Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such
things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
In this very dark hour, even during this great Christmas season, people will be striving and running to and fro to buy and hopefully receive "great presents"
But to the Church I remind, we have already been given everything pertaining to Life and Godliness! In a recent family devotion I read the verse in Hebrews 13:5 to my wife and three kids "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" and after having them read aloud a verse that is recited a lot around our house, I asked them this question. "What does that mean? My oldest replied ..."well that God never leaves us" "and what does that mean to you?" I could see my son's thoughts kicking in.
I then went on to explain, how every night we come together to make a special invocation to Our Heavenly Father but that He is already there, BECAUSE HE NEVER LEAVES US, but that after we spend that time ...one son runs to X-Box and another to a laptop probably feels as though God has "gone away" to some other destination.
We have been told that King David was a man after God's own heart, and one of the great examples of that testimony was his reaction to the fact that Israel had lost the ark of God's Covenant Presence. He immediately sought out to recapture God's Ark and Presence.
And that I believe is the urgent call of His People even now, to realize that we have been given an incredibly amazing Gift that has been lost....we have lost the awareness of something Jesus came to reconcile and restore. The Very Near Presence of Almighty God as Abba Father!
Right now, in this fast paced telecommunicating world, we are bombarded non stop with news, and that news is like a mighty storm announcing its soon arrival. Impending Wars, Nuclear capability, murderous sprees of the most heinous of criminals, pedophilia being perpetrated by those thought above the law in name and stature, days of rage, riots, occupying this town and that city! Where is Hope?
Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This famous passage is telling us some great news, that is seemingly blinded by ceremony and tradition, Jesus was sent to destroy the Works of the Devil. What was the accomplishment of that work?? Adam and Eve walked with God, but when temptation came ...they sinned and were sent out away from a place that they had come to know as "home" where they lived with God. It wasn't that God had left them...He is Omni Present after all. It was that they had lost the awareness of His presence.
Right Now I have a huge burden to tell everyone who will listen, that it's "time to seek the Lord" It's time to "Turn to Him" This Christmas Season I believe is Like No Other Christmas since the first one, darkness is covering this earth and gross darkness the people. Just watch the News! Our God is desiring a Great Light to be seen in the midst of all this darkness. His "called out ones" Lifting Up His Son Jesus with total abandon to all this world has to offer in exchange for its silence. But here's the kicker ...we weren't created to do that without Him and that's a Good thing, because we can't! "It's not by might, nor by power but by MY Spirit says the Lord"
We truly do not realize how needy we are of His Presence! We are just as needy as Israel was when they had Him show up as a Fire by Night and a Cloud by Day....think not? When you are driving an interstate at 70 + mph and someone is driving next to you higher than a kite or so drunk they can't remember what they had just done an hour ago? Or what about the drug dealer's carrying that cargo with high powered ammunitions insured to protect the cargo...and one wrong look and they decide to use that ammo to deal with that look? So YES, We need God's Protective Presence in our lives
You Parents who have kids walking those war zones called public school hall ways, don't you want to know God's Glory is shielding them 24/7? I live in the bible belt but I'm not counting on that ....not in this hour. (Psalms 91 Lord)
You walk into your kitchen you open the "fridge" door and are glad to see that you have food, your favorite soda or chips are in the cupboard, aren't you thankful You have His Providing Presence in your life?? It's 20 degrees outside and you can see your breath when you walk outside but "thankfully" the heat is on and you have a good winter coat and clothing too! "Thank You God for Your Provision"
Your burdened with the cares of this life, bills are mounting, one of your kids are sick, your car needs new tires...aren't You glad you can call upon Almighty God in prayer for His Help during times of trouble?
But what I am burdened right now is with this, God is calling us to not just visit but live in His Abiding Presence by crossing over to the other side on a permanent basis....I explain this to my children by asking them if they remember the movie Chronicles of Narnia? And of course they do, since they make me watch it with them a lot.
Well during each movie, there is a special place where they can go to "cross over" into a new Higher World and place...where Angels Dwell and More Importantly where Jesus Dwells...and as I tell my daughter Ciera, I say "sis, that is what our prayer closet is supposed to be like, a place where we "Go to God" and ask Him to show us things which we do not know (Jeremiah 33:3) His ways are higher than our ways!! And we can abide in that place by praying without ceasing. "talking to Jesus all the time"
This Christmas, Our Father who art in Heaven is urgently desiring that we make like a kid at Christmas seeking HIM as our main present this year...again URGENTLY!
Why? Because He wants to pour out His heavy heart upon us His children to make like Santa's elves, distributing His Good News!!!
What are our greatest commandments? "To Love the Lord Your God with all your Heart, soul and Strength" “and to love our neighbor as our self” I've heard it asked..."how is love spelled? TIME"
Right now if your reading this I'm asking You to give God a Present this Christmas, Present Yourselves as living Sacrifices, Holy and acceptable for His service. HOW?
Surrender TIME, sacrifice Time by getting alone and have no other agenda than to seek His Face....Not what he has to offer. Those are a given that He has assured. "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and all these things will be taken care of". Trust that and instead of taking a lot of baggage into prayer, just take yourself and desperately make like King David and seek after the awareness of How Very Close He really is to your life and I pray that You like David will be able to testify in very short manner
Psalms 139: 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
The Great I AM, the One who has given us "everything pertaining to life and godliness" is wanting us to realize ...He Never Leaves us, and "behold I stand at the door of Your Life Knocking, and to them that Open I will come in and dine and fellowship and them with Me" Is there any greater PRESENT than that??
In His Presence is fullness of Joy, and that Joy is our Life's Strength....and that strength is dynamite power propelling us to joyfully go into all our worlds sharing that Christmas Presence with others...but we need to be Urgent ....for the hour grows late...and there is coming an hour where no man can work....
For Now is the appointed Time! "It is TIME to Seek the Lord"
****just reeling it off from the heart, I absolutely believe the heaviest thing on our Lord's Heart is for His People to PRAY!!! I'm sure you have heard it said that B.U.S.Y is short for Busy Under Satan's Yoke...and this world's on a busy, busy pace, but God has said "Be Still and Know that I am God" His peace that passes understanding is found when our mind is stayed or focused upon Him....TIME in His Presence will lead to eternal change ...and in light of eternity we need His Abiding Presence Now more than ever. There are so many people I know that don't know Him and I'm praying for God to raise up a time of revival and a great awakening (boldness upon His people) and I know that it won't come unless we his people are kneeling (it flat out won't happen) but the flip side of that is "the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much" "If My People Pray" is not just a easy quoted "cliche" The call to prayer is so easily blown off as a churchy term, but this is a time to "hear what the Spirit is saying to His Church".....PRAY!! When the Church starts meeting corporately just to PRAY will not mean that revival is coming, it will mean that has arrived, the fruit of that praying will be our lost family and friends being saved as Lot and His family were from Gomorrah" "it will produce a divine GO in our hearts for an assigned mission, it always has and always will"
Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Romans 13:11 11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
In Christ, Maranatha
Tim Cameron
