When we allow ourselves to sit under a ministry of men that draw the people to themselves as opposed to pointing them to Jesus Christ we will bear fruit that desires to please man and not God. God is calling us out of a man-focused ministry and reminding us one more time it's all about Jesus. We must focus all our attention on beholding His face. Only in Christ is the veil lifted so that the heart can embrace God and not man.
We can be so entrenched with idolatry and God will interrupt us with a divine disturbance. The difficult situations we find ourselves in are orchestrated by God to expose areas in our heart and disturb any dark area with His light. He will show us a life so full of His glory and light to bring us out into His freedom.
Christmas is a season of the heart, and whenever the heart is involved there are many emotions. During the Christmas season we can find ourselves in such un-god- like situations with circumstances out of our control, but God will send us a word and bring our attention back to a babe in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes to remind us one more time that He is Emanuel – God with us. God will break the cycles of despair and depression and take the worldly mindset out of this season and we will remember that a King is born and he will save us from all these un-god-like experiences.
We have got to believe more than ever that Jesus is at work in our lives doing miracles. If we only see Jesus as a healer or only acknowledge Him for His power and might – we will fear Him but we won’t necessarily understand His heart of compassion. We are good at giving people encouraging words, but what happens when it comes to ourselves? Do we have a heart that is hardened with doubt and unbelief?
There is no deeper and darker blindness than religious blindness. The theology of Babylon has no effect on its society but to dull and deaden the people. This theology of self-seeking animates false prophets who are covetous and have a heart that seeks prestige and power. This theology diminishes the poor and leads them into oppression and darkness. We escape the Babylon theology by considering the poor and needy and reaching out to them with the compassionate heart of Christ.
Time and time again the enemy will come after our mind with a demonic flood of accusations to move us away from our true identity and righteousness that we have in Jesus Christ. God will arise above this flood and fight for us by showing us clearly the eternal future of Satan. God will open up the earth and show us that we are redeemed and set free from every judgment Satan spews at us. He will show us that actually it is Satan who is judged and it is Satan who will eternally burn in hell.
This is a message for the discouraged. The enemy will come with lies to discourage us and that lie is to get us to think that we have labored in vain because of unanswered prayers and shattered expectations. It is very dangerous to allow this lie to fester in our heart. The Holy Spirit will awaken our spirit and mind to the truth that God will not fail us and that the verdict of our life is in His hands.
It doesn’t matter how far your sin has taken you. God’s word will always move you forward into repentance and reveal His heart and will for your life. God’s word will always take you to a place of victory in Jesus Christ. God has an expected end for us and His plans are good.
The wilderness is a place where we begin to realize without the strength and power of God we will not be able to go on. There has to be a determination in our heart to make hell tremble. Those who have learned in their wilderness experience to lean on the Lord will come out infused with His power and authority.