“Great article, such a deep subject. I am still unsure about the distinction being made between logos and rhema. I understand the explanation but I can’t fit it into the following arguments:

If the healing promises are only general then why confess them? And are we saying that there is no power in the written word? What about Proverbs 4 where it says to incline your ears speak it etc.

Also how does this fit in with covenant theology that says we have a covenant making God who cannot break a promise or violate His word? If you are saying it is something He COULD DO then aren’t we making the covenant more like a contract?

Please help with these thoughts.” -     M.M.

My Response

Thank you for responding to my article on logos & rhema. 

Maybe I’m wrong, but I think all your questions relate to our individual understanding of the sovereignty of God.  I see no conflict from my perspective.

First of all I see a problem when you say that “If the healing promises are ‘only’ general…”.  Logos, the general revelation of God is huge!…because it reveals the heart of God in all of His Grace & Mercy.  As sinners we don’t deserve anything from the hands of a Holy God.  Yet the Logos reveals how much He loves us & all He has provided for us “while we were yet sinners”.  Don’t diminish its value by saying it’s ‘only’.

Both logos & rhema are equally important.  Logos reveals all that’s available to us generally…in other words, the broad scope of ALL He has provided for all His children/sons.  Rhema reveals the intricate detail of His Design of how He plans to meet our own personal, specific needs.

What I try to explain is that you can confess & declare all the provisions/promises (logos) of God at any and all times to give Him Glory, to educate ourselves on His provisions, and to bring a foundation & encouragement to us as believers.  However, many believers erroneously think that just because God has declared that He has provided for certain needs, all they have to do is start confessing that it’s a reality before it actually is; and that by their confessing it over & over again it will come to fruition.  When you have a specific need, you don’t just automatically go around telling everyone (confessing) that He already has or is taking care of it when, in fact, He hasn’t; and maybe isn’t going to…and you haven’t even bothered to stop & ask God for what He has in mind for that specific situation. 

Yes, provisionally, it’s as good as done.  But He’s sovereign!  And in His Justice & Wisdom He may have a plan, & a reason for that plan, that we aren’t aware of.  We need to check in with God to determine what His specific (rhema) game plan is for meeting that need.  Then we can proceed in Faith (a typical result of rhema revelation) & confidence (”They that ‘wait’ upon the Lord shall renew their strength…”), rather than presumption.  Otherwise, we could actually be taking God’s sovereignty away from Him & make ourselves sovereign, imposing our will over His.

Besides, Jesus said in explaining His model prayer that the heathen go around repeating things over & over again, thinking that with their oft repetition they could somehow make things happen…like a magical incantation.  Unfortunately, for many believers it becomes that.  They’re afraid to not repeat it often or correctly enough, or that they may make a negative confession & negate the whole process.  The source of that is fear, not faith.  

If we properly understand the Sovereignty of God and how it is balanced out by His Love,  Mercy, Grace, Justice & Wisdom, I can see no conflict with covenant theology.  I realize that this entire concept is very difficult for many believers to wrap their brains around & fully understand.  And yes, sometimes we may have to set aside some of our need to fully grasp things intellectually to really understand it.  

This concept comes from deep within my spirit, and is simple & easy for me; and I apologize if I’m inadequately giving expression to it in an understandable way.  It’s something I have believed in most of my life; and something my wife & I have often dialogued about over 45 years of marriage, trying to make sense of certain things in our lives.  Some times we received specific answers (rhema); most of the time we did not.  But the sovereignty of God was always the trump card that caused us to relinquish the situation to Him in full trust confidence & assurance in His character & Divine Wisdom…knowing He knew, and would do the right thing, whether we fully understood it or not.  After all, this is a walk of faith; and it is a trust issue.

Hope this helps.

Mike Bernadsky

(I had an experience while I was in the hospital for 3 weeks in October/November 2009 that blessed me so much. I want to share it with you so that you may be blessed as well.  It demonstrates how solid & unalterable the plans & purposes of God are on our behalf, and how little impact satan’s attacks on our lives make on God’s will regardless how devastating they may be in actual experience from our perspective.  I have shared this with several who have visited with me, but most of you are unfamiliar with it.  This will be long & I will not apologize for it.  Enjoy!)

First of all, I seldom ask ‘why’ questions b/c I know why.  Satan hates God; he hates us as His prize creation to reflect His Honor & Glory; and he hates God’s plans to bring us to a place of total restoration.  Saint Iranaeus said, “The Glory of God is man fully alive.”  In other words, John 10:10: us living the abundant life; fully restored & multiplied 7-fold (for those who are familiar with my restoration teachings).  Can you imagine how it drives him nuts to see any of us acquiring any degree of that!!??

Thus, he is always devising & designing schemes to trip us up, distract us, discourage us, cause us to doubt, fall into all kinds of sin…most of it petty sins of the flesh, though we’ve done an incredible job over the past years in allowing him to drag us, as believers, into sins that at one time were totally relegated to sins of the world & unbeliever.  Shame on us, and God have mercy on us.  So I understand that every day, at every turn of the road satan lies in wait to literally “take us out” (Pilgrim’s Progress).

I have no doubt whatsoever that’s exactly what’s happening to me.  When I first received my diagnosis of hepatitis B & possible pancreatic cancer, I knew it was a death knell.  But I didn’t ask, “Why ME?”  I knew why me.  I just thought, “The dirty rat. He’s trying to kill me.”  I now knew why & how.  I had just returned from Rwanda, THE most single successful ministry experience of my life.  God told me 25-30 years ago the ministry of my latter years would be teaching & training foreign pastors & leaders.  On 2-9-09 God called me to the nation of Rwanda to do just that.  God confirmed & launched the beginning of that fulfillment thru a Pastors/leadership conference in April.  Satan was attempting to put an end to it in its embryo stage.  I say, “NO WAY, HOSEA!!!!!”

On Monday, October 12, lying in the hospital bed after being brought in by ambulance the night before with pneumonia, I asked the Lord the question, “With all the hundreds, maybe thousands of people praying for me, many of them seasoned intercessors, HOW was the enemy able to sneak in & broadside me again?”… for what appeared a second major setback from my receiving treatments.

The next day I had been scheduled for a liver biopsy to determine at what stage my hepatitis B was.  We had been confronting doctors over & over again as they focused only on the cancer, “What about the hepatitis?  Shouldn’t we be checking it out & doing something to treat it?”  The response was standard, “There’s nothing we can do about it.  It’ll just have to run its course.” 

Now that my oncologist was ready to start treatment b/c everything else was lining up, the liver specialist pulled the plug & said my oncologist could actually kill be by causing the hepatitis to flare up…if she started the treatments on the cancer too soon.  He needed 2-3 weeks to run tests starting with the scheduled biopsy.  Setback #1.  Now I couldn’t keep the appointment for the biopsy & was the hospital with pneumonia.  Setback #2.

This is where it starts getting really interesting.  After my question to the Lord, He began sharing some things with me.  First of all, He said that no circumstance as an attack from satan, regardless how devastating in experience & appearance to us can ever affect the Plans & Purposes of God once He sets them in motion.  This is so huge a truth it needs to be hi-lighted, circled, printed up and hung up all over the walls of our homes. 

I know you don’t understand what I’m talking about right now & neither did I when God first told it to me.  He then showed me a vision of an old bus going 60 mph down the freeway with me sitting on that bus as a young boy, looking out the window.  Debris was flying everywhere on & off the freeway, but the bus did not veer off course or slow down one iota the entire time. 

I understood the bus to be the Plan & Will of God that He sets in motion (whether that be the security of our salvation, specific things in our lives we’re praying about & He confirms to us He definitely will accomplish, etc.…this is an extremely important statement & I will probably re-visit it to explain, later [*see below]) & nothing would/could affect the forward motion of that Purpose until we arrived at the destination…ON TIME!  And He ministered to me that when we did, the circumstances would actually catch up & arrive at the station at the SAME TIME.     

I also understood this bus to relate to my healing.  That God had planned to heal me, set it in motion & no amount of circumstances & attacks of the enemy, regardless how devastating & distracting would affect the final outcome & the timing.

On Wed., two days later, the liver specialist called my oncologist & said he could find little to no trace of hepatitis in my system.  How he could determine that, that quickly, w/out the biopsy or anything else, I have no idea.  But I was at the destination: miracle #1 had been accomplished.  The bus was undeterred till it got there…on time; and it was as if Jesus, driving the bus, opened a window, snapped His fingers, and all the circumstances came flying in to meet us at the station…right on time as well!

(Now stop & take a deep breath, & try to absorb all this & what it means.  Make sure you really get it.)

We have now left the station & are heading down the freeway for miracle #2: my healing from lymphoma.

(*From above.  The Bible is what we know as the Word of God.  In that context the original word for ‘Word’ is ‘Logos”, which simply means it is the general revealed will of God.  It basically spells out the parameters of God’s Plans & Purposes for us His children & His Promises that these things are possible for us…some conditional; some not.

I say ‘general’, b/c even though these are things we can expect, there is no ‘guarantee’ that every time we have a need, we don’t necessarily just locate verses in Scripture that Promise the Provision, ‘stand’ on it & confess it mechanically over & over, hoping that eventually it will come to pass.  The Logos is a general provision of what if possible.  Based on that we can go to the Lord in obedience and ask (1Peter 5:13-16).  But there is one more process that must take place before true faith & confidence can be exercised in knowing that God is actually going to make it happen.

The partner word to the ‘Word’ of God that goes along with Logos is ‘Rhema’.  The original meaning of this word is the specific (you get the comparison?!) Will, Plan & Purpose of God for you for the specific need that have.  What is God saying to you about the nature of your need, and what He plans to do about it; and (maybe) how, when, etc.?

The process is simply this.  When a need arises, we go to the Word (Logos) to determine what God says about that need in general.  Once you determine it’s in God’s Plan to provide for that need, you then go to the Lord & begin to seek His specific direction (Rhema), in detail, as to what His specific Plan is for you & this need, so that you have a tailor-made plan you can walk out in confidence b/c you heard from God specifically…and you’re not just trying to force something to happen just b/c it’s a Logos provision.

Let me explain what happened to me in my journey thus far.  (A disclaimer here, is that I always caution people to not use what I experienced, or anyone else has experienced, as a pattern for themselves.  Every situation is different; and each must be walked thru between the person in need & Lord for their own specific plan.) 

When I was first diagnosed with hepatitis B & possible pancreatic cancer,  there was no panic, fear, etc…even though we knew that both were extremely serious, and that type of cancer is often terminal.  God had imparted to us a certain level of confidence in our spirits that everything was going to be okay.  That special gift of Grace that God gave us, & we had nothing to do with producing, carried us for a period of time.  We knew from the Logos that God could heal me, but we did not know that He would b/c we had not received a Rhema to that effect.

From day one we shifted gears to pursue medical treatment while we would wait on the Lord for a possible specific word as to what He was going to do. Over time the diagnosis changed to lymphoma, which was good (better) news.  Our prayers were not aggressive all the time.  We had this Peace of God in our spirits, so many times we were in a rather neutral, waiting mode…just waiting on the Lord.  ‘Terminal’ was still on the table, but not a serious issue or pre-occupation.

In time people began to receive dreams, visions, ‘words from the Lord’ (from local to Rwanda) seeing me totally healed & restored & doing ministry & real estate just as before.  I don’t always recommend people rely on “other’s” ‘hearng’ from God on their behalf, but rather get their own word. 

However, after a while I noticed something had changed in my spirit.  I now did not have just that certain level of Grace & confidence I had before.  I realized God had imparted into my spirit a ’Gift of Faith’.  All of a sudden something would start welling up within me that I knew that I knew that I knew I was going to be totally healed & restored.  I didn’t know when or how, but ‘terminal’ was now off the table completely, and my focus was divine healing.  NOW, I could boldly confess & declare that God was healing me, and I would eventually experience the finished product.

Part of it undoubtedly was the vision of the bus, and that God had healed me from hepatitis B…no small thing.  I am now back on the bus heading for the remainder of my healing.

I trust this helps all of us in our praying & speaking.  There is nothing wrong with saying you have an illness or need, providing you have heard from God as to what His Plan is for the Provision.  (You can’t be saved unless you confess you are a sinner.)  I believe the enemy has hoodwinked a lot of believers into being dishonest by convincing them they must not make ‘negative’ confessions.  And many believers are walking around making confessions based on what the Logos says & what their desire is, but they have not received a Rhema from God, & their confession is not based on that.  I trust this will help many of you.  And God bless all.

This is just one teaching of many that the Lord has shown me will come out of my journey…dealing with proper Scriptural understanding of illness & healing.  Of course, all according to…

Mike Bernadsky

Matthew 16:15-21

Years ago I read something that shed revelatory light on this passage, and really blessed me.  Recently, I believe additional revelation has been slowly coming to me, and finally hit home.  So I want to share it with you.

There really are a lot of misconceptions & misinterpretations (again in my humble opinion) that unfortunately distract from powerful divine truth that could be a part of our daily lives if we really knew what Jesus was saying here.  And that’s the POINT for all this.  We’ve been ‘robbed’ by the enemy AGAIN…of something God has intended to be a source of blessing to us.

And it doesn’t take a lot to get us off course.  Just this morning I heard someone on the radio I thought was of evangelical persuasion say that Jesus declared He was building His Church on Peter.  How ludicrous that Jesus would build His Eternal Church on a fallible human being.  But I can understand how someone might arrive at that conclusion…maybe.

You see, for years we have said that Jesus’ referencing that his name was Peter meant that, in that natural he was like a little pebble, being swept to & fro with every wave that washed over the beach.  And that’s true.  However, the fallacy comes in the next part of the statement, in interpreting it as still referring to Peter & that now Jesus was going to make him a solid rock on which He was going to build His Church.

I believe there are two separate thoughts here that need to be separated from each other except in comparison.  The first thought is who Peter is.  And I guess it all depends on how you interpret Peter, ‘Cephas’.  Some say the Greek means a pebble; some, a big rock.  It could actually be both & refer to both Peter’s vacillating past & the rock-solid leader of the Church he would become after Pentecost…that would still not qualify him to have the Church built on him.

But the second segment of Jesus’ statement is referring to Peter’s confession: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Now there’s a foundation on which to build the Church.  Jesus said, upon the ”(Gibraltor-type) Rock” of this confession, I will build my Church.”

So what’s in that confession that makes it qualify for such a solid foundation?  That statement embodies two powerful & central truths of the Gospel:

1. It declares everything about Who Jesus was & is.

2.   It declares everything that Jesus came to accomplish by His Birth, Life, Death & Resurrection.

When we as believers make that declaration (confession) over a situation, we invoke & release all the power of these truths into it to destroy the work of the enemy where he has robbed, killed & destroyed; remove his ruler-ship; & establish the Church of Jesus Christ in that area.

Now I’m going to try to explain something here that some people may not totally grasp.  Remember in my last article where I talked about the difference between ‘logos’ & ‘rhema’?  What I’m talking about here does not require a rhema to make that confession.  It’s part of the logos (scripture), and yet it’s a powerful truth by itself without a rhema anointing…simply by virtue of what it means: “Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”

This is one truth of logos that can be confessed all the time, over & again, over every situation where you need God’s intervention.  But it’s still not a ‘name it & claim it’ or ‘confess it & possess it’ kind of thing.  And it’s not a rhema where you have a gift of faith that you know that you know something will happen.  It’s just a powerful declaration of confidence, releasing what you know to be true about Jesus Who has defeated satan & disarmed all his principalities & powers, made us more than conquerors & is leading us in triumphal procession of victory…that you’re believing will transpire in your specific need over which you’re confessing.

The big bugaboo in all this is: this confession, any rhema gift of faith, and in every aspect of our Christian walk…there are no guarantees.  Otherwise, our trust would be in the confession, or the rhema, or something else, and not in a Sovereign God.  I know this is a shock to a lot of people, but it’s the truth: there are no guarantees.

Let me try to explain it using my own situation.   I just know that I know I’m being divinely healed, with certain aspects of it already manifesting (the hepatitis is gone, and I knew I’d be in remission after the petscan, even seeing clear lymph nodes in my mind for several days beforehand).  But I don’t know exactly when & how I’ll be healed…maybe even IF I’ll be healed. 

I know that sounds totally contradictory and I say that cautiously & not in a negative confession.  What I’m saying is that I DO KNOW, from my subjective perspective & the rhema in my heart, that I WILL BE TOTALLY HEALED.  But lest my confidence be in that rhema, I must objectively TRUST God implicitly, and His sovereignty, by leaving an open door for God to be God, without taking anything away from Him. 

Some will find this hard to reconcile, but I have no conflict with it whatsoever. And it does not change the rhema in my heart or my confidence in my healing one iota.

The other truth in this passage is this…

“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the confession).”  Most believe, regardless of how they interpret what I previously explained, that this means that we have protection against satan making inroads into our lives…in a defensive stance.  Whereas this may be true to a certain extent, the greater truth here is that when we identify areas where satan has robbed/killed/destroyed & we make this confession as Jesus intended we should make it, it is an offensive strike against the enemy over these areas to reclaim them back for the Kingdom…and as we do so that he has no power to defend himself & resist against the power of this confession.  

Sooner or later, he needs to give up that territory.  We believe that the truth of this powerful confession is manifesting in some way in that situation whether it is evident or not.  We do not set the time frame of when it will happen, how it will happen, or even IF it will happen.  Our responsibility is to ‘just do it’ & trust God with the rest.

Here’s where a lot of believers struggle.  They pray believing.  They confess this truth believing.  And yet they see no results…sometimes for a lengthy period of time. I agree that is difficult to understand & accept.  But that’s just part of no guarantees & trust.

I want to share an example of what I mean by no guarantees that hopefully will bring things into a more understandable perspective for some.

A very prominent minister with a huge church, a debt-free campus worth 33 million, and an extensive TV ministry, was diagnosed with lymphoma in October.  He was one of the more balanced Word/Faith movement ministries, and had hundreds of thousands of people praying for him.  But in a matter of weeks he experienced complications & died.  And here am I, a mere nobody, still kicking & well on my way to total healing & restoration.  Go figure.

Here’s a word from Luke 18:1-8 about the persistent widow coming to a judge to deliver her from her oppressors.  He refused at first because he had no reverence for God or consideration toward men.  But because of her persistence he finally agreed to do it lest she wear him out.  Verse 7-8 state…

“And will not (our just) God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry out to Him day and night?  Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf?  I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find (persistence in) faith on the earth?”

That’s our part.  To believe that Jesus IS “the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, and everything that means, confess it over every of situation of need we run into, believing it will happen.  But  we cannot dictate God’s part as to how speedy He responds.  Time is not a factor with God…just us.  Our part is to trust him implicitly….and allow Him to do whatever, whenever, IF ever.

And that’s all according to Mike Bernadsky.

P.S….                          Speak It Out Loud

An important aspect of making the confession that “Jesus is the Christ”…along with all our praying, praise, worship, intercession, etc., is that it be vocal…verbal, audible.  We are instructed to meditate on the Word day & night & thereby be successful & prosperous.  By confessing it audibly takes it to a whole new level, releasing a powerful dynamic into the atmosphere around & above us.

In Ephesians 3:9- Paul talks about the “mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in (the mind of) God …(the purpose is) that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.”

Now it goes without saying that the means by which the mystery of God would be accomplished would be through the audible, public reading of the scriptures and the preaching of the gospel to all the peoples of the world. 

But he refers to something very curious here, including the angelic rulers, authorities, principalities & powers in the heavenly sphere.  This normally refers to satan & his angelic hordes that have been relegated by God to the upper atmosphere of the earth. 

The dynamic here is that as we verbalize our confessions, and as they travel to the throne room of God, they pass through the demonic abode in the upper atmosphere of the earth, causing them to hear the TRUTH we’re declaring.  That in turn weakens and/or destroys their stronghold over the situation we’re confessing.

A beneficial side effect to all this is that WE also hear our audible expression of truth, which enters into our minds & spirits, encouraging us & building up our faith.

Some of you are not accustomed to verbalizing your prayers or worship other than through public singing of hymns or reciting the Lord’s prayer in church.  So this will obviously be a stretch.  But there are many who have become comfortable in the quiet meditations, and the Holy Spirit is prompting you to break out & start speaking out loud.  It’ll take some courage & practice.  But you’ll be amazed how much spiritual power it releases.    

(I had an old friend from way back contact me & comment on my recent articles.  For some reason it really got my wheels turning, & whereas I wouldn’t normally go into anything quite this steeped in doctrine, who knows why the Spirit is prompting me to respond in this fashion.  Comments & input are welcome.)

For many of you, you may not have a clue as to what Calvinism is…and don’t care.  Some of you are way more versed on this than I am, but hopefully this will be a practical application of some sort…as I try all my writings to be.  Some of this will challenge some of you to evaluate, maybe for the first time, what the dynamics of your relationship with God & trust in Him really is…doctrine aside.  I always like to put venerated ‘church doctrine’ on a shelf for a while, in an attempt to really understand practical truth.

Since our parting ways in the mid ‘80s my friend has embraced the Calvin doctrine, and was very impressed & pleased with my convictions on Sovereignty & Grace…two big issues in that persuasion.  I explained to him that I am probably not as Calvinistic as I sound.  Sovereignty has been a strong suite with me for decades, & Julie & I have rehearsed it many times over the years.  I had a very strong inundation in the truths of Grace Sunday after Sunday for almost 10 years in a Baptist church in the ‘90s that played a big part in my restoration & that of my family.  Julie & I were brought up extremely legalistically.

My friend used two words that I want to focus in on in my deliberations: monogistic & synergistic.   

Monogistic means that everything in our relationship with God is ALL Him & nothing us.  I think there is some intellectual dishonesty in this.  There is always the problem in most Christian belief systems of what I’ll call “The Galatian Syndrome”.  We  say salvation is “by Grace through faith…and not of works…”  However, the minute it comes to practice we always seem to want to throw in all kinds of rules & regulations in maintaining the Grace-imparted gift.  Paul states, “Oh foolish (Galatians) Christians!”  If it was truly momogistic we wouldn’t need to lift a finger in ‘working out our salvation…(Philippians 2:12-13).

Monogistic is a hardcore doctrine of Calvinism in that they believe God does it all: He chooses who will & who will not be saved, He picks you out & calls you , and imparts the gift of salvation in you sovereignly…want it,  like it, or not..  To me that messes with free-will.

Synergistic means that there is a cooperation between God & man.  God offers; we accept or reject.  By the way, I’m neither Calvinistic nor Baptist.  I believe in voluntary free-will to the point that it plays a part in our relationship with God to the very end.  I totally believe in the “eternal security of the believer”.  But the operative words are “the believer”.  As long as we believe (in the N.T. concept of total commitment) and actively love and serve God, we’re safe & secure in our legal position of children of God.

I also totally believe that no man or demon from hell can pluck us out of God’s Hand.  But I do believe that we can voluntary disinherit ourselves from God & walk out.  I do not believe it happens in a moment of time, or even over a short term; but I do believe we can come to a point in our lives through rebellion, disobedience, neglect, and a whole host of other things where we want nothing more to do with God, thread under foot the blood of Jesus, and turn our back on Him (Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:35-36, 38b-39).

Going back to the beginning now re our salvation.  For those of you who have read/studied my Restoration101 Lesson 1, you know that I believe that no man can come to Jesus unless the Father “draw” (John 6:44), not involuntary force, him.  I teach that we are all “dead in our trespasses & sins (Ephesians 2:1b), & therefore have no desire for God (Romans 3:11b).  And I use the natural birth process to show how our spirit (that part of spirit, soul & body) is our spiritual womb, that the Holy Spirit plants a spiritual egg in our spirit and starts a spiritual ovulation (the desire for God).  He then plants the spiritual sperm of the Seed of the Word; and if we respond and accept His invitation to spiritual life, we conceive…and new life begins.  If not, we continue in spiritual death.  Our choice.

This is total synergy/cooperation between God & man.  And that continues in the same dynamic all the days of our lives till our time here is up.

(Disclaimer: The following comments are not political in any manner whatsoever.  They are merely what I’m sensing as spiritual concerns arising from currents events, how they may affect our present situations, and what we must do to prepare for the future.)

NEW DAY!

After the recent election this is NOW a whole new world: new era/new dispensation we’re entering into.  “We have not been this way before”.  We are potentially & literally on the threshold of the “End Times” in a very real way.  As never before we will need NOW to find a way to understand God’s Will for our lives daily, and keep all our faculties & efforts totally focused & disciplined precisely on how He wants us to live every day…and every minute of the day…according to His divine plan.

BUSINESS AS USUAL?

Personally, I do not believe we can still continue with a “business as usual” attitude.  The incurable ‘optimist’, ‘doer’ personality will adopt that stance and continue to ‘bust through’ & ‘push on ahead’ as usual.  But times NOW are far more serious than that.  This wasn’t just another election that the conservatives blew like having an ‘off-day’ footbal game; so it’s back to the drawing board, back to the basics, and start all over again.  Some are saying “Give it a couple or four years, and things will be back to normal.”  I’m not so sure.

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM?

I sense this is different.  We will not NOW be able to rely on ‘conventional wisdom’ - and indeed should not.  This will NOW require specific revelation knowledge, divine wisdom, and constant dependence on the Lord for guidance.  It will NOW require a deliberate seeking of the will of God, & walking in implicit obedience to His instructions.  We will NOW need to learn how to acquire and ‘Practise His Presence’, as Brother Lawrence did and wrote about many years ago.  Otherwise, we will lose our way, and be in a horrible mess in the days to come. 

LIVE LIKE WE BELIEVE!

We are NOW in a situation where we ‘must put our money where our mouth’ has been, so to speak.  I believe we must NOW make a total commitment to what we’ve believed all along down deep inside, but have never had the courage or sensed the pressing need to be completely sold out to.  I believe God is saying that we must NOW aggressively pursue whatever we have always had a vision for, or sensed in our spirit that He has called us to be and/or do.  Until now, there was always some reason why we couldn’t or wouldn’t or shouldn’t take the plunge, and throw our entire weight behind our convictions.  NOW we must do so. 

NEW-LEVEL COMMITMENT

We must NOW dig down deeply to identify what our specific Godly passions are, dig deeper to discover what it will require of us to make that come to fruition, and dig deeper still to reach that level of resolve that will cause us to determine to forge ahead at full throttle…whatever the cost.                    

END TIMES MENTALITY

We need to adopt an End-Times mentality & focus…not because we’re close to being there, but because we are already there!  I believe that the next few years ahead will be the trial run & dress rehearsal for the anti-christ…the setting of the stage for “the age” .  It’s incredulous to me that in all the decades of hearing, reading & talking about this future time that it is NOW so possible!  It used to be like a Tom-&-Jerry-flying-to-the-moon-&-eating-green-cheese fantasy.  NOW it’s for real…almost sur-real.  We must NOW make a pardigm shift in how we view where we are in history; and what the future holds for us, our nation, and the world.

END TIME EVENTS

Obviously we observe manifold dynamics transpiring around us almost on a daily basis that serve as “Signs of the Times“.  The spiritual & political voids of foundational basics, conviction, and moral fortitude & compass; the disastrous economic unraveling; the hedonistic self-absorption & gratification…all create the need & opportunity for a saviour to ride in on a white steed & rescue us from our distressed situations.  Typically that type of situation is the perfect time for a dictator to step in with a supposed benevolent intent.  With one hand he giveth; and with the other he taketh away.  He gives us a sort of peace & security; and then takes away our God-invested freedoms & individualities.  So the stage is NOW being set for the anti-christ to appear & offer us the ultimate solution to our dilemnas. 

HEARTS FAILING FROM FEAR - WRONG FOCUS

That’s a great time for us to “…fix our eyes on Jesus, the author (Leader & the Source) & Finisher of our faith…”   Some are; but many, maybe most, aren’t.  Many people’s lives are totally disintegrating before their eyes, becoming ovewhelmed by fear, worry & anxiety “from looking at the things around them“.  2Peter 3:11, 14 instructs us, “Since all these things are thus in the process of being dissolved, what kind (manner) of person ought (each of) you to be (in the meanwhile) in consecrated and holy behaviour, and devout and godly qualities…eager to be found by Him (at His coming) without spot or blemish, and at peace (in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts).  In other words “How shall we NOW live?”   We must NOW believe, as never before, that God really IS in control. 

APOCALYPSE - WHAT & WHEN?

With all due respect to the eschatalogical theologians who function as valid gifts to the Body of Christ to keep us appraised of the signs of the times by attempting to figure out the events of the season we’re in, & inform us as to their proximity to our Lord return…my calling & gifting is different.  Even in terms of living the christian life as a whole, I am not so focused on the rudiments of “theology”.  I believe in their importance & necessity, decry our shameful absence of solid biblical knowledge in the modern-day church, and consider myself very sound & balanced in that regard.  But that is not my “job description” in bringing the saints into a position of full maturity.  My calling & passion is to “equip” in the arena of “cleaning the fish” (like a spiritual surgeon) that have been caught by the evangelists; then turning them over to the pastors & teachers (the internists & long-term care folk) for nurturing & instruction.  (Pardon the mixed metaphors.)

ME, & THE END TIMES

So, I’m very interested in End-Time events and am very alert & informed as to what’s happening.  But my time & efforts are spent, of necessity and by nature of my calling, on the more practical aspects of “How shall we NOW live?”.  So my focus, my passion, my teaching & exhorting are going to be more inward: toward the “what kind of person” we ought to be like “in consecrated and holy behaviour, and devout and godly qualities”, being “…at peace (in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts)”…in our character, our quality of life, our relationship with Jesus, the Father & Holy Spirit; not on the outward events, important as they may be.

“BE”ING, NOT “DO”ING

For decades I have heard it taught, and have done so myself, that the Christian life is more about who we ARE (BEing), rather than what we DO.  In our western worldview mindset we are always trying to figure things out; then making sure it’s done by the book.  That also makes us result oriented.  So eschatologically we’re driven to arrange all the End Time events in their proper sequential order; then constantly watch like a hawk, measuring their fulfillment to see how accurate we were…and maybe the other guy wasn’t.  I don’t think that was Jesus’ full intent when He admonished us to “watch & pray”.

It’s so hard to maintain the focus of just “be”ing rather than always pre-occupied with “do”ing…esp. in our western culture.  And when we do, we have a tendency to be passive, lazy & irresponsible.  It’s a tough balance, and takes vigilance.

KINGDOM WITHIN US

Whereas it may be a bit simplistic to say God’s in control, so it’ll all pan out; it may be more in line with the eastern worldview culture of when these Scriptures were written, and Jesus & the early apostles lived.  Luke 17:20-24 illustrates it well, “Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, ‘The Kingdom of God does not come by signs to be observed or with visible display…For behold, the kingdom of God is within you…’”  He warned us there would always be those who would get all excited about the manifestations of the kingdom & entice us to go camping with them around the bonfires…all the while losing sight of the real kingdom work being done inside the people there.

BE READY AT ALL TIMES 

Hold on man.  Aren’t we supposed to see signs & wonders following the true ministry of believers?  Isn’t that the way it happened with Jesus, Philip, Paul, Peter, and the rest?  Absolutely!  And personally, I love to see exciting things happen.  But that wasn’t their focus; and it shouldn’t be ours.  It all transpired in the course of their just living the life.  Acts 3 begins with Peter & John simply walking to the temple to pray, as they did every day.  That man was probably there every day as well.  But this day was different.  God had a plan; and I guess they were in a state of readiness.  It probably took them by surprise.  But poof!  It happened that fast.      

HOW SHALL WE PREPARE?    

Therefore my concentration is not on stock-piling food, & on how we’re going to survive if we don’t take the “mark of the beast”.  Some may actually be called to be involved in those efforts and advocate that others be as well.  I’m okay with that.  God bless them.  But my concern is more along the lines of what manner of person we ought to “be“, not “what shall we do?”.  In fact, I’m sensing like the Lord may give different marching orders to different people.  My exhortation is for each of us to acquire the type of relationship with the Father that we can say with Jesus, “I do only those things that I see My Father doing.”  What will be extremely important for each of us to know, with clarity & assurity, is how God has planned before the foundation of the earth, for each us as individuals & families to live…each day, & in every single situation, moment by moment; so we are ready & prepared for ‘whatever’ .

NO “TRIBULATION” BAILOUT!

Thirty-five years ago I came to the conclusion I could not honestly see in Scripture where the saints would escape the Great Tribulation of the End Times.  I rather saw the first three & a half years as the culmination of The Great Polarization that we’ve seen transpiring & escalating in the past several years, where satan would unleash his frustration & fury upon the believers.  He’s already been furious with God because He kicked him out of Heaven for his insubordination & insurrection.  Because he’s had no direct recourse against God he’s been retaliating against Him indirectly by victimizing us, God’s prize creation made in His likeness & image. 

SATAN’S FURY & GOD’S MERCY

He will eventually become so fit to be tied (and in the end will be) as he sees himself losing ground with revival sweeping the world and sees his time is running out; that in sheer desperation he will make one last ditch attempt to gain control.  In God’s Divine Wisdom & Mercy He eventually steps in to save us & releases His Wrath upon satan and all his cohorts for the remainder three and a half years.

THE GREAT FALLING AWAY 

Similarly I have also sensed that part of the Great Falling Away could stem from this erroneous teaching in The Church of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.  Not entirely, but certainly one of the reasons.  I can see in all candor, where believers who have been taught & have held on to the concept that we will escape all that mess; that when they find themselves smack in the middle of it all, they will become offended, disallusioned, and angry…with God & those who taught them that they would not experience this onslaught.  I don’t blame them.  I would too.  Many will turn their backs on God & the faith they professed, stating that this is not what they signed up for.  I believe they will fall away by the droves. 

What’s so frightening about all this is that it’s happening in the very safe, nurturing environment of the Church whose commission is the “perfecting and the full equipping of the saints…toward building up Christ’s Body…that (we might arrive) at really mature manhood, the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.  So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro…” (Ephesians 4:11-16).  But instead of preparing the saints to “endure all things”, the enemy has succeeded in using this safe-haven sanctuary for his own diabolical purposes of training believers to be weak-willed, shallow and self-serving, building our lives on sandy foundations rather than on The Rock. 

That’s really scary when you consider the consequences of the many that will lose their way (and their salvation?), and our accountability to the Father.  Now I’m fully aware that these spiritual leaders are sincere & entirely convinced they have it right.  I was taught from childhood by sincere pastors that’s the way it was going to play out.  But being sincerely “wrong” has never counted for anything with God.  So how is God going to deal with that?  Frankly, I don’t know.  But I’m beginning to sense alot of concern & pain over the many lives that will be disastrously impacted by all this.  We’re talking eternal consequences here, folks!  “My God have mercy in us!”  

There’s a growing sense of responsibility to sound an alarm.  ”Son of man, I have made you a watchman…therefore hear the word at My Mouth and give them warning from Me…his blood will I require at your hand…Yet if you warn…you have delivered yourself…” (Ezekiel 3:17-21) 

HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?

In another day & age, believers would suck it up, & endure to the end.  Unfortunately, in our present ‘me’, ‘gimme’, ‘instant gratification’ society, there’s not enough fortitude, resolve, and strength of character in our western culture church to see us through.  That’s why I writing what I am, like I am.  I believe God’s telling me that I’m part of the End Times preparation team.  “How shall we Now live?”, so that when that Great & Terrible Day of the Lord comes, we will be found faithful by His Grace & Power because we decided to hang in there for the long haul…whatever.  We must develop that Kingdom of God within us so that when the outward results we yearned & prayed for aren’t there, it’ll be enough for us just to Trust Him, for He is Faithful.

BY THEIR (OUR) FRUITS

Matthew 7: 15-20 informs us that the outgrowth of fruit is automatic & natural.  What you are is what you get.  As believers, in general, our concern & effort should not be in attempting to produce better results on the outside, but to concentrate on developing the inner man to conform to the image of Christ.  So as we look ahead to the unknown future, it’s not a matter of being concerned with “How will we THEN live?”, but rather “What do we need to be focusing in on NOW in becoming who we need to be?”  “THEN” we will respond “rightly”, naturally, and by the Grace of God.   

Pastor Rick Bezet preached a sermon in which he used an illustration of Tom Landry & Roger Staubuck.  Apparently Roger was chafing under Landry’s not allowing him to call his own plays.  When he finally submitted to the process, & when sometime later the coach did allow him to call his own plays, he was amazed that he was calling the plays exactly the way Tom Landry would normally have. In the process, the two had become so “one” in thought & concept, that it became just an automatic response.   

The same can be true in many other arenas as well.  Marriage is a good example.  After almost 44 years of learning to submit to & please each other it’s not uncommon for Julie & me to speak each other’s minds. 

And I believe that’s exactly what God is trying to tell us through “How shall we NOW live?”  Our minds & wills need to become so absorbed by the Mind of Christ & Will of God in the here & now as we attempt to “do only those things that the Father is doing”, that when “that great & terrible Day of the Lord” comes, we will automatically think & act exactly the way the Father would want us to.   

GOD’S GRACE IS ENOUGH!

This may be difficult for us to wrap our minds, emotions & wills around right now.  But let’s at least be open to the option.  By all means question it.  The Bereans (Acts 17:11) did & were called “honorable”.  But please don’t just discard it like that last wrapper from your fast-food sandwich.  God may not give us the Grace to go through all that today, because He only gives us Grace when we need it.  For now, just trust Him for the Grace to consider the possibility objectively.  I would far rather be of this persuasion & be prepared for any eventuality, than to be locked into an escapism mentality and get hit by a Mack truck.  

A  LESSON  FROM  HISTORY

One of the characteristics of church history is God’s divine intervention into our affairs at times when we’ve drifted too far off the beaten path.  Typically God has placed upon the heart of an individual believer something that was missing or off-base, and that needs to be corrected or brought into alignment with His Word and Will.  That resulted in an intense & passionate declaration of the Truth in no uncertain terms.  More often than not, over a period of time a number of things happened to diminish the ultimately desired end result, or run the train off the track entirely.

One problem has been the over-emphasis of that particularly specific revealed truth to the exclusion, or near exclusion, of all other truth: resulting in the exclusive isolation of & focus on the personal revelation of truth instead of blending it into the fabric of the entire church belief system & practice.  It became what we call a hobby horse; then a movement; finally, a denomination.  Instead of it being a flexible, fluid organism, it was rendered stationery by placing it on a concrete foundation, and eventually causing it to deteriorate into a mere organization. 

In many cases there developed a sense that since God gave him that special knowledge & commission to deliver to the Body of Christ, he was responsible to keep it pure & unadulterated, protecting the revelation of truth from error.  He thus became its guard dog, building a fence, as it were, around it.  Unfortunately the fence turned into a barrier, causing division in the Body instead of bringing it into completion, wholeness & maturity as is the mission of spiritual leaders.  As a result the very thing God instituted for the good of His Kingdom, the enemy took and perverted it for his evil purposes.

Often, subtly in these kinds of situations, pride sets in as well.  And because of the pride, & protective isolation, error crept in.  You see, without the pouring of the new wine from one bottle to another (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers) over a period of time & allowing the ‘lees’ to settle, the maturation process to acquire that full-bodied flavor & quality did not occur…so there was impurity, and imbalance.  Not necessarily in the message itself.  But in the overall desired effect in the Body of Christ.

WORD / FAITH / PROSPERITY MOVEMENT

I believe this applies to the Word/Faith movement.  There were definite truths of faith; authority of the believer; positive, scripturally based thinking; persistence; etc., that needed to be addressed, emphasized & practiced.  The church had become very anemic, timid, & wishy-washy.  God revealed the need, & raised up some powerful voices to declare these truths.  But some of the inaccuracies & mis-emphasis that crept in over time, in my opinion, will be another cause for many believers to give up the faith because of disappointment, discouragement & disillusionment in these Last Days.

I see two concerns; and one is related to the other.

The first is the mis-application of “The Word”.  I really don’t think, that as a whole, there is a lack or understand; just usage.  Just as a point of reference, let me refresh the two main root meanings of “Word”: logos, meaning the general revelation of God & His Will for us as contained in the Canon of Scripture; & rhema, the specifically inspired revelation of God’s Will for us in & for a specific situation, based on the general provision of the logos.

Where the mistake is made is when the believer takes a general provision of scripture (logos) and applies it to a specific need carte blanche, and then confesses over & over again that the need is taken care of, all the while ignoring that the need actually exists…without receiving a rhema word first.  I understand that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not (yet) seen.” Hebrews 11:1.  But things don’t necessarily materialize because we believe in a particular scripture that assures us it’s available to us, or because we repeatedly declare it as some sort of magical mantra that it is so when it is obviously not so.

As an illustration, let’s consider someone with a sickness, disease or some form of physical ailment.  The scriptures predicted that on the grounds of what Jesus would suffer, by His stripes we would be healed (Isaiah 53:5).  James then instructs those who are sick to call for the elders of the church, have them anoint them with oil, lay hands on them, & pray.  We are then told that the “The prayer of faith shall save the one who is sick.” (James 5:13-16).

I believe we act based on two counts.  One, in obedience; because that’s what God told us we should do.  Two, out of faith, with total assurance that what we pray for SHALL manifest.  The act of obedience doesn’t necessarily mean or assure that we will be healed.  That’s still hope; & confidence in God: that if He said that’s what He wants to do for us, that’s what we can expect to happen.  It’s a matter of exercising the normal measure of faith we have; and hope God will heal. 

Once that is done, we can’t necessarily then go around saying we are healed…UNLESS there has been a definite manifestation that makes it obvious or a certain impartation of the “gift of faith” in the process so that we know that we know that we know.  That impartation is rhema.  It’s God saying, I can, I’m willing, I’m able; and I WILL do it.”  But just because He says He wants to heal & can heal, doesn’t mean He always will heal.  And there’s evidence of that all time.  Now we can blame it on a lack of faith on the part of the recipient, and put them on a guilt trip, or something else.  But we need to not be too quick to pray, or too presumptuous as to the outcome of that prayer.

Two things about calling the elders.  One, is there’s a possibility that if WE don’t have the rhema gift of faith, maybe one of them will.  Two, you’ll notice verse 16 brings the subject of personal sin into the situation.  Sin may have caused that ailment or sickness.  Repentance may be necessary to release healing.  If that’s the case, you can confess till the cows come home.  If it’s on God’s agenda that the sin be confessed, repented of, and cleansed; no amount to confessing will effect healing.

In the same vein, there may be something else God wants to say in regards to the sickness & it’s healing.  There may be a timing issue.  Or He may have a particular plan of action that would require a process.  That could be revealed through the elders through a gift of knowledge or wisdom.  Or they may discern a specific attack or assignment from the enemy that needs to be addressed.  It’s not always a simple, cut-and-dried approach.  There may be a whole lot more underneath the surface than what meets the eye.

You see, God is sovereign!  And even if He promised something, He has the right to withhold the result if there is an impeding problem, or if He sees in His wisdom & compassion that doing so is in both His & the recipients best interest.  The real serious issue here is that if we take a logos word & turn it into a rhema word on our own without specifically hearing from God first; then demand that God has to respond the way we determined & declared we want it done, we can actually be guilty of stripping God of His sovereignty, and setting ourselves up as sovereign in His place.  

Now that’s scary business.  And especially if it all affects a host of believers adversely.  As in the case of a belief in a pre-tribulation rapture, when Christians are promised a bill of goods under false premises (and again in most cases it’s not done intentionally to deceive), and the results aren’t forth-coming: they become devastated.  It shatters their faith; doubt & disallusionment sets in; and satan moves in for the kill.  It’s a devilishly strategic set-up.  And many have inadvertently fallen for the bait.

 KINGDOM THEOOGY / MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD

This terminology may not be familiar to some of you, and for many believers it wasn’t an issue; so very few talked about it.  Now, when Last Day, End Times awareness is keener & more prevalent, it’s starting to pop up quite often; but not across the board.  Every once in a while I’ll be listening to someone preaching/teaching, and a tiny red flag flares up in my spirit…ever so slightly, so that I could almost ignore it.  But I’ve learned to pay attention to it.  And it’s been important that I do. 

KINGDOM  PEOPLE

So what is all this?  In my estimation, Kingdom Theology is more innocuous, less dangerous, or critical.  Manifested Sons of God is a more serious version of the first.  In a general sense we, as believers, are all ‘kingdom people’.  Whether right or wrong, some who feel like they are more acutely tuned into what God is saying to their generation, consider themselves to be kingdom people in a specific sense.  Most who feel that way are quite humble in that assessment and just accept that as a simple, obvious fact.  However, there is always the risk of falling into the trap of elitism & spiritual pride. 

AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER 

Part of being a child of the Kingdom of God is the ‘authority of the believer’.  There are a lot of ramifications to this doctrine.  But for now, suffice it say that what we mean by this, is that every believer has the right & privilege of taking authority in Jesus Name over demonic forces & situations in our lives & the world around us.  The distinction is that we do NOT necessarily have the power in and of ourselves, but we can exercise the authority of God over these evil forces by invoking the Name of Jesus & releasing the power of God over them because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross & His resurrection in satisfying the Justice of God by paying the price for sin, and destroying the power of ‘sin, death, hell & the grave’.

Now that’s a whole big mouthful crammed into a short paragraph, but it’s meant to be just a terse summary for now.  Again this is accepted by most believers as just an obvious tenant of The Faith.  However, there are a couple of extremes.  One is that we do not possess either the power of God or the authority of God.  Many or most of this persuasion believe that all that happens to us and in this world is God’s method of growing us up in Him & developing the character of Christ within us.  Thus, when they pray for needs they are forever careful to make certain to offer a disclaimer that it be done, IF it be His will.

Others believe that, whereas God makes “all things work together for good to and for those who love God & are called according to His design and purpose” (Romans 8:28), that it is in God’s plans & provisions that we can actually remove the enemy from situations in our lives, cancel his assignments, destroy & reverse what he has set in motion, and release the power of God into that area to bring healing & restoration…in Jesus Name, of course.

AUTHORITY: TO WHAT DEGREE?

Where there may be a problem is in our understanding & conviction as to what extent that authority can & should be exercised.  Some believe that we cannot & should not rebuke the devil personally, but just declare, “The Lord Jesus rebuke you”, according to Jude 9.  But they at least do take some authority.  Others believe in rebuking satan & his demon minions in Jesus Name, but they limit the arena of how far we can go.  Still others are convinced that they possess the right & responsibility to reverse everything in absolutely every facet of society…even to the extent of garnering complete control of everything period; thus preparing the way for the return of Jesus Christ.

This last extreme view, in my opinion, could be classified as the stance of the Manifested Sons of God, though I’m no authority on the specifics.  Some claim that this commission was given us in God’s original instruction to mankind in Genesis 1:26, “…and let them have complete authority over the fish…birds…beasts, and over all of the earth…and over everything that creeps upon the earth”.  Many believe that we indeed do have authority to subdue created creatures in the daily provision of food, even over the atmospheric elements of nature (as Jesus did in settling the wind & the waves), and we also have authority over satanic intrusions into our affairs (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:19…and many others), but that they are in error to stretch God’s command to include taking control over areas God never intended.  

Otherwise, we might be just as guilty as some others at Christ’s initial appearance on earth believing & desiring Him to be the political deliverer He was never intended to be.  We know we are the “salt” & “light” in the world, and that the Kingdom of God released in & through us in godly character & divine authority can, should, & will effect change in our society.  But the question is, “How much of our help does God really want or need to subjugate every aspect of our society so that He can come & possess a perfect world? 

Or is there a limitation to what we can and are supposed to do; and Jesus is going to come & do what only He can & was designed by the Father to do: save us from the ruthless savagery of the enemy for three and a half years, and pour out judgment on him for another three and a half year period, until all is subdued & finally completely under His feet?”   

Some believe that anyone who adheres to the Church experiencing the Great Tribulation is automatically part of The Manifested Sons of God.  Again that’s painting with a very wide brush & profiling believers unfairly.  There is has been a vast move away from Pre-trib over the past years.  Only a fraction could be considered belonging to that extreme fringe.                                    

DECADENT  SELF-CENTERED  LIFESTYLES

Another reason, I believe, for the Great Falling Away will be our horribly undisciplined, impure, unChrist-like lifestyles.  Most of us living in the lap of luxury are fat, lazy & half asleep, and display an embarrassingly poor representation of what the Bride ought to be looking like as we near the end of time as we know it.  She is nowhere; and no way the pure & spotless virgin Jesus is coming for.  In fact we are a slovenly, promiscuous mess. 

WORSHIP / PRAYER / 10 VIRGINS

I believe that the more we discipline ourselves to spend time in the presence of Jesus, around the communion table, worshipping, waiting…the more we will be filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit; and the more ready we will be for Him at His “Second Coming”.  We will, in fact, be part of the “five wise virgins”. 

Those who continue to live in a “business as usual” attitude & mode…selfishly, carelessly, neglectfully…will like the ‘five foolish virgins” become depleted, bankrupt, empty…with no resources left for that critical Day of the Lord.  Like Samson, they will suddenly wake up, shake themselves, and not know that their strength is gone: too weak to stand…since they did not do all to stand.

HOPE /  RESOLVE

A lady called into Rush Limbaugh’s program saying she was totally discouraged over the inauguration, feeling like President Bush had been disrespected; and that she was fearful for the future.  Upon wakening the next morning she decided that she was going to take matters into hand & do what she could to make a difference to prepare for what would lie ahead.  As a token of that resolve & strength she decided she could & would quit smoking, there & then. 

I don’t know what her long-term results have been, but her attitude & action definitely describe what we all should be thinking & doing.  We are being given a “wake-up call”.  Things are bad.  And they’re going to get worse.  But God IS in control!  It’s time for us to get serious about cleaning ourselves up & serving God.  Let’s tune in for the game plan; then go out & work in the Kingdom. 

FINANCES

In the past we’ve been able to track successful business models, project economic activity & plan financial investments.  Not so in the future.  Apart from God we will NOW not have the remotest idea what will be a sound investment, and what will end up in disaster.  In the fall of 2008 many lost a goodly share of their mutual fund investments.  Real estate took a serious hit in parts of the country.  What’s going to be our best bet for 2009 and beyond?  Who know?  God knows!   That’s the reason we need to check in constantly with Him to be certain we’re on His track.

 EUROPEAN FORMULA

Practically speaking, we have never learned the true formula for financial diversification.  Astoundingly, we’ve not been aware of the “European Formula”.  I heard of it for the first time in 1990, and never again.  The problem is that a lot of our diversification revolves around paper…investing in different forms/vehicles of paper.  Well, paper is paper.  And if we have a major collapse, it ALL goes down the toilet.  What the European Formula suggests is dividing assets into four distinctively separate categories: 1. Real Estate; 2. Stock Market; 3. Money Market – which is related to the former, but affords fluidity; and 4. Precious Metals, such Gold, Silver, etc.  This way you have a true balance; and the best-case scenario protection against the fluctuations in the economy.  In days to come, precious metals may be the only medium of exchange for goods & services, apart from bartering.  So it deserves our serious, objective consideration in our preparation.  Several years ago I rolled over a small 401K into a gold/silver IRA, and in the past year the value of gold doubled.   Just FYI.

In these days, even the European Formula  may not be the safest method.  That’s why I believe the Lord is saying we need to be checking in with Him constantly as to what HE knows is the best course of action…and it may be different on a day to day basis.  I don’t recommend we do this without regard to all the conventional wisdom that serves as our foundation, “throwing the baby out with the bathwater”.  But I believe we need to be flexible & learn how to listen more closely & constantly to specific instructions from our Heavenly Father & Senior  Partner…consciously bringing it to the forefront of our thinking & asking Him if there’s any information we need to receive from Him at that time.

And in all of this I need to add a disclaimer that I am not a licensed financial counselor/planner and am not giving professional advice on investments.  I’m merely sharing a spiritual message from the Lord as it relates to our finances & “How shall we NOW live?” in that arena in these very unusual, historic & cataclysmic times.     

• Financial crisis: the loss of investments, jobs, security
• Political confusion
• Personal & Family issues & challenges

Causing great fear, anxiety, uncetainty, strife, desperation…

“But GOD…”

Every time we discuss dire circumstances with anyone, we need to conclude our conversation with that phrase: “But GOD…”.  We do so to acknowledge that we understand that GOD is still in control; and that HE is the only One who can get us out the mess we’re in , turning things around “to work for Good” - His & ours, “because we love Him and are called according to His Purpose”.

Be abundantly blessed.  “But GOD…”!