Opportunity is knocking

Opportunity is Knocking
Last week (Why the Sky Is Not Falling) we talked about the current recession as a normal economic rest cycle. This week, let's extend that theme to our response during times of stress.
Escapism - Lot's of good Christians sincerely believe Jesus could return soon and that "the end" of the world will coincide with disaster for nations and rapture for believers. I used to be one of them. It's been popular in the west for the last 40 years because prophecy can be a little like newspapers - bad news sells. Harold's book Victorious Eschatology is a great cure for those excesses. The popular sequence of future events in the West has little to do with a balanced view of scripture. Very few believers have a sound working understanding of Biblical prophecy. Most are even ignorant of the alternative views. I want to step back from the morass of theories about the future and take a macro view of how we respond to trauma and how we should respond.
The Future is Open - If my perspective is that God controls the future, I'll naturally be inclined to credit God with things like recessions. Next I would naturally assume that God must be judging my nation for it's sins.... and my response to that assumption is to emotionally withdraw from solving problems and facing issues in the marketplace. Why would I resist the judgment of God?
The net result is three things: 1) whenever things go wrong the entire Christian community disappears; immobilized in introspection, fear and theories on which evil is invoking His wrath. 2) We also become like the God we serve - judgmental. And 3), we scatter like mice every time the lion roars... off to the mountains with our water filters and canned goods (or) we at least retreat back inside the four walls of the church to remain safely in holy poverty.
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him... 1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV

Discernment - Certain veins of the prophetic movement contribute to this process of fear and withdrawal from the marketplace. Once we embrace a theology of fear and judgment there is a realm in which sincere believers with a prophetic gift can tap into a false anointing. That's why prophecy needs to be judged - it's occasionally wrong! In fact, a simple search under "false" is amazing! The Bible talks about false prophets, false testimony, false witnesses, false apostles, false teachers, and false doctrine. The prophetic unction can feel real but the prophecy gets filtered through a false bias. The best lies are 90% true. Keep in mind that these brothers and sisters are usually saved and are often our friends. Instead of branding them as heretics, we should simply discern the prophetic flow and help them bring it back into balance.
The bottom line is that prophecy can tap a realm where it degenerates into predicting the will of the enemy. It is true that Satan would like to underwrite conspiracies to destroy nations and ruin cultures and economies. It's also true that believers can get totally consumed with worry about conspiracy theories and focus too much on what the enemy is doing. We're not ignorant of his devices, but our focus is on Jesus and what He's doing in the Kingdom. We're really part of a larger conspiracy being conducted by the Holy Spirit to fill the earth with God's glory and bless the nations. We have a better conspiracy with a greater anointing, having more power... and a guarantee that we win in the end.
Mighty men - Right now the typical Christian financial counsel would be to get out of debt and prepare for the worst by setting aside some provisions (financial or otherwise). I want to suggest something different. This season represents the opportunity of a lifetime for both ministry and business opportunities and investment returns. Adopt the view that the future is partially open and that God is not behind the scenes orchestrating disasters. He's looking for men and women that will rise up and make a difference in every mountain and actually shape the future according to Godly purposes. The enemy would like us to withdraw from our society in fear, but the Holy Spirit is inviting us possess our inheritance and experience the most fruitful period of our lives. If you can see them, opportunities are all around waiting for us to take initiative.
Making a difference - I'm not a blind optimist. Bad things can happen. Our economic situation could get worse. My point is that we're here to overcome evil with good. It's time to get to work and offer solutions that will put our nations, cultures and communities on God's track. We're here to reverse recessions and cause revivals. We don't just pray for results, we are the agents for change that bring the results. Prayer isn't what we do; it empowers what we do.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:19

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom 12:21 KJV

I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:13 NIV

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:14 NIV
Step away from the fear - Our salvation and future are so secure that we're not trying to save our lives, we're trying to spend them for maximum Kingdom impact so that we multiply in every area. We're not suicide bombers, we are conquerors having fun... more than conquerors, we're deliverers that set captives free into the same jail-break kind of liberty we live in every day. When we face a tough situation or even a defeat, we tap the power of His resurrection and come out smelling like a rose. We are God's means of shaping the future in His image.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. Matt 16:25 NIV
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Rom 8:37

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28 NASU
Think about it - you can't kill a Christian!... must discouraging for the enemy? He can't even inflict a permanent setback.
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:17-19 NIV

John and Sue www.Releasing-kings.com