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Millions of prayers have been prayed for the healing of our land, for a move of God, or for a revival. God hears our prayers and He is moving and will move to answer. However revivals or great spiritual awakenings require the cooperation of God’s people. He always works through His people.

You might think that any Christian would cooperate with a move of God’s Spirit. Sadly this not always so. Here are some of the challenges during a time of revival.

Revivals can be messy. Lives are radically changed and this can cause upset in homes, in marriages. Confronting evil spirits and the works of the devil meet with resistance. Things are not always peaceful.

Revivals can be inconvenient. The services don’t always end on schedule. Sometimes that neighbor you have been praying for will get the urge to repent at two in the morning.

Revivals change things. We all know how resistant we are to change. I have heard Christians, in the middle of a move of God say “I wish things would go back to the way things were.” Asked about it they would affirm the wonderful things that were happening, BUT DID EVERYTHING HAVE TO CHANGE SO MUCH?

There is a lot of supernatural activity during revival…both good and bad. One must be aware of that and know the difference. Healing and deliverance will be in evidence. Great joy and excitement will be there. Sometimes it is hard for people to keep their feet on the ground. To do it we must STAY BIBLICAL.

The Spirit is Holy and a move of God will call for repentance and holiness. Our flesh is not going to like that.

Because the expressed power of God has such a great effect on us spirit soul and body we must use Godly wisdom when our emotions and our bodies react to God’s power. It is easy to forget scripture and go off on a tangent because emotional and physical feelings are so powerful.

In revival there is resistance. Some from non religious people…some from religious people. Don’t be shocked if you lay hands on the sick and they are healed then you are arrested for practicing medicine without a licence. The devil will stir up resistance. As long as we follow God’s lead God’s work will be done.

My purpose is not to discourage you about moves of God’s Spirit. They are wonderful. They change lives, families, communities, states and nations for the better: exchanging brokenness for wholeness, sickness for health, madness for sound thinking…and so much more.

We should prepare our minds as well as our hearts for God’s outpouring. We must determine that no matter how messy, inconvenient, or uncomfortable it might be it will be more than worth it.

Pray for a move of God’s Spirit. Prepare your hearts and minds. Be part of the GREAT THINGS TO COME.

As Christians we are to take the Word of God seriously. How do we really treat His Word? If scripture says something do we explain it away? Are we too sophisticated to accept it as truth?

If we believe scripture is God’s Word and is there for the improvement of our lives, we are ahead of many others. But to get maximum benefit from God there must be more. We must know His Word and know it is for us. Then we must be doers of the Word. It is not enough to know the words of God. We must incorporate the truth of those words into the way we live our lives.

It does us little good if we know of God’s love but do not walk in it. It does us little good to know of God’s covenants and their provisions if we’ve only heard but have not made those things part of our lives, our daily expectations.

Did not God let us know that the doer of the Word would eat the fat of the land? If we are to believe, act on, and live God’s Word; that is a pretty key piece of information.

So what will we do as the Spirit opens our eyes to God’s Word? Deny it? Set it on a theological shelf? Embrace it and act upon it? How we respond to God’s Word will determine our quality of life as Christians.

What do you have to offer your unsaved friends and loved ones in times of trouble? When fear and hatred spread their influences wide, what can you offer to help?

You say “Jesus”. and you would be right. But people need more than a promise of salvation in the future, if that is all you offer. As wonderful as that is, there is more to salvation. Newness Of Life is given at salvation. And the character of that newness of life is described as the fruit of the spirit.

Now we don’t have to walk in the new ways. We can choose to live in the old ways. Scripture tells us not to do that and “put on” the new man (the new nature). We have it. We should live accordingly. Who, in their right mind would not want to live in love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, self control, etc.?

Our society and many of our lives are full of the practices and results of living the old ways. The lives are of indecency, envying, strife, anger, hatred, selfishness, and divisions. The state of our society today is due to following evil and rejecting God, His ways and character.

When you see your unsaved friends in fear, anger, or consumed by envy or hatred, you have much to offer. JESUS is not just the fire insurance man, but the bringer of New Life.

Because we live in a time following the Age of Reason we think in categories, limited logic and reasoning. Reason is not bad. Logic is not bad but to try to understand scripture, let alone God through human mental constructs is a losing proposition.

First, we can only know about God in part and that only because He has chosen to reveal Himself to us through scripture and Spirit. He has give us much information through His Biblical names, Especially in John and Isaiah God has gien insights into Himself and His character. Though our minds will never totally comprehend all there is to Him while we are on this earth He tells us who and what He is. He wants us to have relationship with Him.

From the beginning the desire was relationship, fellowship. He used covenants to make sure His people understood the seriousness of relationship. Every one of the ten commandments were about relationships.

Jesus’ ministry focused on mercy and the grace relationship God had for humankind. Jesus’ theology described relationships good and bad, His emphasis was not about rules but about relationship for He knew God’s rules were about relationship not dead legalisms. He knew God’s rules help in our relationships with God, others, and ourselves.

Our new nature in Christ (the fruit of the Spirit Galations 5) transforms our relationships from those driven by the works of the flesh. God is NOT about theology or rules as much as He is about relationship.

FOR GOD SO LOVED,,,(John 3:16)

My blog would not publish on this site.

You will find “Thankful” at http://www.timspositiveplace.com

I remember in college taking a course called The Sociology of Social Problems. In it we learned about social problems and theories as to their cause and solution. It was an interesting course. But it lacked a spiritual component.

Too often we Christians think about things just like our unsaved counterparts do. Sometimes we even defer to their “expertise” if the have a title or a PhD behind their name. I’m challenging you to think spiritually.

You may say “The Bible does not speak to our crime problem, our broken home problem, our hopelessness problem.” But it does. Ask yourself this. “What Biblical teaching has been ignored to cause this social problem?”

Broken homes? God has a lot to say about man/woman relationships. Hatred and violence? God has the answer to those things too. Hopelessness? God is the giver of hope. So many problems can be traced to disobedience. As Christians we will be much more successful in dealing with social problems if we think spiritually and deal with the problems at a spiritual level. The spiritual world and the natural world are not disconnected. Think about it.

In case you never read the Bible, I should let you know that the devil is a liar. He lies to rob you of what is yours. Lie #1 is “That is NOT for you.” Satan has had a lot of help promoting this lie. Sometimes he uses our own doubts and insecurities. Sometimes He uses theologians and preachers that do not believe in the goodness of God. But anyone or any thing that disagrees with God’s Word lies. The Bible clearly and repeatedly says these things are for you. Salvation is for you. God’s love is for you. God’s righteousness is for you. Healing is for you. Success is for you. God’s provision is for you. God’s Spirit is to live in you. The fruit and gifts of the Spirit are for you. Deliverance and liberty are for you. These things and more are for YOU.

They are Not yours because you earned them but because God is good and generous and HE LOVES YOU. Doubting God’s Word is believing a lie, Repent. Renew your mind. What is it that you need but have not believed was for you? Change your mind. Believe the truth not the lie.

Meditate on these things.

Sometimes we are so lost in our circumstances or our emotions we feel as if God is not good. But He is. Let us start with the basics. When He designed you He included your senses. Have you ever loved the smell of a flower or of baking food? Have you ever heard the birds sing or were transfixed by musicians and singers? Have you ever been grateful for sight while enjoying a sunset or a gaze at a starry sky? Have you ever enjoyed a loving touch? Have you ever given thanks for delicious food? Just part of the design, you say. Yes God’s design because He wanted you to experience all these things.

Sometimes we get so theologically minded we don’t appreciate God’s goodness to us in our design. Think about it. Be thankful because He is good and did good.

More GOOD to come.

So many times I’ve heard Christians say, “I wasn’t ready for this.” (Note one of our pastors taught a two part message on Get Ready. You can find them on YouTube. Just type in Faith Christian Outreach Church. This post is an expansion of that theme.)

We need to be ready what does that mean? Some think they can’t be ready if they don’t know everything that will happen and when. I want to challenge that. Though it is good to know what to expect, that is not as important as having our mind and heart right. Our faith must already be settled before troubles come if we are to overcome, walking through troubles in peace.

For instance when the covid pandemic hit there was a lot of fear. But I have put my faith in God for health and protection for decades. Since that was already settled I experienced NO FEAR about my health.

Just a note. If you want health and strength as you get older, settle that faith issue while you are younger. Then when you are sixty and feel a twinge of pain you will not automatically accept the typical negative explanation. We all are different and we have all been through different stuff physically. But if we trust God for our health and strength, if that is settled in our hearts we will deal with life challenges more successfully.

But how do you get ready for end times? God’s Word tells us what to expect. It also tells us not to be troubled in our minds and emotions. How can we do that…by settling our faith issues before the crisis. If we don’t do that the troubles will affect our minds, our emotions, and even our health. We must decide what will decide our peace and faith, God’s Word or circumstances.

Whether we are preparing for end times or just hard times trust in God’s love and keeping power is key in BEING READY.

(Note: You can find the messages mentioned earlier at http://www.fcoc.net)

Have a great week.

We are encouraged in scripture to remember and meditate on the goodness of God to us. The phrase “God is good” is not just a cute saying it is an affirmation of God’s unfailing goodness to His people. He is good. He does good. His gifts are good.

As we approach Resurrection Sunday we need to appreciate the goodness of a Holy God who gave His only begotten Son to save us. How good is he? He paid for our sins. He gave us new life. He gave us His Spirit. He leads us and guides us. He heals us. He delivers us. He fellowships with us. How good is God!

I love Psalm 136. It is a song of remembrance and thanksgiving and encouragement to the Children of Israel. It chronicles The faithfulness of God’s faithful love and goodness. Perhaps we should list God’s blessings in our lives and encourage ourselves in His goodness to us.

Psalm 34:8

O Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

Think. Remind yourself how GOOD God is to you.