Be encourage with biblical encouragement and inspiration from Pastor Kevin Berry. Receive leadership tips to succeed in your work or daily life, follow along with daily devotionals, and receive practical steps to walk out your Christian life.
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – Mark 11:22-24
When Jesus said, “whoever says to this mountain…,” He was teaching us something crucial. If you change what you say, you can change your life. What do you say to the “mountains” in your life? It might be time to change what you are saying. There have been times when I have blown it and said all the wrong things, but eventually I would come back to the truth of what God has spoken.
Have fun making your own list of declarations from the Word of God over your life and family!
Dear friend, I found this prayer that the Apostle Peter prayed for believers who were facing difficult times, and I’m praying this prayer for you!
“May God give you more and more grace and peace.” – 1 Peter 1:2b
In a world that was becoming increasingly hostile toward Christians, Peter knew that believers would need grace and peace. They would soon feel the hatred and rejection of an unbelieving world. Their faith was about to be tested in a way that they had never experienced before. Yet, at the same time, they were jumping for joy because of Jesus. They had an inward joy that could not be touched by this world.
I know this last year has been a difficult season for many. Yet, because of Jesus, we have every reason to jump for joy. The days before the return of Christ will be filled with both difficult times and times of massive spiritual awakening! On Sundays, we are going through Peter’s letter to believers. He tells us how to live with inward joy while in a world that becomes increasingly hostile to Christians. His counsel for you might not be what you want to hear, but it’s what you need to hear. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he will give you counsel that will refresh, inspire, and sustain you!
“More and more grace and peace…” I speak these words over you as a declaration of God’s favor over your life! I’m telling you, more and more of God’s grace and peace is chasing after you! Say it out loud, “Right now, God is giving me more grace and peace!” Worry has tried to chase you down. Fear has tried to take hold of you. But, Beloved, even right now, God’s grace and peace are settling down over you like a blanket. I hear the Lord whispering to your heart:
From before you were born, I’ve had my eye on you. I have always loved you. There has not been one day of your life that I have not had my eye on you. Yes, even in the times when you thought you were forgotten, rejected, I have had my eye on you. Yes, I have guided and guarded you all the days of your life.
I know the path I’ve called you to is not easy. I knew there would be moments of great joy and moments of heartache. I know all about the moments of celebration with friends, and I know the bitter sting of rejection. There will be moments of trials and troubles that you must endure. Here is what you must know, I AM with you! As I was with Moses, I AM with you. As I was with Gideon, I AM with you. I am not with you any less than I was with them, and that is all you need; I AM all you need!
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.”
– 1 Peter 1:6“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
– Romans 5:3-4
Endurance means to stay under; to have staying power; to remain under what feels uncomfortable. It’s your staying power in trouble today that develops you for the trouble and victory in tomorrow.
I sense a stirring from the Holy Spirit. I’m praying that as the world comes out of the season marked by COVID, we enter a season of spiritual awakening like we have never seen before. Renee and I love you, thank God for you, and are keeping you covered in prayer!
The word “church” comes from two Greek words: Called and Out. The Strong’s Concordance reads this way: “called out from their homes to gather together.” We know the Church is not a building, and the Church is not just believers in Christ. The Church is believers called out—yes, called out of darkness and into the light of Jesus, and also called out of our homes to gather together.
Over the last year, many believers have become accustomed to watching the Church instead of gathering with the Church. Please hear my heart, I understand some are unable to gather right now. One of my concerns about this season is that believers may settle into a routine of being apart from the family—the local Church—and that’s a dangerous place to be. When we become born again, God adopts us into His family. He puts us into a local church that gathers together to worship.
The bottom line is that we were never called just to watch. Out of all the things we watch in life, the Church is not supposed to be one of them. The believers gathered—that’s the Church—something we participate in. We all play our part to help somebody else grow. We encourage one another, pray for one another, bear one another’s burdens… and mostly, we love one another. We gather to be equipped for the going. I love you and want the best for you.
I could not be more excited about the moments we are living in. Something from Heaven that will go global is about to be birthed out of this family called Mount Hope Church. I feel it in my bones. I’m so glad that the Lord has added you to The Hope, and I am so looking forward to seeing you soon!
Pray right now, asking the Lord to wake up your sleepy heart. If receiving holy communion doesn’t move you emotionally, you’re in a rut. If your heart no longer erupts with joy as you sing about the grace of God and the blood of Jesus, you’re in a rut. If that is you, take heart. The Lord loves you so much He comes to you, He comes to wake up His sleepy Bride. The Apostle Paul spoke to sleeping Christians in one of the greatest churches of the day, Ephesus, and said: “Awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14). Now stir up the gift of God that is in you. Get around some people that are passionate about God, let the embers of their life light up something fresh from the Spirit in you.
Samson fell into the trap of getting older, but not any holier. He had the call—he was God’s man of the hour—but he thought that his conduct didn’t have to line up with his God. His self-deception led him to eventually lose his eyes and then his life. If you take a glance at your life for a minute, are you getting holier? Do your conversations sound more like the way Jesus talks? Are the fruits of the Holy Spirit evident in your life? (See Galatians 5:22-23.) The Scriptures say, “Wake up to righteousness, and stop sinning” (1 Corinthians 15:34). I encourage you to read the book, “The Beauty of Holiness” by Pastor Dave Williams. As he mentions right on the cover, it is an exciting pursuit!
I’ve noticed something while making campfires. If I want to get a fizzling fire to start bursting into flames, I just push the burning embers together. If I want to get a fire to go out, I just spread the embers out, and eventually, the fire dies. In these last days before the return of Christ, you can expect that persecution will increase as sin will run rampant everywhere. At the same time, there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like this world has never seen before. We are told that many in the last days will depart from the faith as the tension between this world’s kingdom and God’s kingdom increases. The Apostle Paul said, “Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22). Your alliances are critical in this season.
We were made by God out of dust, and if we are not careful, we will act just like dust and settle. When COVID came on the scene last year, I remember telling our church family, “When the world goes back to normal, don’t go with them.” But I think we did, at least to a degree. In some ways, we slowly settled back into our regular routine. No more! I felt strongly a few weeks ago that we must break out of the rut. We simply cannot experience the transformation God has for us this year as long as we keep doing the same thing. The word of the Lord to Moses speaks to us today:
When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord God said to us, “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It’s time to break camp and
move on.” – Deuteronomy 1:6-7
The Lord was telling Israel there was a promised land for them, flowing with milk and honey. He was saying, “Look! I’m giving it to you, now go in and occupy it!” Where the Lord has taken us as a church family is good, but we have not arrived. I hear the Lord saying to Mount Hope, “Come up higher! There is more than what you have been walking in. I’ve given it to you. Wake up, my Bride… wake up, my Beauty!” If you’ve found yourself in a spiritual rut, how do you get out?
Dear friend, I love you, thank God for you, and am praying for you. The last several months have been filled with both immense challenges and tremendous opportunities. I see God at work, positioning us for another Great Awakening. I hear the sound of a transformation coming! Look what happens when the sounds of Heaven hit the earth:
The sound from Heaven filled the house where they were sitting. Then everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages (Acts 2:2-4). A new sound came out of the believers that day. First, there was a sound from Heaven, then a sound from the Church, and so it is today.
I hear a new sound coming out of the church today. It’s the sound of hunger, thirst, repentance, and uncontrollable joy! Years ago, I woke up prophesying loudly in my sleep, “The hungry are coming! The hungry are coming!” Now I see them—I see among us the hungry and thirsty, the very people God promises to fill (Isaiah 44:3). I hear the shouts of joy! Joy comes, and it’s on the way! Joy is coming! As the Scriptures say, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalms 30:5).
Tension… have you felt it lately?
The Apostle John, and the Christians in the churches he is writing to, stand between two worlds… and there is great tension. In this world, Satan has his throne surrounded with sexual immorality, compromise, mixture, and mass deception. John, in the midst of this world, was “canceled,” rejected, and put on an island full of prisoners. The cancel culture of his day sought to cancel his voice and his faith… and eventually cancel his life.
At the same time, John was part of another world. As a child of God through faith in Christ, he was part of a heavenly family. So there he was worshiping the Lord, becoming more aware of God’s kingdom and God’s throne when he suddenly heard the Lord’s voice and saw a glimpse of the Master. His feet were on the earth, but his heart and mind and emotions were in Heaven. Then it happened…
“Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.’” – Revelation 4:1
I hear the Lord saying to us… “Come up here. I want you to come up higher.”
“When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on.’” – Deuteronomy 1:6-7
The greatest threat to the Church is not the liveliness of sin around us, but the deadness in us. It is the Church settling for life stuck in a rut. In becoming so much like the world, if we don’t feel any tension, we will make no impact. Remember that the Church is made of believers called out to gather—the gathering of the saints. It is not any more or less than the individuals that make up the gathering; you cannot change the Church without changing the individuals. So, the Lord is personally calling you higher!
John saw a door standing open in Heaven—a door that shows us the unlocked access. For some, Heaven seems distant to everyday reality on Earth, yet it is close at hand and saturates all that takes place on Earth. This opened the Apostle John’s senses as he took the journey higher. He would see and hear things he never experienced before:
“I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.” – 2 Corinthians 12:4
“And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.” – Revelation 4:2-3
Jesus said we get to come boldly before the throne! We have been seated with Christ in heavenly places. While we are all too aware of what’s available in this earthly realm, we do not want to miss what’s in Heaven that we can bring to Earth.
The occupied throne is the focus of all John sees in his visit to Heaven. It is significant to point out that the throne is a powerful declaration of God’s presence and sovereign, rightful reign; His responsibility to guide, care for and judge His creation. We won’t think rightly about anything in life until we settle in our minds that there is an occupied throne in Heaven, and from that throne, God actively rules over the affairs of the earth right now.
The atheist says, “There is no throne, no seat of authority or power that the entire universe must answer to, no God who gives us life or guidelines for living.” The humanist says, “There is a throne and I sit on it; I make the rules for living as I see fit.”
As a Christ-follower, if you see God on the throne, you won’t keep trying to get on it. When you see that the throne is not empty, you get some peace that God knows what He is doing… He has the proper time. Your prayer has been heard; now trust in God’s proper time for the answer.
An angel told Zechariah: “For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” – Luke 1:20
What does John see happening around God’s occupied throne?
Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” – Revelation 4:4-11
We live with the tension of being between two worlds. The question is: How do we live in such a way where we become more aware of the Kingdom of Heaven than this earthly kingdom? How do we awaken our spiritual senses?
The transformation of our life starts right here. REPENT. This means an absolute and ultimate surrender to God and decision to turn from our sins. In the letters to the churches we’ve been studying in Revelation, Jesus called them to repent five times!
“Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.” – Revelation 2:5
“Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again.” – Revelation 3:3
What is it you heard and believed at first? Hold firmly to it.
The word repent is for the church, not just those who don’t know Christ. Repentance is a growing, Kingdom lifestyle, not just a one-time thing. The Lord, in His amazing grace, has been taking us through a season of repentance… and it’s making our spiritual senses come alive!
Want your spiritual senses to come alive? Look what John did:
“It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.” – Revelation 1:10, 12
While John still had the smell of the prison in his nose, when he could hear the prisoners, when he could still feel the sting of being canceled, rejected… he worshiped!
Worship is foundational to your life as a right view of God! Knowing God’s hand is on everything in your life will banish fear. Knowing angels worship God nonstop, shouldn’t that prompt our worship also? As we worship, we begin to see all of life from Heaven’s perspective. This means we rise above the hysteria, hype, and deceptions in this world. A life of worship is to live above the temptations to conform.
Worship also paints a powerful picture of unity. In Revelation 4, we see the unity of the elders and the four living beings. The elders represent the people of God—the Church—all the faithful, different people of different times, worshiping together in unity! Church, the family that should be worshiping together has been fighting. Satan has tried to divide God’s family. How foolish to allow the issues of this passing world to divide people from another world. Let’s be reminded that the things that unite us are bigger than the things that could divide us.
Remember how Jesus told us to pray… as it is in Heaven let it be on the earth. This is what we do when we live in with the tension of a world filled with sin, with evil all around us.
In Acts 2, they prayed down rain. They were promised power from Heaven. They prayed, they waited, then sounds from Heaven filled the room and tongues of fire settled on each person. Then, “when they heard the loud noise, everyone came running” (Acts 2:6).
Rain doesn’t fall; it is pulled down by gravity. Read further into Revelation 5 and see the prayers of God’s people being stored up til they get to a tipping point. Then like gravity, the rain is pulled down to the earth. Yes, we are to pray… and then obey! Don’t try and only pray down something that the Lord is telling you to do. Be encouraged—the Lord will be right with you.
What happens when some of Heaven comes to the earth? We get to be part of what God is doing as He sends us out to: heal the sick, cast out demons, be His witnesses, tell our story, care for the poor, orphans, and widows… and overcome evil with goodness. With God, we have the power of prayer, the joy of obedience, and the sweet wonder of His presence!
The Lord is calling you to come up higher!
Awaken your senses. Take a few moments to meditate on these thoughts:
Repent.
The word repent is for the Church, not just those who don’t know Christ. We would only have to repent once if we only ever sinned once. It’s part of growing… daily. As the Lord takes us through this season of repentance, take time this week to discover those things you see in yourself alongside what the Word of God calls us to. Here are some great passages to start:
As you read and listen to the Holy Spirit, write it down. For example, if you are not a patient person, but God’s Word tells us that love is patient, simply write, “I am patient.” Pour out your heart to God and see what He does! This is a simple but powerful exercise.
Worship. Get Heaven’s perspective.
Bring some of Heaven to Earth.
Why do you spit something out of your mouth? If it is disgusting to you and you find it beyond unacceptable, you are quickly compelled to spit it out. The same could be said of the condition of the church in Laodicea; they were found to be lukewarm.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation: “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” – Revelation 3:14-16
Lukewarmness is a picture of compromise. It’s the Christian trying to become like God and become like this world at the same time. In trying to be both, they end up being nothing.
Lukewarmness is a picture of uselessness. “Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless for either purpose.”
There is no one more miserable than the lukewarm Christian. They have too much of the world to be happy in Jesus, but too much of Jesus to be happy in the world. They may call themselves “transformed,” but they aren’t acting any different than they used to. To the unbeliever, the lukewarm Christian is doing more damage than they are good.
Take a look at the first-century Church. They had lost their first love, tolerated idolatry and sexual sin, permitted in the church what should never have been there, were self-deceived into thinking they were perfect and fully alive, but Jesus saw them as dead. And today Jesus looks at the Church and sees much the same. Yet, God loves His church, His bride. They are the people that He sent Jesus to save from the bondage of sin in this life and the pits of hell throughout eternity.
What is the Church? The word comes from two Greek words: Called and Out. Called out ones. Called out from darkness and into light. And, specifically, called out from their homes to gather together, and we are still called out to the gathering of the saints today.
Over the past year, because of shifts caused by COVID, people started watching church instead of engaging with the church family. I understand that some have been unable to gather for a season, but this is not meant to become a permanent habit. We are meant to be connected together, carrying out the “one another” commands: helping one other, serving, praying with, encouraging, and ministering to one other.
The name Laodicea means “rule of the people.” This church represents a church run by majority rule instead of God. Everything is decided by popular opinion. In wanting to be everything to everybody… they became nothing and reached nobody. In efforts not to offend the people around them, they offended God who created them. Could this also sound familiar today?
“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So, I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.” – Revelation 3:17-19
Hear what they had to say about themselves: “I am Rich. I have everything I need. I don’t need a thing.” In working to build their net worth, they failed to realize they had become worthless. At the heart of their problem was blindness – they couldn’t see their true condition. They wanted to be seen rather than wanting to see! They needed to follow the example of the blind man:
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi, the blind man said, “I want to see!” – Mark 10:51
I’m stirred by this man’s prayer! I want to see Lord. I want to see the condition I’m really in. I want to see His name became famous in the earth, not my name. I want to see His goodness, His glory.
How does Jesus see this church that He loves so dearly? They were wretched and miserable—being religious, but not living in a vital relationship with Jesus.
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! – 2 Timothy 3:5
They were poor, reduced to begging, thinking they had it all. They were blind, unable to see their true condition. They were naked, shameful, without even knowing it. In the Scriptures, nakedness is often associated with shame. They became like the ungodly culture around them.
How does this relate to us today? Looking at the culture around us, it is not difficult to see what is good is considered evil, and evil, considered good. Some churches and many who claim to follow Christ have conformed to the world. Instead of being a light in darkness, they are just getting darker, coddling people in their sin as they march to a fiery eternity in hell. In the effort not to offend people, they choose to offend God.
“So, I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.” – Revelation 3:18-19
The most important point of the verse is that the remedy in each case was something beyond their own resources. The solution must be bought by Christ, obtained by Christ. “Buy from me…” He knows they are poor; they can’t buy anything from Jesus. But they can come and admit they need His mercy. We can come to Him and say, “You have what I need, and I don’t have the means to buy it from you… HAVE MERCY LORD.”
When you come to the end of yourself, you have reached the beginning of God.
When God is all you have, He will be all you need.
The Lord corrects and disciplines everyone He loves! Jesus came not to wound them with His harsh words, but to get them in a position of healing. He was seeking a transformation in them! This message from Jesus shows that this book was written not just to comfort the afflicted but to afflict the comfortable, to stir them out of complacency and sinfulness toward true repentance and change.
Out of love, God is not leaving His church alone. His instruction to be diligent; be zealous means to BURN WITH ZEAL, to be heated or to boil. Be lukewarm no more!
I hear the Lord saying, BE HOT… be on fire! How do you get this way? How do you keep this way?
The solution to your poverty is to buy pure gold from Jesus—gold that is precious, costly, valuable.
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.” – 1 Peter 1:6-7
What test have you been through lately? What happened to your faith in that? You became rich in faith. What will gold obtain for you? What will faith obtain for you?
“How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.” – Psalms 31:19
When we go to Him for protection, we are assured of His goodness. Our faith is in Him alone!
The solution to your nakedness, your shame, is to buy white garments from Jesus. This is all about HIS righteousness! Real righteousness is receiving God’s covering instead of trying to cover ourselves. Adam and Eve tried to cover their own sin (Genesis 3:21) but God provided them with a covering that came from sacrifice (Genesis 3:7).
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. When the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden, they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” – Genesis 3:7-10
There is no healing in the hiding!
You cannot be hot for God when you are hiding in shame, when you feel God is mad at you. But receive His love and He will light up every dark place in your heart. Receive His amazing grace and your life will be hot with the embers of His love! There is a great difference between the work of the enemy and Jesus. Satan exposes and loves to shame, while Jesus loves to cover and give grace.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. – Romans 5:1-2
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1
Get relief from spiritual darkness through Christ, so that you may see.
Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.” – John 9:39-41
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.” “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” – Revelation 3:20-22
Jesus stood at the door of the Laodicean church knocking at the door. He stands knocking at our door. What will we do? How long will He knock? He won’t knock the door down, but He waits for us to open. He says, “If you hear my voice.” This is the heart of the matter: IF YOU WILL.
Remember that the Church is made of believers called out from their homes to gather together. It is not any more or less than the individuals that make up the gathering; you cannot change the Church without changing the individuals.
“And then we must not talk about setting the church right, we must pray for grace
each one for himself, for the text does not say, “If the church will open the door,” but
“If any man hear my voice and open the door.” It must be done by individuals: the
church will only get right by each man getting right.” – Charles Spurgeon
When Jesus says any man, anyone, He is appealing to the individual. Even if the Church as a whole does not heed the warning, any individual may.
Will you open the door to Him today?
Read 2 Timothy 2:22-24.
What are some examples of self-deception? Ask the Lord to search your heart and point out any area(s) you think you are in control, but you are not. There is no healing in the hiding.
As you pray through these areas this week, you may find yourself without words… weeping, maybe groaning. My friend, joy is coming! I hear the sound of joy from those what have turned to Jesus!
Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. – Psalms 30:5
The same grace that saved you will sustain you ‘til you finish strong!
What to do when you are going through hell
By Kevin Berry
It is with great love and a strong sense of urgency from the Holy Spirit that I bring you amessage from the Word of God.
The Lord led me recently to the book of Daniel, chapter three, where we see a defining moment in the people of God that strongly resembles the days we are living in right now.
We are being positioned for a massive grace awakening as we have never seen before. This is a defining moment for you, your family, and the Church. Your response in the heat of the moment either positions you for the blessings of God or keeps you from miracles God has prepared for you to walk in.
Let’s look at the account in Daniel 3. Because of Judah’s sin and outright rebellion against God, Judah was taken into captivity. The people of God that were set free from slavery were slaves once again—not because it was God’s design, but because they sinned and would not repent.
Daniel and a few of his friends watched King Nebuchadnezzar destroy their families. Their lives were being turned upside down. They were taken as captives to the foreignland of Babylon. Everything they knew to be normal wasn’t normal anymore, but they trusted God. God protected them and promoted them to positions of authority in Babylon. They went through a cycle of trial and promotion, tragedy and triumph. Something bad would happen, then something good would happen.
The evil king made a gold statue and set it up about 16 miles from Babylon.
Whenever music was played nearby, those who heard it had to fall to the ground and worship the statue. Daniel was in an epic spiritual battle. His battle was not just abouta king making a statue; there was very real satanic activity behind the whole thing. I feel the same about the season we are walking in now.
Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. – Daniel 3:6
What? The furnace was something you could see, something you could smell. Fear filled the atmosphere. Satan was behind the fear, behind the false worship. This was an epic spiritual battle between unseen forces. Behind all the noise and confusion of our day, there is an epic spiritual battle with dark, demonic forces.
Today, people are afraid about COVID, politics, and the possibility of losing their jobs, to name just a few. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, fear can fill the room. If you have lost your job, been through the pain of betrayal, or experienced death in your family, fear and anxiety may feel close at hand.
There is a shaking going on in the world today, but you can walk in peace. It is your inheritance in Christ to be unshakeable. You need not be shaken by the toxic environment that comes with fear. The Lord your Maker sees you, loves you, and is for you. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside you. The Lord, who holds the world in His hands, is holding you.
So at the sound of the musical instruments, ALL THE PEOPLE, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. – Daniel 3:7
All the people bowed—except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three men stood alone! This was their defining moment. Imagine being pressured to bowdown while being able to see smoke coming from the furnace. They watched as men bigger, and perhaps braver than them, fell to the ground to obey the command.
What gave courage to those three Jewish men? They were friends of Daniel. They were in relationship with a man of God. They had seen him interpret dreams, stand in faith, and they saw his custom of praying to God three times a day. They had been around a man who had the kind of courage and faith that could look a lion in the face and not cower in fear.
They dared to go against the current and trust God. They refused to bow their knee toanyone but God. Hear my heart, this is your defining moment!
Will you sound like everybody else who is quick to judge and slander others, or will youstand out from the crowd?
Let me be clear, in today’s current climate, I’m not talking about wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. It’s who you trust that matters! What matters is if you are conforming to the culture of this world, or if you’ve been transformed by the power of another world (Romans 12:2).
If there was ever a time for Christians to sound different, it is today. Oh, that a sound of repentance and praise would come out of us in this season.
At that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. – Daniel 3:8
More than a bunch of kids telling on each other to get a sibling in trouble, the three men were maliciously accused. In this instance, “accused” means to chew up into pieces; it suggests a severe hatred. Satan was behind both the accusation and the hatred. Does any of that sound familiar?
The cancel culture was in full effect. Today, if you refuse to be politically correct, you will be maliciously accused, hated, and people will seek to cancel you! If you are not accepting of an ungodly lifestyle, social media has paved the way for what’s called “online shaming.”
When King Nebuchadnezzar heard that the three men did not bow, he was furious. I imagine he turned red, the vein on his forehead was popping out, and his face was distorted in rage. Even so, he gave them one more chance to bow and worship the statue, but if they refused, they were to be thrown into the fiery furnace immediately.
“And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said to the King, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.
He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, YourMajesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” – Daniel 3:15-18
It was their defining moment when they stood alone, looking at the blazing furnace. The smell of smoke and fear filled the air, but it didn’t stop there. It was another defining moment when they spoke to the king. It’s what comes out of your mouth in moments of adversity that makes or breaks you! It’s who you hang out with that often determines the kind of words that will come out of your mouth.
Their reply was powerful: We know God is able, we know He will rescue us. But even if he doesn’t, we will never serve your gods.
Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. – Daniel 3:19-20
The king had demanded such a hot fire that the flames leaped out and killed the soldiers while they were throwing the men in the fire!
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.– Daniel 3:23
Wait! I thought God’s people weren’t supposed to go through bad times. How couldsuch evil happen to God’s people? If we take a look at the history of the people of God, you will often find them in the fire:
Your response when going through the fire is part of your defining moment! Just as Paul shook the snake off his hand and it fell into the fire, you have the opportunity to shake it off and allow God to burn some things off of you. When it feels like you are going through hell, remember a sacrifice was not a sacrifice until it burned.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. – Romans 12:1
In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it reads that when Daniel’s friendsfaced the furnace, they sang. They sang praise!
Psalms 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praise of His people, or that God is enthroned in the praise of His people. What does that mean? When the Lord’s people praise Him, He sets up His throne to act as Judge over a matter! The Lord came in themidst of the three men as a King greater than King Nebuchadnezzar; as Judge, Hewould set things right.
The moment they started to pray and sing, miracles started breaking out! They were not shouting for their rights or about how messed up the evil king was. They were shouting: God, You are good, Your mercy endures forever; Forgive us God, for we have sinned; We get why all this bad stuff is happening, but You are full of mercy, Lord; You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. I get the picture that it was the sound of their singing that got Nebuchadnezzar’s attention!
But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” – Daniel 3:24-25
In the fire, there is smoke, burning, loss, discomfort—but God is in the fire! Most likely the fourth man in the fire was God in the flesh. The three men experienced this promise:
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. – Isaiah 43:2
How were they walking when their feet and hands were tied? The only thing that Godallowed to burn in the fire was the ropes that bound them. Ropes don’t burn unless you get in the fire; you have to face some heat to be set free!
What has the enemy tried to put on you? His ropes can sound like you are not enough, telling you that you are not wanted, and that you never will be.
Know this: Not every fire is of the Lord’s doing. Not every person in a fire is a believer being made better. However, God does allow His children to go through the fire. Why? There are some things He wants burned off of you!
In nature, controlled, prescribed burns are allowed on purpose and are crucial to release seeds and growth in certain trees. The result turns into nutrients in the soil and gets rid of too much vegetation so new plants can grow. A controlled burn is what is best for the forest.
In the same way, God knows what is best for us! We can see God in the midst of the firethat gives us reason to hope and be at peace. If you don’t look for God in the fire, all you will see is panic, chaos, and the need to try and control what’s going on. What if we trusted God to burn up what should be burned up? What if we stopped trying to save what He wants to burn? If we trusted more, we would be at peace more.
When King Nebuchadnezzar saw the men remaining unharmed, he called out to them:
“…servants of the Most High God, come out, come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. – Daniel 3:26
They walked through the door—they came out of the fire! You are going to come outof what you are going through. Trust the Lord that the fire won’t last forever and you are going to come out of it!
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon. – Daniel 3:30
First there is the problem, then comes the promotion.
You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. Then you put aleader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance. – Psalms 66:10, 12
The Church is being positioned for a great awakening, a final outpouring of theHoly Spirit, that includes you! You were made to go through seasons of fire—purging, refining, shaping, pruning. Everything of value has to go through the fire—a diamond has to be cut; gold and silver must be tried. It is because you are valuable that you must be tried by fire. Fix your eyes and thoughts on the Lord, and He will keep you in peace throughout the process!
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you. – Isaiah 26:3