Wow! What a crazy time in the world right now. The world is living in fear, panic and anxiety. My husband went to the grocery story to pick up a few items and he said it was as if people were blinded by their own panic. A sheep herd that just followed the one in front of them no questions asked, bought what other people bought, did what other people did without thinking for themselves. Now more than any time in our lives, we have to figure out how to be IN this world but not OF it. As he was telling me this, I began to think about what the state of the church looks like globally.
There was a popular song sung in churches a few years ago, I’m sure you’ve heard of it, called “Oceans” by Hillsong United. (I’m using this particular song because it is well-known) The bridge of the song says:
“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior”
I’m sure we’ve all belted out that song in church. The music and lights call for a dramatic atmosphere of excitement and emotion, but do we really know what we are singing? When the time comes, are we sure we want to be “taken deeper than our feet could ever wander so our faith can be made stronger?” Do we even understand what we’re professing? Don’t get me wrong, the message of the song overall is great: keeping our eyes on Christ and resting in Him when we’re overwhelmed. My point is, as a global church, we sang the heck out of this song every week. We were telling the Lord, “Lead us where our trust in You knows no bounds, take us deeper!! Make our faith stronger!” Well, we professed it, and the time is NOW. Were we singing just to be singing or did we really mean it? This is just one example of how we should think about what we’re praying, singing and/or proclaiming.
As the church, we’ve been so complacent in our walks with God that now when life happens we don’t know what to do. We have to make a conscious daily decision to be in this world but not of it. Living in a state of fear is going to get us absolutely nowhere. The church of Acts had a lot more after them than we do and they went out and performed miracles and walked in the supernatural. We’ve got to get passed our complacent, happy-go-lucky attitudes towards our walks with Christ and get down to the nitty gritty:
Are you in or are you out?
Are you going to be a light in the darkness or let the darkness overtake you? Are you going to live up to what you profess or shrink back in fear? The Bible says:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you” Isaiah 60: 1-2
Yes, there are going to be dark times, BUT the Light dispels darkness. There will be times the world is in extreme fear and panic, BUT at the same time we have to disperse peace and sit back and watch the Lord work. The enemy hates peace and rest – use them as weapons! I believe the Lord has given us a trial run, a lets-see-how-the-church-will-react type of test. Jesus is coming back, people, whether we want to talk about it or not. HE WILL RETURN ONE DAY. Are we ready for that? Are we ready for what our life will look like at that point? No one wants to talk about the end times because it “doesn’t’ feel good” – well guess what? That doesn’t stop it from coming. I’m not saying Jesus is returning today, but we better figure out where we stand. No more wishy-washy, complacent, maple-syrup-sweet, pat-you-on-the-back Christianese. FIGURE IT OUT. We need to be prepared to give an answer to anyone that asks. PREPARE YOURSELF. Set yourself apart. As the bride of Christ, the world is looking to us for answers. We have to RISE UP and speak peace and life into the atmosphere around us.
As believers, we do not need to be quick to judge unbelievers but have compassion on them. The fear and panic they are feeling is very real. Instead of judging, we need to be the guidepost that points to the Savior who has already combatted fear. We need to be a light and example to them and show them how to walk in peace. It’s because of them that we need to be confident in our relationship with our Messiah and know who we are in Him. The time is NOW to figure out what we believe and live it. The time is NOW to be black and white – there is no room for gray areas. The time is NOW to choose faith over fear, live in this world but not of it, choose peace over chaos and wisdom over panic. There’s a difference in being smart and wise versus panicking in fear. It is crucial that we learn to hear the voice of Adonai and be a true representation of His Son.
It’s OUR time to SHINE! It’s our time to walk in the supernatural. It’s time to “be led where our trust is without borders so our faith can be made stronger.” It’s our time to show the world WHO OUR GOD IS. Let’s band together as the Remnant and show them why they need Him. Victory belongs to Jesus! This is just the beginning of seeing more of His glory on earth, more of heaven come down and more salvations than the world has ever seen!
Lavah Ministries 