PENTECOST COUNTDOWN: 4 DAYS TO GO!

I woke up this morning very stirred in my spirit. I was stirred by the wickedness of powerful men and media in the unique ways it has been recently and progressively revealed. I was again stirred by how much we need His supernatural power for everything. As I processed events going on I felt again the desperation for an unprecedented visitation from the Holy Spirit with power. I pondered this morning on the CDC guidelines for churches to meet and I felt anger again. Who gave this private and compromised organization the right to give guidelines for how churches can meet?! We have to go to church with masks on, sit in a “socially distanced” way, have a maximum of 25% occupancy?! How do you even have church under those guidelines?! Worship with masks on?! I felt mocked--on behalf of the church. Then I was stirred at how many pastors, churches, and members don’t really care about the suppression. “It is the least we could do to consider others' safety and honor authority,” they say. That made me incensed. Is that what we have become as the church? A mealy-mouthed, passive, powerless, politically correct, group of theoretical “do-gooders”? Is this the church that scares the “gates of hell?” We haven’t even scared the agenda of Bill Gates.

I then began to process what might happen if the Holy Spirit AND POWER really hit us this coming Pentecost weekend. What might change? Maybe since “church” can’t really happen in church buildings maybe “church” would break out everywhere? Maybe brave people would begin to gather by 10, 20, or 30 in homes where there is no restriction, and just let loose with “church.” Maybe parks where there is freedom would see the same dynamic? Maybe beaches? Maybe cul-de-sacs? Might such courageousness hit God’s people that worship in small groups anywhere and everywhere would just break out? I say “brave” and “courageous” not because the COVID19 is anything--as the data shows it makes NO sense to overreact the way we have. Two months ago, Dr. Fauci said “don’t wear masks as it really does nothing”--and now he wears a mask for press conferences?! Hypocrisy and contradiction is bursting out everywhere. I say “brave” and “courageous” as that is what it takes to counter the mask-reinforced, lying narrative being perpetuated... So as you see, I woke up stirred.

In my “stirred” state, I read the first 12 chapters of Psalms and that really helped. It helped connecting to a man who processed similar frustrations. It helped as I gained some overall clarity on my double frustrations. As to the wickedness of man and the rampant existence of injustice I saw that it is to God on High that we appeal. David summed it up in Psalm 7:6 “Arise, O Lord, in anger…Wake up, my God, and bring justice!” and in verse 9, “End the evil of those who are wicked!” In the 12 chapters David appeals over and over for the intervention of God towards the evil in men. Psalm 11:4-7 was very satisfying to read:

"But the Lord is in His holy Temple; the Lord STILL RULES from heaven. HE WATCHES EVERYONE CLOSELY, examining every person on earth. The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds. FOR THE RIGHTEOUS LORD LOVES JUSTICE. The virtuous will see His face.”

So two things are going on. One is me--and many of you are doing the David prayers pleading for Him to Awaken to Justice on earth, and He is doing so, just at a slower pace than desirable. The other is we as believers need a Holy Spirit tidal wave to come in so that we can function and do our part. We have two great “hungers”--one, for His real, practical evidence as Ruler of the Nations and two, for personal empowerment, personal presence-carrying, personal supernatural evidence of the Holy Spirit being with us. Power and authority over demons, fear, sickness, despair, passivity, etc. It is still God, Himself who calls the nations and the wicked into account--that is on Him. It is, however, US who arise and shine at every level below that. It eventually translates to nations operating to our light (Is. 60:1-3), but we want to keep clear who does what. We don’t need Holy Spirit power because God is off His throne as it relates to the nations. He still rules at that level. We desperately need it so that we do our part in being witnesses to Him and His kingdom on earth.

Acts 10:38 “And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER. THEN Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was Him.”

Last thought of the day...If Jesus needed anointing by THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER to do the kingdom activity He did--what has made us think we need anything less? Is the new “Holy Spirit” of our day social media skills, likes, shares, interpersonal communication skills, personal charisma, finances? I hope not. Keep the hunger revving.