Yesterday, in our devotional I spoke of the two rains in Israel, the early rain and the latter rain. The prophet Joel speaks prophetically of these two rainy seasons in connection with the outpouring of God's spirit:
"Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month;" [Joel 2:23]
Then Joel continues: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit;" [Joel 2:28-29]
Following the Lord's command to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high, the disciples could not have comprehended what God was about to do. Then, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, astounding both themselves and all the Jews who had come to Jerusalem for Shavuot (Pentecost), the Apostle Peter explained it, quoting directly from Joel's prophecy [Acts 2:17-18] which speaks specifically in this context of an early rain... and a latter rain.
The Hebrew scriptures often reflect the cyclical/repetitive nature of God's creation. The cycle of the 7 day week, the monthly lunar cycle, the yearly passage of the sun through the heavens, etc. Psalm 23 also describes a cyclical pattern in the Lord's shepherding of His sheep, saying literally, "He leads me in circles of righteousness; the word normally translated as "paths" in verse 3 is literally "circles" ("ma'aglei") in the Hebrew. There are numerous prophetic scriptures which have multiple fulfillments, as well. All of this exemplifies a cyclical or repetitive element in the very fabric of God's story.
In light of this observation, I am anticipating a great move of God similar, or perhaps even eclipsing the events of Pentecost. While this has been a much-debated subject, there are scriptures supporting such a move of God, and complementing my expectation of a repeating cycle of outpouring. "Harvest" (a cyclical event) is one of the main metaphors describing the end of the age and I am believing the Lord's love and power will bring a "latter rain" harvest to this world, culminating what He began nearly 2000 years ago. [see Daniel 12:3].
Anticipating an event inspires us to prepare for it. If indeed, a "latter rain flood/harvest" is impending and the Holy Spirit is seeking wise vessels through whom to pour Himself, our expectation will lead to preparation, purification, and passionate prayer. So be a vessel ready to shine in this world of darkness. We're surely entering a season which we barely understand, just as the Apostles in the 1st century; nevertheless, in faith, we can be expectant and prepared for it.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]As we press in closer to the Lord and His calling on our lives, the enemy becomes more and more fierce, throwing all kinds of darts of fear and doubt our way. But as beloved children of God, we can trust the Lord to defend us! God has an invisible army all around, ready to protect us in our times of need. When the battle intensifies, when the enemy seems to be attacking from every side, when it seems all too great for our eyes, know that the Lord has placed His protection all around you! We may not see it — but we must walk by faith!
David is called a “man after God’s own heart.” Considering that he lusted after his neighbor’s wife, committed adultery with her, and had her husband murdered, the Lord’s description of him is remarkable. How could a man who was convicted a murderer and an adulterer also be called one after God’s own heart?
“Break up your fallow ground.” In this context, the Lord is referring to breaking up the ground overrun with weeds and thorns creating a hardness to produce righteous fruit.
Momentum is simply the force or speed of movement that carries an object to its final destination. If you want to break through, you need to have a certain amount of momentum. In order for a rocket to blast into space, it needs tremendous momentum to break the gravitational barrier – but with the enormous power of jet engines and rocket fuel the ship is propelled faster and faster till it breaks free of the earth’s gravitational pull.
This one of several theophanies found in the Old Testament of the “preincarnate” Yeshua (Jesus). In this story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These three men refused to bow and worship another God besides the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. While they knew that God was able to deliver them, they also knew that He might choose not to do so–and whether He delivered them or not had no influence on their loyalty to Him. These three faithful Hebrews were convinced that idolatry was a non-starter for them, no matter what! Their unquestionable loyalty brought wrath upon their heads. Nebuchadnezzar’s violent rage moved him to increase the furnace fires seven times!
Every time I turn on the news it seems the new buzzword is – CHANGE! So how can we just shift gears and change? Let’s learn a lesson about basic automotive mechanics. Generally a car has between 4 and 5 gears. The first gear maximizes power in exchange for speed. As you move through the gears, you can continue to go faster, yet without using any more power, and before you know it – you have to look at the speedometer – cause nobody wants a speeding ticket!
When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, he was speaking to a church that was surrounded with sexual immorality. The city of Corinth was a haven of hedonism where many temples hosted hundreds of prostitutes which were visited by vast multitudes of foreigners. In the ancient world, the term “Corinthianize” indicated a life of sexual promiscuity.