Saturday, October 10, 2009

Our Right Now God

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb 13:8)

What confidence we have in the unchanging Jesus Christ. As He met us yesterday, so He is with us right now, and will meet us tomorrow and tomorrow’s eternity. He will not be different in His affections, abilities, promises, purposes, or actions. We can always count on and depend on Him.

If He were the God of only yesterday, then we would have no hope for today. If He were only the God of Eternity, then while we would have a future hope, help for today would be elusive. If He were only the God of today, then without a record of His attributes, faithfulness, and active love towards us, and no promise of tomorrow, our dependence upon Him would be hindered.

However, we have a yesterday of His dealings with His chosen, a record of His actions, faithfulness, active love, attributes, and promises. We have a today in which to reflect upon Him, call upon Him, depend upon Him, and experience Him, knowing that He has not changed nor will He ever change. We also have a tomorrow in which He will be the same as He was yesterday, today, and for every tomorrow there will ever be.

We need a God today who is active today, available today, caring today, faithful today, dependable today and who was all that yesterday. We need a God who is unchanging in His attributes, His love, His purposes, His promises, and His character and who will be the same way tomorrow. We need a God who will shepherd us until we depart this life and who will then usher us into the timelessness of eternity, where we will live in His presence forever. He was with us yesterday, He is with us right now, He will be with us tomorrow, and forever. He is our right now God.

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts …" (Heb 3:15)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Prophetic Bulletin from John Paul Jackson

Prophetic Bulletin from John Paul Jackson Posted on September 19, 2008

I originally wrote this Prophetic Bulletin for the Streams Ministries Partners at the beginning of August. At the urging of my Board, I am now making it a public Prophetic Bulletin. When I first wrote it, little did I know the events that were soon to happen concerning Todd Bentley, the Gulf Hurricanes, Russia’s invasion of Georgia, the trains that would collide near Los Angeles, Sarah Palin’s nomination and the stir that would cause, or September 15’s Stock Market plunge. All of these are early elements of what the Lord called “The Coming Perfect Storm.

THE COMING PERFECT STORM
by John Paul Jackson

For those of you who have followed this ministry, you have heard me say more than once during the past eight years that from 2009 or 2010, things will become very difficult. I have been praying and hoping that what I am about to write may be averted. However, I am now concerned that without prophetic people speaking up, we will not play our redemptive part in bringing change for the good.

FIVE ELEMENTS OF THE BREWING PERFECT STORM

As in the movie The Perfect Storm, the storm I see coming to the United States is a combination of more than one element, and when the elements unite, the storm becomes exponentially more dangerous. However, unlike the movie, this storm is not just a storm of merging weather patterns. This storm is worse; it involves five different elements: religion, politics, economics, war and geo-physical events. At times these five elements will be so intertwined that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish which events are driving a particular manifestation of the storm. Massive problems in these five areas will come often, or in combination, and sometimes repeatedly. Each element has potentially several events that will have national and international ripple effects. Some ripples will be worse than others, depending on where you live and how you make your living. Different areas of the United States will experience different severities. Some will experience more economic elements, others more geo-physical elements; some will experience all elements. Remember, it is the combination and the rapidity that will make the storm problematic.Also, this does not mean all five elements will hit at the most devastating levels. For example, on a scale of 1–10 with 10 being the worst, one element may strike at a six while another strikes at an eight. It is the particular combinations of elements — the proximity of each element as well as the intensity of each element — that will make this storm so difficult and seem to last so long. This storm will not be short-lived; it will come in waves, one after another.

WHY IS THE STORM COMING?

This storm is coming because the Church (the Body of Christ) is no longer the backbone of this nation. From our inception, the Christian faith has been the plumb line of decisions made at all levels of life. The Christian founding of this nation is what makes it different from every other nation, other than perhaps Israel. Other nations may have become Christian in their focus, but none were initially formed with Christianity as the core of its DNA.The Church is to make known God’s manifold wisdom to the world and the powers of the air (Ephesians 2:2). This demonstration to the heavens is not accomplished by speaking to those powers but through righteous living. How we live opens or closes doors for Satan to legally afflict us and even rule over us via leaders who do not know the ways of God. From Adam and Eve through today, the actions of humankind have given room for the enemy to strike and attack us. The only legal way the enemy has access to us is when the hand of God lifts from us, resulting in a space between Him and us. This space increases as we distance ourselves from Him and His ways.Anytime there is an increased distance between God and humanity, it leaves room for attack to come and for principalities and powers of the air (rulers of darkness) to take up residence. The longer dark powers reside over an area, the more the people begin to call right wrong and wrong right. Here in the United States, leaders arise from the people; in other words, as the people believe and think, so do the leaders who rise from their ranks. Eventually, the lines between right and wrong, as well as the holy and profane, become blurred. The way to God through Jesus and the Cross is no longer seen as an absolute. In fact, absolutes become touted as “intolerance” first in the world and then even within the Church. Yes, there are exceptions to this thinking within the Church, but through compromise, the absolutes of Heaven and eternity are clearly evaporating.

GOD CAN FASHION A DISASTER

We are living in the days of Ezekiel and Jeremiah, who prophesied that God can bring disaster on a nation if that nation continually chooses to walk according to its own plans. God spoke this to Jeremiah: “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.”’” And they said, “… We will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.” — Jeremiah 18:7–12

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE COMING?

What are some of the things/consequences that will come? In time, water will be more expensive than oil, and cities will evacuate thousands because there is not enough water to meet their needs. (As Amos 4:7 says, “I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city.”) Earthquakes will strike not only coastal areas but devastate the Midwest as well. Israel will bomb Iran, and anti-Semitism will escalate as fuel costs soar. A dirty bomb will explode in a coastal city. There will be thunderstorms with huge hail, 24 inches of rain in 24 hours, three feet of snow in six hours, record-setting tornadoes with winds of more than 350 miles per hour and tornadoes in unusual places. There will be an unexpected blight that will hit various hybrid seed crops and weaken the yield. In addition, drought and devastation from storms will dramatically cut into various harvests and the national food storage will deplete.“Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.”’” — Jeremiah 18:11—

FOUR THINGS THE CHURCH MUST DO

First, the Church must return to knowing God and His ways rather than just knowing about God. We have replaced power with programs, revelation with administration and the Father’s heart with organizational skills.

Second, the Church must learn how to contend for the faith again. We are weak, and we fall away so easily when crisis is not at hand. We have not been tested, and we have lost our resolve. We understand little of the adversary’s plans. We do not know how to debate our faith without becoming angry, and thus we have so few strong, clear, godly voices in political arenas. We have lost our witness — the witness that convicts others and strongly testifies that God is still God and is very, very real. We have lost the witness that demonstrates that God is a personal God in a very impersonal world, the witness that says, “What I do proves God exists.”

Third, the Church must return to the love of God’s Word and the belief that it is infallible and inerrant. This would include the conviction, understanding and knowledge that God is absolute, and there is only one way to know Him: through Jesus the Messiah. We need a new revelation that God’s power is unlimited, His knowledge is unending, His presence is with us always and He never changes. We have made God far too small, and our lives prove it.

Fourth, we will need to declare sacred and solemn assemblies of repentance and corporate fasting in many parts of this nation — a time set aside for rending our hearts before God.“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him — A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD.”— Joel 2:12–17

CRISIS IS THE FRUIT OF FOLLOWING THE WRONG GOD

God allows calamities to happen in order to draw us to Himself. What does that mean? It means that God allows us to reap the fruit of that which we serve. Walking in God’s ways brings blessings and fullness of life, while walking in the ways of the “god of this world” will bring the fruit of the god of this world: decay, destruction, deterioration and death. We make our choice, then the choice makes us. Sadly, we are developing a history of wrong choices.

Throughout Scripture, when crises hit the people of God, they turned their hearts to Him, and He heard and took action. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.— Jeremiah 29:12–13

May the people of the United States seek the Lord … and find Him. Remember, we still have the promise that if we turn from our wicked ways, God will heal our land.

Serving God and His Kingdom,
John Paul Jackson
August 2008

THE CRUCIFIXION OF SELF

(From a letter by Jeanne Guyon)

All the graces that are produced in a Christian grow out of the death of self. Bear patiently the trials and sufferings which retard this overflowing life. When you suffer with much confusion and uncertainty, the suffering is even harder to bear.

Unlimited patience is necessary to bear not only with yourself, but with others whose personalities and moods are not compatible with your own. Offenses will happen while we live in the flesh. Bear these offenses in silence and submit them to the Spirit of Grace. Because you are human, you are still affected by your environment.

As you seek to honor the true cross (the affliction that God allows for us), remember that all the disagreeable situations that fall in your daily path are part of that true acceptance of the cross. Do not insult the work of the cross in your life by complaining about your problems. Welcome trials, for they teach you what you are and leave you to renounce yourself and yourself is, of all possessions, the most dangerous.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

OUT OF SORTS

Why are you so out of sorts? (1 Kings 21:5 MSG)

The other day I was out of sorts. I found myself in a dark mood and kind of sulky. I didn’t feel special, things were not going my way, I seemed to be at the mercy of others, and all my plans had fallen in a heap of rubble around my feet. I was wanting to pout and be snarky. (I am not exactly sure if snarky is a real word or exactly what it means, but it sure seems to fit).

This happened to King Ahab once. (Like I bet it only happened once!) He wanted Naboth’s vineyard, and Naboth would not sell it to him nor trade it. King Ahab went home in a dark mood, sulky, and out of sorts. He would not eat and went to bed. In my own defense, I did eat, and though I wanted to go back to bed, I didn’t. (I had to go to work).

One thing I discovered as I went through that day is that being in a dark mood and sulky distracts you from what is important, causes you to miss details, and totally focuses you on yourself and everything that you think is against you.

Of course our feelings are effected by our thoughts and our actions are effected by our feelings. Following are some thoughts about thinking, feelings and actions, none of which probably originated with me.

What we think determines how we feel and how we feel determines how we act.

Consistent wrong thinking produces wrong thought patterns resulting in negative emotions followed by wrong reactions and behavior.

Lower nature thinking will produce feelings associated with the old nature, resulting in actions consistent with the deeds of the flesh.

Higher nature thinking will produce feeling associated with the new nature and actions consistent with the fruit of the Spirit.

I did get over myself before the day was over ..... everyone else got over me a long time ago.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

SUCCESSFUL LIVING

He stores up success for honest people. (Prov 2:7 NIrV)

We were having devotions with our children the other evening and my wife was reading Proverbs 2 aloud from my daughter’s Bible. I was taken by the first part of verse 7 and what it stirred in me.

Now, we know that Proverbs is about wisdom, and not just wisdom, but godly wisdom. What stirred in me was that it is wise to be honest, to be a person of integrity. The fruit of that honesty will be success which God has a whole supply of stored up and ready to be released by the drawing of that honesty.

We must be honest with ourselves, honest with God, and honest with others. The degree of our honesty will determine the richness of our success. But let’s not deceive ourselves into thinking that honesty here is just admitting what is true. The honesty we are talking about here is the living out of the Truth, the integrity of righteous living, the lived out passion for justice blended with the compassion of mercy - and all of these defined by God.

Yes, this will bring success in life. It is the secret to successful living, the wisdom whose fruit is success.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Real Questions

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 1 Pe 1:18 NLT

Do not ask whether something is enjoyable. Ask if it is worthy of love. Ask is you should depend upon it.

How will you find an answer? Is there an infallible argument or a verse of scripture that will enlighten you? Can you think of any example or axiom or sacrament that will prepare you to discover these things?

You can tell if something is made of gold. But how can you know if it is worth your love, or if you can depend upon it? Being gold is one thing, but being worthy of love is something else.

Desiring exquisite food and clothing is like painting firewood. These things are consumables. Clothes keep you warm regardless of the color. Common foods will satisfy your hunger. Desire what is right for you. -Guigo 1: Meditations

Saturday, May 17, 2008

The Gift

I heard today
Of a decrepit native woman
Who walked mile after mile
Under the blistering sun
To bring a small gift of embroidery
To the missionary she deeply loved.
Hour after hour she trudged
Over rough, rugged roads
Clutching tightly her small gift.
Her weary body sagged
Her vision blurred
Her bare feet bled from the jagged rocks

Grateful but overwhelmed,
The missionary wept.
The trembling old woman spoke softly:
"Please understand.
The walk is part of the gift."

My Lord
My commitment to You is for life.
I give myself to You unreservedly
To do with me as You please.
But may I not forget
That the tears, the fears
The strain and the painThe sunless days
The starless nights
Are all part of the whole.
In my total commitment
I give full consent:
The walk is part of the gift.
~Ruth Harms Calkin

HT: http://www.windscraps.blogspot.com/