Over the past week, two men and a woman of God that I have the highest respect for sent out articles that I believe are right on target with the season we are in right now.
The first was Francis Frangipane writing, Time to Learn Righteousness is now. Whether on Wall Street or in the ranks of the most celebrated of the Church, "The sense of privilege, that one can live without accountability either to God or to the law of man, is being judged by the Lord. There are no special people who are exempt."
Francis writes, "...if we submit to God, our economy and culture will turn a corner into a time of renewed blessing. However, if we resist, if we persist in deceitful ways, we should not expect God to bless us. Thus, it is imperative to discern this season. We are in a time of increasing judgment. The world and its structures are in a collision course with the Kingdom of God."
That is what all this is about, the Kingdom of God. We are all excited about the manifestation of the kingdom in our world but the price for that manifestation are vessel sanctified (purified) enough walk in the glory of that kingdom. We can fool the people, but we can't fool God. If we are going to walk in the glory of the kingdom, then we better get real.
The second article was actually a prophetic dream recorded by Asher Intrater of Jerusalem and written in an article titled, Dream: Drinking the Cup of the Harlot.
In his dream, Asher saw a large gathering of Christians and Jews who were all drinking from cups containing a spirit of immorality that manifested in different ways with different people.
Asher writes, "All this 'spiritual adultery' was connected deeply with a spirit of 'deception.' The deception worked this way: When someone would drink the liquid, their face would be shiny; they looked good; they were smiling, attractive, positive, energetic, and prosperous. It all seemed so good, almost wonderful, like it was an 'anointing' of the Holy Spirit or some kind of charismatic gift. Yet it was demonic. That spirit deceived people, causing them not to see their sin and spiritual adultery. Almost everyone was caught up in it, so there didn't seem any way to correct the situation."
Sound familiar? There are a lot of people drinking the Kool-Aid these days, but God is committed to purifying us from those tendencies. We fool ourselves if we think God is okay with the exaggerations we indulge in to make ourselves appear more 'glorious' than we actually are.
Asher wrote of his dream, "There was a call to repent and to be delivered. The effect was like an explosion or an earthquake. Most of the people responded positively when directly confronted and were powerfully delivered. They had been 'caught up' in all the spiritual deception but hadn't intended to be. However there were a few people who had planned and worked on the distribution of the cups. They were selling them, and had done it on purpose....they refused to repent, and some of them dropped dead on the spot."
This is important, there are a lot of people caught up in spiritual deception that hadn't intended to be. God is not trying to destroy us for making mistakes, but He is committed to transforming us into the likeness of His Son.
Most of the people in Asher's dream did not want to be caught up in spiritual immorality or deception. Most jumped at the chance to be free when confronted with the truth. It was only those who were intent on personally profiting from the distribution of the little 'Kool-Aid' cups of deception who did not want to be set free.
Nevertheless, we should heed the example of a man who even though he had already been anointed by the prophet of God to be king over Israel, refused to put out his hand against the man who stood in that office currently. If you read through David's experience in the wilderness, he had many opportunities to destroy his enemy, King Saul. He did not because even though he had been anointed to be the next king of Israel, he knew it was God's business to take down the current king, not his.
We have to be very careful what we do in similar situations. There is a big difference in confronting spiritual immorality and deception, and trying to tear down and destroy those who are caught up in these things. We have biblical instructions for dealing with such circumstances, although many feel justified to push way past those instructions. They are deceived, as well, and will face their own calling to account by God.
The kingdom of God does not come by self appointed enforcers, it comes our hearts being prepared to carry more and more of the governing of the Spirit of the Lord.
Scripture says of Yeshua/Jesus that God gave Him the Spirit without measure, meaning an unlimited measure. (John 3:34) We, on the other hand, have been given a limited deposit - an earnest - of the Spirit towards the glory we hope for. That is why John the baptizer said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)
So, our sanctification in the simplest terms is the transformation process that happens in us as the Spirit of the Lord increases in us. The apostle Paul explained this process as crucifying the old man - decrease of our ways - so we can "put on" the new man, the increase of the government of Jesus in our being.
Isaiah 9:7 says, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of armies will perform this."
For His "government" to increase without end, that means His government over the lives of individuals must increase. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation....For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
For the kingdom to come, the kingdom has to come forth within us. This means far more than healing miracles being performed, it means the people of God being truly given over to the governing of Jesus within their own hearts. We do that in limited measure, but a measure than grows in proportion to the increase of His glory within us. His glory comes into the places that are purified, sanctified and made ready for His presence to occupy.
Yeshua/Jesus made a very telling comment in John 14:30, "...for the prince of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me."
Jesus had the Spirit without measure - there were no hidden pockets of darkness in His heart that prohibited or limited the degree of the glory He could carry. We are not in that place. We have been given a deposit of the Spirit when we entered into relationship with God through faith in His Anointed.
This deposit of the Spirit is like the parable Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 13:33 “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
To understand the kingdom of God, we must let His 'kingdom' remove the dark places remaining in our hearts, flooding every recess with the glory of His Light. Be prepared to hold back nothing if you desire unlimited measures of His glory and presence.
The final article I took note of last week was a vision given to Victoria Boyson, also a long time friend of Francis Frangipane. Victoria's article, titled My Beloved - A Vision, speaks of how the enemy's pursuit is driving us toward a radiant light that creates a glorious transformation in us.
Victoria writes, "The enemy is desperate to own, possess and use you for His own purposes. He will stop at nothing to deter you from your destiny in God - from your purpose and from oneness with your Beloved. He will use anyone or anything, even your own desires to keep you from Christ.
"The wounds the enemy inflicts and the dangers, which surround us, must bring us to desperate longing - we must run to Him believing He has something for us. When surrounded by darkness, we must not lose hope. Trust that He loves you and wants you for His own. He does."
Whatever place we happen to be in at this time, the Lord has a kingdom that He greatly desires we enter into fully. Whatever else we do, let us seek to enter into the things He has for us fully and in all truth.
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