What Do You Know?
There are inescapable cravings in the core of every human heart that cannot be ignored, denied or pacified: they must be satisfied. When we wake up in the morning, whether we realize it or not, we are driven by innate desires that demand answers and refuse delay. These longings are inherent to us as human beings. We have longings and yearnings placed deep within us by God, for the purpose of wooing us into His grace and presence. We long to be enjoyed by God. We long to be fascinated. We long for beauty and greatness. We long for intimacy without shame, to be wholehearted. We long to make a deep and lasting impact … neighbors and nations now, and more.
It is His plan for us to be driven by these longings to encounter Him, His Presence and His Power; to be His sons of glory, to manifest His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, to heal the sick, to cast out demons so that the blind may see, the deaf may hear, for the least of us in His Kingdom to be greater than the greatest prophets of old. How is that for deep and lasting impact? That is neighbors and nations now, and more. And yet, who can say they have not encountered Christians, driven by the same longings, who instead of carrying the anointing of faith and grace and impacting neighbors and nations, lug around memories of what God hasn’t done? Many of them have been dealing with long-term illnesses. They remember how many thousands of times they have had hands laid on them, prophesied on and yet are not healed. Others are holding God on trial, not for their own breakthrough or healing, but for a miracle in someone else’s life. They’re hanging their faith on a single event instead of on the God who has already purchased every miracle everyone on the planet needs.
By keeping a record of what God hasn’t done, they are actually building a case against God. This works to justify their own unbelief and positions them to be filled with offense over another unanswered prayer. The anointing that flows through our lives is always determined by our hearts. We will release to the world what our hearts are feeding on. If our hearts are feeding on what God hasn’t done, regardless of how religious we try to be, publicly, we impart offense and unbelief. Disappointment with God sucks the strength and courage to go on, and disappointment almost always gets in when we allow what isn’t happening to arrest our focus. Driven by the same longings, we spiral into deep despair.
Ultimately, we don’t understand all the reasons that things turn out the way they do. Correctly responding to that kind of mystery is one of the most difficult challenges in the Christian life. It’s in that place that the accuser of the brethren often finds an open door to try to convince us what God has said about who we are and what we are called to accomplish is untrue and impossible. We overcome the accuser by the word of our testimony. In other words, we don’t overcome the accuser by focusing on what we don’t know. We overcome him by standing on what we know. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelations 12:11
Thanksgiving is therefore a great time to focus on all that the Lord has done. Not only out of gratitude, it is an absolute necessity in overcoming the accusations, the disappointments and the discouragement. It sets the spiritual atmosphere pregnant with anticipation and expectation for more of God’s miracles in our nations and neighbors. Let us continue to hear what He is promising to do in our nations and neighbors and continue to remember all that the Lord has done in our nations and neighbors.
Lemuel
