A Move of God

Greetings,
I believe it's time I write again and share what the Lord is speaking to my heart. He is so gentle at times yet He can be so direct in His dealings with us. Of course, if we understand that He is grooming us to be partakers of His Holiness and conform us into His image it helps during the "direct" times. "Now no chastening is joyful...but afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it". Heb. 12

God is moving in the earth and primarily in a pre-revival mode. Regardless of what you and I are experiencing of God presently, it is still in "seed form". I want to share just a little about "the Move of God" and speak a word of exhortation to you in regards to the move.

The Lord spoke this to my heart just yesterday: "A move of God that brings freedom and the Glory of God will eventually become a prison to those who refuse to follow God's move".

Now this move can be on a world-wide scale or nationally, or even to you or I as an individual. God moves in our life; He touches us, changes us, brings us from faith to faith and glory to glory. We have a tendency, though, to get to where we feel we should be with God and then quit moving with God. We welcome a change, probably because we don't like the pain of the present situation. God comes and moves in our life and we are so appreciative that we testify of God's work in our life. We settle in with a routine with God and things are fine. But God is never going to leave us permanently in our state, regardless of how wonderful we now are. He is going to keep doing His work of training, pruning, scrubbing, releasing, watching, and all the things He does to bring us to the place of COMPLETE conformity with His Son.

I see a pattern throughout the Word of God and it's within the pattern that I hear the warning from the Spirit of God. Here are some examples I am referring to. I'll just give the scripture references so I don't take up as much space.

First example: Abraham had God move in his life (Genesis 12). God had a desire to bless Abraham, his people, and ultimately the world through Abraham's seed. He also wanted to bless the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, etc. God is always desiring that NONE perish; not before, not now, not anytime. When the famine came and Joseph was God's move in the earth, Jacob almost missed out by NOT moving to Egypt.

Second example: Israel had been in the new move (Joseph's move) for 400+ years. God had told Abraham that his people would be in a strange land but would return around 400 years. Joseph had prophesied to his family to make sure when they left they took his bones with them. But after Joseph, they forgot all about the next move. They began to become fruitful and multiply and really enjoy the "present truth" prosperity so God eventually had to "shake" them so they would begin to cry out. Unfortunately, the pain they experienced only moved them for a little while. They counted the new move of God to the promise land not worth the trouble. So they died in the wilderness.

Listen closely: Hebrews 12 states that everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that which cannot be shaken will remain. There is a move on the horizon. It dwarfs anything that has happened up to this point. Just as the Exodus dwarfed anything God had done up to that point, so is His next move among us and the world. Just think what many missed out on. God revealed Himself to the Exodus crowd (which included some Egyptians who believed) in ways He had never before! Watch closely, brethren, lest at anytime you let what you have slip. Listen carefully to the voice of God; He'll say, "THIS is the way, walk ye in IT".

Third example: Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time. Once again, the greatest thing God had ever done was right in front of their faces. A new move! Yet, they missed the visitation (Luke 19:41-44). It wasn't because God didn't try to shake them and prepare them to come along. They were too fixed in their own idea of how God does things to be concerned with what God was doing RIGHT THEN in their midst.

I could go on and on but I won't. I just feel strongly about staying tuned up and prepared for whatever the Holy Spirit is saying. I believe there are some reading this that have let themselves get to the place of such complacency that it's going to take a major "shaking" in your life to start seeing things from God's perspective. You started out with God giving you freedom and a taste of His Glory on and in your life. But you have since refused to move beyond your place of comfort. You are satisfied with the way things are and now you are actually in prison to what used to be freedom. God did some things in your life but now is way out front of you saying "please follow me". Freedom isn't freedom unless God is in our life.

God isn't in the destroying business, but He is in the MOLDING and CONFORMING business. He is desiring to not only bless your life, but like Abraham's, create in you the capacity to bless the world around you as you allow the move of God THROUGH YOU. So, don't wait for the shaking if you know in your heart that you haven't been moving WITH GOD. Repent, turn around, and begin trusting the Lord to work in you that which is pleasing in His sight.

Time to go. I trust each of you will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to you. He is talking. He is moving. He will complete His work. Make sure you are IN the move, not outside of it.

Please add your comments to this or any other message. I'd love to hear from you.

Pastor Jan