One of the most critical engagements of the hour right now is—Prayer, and many mature Christians are disregarding this vital means of communication with the Father. Their desire to appear perfect and the cares of this world has blinded them. Their appearance to man has become more important than their relationship with God. A disconnect from the Father. A lack of prayer. A denial of dying to the self is why they can ridicule their brothers and sisters who are doing great work of uplifting and encouraging others, who are taking care of those who are spiritually, physically, and emotionally dying.
What must we do?
We must take every window of opportunity to take care of each individual who God graciously positions in our lives even as we move to a more significant place of influence. We cannot disregard the concerns and needs of others as God blesses us and fulfills our needs; instead, we can use the excess to help the homeless, the abused, the lost. We can reach out a hand, perk up our ears, embrace with a hug, give from our finances, be the hands and feet of Jesus.
How do we do this?
We are His beloved, and he has commanded us to Go Out into the neighborhoods, cities, towns, and countries to share the gospel—to reap a harvest. We cannot stay in our homes and churches and expect to receive the joy of evangelization. We need to pass through the doors of our homes and churches because He has given us the power to speak, rise above, persevere, advocate, see far and near, and to enjoy life without losing focus on what’s important and what’s ahead. There are hurting people waiting for us to come to their homes, jobs, and extracurricular activities and many other places to be the light that shines in the darkness. We cannot do the work without the help of our Savior, so we must stay in the upper room. We cannot forget the experiences and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It would be detrimental to our faith and the faith of others for us to have encountered the power and love of God, and live as if we never knew Him.
I wonder how many of those Jews in the opening story regretted their lack of heeding the signs before Hitler and his Nazi army rolled in and changed their lives forever. Body of Christ, it is CRUCIAL that we (at the very bare minimum) KNOW that there is indeed spiritual warfare raging around us. We must see the signs around us and make our decision to armor up and follow Jesus or not. We must choose to be either HOT or COLD.
Many are being crucified because of their service to the kingdom of God. We need to rise up and care for them who are becoming martyrs due to the horrendous attack of the enemy. We need to walk alongside them and serve with them and fight for the lives of those who God is calling home. The Lord is looking for individuals who are willing to crucify the flesh, die daily, and are ready to be mocked while serving the Lord and others. There is a warning for the church right now. There is an enormous apathy. The church wants the benefit of the kingdom, but they do not want the sacrifices that come with it. They do not want to pick up their cross daily and follow Him, who picked up His cross and died for us.
Where does unity start? In the house of God. And if we want a unified nation, we need unity in the body of Christ. Unity in the body of Christ can help our country be a better nation. If we want to see Christ-like behavior in the United States, we must be an example, as Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ. The Lord is looking for those with clean hands and a pure heart. We cannot climb to the mountain of influence without being purged and cleansed of our unrighteousness. We must recognize our sins and our weaknesses. We cannot keep the sin that so easily entangles us as we point our fingers at the sins of others, or fake strength and point our fingers at the weaknesses of others. We must genuinely move from a place of remorse to a place of repentance. We must turn around, as they say in the military, an about-face. Surrender everything to God, Give all up that hurts the heart of God.
