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A young woman said to me that she’s very confused by all that is going on, particularly in this country. She believes that people have fallen away from God and His Word to such a degree, that the human race will not get any better. “How can we bounce back from this?” she asked. I’ve heard her sentiment and concerns voiced by many people. The ruthlessness, selfishness, and negativity in our treatment of each other seems to be rising, and the goodness of some people is often overlooked; it could also be argued that there’s far less of this goodness to be found. But make no mistake, while eyes are focused elsewhere, and the attention of many is diverted by the current antics of the day, something astoundingly extraordinary is happening spiritually.
Many of us have been waiting for something to occur. Although we haven’t quite been able to put our fingers on the details of what, when, and how; we know that it supersedes anything we’ve experienced thus far. We also know that it will come straight from Heaven’s throne room, and that when it finally comes into fruition, it will be phenomenal! This part we know, but there’s another part, and this is the thing we ought to be watching out for.
In Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV), God told His people, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” We learn some very consequential pieces of knowledge from this one verse. The first is that God likes to bless His people abundantly, and remembering that He is the Lord, our God, who empowers us to get wealth is very important. Abundance and blessings is one of the primary ways in which God confirms His covenant with us.
One of our great disservices is NOT to remember that the Lord, our God, empowers us to get wealth. To wipe out the memory of this empowerment is an insidious trick of the enemy, and diversions and distractions are the weapons of his trade. The darkness of our day and time is front and center. However, we cannot become so focused on the dark hearts of others that we forget the goodness that should be tended to in our own. When we are so preoccupied with the blindness of the world, and we are soiled with pessimism regarding its plight, we run the risk of forgetting who God is, and who we are through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The thing that you and I ought to be watching out for is preparation and provision for what is to come. Heavenly Father has resources to place in our hands, but some of us have not adequately prepared ourselves to steward them. We are living in an “exposed” culture, where things once hidden are now coming to the light in a major way. Part of the reason for this is so we will have a broader vision of what is possible for us to both do and have. It is so we will see more clearly our purpose and position ourselves in the gaps that are now revealed. Our problem is that we have looked to others to do what WE should be doing far too long. Because of this, some of us are shortsighted and too lax to respond to what God is doing and plans to do in the future. We need to change this.
Everything that we do outside of the context of building our relationship with God is wasteful. It will not amount to much in the present and will not last in the future. 1 Peter 5:6-7(NIV) tells us, “6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” To humble ourselves is to recognize the extent to which God can and will work through us to accomplish more than we can imagine. Our lives were given by God and designed to be a reflection of our Christ reality. You are infinitely more than what your circumstances in the right now suggest, and you carry within your makeup all that you are intended to be. Destiny is within you, and God is getting ready to lift the veil, so that you are ever more convinced of your identity through His love. Stay spiritually prepared for this. Do all you can to keep growing in the Spirit! Bigger battles and blessings will require it.
Heavenly Father wants us to learn to protect our connection to Him in a more attentive way. This means we’re going to have to pull ourselves out of the realm of lies that the enemy feeds the world on a daily basis. We’ve got to do this! We got to stop listening to and ingesting what the enemy is trying to feed us. Romans 12:1-2(NIV) warns us about this. It tells us, “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We must set our sights on true and proper worship, and connect with God by trusting in His desire for our greatest good and His empowerment to us to make it all happen! The blessing He’s promised is near. It’s a new thing, and He’s counting on us to be prepared.■
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Empowered by God!” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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