Time To Get Serious

I just finished a book by R.Loren Sanford titled

Visions of The Coming Days.

There is so much I could say about what is contained in this book, but I really want to share with you the correction and instruction I received from it. The heart of what The Lord spoke to my heart is revealed in the scripture below:

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT)

17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,

    and there are no grapes on the vines;

even though the olive crop fails,

    and the fields lie empty and barren;

even though the flocks die in the fields,

    and the cattle barns are empty,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!

    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

Listen to the heart of The Prophet.

He sees a God that is greater than all things of the earth.

His heart is so close to His God that there is nothing that can separate him from The Worship of His God!

Paul reveals this in The Book of Romans. 

He reveals this as The Love of Christ.

Romans 8:35-39 New Living Translation (NLT)

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Love of God is not a passive Love. 

His love is a manifold Love.

His Love covers all and overcomes all.

I want to briefly touch on His Love that empowers us to serve Him and His Church even during difficult times of uncertainty and persecution.

1 John 4:18 (NKJV)

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

The Lord has blessed us with so much. He has, as The Word declares, blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Also, we are told that we have been given all things concerning life and godliness.

The Lord has given us all we need to lay our lives down in service to Him and His Church. He calls all of His children to trust him even in times of trouble and persecution. 

Beyond that, there is a call to serve His People. He has anointed and appointed certain people to a higher level of service and responsibility. 

Leaders who are expected to teach, guard and lead The Church through The Coming storms. He has a plan, and we must trust Him, fully and totally apart from what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears

Some of us have been pressed hard, seemingly left in the spiritual trash heap, discarded and forgotten. However in our hearts we knew that He was preparing us, trying us, refining us. He was removing all we might trust In apart from Him, or even in addition to Him!

Now, He call us back into service. He calls us to stand up and serve Him and His Church, even in the midst of apparent self lack, and dryness. 

He calls us to serve sacrificially even though it seems He has not placed  His favor on our lives. He calls us to worship Him, Pray Fervently and Give all, even as it seems our harvest has failed time and time again.

We must trust a Him. He is faithful. We have been given all we need. He is With Us.

Let me finish with the scriptures I started with, plus and exhortation from Paul:

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT)

17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,

    and there are no grapes on the vines;

even though the olive crop fails,

    and the fields lie empty and barren;

even though the flocks die in the fields,

    and the cattle barns are empty,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!

    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

Romans 8:35-39  (NLT)

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 4:18New King James Version (NKJV)

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

2 Corinthians 11:16-31 (NKJV)

16 I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little. 17 What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. 19 For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! 

20 For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. 21 To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 

24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.