Get Ready!

 

Revival!

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Isaiah 44:3

This is God talking. Revival is God’s idea--not man’s. Man cannot choose the time, the place, or the instrument. But He does give man the burden to pray. The other necessary component--desperation. See what God is doing in a small town in West Virginia. May God give us all the burden to pray with desperation!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=moP46qpI0So&autoplay=1

 

Who Do You Love?

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—2 Timothy 3:1-4

These verses describe our world today. This is how we know we are truly in the last days. We are not surprised when the world acts this way, but do any of these behaviors describe the church? Or you personally? Our only hope of being an effective witness for Jesus, in these last days, is to show the world we are different. Are you a lover of self or a lover of God? Do you spend your day doing what pleases you, or doing what pleases God? Time is running out--for our friends, our family, our neighbors--for all those who don't know Christ. May we all sense the urgency and be lovers of God in these last days.

 

Looking for Entertainment?

“Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors. They say to each other, 'Come on, let's go hear the prophet tell us what the LORD is saying!' So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don't act on it! But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them." Ezekiel 33:30-33

Are we like these people of Ezekiel’s day? The prophet was a topic of conversation behind closed doors. The people looked on him, and the message he delivered, as a source of entertainment. Their hearts were corrupt and they had no intention of putting the LORD’s message into practice. Maybe this is a good time to examine our own hearts--do we want to be entertained when we meet together, or do we want to hear from God? Do we judge our experience by whether or not we enjoyed the music? How short the message was? What do we do with the information we receive--put it into practice or forget it?

 

He's Alive!

"But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead!" Luke 24:1-6

 

When Evil is Good

“What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold. They take bribes to let the wicked go free, and they punish the innocent. Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble and dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will rot and their flowers wither. For they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven's Armies; they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 5:20-24

These words were spoken through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah. God had done everything to bless His people--they were His vineyard, planted “on a rich and fertile hill”. God expected a harvest of sweet grapes but “the grapes that grew were bitter.”

It's hard to imagine how Israel could turn their back on a God that loved them and delighted in blessing them. Or is it? Isaiah says that they rejected the law of the Lord and despised His Word. They became wise in their own eyes, calling evil good, and good evil. They let the wicked go free and punished the innocent. Does this sound familiar? Our country, founded on God’s law, is no better. Once we honored God, now it may soon be a crime to mention His Name. There were consequences for Israel's behavior-- there will be consequences for America. If there was ever a time to pray for revival, it would be now.

 

The Temple

“Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1Corinthians 6:19-20

How many of us live as if our body was a holy dwelling place for the Spirit of God? I would guess that most of us don't think about it much--we live as if our bodies belonged to us--there to serve our needs, not God’s. We dress in garments that draw attention to us, not God. We do not train our bodies to be strong and healthy, but rather neglect the need for rest and exercise. We use food to excess, as a source of pleasure and comfort instead of nourishment. The things we see with our eyes and hear with our ears bring shame and disgrace to our bodies.

Yet God’s Word says we must honor God with our bodies--He paid the highest price for them and they no longer belong to us. Shouldn't we take this part of God’s Word literally, as we do all other parts?

Think of Jesus’ anger at finding the Jewish temple being used as a marketplace (Mark 11:15-17). He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and those selling doves. How does He feel about how we are using the temple of the Holy Spirit?