Friday, March 16, 2012

Manifestation and Separation: The "Fast" and The "Slow"



NOTE:This is the second of a series of posts dealing with what is sometimes referred to as the "Apostasy" or the "great falling away".


A lot of Christians refer to the "End-time Revival", "Latter Day Rain" or the "Outpouring" regarding the coming move of God on this earth. Many look to the current state of degeneration of this planet as the primary sign that the end is near. In the meantime, there is a stealth operation that the enemy has already launched. I referenced this in an earlier blog titled "A Message to Watchmen:The Smokescreen of False Doctrine" posted in July of 2011. I won't detail all of that here, however.

While many, include those in the Body of Christ are looking UP,  there is an agenda that the devil is using to destroy the Body from WITHIN. Jesus said that the first sign of the end would be deception sent by the evil one (Matthew 24:4b). The devil has been at it since Genesis chapter 3 and he has not stopped. Why? Because it is working. I have said this numerous times and I will continue to state it: the main reason for deception is that the Church in large part has abandoned the path that the Holy Spirit has laid out for us through the Word of God. We have abandoned His leadership and replaced it with our own. Many name the Name of Jesus but are not following Him. These are the very ones who will hear "Depart from Me" on that Day. I don't know about you, but I DO NOT want to be numbered in that group!

Praying in the Spirit, Fasting, Worship and spending time studying, meditating and speaking the Word is the antidote to what the devil is doing. A word of prophecy came forth some years back through this preacher I know where the Lord said this: "The fast will go faster, and the slow will go slower" (I'm paraphrasing). I have meditated on this particular phrase from time to time. Over the years I have come to realize that there is indeed a "slow lane" and a "fast lane" when it pertains to us believers. The "slow lane" is soul - those that have given themselves over to their senses, what they see in the natural. They look for signs and are most susceptible to the spirit of fear because they are "sense-ruled". Having not been rooted and grounded in truth--not spending time in the presence of God--they set themselves up to be "taken out". The "fast lane" is Spirit- those who have taken the time to separate themselves and spend time in Holy Spirit fellowship. In the coming days there will be more of a divide between the "fast" and the "slow", what I like to call "manifestation and separation". The spirit of the world has invaded the church. Many have noticed it and spoken out against it; the sad part about this is, the majority of the church does not care. Why? Because many of them are caught up in it themselves, or they think it is harmless.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.- 1 John 2:19

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1

These are two passages among many that talk about separation due to false teaching and how to combat them. In many cases, those in the church may not have left physically, but even though they are present within the body (for now, at least) their heart belongs to the world, the things of the world and the god of this world. In due time, these things will come to pass.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Rome, spoke about "falling away". In his introduction, he made a reference which can be easily overlooked by some but is a key statement, not only in the context of what he was about to say next, but to much of the book of Romans itself:

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; - Romans 1:9

The phrase "with my spirit" is key here because he goes on to diffrentiate what it means to be led by his born-again spirit rather than by his soulish intellect.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17
The gospel that is of the world, influenced by satan, has no power because it is sense-ruled and carnal. It is a "feel-good" gospel that equates material goods with God's blessings. This is what those with "itching ears" will embrace and will be drawn away from true fellowship with the Holy Ghost, the true source of power. Without naming any names, this "gospel" is quite popular among many mega-churches and mainstream Christian television nowadays.For the sake of brevity, I will end here. In my next post we'll take a look at the gospel that satan is preaching from christian pulpits on a regular basis. I hope to be posting within the next few days.
Until then, be encouraged!
 

4 comments:

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    1. Thanks...I really appreciate you taking the time. Blessings!

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  2. As Pastor Dave would say:"Well...? Get on with it!"

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    1. Actually Matt, it was a young lady named Angie who would always say that when Pastor Dave was preaching on "The Born Again Trail" series. I always thought that was pretty funny whenever I heard it. :-)
      Be patient...the next installment will be up in a few days. Thanks for stopping by...God Bless!

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