SHAKE,
RATTLE & ROLL… IS IT GOD?!
Just
look! Just take one moment of time and look at it!
Every
place on planet earth - the hand of God is shaking something, someone, some
place and EVERY part of the church, and the folks who dare to name
Jesus as Lord of their lives.
Everyone has an
opinion about the season of shaking that we are presently experiencing,
particularly in the church. I've heard the reports of so called experts
who seemingly have cornered the market on the will of God. Some would believe
it is an all out attack from the enemy. Others would believe
that it is judgment, directly from the throne of God. Still others would
say it's the grace of Jesus awakening us to this hour and time we're in; that
it is a natural result of the things we've seen come to pass in the last year
or so.
I imagine
that the truth is that it is all of the above, happening all at the same
time. It's not a stretch to see all these things happening today. Yet, in all this - God IS in control.
Regardless
of what we see and think, what we feel and sense, God in heaven will have the
last word when all the dust has settled.
Let
me throw a few thoughts at you as it relates to this shaking we are most
definitely in the midst of.
First
of all: God is directly involved with what is going on. Sure, satan will
always try to mess with us, especially when he is aware that the Holy
Spirit is up to some amazing stuff. Satan may have his fingers in there, but
the Father of all life is definitely at work with, and in His church.
We
have to take it by faith - that God is a good God and that everything he does,
though it may ouch for a moment, is good and right.
What?!
You really believe that God does everything to appeal to our flesh; that which
looks good to the natural eye?
Sweetheart,
He's trying to kill the flesh! And last I checked we're still
supposed to walk in the Spirit, by faith - not by what we see. If we
get our eyes off the shaking, we may see clearly what the King is up to in this
hour.
In
Ezekiel 37 – we see that God took the brother out in the spirit for the
purpose of showing him a valley FULL of DRY BONES.
In vs. 2 he says, "there
were very many, and low, they were very dry.”
Very dry: No
life; No future; As a result of the condition of these bones, no fruit; no
reproducing.
It was a pretty
bleak picture to show the prophet. Notice, that while these bones were GATHERED
there was no life. But the Bible says in vs.7 that as the prophet
prophesied as he was commanded, there was a noise, and then a SHAKING!
When this happed,
here it is… "Bones came together, bone to his bone."
There are 206 bones
in the human body. In vs. 11, God says that these bones are the whole
house of Israel. If you can get your mind wrapped around how many
potential bodies we're talking about, then multiply that by 206, we're talking
about a lot of bones!
In
vs. 2 they were “gathered”. But in vs.7, they were “ASSEMBLED!”
God is taking us to a new level in him. He is assembling His church
according to His own good pleasure.
I
Cor.12:18 "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the
body, as it hath pleased him."
I believe
one thing that God intends to accomplish in the midst of this shaking is to
shake us into the right place; the place that He called us to, from the
foundation of the world.
What's
your purpose in life? What was in the mind of Almighty God when he
formed you?
When I find
purpose, when I'm walking according to the will of God for my life, as it
relates to what he's called me to do in the kingdom, He then can “assemble”
me. He can connect me to the spot, and to the bone, that He has foreordained
me to be hooked up with.
He
will not connect a toe to a wrist. Neither will he hook up a
neck to a knee; However, WE might try to do that!
Just
because we can sing, we think that we must be on a worship team; Or
because we deal well with people, we are feel we MUST be the one to be
at the door on Sunday morning greeting the people as they come in.
I personally
would rather do the two things Jesus has called me to, and do them
right; rather then find twenty things to do, and just do them good.
If I'm going to benefit the body, I need to be connected to the right
spot.
God
did not connect a leg from the tribe of Judah, to a foot from the tribe of Gad;
it was not just a random act! He had a plan; He put those bodies
together, bone to his bone. He restructured and raised each person up - to the
proper place.
The
result in vs. 10 was an exceeding great army.
This shaking
is to get us, as individuals, and as the church of Jesus Christ - one step
closer to destiny. He is hooking us up, one with another to the proper
place he's called us to.
Just
look! Look at all the transitions; in the place you worship, as well as
in your community. God is changing and readjusting things, and people all
over the world. He is connecting bone to His bone. Not just to ANY
bone, but "BONE TO HIS BONE!"
He is shaking some
things out of us, so he can shake some things into us; and shake us into the
right place.
Here's
the trick: Get your eyes off of the shaking!
Go
back to the picture in vs. 7. The whole thing looked chaotic!
But... IT WAS THE HAND OF GOD!
It was in
the midst of that chaotic moment that those bones came together into proper
position.
You
may be experiencing some chaotic stuff in your life right now. Yes, it
could be the enemy; but I assure you - you still have power and authority over
satan! Exercise the word of God, and get rid of him!
Stay as
close as possible to Jesus. Satan won't come around you when you hunker
down under the wing of God. Once you have determined that where you're at
in life is most certainly Jesus, then set back, trust him, and watch what this
seemingly chaotic season will produce in your life, for Gods glory.
During this
bone-connecting season, folks will leave their church-home to worship
elsewhere. Folks will leave the city, and even the Country. People
you were sure would be around forever will walk away - to be reconnected with
someone else, with some other ministry, according to the voice of God.
Pastors that
God originally called to be an evangelist will head-out across the nation and
nations; your worship leader may hit the mission fields in Uganda. Know
this: it may all seem pretty chaotic, even crazy at times, but it is the
hand of the Lord building his house according to his will. No longer will
he permit us to build in vain. He's building for his glory, and for the
purpose of revealing himself to the world - very, very soon.
One last
thought, this is a key: If you are a leader and have opportunity to communicate
the Word of God, you may find this helpful:
Vs.
7 "So I prophesied as I was commanded...” What did he
prophesy? He prophesied what he had heard in vs. 4-6.
In
short: What was being declared in heaven, was heard, and in turn declared on
planet earth. As the people of God – it is time to say what God
is saying, not what he said, some time ago.
Something
amazing and powerful happens when we, as Gods sons, repeat the words that are
being spoken in the third heaven.
This
whole thing transpired as the Rhema Word of God was being declared on planet
earth. He said: "So I prophesied, and as I did, there was a
noise, and then a shaking.” It took that for bone to be connected to
His bone.
Don't
fight this shaking sweetheart, enjoy it; it will get you to the other side!
