in our own ways and for our own purposes what only God can provide for us. When we pursue these courses of action we walk like enemies of God. James in 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Because of that principle, James exhorts us to submit to God and resist the devil. (v. 7) By focusing less on a person’s own self and on fulfilling the desires of one’s flesh, by turning away from friendship with a God-opposing world system (or culture), and by resisting the devil, the Christian can overcome our three greatest opponents—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
As we review Hebrews Chapter 11, we learn powerful lessons from the heroes of the faith. They all had one thing in common—they were obedient to follow the Lord even when they couldn’t see what was ahead. We must know that the Lord of the universe is trustworthy and available to meet every need and that He will act on our behalf. We are headed into uncertain times and not for the faint of heart. Are we ready for the challenge? Is our relationship with the Lord rock solid so when the storm comes, we do not panic and sink in fear? Faith is not something we talk about but something that is real to us on a day-to-day walk with the Lord. We must step out in faith and obey Him. Our first responsibility is to go before the Lord with our petitions. Then we must consciously trust Him for our answer—asking Him to open and close doors to direct our path and choices. God loves us and has a good plan for our life, but we must learn to live in His way and not our way. We must seek first the kingdom of God and pray that His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He promises that if we seek Him first and His righteousness that all things will be added to us. It is not all about us but all about God and His plan. Far too long we have made our plans and asked God to bless them. God will not and cannot bless what does not honor Him. We were born to serve the Lord.
The Church—the Bride of Christ is not ready for the wedding—for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We are in that period of time when the Bride is being made ready—a time of purification and preparation—a time of betrothal or engagement to the Bridegroom. We anticipate the great day as the Bridegroom and Bride are united forever—eternally. We know not the day or hour of His coming so we must be ready! NOW IS THE TIME TO GET READY! The Church has been a sleeping giant and ignorant of Satan’s devices. We have been blind to the depth of evil and failed to see truth. The Church has been silent and allowed Muslims and Hindus and other false religions to shout louder than it. Now is the time for a Great Awakening so that God will show His glory! Not by power nor might but by God’s Spirit! 9-11 WAKE-UP CALL—NOW IS THE TIME TO PRAY! GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN ALWAYS TRUMPS A HUMAN PLAN! GOD IS REAL, GOD HAS A PLAN, GOD IS IN CONTROL AND GOD LOVES US!