Proverbs 3:5-9The Message (MSG) “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.”
We can’t help but look seriously at all that is happening around us. It’s occurring at a rapid pace. The weather patterns are beyond unpredictable, people are in panic mode, and the urgency of change is almost palpable. We went from the excitement of a total eclipse to the fear of dangerous hurricanes. These events seem to be out of order because they are such deviations from what we’ve come to know as the norm. The contrast and immediate transition in our emotional response to these events is stark. It should cause us to recognize that things are lining up, and through this contrast between excitement and terror, God is preparing us for an even greater shift.
God tells us in Genesis 8:22New Living Translation (NLT), “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” He makes it very plain that there will be changes, so we should expect that change is going to be a part of life. Seasons of life will shift, and you and I do not decide how, when, and where those shifts occur. People may blame one thing or the other for these changes, but the truth is, it’s all in God’s hands. He does not cause calamity or the devastation that we see, but make no mistake that He is in control, and His timing is perfect.
Through everything that is happening the message is clear, we can no longer count on the certainty of our comfort zones. I believe many Christians are coming into this realization, and we’re going to have to make some changes to plan for what is to come.
In Genesis 11, the bible tells us that the whole earth spoke the same language. The ‘Sons of Men’ came together and decided to build a city and a tower, so that they would be gathered together in one place, and not scattered about the earth. This sounded like a good plan to them, but it was not the plan that God had in mind. Genesis 11:6-9 tells us that God garbled their speech so they would not understand each other. Then He scattered them all over the world.
For a person who does not know the Redemption Plan of Christ, they might look at this record, and be totally confused by what God did. As Christians, we must understand that Christ was destined to come to the earth to redeem humanity. God has so orchestrated creation that every detail, plan, person, spirit, and thing will ultimately bow to His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing will prevent this, and we must be eternally grateful for it, because His Son is our Savior.
Romans 8:28 assures us that all things are working together for the good of those that love God and are called according to His purpose. This verse is speaking directly to us, God’s people. We are His elect! We are His called-out ones! So, we don’t have the luxury to cower in a corner, or to allow fear to paralyze us to inaction. We must wake up to the reality that nothing in life just happens. God is giving us a glimpse of what occurs when we allow fear to run the show. He’s revealing to us what the absence of love looks like. Some people will see this as doom, gloom, and apocalyptic. Other’s will see it as an opportunity to mobilize. They will use it to cast off the dust from life as it has been, and usher in something from the Lord that is amazing, fresh, and exciting.
We cannot behave as if God’s Word hasn’t warned us of certain things. In many ways, we let our guards down. Now is the time to pick them up. How do we do this? In Matthew 22:37-40 The Message (MSG), Jesus Christ tells us. He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
It isn’t about the big things that we do. Very often it is those little acts of kindness that show the greatest love. God is combing through the earth looking for men and women whose hearts are pure towards Him. These are those that will not allow their need to dictate how they love God. They will not put up religious acts as a sign of love for Him, and think that their giving equals love. These are saints that have a genuine desire to obey His Word and serve Him.
We need to get to a place where we crave fellowship and communion with God, where we desire to talk to Him often, to meditate on His Word, and to listen for His voice. This season we’re in will be like no other we’ve experienced, and it is just beginning. We don’t know all the details, but we do know that like everything in God’s creation, this shift will make room for a greater revelation or revolution of Christ!■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“A Seasonal Shift”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.