The Proper Time

I Timothy 6:13-16 - "I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time — He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."

Sanctification is the touchstone of salvation, because without it no man will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). That is the paramount reason to keep ourselves unstained by the world. Jesus is returning for a bride without spot or blemish, beloved. He is waiting for a spouse that has prepared herself appropriately (Revelation 19:7).

The next time someone asks when the Lord is coming for His bride, tell them you know the exact time of His return. Paul tells us when the time is "proper" He will return, and not a moment before. May we continue to seek His face and His heart so we might be those who are the chosen – pure and undefiled when He does appear.

Christ's Appearing

II Timothy 4:8 - "In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

If we have truly loved Christ's appearing in our lives and hearts on the day of our salvation, we will be anticipating His return. Consider King Hezekiah and how he begged God not to take him to heaven (II Kings 20:6). It can be argued that Hezekiah is the reason why the Babylonians later pillaged Jerusalem. If he had not been around to show the Babylonian emissaries Judah's wealth, they might not have bothered with this distant land (II Kings 20:12-19). However, the king was only interested in the "here and now."

Are we Christians that are enraptured with our lives? Have we become so busy with the things of earth that we do not long for the things of heaven? (Luke 14:18-20) We should all beware of loving the "here and now" and long for the "sweet by and by." If not, then have we truly loved His appearing?

Face Time With God

Exodus 34:29 - "It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him."

Show me a man who is in love with God's law of liberty, and I will show you a man who doesn't know he is godly! Moses' face shown with the Shekinah Glory yet he was totally unaware of how he appeared to others. But that is what happens when a man or a woman loves the Lord God with all one's heart, soul, and mind. They walk with Him, and talk with Him, and life becomes a romantic journey!

A huge difference between a legalistic Christian and a Christian who is set free to obey the Lord's command is spiritual appearance. The former will produce a frustration and a desire to depart from their company as soon as possible. The latter will create a longing for the Spirit of God within them. They are like a cool drink of water on a scorching day. Yet, they do not have a clue that God is flowing from them to others.

Power on Reserve

Luke 10:19 - "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you."

This verse is packed with power! Yet, we must be careful not to allow romantic sentimentality to rocket us away from its intent and to discourage us. Many days, we live out the miracle of the mundane –allowing God's character to grow within a little at a time. We live as fathers and mothers and sons and daughters, doing the next right thing that God desires of us. These days are usually without spiritual drama and can look very much like what our worldly counterparts are accomplishing.

However, the exceptional is made exceptionally grand when we have been living right every day. Then, when we come upon someone who truly needs a touch from God, we can be the one to offer them God's peace while we grind the enemy under our feet. This, my friends, is the real Christian life.

Clouded Revelation

Luke 9:35 - "Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!'”

God does not hide Himself in clouds, but rather He reveals His character. We know from Revelation 1:7 that Jesus Christ's great revealing will be in the clouds. Then, we will see Him as He truly is.

If our own Mount of Transfiguration does not include instruction from God, then we may want to question it. If it is merely a tingling or a feeling of spiritual ecstasy, we might have experienced some other spirit. God always speaks during times of revelation and it always confirms His word. Beware of experience without God's word. Test the spirits as John tells us (I John 4:1). When God's clouds come, listen intently for the Father's direction. It will surely be there if we pay attention.

Bread That Satisfies

Isaiah 55:2 - “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance."

Everyone is receiving some type of wages for their respective life. Romans 6:23 tells us "the wages of sin is death." Furthermore, Proverbs 11:18 states: "The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward." So, it is a matter of what we sow for we will certainly reap accordingly.

The irony is when we spend our lives upon others in Jesus' Name, that is when we "delight" ourselves in the abundance of God. Too often, many Christians seek to buy for themselves spiritual peace by helping themselves. If we seek holiness or God's righteousness for ourselves, it will never fulfill. Sanctification is not meant for others to "ooh and aah" how spiritual we are. It is a bi-product of spending our "spiritual cash" on others, because Jesus spent all of His on us. Like Jesus, we can then become the bread of life for others.

The Believer's Heritage

Isaiah 54:17 - “'No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,' declares the Lord."

This verse is very clear. Every weapon formed against us by the enemy of our souls will be defeated. It is our heritage. However, Isaiah makes a point to speak about the tongue. We must understand this is the devils greatest weapon. He has a tongue and he knows how to use it. He is tireless as his accusation is 24/7 to God against us (Revelation 12:10).  He also inspires others to use their tongues in destructive ways, continually trying to tear us down.

What we listen to we will inevitably become. If we choose to embrace words (or weapons) of destruction against ourselves or others, then we have denied our heritage as sons of God and we have allowed the devil's weapons to prosper. However, if we look to Jesus when Satan tries to heap guilt on us, then we are walking in our rightful power as children of the Most High.