THE WALK
PART 40

WALKING RIGHT SIDE UP

As a work in progress, I am thankful for the constant “construction” and renovation that goes on in my life by His mercy and grace. I enjoy God’s revelations and His wonderful presence that comforts me when I am surrounded with worry and chaos. I have noticed in my walk with Him over the years that I must stay alert every minute because there are so many traps and ambushes that can hurt us in a blink of an eye. Just like driving while trying to dial a number on our phone, one split second can cause us to rear-end someone or run off the road (so to speak) with possible fatal consequences. It is time to study and show ourselves approved unto God. We must become “workmen” or working people that receives the truth from God and develops the confidence to not be ashamed. It is time to know what God is saying and with His wisdom, we will be called upon to give an answer. There are no more fence riding or compromising. The overcomers are anointed and empowered by The Holy Spirit to manifest Christ and stand for God’s will! Those who “walk” in God’s Spirit are not afraid of the cost because they realize the world is literally being turned upside down. They are the light containers and will not be shaken when the world implodes. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally and upbraids not; and it will be given to him. But, let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” (James 1:5-7) The wind of the sea in this case could be the words of the blind masses.

I believe that most of the time we do not realize or remember just how much the devil hates us. It is normal to at least hope that everyone enjoys who we are and what we do because it brings us self-esteem and makes us happy to know the world is at peace with us. It is normal to enjoy living with a clear conscience and to get along with everyone. This is fine in the natural realm while being “at one” with our emotions, but if we develop a keen awareness of our spiritual surroundings we will discern something far beyond our “fairy tale”, happy endings. I am not trying to be negative or promote fear but rather to sound an alarm of caution. I am sure you have noticed that the world is rapidly changing. It is literally being turned “upside down” and those who are grounded in God’s truth will not go along with this popular “polar shift”. This in turn will expose us as being unwilling to “evolve” and in the spotlight of accusations such as, ignorant, uneducated bigot, rebellious, imperialist, conservative hate mongers and religious radicals just to name a few. In the “old world” being a Christian was respectable and a good thing because at least someone was trying to be, well, good. In this new world, being a Christian is an example of someone “dangerous” and filled with social prejudice and hate. In the old world, the anointed gospel that spoke of sin and hell brought conviction upon those who lived outside of God’s holiness. In this new world, such talk is an insult to what is politically correct and socially acceptable. Therefore, I am warning all of us that plan to continue promoting Christ and His Word, to be prepared for more aggressive attacks that are on their way. The devil, his demons and all the earth dwellers that are deceived with his lies will not stop “enlarging” their agenda until they confront all who serve God, with the intention to persecute. There is coming a time if not already in progress, when many Christians will face rejection from their spouse and/or their children. It is difficult to do, but we must not be intimidated. Be prepared to face a choice to either follow our government or follow God. We must not compromise even if it cost us everything because when we bow down to Satan we serve him as Lord. It is the hour to examine our own heart and hold onto God’s hand tightly. Do not depend on anyone else in this world but your heavenly Father! There is no such thing as pretending to be one thing and really being another. It does not matter how many are deceived, we will not allow the demon possessed scoffers to lead us over the eternal abyss of hell!

When I arrived at work the other day, we had a heavy amount of freight to ship and the enemy was baiting me to confess what a bad day this is going to be. I jumped in and became absorbed in trying to triumph over the mountain instead of surrendering in defeat. At the very end of the day I was told my manager wanted to see me. I was feeling quite confident that I was going to get a “gold medal” for outstanding achievement as I had single handedly shipped out everything. When I stepped into the office he proceeded to explain that he wanted my input about how to improve the procedure of my job so that I would not come in every morning to a huge mess. Then out of the blue he made this aggressive comment, “do not stare at me like you think I am ignorant”. I immediately fired back that I had not said a word and that he did not know what I was thinking! We continued to exchange conversation pertaining to the business at hand and I departed. On the way home the enemy came to me and began to taunt me with accusations like, “they are using you and do not appreciate you” and “they will never respect you no matter how much you do or how long you are there”. With each mile I became angry and bitter to the point of completely losing spiritual focus on Christ. I stepped out of God’s presence and stepped into thoughts of unforgiveness and strife. I allowed these raging emotions to grow out of control as my peace flew out the window. My joy sprang a leak and by the time I arrived home I was depressed and miserable. How could an entire day of steady accomplishment be ruined in two minutes? Because the enemy knows our buttons and uses these surprise attacks as an effective strategy to “derail” the peace of our conscience. When we walk in the confidence that we are doing God’s will – we will not allow the blind to steal our joy. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently (watching carefully) lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, (snare trap) and thereby many be defiled (sin of unforgiveness).” (Hebrews 12:14-15)

There can never be too much emphasis on constantly walking in God’s Spirit and being alert every second. It does worry me that I can be thrown off balance that easy but it also makes me more determined to upgrade my internal “security system”. I must stand guard at every entrance and patrol the grounds of my conscience so to speak to make sure there are no breaches. It is my responsibility to examine my own “special” places where I am vulnerable, and then deal with these areas. Do you also have certain things that cause you to “lose it”? Have you noticed how you can be going along fine and in a second, you are twisted up in knots? It is embarrassing to acknowledge that I can become extremely upset so suddenly. Of course, I feel like an idiot later, but it would be much better if I could catch myself BEFORE I fly off the handle. If I do not install iron bars to the windows of my emotions and laser sensors to my hearts perimeter, the demons will continue to use the same old tricks to attack me because they have such a high percentage of effectiveness. I must learn and grow in wisdom so that I can be an overcomer in the time that is left before Jesus return. If I ignore my need to “improve” I will not advance but rather continue to be a sitting duck to be hindered no matter where, when or whom I am dealing with. If the safety is not on – it is easy to pull the trigger with temptations. Most of us have “hair triggers” or certain emotional buttons but the Lord is saying to beware of these carnal “land mines” because they have every intention to prevent our destiny. Our past is our current legacy but we can change who we are by changing how we react to circumstances. We have heard of preventative medicine but in the spiritual realm, the awareness of His presence will provide us with the prevention AND the cure. However, if we choose to remain the same in the future, by “default” our past will remain the same and identify our character. “Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10:12-13)

I believe that one of the major weapons being used against us is fear. When we listen to sources that reveal tragedies and crisis, the anxiety tries to bind us with panic. Even if it is true about the world of Islam having the agenda to rule the world. Even if it is true that the anti-christ is a Syrian Muslim and that Islam will be the forced world religion, there is nothing we can do about diffusing it. Our prayers are to help us become what Jesus died for us to be and that we might fulfill our personal destiny for Him. Our prayers help us learn how to love and minister to those He brings to us through divine appointments so they may hear, see and feel the love of Jesus. Do we really think that stockpiling ammunition will be able to hold off the system of the world? Have we been called to shoot and kill everyone on earth that tries to capture and kill us? God says in (II Timothy 3:12) that, “Yes, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” I thought being martyred for the sake of Christ was to be an honor and act of love, but isn’t it also possible that we can have faith that God will protect us and provide for us in the time of darkness? Whatever happened to the positive confessions of believing that God will be with us always and never forsake us especially when we need safety and provisions? It is time to let go and genuinely trust Him.

Father, help us control our emotions. Forgive us for our rebellion and pride. Forgive us for trying to fight our own battles without looking to you as our strength and victory. We repent for our bad attitudes and anger toward others. No matter what people do to us, may we have the grace to forgive. Give us your love and burden for all souls. Thank you for your mercy and for always being there for us, in the Name of Jesus we pray, amen.