Scripture: Ephesians 5 v 15 - 19: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
Our constant need in these last days is discernment between right and wrong, between what makes up the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan. The latter controls the kingdoms of this world. He even offered them to Jesus during the 40 days Wilderness temptations.
It's not just royal kingdoms but everything he controls, like human minds, or influences like human behaviour. Without the gift of spiritual discernment our minds only work on the physical level and we miss so much. When we discern with the power of the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, there is zero comparison to what is deemed "normal".
To our Heavenly Father, normal is Adam before the fall, or Jesus Christ in His earthly body. God wants everyone to be normal like His Son. Jesus is the prototype for the new creation, which is the new normal.
There is a huge vacuum that needs filling, starting with the Church and then the world. When the late Norman Grubb thanks God for Communism because it creates this perfect vacuum for spiritually starving hearts to be filled with the fullness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that's the new creation right there.
Our government is preparing to use the example of the Chinese Communist Party to remodel South Africa into a corruption free nation. Looking at China this past week, economy is cracking, drought is wiping out essential crops, dry rivers are rendering hydroelectric power stations futile, their huge property market has fallen hard, and seeing that 75% of their economy is tied up in housing, their example is not doing well.
The Lord had the answer, as He always does, that by withholding Christianity those who become hungry for it will eventually explode with determination to eat the Bread of Life. Shortly after Mr Grubb uttered those words, the Berlin Wall fell and thousands of missionaries poured into the gap and were welcomed with open arms.
We will redeem the time as Paul said in Ephesians 5 v 16. This means to make up for lost time. All the time that Communism shuts God out is just the cold winter of no visible growth but under the ground all the seeds are germinating and waiting for Spring.
Years ago the first prophecies concerning South Africa and the coming world revival were heard from all over the globe. That the revival would start in this nation and spread throughout the world. Some saw visions of one small spark becoming a bonfire then as then enemy tried to stamp it out the sparks flew in all directions creating an unstoppable fire of the Holy Spirit.
True revival comes with deep repentance, weeping before a holy Saviour for every mistake, sin, omission, lie, angry or idle words, in fact everything we did to grieve our precious Lord. The times we did our own thing, went ahead with plans He did not initiate or sanction. The times we did not thoroughly check whether some doctrines were in line with the Word of God and got ensnared in false teachings and behaviour. These will all have to be dealt with and the vacuum in our hearts filled with truth.
In the book "Beyond the Veil" by H.R. Baker a missionary to China in the 1920's, his orphanage for boys was suddenly visited by a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The prayer room was filled with normally spiritually indifferent boys pleading for forgiveness, including their Buddhist teacher who got gloriously saved.
This revival lasted years. The children were caught up to Heaven and saw, spoke to, children from the orphanage who had died. They were seen by the Bakers filling their pockets, playing musical instruments, listening earnestly, singing. When they returned they were sad that the fruit they tried to put in their pockets was not there!
But the fruit was spiritual and changed their lives dramatically as they went out into the streets and preached the gospel, often by the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues. One boy would speak in tongues and one after another of the children would interpret it bringing very strong messages of salvation to the crowds whose hungry hearts were a vacuum waiting to be filled. A very inspiring book!
Our Almighty God uses every situation the enemy has in play as a weapon to be turned against him. He counteracts the evil conditions with brilliant solutions. Let us trust the Lord in the outworking of His plan for our salvation and the ministry to others.
We all, ALL, have a part to play, we just have to see a vacuum we can fill. When we find our direction and apply ourselves to being obedient to Jesus, put aside our worldly distractions, and concentrate our energy on doing that which pleases Him, we will turn this world upside down as the fire of the Holy Ghost ignites the hearts of those seeking truth.
Jesus will use the 1000 years of peace when He rules this planet to restore a worldwide garden of Eden. He will fill the vacuum of destruction and pollution on this planet with pure clean beauty. The venom of spiders and snakes and some plants will be removed, the deadly attacks of wild animals will be gone, our oceans will be clean, our air pure, our children safe.
Worrying about this planet is a distraction from making our combined effort to saving the souls of those who don't know Jesus, and we should not be conned by it. We have been given the task, the authority, the tools, to fulfil the great commission of Jesus. Go into all the world and tell them the good news that I am alive, they are forgiven, and they must be born again to perceive Heaven.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, how wonderful it will be when we see the fruits of our labours, our family, friends and strangers we met, safely home in Heaven with You. There is a vacuum only You can fill, Lord! In Jesus' name. Amen.