Spirit of this Age

Compromise and deception begin when there are still parts of our lives that are unsurrendered to God. When we "do not receive the love of the truth" (2 Thess 2:10, NKJV) and shut ourselves up from listening to the Word of God and give ourselves up to hearing the word of our flesh - messages that tickle us, that comfort us, that flatter us.

The way we respond when we are confronted with the Spirit of truth is so important. Are we going to say, "Yes God, woe is me! I need your help" or are we going to echo the serpent and deceive ourselves in saying, "Is that what God really said? Did he REALLY say this?"

Are we building the foundations of our lives with straw or wheat?

"What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people - the shepherd of my sheep - for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for," says the Lord.

- Jeremiah 23:1

Recently I've been thinking a lot about repentance and grace. Someone told me that she thinks we do too much repentance and not enough grace. I agree that we absolutely need more grace for EVERYTHING that God calls us to do, but where in the Bible does grace come without repentance? And what IS the value of the grace which we receive if we do not come to a point of realising the emptiness, the poverty, the fruitlessness of our ways and lives and desire instead to live by the higher standards and call of God? In fact, conviction comes WITH grace, because we are spared from an everlasting judgement if we would turn away at that moment and set our hearts on God again. Grace doesn't always come in the form that we want it to, but every word from the mouth of God is grace. Every closed door is grace. Every time we feel the pain and discomfort from surrendering our lives to God, we receive grace. It is grace from eternal punishment, it is grace from being forever separated from God.

"Does not my word burn like fire?" says the Lord.

"Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?"

- Jeremiah 23:29

How have we come to the point where the Word of God brings only comfort but does not tear out and unroot and burn and SMASH the things in our lives which are not pleasing to God? How have we come to the point where the Word of God is used to affirm us and our feelings and emotions and desires and decisions instead of violently removing everything that comes in the way of us having Him and loving Him and being with Him and glorifying God by pointing the way to exactly who He is? Have we misused and abused and twisted the Word of God to such an extent that it is made to "strengthen the hands of evildoers" (Jeremiah 23:14) and turn people away from Him?

We cannot say we want God's glory to break in unless we are willing to give up our lives and our spirit to be broken. So many of us say we want revival, but we don't understand what that means. When I read the books of the prophets, I realise we are so lacking in our understanding of who God really is. We are so lacking in our awareness of His heart. We have filled ourselves with a hope that is empty and selfish and ultimately, destructive.

Everyone wants to speak on behalf of God these days, but very rarely do we see words spoken with the weight of God's Spirit - words that will cause us to turn away from sin, and instead of shouting and cheering, words that will push us to our knees in tears, words that come with a freshness and life that drives itself right into the core of our being and shakes us and sifts out the good from the bad. 

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

"16 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.

They make you worthless;

They speak a vision of their own heart,

Not from the mouth of the Lord.

17 They continually say to those who despise Me,

The Lord has said,

"You shall have peace";

And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say,

"No evil shall come upon you."

18 For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord,

And has perceived and heard His Word?

Who has marked His Word and heard it?

19 Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury -

A violent whirlwind!

It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.

20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back

Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart.

In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.

21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.

I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in My counsel,

And had caused My people to hear My words,

Then they would have turned them away from their evil way

And from the evil of their doings."

- Jeremiah 23

No one in the Bible who was honored by God compromised on these things. Why should we? What is it about our age that's different and makes us think it is okay to remake God in our image? To put words into God's mouth? In fact, because we are in the last days, we should be even more wary of the words we speak. Zechariah says that in the last days, people will be ashamed to claim the prophetic gift. No one will claim to be a prophet. So those of us who will be speaking for God better make sure we are in tune to what the Spirit is really saying. We better make sure there is a witness in the Spirit to account for every word that we speak.