Poem - Jesus Reigns

by Tony Clark

I may feel lost and not know which way to go - Jesus reigns
I may be stuck in sin unable to see the light - Jesus reigns
I may have lost that which was dear to me - Jesus reigns
I may be full of fear, overcome - Jesus reigns
Jesus reigns in spite of me
Just because I’m having a bad day doesn’t mean that God is off the throne.

The Desperate Place

by Glenice Mills

The body of Christ is in and coming into a greater positioning of ‘the desperate place’.
The truth is the church in western nations has become complacent and carried away by the ‘happy clappy’, ‘name it claim it’ doctrine that has lulled many Christians into a place of false comfort and peace. Religious traditions by the hand of man will not sustain God’s people in times ahead. This is not a criticism but a reality check for we must know where we are at right now, so we can be all that we are meant to be in the coming days and times.

There has been much talk about the end times and those with eyes to see will know that signs of the end of the age as shown in Scripture are starting to come to pass.
If this is so, then we must realise that God is looking for a people who are prepared to walk through these difficult times, positioned to speak truth and preach the gospel to what will be a desperate people. Most Christians in the Western church have not experienced persecution or endured hardship that has meant they are totally reliant on the Lord for their very substance, for their very life.

I have often thought if we are in the time of the re-establishing of the apostolic/prophetic back into the church then we must be positioned to need to know what the Lord is doing in these times. We see in the Bible how the Apostle Paul and his men and women spoke out and confronted the evil practices of the day, and addressed issues of righteousness in government, in both governance of nations and the church. We would be naïve to think that this would not be so today as the Lord raises up His apostles and prophets.

The Lord is bringing many of His people to the desperate place. The church has forgotten the truth that the desperate place is actually a way of God. Most of us came to salvation because we were desperate, needing His help. It does not stop at salvation, and in fact there will be many times where one is brought to the end of themselves as God allows things to happen to stop and bring us to a place of crying out to Him from a desperate heart. This is not a negative thing but as you will see it is actually crucial for ushering in new beginnings. It is a part of our walk with the Lord. This in fact flies in the face of the hyper faith, name it claim it, shallow pandering to man’s agenda to feel good, appeasing gospel that has been preached in recent decades.

This is a wake up call, a rallying cry, to get us out of the place of complacency and into position for what the Lord has for us all in the times ahead.

So what does it mean to be desperate?

Desperation means: to be utterly without a way so ‘to be quite at a loss’, without resource, in despair. Desperation is also a readiness to take any action in the desperate situation. The truth is God does not show Himself great in abundance, He works in emptiness. The dry, barren place is where the blessing is.

So how can this line up with the thinking that says ‘come to the Lord and all will be well, name it and claim it as mine doctrine’ that is regularly preached from our pulpits? How does that help the struggling Christian who is in financial ruin, who struggles with sin issues such as lusts and addictions? How does that help the family who is falling apart because of division, hatred and turmoil because the family is broken and hurting? If we are going to be relevant in these and coming days we must recognise the truth of the ‘desperate place.’

The desperate place actually positions us for breakthrough! However, we have to be willing to allow the Lord to bring us to desperation.

Desperation can be likened to a woman in labour, as the contractions increase, in order to bring the baby to birth. Every women who has had a child knows the anguish in the transition time when the cervix is fully dilated and the pushing begins to occur.  There is such anguish that she cannot be quiet, she must cry out, and groan and moan to bring about the birth. It is interesting to note that the word anguish means a narrowness of place, a compressing. There is an anguish of soul. David’s soul was afflicted in his anguish. He was brought low ready to die as seen in many of the Psalms. This speaks not only of death in the natural, but of a desperation of death to his soul.

Psalm 88:15-18

But to You I have cried out, O Lord,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
Lord, why do You cast off my soul?
Why do You hide your face from me?
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth;
I suffer Your terrors;
I am distraught.

The enemy of desperation is complacency. Complacency is the state of being self satisfied, calmly content. Perhaps it can be likened to being lukewarm as spoken of in Revelation 3:16.

Unfortunately complacency is an easy trap to fall into particularly as it can be a way of life for many in Australia under the stronghold of ‘she’ll be right mate’. So long as life appears to be going well we can be lulled into a ‘ho-hum’ way of living and being until circumstances stir us up to arise and ‘come to life’. When we are desperate we will rouse from complacency and become passionate for life to come.
A great example in the Bible is of Hannah. She is a barren women needing a miracle.
Maybe you are in the barren, dry place? This is where the blessing is! It may not appear to be so but this is where God works in our emptiness. God doesn’t show Himself great in abundance, He works in emptiness!
We see her desperation in 1 Samuel 1:2-19. There are some important keys in these verses that help us to understand the ‘desperate place’.

• The Lord closed Hannah’s womb. It was by the hand of God that she was unable to conceive. Perhaps you are in difficult circumstances because it is the Lord wanting to bring desperation for a change in circumstances to come. Maybe you are in the place of needing a miracle?

• Hannah had a rival who delighted in her plight and took great joy at her grief of soul. Hannah’s husband, Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah provoked her severely, in other words she was ridiculed at the most extreme level a person can bear. Yet Hannah did not lash out. Perhaps you are experiencing persecution beyond what you feel you can bear? How are you reacting to the wrongs being done against you?

• She was provoked year after year. This was not a short lived annoyance, this went on for a very long time!! This led Hannah to the desperate place. Maybe this is you right at this moment? She was grieved in heart and nothing could heal her, not even her husband’s love. All she wanted was a child.
• In verse 10 it says Hannah was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.

• Hannah came to the place of giving up, of sacrificing the very thing she wanted. She handed her heart’s desire back to the Lord for His will to be done. Maybe the Lord is wanting you to put your dream, and what ever is causing you grief on the altar?

• Often those round and about don’t understand the bitterness of soul. Maybe you have an Eli that does not understand what you are going through and is quick to judge the situation because they are blind to what is really happening to you? Maybe like Eli they will realise it is actually God at work.

God vindicates Hannah and we see the promise come to pass. God will come to our rescue when we are desperate for Him and for the promise to be fulfilled.
Remember He is the one who gave you the dream in the first place.
It was God who put the desire in Hannah to have a child, but it was also God who blocked her womb. The ultimate victory comes when we can give testimony to the goodness of God, to His power being displayed from the desperate place to breakthrough!

John 17:21-24

A woman, when she is in labour, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

Desperation positions us for breakthrough!!!  It can be a time for the power of God to be released to bring change in your circumstances!! Transition positions us for change! Desperation is a way of God. We know we are coming into desperate times when we will need the Lord’s help like never before. These can be times of incredible growth in our relationship with the Lord, and in the forging of our character, bringing those areas not yet surrendered to the Lord to the altar. That is the power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary for me and for you. The Lord is with you in whatever place and circumstance you are in right now!

Be encouraged!!  The desperate place is a good place!!! It’s the place of miracles!!!

Sense of Community

by Tony Clark

I’ve been noticing more and more lately and becoming aware of the sense of community that has been growing in the hearts of members at Forerunners International, and the genuine heart felt love that we are feeling for each other, and how close we are becoming.

During a recent corporate worship session at the local Gold Coast base, God showed me that what is happening now is a single heart is beginning to form before Him in us as a church or ministry. For a long time we have been individual members and have been learning to catch and submit to the vision of Forerunners, but God is showing me that due to us faithfully and consistently worshipping together and “living” together, our corporate heart is truly beginning to emerge and take shape. It’s interesting in the book of Revelation that Jesus addressed the Churches as a unit not as individuals. We become one heart when we are in unity of purpose, intention, emotion and belief, and I believe that God has truly “knitted us together, shedding the love of Christ abroad in of hearts by the Holy Spirit”, so that He can come and respond to that heart and join with us in a much more powerful and complete way. (Similar to the way He joins with an individual at conversion). But now on a corporate level. What He is doing in us, and what we are doing in Him is preparing a place where He can dwell.

Where He can abide. I believe this kind of unity is a precursor to true revival and the coming moves of God. And we are being prepared for much more power, much more connection/ communion with Him and much more reality and experience of the kingdom of God. He really has saved the best wine for last.

A Word for Australia (part 11b): A Prostituting Government

Part Eleven(b) of previous articles:
Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3 + Part 4 + Part 5 + Part 6 + Part 7 + Part 8 + Part 9 + Part 10 
+ Eleven (a)

by Glenice Mills

We are coming into a time of exposure of unrighteous practices within the government of this nation. The next six months will reveal corruption done by ones in a position of authority and that have abused their power and taken for their own gain.  This is by the hand of God, for He is bringing to light that which has been done in secret. The Lord has been speaking to me about the spirit of prostitution that is operating to try to bring increasing evil into the corridors of power.
This exposure will bring a change that will increase instability in government as the Lord positions ones to expose this.

To prostitute oneself is to sell or make use of one’s honour or abilities unworthily.
We have seen our federal government prostitute itself to the greens in order to gain and retain power. It has caused them to sell themselves, handing themselves over to ones who actually wield the greater power because of their position. This has set the labor party up to come into and under an alliance that has made them impotent.
Bribery has been involved and this is going to come out in coming months.
The Lord has been speaking to me about the process involved.
It can be described as the following:

Seduction leads to— Bribery that leads to ——Deception that leads to ——Lies that hide what is going on

Seduction means to tempt or entice into wrong doing, to lead astray.
The spirit of prostitution operates to seduce, to set ones up to knowingly take a bribe in order to gain, whether that be positions of power or to financial gain.
A bribe is an inducement, especially money, offered to procure illegal or dishonest action or decision in favour of the giver. This is where the line is crossed, the conscience becomes seared and deception takes root. Perhaps it could be put in such a way as ‘their soul has been sold to the devil’. This choice has literally handed them over to a false power and authority that traps a person/organisation to the lie and to the giver of the bribe. It is a no win situation.  It is actually a subtle shift in the balance of power. Deception comes as they tell themselves that all is well, that everything will work out, so long as they stay aligned to serving their best interests. Lastly comes the big cover up, to hide the truth and to protect from exposing what really goes on.

This unravelling of the lies and deception against the Australian people will bring increasing tensions within government and between the people and their elected representatives. It is interesting to note the word representative means to stand for and behind those it represents even sacrificing their reputation for what is just and fair.
A leader, one in an authority position, must hold themselves to a high standard of personal conduct. Our elected parliamentarians must respect the position they hold and value their position by serving the people well. It is said that we get the government that the church deserves but I would take it one step further and say our parliament reflects what is happening in our churches. That is why the Word is very clear teaching us to pray for those in position of authority and to honour and respect those who hold positions of governance in our nation and church. The truth is power does corrupt and it is easy to observe our leaders fall into the trap of pride and ambition. It is a fine line doing and saying what is right and crossing over and bowing to the demands of ones who try and catch leaders in a weak moment. This is seduction in operation. The enemy is prowling around ready to devour whom he chooses and our government representatives are easy prey. This is particularly so when inducements are offered that appeal to the flesh and self ambition of those in power. The root issue is compromise. Prostituting oneself will require compromise at some level.

Compromise is taking the middle ground to try and keep everyone happy and it will often involve accepting a bribe or inducement to keep those with a hold over an elected representative constrained. It is a no win situation for all and in fact erodes trust and breeds an unhealthy cynicism. Out of the cynicism comes dishonouring and disrespecting of those who have let us down, in this case our politicians.
It is a sad reflection on our politicians that they are the butt of cruel, crude jokes, and the subject of much mocking and deriding.
Politicians are easy bait for cynicism at the best of times, however, when their own behaviour and actions set them up to bear a greater brunt of derision then we have a cause for concern. Australians are not good at honouring and respecting those in authority and this on flows in our churches. It can be said, ‘How can we honour and respect our politicians when they are ‘fools’?’ Again it is not about the person but the position they hold. We must all be careful we do not fall into the trap of saying and joining in with those who mock and scoff our leaders, for this is not pleasing to God.
When it is the ‘Australian way’ to speak in a mocking way of our leaders and is seen as some ‘sport’, we as Christians must be very careful we do not go along in support of this way too. If we do join in, we agree with evil and in fact prostitute ourselves, handing ourselves over to their standpoint and thus compromising truth. We must in fact confront this and address the issue of respect and honour of leaders. It requires us to make a stand even at the risk of being mocked and scoffed at ourselves.

Compromise and truth cannot go together. I love the fact that the word compromise is not mentioned at all in the Bible. It cannot because the Word of God is Truth!!!
One of the saddest indictments of our politicians, both state and federal, and all party persuasions, is the way they attack one another personally, instead of dealing with issues such as policy. True leadership would be mindful of how their actions and behaviour are modelled to the people and the younger generation.
A true leader has a vision and is able to pass the vision over to the people, who then get excited and move in support, willing to help bring the vision to pass.
Sadly this vision is lacking in our leaders.

We as a nation are in a defining point as the push is on for ungodly laws to be passed concerning two major issues: same sex marriage and the carbon tax.
The Christian voice is speaking out against these laws being passed and we must stay vigilant in this. However we must also be aware at this time that at the grass roots of the political parties, people are putting themselves forward for pre-selection. We must pray for ones that have Godly character, who can be trusted and will not sell themselves to the loudest voices of influence, but rather stand for what is right, just and true. A person’s true character is shown when they are positioned in an authority position, where they can wield power for good or for evil. That is why we must pray that the right representatives be in place right at the beginning of the process. Perhaps even more so for those Christians who state they are Christians and who stand for a Christian party. They must be way and above any reproach because they have the power to influence the name of the Lord by their godly or ungodly leadership.
They cannot be brought, or be seduced by any for ill gotten gain or they are guilty of prostituting themselves for their own ends.

I am wondering why I am writing this word, however I sense the Lord is warning.
They dare not make a claim to be a Christian and not stand for and support Godly truth and God’s ways. If they bow to the false they are guilty of prostituting themselves for the sake of personal gain, and God will judge that.

I have centred on our government because it is on God’s heart at this time, however, these same principles apply to His church also. Any in leadership who are responsible for His sheep also must live lives above reproach. They too dare not compromise their lives by coming in agreement with unrighteousness, and prostituting themselves to gain approval by any with wrong motives. The Lord is concerned about the character of those who serve Him. It comes down to the integrity of those who hold any positions of leadership, and making sure they do not compromise this integrity by bowing to unscrupulous people who would abuse any chink in the leader’s character for their own ends.

The Bible speaks of prostitution also as harlotry. We don’t hear this word spoken of these days, but the picture of a harlot encompasses seduction, to bribe for favours and bring deception on the victim, like a spider entraps a fly in its web. You don’t know it happens until it is too late!

We must all be on alert for this spirit that would try and take out our Government leaders and those called in leadership position in the Lord’s church. The enemy loves more than anything to bring corruption into government and to bring the name of the Lord into disrepute in the church.

Numbers 15:39-41

“And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”

We must walk from a place of ‘Search my heart O God and see if there be any wicked way in me’. It is a time to be quick to repent of any wrong heart motives particularly for any weakness in the area of lust: whether that be money, sexual or for power.
The enemy is vicious at this time and is on the prowl to bring one’s down so bringing the name of Jesus Christ into disrepute.

Please continue to pray for our leaders in authority positions of governance. They need our prayers like never before.

Australian Christian Morals

by Belinda Jabore

As the issue of same sex marriage continues and has been allowed already in some states in Australia and overseas, this is a question that needs to be asked is what do you think about it? And what are you going to do about it? There has been a minority group of people trying to destroy the foundations of a majority group of Australian people’s standards and belief system and doing their utmost to get their way as they scream the loudest and petition the MPs in Government continually. Yet there are champions in there also letting their voice be heard debating this issue and not allowing this to proceed any further. But also there is a majority of Australian people who seem to be in this matrix void that it is like they can’t seem to respond or want to respond to this crucial issue and continue to say nothing. Compromise is rampant and sometimes us, as Aussies, seem to put it in the too hard basket, we Aussies leave it open and we do not have an understanding to do something and not be complacent in this issue. I know most people I talk to have a strong opinion about this issue, but why are we not being heard? Martin Luther King was so right to say  “for when  good men do nothing evil prospers”.  Because these minority groups speak the loudest they usually get what they want. Australians must make a stand on these issues and not just let our politicians handle them. The truth is that they are overwhelmed by these moral issues and they are not meant to handle them - the church is. But that’s another issue.

Reality is they are a minority group trying to change the very foundation of Australian Christian Morals and foundations that we are built on and they are standing against the family unit and values. Government are allowing it to happen as all they tend to hear is the minority group. You see if you destroy the foundation of marriage you destroy the family unit and all it stands for. Now if this minority group of people feel the need to marry then they can do it the government would allow them but without necessarily changing the foundations of Australia. But if they have to marry (and it is their choice and their will to do so) then the very thing they are standing for they are destroying. The bottom line is that this is sin and when you sin it will bring death to a thing, which will bring death to the family unit and the very values of family and what marriage stands for. The bottom line is children need a Mother and a Father. In our eagerness to remove so called discrimination amongst adults we end up discriminating against our children. We are losing Australian values and children’s rights are being ignored in this debate. My family and I am passionate to reverse this inequity. You see our kid’s rights count and children need a Mother and a Father. Marriage between a man and a woman is the foundation stone of families! Families are the foundation of our nation! Marriage redefined is marriage destroyed. Destroy marriage and you destroy the nation! To change a foundational stone of Australian morals of the family unit and it’s value system will destroy marriage and families and all they stand for. I am just stating the obvious. Who will give a voice to those who cannot be heard? Who will protect those who cannot defend themselves? Who will be brave for those who are too small? Who will defend our children’s rights?

Now a Government that attempts to change that foundational stone will pay dearly for that and there will be consequences.  The Government needs help and divine wisdom on this issue. We, as a people, need to continually pray and ask God to show our Australian Government what to do. The Church needs to be a voice and help in these issues and a continual reminder of what our foundations are and our constitution was built on. As we allow change to crucial issues such as these we then wonder why we have crime rates escalating  murder, lawlessness and violence and we do not feel safe in our streets and cities. The decisions we make now will determine our future and its outcomes. As Prophets and Apostolic people we must continue to stand against these injustices. We will not agree with what they are doing and we will not say yes to a foundational change to Australia - not on our watch. So please I beg you to write, email, ring, go with a group of people and speak to your local members in your suburb or city of how this cannot continue to go ahead.

I have quoted some text from what was written in this article by the Canberra Declaration crew and an article from an amazing prophetic voice written by Angela Shanahan for the Australian July 29th 2011 on the Australian national affairs who gets an expert Margret Somerville who is  a distinguished legal ethicist on the matter and both of their words speak volumes.

Margret Somerville says and I quote, “marriage exists as a social institution only to protect the children born of a union and give special legal status to the natural family, and homosexual relationships cannot produce children. By abolishing the exclusively heterosexual nature of marriage, the special legal status of the natural family will collapse. Children will suffer,” and Somerville stresses, this includes children conceived, naturally or by biotech connivance, within a same sex relationship because it deprives them of a Father and Mother.

If homosexual relationships are given the same legal status as heterosexual marriages the homosexual lobby will have gained its final moral and legal triumph and according to Somerville, that will mean widespread collateral damage of people’s rights perhaps most peoples. It will become difficult if not illegal to speak out against this. Institutions and individuals that have moral objections to same sex marriage (churches, schools, ministers of religion, teachers, civil marriage celebrants, adoption agencies and so on) will have their rights of speech and association, freedom of conscience, belief and religion, curtailed and possibly eliminated. This has happened in many countries, including Sweden, where speaking out against homosexuality per se has become a hate crime. (If you think it couldn’t happen here, think about the general political correctness surrounding homosexual issues, even before gay marriage has become legal.) MPs are being asked to debate all these issues - homosexual debate and euthanasia debate. Never before have MPs been asked to debate things that, frankly have never been thought of as issues for political debate. The politics of moral issues don’t sit well with most politicians, who have a hard enough time coping with the practical problems of their electorates. It is easy to see why a member forced with say, the collapse of an industry in an electorate and a tax that may force worse, is not going to sweat over gay marriage.”

Nevertheless this is a distraction of the highest degree and as people in a democracy we must stand up for our rights and the foundations on which Australia was built on!
So what do you think? And are you going to do something about it? God put a man and a woman and His laws in place in a marriage and in place for a reason to protect us from harm and heartache and to allow our children to be safe and built on the right foundations.

Apostles

by Tony Clark

I was reading 1 Corinthians recently and was impacted while reading Chapter 9:1. Paul is addressing accusations made against him concerning his legitimacy as an Apostle, and the issue of financial support of his ministry by the church at Corinth. In verse 11 it says “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?”

There is a major issue in the church today concerning this issue and there is much at work that is out of line with the Word of God and the Heart of God. It should be the most natural thing in the Kingdom of God to supply the practical needs of those ministering to you, those that have laid down their lives to serve God where your life is concerned and who have no thought for themselves in doing so. It should be a natural reflex – they supply your spiritual need, you supply their natural need. Giving and receiving, ebb and flow. But as Paul addresses in this chapter, the main issue is not whether or not we should do this but rather the underlying acknowledgement of whether or not those ministering to us are truly sent of God. Certain men had questioned Paul’s legitimacy as an Apostle and in doing so accused him of having ulterior motives for his ministry – in this case that he was motivated by selfish gain.

See, a wolf or a charlatan, has no right or place to claim or receive anything from God’s people. Because their motive is selfish gain and they use deceit to get what they want, by pretending to be a messenger or servant of God they coerce the people out of their money – which is his ultimate goal. And those that are jealous of the true servants of God will accuse and try to delegitimize them so that they don’t get what they are due.

In verse 7 Paul quotes the Old Testament, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth the corn.” This is a spiritual law in the kingdom of God. If there is any question in your heart as to whether your leader should be able to receive money for their labour in ministry instead of working in a secular job then it is likely you are delegitimizing the work of the ministry that they do, which ultimately reflects on whether you believe that are genuinely sent by God.
The natural response to the Apostles in the book of Acts was to sell all and lay everything at the feet of the Apostles. It’s what God would have, it’s what the Spirit of God would have. I’m not saying that we should sell our houses and give the money to the church, although that time may very well come again. But it should be a natural response of the children of God to give and support the ministry with our finances – to the degree that we have been shown to give.

People fear being taken for a ride and being cheated, and it does go on, and there are those that are motivated by selfish ambition in the church today. And part of the problem in the past has been that there has not only been a lack of proper giving in the church there has also been a lack of ministry in the earth that would merit this kind of giving. But we need to make sure we are not shut off to God in this, because out of fear we can miss what God is doing and fail to please God in what He requires of us. He has a way of doing things in His church and an order to the way He wants it done, and proper giving is a part of this. If we know that our leader is truly of God and authentic then we need to give freely. If we don’t know, then we need to find out. I feel this is very important. And God requires correct giving and correct honouring of Apostles in this time and the years ahead. We need to be in line with His way of doing things. The leaders of God’s church shouldn’t have to find ways to raise money, or plead with the congregation. God desires us to come to a place where we are able to “give into every good work” and sow as we see need, naturally.

Stop! Consider!

by Glenice Mills

Stop!!! Consider!!!

We are in the midst of changing times, for us to get an understanding of it we need to know we are positioned exactly where the Lord wants us to be, so we can be most effective in advancing His kingdom here on earth.
We are in a season of grace, of His grace, to seek Him for revelation of where and how He is wanting to use each of us in such a time as this.
Old ways of doing things, staying in our comfort zones, and clinging onto those things that have given us security will no longer suffice. That is why it is time to stop, and to consider. To consider means to think or deliberate in order to decide, it is to contemplate mentally especially in order to reach a conclusion. How can we do this if we are too busy and too distracted to actually hear, and begin to put into action the new thing the Lord is requiring of us in these times and the times to come. It is about being prepared for the ‘very shortly’ because very shortly we won’t have the same opportunities the Lord is giving to us now. Perhaps one of the most dangerous times and places to be, is where we think we know best, where we are like the ‘fat cat with a happy contented smile on its face because it ‘feels good’. It has grown fat on the good things of life forgetting that one day it may not be so comfortable.
We know there is a shaking taking place in many areas of society at this time and it is being done by God’s hands. So, if we are too busy, how can we know what He is requiring of us both individually and corporately when we are caught in the ‘mouse on a wheel’ syndrome? We will tire and get burnt out, making us ineffective, and setting us up to be easy targets of the enemy. That is what the enemy wants and we must be more on guard than ever before because he hates what is happening to many of God’s people at this time. There are pressures put on us by God because He is wanting to arrest us in order to get our attention, and there is pressure from the enemy that is designed to derail us from the purposes of God. That is why we must stop and take time to consider. Many are in a season of meditating and waiting on God. This may seem a ‘waste of time’ however nothing, that is, no thing is ever wasted in God. That is man’s judgments and opinions. However when we consider, it is about reaching a conclusion and putting a plan into action. As the Lord has been speaking to me and as I have been walking in learning to ‘consider’ there are two key words that have come out of this time of considering. They are crucial for what is coming in the days ahead but they are also a challenge to what we have known, and held onto dearly. There are times when I feel the weight of what the Lord is saying and this is such a time and such a word. I pray that you would not take this lightly when you read it, but go and consider and seek the Lord as to what He is wanting to change and adjust in your life.
The two key words are CALLING and COST. The reality is the two go hand in hand.  You cannot come into your true calling in God without there being a cost involved.
CALLING:
There are many in the body of Christ that God is ‘arresting’ at this time because He is wanting to get our attention. Many are in dire straights, things are not working out for them, and it appears that no door is opening. They are quite literally between a rock and a hard place. That is because the Lord is wanting them to stop, and to consider.
There is a terrible sense of helplessness, of vulnerability, of frustration because it appears that things are inactive and there seems no advancement or apparent way forward. Hopelessness has taken root and it is like being in a dark tunnel with no light to guide a way forward. There appears to be no direction ahead and it feels like the blind leading the blind. It is easy to believe the lie of the enemy that ‘you have missed it’ and feel burdened by what appears as a negative thing. However, the truth is, the Lord knows the perfect plan for our lives and He is organising and arranging us so we are positioned, ready for the days of battle. There are many in the body of Christ who have been in the wrong position in the workplace, where they live, or church they are a part of, and that has been alright for a time, but it is changing. That is why the discomfort, because there is an urgency for many to come out of, and away from, what has held them back. It is a divine time of repositioning because it is about coming into the high calling of God, of His kingdom purposes for our lives.
The following Scripture is for this time and together we should pray that we each come into our destinies in Him.

2 Thessalonians 1:11,12

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of the faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

COST:
For us to fulfil our destinies there will be a cost. It is about the divine exchange that needs to take place in order to move in our calling. There is a serious requirement on us all at this time to consider if we are prepared to give up some things in order to come into a greater measure of His call on our lives. A divine exchange is and will be the constant challenge for us in these times. Exchange means the act or process of giving one thing and receiving another in its place. It is about complete surrender of our lives to Him. It is about giving up some things in our lives in order for the Lordship of Jesus Christ to have greater rulership in our lives. It will involve change: change in our attitudes, behaviours, relationships, securities, habits, cultural ways, in order to bring the ‘higher way’ into every area of our lives. It is about being a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are instructed in the Word to take up our cross daily, and for us to be who we are called to be the cross of Jesus Christ will and must be central to all we say and do. It is about our individual and corporate obedience to the leading of the Lord!
There is an urgency, it is time to consider how serious we are about serving God and how much we are prepared to give up in order to be true men and women of God.
We have choices and now is the time to consider what the Lord is requiring of us.
Are you positioned for growth both personally and spiritually?
What is the passion of your heart? Are you preparing to move toward fulfilling the passion or have you given up on it because you don’t think it has any merit?
Do you talk yourself out of your passion, negating every move forward in order to bring about its fulfilment. Maybe there is someone dependent on you actually coming into correct position, coming into your call so they can be blessed by your unique expression of the Lord? Maybe there is a window of opportunity open to you right now and you are considering your options? It is not about ‘your options’ but rather about whether or not you are prepared to give some things up. Maybe in the natural it does not make sense, but the passion and urgency won’t go away.
Perhaps you had a dream and hope of it ever coming to pass has died. You have lost your passion and your vision has been snuffed out perhaps by others blocking and stopping its fulfilment. Time is short and you may be the crucial person needed to bring something to fruition. You dare not hold back because you will feel burning frustration that will eat away at your vision bringing increasing discontent.
These are serious things to consider!!!
The Lord has a plan and a strategy for you to come into all He has planned and destined for your life. He does not want you to give up hope and He does not want you to hold back from being all He has called you to.
Remember:

Jeremiah 20:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Can I encourage you to consider your future direction. It will mean stopping and considering where you are right now and seeking the Lord for the way forward in your life. It will take time aside with God, and it may require change in your life, but the rewards of walking in His will for your life will bring peace and rest to you.
The Lord is raising up His army, ones who have counted the cost, who have been obedient to all that He is requiring at this time. There have been many tests for these ones to pass but the time of increasing reward for faithfulness is near.
Do not lose hope!!! The time is near for the fulfilment of your dreams!!!
I want to finish on the following Scripture as it gives us keys to keep us on track.
Consider it.

Ephesians 4:1-4

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Amen!!!