COMING TO THE END

There is an urgent need for the intervention of God in the Church within His people and in the affairs of the nations while seeking out those whom He can use for His purpose as the time in which man is in control of the nations is coming to an end. I do not know about you my friend, but all I see and hear in the world is falling apart. No matter how hard the world system and nations try to put it back together the world continues to deteriorate. It seems with each passing year the deterioration of the world increases in volatility and complexity. Sadly many churches and denominations seems to follow in the same destruction while not even noticing it. They think they are rich in God, spiritual, doing mighty works of God, but in reality they are poor, naked, and blind willfully following the blind into a ditch. In Revelation, John says of the Church at Laodicea, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (Revelation 3:17) I am not sure if we are in the Laodicea Church Age as many Christians say, but I do see the parallel of the spiritual where-with-all and heart condition then all now. I hear many in the church say we have the power, but Jesus said I have no power. I of myself I can do nothing except for what the Father gives me. In the past, with few exceptions, the LORD moved through human agency, but was limited by the level of faith and yieldedness in those He used. However, the LORD is beginning to transcend these limitations as things continue to fall apart. At the end of 2014 the LORD spoke to me which I have shared in many churches in early 2015 and one thought was, "life as we know it is no more." Oh how this has played out in the world. It seems with each passing year life speeds up as God's minute hand on His heavenly clock has proceeded another movement. Many Christians believe we are approaching the end of the sixth day when the Church Age will close and the Millennial Kingdom will be established. Now I do not know if this is true, but what I do know at this present time the LORD is preparing a body of believers, those who desire to go beyond their present spiritual experience and will respond to His voice in obedience to His end. After all I am not sure how much of the "Kingdom of God" was established in the earth, but my thoughts matter not because God has a plan and purpose and He will bring them to an end whether we like or agree with it. After all time belongs to God it is not ours to command nor worry about. No one (except God) can add one measure of time to our life or the plan God has for our lives. Jeremiah clearly states this to be true, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11) It is God who has these thoughts towards us and it is God who has "an expected end" for us. As world conditions increasingly deteriorate it is becoming evident that there is no lasting solution to world problems except through divine intervention, but and as I read the Bible I do not see things getting better for the world. Any possible method of dealing with these present world dilemmas is so elusive that leaders must come to recognize that they are incapable of any resolution of these problems. That is okay God has something better in mind He is bringing His plan and purpose in our lives and in the world to an end, both at the same time. This is the time in which the LORD will lift into His end purposes all those who have entered a state of rest in Him and are willing and available to be used, beyond any level of faith or ability that they may possess. This my friend will require a high level of personal integrity, dedication, and commitment. There are two aspects to God's end purposes. The first is to be able to bring an end to some things in us not of God -- to put them to death, to a dead end. If there is sin in our lives we must stop sinning, we must bring sin to an end in our lives. We must allow God to still and bring to an end our hungers, thirsts, our intentions, motives, our desires that are not of Him. Or maybe it is character issues, lack of integrity, and the like things not open sin, but still things not pleasing to God, we must allow God to strengthen us with might to bring them to an end in us. If not we will never ever be used of God as He desires. The second is for God to be able to bring some things (spiritually speaking) to an end in our lives so that He can bring new things into our lives. We may come to an end in one aspect of our life (schooling, marriage, retirement, etc) or in ministry. God's purposes for us may end (for example) pastoring a church or traveling the world preaching the Gospel, but that is not the end only the end of one phase of the purposes and plan God has for us. Now this can be a very trying and confusing time in our lives. I know I am there in ways and can taste of the seemingly loss of purpose. Often times we will think we may have missed it or maybe we have sinned and God is kicking us out, but probably that is not the case. If we know (and we most often do know) we are NOT over in some area of sin in our lives and things are changing (maybe in our desires or motives) in our lives please consider the fact that God may have brought these things of ministry in our lives to an end so we can move into the next things God has for our lives have they be greater or lesser in scope. There is no economy of scale in God's eyes, great to us maybe nothing to God. We will never come to completion unless God can move us along His continuum for our lives. We humans are slow to react to change. We do not like to change, but change in God is the norm not the exception, yet we resist with all that is within us. These two end purposes: to be able to bring an end to some things in us not of God and to be able to bring some things (spiritually speaking) to an end in our lives so that He can bring new things into our lives can be viewed as being like a two-sided coin. Each side is different yet it is one coin, but if we can submit to His Headship we become a part of a greater purpose for our lives. As we respond to the LORD in obedience we grow into spiritual maturity. This two-fold relationship is impossible of attainment apart from the sovereign hand of the LORD being stretched out in our behalf to qualify us for His purposes. Therefore, to merely read the Bible and mentally grasp them is not sufficient. They must be experientially entered, step upon step. Paul tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) Paul knew something about God working on him. It was not the good works Paul walked in that made him God's workmanship, oh no it was God's good plan and purpose for Paul life to change his character, desires, hopes, dreams all that God wanted Paul to become make him God's workmanship. To experience this level of identification we must unconditionally submit the totality of our being to God; all that I am, along with all that I do, and then specifically give Him permission to deal with us as He may desire. It is never the end in God. What does the future hold? I do not know and God usually is not telling. Yet man spins the Scriptures and the news of the day to come up with answers that seldom come true. They were known as false Prophets in the Old Testament, but today they are great Bible teachers. Do not be deceived by all of this. This time on earth is all about qualifying us for what God has next for us. Karen calls this earthly experience Christian boot camp where we learn the lessons and develop the ability to be able to function with God in our next life. Yes we will be able to do some things in the here and now in God, but I believe God is doing a deeper work in us, training us now so that we will useful in our next life. Training us now so when we get into our next life we will know how God functions and operates. He will not have to train us we will just flow with Him doing whatever He wants us to do. This allowing God to bring us to ends in our lives (while approving and qualifying us for greater and bigger things) is the first step in the process. We sing songs and write books about going to heaven yet we have never been there. Now I am sure it is going to be beyond my wildest imagination, but we do not really know. I think I like it better that way serving a God who is a mystery and has something waiting for me. Unfolding all He has for us as He is allowed to bring things in us to an end.  Written by David Stahl

THANK YOU LORD

Spring time is a wonderful time of the year that speaks of God's love for life and rebirth. This year (and yes I know I am telling on myself) this rebirth of nature really captivated Karen's attention: with each Bradford Pear (whose blossoms come out a brilliant white then turn into green leaves) she would see she would say thank you LORD for such a beautiful tree and oh look at those daffodils, tulip trees, on and on she would go in thankfulness to God for such beautiful creations to the point it would annoy me somewhat until the LORD showed me if I cannot be thankful to the LORD for the flowers and trees I will never have enough of His Spirit in me to thank Him for the other miracles He does in my life. What a wonderful lesson the LORD showed me through Karen, because at the heart of praise and worship (things we hold in high esteem in the church to the point of idolatry) at the very essence of our relationship with God is our thankfulness to God. "True" (always used in a spiritual projection from the natural to the spiritual realm) worship and praise is born out of our thankfulness. This is why many Christians can come to church week after week or day after day and not praise God or come into a place of worship -- lack of thankfulness. "True" worship and praise is born of and directed by the Holy Spirit and is birthed out of thankfulness. When a group of committed Christians who have never been together in a Gospel gathering worship the LORD it is the flow of the Spirit in a beautiful harmony that lifts up the hearts and spirits of the people. A casual observer might think they had been meeting together for years. This flow of worship is not the result of any learned ability, but rather it is due to their respect for and response to the presence of the LORD and the resultant lifting power of the Holy Spirit. Pure worship produces the unity that releases the Holy Spirit to impart the enabling power to lift us in a flow of a harmonious expression -- the heavens open and the presence of the LORD is released upon the gathering. Our worship will bring the Spirit of Revelation into a Christian gathering. It releases the anointing and the lifting power of the Holy Spirit upon the worshippers. As we respond to the presence of the LORD we will experience an increased purity and flow of Spirit and begin to receive prophetic revelation. This ability to flow together in harmony relates to the fact that we have received a prophetic ability to express worship to the LORD. This “spirit of worship” abides deep within each of us and awaits an opportunity for expression. All that is needed for us to begin to worship the LORD is the proper heart condition and some encouragement. “Worship” is the expression of pure adoration to the LORD and increases our desire to be in His presence. All throughout the Bible the word "worship" has been closely identified with bowing our heads and hearts to the ground not singing, dancing, or waving flags. We find Abraham's servant in Genesis worshipping, "And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son." (Genesis 24:48) The Children of Isreal and Moses in the Book of Exodus worshipped, "And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped." (Exodus 4:31) and Moses, "Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth ,and worshipped. 9And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance." (Exodus34:8-9) After Job lost his sons and daughters he worshipped, "While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped," (Job 1:18-20) The disciples worshipped, "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him." (Matthew 28:9) even Jesus worshiped, "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39) I wonder why we have gotten away from "true" worship? Maybe not much to see or hear when we are flat on our face. It is a key to our becoming sensitive to His presence and to our learning to recognize His voice. As we are faithful and thankful in our expression of worship to the LORD we will become increasingly more aware of His abiding presence and we will more easily discern His voice. Our heart condition to worship (our act of bowing ourselves before the LORD) will do much in helping to develop these spiritual qualities within us. Now “praise” is thankfulness to the LORD for all that He has done for us. In a service, drums and the like stir the soul (this usually is carnal and we must be very careful with music, instruments, and all that move our emotions and feelings) and those present begin to get excited and shout. However, when we become quiet in an attitude of "true" worship we will begin to worship the LORD "in Spirit and truth" and an expression of worship in harmony which will lift our hearts and spirits something impossible for the beat of loud drums. Praise is spoken words to the LORD for all that He has done for us individual and us collectively. Mere words coming from our heart expressing our gratitude, thankfulness, and love to God. I am not sure why we try to make these two expressions of communion with God more speculator with pomp and pageantry. The drum beat will excite our soulish nature (feelings and emotion), but will also reduce our expression to be thankful to the LORD leaving us far short of our desires and Gods' expectation in our gathering together. Satan knows this, but very few worship leaders do. There are many expressions of worship and praise within the Body of Christ, but most never get us to the heart of the LORD. There is a place of communion with God, blessed quietness, that He is looking for, but in most services (now and in the past) time is set aside for an emotional release (people are encouraged to dance, etc., but are told dancing is a sin) making a carnal assent to the GOD. Singing and dancing (what we call spiritual freedom and expression in worship) is not worshipping the LORD it is singing and dancing. "True" worship and praise to God is birthed out of thankfulness and cultivates the presence of the LORD in our lives. Moses both knew and valued the presence of the LORD. In Exodus Moses told the Children of Isreal, “And He (the Lord) said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he (Moses) said to Him, If Your presence go not with me, carry us not up here.” (Exodus 33:14-15) This intense desire within Moses to have the presence of the LORD abide with him did not just happen. It came about through circumstances (so too in our lives) that caused him to diligently seek the abiding presence of the LORD. Though Moses was “ . . . learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:22), he failed in Egypt and fled into the wilderness. Here while keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, he pursued the call that rested upon his life as he journeyed toward the Mountain of God. As he traveled, he noticed at a distance "to the side of his path" a bush which burned with fire, but was not consumed. We read from Exodus, “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” (Exodus 3:2) As soon as Moses noticed this burning bush, he said, “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned” (Exodus 3:3). He responded quickly to this visitation from the LORD -    This speaks of something within Moses that desired and was responsive to the presence of the LORD. When we engage in "true" worship and praise we too will turn aside please notice that the LORD appeared in a bush that was a “distance to the side” of the path that Moses was taking, even though he was moving toward the Mountain of God. This is because the LORD desires to be wanted. He seeks a response from us that indicates our desire for His presence. He chooses to reveal Himself in such a way that it requires a deliberate action on our part as an indication of our "true" desire for His presence. My friend please do not fool yourself our spiritual aptitude toward His presence does not come easily. It must be actively sought after and cultivated and "true" worship is a key to developing this spiritual sensitivity and aptitude for His presence. I am always amazed when people say things like, "let us enter into the presence of the LORD," well if not in the presence of the LORD where were they? Cannot God see us at all times? David knew He could, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;" (Psalm 139:7-9) Moses knew of this critical requirement to hear from the LORD, “And Moses said, I will now turn aside... And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I” (Exodus 3:3-4). Although Moses was intent on moving toward that which pertained to God he desired the presence of the LORD so much that he willingly responded to this manifestation of the supernatural. He was obedient to the voice of the LORD though at the time he did not understand what was taking place, but Moses wanted more he wanted to see the LORD Himself. God told Moses, "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33:20-23) What do we want to see of God? Each of us are affected by the worldly environment that surrounds us. As a result of this we develop varying amounts of sensitivity to earthy things. When we were birthed from above we received the capacity to know and respond to eternal things. Through the working of the Holy Spirit within us, we began to understand that we are now a new creation and that we have entered a new and higher realm of life. We learn that the purpose of the LORD is not only to build up the temporal, but also to introduce us to the spiritual. This deeper understanding will help us to turn aside from lesser things and to focus our attention on eternal things by cultivating an increased sensitivity to His voice and presence. Everything that we do in a gathering should be directed toward our coming into this dimension of His revealed expression. We should develop this sensitivity to His presence so we will be able to recognize His presence, and know when to turn aside to lift our voice in pure worship. When Moses responded to the LORD’s presence in the burning bush and turned aside, the LORD spoke to Him and imparted the instructions that led to the deliverance of His people from bondage. The LORD enabled Moses to lead them into a land that was flowing with milk and honey. The value of our "true" praise and worship (not our emotional assent) is far more than we may realize. It releases the LORD to move in intervention as when we worship, the LORD works on our behalf. And, although the LORD has all the choirs of heaven to lead in heavenly worship, He responds and inhabits our praise and worship which all begins with our thankfulness.  Written by David Stahl