Life in His Presence

About a month ago I felt like an assignment of the enemy was to release a paralyzing fear against believers in America.

As the Lord began speaking to me about this release of fear, I saw many of His children were going to find themselves struggling with fear over what the future would bring.

It is Not Time to Hide

Many believers think the answer to the fear and uncertainty they are feeling is to hunker down and hide until things are looking better. This is the worst mistake we could make right now because we would be giving in to the enemy. That is the trap set for us.

It is critical that we not hide. Now is the time to take a bold stand and embrace the risk of living for the message of the cross. This is truly an exciting time to be a believer and things have never looked better for the Body of Christ.

The Lord is positioning his army to walk in the full authority He has already given us. It is a time when His people will step into the greatness that He has called us to. This is the time when those who are truly walking with the Lord as one crucified with Christ will be begin to experience the enormous power of a Father who loves us.

Jesus gave us a mandate:

Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

- Matthew 10:8 New American Standard

Jesus didn’t say that He wanted some of us to cure the sick and some others to raise the dead. He was commanding all of His followers to do all of these things. Jesus said that we were going to be given authority to do greater things than even He did while on earth. Walking in the supernatural things of God should be absolutely normal for us. A normal life for a child of God should include seeing miracles take place on a regular basis. Yes, the Lord wants to do miracles through you, in you and for you.

So, why hasn’t the American church seen a widespread move of the miraculous things of God?

I believe we have a great example to look at in the Old Testament. When Moses came down from meeting with God, the Israelites were afraid of what they saw. They decided they would be better off if they just let Moses commune with the Lord while they went about life as usual.

Are We Willing to Pay the Price?

Moses paid a price for the friendship he had with the Lord. It took time, commitment, a willingness to be persecuted. The people of Israel, as a whole, were not willing to pay that price. They would rather have one person who risked it all and would go to speak to the Living God and come back to tell them what He was saying.

Can you see the parallel in American churches today?

Many of us have been comfortable with allowing a handful of public figures to carry the message, move in miracles like healing, and basically hear from the Lord for us. There is nothing wrong with honoring those that have been appointed to serve in leadership.

We absolutely should be giving them the honor they deserve. I believe where we have fallen short of our purpose is by assuming that those well known public figures who have large ministries are the only ones who have been given a mandate by God to walk in supernatural power. We have created Moses-figures and left them to go up the mountain alone.

Taking on Risk

Risk. It is something the American church has largely shunned. We live in a society where natural comfort is regarded as the highest accomplishment.

In a country where we have been given more freedom to outwardly show what life is like living in relationship with the Lord, many American believers have chosen a quiet, complacent life. Much of the church in America has settled for living the American Dream as the ultimate sign of God’s favor.

It is time for all believers in this country to realize that affording a nice house and cars, having job security and plenty of money in savings is not the measurement for God’s fullness. There is so much more for us than we have imagined!

Losing the Fear of Losing Everything

Many believers are being shaken by the recent economic downturn and gripped with a fear of losing everything. We should be the ones who are not fazed in the least. Jesus encouraged us for such times:

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:20-21 New American Standard

Let’s break out of the pattern of allowing only a few to be vessels of the miraculous power of God and fulfill the calling that Jesus has entrusted to us all. Other believers around the world have already been experiencing this move of God because they are not as caught up in the “ease of life” that many Americans seek.

They have learned that there is much greater glory in losing your life for the sake of Christ.

In His Presence,

Cheri

I hope this post was encouraging.

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