THE SECRET PLACE
Jesus is not a place you go – but a person you know

PART 20

“TAKE HEED THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU”
(Matthew 24:4)

“For by him were ALL things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: ALL things were created BY HIM and for Him: And He is before ALL things, and by Him ALL things consist.” (Colossians 1:16, 17)

The Lord is wonderful! He is just and merciful to all people! There are many things we do not understand about the way He thinks – but we trust Him completely in His decisions. We know He is absolute truth and His ways are so much higher than our mortal ability to comprehend. His wisdom is like the iceberg that allows us to see barely above the surface, while the infinite storehouse of His knowledge and complex reasons are reserved in the divine depths of His sovereignty and omnipotence.

Love is the strongest demonstration associated with the giving of ones self to another and faith is the most courageous form of trusting. As love prepares and knows the cost of sacrifice, faith also believes though it cannot see. Faith embraces patience when there is no comprehension how God is going to provide a way for it to be done. Faith chooses to walk on air even when it cannot see the reality of an invisible bridge. Faith reaches out, takes the unseen hand of God, and courageously presses on “through” the fire and the flood. There are times of joy and laughter on mountain peaks and there are times of agony and sorrow in the shadows of the valleys. Nevertheless, we sing of His glory and His awesome love that knows every heart – feels every pain and sees every tear. It is Jesus we lean on, the one we trust with our every breath. As the song says, “He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own”. I will abide in the peace of His presence and the eternal security of His promises.

Our life is not necessarily “graded” with how many Bible classes we have attended or the amount of religious books we have in our library. It’s not the walls of awards we can receive, the name or denomination of our church or how many times we say, “May God bless you”. The most important decision anyone can make is presented in the first chapter of the book of James. “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, (the excess of sinfulness), and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your soul.” The Word of God is so sharp and precise! This short and simple statement very quickly sums up the core message of volumes of theology concerning salvation. We can talk about doctrines and religious legalism for years, but in the end, it is all about the reality of being transformed from the old spirit that loved sin – into being born-again with a new spirit that receives the miraculous power of God’s divine truth. It is the personal relationship with the divine Lord of heaven and earth that is being established in this life and will be continued in heaven.

The labor of religion is not always genuine because many things can be done with wrong motives. It is possible to do moral deeds that are done in the strength of our will, for the purpose of gaining respect while trying to earn God’s favor. The genuine act of spiritual obedience is always based on listening to God’s voice and doing exactly what He says – no less and no more. These are the accomplishments where God receives all the glory and is pleased with our response. Acts of purity that have agape love as the motive are rewarded with spiritual blessings. The Lord is not deceived with counterfeit sacrifices of worship or service. This brings me to a very important point that seems to be slipping away from the modern Christian atmosphere. As the church world labors to increase technology and sophistication for the purpose of keeping up with the entertainment world, may God’s people not forget the real reason for their labor. There is so much Kingdom work that can be done, it has become noticeable that many participators and spectators within the Body of Christ have forgotten who the King is. They have a form of Godliness by knowing religious “information” but they DENY His power by not knowing or RESPECTING His Word. Satan is mounting a full attack on God’s church because he knows the days are short. It is an all out assault on absolute truth as he pours out his lies that are saturated with compromise. Satan hates God’s Word because it is the ONLY power that can redeem a spirit. He is influencing pastors to focus on the chaotic humanism of psychology and meaningless philosophy that is contaminating the churches with apathy. The result is the lack of God’s presence, miracle power, anointing, faith, boldness, hope, holiness, and love. The religious masses will not feel the impact of sin within the walls because it has already become numb to it in their personal lives. The presence of God in the assembly of the saints is always measured by the discipline and seriousness of the individuals.

If a true remnant believer is in the midst of a harlot religious system, they will either flee from the heresy and carnality of a performance driven program or compromise! Where there is reverence and respect for who God is and the humility and sensitivity to allow Him to control His own agenda – there is the same Spirit of Christ that empowered Pentecost. Those who walk the narrow path of holiness and allow Him to reign in their heart, are the true disciples, ambassadors and representatives of His glorious Kingdom. The remnant is a collection of genuine saints within a massive population of Pharisees. The Pharisees had an emotional zeal and were devout in their religion but they were NOT connected to God spiritually. Some estimate as much as 80 percent of the church world has possibly never been born-again, but live under a delusion that is a counterfeit relief from a guilty conscience. The evidence proves true for those who have no conviction or interest in developing a personal relationship with Jesus after the applause and congratulations. We stand up and cry, “How could this be possible?” Then we remember when Pilate offered to release either Jesus or Barabbas to the Jews, they cried, “Give us Barabbas”. In this light, it is no wonder the modern congregations cannot discern the Holy Spirit, receive divine enlightenment of God’s Word or understand the revelation of love and faith. How can the blind see or feel the presence of God if they do not KNOW God? How can they cry out in repentance if they feel no conviction for sin? How can they know right from wrong if they do not have the Spirit of absolute truth dwelling within them? In addition, how will they have the courage and the discernment to stand for God’s Word if they do not have the Holy Spirit that can help them know the interpretation? Being born again is like dialing into a radio channel. There must be a signal and a receiver. The signal is broadcast in a specific frequency and the receiver must be dialed in EXACTLY – in order for there to be a perfect connection! Those who are lost – do not have the right receiver and are not connected to God at all. Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN” (John 3:7) Since many of the world’s churches are filled with emotional religion, it is easy to see how the New World Order will deceive them into accepting every decorated lie in the name of political and social justice. The perfect example of the blind – leading the blind! Are you determined to be a part of God’s remnant? Selah.

It may be unusual to use the word “integrity” to describe God, however it is interesting to observe the meaning found in the Oxford Dictionary. “moral uprightness; honesty; wholeness; soundness; righteousness; honor; principal; decency; goodness; virtue; incorruptibility; purity; veracity; entirety; trustworthiness; totality; completeness; unity; oneness; consistent; valid.” Describing God as having integrity is just a glimpse of His attributes – yet a sobering reminder of who He is and how we should respond to Him. He is not a regular man that makes mistakes or plays favorites. He does not cut corners, cheat, compromise, or do anything that is contrary to what He has spoken. This highest level of divine perfection is reserved only for Himself as no other being has ever or will ever be like Him. In fact, we noticed in the opening scripture that ALL things were given the gift of life BY Him, including all false idols and religions. For those who believe that abiding in sin is no big deal and that God accepts their rebellion, it needs to be said the only reason someone can even exist in the act of being an intentional sinner is from His longsuffering patience and mercy. He is not allowing anyone to be a heathen publicly or secretly because He is “OK” with it. His sovereignty allows for a person to have freewill and He has an appointed time and a just measurement that He will decide when enough is enough. For the church to teach that God loves us, “just the way we are” is walking out on a dangerous ledge. He loves us in our present state and stands with His arms wide-open ready to receive our REPENTANCE! He is thrilled with our decision to follow Him but also has every intention of seeing us grow and CHANGE into a new creation. Remaining the way we are is NOT the idea of total salvation (body, soul and spirit) – it is all about spiritual metamorphosis! The power of His love transforms us and provides the conditions for a spiritual “evolution”! We are saved – we are being saved – and we will be saved – entirely by His blood soaked grace and not by humanistic daydreams. Selah.

“Heavenly Father, we cry out to you this hour. We need you desperately to shake us and awake us from our sleep. Please refill us, empower us, regenerate us, and REVIVE US! We are tired Oh God, and many of us are crying, come quickly Lord Jesus. The harvest is white and we must rise up and shake off our discouragement. Our worries and concerns for the world are heavy; please give us your JOY and a VISION to do your will. We must stay focused on YOU and not be overwhelmed. In your Holy Name, we pray, amen.” “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” (Psalm 119:11)