VACANT THRONES

   Deep in my meditations a while ago, I heard the words “vacant thrones” as the picture of some kings played on the screen of my spirit and other words began to come.  I jumped out at once like a bee-stung child to start to write.  Every throne is not necessarily occupied by the one who sits on it. 

      If a child should run into the father’s office, for example, and jump into the Manager’s executive seat, does that make that child the Executive Manager?  No.  Therefore, even in spite of the accolades of office that a person might get from people who honour the throne, every throne is not necessarily occupied by the one we see on it.  Being ‘in office’ does not always mean being in charge; and not being ‘in office’ does not always mean not being in the picture.  What we see, and seem to see so well, might not always be real. Visions could be illusions and images a mirage.  It used to be said that photos never lie.  Not true.  Even pictures sometimes lie.  In some quarters, it is called “photo trick.”   I shall later tell a little praying girl’s significant throne-room encounter with an angel; a little girl who sometimes followed her mother to our weekly prayer meetings for the land.

Case 1: A Figurehead ‘Absolute Ruler’

      Pharaoh the king of Egypt once had a huge personal crisis that had the signs of something bigger, something national.  It was a repeated ominous dream to which he had no answer.  His advisers found him a gifted prison-boy to solve the prized puzzle.  That done, hear Pharaoh’s ‘Thank you’ speech to the dreams-decoding young man, and notice the speaker’s careful clause about the throne:

40 “You shall be over my house, and ALL my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:40-41, NKJV).

      My little problem with that thankful speech is this: if someone had rule over “ALL the land” – meaning the entire territory or geographical space; if “all” the people – which means entire ethnic nationalities and all population groupings in spite of geographical location – were to be ruled according to that person’s orders; if that person’s “word” had suddenly become law and could determine death or life for any or “all” the “people,” would we not say that such a person had already become the absolute ruler?  Logically, Yes, but not according to Pharaoh.  He ensured that there was this clause in the ‘swearing in’ provisions: “only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”  

      Joseph was going to be ‘in office’ with powers over “all the land” and “all my people,” but he still would not have the final say.  Joseph’s position was therefore not as powerful as it had seemed, or as the ‘press’ might have reported it.  Miracle or mirage?  I leave that to you, but is the Joseph-module a possible contemporary political scenario?  I hear your answer.  You might say, however, that this case does not exactly match the preliminary proposition I had raised about vacant thrones.  In that case, let’s see the next slide.

Case 2: Thrones in Custody

      Sometimes someone is on a throne merely as a custodian, until another person should come for whom that person had been ‘holding brief.’  One day, God announced thus to Prophet Samuel the verdict of Heaven about the king incumbent of his nation: “I have rejected him from reigning over Israel” (1 Samuel 16:1).  Note the finality in the simple present tense: “I have…,” not “I will….”  In spite of that very clear notice of sack, Saul remained ‘in office’ for many more years, continuing to savour the respected title of “the LORD’S anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23), and also ‘righteously’ chasing witches in the name of the God that had already declared his throne vacant, of which he probably remained willingly unaware (1 Samuel 28:9).  If that announcement from Heaven is to be believed, then Saul ceased at once to be king, or became merely a keeper of the throne on which he still sat, the title of “King” then being only a decoration.

      Did Saul’s ‘kingly’ functions cease with the announcement from Heaven?  No. He still wore the crown and the robes; he still fought ‘national’ battles, and he instituted a holy decree against evil witches.  However, while he publicly chased witches, he secretly consulted them – very like some politicians of our day who are the greatest secret patrons of the vices they publicly condemn (1 Samuel 28:7-10).

      How long did the ‘custody’ tenure of Saul last?  It lasted well over three decades.  How did I arrive at that?  This is how:  It is told in 1 Samuel 13:1-2 that in Saul’s second year on the throne, he chose 3,000 soldiers. The same chapter, which puts the date of those and subsequent events at about his second or third year, “when he had reigned two years,” says in verse 14 that he was in that same season rejected by God: “But NOW [which means ‘immediately,’ not in the far future] thy kingdom shall not continue…”  In case that did not make sufficient sense, the ‘electoral’ prophet was instructed, three chapters later, to ‘swear in’ the replacement that had been found.  In my country, that prophet would have been called or acronymed INEC.

…I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king [note: a king, not a ‘representative’ or an ‘acting’ regent] among his sons (1 Samuel 16:1).

       The irony: David was a king not yet on the throne; Saul was a no-king still on the throne.  Not all kings are yet on their throne, and not everyone on a throne is the king there. In other words, the seat does not always define the occupant, neither the vacancy.

      In Acts 13:21, we read that Saul reigned 40 years over Israel.  Here is my simple maths: If Saul reigned 40 years altogether, and if God rejected him in his second (or third) year, it would mean that for 40 minus 2 years, which is 38 years, Saul had merely been keeping custody of the throne, until David would come on the scene and grow to be thirty years, then ‘constitutionally’ mature enough to take up the office.  Note that Saul was already a God-rejected, demons-possessed man in need of potent musical therapy even before David showed up in the palace with his exorcist-harp and on the battlefield with his anti-Goliath surface-to-air granite missile with its launching pad of sling  (1 Samuel 16:1-2, 15-16). 

      If my maths is correct, it would mean that, for all those decades, God did not see Saul on the throne, even though men saw him there, hailed him as king, and gave him all the protocols of the seat he was guarding by sitting on.  I ask, Is it possible to have lost the noble mandate and still be wearing the carcass title?  Is it possible to be so long without God yet be hailed by blind men with the prestigious designation of the very vacancy that God has already announced? Can Earth be sometimes grossly out of touch with ‘breaking news’ from Heaven? 

      Two other regal characters appear to fit into this category: Lady Athaliah the daughter of Jezebel, and Ishbosheth the son of Saul.  

      Athaliah violently took the throne of Judah by killing scores of her heir-apparent grandchildren after the premature deaths of her husband and then her son his successor.  Jezebelic witchcraft?  Six years later, a proper son took the throne after she had been sent off by the same violent route she had come.  Today, her name is not mentioned when kings of Israel are listed.  She had only been a custodian of the throne, albeit a very wicked and bloody one (2 Kings 11:1-21).  Also, Ishbosheth the son of Saul was installed on the throne by selfish and ambitious powerful political opportunists after his father’s death, but who today remembers to mention that name in a list of kings between Saul and David (2 Samuel 3:10)?  He was a succeeding or secondary custodian to a vacant throne of which his father was the first faded keeper.

Case 3: Occupied Vacancies

      A few months back this year, the following scripture had hit me with a newness I had never known. I find it an applicable next file to open.  Again, it is an announcement from Heaven, about an incumbent king; a verdict of which the majority were ignorant, or chose to be vehemently, brutally so, even the man at the centre of the saga (1 Kings 22: 24, 27).   The notice from Heaven came in the discriminated minority voice of a very disliked prophet.

And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace (1 Kings 22:17).

      That was a great indictment.  How could Heaven announce of a nation that still had a king ‘in office’ that God sees them as being without a shepherd (in Hebrew, ra`ah – a carer, a friend, a pastor), and without a master (in Hebrew, 'adown – a sovereign, a ruler, a leader)?  In other words, according to that news from Headquarters, their throne was vacant, in spite of the very powerful Ahab in office, with Queen Jezebel his very newsy wife.  God no more saw that man’s many achievements that the ‘press’ daily reported. As far as God was concerned, therefore, all the glamorous photos that filled the front pages of newspapers and announced him as king of Israel, were a lie; a decorated branded lie that only the coming days would reveal.  Photo lies. 

      As God saw no king over the citizens of that country over which Ahab sat, they were described as “scattered” (in Hebrews, puwts, meaning dispersed, broken or dashed into pieces, cast abroad, scattered, etc.).  The press, certainly, did not share that view, and never published it. 

      As Ahab was not, after Heaven’s announcement, filling the place in wait for another specific prophetic comer, I shall describe his case as occupied vacancy.  All the same, it is another case of a vacant throne – even if men did not see it so.

Case 4: Protected Vacancies

      Whereas a throne may have an occupant whom Heaven does not see in that capacity, the reverse is also possible, that a throne could appear vacant while it is not actually empty.  That was the case with the throne of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  Heaven pronounced on that king a sentence of seven years of isolation in the wild; a Peace Corps mission with beasts; a wild term of practical orientation in humility.  While the king was thus dispatched from the throne, God ensured that it was protected from usurpers; that it was kept preserved for him until he should return a changed person after his seven years of compulsory service.  The throne was apparently vacant, but it was not free – at least as far as the supervising spiritual realm was concerned (Daniel 4:26, 36).

Case 5: An Angel’s Message to a Praying Girl

      About three years ago, a little nine-year old girl who sometimes came with her mother to our Wednesday prayer meetings in the gap for our land, had a rare experience.  There had been an election the outcome of which had made many very sad.  That night after the announcement of the electoral results, she and her sisters went to bed weeping that her ‘friend’ had been dishonestly denied the outcome of the elections.  Her mother had also contracted the tears and everyone had cried.  That night, she had a rare dream, as she sometimes does.  (About a year ago, I shared her unique dream about the divinely retributive death – and why – of a gory gubernatorial candidate in a Middle Belt state whose name she had not previously known.  She had woken up announcing, to the disquiet of her mother, that that state governor was dead.  A few days later, the nation woke up to the shocking news that he had died overnight in the process of the counts of an election in which, it is claimed, he was leading.)

       In her dream, she was taken to a Palace that they say is a Rock, and was shown a vacant throne.  She wondered why the sick and dying man in the other room was not sitting in the empty throne into which they had just announced him elected.  The soldier-angel that was guarding the throne from attempting Ishamaelitish sitters informed her that the vacant seat was awaiting the coming David… and on and on.  The angel did not say when the David was coming; whether in two days or two years or twenty or fifty years.  That was probably left to the ‘decision’ of that land’s intercessors. 

      While she watched, while the throne remained vacant, there was an invasion of strange flying stinging creatures, particularly guarding the empty throne. She woke up with a scare on her hand where one of the flying creatures, in the dream, had stung her as she had tried to approach the throne in spite of the cautions by the guarding angel.  That scare on the hand was a significant connection between the dream realm and actual world.  Meanwhile, the dying man eventually died, while his wife kept lamenting how she had warned him against this.

      While Israel’s throne awaited David, Saul went on a killing spree that did not respect even the priests of the Lord, and that was not just for a decade or two.  While Athaliah kept the throne that awaited Joash, the land groaned under that daughter of Jezebel and Ahab; that, too, was not just for one year or two. While…

      Vacant thrones are not always pleasant announcements, especially as the enemy will use the season to try his worst, scheming to steal that throne or fill it with his own.

Case 6: A Message from the Master

      About a year ago, a lady from that same prayer altar had a rare dream where two strange men took her aside from her busy spot and said that they had a message for her from the Master. The Master had told them to say to her that He has heard our cries but did not see whom to put in the palace seat.  She quickly reminded Him that the game seemed simple, according to a previous script: Remove A and automatically constitutionally replace with B.  Strangely, the Messenger told her that they didn’t see it that way.  She then replied, in surrender, “Ok then, please go back to the Master and tell Him to help us urgently any way He knows best, because the suffering is getting unbearable.”  She woke up.

            Pharaoh in the Old Testament was not throwing Christmas parties for the Jews while they awaited Moses.  Herod in the New Testament got murderous when he learned that a Messiah was coming.  In the devilish pre-emptive hope of collaterally liquidating that Messiah, Herod genocidally targeted the defenceless little ‘tribe’ from where it had been prophesied that the Messiah was coming. 

      The promise of a David is not an announcement for retiring thankfully into bed.  It is a call to beseech the Master, “Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD” (Psalm 69:17). Amen!

God bless you.

Equipping the Spiritual Warriors

   When young people enlist in the Marines, Their first stop is boot camp. There they receive intensive, basic training geared to carry them across the threshold from civilian to military life. The major purpose of boot camp is to develop the character that will sustain a Marine in the crisis situations of battle.

   This is partially done through gruelling physical disciplines designed to build both muscle and stamina. But even more important are the psychological conditionings necessary to ensure that every Marine believes in the mission of the Marine Corps, develops courage and self-discipline, and is fully prepared to submit to authority and obey commands with no questions asked.

Without the basic training of boot camp, Marines would never win a battle, much less a war.

Spiritual Boot Camp

    Basic training applies equally to Christians who desire to do spiritual warfare. Too many Christians want to get involved in the action without first submitting themselves to the discipline necessary to equip a warrior for battle. To the degree that they do, they leave themselves open to serious personal attack and they run the risk of bringing discredit to the Body of Christ.

   Spiritual warfare should be seen as involving two simultaneous movements: the upward and the outward. Some call it the Godward and the Satanward. In a book that has become a Christian classic, Quiet Talks on Prayer, S.D. Gordon, at around the turn of the last century, pointed out that “prayer concerns three.” It first concerns God to whom we pray, then the person doing the praying, but also the evil one against whom we pray. “The purpose of prayer,” says Gordon, “is not to persuade or influence God, but to join forces with him against the enemy.” Joining with God against Satan is essential in prayer. “The real pitch is not Godward, but Satanward,” Gordon says

   Although our goal in spiritual warfare is to join God in defeating the enemy, we must never forget that we, in ourselves, have no power to defeat him. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6). The principle here is that it is extremely dangerous to attempt to move too far outward without first moving far enough upward. Moving upward is the spiritual boot camp, while moving outward is the battle. Just as in the Marines, the battle cannot be won without first going through boot camp.

   I find it helpful to conceptualize what I am saying by using a simple diagram; I have arbitrarily numbered the upward and outward scales from 1 to 10. Although these numbers are very subjective, the best advice I can give in spiritual warfare is at all times to make sure you are scoring higher on the upward scale than on the outward scale.

   This chapter is about the upward side of the diagram, our personal, spiritual basic training. The rest of the book will describe in some detail our battle plan and what it means to move Satan ward. But the sequence cannot be changed. We must look at the Godward side first.

James tells us how a central text for understanding the relationship for the upward to outward is James 4:7,8:

   Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near unto you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.

   In verse 7 “submit to God” is the upward Godward relationship and “resist the devil” is he outward or the Satanward relationship. These verses elaborate on the upward action by setting out three things you must do if you are to successfully resist the devil: (1) submit to God: (2) draw near unto God; and (3) cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. These are the three essentials parts of a spiritual boot camp designed to equip the warriors.

1. Submit To God

   We live in a permissive society where almost everything goes. Many of today’s adult grew up in a dysfunctional family where they never learned what it means to have a loving father, who leads the family, protects and provides for his household, earns the love and respect of his children, and also expects obedience. Not only non-Christians, but even some Christians have a difficult time relating to the commandment “Honour your father and mother” and the biblical admonition, “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right”(Eph. 6:1) Rebellion often seems to be a popular attitude today than loyalty.

  Christians who never willingly submitted to a natural father frequently find it difficult to submit to their heavenly Father. They seek God for love, gentleness, forgiveness and healing but draw back from God’s demand for obedience and commitment. They have never fully come to terms with the concept that “Jesus is Lord.” In first-century society when the New Testament was written, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that a lord was to be obeyed without question. Christians who are not ready to obey unconditionally are no more ready for spiritual warfare than Marines who are not ready to obey their commanding officers.

   The bible uses some very strong language when it deals with obedience. How do we know that we know God? “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments”

(1John 2:3). The New Testament does not allow the false separation of loving God on the one hand and submitting to Him as master on the other, which many believers wish today might be true. It clearly says,” For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1John 5:3).

Submitting to God is the first lesson of the spiritual boot camp.

2.  Draw Near to God

   Drawing near to God is the second lesson. This has to do with our personal prayer life. Prayer in general is a broad subject with many extremely important facets. But none is more important for a Christian who desires to do effective spiritual warfare than personal prayer.

     Why is personal prayer more important?

   Our personal prayer life is the principal barometer used to measure the quality of relationship to God. I agree with John Wimber when he says, “intimacy with God in prayer is a primary goal of the Christian life” Jesus provides our example. The world knew that Jesus was authentic because Jesus did only what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19). Wimber asks, “Why is our goal intimacy with God?” His perceptive answer is that only in sustaining a close relationship with the Father “do we experience forgiveness, renewal, and power for righteous living. Only in an intimate relationship with God can we hear His voice, know His will, understand His Heart.”

   Like it or not, drawing near to God requires time. If we are motivated to pray, the first most important act of self-discipline for implementation is to set aside blocks of clock time. Once you budget the time, a kind of spiritual Parkinson’s Law comes into play and the player tends to expand to fill the time available. Those who do not carve out time, particularly those who rationalize their reluctance to do so by claiming “I pray without ceasing,” usually end up praying very little.

   One reason some do not dedicate much time to prayer is that they do not enjoy it. My daughter Ruth hated to wash dishes when she was at home. I was amused to observe through the years that by far the most urgent and critical demand on her time invariably came immediately after we finished dinner. Since she hated to wash dishes, there was always some higher priority demand on her time.

   Many Christians have the same attitude toward personal prayer. There always seems to be something more urgent to do. Time for prayer is scare because other activities have higher priority. Some even make the statement that “Prayer is hard work.” I have a difficult time understanding this if the essence of prayer truly is a relationship of intimacy with the Father. It would be like me saying, “Spending time with my wife, Doris, is hard work,” I would never say that for two reasons. First, it is not hard work, it is pure joy. Secondly, if I did say it, she will take it as an insult, and I wouldn’t blame her. Could it be that God might take such an attitude as an insult also?

Enjoying Prayer. How can personal prayer become more enjoyable?

   I plan on writing more about personal prayer in another book in this series on prayer, but because developing strong personal prayer habits is so essential to preparing spiritual warriors for battle, I will briefly mention five principles that help a great deal if you want to enjoy prayer more:

   The place. Find a comfortable, peaceful place as your habitual place of prayer. Having a pleasant familiar environment will bring you more quickly and naturally into an attitude of prayer. To help you relax, take a cup of coffee or a glass of juice with you. There is nothing wrong with feeling good while you are praying.The time. I agree with Larry Lea that a reasonable long- range goal for a daily prayer time is one hour. I also understand that for many this will be a lifelong goal that may never be reached on a regular basis. If you are starting from scratch, use short range goals and plan to increase the time gradually. If this sounds quite demanding to you, try starting with five (5) minutes, then increase it to ten (10). In my opinion, 5 minutes every day is much more valuable than 15 minutes every 3 days, even though I will consider either clearly inadequate for strategic-level spiritual warfare.The attitude. Concentrate on making your prayer time a personal relationship with God. I like what Pastor John Bisagno says: “Prayer is a conversation, a union, an intermingling of two personalities. God speaks to me and I speak to Him.” For many of us, it will take some efforts and experience to allow this to happen because we are not used to hearing from God. Bisagno says, “Waiting on God is not a mere abstract passing of time. It is a definite spiritual exercise during which, after having spoken to God, He in turn, speaks to you.” Few things will make prayer more enjoyable than hearing God speak to you. Some experienced pray-er even take notes on what He says and call it “journaling.”The format. I strongly suggest using the Lord’s Prayer as daily format for the entire prayer time. This advice has been frequently given since the time of Martin Luther, but the present day manual recommends most is the Larry Lea’s “Could you Not Tarry One Hour” ( Creation House).The quality. Experience shows that the quality of prayer usually follow the quantity, not vice versa. As you develop a personal prayer life, do not be over concerned with over sleepiness or daydreaming. Quality will come over time. I once heard Mike Bickel say that if you set aside 60 minutes for prayer you may begin by getting 5 good minutes. But then the 5 becomes 10, the 10 becomes 20 and the quality time increases.

Enjoying prayer is a sure sign that you are receiving good preparation for warfare.

   Fasting. From time to time, when Jesus’ disciples ran into trouble trying to cast out a demon, Jesus had to instruct them that certain kinds come only through prayer and fasting (see Matt. 17:21). Just as it is necessary for us to draw near unto God through prayer, it is also necessary for us to draw near through fasting. Learning how to fast is part of spiritual boot camp.

   Many who read this will be experienced, practicing fasters. This short section is not for you, but for those who are wondering how to begin. Although there are many different kinds of fasts, the most common, and the one I recommend for starting, is to abstain from food not from drinks, for a given period of time. So far as drink is concerned, all agree that water is basic. Some add coffee or tea, some add fruit juices. All also agree that something like milk shake goes too far, and is not in the spirit of fasting. Whatever, the fast involves an intentional practice of self denial, and this spiritual discipline has been known through the centuries as a means of opening ourselves to God and drawing closer to Him.

   I think fasting should be practiced both on regular basis and also on occasionally as needed or as agreed. I myself am just a beginner, so I have decided to discipline myself not to eat anything between Tuesday supper and Wednesday noon. This I have found is not hard to do. The hardest part was to decide to do it. This is my regular fast, and it has taken any reticence about fasting away from me. On this basis, on the occasional, longer fasts are much easier. A while ago, for example, I was invited to a retreat where we were to pray and fast all day long, and because of the habit I had developed I had no problem at all.

   Sometimes we don’t encourage other members of the Body of Christ to fast because we recall Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees that they sinned by making a public display of fasting (see Matt. 6:16-18). Just because we should fast in secret does not mean, in my opinion, that we should keep fasting in secret or not encourage others to do it by our example. That is why I share my present fasting habits in print here. We need to talk about fasting more and do it more.

   To the degree that the fasting becomes more of a norm in our day-to-day Christian life as individuals and congregations, we will become more effective in spiritual warfare.

Drawing near to God through prayer and fasting is the second important lesson of spiritual boot camp.

3. Cleanse Your Hands and Purify Your Hearts.

   In the instruction for submitting to God, Jesus says, “cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jas. 4:8). Cleansing the hands refers to what you do, and purifying your hearts is what you think or feel. Put together, it is the call to holiness, and holiness includes both attitude the action.

   Developing holiness is essential for a spiritual warrior. Unfortunately, various aspect of holiness have been so blown out of biblical proportion in recent times that holiness has become not a blessing for spiritual warfare as God intends it, but a barrier to effective spiritual warfare. This is an important enough aspect of spiritual boot camp training that I feel it needs considerable attention. The Lord gives you the grace to be a Warrior indeed. Amen.

Major contributions from The Book : Warfare Prayer (C. Peter Wagnyou).

God bless you.

Walking in Humility in an Age of Anger

"The most humbling thing one can do is to look upon how Jesus responded to suffering and mistreatment. His whole life was ordered around the attribute of meekness. It was his greatest pursuit. From the moment He was born the Father was contemplating His own humility in the person of His Son. Love would be openly displayed as Jesus went lower and lower. Anyone who truly looks upon the man Christ Jesus and His meekness will be left staring at the great mystery. How can One so strong be so tender as He stoops so low? Looking upon Jesus is the great sanctifier to areas of pride and anger in the human heart." - Allen Hood

Intercessors Arise

 Dear intercessors,

It doesn't take long to realize that anger and fear is being stirred up on a worldwide scale. Just look at the news. We are hearing things that a few years ago would be totally censored but are now broadcasted on prime time TV across the nations. Rage is increasing at an alarming rate. The new norm is hateful, angry, devilish speech that is increasing in the media, on facebook, and filling everything. And we, the Church, can often get caught up right in the middle of it all. It’s so easy to jump into the devil’s playground and get stirred up by all that is happening. Watching the news can lead us to angry speech, discouragement, fear and anxiety.

All this anxiety and fear harms our physical bodies and causes us to make really bad choices. For example, heart pumping efficiency was tested by doctors in Coral Gables, Florida and the findings were alarming. Eighteen men with coronary artery disease were tested with nine healthy controls. They had a physical stress test, mental stress tests, pictures were taken of their heart, x-rays, etc. In every case, anger was the most potent and dangerous to their heart. It reduced the amount of blood pumped to body tissues more than anything else (Spokesman-Review, July 29, 1993, p. D3).

The reality is that we are living in an anger-infested world that is not getting better. No leader can solve the problems that are before us. We need to ask ourselves:

"What are we as Christians supposed to do in light of the increasing darkness that is encroaching in the nations? How can we stay on God’s side right in the midst of it all when riots, fear, murder, and violence is raging?" 

We must realize that this is a fantastic time for the global Church to shine. It’s a training time for all of us, and it will only get more intense as we move towards the Lord’s return to earth. We are in a season of preparation, and we must learn now and learn quickly. The devil wants us to react with ungodly responses, anger and hatred. But God is right now raising up a mature Church, one that shines and moves in supernatural power like in the book of Acts. He is training us to relate in kindness and love. This is how He is bringing in His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is opposite of what we see happening before our eyes. And this is our hope and joy.

In the midst of all of this hate, God has a marvelous plan to beautify our lives. He delights to impart His beauty to everyone who embraces humility. Let’s remember the humility of Jesus. He even declared himself as meek (Matthew 11:29). Meekness and humility are the foundation of who He is and what He does and blesses forever. He wants us to take His yoke and learn from Him for He is gentle and lowly in heart and we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29). Humility attracts His favor, His power, and His blessings. God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). We read in Psalm 149:4 and 1 Peter 3:4: 

“The Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble…”

"He is after the “hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle spirit.”

The Lord is raising up a victorious end-time Church right in the midst of great social hostility (Matthew 24:10). And this is where love and humility will grow the fastest and the deepest. God is teaching us to bridle our tongue and watch our speech. He is working our muscles of love. But we must prepare ourselves and realize that many will be offended, multitudes will grow cold in love, and lawlessness will abound (Matthew 24:10-12).

If we can align ourself with God, with His viewpoint, and see what He is doing, then we can walk humbly and confidently through the days of turmoil we are living in. God is sovereign and He is in control. He is the only one who can fix the problems in any nation. They are too great for one man except for the man Christ Jesus. The global problems will not go away but will only increase. But there is a way we can be confident in Jesus and be connected with His strength. Let’s remember that Jesus is the most beautiful person and His government is forever established on meekness (Matthew 5:5). He will establish truth, humility, and righteous across the earth when He returns.

“Gird your sword upon your thigh, O Mighty One… And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness” (Psalm 45:3-4).

The Bride of Christ will be prepared in mature love and humility when Jesus returns (Revelation 19:7-8). God will teach His Church to treat one another with the dignity of humility and love.

How Shall We Then Live?

I remember a series of lectures and a book written by Francis Schaeffer many years ago called “How Shall We Then Live?” What he was saying back then, is right now in front of us. We must ask ourselves, “How shall we live as we draw closer to the Lord’s return? How can we each mature as the Bride of Christ and as the Church corporately?” The following are some ways:

1. Start with loving your family and then move further -Make a conscious effort to love your husband, wife, children, mother, etc. Look at small ways you can show love. Listen to them, give them time, be gentle, repent quickly, etc.
   
   
   “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger”
2. Show little acts of kindness -Love your co-workers and friends in a deeper way. Look to their interests. Compliment someone, give a small gift of appreciation, pray for your friends. There are so many ways….
   
   
   “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
3. Watch your speech - Come in the opposite spirit. The devil hates it. You win when you love in the midst of hate. God is preparing you. It's hard not to enter into the fight, especially the political fight, but you win if you respond like Jesus.
   
   
   “A gentle answer turns away wrath (anger), but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable…" (Proverb 15:1-2, NAS).
4. Ask God to help you to walk in humility every day - We need His grace and must choose to walk in humility.
   
   
   “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
5. Be a peacemaker - Seek to bring peace into situations. Don’t stoke the flames of fiery arguments. Put biblical convictions above your political opinions and arguments.
   
   
   “Blessed are the peacemaker, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9).
6. Walk in unity with other believers - Respect and value the dignity of people who have different views than your own. 
   
   
   “… endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).
7. Study the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle in Matthew 5-7 - It is the lithmus test to living godly in the end times. Especially study the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. Pray for these qualities in your life.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:5-6).

1. Ask God to help you grow in your prayer life and in seeking Him - We must be intimately connected to Him in order to respond rightly in angry situations.
   
   
   "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me (Proverbs 8:17).

In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles were in Boston to play a typical baseball game. But what happened was anything but ordinary. The Orioles' John McGraw got in a fight with the Boston third baseman. Soon both teams were joined in the fight. The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. The fight among the fans went from bad to worse. Then someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. That fire spread to 107 other Boston buildings as well (Daily Bread, August 13, 1992).

This is just one example of the incredible harm, anger and hatred brings on the earth. Now is the time for the Church to arise, bringing in God's power, truth and righteousness on a global scale. It's time for the Church to learn the secret power of humility in an age of anger.

My Prayer

"Jesus, you are teaching me to fight a new kind of war, not with bullets and angry outbursts, but with kindness and loving words. You are teaching me a new kind of wisdom that outsmarts the devil, one that brings your Kingdom down to earth and imparts to me the joy of the Spirit in a radically painful world. You are showing me the way of life and grace in the midst of hopelessness and suffering. You are showing me the way of the Kingdom, a way to supernaturally touch the pain of humanity. Help me to breathe Your life, truth and righteousness into my family, friends and workplace instead of negative or ungodly speech. Help me Jesus. I need You to bridle my tongue. I need Your grace to make it a reality in my life situations. Help me to be like You when You walked this earth. No more anger, no more fear - but hope, righteousness, and peace. In Jesus' name, amen."

“The revelation of His glory includes seeing One so high (transcendence) who went so low (condescension) to bring us so near (redemption) because we are so dear (Bride). The Most High God went so low because of such great desire to partner with us. Jesus wants adoration and gratitude based partnership with Him at the deepest level imaginable. We are awestruck by His power, overwhelmed by His humility, and made confident by His love.” - Mike Bickle

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Pasted from: Crosswalk.com

God bless you.