It's Time To Shift



While reading a word today, a portion of the word reached out and jumped out at me. These words said exactly what I would have said had I been able to verbalize what God the Holy Spirit has been teaching me lately. Not only do these words confirm what God has been speaking to my heart, they are powerful. They contain keys to unlock doors through which we will enter into this next, new season in following Christ.
 
If I were a preacher, I would preach this. If I were an evangelist, I would stand before the crowds and passionately entreat them to listen and hear the Word of the Lord. But I'm neither of those things. I am me; a daughter, wife, mother, who delights in hearing the voice of God. Not every word do I publically share, but this one, this one is key. Please don't just read these words; hear them. Hear them with the ear of your spirit, and receive them. I know I've said it already, but somehow these words are key. The entire word can be found in the archives at the Elijah List website. If you haven't already, please consider signing up to freely receive the daily words from prophetic men and women of God through the Elijah List. They are available free of charge.
 
Here is an incerpt from a recent word:
 
"God is calling us to make a shift – a shift in our thinking; a shift in our intercession; a shift in our prophetic declarations; a shift in our expectation. We are in a season of amnesty. "Amnesty" means pardon for offenses against a government. It doesn't mean acquittal because of innocence. It means, across-the-board forgiveness, pardon, erasure of all judgment and penalty against the offending party. This is good news for us personally, and it is good news for the world.
 
Often, we hold ourselves, and then we hold others around us, in a prison of guilt for legitimate offenses against each other, and ultimately the government of God. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But it is God's glory to wipe out our offense by the power of His shed Blood. And it is our glory to extend this amnesty to the world around us. We need to make a shift, and let the reality of the Cross and the work Christ did there shape our prayers."
Can you hear it? Can you hear the voice of God calling us to make this shift in our thinking? This shift from holding others in a "prison of guilt for legitimate offenses against each other, and ultimately the government of God." ? The Blood of Christ has provided a better way, a way of mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Oh that we, as His followers, would likewise extend mercy, grace, forgiveness, amnesty as God through Christ, by the power of His Blood, has done.
 
God is more, so MUCH more than He is given credit for being. Around the world people, created by Him, are angry at Him. They blame, slander, and accuse the One who has given them life. When troubles and hard times come, immediately God is brought to question. Without knowing Him or His ways, people everywhere assume that He is at fault. That whatever evil came, it came because of Him. Yet, even in the face of insult, false accusation, and invalid reasoning, He still loves. How can He do this? How can God spend year after year after year listening to foolish, limited people lash out at Him for evils He has not sent? He is love. Love sees, love knows, love understands that men are but dust.
 
Sickness, misery, death, these things are the result of sin. Not God. Sin. Sin opens the door and paves the way for every bit of evil mankind has ever or will ever experience. Pain and sickness are the result of man's free will, mankind's own, personal decisions; they are the result of sin. And relying upon limited, finite understanding, mankind blames God. 
 
But God, sent Jesus. Jesus, the Redeemer. Emmanuel, God with us, came to earth in the form of a man, dwelt among us, died the death of a criminal, bought our salvation, returned from the dead, lived among us again, then returned to Heaven awaiting the moment when He might return, gather His people to Himself, and bring them Home to the Father.
 
Salvation? Salvation from what? Salvation from death, sickness, pain, disease, sorrow, everything that man's choice allowed. Adam, the first man, made a decision to disobey God's instructions. God didn't give the instruction to not eat of the tree because He was trying to cheat or deprive Adam and Eve. It was an instruction of protection and love. An instruction just like loving parents give their own children when they instruct them not to touch a hot object or something that would bring them harm. I don't allow my children to play in the street, even though they might very much want to. Am I cruel, oppressive? Not hardly. Does anyone accuse me of being mean to my children, or unfair, when I don't allow them to handle sharp kitchen utensils? Never. Why? Because every loving parent knows how ridiculous and foolish it would be to allow small children to do whatever they want. If mankind can understand the need for children to be told no, why can't they understand an all-knowing God's need to instruct His creation? The creation that He loves?
 
Somehow, in spite of miracles, loving intervention, message after message, mankind still refuses to consider, even briefly, that sickness, disease, and pain are not God's fault. He didn't send them. Mankind via Adam allowed them in when he chose to give in to his wife's pleading instead of following God's instructions. To this day, even though millions of people have chosen to believe the truth and follow God's way, the only way to life, countless others continue choosing death. They then continue blaming God when the result of their choices come to pass.
 
I could go on and on sharing examples, analogies, and passionate pleas concerning the truth of God and who He truly is. But when all is said and done, it really boils down to this one thing: God loves man; He is good. He gave mankind a freewill to make a choice: life or death, the blessing or the curse. Mankind chooses, then lives the consequences of that choice. God still loves man; He is still good. Either we choose to believe the truth about God and who He is, or we choose to believe the lie so many have chosen to live throughout the ages.
 
It is my prayer that as we enter the Christmas season of Emmanuel, God With Us, we will come to know truth concerning God and who He really, truly is. We'll end with a quote I read recently.
 

Sometimes I would like to ask God, why He allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world, when He could do something about it… but I'm afraid He might ask me the same question.

-Anonymous
 
 

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