Heart Tracks - The Declaration

      Watchman Nee, a man who knew much about adversity and persecution, said that he faced life with this prayer of affirmation and faith, simply declaring, as does His Word, "You are King of kings, and Lord of lords."  Each day, whatever the day would hold, that was what he went out in the strength of.  Not in reliance upon himself, or his knowledge, or even his faith, but in total trust that whatever power, be they physical or spiritual, he would rely upon, trust completely in the One who was King and Lord over every and all earthly and spiritual power.  It is my desire and prayer to live by such a declaration of trust as well.  To know that in the face of everything and anything, He is King and Lord over all of it.  To know that whatever darkness and evil I may face, despite whatever authority they may have, His authority and power are greater, stronger, and in them, in Him, I overcome. 

    Revelation 12 speaks of the power of satan, the dragon and his war against the people of God, a war that has gone on since Eden.  Verse 10-12 says that the dragon was "thrown down," by His people, and it was done through "the blood of the Lamb....and their testimony."  T. Austin-Sparks said that, "If the weakness of God (the Lamb) can do this, what can His strength not do?"  The enemy does have a certain dark authority, but his authority is useless against those who stand upon and in the authority and life of Christ.  Are we standing upon this authority today in our families, our marriages, our churches, and our ministries?  Are we seeing the power of darkness overcome by His blood, and the power of our believing testimony and our trust in it?  Where are you and I really standing in all of these places today?
     Hebrews 12:26 reads "Once more I will shake the earth and the heavens also.  This means that the things on earth will be shaken so that only the eternal things will remain."  Many believe this to refer to a last great shaking of the world just before the Lord returns, but there are those who see a deeper meaning here.  One that foretells of an ongoing shaking in our lives.  Simply put; for the believer, our world will be shaken, continuously, until all that is left is Christ.  The shaking will go on, we can count on it.  Everything that is not Christ in our lives, churches and ministries, will be shaken so that only what is Christ will remain. The old Jerry Lee Lewis song said that there was a "whole lotta shakin' goin' on."  It has gone on, it will go on.  Count on it.
     Sparks defined conversion this way; it is "depositing Christ at the very center of our being with the view to His spreading to the very circumference.  That is the nature of a believer, and this will meet with every force in the universe that is against Christ."  Adversity, opposition, very likely, naked hatred, will be the spiritual force we face, yet, as Revelation promises, we will overcome it all by our testimony of the Lamb's, blood that has already slain the dragon.   The shaking will be ongoing, but we meet it with the declaration that is woven into the very fabric of our being; "Your are King of kings, and Lord of lords."  He is El Roi, the Strong One who sees."  Sees, and moves, and.......shakes, till all that is left is Christ.

Blessings,
Pastor O