Courage To Stand In This Glorious Harvest
By Jorge Parrott, All Scriptures from AMPC
The heat is on and it is getting hotter! There is so much going on in the unseen, spiritual realm as well as in the natural, seen world. There is great sifting going on now in the earth as the wheat and tares are about to be separated. The chaff will be burned up and the purified silver will be skimmed off. The Refiner’s fire is hot! Our Lord is a consuming fire! We are in the time of great shaking so that everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that which cannot be shaken will remain. Hebrews 12:26-29
We can easily become shipwrecked over petty debates, pride, the religious spirit (always having to prove oneself as right), cultural static, and ‘high-tech stalking formulas’ on the prowl to divide and even pit brethren, friends, and families against each other. The enemy is Satan, not our brothers and sisters. Where is the holiness needed to see God? Hebrews 12:14 Where are the miracles signs and wonders following preaching of the Word in simplicity and power? Mark 16:20 When we preach Christ and Him crucified the Holy Spirit shows up to demonstrate in power to melt the hardest of hearts. 1 Corinthians 1:23-30
The courage to persevere and remain steadfast in faith and single-mindedness produces fruit that remains. This joy in the journey and faith with true spiritual hunger and sheer desperation for the Lord can overcome every trial and hardship as we keep our eye on the prize, Jesus. In the first chapter of Joshua we read ‘be strong and of good courage’ three times. Our entry into our promised land awaits as we stay pure in our hearts with clean hands. We know the golden truth in Galatians 6:9 says ‘to not grow weary in well-doing.’ In this chaotic season, we are seeing the glory of the Lord lighting the path for Jesus lovers to press on if we faint not knowing that glory will shine brighter and brighter as the darkness spreads.
Isaiah 60:2 “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.”
We are in such a Biblical, historical time of great opportunity to stand and to continue to stand. Our faith is being stretched, strengthened, and tested during this time of intensity of evil and darkness spreading. We must persist in the faith or join the mass demonic deception Jesus warned us about. We must contend for the faith during this dark hour. Desperation and hunger for the Lord create a great urgency in God’s people to be about the Father’s business and not waste the opportunities which abound all around us.
The courage to obey our Lord at this time for some is a very real challenge and even bigger opportunities await the sons of God in the remnant and ecclesia praying for and strengthening each other. Now is the time for contending for the faith to hunger for more of His presence. Discipleship takes discipline. That takes time seeking His face, watching and listening for the slightest whisper. There is a lot of static sent by the enemy of our soul to distract us. The vibrations of heaven at times can seem hidden unless we hone our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Our hunger for His presence requires attention and intention as we guard our hearts and spiritual senses.
Heb. 4:16 invites us to come boldly into His throne room to receive grace and mercy in time of need. Our humble devotion, love for holiness, and courage lead to stalwart persistence in our faith, together with, often a few trusted friends who are committed to the Truth, Jesus He is our only hope and compass to sail through the stormy, dark seas of this world. He beckons us to step out of the boat with Him. The Lord does not have a Plan B nor should we. All around us we see evil turmoil, chaos, darkness, manipulation, witchcraft, greed, corruption, and a vacuum of Christ-like and godly leadership. If we don’t step forward, who will?
Yes, there are many standing strong even as many are sadly falling away, both as individuals and many churches. We each have a choice to press on, as never before, or retreat into the slippery slope of the widening chasm of fear and despair in the mainstream of deception and lukewarmness. This fear is often rooted in secular humanism and political correctness, not wanting to offend others.
Jesus offended many because they thought they knew it all needed shaking to their core. Speaking the truth in love puts friendships and even family ties at risk. We now have to ask ourselves, ‘do we want to be known as man pleasers or as friends of the Lord and sons of God?’
Romans 8:7-8 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” See also Heb 11:6.
Just as Elisha asked the Lord to open the eyes of his servant to see there are a great many more with them than against them, many in the Body of Christ feel overwhelmed and lost because their spiritual eyes are not opened yet. But God….He is wooing our spirit-man or woman, turning the evil meant for us into His good. Rom. 8:28 He who has eyes to see and ears to hear are watching and listening in this season that prophets of old could only dream of. Here we are ‘in the thick of it’ is truly a time of Biblical, historical change laid at our doorstep. The way is narrow and not easy but worth it all.
Meanwhile, the prophetic trumpet call, the Spirit of Jesus Revelation 19:25 grows louder from Mt. Zion as we see the Lord fulfill what He has spoken. Many foundations are being torn down in order to be rebuilt on the pillars of Truth and Righteousness in His people! Soon, more and more will see and choose to raise up the standard of Jesus, the Captain of the host of the Army. The Lord told Gideon to win their victory with only three hundred obedient warriors. God’s remnant, victorious overcomers may not be as many as hoped for but completed work on the cross by Jesus has finished already in eternity. It’s up to each of us to die to ourselves and answer His call. Choose this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15
Encountering His Presence Behind Enemy Lines
As the enemy takes more ground for now I am reminded in my travels to closed or oppressive nations I have often seen man’s futile attempts at stifling God’s remnant often backfires clearly and leads to an unstoppable explosion of the faithful, with determined and creative ways to overcome the superficial resistance with single-mindedness, joy, worship, and faith behind the scenes or underground, when needed. The pressure cooker of strife, persecution, even martyrdom, and genocide is a harsh and striking reality none who are faint-hearted want to experience but many wills before Jesus comes back. We read in the Bible this intensity of persecution will escalate so we need to prepare. The distress and pain of what the Lord experienced on the cross for our priceless salvation is eternity altering yet the Lord refines many in the fire of faith over fear. Immanuel! What Jesus did on the cross for us is beyond our comprehension. The revelation of the cross changes our understanding of life in the Spirit vs. the worldly ways in our carnal intellect.
We must choose to press into that high calling of Jesus Christ for ourselves and together, as His Body, with Christ always the head.In James 1:2-8 “ My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
The pressures of this mass deception will be turned into the fueling fire of revival and glorious harvest. Jesus warns us to not be deceived. This huge shift will even lead to the destinies of sheep nations being born or as in the case of America, being reborn! But first, more self-examination and heart-searching by individuals, churches, and nations leading to repentance is needed and surely coming, get ready.Sheep and goat nations are being prepared. Every nation is made up of people and people are made up of individuals. Who has the Lord placed in your path or sphere you are personally responsible for? Be bold and courageous my friend. Each day presents new opportunities for sowing seeds as we work to keep our hands and hearts pure. See Eze. 3:18One Soul At A TimeAfter the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010 on one of my visits there, helping to coordinate disaster relief, we drove around the main plaza in the capital of PAP lined with thousands of tents and homeless people and the broke-down presidential palace. Seeing the broken palace I asked the Lord how can this nation be changed? He replied, ‘This nation will be changed one soul at a time.’ Can a nation be changed in a day? Yes! We will see many ‘suddenlies’ both in our own lives and the destiny of nations.
Isaiah 66:8 “Who has heard such a thing?Who has seen such things?Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?Or shall a nation be born at once?For as soon as Zion was in labor,She gave birth to her children.”Jesus says in John 12:32 “ And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.”Isaiah 42:13 “The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man;He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;He shall prevail against His enemies.”
Prayer: Father, we pray in faith together as we surrender our will to Your will. Let Your holy fire ignite our holy fear and may revival start in each one of us in our house and family and friends. Lord, let us walk in all your ways, humbly and let Your perfect love cast out all fear as Your peace wells up to overflow as we dig our own well with absolute surrender in our yielded flesh and seek your ancient paths to destroy the works of the enemy and help us to be wise in winning souls, for your glory Abba Father! We are not alone Poppa and we ask You to connect us with Your heart and Your friends as One. John 17 Amen.
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