A healthy church is not just a building, leadership structure, or weekly service. A healthy church is a vibrant community where God is present and members grow in their faith and service. Here are 25 signs of a healthy church: ___1. There is a divine sense of mission and purpose to carry out The Great Commission. ___2. The presence of God is evident in worship services and the assembly of the saints. ___3. The Word of God is presented with authority and anointing. ___4. There are functional prayer gatherings. ___5. There is a real expectation for answered prayers. ___6. People are getting saved and baptized. ___7. The leadership of the church – elders, deacons, teachers, and pastors, seek to serve the Lord and the congregation with humility and integrity. ___8. The church is more in love with the future (with a compelling vision) than the past. ___9. Fellowship and relationships are warm, and people do not jockey for position and titles. ___10. Many people volunteer to serve. ___11. Many people support the church with tithes and offerings. ___12. The community gets impacted in real ways. ___13. Your leaders have great passion. ___14. There is more attention, resources, and enthusiasm devoted to the work of the Lord than to maintaining the church organization and facilities. ___15. There is an established pattern of disciple making, equipping members to be ambassadors for Christ. ___16. Homeless and street people are seen as a mission field and are treated with compassion. ___17. There is greater emphasis on what unites us in Christ than how we are different from other Christians. ___18. There is an increase of members and finances over time. ___19. Openness to change and support of innovation is evident. ___20. Sermons engage both the mind and the heart. ___21. You are seeing many first-time visitors. ___22. Your church is welcoming and diverse; everyone in your church does not look and think just like you. ___23. You’re focused on reaching new people as well as keeping church members. ___24. Communication is clear and conflicts are resolved when they arise. ___25. There is a sense of urgency and passion to reach lost souls.
How many of these describe your church: _ out of 25?
Action steps you can take: • share this list with other members and leaders of your church, • hold this up to the Lord, seeking His guidance, • develop action steps to build on your strengths and address problem areas, and • take action, giving glory to God for the results.
To God be the glory LifeintheSpirit.net Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay
Source of image: JosephMaterra.org “The word of God teaches us that there are times God’s presence can leave the corporate expression of His people. We see this in I Samuel 4:21-22 when the name Ichabod was given to the grandson of Eli, the high priest, after the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines. Also, in the book of Revelation 3:1 Jesus told the church of Sardis that they had a reputation of being alive but was dead. Hence, it is possible for communities of faith to be dead or dying.
Furthermore, in Revelation 2:5, Jesus warned the church of Ephesus that if they did not repent He would remove their lampstand. Since the lampstand represents the true church (according to Rev.1: 20) then Jesus was either threatening to shut down the church and or remove Himself from it (which would mean it was dead spiritually).
Since Jesus said that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church (Matthew 16) then, it is impossible for Satan to close down a church; hence, whenever a church ceases to exist it is the Lord Himself who shut it down. This is the reason many denominations will cease to exist in the next few decades as well as why many congregations close their doors every year. (To blame Satan for this is not biblical since Jesus said He is the One who removes them).
Having established the biblical precedent for dead or dying churches, the following are signs of a dead (or dying) church. Check the ones that fit your church:
___1. There are no functional prayer gatherings.
Within dying churches, few people show up to pray and seek God together since they have no sense of His Presence or that He is present in the midst of them (E.G. You would not be motivated to speak to your friend if you didn’t think they were listening).
___2. There is no expectation for answered prayers.
Few, if any, pray together since there is no anticipation that God will actually answer prayers. When you are in a church without faith to believe God, it is either dead or dying.
___3. The presence of God is missing in the assembly of the Saints.
Metaphorically, the heavens are like brass over the skies of dead or dying churches (Deut.28: 23). There is no sense of God’s presence during worship even though Jesus promised that where two or three gather in His name there He is in the midst of them (Matt.18: 20).
___4. The Word of God is presented without authority or anointing.
The religious leaders (who practiced a dead faith during Jesus’s time) were shocked when they heard Jesus speak because He taught with authority (Mark 1:22). In dead or dying churches the preacher has no unction to instill faith, motivate action or convict of sin.
___5. Few if any people are saved, or get baptized.
In the early church, the Lord regularly added people to the church. (Acts 2:47). When there are no people being saved or baptized, it is a sign the Lord is no longer working in their midst.
___6. Every church service is predictable by the minute.
Whether it be high church services or a non-denominational charismatic church, when every aspect of the worship, liturgy, and preaching is predictable as if choreographed to the minute, then it may reveal there is no room for the Holy Spirit to operate. Like Samson of old, the Spirit may have departed without the people knowing it (Judges 16:20). Truly, any aspect of our church that can function without dependence on the Holy Spirit shows that it is a machination of men and not God.
___7. There is no pattern of disciple making.
The bottom line in all churches is the making of committed Christ followers, better known as disciples. It doesn’t matter how large a church is, what matters is how many mature sons [and daughters] are being developed that will positively affect the created order (Read Romans 8:19-21).
___8. The people jockey for position and titles.
When people are not seeking the glory of God they depend even more upon getting affirmation from men. Hence, a church without the Presence of God will most likely have a hierarchical culture with people posturing for positions and titles. The less you know God intimately, the more your identity will be connected to credentials and titles.
___9. There is no divine sense of mission and purpose.
When there is no vision the people are perishing (Proverbs 29:18), when a congregation is dead or dying they have no compelling transcendent purpose that motivates them to fulfill their biblical calling.
___10. Few people volunteer to serve.
Psalm 110:3 say that the people will volunteer or offer themselves willingly in the day of His power. Consequently, in dead or dying churches very few people volunteer to serve in the ministry.
___11. Few people support the church with tithes and offerings.
Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be” (Matthew 6:21). When a church is dying or dead, few people will be motivated to invest their finances into it. Conversely, when people see God moving within the church, they will have more faith and be more motivated to give of their finances knowing that it is being sown on good soil.
___12. The community doesn’t get impacted.
God called believers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). When our lamp goes out, the surrounding community is no longer changed by the power of the gospel.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you see any or all of these signs of a dying church in your congregation, ask the Lord what He wants you to do to help resuscitate it. Humbly present your concerns to the leaders of the church before making any decisions. Perhaps God is doing a lot behind the scenes that you do not know about.
Also, at times in American history, the turn of the 19th century in particular, the church in general was in a very low spiritual state; God raised up men like Charles Finney to usher in the Second Great Awakening which revived thousands of congregations and awakened lost sinners. Like the prophet Habakkuk of old, let us seek the Lord to revive His work in the midst of the years and beseech Him that in wrath He would remember mercy (Hab. 3:2).
The greatest challenge we have in this nation is not our political leaders but a lack of power and conviction in the pulpit and the pews that can produce world- changing Christ followers.” Source: 13 Signs of a Dying Church
Thirteen More Signs ___13. Your leaders are losing their passion.
Leaders of growing churches have a white-hot passion for their mission. You can hear it in their voice and can see it in their eyes. By contrast, leaders of stuck or declining churches or organizations generally do NOT burn with drive, desire or passion.
Passionate leaders are obsessed with the mission and get more excited about possibilities than get weighed down by problems. They also bring the love and hope of Jesus in some way into every aspect of their lives. Most leaders who make a significant difference don’t live balanced lives; they live passionate lives and see ministry as something they GET to do. For them, ministry is a privilege, not a burden.
___14. There is more attention and resources dedicated to maintaining the church organization and facilities than enthusiasm for the work of the Lord.
While internal organizations and maintaining church facilities is important, the true work of the church – the called-out ones, is to go forth to reach the lost with the truth and love of Christ. This also reflects an emphasis on management – managing the affairs of the church, rather than leadership – inspiring members to go out and reach the lost. When maintenance begins to trump mission, the end is near.
___15. Keeping traditions is more important than a compelling vision for the future.
If the past is the guideline for action rather than “what would the Lord have us do in this situation”, the church is ill-equipped to respond to changes impacting the church. The past also does not generate enthusiasm or excitement. That comes from a sense of purpose and direction, and plans and actions to realize a compelling vision for the future.
“Vision is prayed down, not borrowed or thought up. It is a picture of what could be and what should be, and results in passion. A leader with vision motivates people to move into action toward a greater good for the church and community. Vision is directly attached to calling.”
___16. Homeless and street people are seen more as a nuisance and threat to church property than a mission field.
Even though homeless and street people are not easy to minister to, they are fellow image-bears of God, and Jesus commands us to not be respecter of persons but to minister to all. In Matthew 25:45, He states: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
___17. There is greater emphasis on how we are different from other Christians than what unites us in Christ.
In Ephesians 4:4-6, the apostle Paul declared there is (only) one body and one Spirit. So while it is important to hold to the core beliefs of one’s church, what different Bible-believing Christian churches hold in common – belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior – is more important than our differences.
___18. There is a slow loss of members and finances over time.
Unless there is a crisis or major division, dying churches typically don’t lose members and finances all at once. More common is a gradual attrition, as a few members leave for a variety of reasons, some move away, and older members pass on. This is often accompanied by a lack of influx from the younger generation, who find other churches more appealing, or quit going to church completely. The result is a gradual loss of momentum, members, and finances, like the story of the frog in the boiling water.
___19. Strong resistance to change and innovation is evident.
Change is uncomfortable but necessary. One sign of a dying church is resistance to change and innovation. However, if your church is dying, change needs to be made quickly. Is your church is resisting change because they’re stuck in the past, or for valid and Biblical reasons?
Resist change, and innovators will eventually leave your church. Down the road, even when you want to innovate – you can’t because all the idea people have abandoned ship. When was the last time you did something truly new? If you can’t answer that question, beware. Dying churches typically fiercely reject change.
___20. Sermons engage the mind but not the heart.
We are bombarded by messages from many sources all throughout the week. Sermons that are not personal, compelling, and engaging, that point members to a transformed life, but sound like theological lectures are not very effective. Even worse are sermons that embrace our pagan culture and espouse non-Biblical perspectives.
___21. You are seeing very few first-time visitors.
If a church doesn’t continually attract and connect with first-time visitors, then it will eventually die because of attrition. To attract more first-time guests, the church will need an online strategy and an invite strategy. Your website, social media ads, and online church service are vital to people finding the church. An invite strategy uses invite cards on the 3 big days of the year which are Fall, Christmas and Easter, as well as throughout the year.
The key is to get first-time guests to the Sunday worship experience and then connect them to the life of the church as quickly as possible. That is one of the major differences between dying churches and growing churches.
___22. Everyone in your church looks and thinks just like you.
Does your congregation truly represent a cross-section of your community? Or do they all fit neatly within the same racial, economic, age, cultural, and political boxes? Churches that lack diversity in terms of age, race, and socio-economic status often struggle to connect with their communities and reach new people.
Furthermore, if members of your congregation don’t feel comfortable expressing doubts, asking questions, voicing concerns, or engaging in respectful dialogue on sensitive issues and topics, then your church is probably attractive to one type of person: People just like you. And that’s a well that’ll run dry fast.
___23. You’re focused more on keeping church members than reaching new people.
A subtle sign of a dying church is that it has completely given up on evangelism and is directing all of its resources to keep its members from leaving. In these situations, the goal simply becomes making the congregation as happy and comfortable as possible to prevent any more exits.
The long-term consequences – not investing in young families or community outreach – will inevitably signal a death blow down the road.
___24. Unresolved conflict
Study after study correlates unresolved conflict with church decline. And if there’s one thing dying churches are good at, it’s ignoring problems or making excuses. Even worse, conflict ignored is conflict multiplied, so if the conflict has been going on for a while, chances are your church is a toxic family system, even as it shrinks in size.
That raises the question: If leaders know there is a problem, why isn’t anyone being an adult and doing something about it?
___25. There is no sense of urgency and passion to reach lost souls.
In Matthew 28:16, Jesus calls us to carry out the Great Commission, to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded. Dying churches do not have this as a high priority.
How many of these describe your church: __ out of 25?
Hopefully this can spur you and the leadership of your church to consider your current state, what you would like to become in the near future, and how you can get there, starting with the Lord!
War is coming to America unless we as the people of America repent and cry out to our Lord for mercy. Just as there were steps leading up to World War I and World War II, there are steps leading up to World War III, and we are seeing them unfold before our very eyes.
This blog post will focus on one of the most pressing issues in the world now – the Russian – Ukrainian war, its spread to the West, and how to prepare. To gain insight into what is coming soon and how to prepare, take a look at this issue of Life in the Spirit.
In I Chronicles 12:32, the sons of Issachar were commended for understanding the times and knowing what they should do. So let us be like them, seeking understanding of the times and what we should do to live at this time and serve our Lord. As in all things, question everything and take it to the Lord for confirmation.
Finally, there was much speculation about the eclipse that took place earlier this year. For a report on what really happened on that day, click here.
This blog is for the remnant Bride of Christ and all who seek The Truth. You won’t want to miss it.
This is PART II of Great Questions Are Windows Into the Soul – how we can take “nice” conversations to a deeper level that touches the other person’s soul, and provide an opportunity to share the love and truth of Christ. Always remember that a true conversation is an interchange, so any question should be followed by listening and responding. PART I started with these questions: I. How Are You? II. Who Are You? And III. What Were the Defining Moments in Your Life? This PART II continues with the questions that follow.
IV. What Do You Think About God?
When you die and pass through the veil of death into eternity, what do
you think you will see and experience? How does that make you feel?
If you visited heaven, what do you think you would find?
If you visited hell, what do you think you would find?
What do you think about God? Is He your friend?
What do you think He wants from you?
What do you want from Him?
How do you see Jesus? What do you think it would have been like to
be around Him when He walked on the earth?
Why do you think Jesus died on the cross?
Do you spend time with the Lord in His Word and prayer every day?
Do you realize that reading the Bible and participating in worship are
divine encounters with the sovereign, living God of the universe?
Do you pray daily? Constantly? What do you think it means to pray
constantly?
Why do you think the Word of God says it is a narrow gate and
difficult path which leads to eternal life in heaven, and there are few that find it?
How can we stay on the narrow path?
V. How is the Lord Working in Your Life?
Have you ever seen the hand of the Lord in your life or sensed His
presence? What was it like?
How is the Lord working in your life? What is He teaching you?
Do you realize that, as a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within you,
and seeks a personal relationship with you?
How does that make you feel?
Do you believe we can discern the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit
and be nurtured, taught, and guided by Him each day?
Do you look for the divine appointments God has for you each day?
Do you understand why God, who is a God of love, allows pain and
suffering?
Which do you think is most likely to draw people to the Lord: worldly
success or great trials and tribulation?
VI. What is Your Life Purpose and Calling?
Do you know the Lord’s calling on your life – the unique and special
purpose for which you were created?
Are you fulfilling His calling upon your life? If not, what is holding you
back? SO WHAT?
What are you holding on to that you need to let go of so you can be
spiritually clean and free to live life in the Spirit?
How do you perceive other people? As possible friends? Lost souls?
One of the greatest tragedies of all time is the many people who believe they are going to heaven when they die, but end up in the Lake of Fire:
“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15
Here are four warning signs that we all should watch for, described as questions the Lord may ask us when we stand before Him after we pass from this earth:
Warning Sign #1: UNIVERSALISM – EVERYONE IS GOING TO
HEAVEN
“You believe everyone is going to heaven, even those who refuse to repent of their many sins and also reject Me – God the Father, My Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. You do not know Me, and have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven:”
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6
Warning Sign #2: UNFORGIVENESS
“You refused to forgive (this person) in your life, so why should I forgive you? My Son Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 6:14-15”:
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Warning Sign #3: UNREPENTANCE
“You worship other gods, such as wealth, status, pleasure, lust, and power, and are unrepentant. Why should I let you bring your sin and idolatry into heaven which is holy and without sin?”
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
Warning Sign #4: LUKEWARMNESS
“You belong to the Church of Laodicea, a church known for comfort, prosperity, wealth, and leisure; a lukewarm, spiritually stagnant, church in the midst of people with great physical and spiritual needs. Why should I let you in while your soul is polluted with the world and worldly desires?
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth (reject you with disgust).” Revelation 3:14-16 MSG
“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” Revelation 20:12
The warnings are particularly relevant when we reflect on this sober warning that few there are that find the narrow gate and path which leads to heaven:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
So let us reach out to those who come across our path with the love and truth of Christ, for life is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Is education important? Of course. While we may expect a better educated public to address complex and serious issues more effectively than an uneducated public, in my many years as an educator, I concluded that it is not THE ANSWER to the many critical challenges facing our nation, such as drugs, poverty, homelessness, corruption, and crime. Ironically, it may even provide greater capability to promulgate evil. Here are two incredible stories that shed light on this matter:
Story #1: The Einsatzgruppen in Nazi Germany – Educated Murderers
Prior to the invasion of Poland in 1939, Heinrich Himmler, Chief of the German Police, created the Einsatzgruppen to identify, combat, and eliminate suspected enemies of the German Nazi government in areas taken over by the Nazi army. They were paramilitary death squads that engaged in mass murder, primarily by shooting many of the cultural, religious, and intellectual elite of Poland, including Catholic priests, Freemasons, Jews, local political leaders, communists, partisans, and Romani people.
These units, supported by SS units, killed over 50,000 Poles, including 7,000 Polish Jews by the end of 1939. Himmler recruited highly educated Germans to lead the Einsatzgruppen, with OVER HALF OF THE EINSATZGRUPPEN LEADERS HAVING PH.D.S. Their advanced education did not provide them with a moral compass to forbid mass murder.
Story #2: Craig Marlatt – From Prison to Street Ministry
Craig Marlatt’s life started out rough, then took a radical turn for the Lord. Sent to prison THREE TIMES for drug offenses, the third time he was in prison, Marlatt volunteered to assist with a prison ministry as the chaplain’s clerk because it was easier than working out in the hot cotton fields. There he met a homely preacher who preached the Word of God. The Holy Spirit convicted Craig, and he came to the Lord. When he left prison, he started a coffee house in the toughest part of downtown Orlando. Here is an ex-con with a high school education, ministering to drug addicts, prostitutes, and street people, as well as writing books and recording Christian songs that inspire people to live lives of honesty, virtue, and service.
These stories demonstrate that education, while important, can be used for good or evil, and that our Lord can and does use ANYONE who is yielded to His Holy Spirit and is willing to carry out the work of the Lord. God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.
Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 The word “life” in Greek is “zoe” which means a life expressing the highest and best, a life of service to God and to mankind. As just one example, the early Christians were known for rescuing unwanted babies off the trash heaps of the Roman empire. In contrast, communist regimes that explicitly rejected God have killed over 100 million of their own people. Christ brings life; communism – rejecting God – brings death.
So let us seek the Lord with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, that we may discover God’s calling upon our lives and experience the abundant life – the life of joy that He promises to all who follow Him.
While there has been a great deal of media attention to the eclipse coming on Monday, much less attention is given to the spiritual dimensions and implications of the eclipse.
Messages from several watchmen and women have not only declared that the eclipse is a major warning to America to repent, but that a biological attack is planned for those who gather to watch the eclipse. This is very serious and includes a warning to stay inside rather than place you and your family in harm’s way. You can see these messages here:
In I Chronicles 12:32, the sons of Issachar were commended for understanding the times and knowing what they should do. So let us be like them, seeking understanding of the times and what we should do to live at this time and serve our Lord. As in all things, question everything and take it to the Lord for confirmation.
This blog is for the remnant Bride of Christ and all who seek The Truth. You won’t want to miss it.
Our nation is becoming more and more perverse, as President Biden recently declared EASTER to be Transgender Day of Visibility, a direct insult to the sovereign, living God of the universe. This is a blatant abomination, and our nation and people are now facing judgment from God.
So it is absolutely necessary that we repent of our sins and seek the Lord for His protection, guidance, and peace, as never before, because:
God is a holy, righteous, and jealous God. If we approach Him with unconfessed sin on our hearts, we are idolators, worshipping another god.
Unrepentance refuses Christ’s gift of salvation. If we refuse His free gift of grace, we will be judged under the Law and found guilty.
Unrepentance drowns out the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. We lose our ability to discern what is from the Lord and what is from the evil one.
Repentance frees us from the bondage of sin and death. When we retain sin in our hearts, we remain in bondage, enslaving our souls to the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Conviction from the Holy Spirit is our friend, as it is a warning sign that we are straying off the narrow path.
Unrepentance pollutes our witness to others. Unconfessed sin sends mixed messages about Christ and those who follow Him.
Unforgiveness is a powerful example of unrepentance. And if we don’t forgive someone of their wrongs against us, our Lord will not forgive us of our sins.
Unconfessed sin is a cancer to our souls, and we need to get rid of it before it spreads and takes over completely.
Unrepentance opens the doors to demonic influence in our lives. Unconfessed sins attract demons like fresh meat attracts flies, but repentance closes those portals to our soul.
There is no sin in heaven. If we arrive at the pearly gates with sinon our souls, we are refusing to die to self and live for Christ, which is the entrance fee to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Lord is sending us into the front lines of the great spiritual battle for the souls of men and women – the ultimate prize. But we can only do this if we are spiritually clean, have our spiritual armor on, and are in touch with the Holy Spirit.
If hold on to any sin and refuse to die to self, we are saying no to life in the Spirit – a great spiritual adventure filled with blessings, sorrows, and the joy of the Lord that only comes from His presence in our lives.
So let us repent, forgive, and go forth with the love and truth of God, for time is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
For many years, I would get up in the morning, have breakfast, and go to work. But I discovered that our Lord calls us to a higher calling and purpose for our lives:
a love for us to experience that can transform us,
a battle for us to engage in that is worth fighting, and
a story for us to live in that is far bigger and better than we have known.
Furthermore, when we receive Christ, we become indwelt with the Holy Spirit. And when we spend time each morning in His Word and prayer, we can experience the three heavens. We receive a clue about the third heaven from the apostle Paul in II Corinthians 12:2:
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.”
THIRD HEAVEN
When we repent of our sins, forgive others, and get into the Word of God and prayer, we can commune with our Lord in the third heaven, where the sovereign, living God of the universe resides on His throne, with Jesus Christ on His right side. This is also called the secret place:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
Our Lord teaches, convicts, equips, encourages, and loves us. He also illumines and transforms our minds so that we can see the world as He does and walk in the Spirit.
But then He says – it is time for you to go and carry on My work on earth, because there are many souls who don’t know Me and are headed for the Lake of Fire. So put on your spiritual armor and go forth.
SECOND HEAVEN
Then we can enter the second heaven – the realm of angels, demons, and spiritual warfare, where we can:
Ask our Lord to bind the demonic forces harassing us and our loved ones, and command them to go into the Lake of Fire,
Plead the blood of Jesus over our family and friends and ask our Lord to protect us with His mighty angels,
Rebuke all curses upon us and our loved ones, including generational curses upon our family to the 4th generation,
Ask our Lord to touch their lives of particular individuals, our leaders, and the lost.
Interceding for others is like SPIRITUAL ARTILLERY. Just as armies shoot artillery shells into enemy territory, we are asking our Lord to send His Presence into the lives of loved ones – for healing, comfort, direction, and peace.
You don’t think demons are active today? Then you are misled by our culture and Lucifer. Here is what the apostle Paul said:
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12
FIRST HEAVEN
Now we go out into the world to carry out the work that He has set before us:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
We are also to look for the divine appointments our Lord has for us each day. And we should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us, imparting some spiritual gift to them, or receiving a spiritual gift from them.
If we don’t spend time with our Lord in the third heaven, we won’t have anything supernatural to share with others. And we will miss the joy of the Lord that comes from fulfilling His purpose for our lives.
If we don’t do spiritual battle in the second heaven, we will be going into enemy territory without armor, unaware of the evil that attacks us and our loved ones.
And if we don’t know God’s calling on our life, we will live in the first heaven, oblivious to the spiritual battles around us that seek to rob us and those around us of the joy and salvation of the Lord.
So let us go forth with the truth and love of Christ and witness to all whom the Lord brings across our path, for time is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
The pace of change is accelerating, with critical events now underway that will change our nation and our lives forever. How can we survive, and what can we do to prepare – for life here and into eternity?
Satan, the master deceiver, has set many traps to ensnare us into his nets and take us down to the Lake of Fire. Some of these traps (and upcoming events) are war on our soil, crash of the dollar (Project Sandman), famine, pestilence (new viruses), the vax, the coming three days of darkness, trust in our corrupt politicians and government, and perhaps the eclipse coming in April.
To gain insight into what is coming soon and how to prepare, take a look at Time is Short.
In I Chronicles 12:32, the sons of Issachar were commended for understanding the times and knowing what they should do. So let us be like them, seeking understanding of the times and what we should do to live at this time and serve our Lord. As in all things, question everything and take it to the Lord for confirmation.
This blog is for the remnant Bride of Christ and all who seek The Truth. You won’t want to miss it.
Life in the Spirit 