When God comes to a life in power, it is always a time of rejoicing and expectation for the future! Isaiah described this experience as similar to that of a child born to a previously barren woman. The child's arrival changes everything! Whereas the dwelling place might have been large enough for two, it must now be made bigger. The child's presence causes the parents to completely rearrange the way they were living. Isaiah proclaimed that when God comes, you must make room for Him in your life. You must “enlarge the place of your tent” because God's presence will add new dimensions to your life, your family, and your church. You do not simply “add Christ on” to your busy life and carry on with business as usual. When Christ is your Lord, everything changes. Whereas before you may not have expected good things to come through you or in your life, now you should have a spirit of optimism. You ought to expect your life to become richer and fuller. You can anticipate God blessing others through your life. You can look for God to demonstrate His power through your life in increasing measure. As a Christian, how do you make room for Christ in your life? You repent of your sin. You allow Christ the freedom to do what He wants in you. You watch eagerly for His activity. You live your life with the expectancy that Christ will fill you with His power in the days to come and will “stretch”you to do things in His service that you have never done before. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
It's been interesting this last year has been for me. As is right and proper, the Spirit opens the eyes of those He is working in. But the greatest danger is to put on those old rose colored glasses.
Here's the definition:
rose-colored glasses pl (plural only) Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: glasses that are tinted in a pink or rose shade. (idiomatic) An optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is.
Really consider that last line of the definition.
A song was out a few decades ago and it had a line in it:
"But these rose colored glasses
That I'm looking through
Show only the beauty
'Cause they hide all the truth"
That I'm looking through
Show only the beauty
'Cause they hide all the truth"
We are very very tempted to wear those very same rose colored glasses when viewing our world. We come up with justification and excuses for our behaviors. We dismiss any argument in light of what we see as ok.
Yet the truth remains. Read the letters to the Church's in Revelation. Those letters are for our ingestion. Those letters and the New Testament warnings about the times in which we live...these end times...are to correct us and get us walking with Jesus the way we are supposed to.
Why do you think "You shall have no other gods before Me" is so high on the list of the Ten Commandments? Why do you think "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and Spirit" was listed as the foremost commandant?
Because of Satan's rose colored glasses.
Looking at the world's pleasures and offerings for life and not seeing them as God does. Read the Old Testament and you will find those old glasses in use quite a bit. The loss of fellowship between God and Israel. Look at the Lord's reaction to His Chosen People crying out for a king like all the other nations in the world. "They have not rejected you. They have rejected Me."
We do the same in our time! The letters to the Church's in Revelation are written to our generation. The end times written about in Thessalonians and other places are written about our generation. The full on descriptions of how people would be.
Of how a real relationship with Jesus would take a back seat to the things in their lives. Of how lacking in discipleship people would be that they wouldn't recognize a wolf in sheep's clothing. They have their glasses on and refuse to see the truth! People calling themselves pastors whom Biblically are not. People creating positions in the Church that never existed in the New Testament. People in congregations being taught how to be entertained rather than how to grow in Christ.
Look again at the letters to the Church's.
The letters are from the Spirit. These are direct utterances from God to the Church's. John was not doing anything but exactly transcribing word for word what he was told to write.
The sad truth is all the named Churches are long gone. But the truth is those Churches represent various times in the Church age until Christ returns. So those descriptions are about our time.
Are you wearing rose colored glasses? Are you denying the faults and issues that the Spirit is trying to talk to you about? Jesus said that one of the things the Spirit would do is bring to remembrance and to teach. Are you ignoring the Spirit of God?
Is your enjoying life more important than your obedience to God? Have you been dismissing the Spirit's attempts at getting your attention?
Thing is the Scriptures say that God will not strive with man forever. There comes a time when a believer either will get with God's program or He will remove them in order to protect His Name. Scripture says at the Bema Seat that there will be people who's works will be entirely consumed by fire. Nothing will be left. To their shame.
They are saved but have nothing to show for themselves as to having lived for Christ. Frivolous things in life were far more important than a life lived for their Savior.
Does this describe you? It's not too late.
A Church revival is always heralded by a time of repentance. It begins with a few then spreads. Destroy your rose colored glasses if you are wearing them. Clean house and get it in order. As Scripture says we know not at what hour Jesus will come, and to be ready. So that it doesn't overtake you as a thief.
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