WOULD THE REAL CHRISTIAN PLEASE STAND UP!

It's very difficult to know whose telling the truth these days.   Leadership seems to be the art of cover-up, distracting, deceiving and deluding as many people as possible.  Sounds tough but somehow the old adage of the 'crème rising to the top' has lost its essence… it is no longer truth. 

In the time of Jehoshaphat and Ahab although Ahab was King of Israel he decided to hide in deception thinking he would not be seen in battle, whereas Jehoshaphat King of Judah covered himself with his royal robes as a proclamation of who he was.  Ahab was wounded by an arrow shot at random and later died; Jehoshaphat when under attack cried out to God and was saved and ended the day in victory.  [ref. 2 Chronicles 18]

Recently I have been ministering in a little Holy Spirit Church hidden away in the mountains-and God has been moving in the miraculous.  Those who have cried out to God have not only had their own needs met but those of their families and friends.  We have been hearing of people who, unaccompanied by others, have received the Lord and the salvation of their souls.  

These are simple folks-the heart of America-the pastor and his wife [in their 80's] heard the voice of the Lord in 1978 say to them-build my church, so they did-it still stands-people come and people go, lives are saved, people are healed, lives changed and families blessed.  Who can measure revival!

When the mask of sophistication is removed and the cry of the heart is for God then revival is seen in changed lives and a hunger for Holiness. Truth is more than what we say-truth is what society knows us to be-wearing the identity of being a Christian may bring persecution but it also brings protection!  Unless of course you are vying for some grandiose position of public proclaim, inside or outside the church, as God's people we cannot have it both ways.  

Revival does not come with a denominational name-it comes to those who declare their need, make known their weakness and believe by action what God's Word says.  The evidence is that lives and families influence the society they live in and governments are either corrupt or righteous.

Oh how I wish we all were so easily led as a little child- whenever  we say Praise The Lord our granddaughter who is barely a year old raises her hand and points her fingers toward the  heaven.

The good news is that the blind are seeing, the deaf are hearing, the dumb are praising God and testifying of His great works.  When the children of God put on the Royal Robes of Priesthood the 'crème at the top' will be exposed for what it is and dissolve under the heat of the Presence of God. [1 Peter 2:9]

The good news is we are in a spiritual war that has already been won by the Power that is greater than all Power-we are nearing the end of the day-put on your royal robes and let your life declare, "I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes;…" [Romans 1:16]

March 2009 - Diane M.Hale