A Defining Moment - Part 2
Quite some years ago, I heard some words in a song. They went something like this: ’ Because we say amen, it does not mean our conversation has to end’. Those words echo in my mind time and again. When we pray, we often expect to hear something from the Lord there and then. But prayer is fundamentally the place of requisition and petition. Once we have finished the formal part of the conversation with the Lord, we then have to be patient and listen. The answer may tally or it may come sooner. The important thing is to be in constant communication.
At the beginning of the week, I took myself out again to the moors, about a half hour's drive. I go to this place quite often. Walking through the forests, the grounds are carpeted with bronzed and variegated leaves and the broken branches and twigs, lie like dry bones on the surface. What strikes me is that some have been stripped of their bark, whilst others, lying wet and rotten have become homes for other species like the various types of mushrooms that abound in the dampness of the forest. The pine trees are reasonably bear now as the autumn fall has had its season upon them.
What I find is that we as humans learn very quickly to adapt to our surroundings in most cases. We simply set our minds to design, and come up with something that suits us. Creation, those things outside our control, on the other hand, respond to simply what is natural and to the conditions in which they live, roam and sleep. There is a cycle of things. Each animal and plant and other living things stay and function as they were created.
The Lord has been speaking to me about how this hour is a defining moment and that we must strive to maintain the course that we have been given. It is indeed a narrow way. We must check our compasses and align them with His pointer. In map reading, this is called orientation. On a compass, there are some points that must work together to keep us in the direction we need to go. They are the ‘orientation arrow’, the needle, the directional line, the index line and the 4 cardinal points.
It’s very easy to misread a compass but easy when you know how all of these work together. I am saying all of this because we need to be acutely aware of how God lines things up for us. If we draw near to Him, outside influences cannot affect us; He keeps our path straight and commands His angels around us.
I didn’t take a map with me as I was pretty sure of the route, but then I noticed another path which I had not travelled before. So I got my trusty phone out and opened up Google Maps. It gave me a general route to follow. I took the new route which took me further up onto another incline. I came to a farm, and on top of a little knoll was a thick iron pole with what seemed to be a round table top. The sign near it read,’ Please do not put barbecues on this surface’. That caught my eye. What was so important about the surface? Walking up to the construction, I saw that it was a viewpoint. Every point of the compass was written upon it with land markers and towns in their true directions. It was a grand sight to view the panorama from such a beautiful vantage point.
When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His word,
When we walk with the Lord in the light of his WordWhat a glory he sheds on our way!While we do his good will, he abides with us still,And with all who will trust and obey.Trust and obey, for there's no other wayTo be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,But his smile quickly drives it away;Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh nor a tear,Can abide while we trust and obey
Google showed me the paths around but the yellow walking route markers were hard to find. I carry my monocular which helps highlight such markers in the distance. I followed one marker that led through a shooting range; obviously, I was not meant to be there and fortunately, the range was quiet for the season. I worked my way back and followed another yellow arrow. This time it took me through the forest and then I saw that within the long grasses and hidden in the bushes were numerous clay pigeon release machines, still stocked with columns of clay disks. They reminded me of hi-tech rocket launchers. I had wandered into a private estate.
The markers on the fences and the trees that told me that I was free to roam, were outdated. Google had only been of partial help. It told me where I was but didn’t really show me the right course to take. Nonetheless, it was an adventure with the Lord.
You see, what the Lord shows us is that we must always depend on Him for our direction. What we learn is that man designed the maps, made the roads and wrote the directions we travel upon them. Have you ever been travelling down a road to find that some distance along you are stopped by a road closure or a diversion sign? Have you ever been using a sat-nav and know an alternative route to what the navigator wants you to travel? You see, the devices we depend upon can direct us every which way. One degree out of line on a compass bearing can send us miles out from our destination point.
When everything is in line with our objective point we know that our path is defined. However, it is very easy to run off course. This is why we need not only to be workers but watchmen. ‘God-given tasks are given God-given directions’.
If you are working in ministry, specifically, you need to understand this, because you are not only walking the path yourself but are leading others too. So it’s important to check the compass bearing very often.
Beloved friends wrote to me to express their thanks for sharing my word on ‘a defining moment’.
It had never occurred to me to look up what that means. My concern was to simply relay the message I felt the Lord had given me.
This is what a defining movement is: a point at which the essential nature or character of a person, group, etc., is revealed or identified. (Collins Dictionary)
It also means the point at which a situation is seen to start to change: ( Cambridge Dictionary)
How strange, that for me this time of reflection falls around Hannukah and the Christmas period.
Metaphorically, I could see the light travelling toward me but it’s only when it’s closer that I can see things a lot clearer. This season for me is a time of deep contemplation and compass checking.
We must thank God, the object of our focus and destiny, for telling us who we are. He is the one who defines us despite the efforts of the lawmakers and the woke sayers and voices of this evil generation. However, I believe that although God forgives us of our old carnal ways, He also is constantly reminding us of them -
‘ Be careful not to fall back into the old ways my son’.
I do not want to do that, fall back, that is. But despite my resolve to walk the narrow path, I know that the flesh is weak and so I must by His grace overcome those weaknesses and discipline my soul, especially the voice that tries to remind me of the mistakes of the past.
How wonderful and amazingly gracious is our God, who has our destiny in hand. The defining moment for a follower of Messiah Yeshua is knowing who we are in Him, and that He knows us better than we know ourselves. David’s family saw him as a youth — the youngest and least experienced among his sibling troop, but God had defined him as a king.
God uses imperfect vessels to show His perfection. He shows us how fallen we have become when we look to the heights of His glory and holiness. Can we truly be holy as he is holy? It seems a big ask.
God is separate from all other beings and He wants us, His children, to be separate from those who do not accept Him as Father. Defining moments need defining and courageous choices need to be made.
Now, imagine life as a railway journey. There are ‘on stops’ and ‘off stops’ - destination points along the desert highway of the wilderness. We might not know every twist and turn in the rail line but the train driver does. It is for us to know the right on and off stops and to put our trust in his capable expertise. This evil generation wants to go on the experiential roller coaster - not too concerned about where the train is going so long as it’s a fun ride. Little do they know that the train is on automatic, the driver left long ago and the rail track is about to run out over a broken bridge along the way.
It is our duty to tell them that this is the case. We can shout and bawl, and some may choose to pull the emergency cord, but alas, most will not choose to do so. As far as they are concerned, they have defined their own paths and who, indeed, they are — choosing not to listen or to search out their Creator’s voice. You see their viewpoint is purely selfish and subjective. Every believer must know that this is not the case for them — our object and marker is Christ.
We have been defined by His name and pursue His image and character.
Isaiah 43 says…..
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are Mine!
2When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you go through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched;
the flames will not set you ablaze….
It goes on to say,
18“Do not call to mind the former things;
pay no attention to the things of old.
19 Behold, I am about to do something new;
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?….
And further more,
25 I, yes I, am He
who blots out your transgressions for My own sake
and remembers your sins no more.
If the Lord knows our ways and sees our iniquities and chooses to forget them as well as forgive them, then how much more does this refine the ways we define ourselves?
I want you to join me in standing in the defining moment for your life and your ministry. Listen to how God defines you in Him and in His divine work.
Are you on course, or have you veered off the track?
Going back to my ramble this week, God allowed me to follow the signs men had put on the trees. I walked through a dead and sleeping forest; the pine cones had all fallen and the acorns were eaten by the squirrels and the deer. It’s a lovely thing to walk through the quietness of the forest, but often when the season has come and gone, what we end up trampling through is not only the dead wood but what the winds choose to leave behind.
In this hour, I have been stopped - the train waits and is being refuelled, ready for the whistle to blow for the onward journey. When this will be, I don’t know. The timetable seems out of date and the workers have gone on strike. Is my onward journey in jeopardy? Not at all. For now, the Lord has not told me to get off. Nothing is coincidental and everything is on time.
You and I, dear reader, stand at a pivotal time in the history of the world, and especially the Church. A soldier listens to the orders of His commanding officer. He A DEFINING MOMENT - Part 1
The Lord has impressed that we are in a defining moment. Something that is defined has been made definite. The Truth of God’s word is defined and it defines the order in the cosmos, of all things in heaven and on earth.,
We must not forget that there are not only wars here on earth, between the nations and the people; there are wars in the heavenlies between principalities who war over territories and the will of God.
In this war between Israel and Gaza, we must define some truth if not the whole truth. Hamas is not specifically a terrorist organisation, and neither is Hezbollah, they are a violent anti-Christ spirit that has embodied Islam.
Islam has already captured sympathisers, and many will, no doubt, align themselves with the religion of Islam and fundamentally the anti-Christ. These are the days in which we are living. They are a precursor to the tribulation to come.
Kingdoms as well as nations are at war. The kingdom of God is also in conflict with the religious kingdoms of the world. False religions and the false prophet is emerging, taking his seat on the church stage. Following the ending of the recent synod, Pope Francis has expressed his wishes to redefine the church and the Bible to make it relevant for today's world and cultures. The Anglican church is also fervently pushing for policies to change; they want marriage between gay clergy to be accepted. This is pure wickedness and profanity. If they want to redefine the scriptures and remove the presence of God who is the Father, then we will see the hand of God move rapidly. God is the truth - He is the definite article. The defining moment will see the schism and the true church will emerge from the chasm.
We have witnessed since 2015 specifically, the growth of redefinition; the Church, multiple and aggressive agendas on sex, marriage, and woke-ism have all been at the top of the narrative for years now. This agenda has been drip-fed into the culture and the brains of the ignorant and the Covid pandemic showed us that dimwittedness and lack of common sense have prevailed. People became susceptible to the virus because the platform to receive it was inserted into them.
But if we seek to redefine the name and character of God, His wrath will come upon us quickly. He is not pleased. We must pray for His house and our family.
Remember how the crowd wanted to seize the visitors to Lot’s house? If we are praying for Israel, then this is what we are praying for.
Lot went outside to attend to the crowd. The angels could have done that, but they didn’t. Their task was to save Lot and his family because, despite Lots’ choice to live in Sodom, he prayed. After all, he was finding living in this wicked society hard. 2 Peter 2.
The Lord responds to the prayer of the righteous. When we pray, we must confirm and define the truth and the borders to the realms of heaven and earth. We must make it clear to principalities that there are lines that cannot be crossed.
In Mark 13:32-35, Yeshua speaks about the a man who goes away leaving his servants in charge of his house. These servants are given tasks and they must also remain watchful for his return.
This is a message to us all in the house of YHVH. Are we maintaining the house? Are we attending to our tasks, and are we remaining watchful, or are we just believing that YHVH has it all in hand and that these things are given to someone else more adequate than ourselves? This defining moment is about taking care of the responsibilities we have been given, and if you think you haven’t been given any, then you need to return to the book and see what the master has written down for you.
This hour has been defined as the hour of action. Has the order been given to come out of the trenches? I believe it has. I leave this message to you. Shema means we hear the word of the Lord and respond, and respond appropriately. It's time to take this battle seriously if we are to hasten our Messiah’s return.
If our actions are not responsive enough, then we need to define what is the appropriate and right reaction to the threat that has been released. Draw near to the Lord and pray as Lot did. Hear His voice for yourselves. The Lord is our habitation, our ever-present help in times of trouble.
Shalom. stays still until the order to advance is given. So wait patiently, desist from your busyness and learn to become a good watchman.
It is said that the devil makes work for idle hands. He also keeps us busy with things that simply won't bear fruit. It is these things that take up our time.
We need to become courageous my friends. Every good work comes from the Father and we can only bear fruit if we remain in the Son. The parable in Luke 13:9 gives the viewpoint of the vine owner and the vine keeper. The vine owner sees that the vine is taking up good soil and will not bear fruit. The vine keeper, on the other hand, has too much time invested in the tree and wishes to save it, asking for another year. There are some points in their parable; the owner has already made up his mind, and we are not told if the vine keeper's request is granted. I would suggest that the vine owner knows something that the vine keeper does not. What we also see is this; from the vine keeper’s perspective, all his hard work is not easy to give up. The tree has become an idol.
If you have been holding on to something, something that you have been putting a lot of hard work into and simply not bearing any fruit, then maybe you need to listen to the words of the vine owner and pay attention to this parable.
This is indeed a simple message but a hard one to execute. However, in the parable, we must not forget that this is referring to Yeshua’s ministry to Israel. Friends, God the Father, had to make a very hard decision in choosing to act upon His vineyard. Remember that we are only tenants when in comes to working in His field.
If we want to define ourselves as a good tenant then we must listen to the landlord’s request. It is only when the seed dies that it will bear fruit. Understanding the position of the tenant and the death of the seed are the defining moments.
Shalom.
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