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