Faulty Foundations

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

There is this oxymoron  ‘calming – urgency’ feeling that has been nudging me lately. Calming because I know God will protect my household but an urgency to prepare and pray like never before. Prepare for what you may ask? I’ll get to that in a minute. But I need to give you some context first. 

I have always admired Christians who have matured in their gift of prophecy or Apologetics. Lately, more-so in Christian’s who have encounters and visions of angels or having the spiritual awareness of demons in a room; and casting out demonic spirits. I am also intrigued on how God talks to some people through their dreams. It just seems like a level of spiritual maturity that has to be unlocked through years of spiritual faith. It’s not that I don’t think I too have gifts, but I know I don’t spend as much time in my Word or leave room in my prayers to truly ask God to manifest Himself in those ways. It could also be that I don’t always ask God to stretch my spiritual tenacity to see things in the spiritual realm. Either because I’m so consumed with my own thoughts , desires or just simply living life. If He did reveal those admirable things to me, I often would wonder how would I respond? I’ll tell you. Fearful. Lol You probably could insert and sprinkle in some high anxiety with that as well because I wouldn’t know what to do next!

For me, there has always been this spookiness about the idea of demons, being watchful and identifying modernized witchcraft, and what happens in the last days. Heck, I couldn’t even read Revelations because the fear of reading it would actually instill more fear given the societal collapse America has been in lately. But just like how we all do with social media or the news when it feels too much or too heavy, I give myself a break from it all. Including reading God’s word. But why is it when things get too heavy we shut down rather than immediately working through the heaviness? Or we condense timing with God by just reading the scripture of the day on our Bible app to check mark that we have read our Word instead of taking hours to digest and dissect His Word to alleviate our stress?

We have to remember that one of the fundamentals of our Christian faith is there is no hierarchy on : who has the capability or ability to access Him, His Holy Spirit or the ability to tap into the same gifts as other believers we admire. “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father … This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him” (Eph. 2:18, 3:11-12) 

In hindsight, when I think about how I formed my foundational relationship with God. I selfishly called on Him when I felt like I deserved something through all of my ‘good deeds’. When I didn’t get what I wanted I would take another ‘break’. So I started in ‘Ephesians- A Bible Study Book’ by Jackie Hill Perry and two other authors, that helped me change my narrative of: who God is, the expectations He has of me, but also the inheritance I have of being a child of God. This forced me into the acknowledgment of having the spirit of fear rather than the fear of God.

“The fear of the Lord is the starting place for an intimate relationship with God. We become His friends, and His secrets are made known to us (pg.18 Bevere)”.

As I am slowly developing a stronger sense of how demonic spirits work— by rebuking the spirit of fear, it has unlocked a deeper level with how I live out my walk with God. It has been true freedom! I stopped praying to God properly as it felt more of a template, and didn’t reflect the evolution of how I now understand the true meaning of Him to be my ‘spiritual Father’. He now speaks to me more clearly in dreams where I can vividly remember and interpret them . He has given me undeniable warnings and corrections in relation to my laziness to write, as well as the need to study the Word. This brings me back to the ‘urgency’ I spoke of earlier on to prepare and pray for the future.

Two months ago, God had shown me different warnings to start preparing to stock up on food for my household. I knew to others it may sound crazy and I didn’t want to create panic or fear, because that wasn’t the sentiment God had given me when he told me what to do. So I kept it to myself but continued stocking up for my household. I even started a vegetable garden. Except God convicted me through a dream that by not sharing this same dream to warn to others to stock up as well, He told me that I’m leaving behind friends, family and even readers of Starving Christians that He also wanted to know.  By not reading books of The Bible like Revelations, Timothy, Joel and Matthew; it becomes a disservice to not only see how God plans our future but our present as well.

Yes, The idea that God is returning soon is biblical truth. However, knowing this entices me to live a life of intentionality of: what I watch, how I choose to spend my time and what music I listen to. There is an urgency to share the gospel more no matter how spooky it may sound to myself or others. It’s time to start believing those quotable scriptures that everyone knows like “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? … and test the rest of the scripture: “the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Prepare and Pray.

Reference:The Awe of God by John Bevere