The Realm

At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”j 27The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.  Hebrews 12:26-27

I believe that we, the church, are living in the literal fulfillment of the above Scripture. Our world, nation, and culture are being shaken as never before. The church, particularly in the west, is being shaken as well. Verse 27 is particularly meaningful for us; that which can be shaken in our lives is being removed so that only the unshakeable, all that is connected to Him, remains. 

I have been looking at this verse and these words for some time now. I have preached them, written of them, and challenged others with them. This past week I was challenged myself. Challenged in ways that I was not really prepared for, but came through more deeply rooted then I was previous to the shaking. It proved to me anew that no matter how strongly we may feel we are in Him, there is always much more ground to gain and secure. There is always a deeper place for us in the Spirit. The shakings He allows into our lives are so often the means He uses to show us that. It certainly was the means He used with me.

Without going into the details, which would be too lengthy to describe here, I had very good reason to fear that my bank accounts were at risk from internet scammers. I'd been duped, and in the duping, they'd gained access to my laptop. I knew my bank accounts and credit card could be at risk. I went directly to my bank, and though they were very helpful, they could only keep watch against a possible entry into my funds. They advised me to wait overnight, return in the morning, and see what further steps might be needed to safeguard everything. This is where His shaking enters in. I had never been in this kind of situation before. More, I knew I had no real control over it at the moment. Though I didn't panic, I was under real and strong stress and anxiety. The enemy of course took great advantage of this with seemingly endless scenarios of disaster that he brought into my thoughts. That which could be shaken in me, that which I wasn't really aware could be shaken, was. In the midst of this very unpleasant place, He was taking me more deeply into His unshakeable Kingdom. It's a natural process that He uses with His people. We so easily overlook the reality that the only way He can bring us ever deeper into this realm is by allowing unexpected upheaval into our lives. We have little idea of how much there is that can be shaken....until they are. I was in a place I'd never been before, challenged, shaken, in a way I'd never been before. The only way He could place me on His unshakeable ground was to shake the far from solid ground I'd been standing on. That's exactly what He did.

The rest of the story is a good one. The bank assisted me in adding all the precautions I needed to prevent potential theft. The Geek Squad at Best Buy removed all dangerous software from my computer. The scammer got nothing and will forever get nothing. And I went deeper into His unshakeable Kingdom....but it wasn't without cost. As He worked through all these things to secure the outward circumstances, He also did an inward work within. I realized that in this, I had allowed myself to get my eyes off Him and upon the threat. I was focused on what I might lose, and not on the One I could never lose. The One who offered a greater guarantee of security than any bank or computer geek ever could. All I could do was confess my failure to trust Him, and repent of that failure. In return came the wave and security of His Presence. I had found new, unshakeable ground. I also realized there are likely more very shakeable areas remaining. When they are shaken, and they will be, I am believing that it will be an easier transition onto His ground than this last time. I want to live fully in the Kingdom that can't be shaken, and the pathway is to walk from the shakeable ground onto the unshakeable. It will be your pathway as well. Don't fear the shaking. What you might lose there is of no comparison to what is gained in Him. He, and His unshakeable realm will always be what remains.

Blessings,

Pastor O