Redeeming the Time

This is a post that I have fought myself on doing for quite some time now.  The problem is my procrastination. In fact, that has been a longtime issue with me.  

Before this virus took hold of America and other nations across the globe, and literally brought everything to a screeching halt, time was a much needed commodity. Society today has become fast paced.  Time has become blurred and shortened.  Just in my own life, I have uttered the words "I need more time." at least a million times.  NO EXXAGERATION!!!!  

But, now, during this time of social distancing and isolation, time is all most people have.  Despite what is going on in the world around us and the great loss of jobs and income to millions of people, we need to advantage of what we have been given. MORE TIME.  

The backdrop of this post can be found in Ephesians 5:14-17.

(14) "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. (15) See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

For months, before the Coronavirus, my church and I had been praying for revival to come.  Not just a revival for the church but revival for this nation and many others.  I have long since said that a national revival cannot take place unless there is personal revival...within the individual peoples of the world.  

During this time, it is my prayer that, families would become a family unit once again.  Fathers and mothers and sons and daughters would become one once again.  Technology although a wonderful thing, has set us back and built walls around us.  Instead of making life easier,, life has become complicated and bothersome.  In essence we had been practicing social distancing already.  With our faces buried in our phones and tablets and computers, personal communication has become a lost thing.  

Prayer services in churches have become the least attended event by its members.  The most offered response to this is "I don't have the time."  Now, although not as a corporate body but individually, the members of the church are praying more.  And when we emerge from this time I believe that the church will emerge stronger and more embolden to go out and be the instruments of God.  Deep within my soul, I know this is the time before the coming revival of its members, of the church and this nation.

As a person of faith and belief in the ONE TRUE GOD, I want nothing more that for God's will to be done.  What is the will of God?  Ultimately, the salvation of all mankind.  2nd Peter 3:9 tells us, it is God's will that none should perish but all come to repentance.  America is fast becoming a sinful and amoral nation. Unless you think it is already there?  

I know we as a nation can be revived.  But we must first acknowledge our sins before God and ask for forgiveness.  

Another well known verse is 2nd Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then i will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Those who are called by His name are believers, the church, the body of Christ.  Now is the time we need to humble ourselves before God and renew our relationship with Him.  I have struggled during this time trying to gain some spiritual discipline and search my heart and motives. But God is faithful.  Despite all that is going on, God is not surprised by this.  

Don't get me wrong, I have had difficult days and experienced some fear.  I am only human.  My faith is not in humanity, but in God.  His promises are true and He will not go back on HIs word.  God has a plan and until He is ready to reveal it to those whom He will, we must be in constant prayer and wait for Him.

In closing I would like to quote a verse from Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near."

That is as pretty straight forward as is gets.  That too is God's desire for believers and non-believers during this time of     self-isolation and social distancing. TO SEEK HIM.   God is merciful and kind and patient.  HIs love knows NO end. But there is coming a time when God will not be found of mankind because of sin and his/her constant rejection of His offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son. Many are searching for truth and hope in a world w/ a short supply of both.  Much like time.  God has now given us the time we need to find truth and hope.  

My procrastination has hindered me in the past and change has been my two greatest enemies.  I have allowed Satan to use that against me for too long.  Hmm. I will use this time to ask God to help me overcome them.  As others during this time, I do not want to come out of this time of isolation in the same spiritual condition as I went in. 

Lord, it is my desire, that we the body of Christ and myself, will redeem this time given to us by You to grow in our faith, Your word and become filled with Your Holy Spirit.  Prepare Your people to be used by You in the coming work You have planned for us.  In Jesus name I pray. Amen   

   

The First with Promise

Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of mine and of beast: it is mine.   Exodus 13:2


Set apart.  Called for a specific purpose by God, Jehovah himself.

God has called Israel, the least of all the nations of the earth, to be His own specially chosen people.

Go forward to the book of Exodus and God now calls all the firstborn of man and beast to be His very own.  Does the Almighty  have a special plan for them?  Yes.  Which begs me to question, "Does God have a special plan for me."

Being the firstborn of my family I have long since set the example of obedience and leadership to my younger siblings.  When I was reckless they saw it and did so themselves.  When I was kind and respectful to others and our parents, so to were they.  Most of the time I was on my best behavior.
Now as I have gotten older and had a family of my own, my firstborn, a daughter, was a constant presence at my side. My every move was closely scrutinized and imitated.  Sometimes with humorous results.  The change from being an example to the example was greater than I could have imagined.


"For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end."  (Jeremiah 29:11)


What does God have planned for such a person?  Are they to become a great visionary?  The doctor who cures cancer? An ambassador, or great ruler?  Only God knows.  There have been moments within my days that I wonder and ask God "What are your thoughts and plans for me?"
Growing up my aim was to just be a good son and an example to those around me.  The neighborhood I grew up in was full of adults that I looked up to.  Yet, I never knew was it because of who they were or who God was to them?  Truth be told, I emulated the adults outside of the church more than the ones within the church.  My spirituality was very minimal.  I had no idea.

Over the years I have come to know that God can use anyone to fulfill His plan in our lives, both believers and non-believers.  But the firstborn, called out especially by God, holds greater significance.  The firstborn sets the example and is the pattern by which those who follow, are measured by. 
Giving God the first of our day before we do anything, sets us up for the rest of the day.  We can pray, listen and expect God to do something great. That, as we read in Jeremiah 29:11 is the expected end. 
Souls for His kingdom is the expected end.
Taking the gospel message to all the world.
 

The Face of Christ

The mid-to-late 90's was a time of wondering and uncertainty for me.  I had lost my identity as a person.  For this period of time in my life, I had no hope and definitely no direction as to what to do or how to live from day to day. I merely existed.

But one day, while listening to a Christian radio station in my area, a song came on that spoke volumes to me.  The Face of Christ by Chris Rice.  The opening verse tugged at me.

He shares a room outside with a 

dozen other guys. And the only roof he knows 

is that sometimes starry sky.

A tattered sleeping bag on a concrete slab is 

his bed and its too cold to talk.

So i just sit with him instead and think

It is easy to become jaded when life seems hopeless. Family and friends turn against you and all your efforts to get back on your feet seem to fail.  Yet, in the darkness, there is a light.  For me that light was kindness of an unknown lady.  Let me share the account with you.  I was in Wilmington, Delaware and I had walked into a church and sat down in the rear next to a lady and her family.  I began to weep and shake from the burden I carried.  The lady to the right of me handed me a piece of paper asking "Are you ok?"  With a trembling hand, I wrote my response, "I am homeless."  During this whole time, i did not look towards her, nor did she look at me or ask questions.  As an act of great kindness, she put her hand on mine and gently rocked from side to side humming.  I stopped crying and shaking.  Peace instantly filled me and i was surrounded by a warmth i could not explain.  This lady saw past the dirty clothes and smell and comforted me. There was no verbal communication and after the service, she did not come after me when i left the church.  As i left the building I had a glimmer of hope.  Not to say in humanity, but God was telling me "Everything will be alright." 

Getting back to the song.  This song came to me 2 years after that encounter.  Although i did not see her face, I felt the compassion and knew she was praying for me.  It was that act of selflessness that turned the darkness away from me. A few months down the road i would weep again during a chapel service at the homeless shelter i was staying in.  A group of Christian men from the area sang a song called Nearer My God to Thee. During that time i committed myself to God.  I would say recommitted myself, but i was no closer to God growing up in the church than i was to the moon.

My journey began and I am now back in the arms of my Saviour.  Enjoy the song.

      

Start With Me (a short)

I NEED a revival in my life.

NOW.

TODAY.

LORD, hear my cry and please come down to me.

In JESUS name.

AMEN

Soon Enough

Revival

Revival.

For the past couple of months, during our Sunday evening services, we have been speaking on the topic of Revival.
So what is Revival?
"Revival is a flash of the glory of God that will one day cover all the earth.  It is a divine foretaste of His heavenly kingdom."

For some time prior to our doing the series on "Revival", I have been praying for and seeking revival within myself, the churches of God and its people and this nation.  I have read and am still reading books that chronicle past revivals that have taken place around the world.
Just to name a few, there is the First Great Awakening w/ Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield.  The Second Great Awakening led by Charles Finney.  Azusa Street Revival that took place in Los Angeles, Ca., and the Great Welsh Revival in 1904-05.

What stuck out to me the most is the length of time it took for these revivals to start.  No one revival in the annals of history started immediately.  It was only after a lengthy period of time did they come about.  Individuals who had been praying for a move of the Holy Spirit upon the church and surrounding areas, had quite often been praying for weeks, months and even years before the revivals came about.

In the opening message of the series, "Start With Me", we found out the where and how of revivals.
Where does a revival start?  It starts with me (the individual).
How does a revival start?  It starts with prayer.
When we are praying for revival, we as believers are asking God for three things.
1. To restore-To put back or bring back into existence or use.
2. To revive-A renewed attention to, or interest in something.
3. To reveal-To make something (hidden or secret) publicly known.
Oddly enough that is only step 2 in the quest for revival.

In Psalm 85:6 the writer asks a question of the LORD.  "Will You (God) not revive us again: that Your people may rejoice in thee?"

Reading that Psalm led me to think there was a hindrance in place.  Something or someone has turned the hearts of the people away from God, causing them to lose the only real source of joy in their lives.  Digging deeper into the Word was my only hope of finding the answer.
What is step one to seeing a revival?  Step one is God's requirement for a personal and national revival.
2nd Chronicles 7:14 (God speaking) "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from there wicked ways; then I will hear from 
heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
God requires repentance from those who are called by His name.  Without repentance, we are blazingly asking God to bless us in our sin.  Not so.
When the people of God, set it in their hearts, to seek AND to do the will of God, then revival will take place. Once the individual has been restored, then it moves on to the church and eventually the nation.  Revivals start small and spread out like wildfire once the Holy Spirit has filled the people of God.  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit cannot happen unless there is a vessel for Him to dwell in.

Psalm 69:32 When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

All that the world needs can be found in the Most High God, but we must seek Him first.
Prayer should never be one-sided, us talking to God.  Sometimes God has something to say to us.  Once we have honored the request of God, then He will honor ours.
I shall keep you all posted on our progress.

Have a good day and God bless.