God has been teaching me about the Day of the Lord. This poem reflects the puzzle pieces He has been putting together for me. I pray the Holy Spirit will use this to confirm what He has been teaching to those who are diligently seeking truth in these days.
The Day of the Lord: What will it Be?
The Day of the Lord, what will it be?
Perhaps something different for you and me
A fire of testing to reveal our faith
Uncovering all not leaving a trace.
What is the truth we hold?
The seed of our hope will be told.
Was it our strength, idols of our making?
Was it God’s mercy, eternal and everlasting?
As the Day dawns, the fires igniting
The dark grows darker and the light lightening.
For some growing angst, worry, grief, and pain
For others increasing power, rest, joy and gain.
Judgment cast by our own hands
As God lets our choices stand.
A time of trial unlike any on earth
For some a prison, others new birth.
Look to your left, to your right
Is it peace in God or growing fright?
Our God a consuming fire, coming in the clouds
To burn away all that’s haughty and proud.
For some a thief coming unaware
Others a fulfillment of hope prepared.
A shift among the powers of heaven
From evil’s reign to love’s dominion.
Children of light become mighty warriors
Bringing judgment as evil’s plan foils.
For both a sadness in what is lost
When love to save was given without cost.
But love will prevail in the end
Given by our truest Friend.
It’s mercy that’s without end, not suffering
It will cover all our blunderings
To redeem all that was lost
Though there are paths of different costs.
Out of the ashes will arise beauty
Lives transformed by God’s faithful duty.
In this Day, love holds the victory
As God reveals the fullness of the mystery.
What will the Day be for you?
A day of uncovering shame or being gloriously anew?
As the end is drawing very near, each one of us needs to ask ourselves a very serious question, Are WE Ready? 2 Corinthians 13:5 Do we have the oil in our lamp so we’re prepared when the Bridegroom comes? Matthew 25:1-12 Are we a wise virgin with the knowledge and truth of God, or a foolish one lacking understanding and wisdom? Are we one to whom Christ’s return will come as a thief in the night or are we one who will know of His return? 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4
Oil in the Bible is equated to the Holy Spirit. The lamp is our soul. Matthew 5:14-16 Do we have the oil of the Holy Spirit that brings the true light and life of Christ within us; our guarantee we are His? Christ Jesus is coming for His Bride; those who are ready to be united to Him in truth and spirit. Like an earthly bride, there are preparations required. We need a spirit prepared to be united to Him.
How do we know that we have the Holy Spirit who is given as a guarantee and we are ready?2 Corinthians 5:5 (Hint: it’s not just about speaking in tongues, which can easily be manipulated by deceptive spirits) There is MUCH deception these days around the filling, anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives. How do we know that we haven’t been deceived into thinking we have the Spirit when we don’t, falsely promised by others that we do, and have a spirit of deception in His place? 2 Corinthians 11:4
We look to the Bible for our answers. 2 Corinthians 5 is a helpful chapter on the evidence one should experience in their lives when they have the Holy Spirit.
Evidence of Holy Spirit within You
First, you are taught by God. God Himself prepares your soul for Him. (vs. 5). Jesus is the Word. It’s the Word that sanctifies you. John 17:17 This preparation of God entails you diligently abiding in the Bible, the Word, and seeking the Spirit of God to instruct and teach you in who He is, in truth and your union with Him. John 6:45, 1 John 2:27 It’s allowing the truth to penetrate your life in molding, changing and setting you apart for Christ. He teaches you and His truth starts abiding in you altering your life.
Second, you obey God. (vs 9) When you have the Holy Sprit, it’s your aim (internal desire) to please God, thus obey Him. You seek in the Bible, being taught by the Holy Spirit, to know God’s ways and truth so you can walk in them. You are driven to know truth so you know you are pleasing God and not following the dictates of your own heart or following the ways of others. Matthew 15:8-9
Third, you fear God. (vs. 11) When the Holy Spirit dwells within you, you fear God in all areas of your life. You feel very accountable to Him, like a good child to a parent or a faithful employee to a tough boss. No one else has to hold you accountable to the things He tells you because you fear Him. Yes, others can point out your blind spots, but to what God has told you, you possess a strong will to do what God says out of a fear of going against Him. When HE tells you to do something you do it. Though you may have to war against you rebellious sinful flesh, the desire in your deepest self is to do what God has asked of you. It’s a desire to be obedient; therefore your choices will reflect that obedience. What you do will also be driven by love. Though you fear Him, you also know of His love for you. The course of your life shifts to align to His will. Again, you seek to know God’s will from Him and not from another because you want to be sure you are walking in truth and what HE desires, not being led astray by your own heart or someone else.
Fourth, you are a new creation. (vs.17) You start experiencing a deep change within. It feels like you’ve been given a new operating system that governs your body and soul. As a new creaiton, you are directed by God’s spirit and no longer your self-will. As the body and soul respond to the new operating system, you start to think, act and feel differently. Your desires change. Above all, your will longs to be in unison with God’s will.
Fifth, you experience fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Because these are fruits of the Spirit, it comes from the Spirit and not your self-imposed efforts. The occurrence of these fruits in your life comes from a place beyond yourself and what you use to know and do.
So are YOU ready by these measurements?
IF NOT, FEAST upon the pure bread of heaven; the Bible taught to you by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. Seek the truth from Him as you abide in the Bible. Read with the motive to know God and to draw near to Him as someone you love in truth and spirit. This seeking and abiding is the path to being prepared for the soon coming Bridegroom.
The manifestation of all these points is a process. Though you may feel a lack in some of them, are you growing in them? Are you experiencing them more today than three months ago? Are YOU diligently seeking God or are you leaving the seeking up to someone else, to only live off their efforts? It doesn’t work that way. The wise virgins couldn’t give their oil to the foolish ones. And when the foolish ones came back with their oil, the door was shut. Are you ready with your own oil?
Some years ago while reading Jeremiah, my heart was deeply stirred by his words. I realized those words were to me; to examine my life by.
For those who believe these old prophets are speaking to the physical seed of Israel, I challenge you in that belief because it greatly affects our understanding of what is occurring these days. If I’m wrong, then we would only benefit from examining our lives by their words. If I’m right, and we dismiss them, it will be a grave mistake. The Bible is written to God’s people, those who are called by His name, so it’s written for us.
Romans 9:8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
I’m reading Jeremiah once again. As I feel his heart pour off the pages delivering a hard message to his brethren, again my heart is deeply stirred. I want to share with you some of what the Spirit shared with me; messages that continue to get stronger and clearer each time I read them.
The message is about judgment on God’s people who’ve gone their own way, who’ve followed false teachers and leaders, who’ve lacked a LOVE for the Truth. People profess love for the man Christ. He was a manifestation of truth. If you truly love Him, you will love the Truth. You will hunger for it, meditate on it, desire to walk in it and all the things you do when you deeply love someone or something.
Here is a taste of what Jeremiah says. The detail of truth in his words and what is happening today is astounding.
People don’t seek God and honor His words. Jeremiah 4:22, Jeremiah 6:10
People are assembling together, but in “harlots’ houses”. Jeremiah 5:7
People have been willfully led by false religious leaders. Jeremiah 5:12-13
God has stricken them because of their backsliding (Jeremiah 5:3), but they don’t repent. They continue to praise God with their mouths, yet follow their own hearts.
The religious leaders are of their own making. Jeremiah 5:31
People don’t fear God. Jeremiah 5:22
Judgment is upon us. Jeremiah 9:25-26 Each one is accountable to God. If you’ve been diligently seeking God in truth and spirit then you’ve heard the cry to examine your life, repent from self and walk in the truth. It’s a jolting message that wakes you from a sleepy existence. It stirs you to fervently seek God to know truth.
In the messages of this passionate prophet, God is giving those who stray from Him (the Truth, the Word) into the hands of the enemy. Jeremiah 12:7 In other words, many have professed Christ, but it’s a vain belief. 1 Corinthians 15:2 The Spirit searched my heart with this message in these ways — Jesus, the Word, is the Way; have you walked in that way? He is the bread; have you eaten the pure bread of heaven or the doctrines of others? He is the light, have you loved the darkness (own life) more than Him?
God is allowing those professing to be His to walk the path they have truly chosen. Jeremiah 2:17 I’ll ask you what He asked me, what have you truly chosen, not just professed? What does your life show?
People debate which leaders and churches are corrupt. Jeremiah spoke to the whole nation. God is speaking to each one of us. The warning is for us all. It’s not about examining our lives by each other or by our own rational, but by the Word.
I’m passing along the cry of Jeremiah, the warning of the deprived and deceived spiritual state of many and the ramifications to follow. As the end draws near and the new temple is dawning when God will set all things straight, more than ever we need to put God’s Word first. We need to examine our lives by it and know it’s God and His truths we are following and not false doctrines, which abound these days. Jeremiah 5:16-17
A response to his warnings…
Read the prophets. The words were written for your admonishment. Seek God in the Bible trusting the Holy Spirit to teach you, not a person. Seek understanding from Him with all your heart, soul and mind.
What does it mean to seek? To set a time aside each day (what is more important than God?) Read and meditate in the Bible. I’ve found reading a chapter in the Old Testament, one in the New Testament, then a Psalm or Proverb a good balance. Start with Jeremiah and John. Read with the motive to know God as He is; to know His truth. Rely on the Holy Spirit to teach you. 1 John 2:27. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask God to reveal the errors you’ve learned about Him and His truth. Seek to follow His voice above all others.
Each one accountable to God. No one can cultivate a relationship with God for you. No one can pour God’s truth into you, but Him. He is the one to write in on your heart and mind. Your part is to abide in it with a desire to know it so it can be written on your heart. You can’t live by the strength of someone else’s relationship. You don’t want to be the one who has no oil when the bridegroom comes. Matthew 25:1-13
Some of the greatest enemies to your soul are distractions and busyness. Be wise. Spend time in God’s Word seeking the instruction of the Holy Spirit, there is nothing more important. Honor the prophets by hearing their words. They were written for us.
God’s love is great. His mercy has been overwhelming me along with the impeding messages of judgment. But if we don’t heed His Word, we’ll fall prey to what is upon us. 2 Thessalonians 2:10 Each one of us has to spend time with God seeking Him in truth and cultivating our own relationship. This union is what will allow us to stand firm.
From my previous post, there were some comments questioning whether all churches are lumped together in this concept of Church System. Here I want to address that issue because it touches upon a fundamental aspect of our walk with God.
God is judge, not us. His Word is judge, not us. Ezekiel 34:20
Even Jesus didn’t judge for Himself. He heard from God and that is what He did. We are to follow His example in all things. John 5:30 “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. Further, Paul says he doesn’t even judge himself, only God judges him. 1 Corinthians 4:3-4.
When we ask the question whether this denomination, my church, or this pastor is good or not, it’s God’s judgment not ours.
What do I mean? How do we know what to do?
When it comes to our lives, we don’t judge good or bad. We look to God and His truth and that’s our guide. God judges and we follow His lead, whatever and wherever. Following God’s lead and not our judgments is choosing to eat of the tree of life instead of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The former is letting God be judge and being one with His will and simply walking in it. The latter is putting us as judge of what is good or bad.
To know and follow God’s judgments and ways, we have to set our ill-understanding aside and follow Him daily. Luke 9:23 Therefore, each day we sit with God, we seek the truth, we seek the pure manna from heaven (the instruction/truth of the Holy Spirit grounded in the Bible), we seek to know God so we can follow Him, and we seek His counsel throughout the day. (Seeking entails having a LOVE for the Truth, and putting time to know God as the priority in our day) We seek, ask, and act. We don’t pontificate on what we think is good by our own limited understanding. We seek counsel from the One who knows all.
Therefore, it’s not up to us to judge about this church or not, it’s up to God. To be able to know and hear His leading in this area we have to diligently seek Him. We have to put His words above religious leaders. We can’t read the Bible with our religious leaders opinions as our filters. We read for a desire for truth, realizing we don’t know and we may be misled in our current understanding. As we do, we will come to know God and His will; as He directs. We will be in the state of mind to be watchful for the times we are in. We will be hearing from God so we can walk in His will.
If we haven’t spent time diligently seeking, we will be very susceptible to deception. We won’t be able to follow God’s voice and not the voice of others because we are listening to ourselves. Make sense?
Seeking to know God comes first, so we can follow Him above all else. THEN we’ll be able to know what to do because then we will simply see and follow as Jesus did. It’s not about us deciding good or bad. It’s knowing God and following Him. See the difference? This following comes into play with all aspects of our lives, including this issue of leaving the church system (CS).
If you aren’t diligently seeking, how can your truly follow God’s voice? Again, not seeking is a spiritual death trap, because you remain spiritually blind. So even if you feel I’m wrong about the CS, spend time each day with God seeking to know Him as He is and His truth – this is your life, literally. Amos 5:4
When you seek you gain the spiritual “eyes” to see and the “ears” to hear. Revelation 2:29 As for leaving the CS, I “see” the CS corruption and the spiritual death and decay it breeds. Jeremiah 19:4 “Because they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents.” It isn’t my judgments, it’s just looking and seeing as God leads. It’s not about comparing churches, saying this one seems pretty good, or this pastor seems like a good man. Those are all our judgments. Instead, it’s seeking God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Then wherever He leads we follow. 1 Chronicles 16:11
The Bible is written to all who profess to be God’s people, which includes many denominations and groups. We all are to be examining our lives by its words. To think they are words for someone else is a grave mistake. Read Jeremiah, Isaiah, the minor prophets and Revelation seeking the instruction of the Holy Spirit and listen to what God has to say. When you look into the Bible with a heart to know truth and not to follow the doctrines of mankind, then you will “see”. Then you will know what to do. You will “see” the CS for what it is, how it destroys souls, and the impeding judgment. You will see the contrast between the system and the true temple of God.
The Bible speaks about the impeding judgment on the “house of God” and to leave and fully embrace God as our sanctuary, which is leading to something tremendous… the New Jerusalem, the temple from heaven. Revelation 21:2-3 It’s out with the old and in with the new, just as in the days of Jesus. We are the temple of God. God’s dwelling place is with us, in us. We have the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that we are His, and a taste of things to come. A fuller manifestation of God dwelling within us is upon us. Revelation 21:22 Be careful to not be like the church leaders and members of Jesus’ day, who held on to their traditions and understanding and missed Christ, the truth. The old is passing away, and God is doing a new and tremendous thing … are you ready to embrace it?
I’m expanding on the previous post; Why leave the Church System (CS). In hopes to spur diligently seeking, I further explain why it’s imperative to leave the corruption of the CS and cling to the Truth and the true temple of God, a place made without hands. Luke 17:21
As individual seeking is deemed unnecessary (see previous post), those in the CS receive an “image” of God “handed” to them by “trusted authorities.” This receiving without discernment, creates a gateway for deception. It opens the pathway for false images to arise. It opens the door for the father of lies to enter in. Without individual seeking, which leads to discernment, truth and spiritual understanding, darkness prevails. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
The number of professing believers who diligently seek God to know Him as He is through the Bible by the instruction of the Holy Spirit are few. Thus in the CS there are numerous ways for the father of lies to covertly spew his poison. There comes a point where the deception spreads and takes over the entity. A little leaven affects the whole lump. Lies breed corruption and spiritual decay.
God knew this corruption would happen. It’s foretold through the prophets to warn us. As a result, in the end as a part of judgment, God gives the CS over to its own corruption as it’s released into the hands of the enemy. Revelation 18:2 God allows the people to walk the path they have chosen, which is to follow and heed “religious leaders” instead of Him. As a result, the enemy now reigns where he shouldn’t. Lamentations 2:7, Matt 24:15. When we see this happening, we are told to flee, and not to go back for any reason. Matthew 24:16-18
In Lamentations 4:12, it says no one would believe that God would let the enemy take over the sanctuary. Read the Bible again and you see that He has and He will as a part of judgment. For those seeking and “watching”, they see what the CS has become – an inhabitation of every foul thing Revelation 18:2, a den of thieves, and place where souls are destroyed as they are kept from entering into the kingdom. This is powerful language of the Bible to make an insurmountable point.
But I don’t see evil people in my church. Over and over we are warned that the enemy looks humble, kind, godly… is transformed into ministers of light and righteousness, wolves in sheep clothing. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 What will that look like? Remember it’s deception. They don’t appear as slick salesmen (well, some do); they look like the humble and godly person. Even someone with “good” intentions can be lead astray. A soul without discernment because of a lack of LOVE for the truth is a breeding ground for lies regardless of how nice.
What is so evil? We are doing nice things. The father of lies is moving in. John 8:44 God’s definition of evil and good are different from this world’s definitions. Evil is anything counter to God’s will. The greatest evil is that disguised as good. Without individual seeking, an image of God is being manifested in the CS that defines good and evil and keeps people from seeing the truth. Our eternal life is knowing the true God; not some image. John 17:3
But my church references the Bible … One of Satan’s greatest tactics is using God’s words and twisting them to make them a lie. It’s what lures people in because there is an element of truth. He did this with Eve and Jesus. Satan uses the Bible for his purposes to destroy, which you see throughout church history. For those who lack a LOVE for the truth, they won’t be able to discern between the holy and profane. They don’t see the twisting of the scriptures. Thus, they are given into the delusion that puts them on the path to destruction. It’s like being lost to the world’s lies. A lie is a lie. As the CS keeps people from true seeking, those inside are kept from the light, thus darkness spreads.
This corruption and evil that is destroying souls is why true seekers are leaving. In diligent seeking, eyes are open to see what is taking place in the CS. The sanctuary is being given over for judgment and the impending plagues. Examine the lives of those in the CS and your own. In the CS, you will experience the plagues that come upon it. Revelation 18:4 Therefore, you have to leave. Most are expecting plagues that look the same in each life. What looks the same is the suffering, but how they’re manifested appears different. Revelation 9:17-18.
In seeking, you see the signs and leave. If you haven’t been seeking, you will stay because you are following the religious leaders who tell you why you should be there. What voice you have been following is the voice you will heed.
Why would God give His people over? They turned from following Him. They followed an image of Him instead of Him. Matthew 7:22-23 (read these) They followed their own will. From the beginning God set before us life and death; His way or our way. Most haven’t sought to really know God’s way and fully chosen Him. God is giving them over to the choice they have made, themselves.
God is love. Sometimes the greatest act of love is allowing someone to walk their own path to learn it isn’t life so that they will turn to the One who is life. Many are living what they think is life, but are swimming in the mud-pit. God wants them free.
Seek. Psalm 34:10 Embrace God, His truth, and the instruction of the Holy Spirit. Desire the fellowship of the true believers who are the temple, a place without walls. Instead of each week receiving messages leading to spiritual depravity, each day dive into a fellowship with God seeking His face in the Bible to know Him and trust Him. Instead of heeding the voice of a person, heed God’s voice. Seek to draw near to God in truth and spirit and not to the doctrines of the religious leaders.
It’s the Word of God that saves and sanctifies. John 17:17. It’s the truth that will save you in the end.
Seek the truth from God. Stop following others. Start following Him.
In my opinion, those who are following Christ Jesus will eventually leave the church system (CS) or the institutional church.
There will come a point when static beliefs of human-organized religion limit the pull upon our hearts for something deeper. As a result, there will come a time when the wheat will be separated from the tares, and I feel that time is upon us.
The church system has always had its problems because it’s full of people with problems. But there will come a time when the cries of the prophets who foretold these days will be answered and the corruption of the church will be addressed by God. This judgment by God is why Jesus gives potent warnings to the seven churches in Revelation. It’s a last call to get things straight before God does. There will be a time when there isn’t any more time. There will be a time to leave …
As the end draws near and for God’s people’s protection, He is calling out of the CS those who truly follow Him. They are hearing from the Word of God that it’s time to leave and obeying it. Revelation 2:29
The CS is being consumed with darkness as the self-determined will (our “enemy”) gains ground. Lamentations 2:7 As the CS begins to fill with the darkness of deception, lies and the enemy’s ways, those heeding God’s voice are moving out of the darkness and into the light – for what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corin 6:14 Proverbs 14:7 There are many verses about not being involved with unhealthy fellowship. However, these verses are largely ignored by church goers as they listen to the church leaders who tell them they must be in a church. (Unhealthy vs. Healthy Fellowship)
I left the CS embracing the true church in 2004. (Out of the Church System, Into God’s Arms) As the years have passed, I see more and more believers coming out and embracing the true church, which is outside the CS. The true church is those who hold the spirit of God. Who put God and His Word first. Who seek His face. Who follow His voice. Who trust in God more than man. Who make up the temple built without hands.
A physical church built by man has always been filled with true believers and not, wheat and tares. But there will come a time when those groups will be separated, and if you look around it is happening now.
A couple interesting points I’ve noticed … Those leaving and embracing the true church are being led by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit – not by man’s persuasion. They have the Holy Spirit and follow the Spirit. The Spirit is moving them away from the CS that has corrupted and blasphemed God’s name. It’s because they draw near to God in truth and spirit on a regular basis that they are able to hear His voice among all the deception and follow at their appointed time.
Second, many feel restlessness in their spirits as they start to see a chasm between what is happening in the CS and God’s Word. They sense something is “off” that causes them to seek God’s counsel. When they do, they hear a call out of the CS. However, it’s only when they leave the CS that they see more clearly what it is and what it is becoming. The deception and darkness is great, even to dim a seeking believer’s eyes. Matthew 24:22
You can’t deny what is happening; believers are leaving the CS. They aren’t falling away from God or the true church (body of Christ – that’s not about a building or business), but the opposite – they are drawing closer to them. God is connecting these souls in amazing ways to encourage, support and pray. God told us what the CS would become and there would be a time to come out of it and into His care. Revelation 18 We have been warned. We have been told what to do. It isn’t our decision to stay and fight or to leave. It’s our duty to follow our God who is our faithful Lord and Shepherd.
For those in tune with the Holy Spirit, God calls them out to the wilderness where they become completely dependent on Him. They encounter others who have followed God’s voice out to abide under the protective wing of God. It’s a place where God is the provider, protector, teacher, guide and comforter – and who better? He is faithful beyond words to those who really trust in Him and not man.
Wherever you are, seek God in truth and spirit. For the times we are in, the warnings are vast about the deception that will take place. Seek and develop a love for the truth because is what will save you in the end. 2 Thessalonians 2:10
Examine your heart :
Who are you truly following God or man?
Do you speak of what God has taught you or what man has?
Where is your trust? Your dependence?
Where is your time spent – doing church activities or seeking God?
Do you abide in God’s Word or in man’s opinions and interpretations of God’s Word?
You may not agree with me, but I pray you seek God in all truth for there is no better time to start than now.
As I read and hear about all the unrest around this issue, I felt compelled to share part of my story with you. This is a difficult topic to talk about – no doubt. My prayer is that you will listen with an open heart and that you will get from it whatever God has for you.
This second video is my thoughts on an issue that is often raised when people mention leaving the church system – the assembling of believers mentioned in Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
I’ll be posting more related videos in the following weeks.
First Video Transcriped . . .
Out of the Church System – Into His Arms (Video Transcribed)
Hi, I’m Rachel with Stirring the Deep and I wanted to talk to you about what has been happening in the church community regarding people leaving the church system – not the true church, the body of believers, but the system, the institution, the business. I see a lot of restlessness occurring, so I wanted to share with you my story. Now, I know this topic brings up an lot of different questions and issues. I want to address some of those – not in this video but in a later one when I have more time. For example, the verse Hebrews 10:25 where it talks about not forsaking the assembling together, issues about young Christians, fellowship and those sorts of issues.
But here I want to tell you about my story.
I grew up in the church. Like a lot of us that grew up in the Church, there comes a time when you have to make God your God and the faith your faith. God brought me to a point in my life where He basically turned everything upside down. Where I was just tired of my life. I wanted God to take over. It came to a point that I wanted a relationship with God that was real. I didn’t want a religion. I didn’t want to go through the acts anymore. I wanted a real relationship with God.
So I started seeking Him in His Word. But now when I read, I was reading on a daily basis getting to know Him – asking God who are you? Show me who you are. I want this to be real because that is what a real relationship is, right? It is communication back and forth. It’s really getting to know somebody. And God started to open up His Word to me. It was slow . . that development of a relationship with Him because I had a lot of things I had to let go of. It was a process. But that is what started to happen in my life, this relationship developing. I was no longer reading to do a Bible Study or to “fix” myself. I was reading to build intimacy with God.
Around this same time, I was involved in a church, highly involved. My husband and I would go to Bible Studies and small groups. We helped out at the church, and built a great sense of community, friends and support. It was wonderful what we had. But over time, a gap started forming between the cultivation of our relationship/intimacy with God as we spent time in His Word one-on-one, listening to His Spirit in our life AND our church involvement. It wasn’t just that we disagreed about different truths in the Bible. It was more than that – it was a bigger gap happening underneath it all. This gap created a restlessness in us that at first we really didn’t understand. As this restlessness continued, we decided to take a break from the church. Whenever you are so wrapped up in something it’s very hard to hear clearly. We said, God we just want to be still and be with you and give ourselves time and not be influenced by all these other things, including our own thoughts because we had enjoyed all that community, all the social aspects and all that it offered. We had to honor that restlessness and figure out what was going on.
We sat with God day after day seeking, reading in His Word – old prophets, Revelation, reading everything. Over time, from His Word and the prompting of the Spirit, we felt that God was calling us out of the church, not the true body of believers. We’re always connected with them, but the church system, the business, the institution. This was a radical thought, because I had grown up in the church. I had always been in the church. It was a part of my life. Can this be? But the more I prayed and the more I read, I felt YES, this is exactly what you’re hearing. I started seeking around and other people where feeling the same thing and had already left the church. It was incredible.
Having been in the church for so long, we decided to go back and see how we felt in our spirits. This is now we often are – we ask God and He answers us in His Word, confirms it in our spirits, and through other people, but we still say, are you sure God?
Leaving was such a big deal and it was hard because we had a community of friends. But when we went back, it was like the spirit was pushing us out the door. It was undeniable that we weren’t supposed to be there. We haven’t been back since, that was 2004. It wasn’t to go find another church that is also something else that was very clear. It was to come out of the church system.
It was difficult and I continued to pray, why, is this right? Because I have friends and family in the church. But the message has only grown clearer and stronger over time. The basic message was, that I’m reading from God’s Word, judgment is coming upon the church. And part of that judgment is that the sanctuary, the house of God, will be given over to the enemy. It talks about this in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations and so on and it all connects back to Revelations – it’s incredible. That’s prophecy and that’s what is going to happen, I believe. God is going to call His people out and He will protect them. Those who are really listening to Him will follow Him, His voice wherever He leads. He will be their sanctuary, their Shepherd, and protect, guard and provide for them in every way. This message is what I’ve been seeing happening exactly. You see what the church is starting to and has become. How the enemy is taking over the sanctuary. How people are giving into a big delusion. The church has become the center and not God. People are trusting in the church and man for their provision, protection, comfort, and teaching. Everything is really centered on the church. They can’t pull away from it because they wonder what’s going to happen to them. That kind of dependency means that is where your trust is thus your idol. And all of this is exactly what God’s Word talks about. Our trust should be in God. God can use different things, but who is the source of our trust – our dependency will tell us.
Anyway, God continued to unfold His Word and lay out this plan. It has been hard because being outside the system isn’t where the majority of people are. But the choice really came down not so much leave the church or not, because you can give all these reasons why church can be bad or good, but it was about whose voice was I going to listen to, man’s or God’s?
I hope that my story encourages you to seek God’s truth in this, not anyone else’s like your church’s, but what is God saying to you. What is His will? And give yourself time to really listen to His voice – that still small voice. If we truly seek and we really want to know the truth, then He will open up His Word to us. He will lead and show us His will for us. But we have to be willing to listen. We have to be willing to truly follow Him. It’s my prayer that you would have that seeking heart.
2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
I feel we have entered into another degree of spiritual warfare; perhaps because the time of judgment is near or upon us??
In the past month, I’ve been seeing the warfare in my life, the lives around me, in the blogs I read. We are facing struggles and tribulation on a spiritual level that is affecting our daily lives. (the physical and the spiritual are connected – one affects the other.) We feel overwhelmed, burdened, discouraged, or depressed. When we are attacked at our core in our spirits then it makes dealing with the day to day stuff much more difficult. Proverbs 18:14 It makes small things seem big. It throws things out of perspective into the wrong perspective. Our trust in God wanes. Our steadfast belief that He is in control and will provide and protect us diminishes. His love feels distant. We begin to turn to the world’s wisdom instead of His. We can become fearful, timid, aggressive, or ineffective.
Then in my quiet time the other day I read Nehemiah 4:17 “Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.” It struck me that what this verse is saying is what I had been feeling and what we need to do. We are being attacked to such a degree that we need to be ready for battle daily. Each day, we can no longer just focus on building the temple but we have to fight the spiritual battle as well. If we don’t recognize the attacks and fight the enemy we won’t be able to build. There has always been spiritual warfare, but lately it seems it has intensified.
As for building the temple, it’s not a physical temple we are building. It is a spiritual one and we, our spirits together, are the temple, the temple of God. We hold the spirit of God. The part of us that is a part of Him holds His spirit. Each one of our spirits is like a pillar. If our spirits are mal-nourished and lacking in truth, then they become like rotting broken down pillars.
We build by stirring the deep (spending one-on-one time building intimacy with God through His Word) each day. This is our work. John 6:29 Our work is to believe – to live in God’s wisdom and truth. Because our beliefs are the core to every thought and action. When our spirits are thriving and strong, then God’s spirit is strong within us and works through us in mighty ways in our lives and the lives of others. When we succumb to the attacks because we don’t recognize them for what they are, we become weak and neglect to be steadfast in our beliefs, which negatively impacts everything.
I believe that the time is upon us, where we need to build the temple with one hand and hold a weapon in the other.
The fantastic news is and what I am experiencing in my life is the mighty power that Jesus Christ gave us in the spiritual realm to defeat any and every enemy. Luke 10:19 However, we have to be aware of that power, use it through faith and prayer, and use it right when we need it, not wait.
Lately, as I have experienced more attacks, I’ve been prepared with the knowledge of the power that I have in Christ. When they come, I call upon God the enemy backs off. It is tremendous!
Who is the enemy? Most often ourselves, our flesh nature. We have an external evil warring against our spirits but even that enemy usually uses our weaknesses, our lack of knowledge of truth, our issues, our temptations, our desires, and our self-will to discourage and lead us astray.
These are challenging days, but God has laid out the tools before us to be more than conquerors in all that we face. It is our part to learn what tools are there and to pick them up and fight so we can continue to build.
When we look to the entire Word of God and not just one verse, the mark of the beast appears to be the one who has left their imprint or mark on our beliefs.
Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
I was meditating on the above verses. What is sealing? How does it relate to the mark? This is what I’ve been exploring . . .
It seems receiving a mark is being sealed and sealing is related to our beliefs. First, the mark can be for good or evil.
Good: Revelation 7:3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
Ezekiel 9:3-4 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; 4 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”
Evil: Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
How we are marked depends on what/who we trust in. Our faith is either built on man’s ways or God’s. If we trust in Jesus Christ, if He is Lord of our lives and our only hope for salvation and sanctification then we are sealed in Him. Along with the illustration of having the seal of a king, I was thinking that being sealed is also like sealing up a jar of preserves (I know, but stay with me), the freshness is maintained so it isn’t ruined. When we are sealed in the truth we are preserved in Christ and can’t be corrupted. We are shut in, preserved and maintained by our faith alone. Sealing or having His mark means God’s truth is written on our minds (foreheads) and hearts. It is the truth we live by, therefore what we trust.
The guarantee that we have been sealed is the Holy Spirit abiding within us. When we have His Spirit, our desires become His desires. We long to know and follow His will and that desire testifies that we are His. 1 John 3:24
If we receive the mark of the beast, name or number, then we are sealed for corruption in its truth. The beast’s number is 666, the number of man. Rev. 13:18 Those bearing this mark are simply those who trust in man’s ways.
Ezekiel 9:6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.
Those in His sanctuary bearing His name, yet having a foundation of trust in the religious systems and religious men don’t have the mark of God and as the next verses tell will enter into judgment for following man’s wisdom instead of God’s. Ezekiel 9
This life is all about what we believe, what and who we truly trust in. That faith is the foundation of the Christian walk, not works or anything else. Without faith in God we have nothing. He is our first love, our source of truth, and our life, we either live by His truth or this worlds. Whichever truth we trust is the one we are marked with.
This is a hard blog for me to write because it is a hard message to hear, but I feel compelled in my spirit.
Lamentations 2:7 “The Lord has spurned His altar, He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has given up the walls of her palaces Into the hand of the enemy. They have made a noise in the house of the Lord As on the day of a set feast.”
The prophets speak of events happening in the last days; God leaving His sanctuary, people given over to a powerful delusion, His sanctuary being overrun with evil, and God’s people coming out to meet Him in the wilderness where He will provide for all their needs. (see link below for supporting verses) They talk about what the IC (Institutional Church) will become and it describes the IC today. The prophets wrote and recorded all this for our sakes. (Acts 3:24, Zechariah 7:12-13, Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11) So that we would hear, be warned and protected when the IC has been overtaken by the enemy and get out so that we aren’t swept away in the delusion.
From what I read, I believe God has left the Institutional Church as mentioned verse Lamentations 2:7. But here is the glorious part of it – He is drawing closer than ever to His true church, the true body of Christ. God promises to never leave or forsake those who are truly His. With the downfall of the IC, He is calling His people to Him in His Word. And there He is revealing Himself unlike anytime before. He is their shepherd, teacher, counselor, guide . . . everything. (Ezekiel 34:23 , 1 John 2:27, Psalm 32:8) For those who put His Word above all others, abide in all of it, and seek God’s will not man’s, I believe will hear the call and follow their Shepherd’s voice. (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
God isn’t forsaking the true body of Christ; He is calling out the true believers to be united to Him in truth and spirit. God is drawing closer than He ever has. He is revealing Himself in mighty ways in truth outside the system.
As when the Israelites wanted a king because God wasn’t enough, God isn’t enough for many believers. People are trusting man where they should be trusting God. They need a man between them and God and that is their downfall. When the IC becomes what it wasn’t intended to be God sets things straight. He did it before in the days when Jesus walked this earth and He is doing it again. The church structure served a purpose for a time, but I believe that time has come to an end.
Living Light 