The Kingdom of God is in Sight

It has been my custom to wait on the Lord over the holidays to see what He has in mind for us for the coming year. I would like to take a moment to share some thoughts on what I think He has been saying.

To begin with, as the year came to a close, I felt that we were in a time of blessing. This came as a surprise because America is going through a time of tumultuous change. This is not to say that God is limited by anything that is happening in the world. To the contrary, that is just the point He is trying to make. He was saying and confirming it from His Word that if it be in Egypt, or in Judea under a wicked king like Herod, the Lord has His assets in place to accomplish His purposes. It matters not to Him what the economy is like, or if there be no economy at all, He is Lord over all.

The passage of Scripture that seems to be on my mind of late comes from Isaiah 58. This has always been a favorite of mine because it helps us see the things that God calls important versus vain religious expressions that are not necessarily on His heart. For the sake of space, please take a moment to read over Isaiah 58 now.

I am feeling a strong inclination that we must be about our Father’s business. Some might be looking for the next economic bubble to exploit or what business one should invest in. Beloved, we are called to take sides with God against sin and injustice, while we are joining Him in His intercession and the manifestation of His Kingdom on earth. When we say that we are God’s chosen people, we are saying we are His priesthood. This is a glorious thing. It is a high calling. Unfortunately, we can fall into the same trap as Israel of old. They lost their heart connection to the purpose of God and saw things only as they related to their personal prosperity while the things of the Kingdom were pushed to the back burner.

The next couple of years are going to be crucial to the future of America and the Kingdom of God. I believe the Lord has been connecting His people to the ministries and churches He wants us to be connected to. It is up to us to be spiritually aware of His leadings. You need to be on the wagon that is going His way! Beware! Not all are going the right way.

In January of 2009, I felt the Lord was pointing us to the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom and finance. This ties closely together with Isaiah 58. He is pointing us there again!

There is one more thought that comes to mind. I have been more aware than ever before that Heaven is brooding over the earth and the Lord’s people. I have not always felt this way. I will be preaching a message this week called “Heaven is Hovering!” The Holy Spirit is drawing near to us and awakening us the realities of the Kingdom of God. The Spirit is moving and we must act in agreement with Him and not miss the time of our visitation.

I leave you with this thought. Don’t allow the pressures of the world to push you off of your heavenly occupation. Press in for the Kingdom of God suffers violence but it is the violent that take it be force.

"2010" Will be a Year of Reformation

Make no mistake, 2010 will be a year of reformation. But it will not be without tumult, hardship and a lot of spiritual warfare. As someone recently said; "America has been on a long holiday away from history." I would add that we are now coming home to the cold, hard realities of having to live with the consequences of our actions.

I have been observing over the past year that the Church has moved away from the Bible just as the government has moved away from the Constitution. The Tea Party movement is a response and reaction to the audacity of a government who's actions and spending is out of control. The big story of 2010 will be the emergence of an American renaissance led by this organic Tea Party movement. It remains to be seen how this will affect the 2010 elections but it will definitely be a factor.

But what about the Church? Are we not in the same place? Maybe a better question is; "Is the failure of the Church to offer the Biblical worldview to the American people, the reason for our constitutional failure?" We must remember that the reason we had the Constitution our founders engineered was because we were a people of a Biblical mind and worldview.

Just as we are all wondering what leader(s) will emerge out of the Tea Party movement, the question is what man, woman, or movement will emerge with a message and method to touch a nation in crisis with the Word of God?

I believe we are at a critical tipping point and we are about to see a new generation of young people who are seeing the handwriting on the wall of their world. God has always had a remnant who will stand up in the face of the popular culture and corrupt religious machine like Martin Luther who said;

"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

Luther was only 37 when he nailed his 95 Theses on Whittenberg's Church door. But it was God's secret work in his heart as a young man that prepared him to stand the trials and testings that awaited him.

The Holy Spirit has been working and shaping hundreds of thousands of young people to bring forth a new expression, a return to biblical, whole-hearted devotion and righteousness. They are coming with a message of fasting and prayer and have a theology that the Prophets would approve of.

John the Baptist and Jesus appeared in Israel in a time when it was about as bad as it could be politically, economically, and spiritually. But there was a remnant on the ground and we read about in the Bible about how a handful of young people who had been with Jesus changed the world. Yes, the disciples were young and so was Jesus for that matter.

Keep your eyes on the youth who are walking with God. Out of their generation will come forth hope for America.

2010 will be the year when you will see the seeds of a spiritual reformation begin to sprout.