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This site is nearly a year old, and I have never written a post I am more serious or urgent about.
There are times when our spirits and/or minds are unusually drawn in certain directions. Ideas and concepts leap off the pages of the Bible. Words or names get planted in our consciousness and never seem to go away. These times, I believe, are no coincidence. They are times in which the Holy Spirit is bringing grounded biblical truth to bear on current experience.
Simply put, He’s speaking.
I don’t have experiences like this tremendously often, which makes the times I do have them all the more compelling. What I am about to share grew out of such a time.
As I mentioned earlier , I believe we are entering a season that for many people will be a season of restoration and change worldwide.
We are also living in tense, fearful days. I called a banker friend yesterday and asked him, in the words of an old Randy Stonehill song, if we should go back to trading seashells and just admit we’re broke. (He was encouraging. But then, he’s a banker.)
I also spoke about this Sunday (Listen Here) that these are days in which anything that can be shaken will be. God is shaking the wealth of the nations. People are afraid.
How do we stand strong when we’re living somewhere between the faith and the fear? How can we be in a place where we see the joy beyond what we endure? How can we allow the Holy Spirit to shake the barnacles off of us and prepare us for a “latter glory” that will come? How can we be lights in a world of confusion and darkness?
Sparing you the details of how I got there, there are seven things we must do, and do quickly:
1. Freedom
With God’s help, we must pursue freedom from any and all entanglements, addictions, besetting sins, or any other form of bondage. These dependencies become magnified during times of great stress, but a life lived in freedom also becomes a magnet for multiplied blessing.
2. Finances
This may take some time, and for some people may come too late, but if there was ever a time to bring ourselves into alignment with God’s principles of economy, it’s now. If there was ever a time to be faithful in giving and sowing into the kingdom of God, it’s now. If there was ever a time to get out of debt, it’s now. If there was ever a time to budget, to save, and yes, to invest, it’s now.
3. Family
This is a season, much like the days following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, when we need to gather as much family as possible around us. Not necessarily physically – but relationally. If you have adult children, you need to be prepared to reach out to them, to connect with them. That may mean financially, and you should be prepared to do that, if at all possible. But it means much more than that. It also means being spiritually connected. It also means seeking to reestablish disconnected relationships. I know it takes two to make a relationship, but you need to reach out in any way you can.
4. Mission
One of the beautiful discoveries of the followers of Jesus was that they could be equipped with God’s power to accomplish supernatural things. This took place during days of national humiliation and stress, and yet here they were, being used as instruments of God as they spoke in the name of Jesus. Your mission is no less important, and no less of an opportunity. Missions become magnified when times are tough and changes are in the air. It’s time to discover, or rediscover yours. What is your calling these days?
5. Future
We aren’t going to live forever. The psalmist asks the Lord to teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom (Psalm 90:12). Western Christians have lazily sought to discern the difference between what is sinful and what is not. The result is a heap of lives, loaded down with consumer debt, squandered opportunities, and wasted physical strength and health, always chasing the latest trivia and living as if we’ll always have a tomorrow. It’s time to change the question. We need to discern the difference between what is wise and what is unnecessary, and pursue the wise.
6. Forgiveness
Bitterness is like a chain that keeps you tied to offensive people. And if there was ever a time to let go of past offenses, anger, or bitterness, it’s now. Bitterness won’t just poison your spirit – it will prevent you from receiving the “latter glory” that the Lord wants to produce. Whatever the hurt, whatever the offense, let it go. It isn’t worth it. Forgiveness doesn’t mean approval – it just means that you are not going to treat others as if they’re in debt to you because of something they have done or failed to do.
7. Networking
You may need to come out of your cave. In the words of Howard Hendricks, everybody needs three kinds of people right now – a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas. Paul represents mentors – people you look to for wisdom and understanding. Timothy represents people you pour into – those you lead, influence, or encourage. Barnabas represents friends who walk beside you – who “love you but aren’t impressed by you.” Two are better than one, Solomon said.
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What a wonderful post. God indeed does laugh at the wealth of the nations. For those of us with an “eternal hope,” this article is a great reminder that life here is just a vapor.
Thanks Andy, you encouraged me today.
Thanks, my friend. And a special thanks for the link last week.