Thursday, April 25, 2013

Shift in the middle of chaos

The Body of Christ has entered into a time where we are experiencing, both personally and corporately, many shifts and changes. For many, these changes are coming suddenly and without warning. Our human response may be to try to fix these things or to misread them as warfare, but it is a time to carefully discern what the Lord is doing in our lives and what warfare is. We will always have warfare against what God is doing, but discerning what to bless and what to war against is key in this hour.

Change, especially sudden change, often feels like chaos and disorder. Most of us find great comfort in being able to know what to expect and know what is predictable as we face each day. The Holy Spirit is once again removing those things in our lives that will hinder us in this new season while making room for what is essential for the days ahead. These changes can come in many forms, and they are coming with great intentionality.

Along with shifts for the sake of alignment, God is also being very intentional in dealing with areas of sin, wrong beliefs, and wrong attitudes. Though these areas are always important to God, it seems as though there is urgency upon His convictions and alignments. This urgency is what a parent feels when their child is about to run out into traffic – the parent will quickly grab their little one in order to save them from danger. It feels as though many have been "grabbed" by the hand of their Father from impending danger in order to place them back on a safe path.

Warfare often comes in the midst of the changes and convictions. God comes with hope, alignment, forgiveness, grace, and intimacy, but the enemy wastes no time in responding with accusation, lies, confusion, and division. God's heart is to make a place of safety and restoration for His work to be accomplished. The enemy comes to fill that place with fear and separation by causing shame and fear. If God is dealing with areas of spiritual alignment and conviction of sin, do not be deceived into believing that God has anything but love and restoration for you. Confusion can quickly enter in when we begin to believe a lie or an accusation from the enemy. The accuser of the brethren does exactly that: he accuses. You must not allow your ear to be tuned into his lies but allow your heart to hear the overtures of the Father's love for you.

An Invitation

As I have been waiting upon the Lord to know how to posture myself through this season of changes and alignments, there has been a constant invitation that I am hearing. The invitation comes from a place of deep intimacy and longing in the heart of God. It is found in Song of Solomon 2:10-17:

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