We Are Anchored
This is not a time to fear. Instead, it is a time to anchor yourself to God and His Word - who He is, what He says, and what He is doing. On Monday, I read a word Holy Spirit gave my brother, Tim, in which He said multiple times, “Stay focused.” The obvious meaning is to stay focused on Holy Spirit and what He says. As you do so with intentionality and regularity, adding to it consistent declarations of what He says, not only will you remain focused, but your faith will grow. I talked about this in yesterday’s post.
The shaking and unrest that was predicted in America has begun and will get worse before it gets better. Radicals on our campuses, fueled and schooled by professional anarchists, are causing great damage and disruption. And the real terrorists now in our nation haven’t even started. The road ahead is rocky; before it is over, all of America will be impacted.
God has given many opportunities for our nation to turn back to Him and experience His blessing, which has been rejected. Many of our leaders, like Pharoah, have hardened their hearts. They are like the Pharisees, of whom Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father; he…does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
In His mercy, God is going to allow some things that will create the necessary motivation for America to turn from wickedness and back to Him. Revival IS coming, the harvest WILL be reaped, and America WILL be saved. Unfortunately, strong discipline is now needed to turn us toward Him and His mercy.
As things become more turbulent, God does not want us to fear. He wants us to be assured that He will provide for and protect us and that through the shaking, America will be restored. Hebrews 12 is an important passage for us in this process; it is the principal chapter in the New Testament that discusses discipline and shaking. Verses 11 and 13 tell us:
“Now all discipline seems to be painful at the time, yet later it will produce a transformation of character, bringing a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who yield to it…for as you keep walking forward on God’s paths all your stumbling ways will be divinely healed!” (Hebrews 12: 11, 13; TPT)
America is about to have “a transformation of character” and “a harvest of righteousness” (verse 11); her “stumbling ways” are about to be “divinely healed” (verse13). Holy Spirit wants us to look past the pain and see the gain.
In verse 12, sandwiched between these two promises, Holy Spirit tells us to “Strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble” (NASB). This is a picture of fear. “Feeble” is actually a Greek word that can mean paralysis (paraluo).(1) Fear torments, yes, but it also paralyzes. We’ve all heard the phrase “frozen with fear.” This emotion robs of initiative and produces inaction. But God wants us to walk through this season filled with faith, listening to Holy Spirit, growing in our intimacy with Him, and maintaining peace.
Peace, the opposite of fear, comes from the Hebrew word shalom/shalem,(2) meaning whole or complete. God doesn’t want our minds and emotions to be fractured, torn, divided between opinions. He wants us to experience wholeness - peace. Colossians 3:15 tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. Rule is brabeuo,(3) and means arbitrate, govern, rule, umpire, decide, direct, determine, and control. Let God’s peace be the umpire, arbiter, or judge in your mind and emotions. These positions have the authority to decide issues, execute laws, and make rulings. In sports, an umpire can even eject a player.
God is saying, “Allow my peace to eject fear, to overrule its torment and paralysis. Let my peace decide what you do and don’t do.” This is a fruit we have in our spirit (Galatians 5:22), and we can allow it to rule our minds and emotions. This begins with a choice. It is then empowered and carried out by anchoring to and staying focused on what God says in His Word.
Philippians 4:7 states this another way, telling us God’s peace is so great it is “incomprehensible” to the human mind. Yet, this supernatural peace is available to us and will “guard” our hearts and minds as we allow it to reign. Guard is the Greek word phroureo,(4) meaning a sentinel or watchman; protect with a military guard to prevent hostile invasion. Set a guard around your heart and mind with God’s peace. The preceding verse says not to be anxious about anything, and the following verse tells us what we should think about:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9 NASB)
Finally, James 1:7 warns against double-mindedness. This Greek word (dipsuchos)(5) literally means “double-souled” or “two-souled.” It means to be undecided or to waffle back and forth in our minds. First, we lean in one direction, then another. James said this erodes faith and keeps us from receiving heaven’s provision. Don’t allow this! Stay focused on one perspective - God’s!
“In Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of a storm, he described a ship caught off a rocky coast, threatening death to all on board. One of the terrified passengers made his way to the pilothouse, where the pilot was lashed to his post with his hands on the wheel, turning the ship little by little into the open sea. The pilot smiled at the man, who then rushed back to the deck below, shouting, ‘I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well.’”(6)
Our pilot is not nervous or anxious. Do not fear. He will guide us through the troubled waters. Anchor yourself to Him and to His unfailing Word!
Pray with me:
Father, we are thankful for Your love and for disciplining those whom You love, rather than rejecting them. You are disciplining this nation in order to transform its character and produce a harvest of righteousness. You are turning America back to You and to her destiny. According to the prophecy from Robert Hunt at Cape Henry in 1607, America’s purpose is to be an “evangelist” to the world. We are reclaiming that purpose and privilege.
We can endure any shaking that tears down evil systems opposing You and Your desires. You said that everything built on the rock of Your Word will survive any storm. In fact, according to Your Word, You will cause the shaking to work for our good. We will emerge on the other side in revival and ready to reform this nation. We are not afraid; we have seen the Pilot.
Our decree:
We declare that our hearts and minds are garrisoned with the peace of God!
I have a gift I would like to give you. Some time ago, I shared a complete message on victory over fear. I believe this teaching will help equip you to walk through any challenges that may come your way. And not only will it help you, but it will also arm you to help others. You can click HERE for this free message (The Snare of Fear).
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. No. 3886.
Ibid., ref. no. 7999.
Ibid., ref. no. 1018.
Ibid., ref. no. 5432.
Ibid., ref. no. 1374.
Spiros Zodhiates, Illustrations of Bible Truths (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1995), p. 267
The feeling of fighting and overcoming wave after wave of enemies in space waves is extremely satisfying.