For decades, we have been hearing a word from our spiritual leaders and teachers that is very appealing to the ear of the masses. At times, the subject has been about prosperity and increase. During other seasons, it was about family and unity. We’ve also heard a tremendous amount about how a person should put themselves first and focus on what is best for them. To a degree, all of these are important to an individual’s well-being, but they must be placed in context. These things are merely the limbs, they are not the head. Some people have a hard time dealing with information that doesn’t tickle their ears, but in order to get to the place God wants us to be, we must develop an appetite for meat and put aside the milk. We not only have to hear the razor-sharp truth of God’s Word, but we must digest its correction and obtain a greater understanding of what He requires of us. Sometimes, this is the result of the shaking that God allows. It brings an awareness of our purpose in His Will that causes us to make a very necessary shift.
It is impossible to talk about a spiritual shift without talking about repentance, because repentance is the chisel of Christ that cracks open our hearts so that his love can get in. The more receptive we are to change, the more room we give his love to do its work. The return of Christ to the earth is going to be a day so glorious that words cannot describe it. God’s Word tells us that creation is groaning and moaning in agony until that day is here. It’s the promise of the Father, and as far back as two thousand years ago, folks were anxious for this day to come.
2Peter 3:9(NLT) tells us, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” God understands our eagerness to celebrate the fulfillment of His promise. He sees what we have to go through down here on this earth, but we must remember that His wisdom is perfection, and so is His timing. 2Peter3:9 assures us that He’s not slow to fulfill His promise. He has all power in His hands, so if the timing was perfect according to God’s divine will and plan, Jesus Christ would immediately appear, and do so in less time than a blink of an eye. 2Peter3:9 tells us exactly why he’s not yet returned. It is because God is being patient. Heavenly Father doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. This tells us everything we need to know about His overwhelming love. He doesn’t want people to suffer. He wants every person to repent so they will be saved.
John the Baptist came to the earth to prepare the way for the first coming of Christ. Matthew 3:2(NLT) says that John’s message was “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The following verse, Matthew 3:3, tells us that the prophet Isaiah was speaking about John the Baptist some 700 years before John actually arrived on the scene. Isaiah prophesied, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” God sent John the Baptist to get the hearts and minds of the people prepared to receive His Son. By this, you and I should recognize that it is extremely important to God that the hearts and minds of people change. This is what repentance is. Repentance is a change of both the mind and the heart.
The shaking that we have experienced during the pandemic is not a result of God punishing people. It is a result of people refusing to let God’s love rule their hearts. Within this earth that we live in, human beings are in charge of managing God’s resources. He decreed that people are the ones to have reign and dominance here. God gifted this reign and dominance through the gift of free-will, and Genesis 1:26 tells us that He’s given it to all of humanity. Romans 11:29(NKJV) says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” This means that God never has to do a do-over or a take-back. Once He gives a gift and a calling, He doesn’t revoke it. We are the overseers of God’s creation within the earth, and as overseers, we are called to manage according to the example of Jesus Christ. We don’t always do this. As a matter of fact, only a small percentage of us handle business with the love, humility, and compassion of Christ. Instead, we let arrogance and pride call the shots. So, when we end up in a very tough spot, and everything that we’ve known and counted on is shaken to its core, we can be sure that true repentance and reflection is well overdue.
Walking in truth will always require us to look up for forgiveness and look within to release that which has kept us bound. Then we can acquire the newness that propels us forward. God requires this be done through the Lord Jesus Christ, but people don’t want to hear this or talk about it because you cannot talk about God’s requirement without talking about sin. The knowledge that we’ve been hardhearted in some areas and have veered off the path of God’s purpose is simply the truth. God’s truth is never meant to condemn, it will correct and liberate! Jesus Christ said in John 8:31 that his true disciples are those that abide in his Word, for God’s Word is truth! In verse 32 of this same Gospel, Jesus said we can know God’s truth through His Word, and it will make us free.
Our natural inclination is to blame and deflect, and this is a waste of energy. The Father wants us to understand that He is calling us to spiritual maturity. We cannot afford the luxury of self-condemnation. We must immediately open our eyes to see what is wrong and correct it. The Will of the Father is for us to draw closer to Him through Christ, so we can continue growing spiritually and following the path of God’s purpose. There is much He wants to do in your life, and you can be assured that He’s not finished with you yet. Now is the time to repent and reflect. Hear what the Lord is saying to you, then, when He calls you to action and the shaking has diminished, you will be prepared for more responsibility and greater reward.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Shaking”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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