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The Importance of Aligning to God’s Heart for Israel | Article

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As we witness the events unfolding in the current Israel-Hamas war, there is a tendency to take sides according to our worldview of events. However, this issue goes beyond who is right and who is wrong; we need to put on the Biblical lens to understand what God wants us to do as Gentile believers. In short, we cannot interpret the Bible based on current events in Israel; we need to interpret what is happening in Israel using the Bible.

As Gentile believers, there are seven non-negotiables that we need to understand and align to when it comes to the issue of Israel:

1. The God of Israel is Sovereign and in Control

The word for the now is Isaiah 42:22–23:

“But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses; they are for prey, and no one delivers; for plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore!’ Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?”

It is important to hear the heart of the God of Israel in Isaiah 42. Verses 21–25 are in the context of the End of the Age when Israel will be robbed and plundered; its people will be hiding in holes. There are some similarities with what happened during the Hamas incursion of southern Israel recently, which put many Jewish people to flight. This has also happened before: the Romans’ sacking of Jerusalem in AD 70 which led to the dispersion of the Jewish people across the nations for more than 1,800 years, as well as the Holocaust of World War II which saw the death of six million Jews. Verses 24–25 show that God is not out of control, but — critically — He is the one who orchestrates the crisis facing Israel in Isaiah 42. I am not concluding that the current war in Israel is sent by God. That said, He is not blind-sided by the incursion nor is He out of control.

The God of Israel is sovereign, and He uses crises in Israel to work out His redemptive judgement, seeking to turn Israel back to Him. In verse 23, He exhorts us to “give ear”, “listen” and “hear” for the time to come when Israel will face a crisis — a crisis ostensibly orchestrated by the God of Israel. This crisis will be so severe because the God of Israel pours the “fury of His anger” on them, yet the people of Israel “did not know” though it “burned” them (v25).

Take some time to reflect on the utter severity of this — despite the fullness of His anger poured out on Israel, the people of Israel did not apprehend the seriousness of His fury. Such an existential crisis will happen again when the Jews will be subjected to a holocaust whereby two-thirds of them will be killed. Again, this is the God of Israel working in redemptive judgement, seeking to turn the nation back to Him. In Zechariah 13, we are told that one-third of the nation of Israel will be refined as silver is refined, and tested as gold is tested, that they may turn to the God of Israel (v8–9).

2. Israel is God’s Litmus Test for Gentile Believers

In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus emphasised six criteria that will determine obedience to His leadership in the End-Times. They all concern how we relate to His brethren when they are hungry, thirsty, are strangers, naked, sick and in prison. All six are issues related to the Jewish people being refugees or in prison camps. The penalty for neglecting these six activities is condemnation in Hell.

The gravity of Jesus’ words are heavy. But the interpretive key here is “My brethren” (adelphos) — which refers to the Jewish people (the brethren of Jesus, a Jewish man). The same heaviness can be seen when the Apostle Paul uses the same words — “my brethren” — when he wished himself accursed that his Jewish brethren might know Yeshua (Rom 9:3).

The Jewish people are not as yet fleeing from Israel, but there will come a time when they will. Note that the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31–46 comes after Matthew 24, when Jesus talks about the Jewish people fleeing during the Great Tribulation.

When this happens, it is important for Gentile believers to stand with the Jewish people. This is not only a requirement, but actions that have eternal consequences. This does not mean that eternal salvation is based only on our protecting and providing shelter and food to the Jewish people in flight — but doing so would be the culmination of years and decades of loving and praying for the Jewish people, in alignment with the heart of the God of Israel. Conversely, if we do not start to love and serve the Jewish people now, we will not be aligned to His heart; there is a chance that we won’t provide and care for them during the Great Tribulation and our passivity now could lead to haughtiness and antisemitism eventually. Put simply, if we don’t stand with Israel now, it will only get harder for us to take that stand when the crises for Israel increase in frequency and intensity.

3. Our Opinions Do Not Matter; His Opinion Does

The dynamics behind the current war between Israel and Hamas are complex and deep-seated. The important matter in question here, however, is not only a human or political assessment of who is right or who is wrong. This is secondary. Also, as believers, our position towards Israel cannot be romantic (where we sentimentalise about and embrace her culture) or blind (whereby we fail to recognise her faults and failings). Our position, according to Apostle Paul, is that we cannot be “wise in (our) own opinion” with regard to God’s redemptive plan for Israel (Rom. 11:25). We are called to stand with Israel — that is, to pray for her, to love her, and to support her people in tangible ways in times of crisis. If we do not do so, we could end up on a slippery slope: ignorance of His plans for Israel could lead to arrogance; arrogance leads to passive resistance and eventually active resistance against His purposes for her. The end result would be apostasy and antisemitism.

In the Bible, there is only one nation (people group) whom believers are called to pray for — the nation of Israel. Psalm 122, for example, explicitly calls on believers to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. This non-negotiable applies only to Israel, and not to any other nation or people group on the earth. It is important to note here that standing with Israel does not mean that as Gentile believers we do not pray for the Palestinians or support them in tangible ways in their time of need. The God of Israel loves all people and desires them to come to the saving knowledge of His Son. As believers, we are called to minister to and serve those who are in need.

4. The Mystery of Israel

The Apostle Paul urged believers of his time (and by extension, modern-day Gentile believers) not to be ignorant about the mystery of Israel. He urges them to understand God’s salvation plan for and through Israel for all mankind.

The mystery is manifold and profound, but it can be summed up as thus: Jesus has bound Himself to only return if the Jewish leadership calls Him to return (Matt. 23:39). Jesus will only come back to rule and reign on earth if the Jewish leadership does this out of their own free will. There is a divine “loophole” here which Satan understands and is working to effect: if there is no Jewish leadership on earth to call on Jesus to return, He will not return. In this context, we can understand the global hatred for Israel (as seen, most dramatically, during the Holocaust of World War II). As it turns out, Satan has his plans but the God of Israel will outfox him at every turn: while He will allow the Jewish people to be judged and some of them to be killed, there will remain a remnant who will call on the God of Israel, be saved, and serve as the first model nation to be fully discipled and walking in the ways of the God of Israel. This was what led Apostle Paul to bow in worship about the depths and riches of His wisdom and knowledge (Rom. 11:33). This grand narrative will keep us anchored and stable as we see the crisis in Israel unfolding.

5. Messianic Believers and Their Gentile Brethren: One New Man

The “One New Man” refers to the fullness of peace and oneness between Jewish and Gentile believers as the Body of Christ. It entails the joining together of two different entities to become unified as one — this is achieved through the power of the Cross and His body that was broken for us (Eph. 2:16) [1]. This doesn’t mean each loses their individual identities. As in a marriage between a man and a woman, they are “one” to Him, yet retain their individual roles and personalities. Two key phrases — such as “together with Israel” (Eph. 3:6, NIV) and “fellow citizens with God’s people” (Eph. 2:19) — point us to the fact that within the One New Man, there exists two distinct groups.

As Gentile believers, we cannot say that “we’re not into this ‘standing with Israel’ thing”. This is not negotiable; it is really important that we understand that Israel’s destiny and the Church’s destiny are intrinsically linked together not only in this age but for all eternity. One cannot exist without the other. It is absolutely essential that we have a foundational understanding of Israel’s role in the redemptive purposes of God or we will never be motivated to stand with Israel especially when it will cost us.

6. The God of Israel Demands 24/7 Prayer for Israel

As we see the current conflict in Israel unfolding, we are seeing this as the culmination of decades of prayer and prophetic words given by the Lord about a prayer movement for Israel. As crisis after crisis hits Israel, the Lord has shepherded and continues to shepherd a global prayer movement for the apple of His eye!

In May 2023, 5 million believers around the world prayed for Israel at least one hour a day for the increase of God’s salvation promises for Jerusalem and Israel. This was truly unprecedented in the history of the Church.[2] Looking back, it seems that the God of Israel was already telling His people to start praying — and was intensifying prayer — before the current crisis in Israel erupted. Indeed, He has given many words to His prophets in the form of angelic encounters and even a comet in 1983 not expected by scientists, to underscore His plans for promises for Israel.[3]

In Isaiah 62, the God of Israel declares that He will not rest until “her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns” (v1). I would urge you to feel the passion of the God of Israel as He declares, in verse 6, for the raising up of watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem who would not “hold their peace” day or night to pray and contend for Israel. He is calling for these intercessors to not keep silent and give Him “no rest” till He establishes Jerusalem as a “praise in the earth”. This truly underscores how intense the God of Israel is about prayers for His beloved nation. The language is so clear and direct, that as believers, we do not have a choice but to pray continually for Israel.

7. The God of Israel Burns with Passion for Israel

The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matt. 22:37). Part of loving God with our all entails needing to love what He loves and hate what He hates. We cannot cherry-pick here: if the God of Israel loves Israel with a passion, as Gentile believers who seek to love Him with our all, we must love Israel the same way He loves her. It is something we should actively seek to grow in from now to eternity.

Indeed, the Bible is replete with the God of Israel being truly emotional and passionate about His beloved nation. He loves them with a passion, and He grieves when they turn away from Him and His ways. In Jeremiah 31, He asserts that only if the ordinances of the sun and moon cease will Israel stop being a nation before Him forever. Hosea 11 is a poetic passage of the God of Israel saying He draws them “with gentle cords, with bands of love.” It is a beautiful expression of how the uncreated God, the Most High, teaches Ephraim to walk, heals them and even stoops down to feed them (v3–4). And this expression of His passion for Israel is not confined to the Old Testament. In Matthew 23:37–39, Jesus laments over Jerusalem and longs for a time in which He could gather them under His wings as a hen gathers her chicks. He looks forward to a time when the leaders of Israel will call upon Him to return.

Truly, these are seven non-negotiables that the God of Israel requires of Gentile believers when it comes to the apple of His eye. Even as Joshua had an encounter with the Commander of the Lord’s Army and responded in full alignment with Him, will you stand with the God of Israel? Will you stand with Israel and love her as He loves her?

 

 

[1] One Thing Ministries, “One New Man: Gentile Believers and Messianic Jewish Believers”, https://www.onethingministries.net/wp/wp-content/One-New-Man.pdf.
[2] “Isaiah 62 Fast: Global 21 Days of Prayer for Israel,” https://isaiah62fast.com/.
[3] Mike Bickle, “Contending for our Prophetic Promises: Four Saturdays in 1983,” 17 October 2021, https://mikebickle.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Contending-for-Gods-Promises-4-Saturdays-in-May-1983.pdf.

The Necessity to Endure Sound Doctrine as We Approach the End of the Age | Article

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by Luke Lim

29 March 2022 marked the shift of COVID-19 as “pandemic” to “endemic” in Singapore when for the first time in two years, we had the option of not wearing masks outdoors. As we emerge from this 2-year disruption and enter into a new normal of living, we need to ask the question, “What has the Lord been saying through this disruption? How do we now live as believers in this new normal?”

One of the key passages that God is highlighting to the global body of Christ through the pandemic for this next season is Jesus’ Seven Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2 and 3. While these letters were written to specific churches in their time, they contain God’s unchanging heart for every Christian, every denomination, every ministry, and every church. They lay out the seven areas of spiritual maturity that God is looking for in His people, and especially in His End-Time Bride when He returns.

In Revelation 2:12–17, God admonished the church of Pergamos for compromising on the Word of God — they did not endure sound doctrine or stand on the truth of His Word. They held on to the doctrine of Balaam (compromise and perversion; Num. 25) and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (what is known as “hyper-grace” today).

This is one of the things that this pandemic has exposed in the lives of believers — we do not know and have not been standing on the truth of God’s Word. Instead, we have been influenced by the lies of the world and deceit of the evil one. We view the pandemic through a secular lens that tells us what is happening and how we should live, instead of realising that God as allowed the crisis of a generation so as to awaken His people to pay attention to Him and respond!

Dana Candler from IHOP-KC shared a dream that she had many years back, where she found herself on a boat in the midst of a great storm, with a tsunami that was approaching the boat. There was an old man standing at the front of the boat, with his back facing the tsunami, telling everyone on board that everything was fine and that they were going to be “okay”.

Majority focused on the man’s voice though they could clearly see the tsunami approaching them. The reality of the coming storm was right in front of their eyes, yet they chose to listen to what they wanted to hear, and what was comfortable for them.

2 Tim. 4:3 says,

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers…”

2 Thes. 2:10-11 also says,

“…and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie…”

Paul wasn’t just talking about unbelievers, but about believers! He says that in the last days, many will not endure sound doctrine and love the truth, but that the Word of God will be twisted according to man’s own interpretation. Many will buy into half-truths, will compromise, and glorify “self” rather than God.

Without us even realising, the values of the world have seeped into our modern Western Christianity. The world tells us to be led by our emotions and feelings when we are supposed to be led by His truth and Spirit. The world tells us that spiritual disciplines are legalistic when in actual fact, they help build our character and grow our faith.

I’ve heard countless stories of how people are caught up with hearing only what we want to hear and refusing to listen to the full counsel of God. Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom has been watered down to only God’s love and grace, and makes us believe that He saved us because we are inherently good and “awesome”.

It is important to reflect and ask ourselves these questions truthfully: “Do we only want to hear what we want to hear? Do we only want to hear what is comfortable to us? And are we only speaking what those around us want to hear?” More and more, there are fewer people who are willing stand for God and His Truth, which ultimately lead to many distorting His Word and diluting His Gospel.

Personally, I had to renew my mind towards accepting certain truths about God and who He is, specifically regarding how He works.

In the midst of this 2-year pandemic, the Lord led us to study the book of Habakkuk. In this book, God revealed to Habakkuk that He would raise up the Babylonian army to discipline His people Israel: “For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans…” (Hab. 3:6). 

I’ve always thought that God allows evil to work but will never directly raise up people and situations to “come against” us. However, sometimes God does orchestrate circumstances in our lives to discipline us, especially when we are not walking in His ways. At other times, He sends trials to refine and test us (1 Pet. 4:12–13, Jas. 1:2–4).

For many who assume that God’s love, mercy and grace means He will make life smooth for us or no longer discipline us, we will be in for a rude shock when things don’t seem to go our way. In context of what Jesus says will happen towards the End of the Age, and which we already see beginning to happen across the globe today (Matt. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21), many of us will be caught unawares and unprepared if we do not hold fast to His Word and the Truth of who God is as revealed in Scripture.

We cannot accept His goodness without knowing that He is a God of justice and righteousness. We cannot accept His mercy and grace without agreeing that we all deserved hell. We cannot accept His love while rejecting His hatred for evil and compromise. We cannot accept what He accomplished for us on the cross at His First Coming without also embracing what He will do at His Second Coming. We cannot simply embrace certain truths without embracing the entirety of His Word.

Many of the End-Time Scriptures will not be comfortable for us who are living in this modern and secular world, but they are crucial, vital, and needed, especially since His Word is True and we are already witnessing the signs of the times, regardless of whether we believe it or not.

Enduring sound doctrine will guard us from deception of the worldly narratives that are bombarding us. It will guard us from fear, confusion and offense because we know who our God is, understand His ways, and have clarity regarding His narrative that is written in His Word.

We are in the Isaiah 60:1–3 season where both darkness and light are increasing. The End-Time Church will be glorious, but we need to prepare ourselves for the glory that God is pouring out upon the Church in the midst of greatest turmoil and darkness.

In the area of truth, we must begin to correct every wrong mindset and attitude in our own lives, and align our hearts and lives to His Word, even when it is uncomfortable and counter-cultural for us. Being rooted and grounded on the Word of God will give us strength and confidence to overcome the End-Time storms and spiritual darkness that is coming.

May we arise as people who will love His Word, hold fast to His truth, and stand for who He is and His narrative in the days to come.

Musings on the Pandemic, the Endemic, and Vaccinations | Blog

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Musings on the Pandemic, the Endemic, and Vaccinations
Aligning to God’s Perspective and Responding unto Preparedness

by Sarah Ng

I joined an online conversation earlier this month on how to navigate through the current COVID situation we find ourselves in, specifically from a biblical perspective. Entitled “Pandemic. Endemic. Vaccinations. — a Biblical Examination unto Preparedness”, it was a timely conversation that addressed my searching questions and put me back on track to focus on what God wants to teach us through everything that is happening.

We are into our third year of the pandemic. What started out as a voluntary call to take the vaccination against the COVID-19 virus has evolved into one that now seems pseudo-mandatory — if we want to keep our jobs and go to the mall to sit down and eat our favourite Singapore chicken curry.

February 14, which has come and gone, was also the deadline for some to get boosted in order to keep those otters on their TraceTogether Apps. Indeed, this year’s Valentine’s Day was about more than just flowers and love.

Compared to where we were before COVID, much has happened and new norms have now set in. It seems like there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the high local vaccination rates and the Omicron variant making its rounds within our population.

However, being human, questions nevertheless flooded my mind and caused my heart to tremble — What’s after this booster jab? Still more booster jabs like what Israel is doing? Where is all of this heading? How do we as believers navigate and also help others in a time such as this?

I confess that we, even as believers, are so prone to “major on the minor” and be derailed from the main focus of what God is trying to teach us.

 

Finding Biblical Answers to Searching Questions

In the midst of the conversation and the wrestling with how God wants us to approach this, I learnt anew how to approach complex and controversial issues from a biblical perspective and apply timeless biblical principles to various situations.

We were exhorted to read Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10 to glean biblical principles that can be applied to the issue of vaccination. As this is not an issue of salvation or even a fundamental doctrinal issue, we are to respect one another’s personal convictions and whatever we do or say, the focus is on building one another up in love.

Here are the main take-home points that greatly helped me to see things from God’s perspective:

 

1. Don’t Miss the Big Picture of God

Whichever vaccine we take, or even if we choose not to take the vaccine at all — this is not the main issue.

“Wait, what?” you might say. “Well, what then is the main issue?”

If we take a step back to see the bigger picture of God, this pandemic and the subsequent vaccination issue are vessels that God is using to get our attention. This pandemic is actually a “tutorial” to awaken and prepare us for greater storms to come.

True, we all need to answer these questions for ourselves: “To jab or not to jab?” “Pfizer, Moderna or Sinopharm?” etc. However, in this particular situation, to each his own based on our individual convictions as we each seek the Lord and apply the Rom. 14 and 1 Cor. 10 principle.

Instead, God, who is zealous for our fullness, wants us to take heed of what, to Him, are the more pressing issues:

  • The condition of our hearts (Rev. 3:14–22);
  • Living with a sense of urgency to redeem the times (Eph. 5:15–16);
  • Knowing with clarity where human history is heading (Matt. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21, Ps. 2, Isa. 19).

The God who sits enthroned above all has allowed this pandemic to reveal what’s in our hearts — through whether we responded in fear, paranoia and suspicion or whether we arose in faith, engaged His heart, and trusted in His leadership over our lives.

He wants us to listen to our own heart responses, and should we realise that they fall more into the fear than faith category, He calls us turn to Him, without condemnation, even in the midst of the fear to find strength as we abide in Him.

Through this pandemic, God is also awakening His people to the urgency of the times and seasons we are living in. (I am reminded of this article on what He is emphasizing for the 2020s.) God is trumpeting to us where all this is heading. Where human history is going is clearly laid out in Scripture and unfolding before our eyes.

The revelation of our hearts. The stirring of urgency. The unravelling of times and seasons. May we not react in haste but pause and engage our hearts with God to hear with clarity what He is emphasizing to us.

 

2. Use the Waves to Work for Our Good

God desires us to awaken and respond in preparation for what is to come. His Word gives us the handles how to overcome and navigate in the journey ahead. The waves of the pandemic have swept us left, right and centre. Instead of just rolling over and giving in with a come-what-may outlook, we can instead let the waves of this storm push us towards leaning in to God and His Word.

If we see that we have not done this, let’s press the delete button on our failings and forge ahead with our God who is at our head!

Three key areas were shared through the conversation for us to intentionally cultivate in our lives. These are God’s answers that will prepare us for the time ahead:

  1. Confidence in God — in His voice, Word, leadership and love. If the vaccine is truly an issue of the eternal salvation of our souls, God will not be silent. He knows how to speak to His people for He is our Compassionate Father full of lovingkindness and mercy. Thus, we need to have that confidence that He is able to lead and speak to us.
  2. Clarity of God’s narrative — His narrative is the whole storyline of the Bible as well as what God is emphasizing and unfolding in the present times we are living in. The central theme in God’s redemption storyline is not just to save us from hell’s fire but unto a life that is victorious both now and in eternity. It’s also about growing into a people who fully love Him, fully understand Him and align completely to His story.
  3. The Prophetic Spirit — that of wisdom, discernment and sensitivity to His Spirit. Wisdom is to have the mind of Christ and to think like Him. Discernment comes with exercising our spiritual senses that comes from having wrestled with God’s Word. Most of all, there is an urgency to cultivate sensitivity to the Holy Spirit who desires to give us His divine instructions and empowerment to overcome in the days ahead. He is our personal Mentor and Guide into God’s truths and ways! (1 Cor. 2:16; Heb. 5:13–14; Gal. 5:16,18,25)

It is an understatement to say that we are now sailing in unchartered waters with many uncertainties and unprecedented happenings, both in the positives and negatives (Isa.60:1–2). Yet as things do not get better, we can grow stronger, burn hotter and shine brighter as the people of God.

Will we respond to prepare so that we will become a seaworthy battleship in the face of the storms of darkness that are encroaching the earth like never before? God is able to use the waves of this storm to fashion us into His voices to shine forth with wisdom, power and love if we respond and seek Him.

 

3. Soar Above the Storms

God has given us His counsel and grace to navigate the road ahead. Here are three heart postures to adopt now so that we will be able to soar above the greater storms to come:

  • Seek God and learn to trust Him in everything (Prov. 3:5–6). This will be crucial to build up our confidence and trust in Him for the days to come. Engage His heart for He loves us deeply, has the answers and is more than able to lead us.
  • Renew our minds with God’s narrative (Rom. 12:2) instead of holding on to worldly narratives.
  • Seek to continually align with God and to do His will (Matt. 6:33). Continually align our perspective with God, persevere in walking in agreement with Him, and respond by doing His will.

This final exhortation at the end of the conversation summed up the urgent call to respond to the Lord in this time: live by faith, walk in love and stand in God’s truth!

May we journey with our communities to go deeper into God’s heart and spur one another on to apply God’s ways in our lives!

Entering into the Rev. 3:20 Moment

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The year was December 2015.

Kay-Chong, the director of International House of Prayer — One Thing Ministries, had just woken up from a vivid and intense dream.

In the dream, a strong voice thundered, “Storm is coming!”

The same statement was spoken three times. This was followed by,

“It will not get better. But you can grow stronger. You can burn hotter. You can shine brighter.”

An intensely powerful storm was fast approaching. The dark clouds moved nearer and nearer, and the floods were coming closer and closer.

Suddenly a huge Rock appeared on the right and the same voice commanded him to climb onto the Rock. He did so but the storm was so strong that he could not balance himself on the Rock.

He then heard the voice command, “Cement your feet onto the Rock!”

Kay-Chong did so and only then was he able to stand.

He saw many people being swept away by the storm. They were crying out desperately for help. From where he was, Kay-Chong stretched forth his hand and managed to pull many to safety onto the Rock.

The message was clear and unmistakeable. Storm is coming! The people of God need to take heed and prepare ourselves. We do not automatically become ready. A process of preparation is required (Rev. 19:7).

Fast forward to 2020. Like a whirlwind that emerged out of nowhere, the Covid-19 pandemic struck the earth with vehemence, throwing nations into disarray, overwhelming health care systems and disrupting many lives, leaving a trail of death, suffering and economic recession in its aftermath.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, we have crossed a line of demarcation in human history and have stepped into a higher level of intensity — into a new normal. 

The next 10 years will be even more dramatic, intense, disruptive and challenging. We are now living in the Beginning of Birth Pangs and are entering into the dynamics of Isaiah 60:1–3, where both darkness and glory will increase in an unprecedented manner to reach epic proportions.

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
(Isaiah 60:1–3)

Worldwide, there will be seismic shifts and radical changes politically, economically, socially and in every sphere of life. Spiritually, darkness is increasing and pressures and intensities will step up in the coming decades. If we do not prepare ourselves and are not strong and rooted in the Lord, we will be swept away.

That is why the Lord tells us to cement our feet to the Rock, who is Jesus. He is telling us to prepare and strengthen ourselves first. Only when we ourselves are prepared and strong in the Lord, can we arise as voices to help prepare others, and bring His light and answer to many in that hour who need it.

Around March 2020, Isaac Bennett, the Lead Pastor of Forerunner Church in Kansas City, USA, received a dream with a similar message. In the dream, there were four winds coming from the four directions of the earth. They were strong winds of the highest intensity and they blew upon the forest of trees, which represented nations and people groups. All the trees were uprooted. None could stand. The roots of the trees were exposed and they were rotten.

The Lord spoke strongly in the dream, “No one is ready!” 

You see, many of us actually have a false sense of confidence that is not rooted in a deep relationship with Jesus or in His leadership. We are content with our association with big names or ministries. Yet we do not personally engage the Lord or seek to grow strong roots in Him. We love to dance around the bonfire of God but never get into the fire ourselves. We do not have our own real and personal history with the Lord which will be crucial in the coming times of testing.

The Lord, out of His kindness, is exposing that right now and bringing indictment to our hearts so that we will turn to Him and find our true confidence in Him and His leadership. Cultivation of confidence in the Lord will take time and intentionality.

That is why the Lord is inviting the Body of Christ globally into a season of training and preparation for the next 10 years! This is the Rev. 3:20 moment. It is a divine moment that God is inviting us into.

Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts and He is knocking. He wants to come in and dine with us, fellowship with us and strengthen us. If we open the door of our heart to Him, He will open the door of glory to us. 

As we take time to converse with Him at the table, using Scripture that the Holy Spirit is highlighting, Jesus will reveal to us the treasures of who He is (Col. 2:2–3) and the gold of His truths from the Scriptures. He will strengthen our inner man with might, preparing us so that we have confidence in His leadership in the final hour of human history.

At the end of the ten years, there will be two distinct groups of people emerging. One group will be those who are strong, prepared and found ready. The other group will be those who are not.

Hence it is wisdom to align with the Lord now, and for us to intentionally set apart the next ten years as a time of preparation. In order to do so, we may have to shift, reorder our lives and dial down certain activities. There is a cost upfront but it will be well worth it in the end.

In order to align with the Lord, we have to embrace what the Spirit is saying and God’s preparation process for us for the next ten years.

We have to engage the Lord by coming to the table, conversing with and listening to Him.

We want to enter into the Rev. 3:20 moment where God wants to come in to dine with us. We don’t want to miss out on God’s divine moment because there is grace from the Lord to bring us into deeper engagement with His heart.

An Encouragement As We Face Tightening Restrictions Again

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From Kay-Chong Yeo, 15 May 2021

Here are some words of encouragement before we enter into Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) or some would call it, “CB-Lite”, where we are going to have tighter measures, restrictions and controls. May these words help strengthen you even in this period.

We Have Been Here Before
First of all, we have been here before. Last year was a unique experience, so this is not something new for us. If you think about it, last year was much worse. There were a lot of uncertainties and unknowns. We will be alright. We have been here before. Look back to last year, what happened and learn from it. We all will come out good.

No Matter What Happens, God is Still With Us
The second thing is this: no matter what happens, God is still with us. We’ve got to hold on to this. The Lord has been preparing us. Even in this time, we are going through the Upper Room Discourse. .

Just that one verse, John 14:1, is what God is speaking to us now — “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe (trust) in God, believe (trust) also in Me (Jesus).” This is really the time to take this verse and lean in and have that divine conversation with Jesus. He is more than able to guide our hearts and minds into the peace that surpasses all understanding. God has really been preparing us for this for a long time. We just need to lean in to Him and also dig in and dig deep to all that He has prepared us.

Don’t Fight Too Hard
The third thing is this: don’t fight too hard. Of course, we need to fight hard at the place of prayer. However, if after we have prayed and things still do not turn out to be what we expect or want, don’t look back saying, “I wish it had been this or that,” or get frustrated, because God is in control. If we have prayed, we leave it to God.

At the end of the day, we pray and we do what we can. If God allows this where we all have to go onto Zoom and online, I will lean into God and ask the Lord, “What are you teaching me through this time?”

If we fight too hard, it will cause our hearts to be troubled and get distracted. At the end of the day, we fight at the place of prayer. After we have prayed, we surrender it unto the Lord.

Ask the Lord to Help us to Learn
The fourth thing is this: we can ask the Lord, “What do You want us to learn from this incident?” If we have not really learnt or did not respond well during last year’s CB, what is the lesson that the Lord wants us to learn once again?

This is the time in which we must really learn what the Lord is teaching us. If our response this year is much better than last year, then we have learnt something. See this phase as “free tuition” where the Lord is giving us another opportunity to learn. The restrictions are not as bad this year — in a way, we are still allowed to move around and there is still accessibility to many things. The only thing is that there are many more restrictions.

Ask God for the Word of the Lord
This last point is serious and important. This is really the time to ask God, whether individually or corporately as a Body of Christ, “God what are You saying, what are You doing and what is happening?” We need the Word of the Lord right now to guide us. The pandemic seems to be unending. God must be saying something. He must be wanting us to prepare for something.

One of the verses that God has spoken to us is Jeremiah 12:5:

 

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,
Then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace,
In which you trusted, they wearied you,
Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?

This could be the occasion where God is strengthening us, causing us to flex our muscles so that we will truly come out with the strength of horses. We can expect something much worse 10 years from now, so we really need to see from the perspective of God.

May the Lord give you His divine strength, peace and rest. May His presence will be with you even throughout these four difficult weeks and may you find the strength in Him. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

What’s so Significant about Passover this Year? | Blog

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by Annabelle Ng

In the midst of this 40-Day Phil 3:12 Fast that is coinciding with the Passover, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday season, the Lord began to speak to us and directed us to the significance of this year’s Passover.

Personally, I was not very keen to embark on yet another fast, as I felt physically drained and also did not feel emotionally or mentally prepared. Even after the fast started, it took me awhile to get my heart and mind into the fast.

However, as God began to speak to us, I realised that this fast was critical, not just for certain groups in the Body of Christ, but for each and every single believer.

 

The Significance of 2020′s Passover

This year’s Passover season is linked to what happened during last year’s Passover. Due to COVID-19, a global online gathering — 2020 Global Alignment of Passover and Last Supper — took place with believers all across the world in April 2020. What was significant was that at that gathering, Arab believers pledged that they would stand with their Jewish Messianic brothers as One in Christ, in the presence of the rest of the international Gentile church.

As I read about this gathering (which has been documented in an e-book that can be downloaded here), the significance of that meeting hit my heart. I had been hearing that we were entering the “John 17 Moment”, but up till that point, it was something that I was aware of in my mind, but it never quite reached my heart.

That this event took place with nations that God has chosen to be featured majorly in His End-Time storyline (Israel and Egypt) just hammered home the truth of His Word and that God was moving the whole of human history along His timeline.

As we entered 2020, many of us as His people had high hopes and our own ideas of the “breakthroughs” that would come. Great harvests, stadium revivals, church growth etc. However, He blindsided us all; and yet, He Himself initiated us into HIS prophetic timeline, which we would have missed if not for COVID-19. It is at this point that I find my heart responding with, “Not my will, not our wills, but Yours be done Jesus.”

 

The Significance of This Year’s Passover

At the same time that God initiated the John 17 Moment last Passover, He also used COVID-19 to reveal just how lukewarm and dull the hearts of believers are. Instead of taking the divinely enforced pause to grow deeper in our spiritual walk with Christ, many of us (myself included) found ourselves bored with Jesus and His Word. The revelation of where we are at is continuing today post-Circuit Breaker, where many local believers no longer desire to return to physical gatherings at church, but instead prefer to stay at home out of convenience.

Freedom from the Laodicean Spirit

The main thing that God really wants to set His people free from in this season is the Laodicean spirit — or as we often call it, “lukewarmness” (Rev. 3:14–22). It is no coincidence that He placed it on many people’s hearts around the world to fast and start contending in this season. This season coincides with the Jewish Passover, as well as with Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Just as God delivered the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt, God wants to deliver His people out of the bondage of the Laodicean spirit. Just as Christ died and was resurrected, God wants to crucify our flesh so that His resurrection life can flow in the hearts of His people.

If we do not overcome the Laodicean spirit, we will not be able to enter into His promises for us in this generation, one of which He has already divinely initiated last Passover, because entering in requires our hearts to be tender, responsive and vibrant before the Lord. It is the season for us to humble ourselves, ask Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal to us any dullness, spiritual boredom, and lukewarmness in our hearts, and to “be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19).

One key is still Rev. 3:20 — to keep opening up our hearts to Him (see this previous article). This would mean willing to be vulnerable to Him and to not keep any part of our hearts away from Him. Indeed, He is a jealous and zealous God who is after our whole hearts, and it’s only when we let Him in and fully surrender ourselves to Him that our hearts will come alive with REAL and TRUE LIFE in Him.

We highly highly recommend downloading and reading the e-book. God is “reconnecting” His Gentile Church back to our Jewish roots and preparing His Bride — Jewish, Arab, Gentiles — to be fully mature at His return.