Morning Prayer Summary for Thursday, October 11, 2018

Mary led group in worship…

Erika shared…

I’m going to read from “Signs You’re See Just Before Jesus Comes” by Rick Renner. I enjoy the way he brings words to life. This is just a launching point, so stay with me.

The First Sign: Spiritual Deception

As we have seen, Jesus told His disciples that there would be signs along a prophetic road that would verify where we are in time as we approach the end of the age and His next coming.

Jesus listed many signs that would indicate we were on the road to the end, but the very first sign He spoke to the disciples about contained a clear warning about wide-scale worldwide deception that would emerge at the very end of this era. Jesus warned the disciples, and us, of the need to guard against that deception.

In Matthew 24:4, “Jesus said, “… take heed that no man deceive you.” As Jesus began His discourse on the many end-time signs to watch for, He listed deception first and foremost as a primary indicator that the conclusion of the age was upon us.

Before we go any further, let’s see why Jesus placed such emphasis on this sign, even above other specific signs of the times.

Jesus warned believers that they must “take heed” to guard against the deception that would characterize the end of the period. The words “take heed” were intended to jar and jolt listeners to get their attention. As Jesus spoke the words “take heed,” there is no doubt that the disciples perked up to really listen to what He was telling them. When He had their full attention, Jesus warned them that as the present age comes to a close, an end-times deception would attempt to infiltrate every part of society across the world.

The word “deceive” used in Matt. 24:4 is translated from a Greek word that means “to wander off course.” It could depict an individual who has wandered off course, or it could even describe a whole nations and even vast numbers of nations that have veered off course from a moral position they once held to be true. It suggests a moral wandering on a worldwide scale at the close of this period.

Let me try to help you more fully comprehend how this word “deceive” would have been used in Jesus’ time. In the Greek, this word depicts the behavior of someone who once walked on a solid path, but who is now drifting and teetering on the edge of a treacherous route. This person has either already departed from this once-solid path and has lost his bearings as a result, or he is in the process of departing from it. The word “deceive” means he is going cross-grain against all that was once a part of his core belief system. Sadly, he is now deviating from his former solid moral position to a course that is unreliable, unpredictable, and even dangerous.

This word “deceive” tells us that there will be a mass divergence from time-tested biblical standards. By using this word in Matt. 24:4, Jesus was foretelling that a moment was coming when society would move away from the long-affirmed laws of Scripture. Although He specified many signs to indicate the conclusion of the age. Christ declared that this mass divergence from truth—and worldwide moral wandering—would be the first, foremost, and primary sign to alert us that the end was near. That is precisely why He named it first in His list of signs that would authenticate we have entered the wrap-up of the age.

He goes on to talk about where we are today. How there’s great confusion over gender identity. It’s obvious it’s manifest. He says…

Jesus prophesied the spirit of this world is working furiously to eliminate all remnants of a godly foundation from society and to replace it with a last-days deception that will ultimately usher in a time when the Antichrist rules a lost world for a temporary period of time.

It could be disturbing, but we’re not to be disturbed. Right? I like this. He says…

But all is not lost! The prophet Joel prophesied that in the last days, the Lord would visit people of all ages in a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Since we are living in this time frame that is called the “last days,” we qualify for this great spiritual outpouring upon the Church.

Although there are disturbing signs of deception emerging all around us, this is not a time to despair. This is our moment to yield to the Holy Spirit and to stand strong on God’s Word. If we abide in the promises of God and stand for truth, we will experience a supernatural protection against this mass deception that Jesus prophesied would arise at the conclusion of time just before he returned. God’s intention is for the Church to remain vibrant and victorious until Christ’s glorious appearing.

That’s good news! Amen? I emphasize what he said here, “if we abide in the promises of God and stand for truth, we will experience the supernatural protection against mass deception.” So in light of that, I want to take some time today to look at this place of “abiding.” This is important for pray-ers. Especially as we navigate this world. It’s so fast paced, so instant, moving at a rapid pace that we need to have a place of abiding. So we’re going to go into a study about abiding.

What is abiding? Let me start with John 15:1–8.

“I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.3 You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you]. 4 Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. 6 If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.”

So the word “abide” as described in another book by Rick Renner, “Sparkling Gems,” says “the primary root word means to stay, to remain, to continue, and permanently abide in one place.” That doesn’t sound like someone who is being dragged away in deception, does it?

He goes on to say, “a literal translation of John 15:7 could be “If you steadfastly and continually abide in me and if my word steadfastly and continually abide in you, you may ask what you will and it shall be done for you.” The word (?) gives the idea of something that is rooted, unmoving and stable.

Now I’m going to read from a book called “Rightly Dividing the Word” by Clarence Larkin. We’re talking about remaining in a place so we’re not deceived in the last hour. This chapter is called,

The Reciprocal Indwelling of Christ and the Believer.

The thoughtful and observing reader of the New Testament will notice a number of paradoxical statements that clearly teach a “reciprocal Indwelling.” First of the Father and Jesus. “I am in the Father and the Father in me.” The Father in me and I in Him. That they all may be one as Thou, Father, art in me and I in thee. Secondly as to Christ and the believer. “He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in Me and I in him. In the Parable of “the Vine,” we read, “Abide in me and I in you… he that abideth in me, and I in him. … If you abide in Me and My words abide in you.

It is the botanically true that the branches abide in the vine, and the vine in the branches. As the two grow, they grow into each other. Any attempt to separate them will tear the fibers that interlock with each other and mutilate both. This “reciprocal indwelling” is beautifully illustrated in nature. Take the four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. The plant is in the soil, and the soil is in the plant. The bird is in the air, and the air is in the bird. The fish is in the water, and the water is in the fish. The iron is in the fire, and the fire is in the iron. The mutual interrelation of the plant to the soil, the bird to the air, and the fish to the water, is necessary to their life. So the mutual indwelling of Christ and the believer is necessary to the spiritual life of the believer. When Jesus was about to depart, he said, “Because I live, ye shall live also. At that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me and I in you.” Let us look at these two “cardinal facts” of the mutual indwelling of Christ and the believer.

[he discusses] 130 times in the New Testament, it talks about “in Christ,” and “in Him.”

If you should draw a circle on the floor and step within it, it would surround you, but only on one plane, but if you were to take a position in the center of a spherically shaped room, you would be surrounded on all sides, and equally protected in every direction from all external foes and perils, and dependent upon the atmosphere of that spherical room for your life and safety.

Did you get that? So you can have life on one plain or you could have life on a fuller measure. He goes on to talk about how “in Christ” is in every chapter of the Bible. Examples:

Romans “In Christ justified”
Corinthians “In Christ sanctified”
Galatians “In Christ crucified”
And so forth…

He talks about …

When a child is born into a family, the law of heredity entitles that child to all the past history, tendencies (good or bad), social and political rights and privileges of the family as far back as the lineage can be traced. And there is another law, the law of inheritance that guarantees to that child the future possession of the family inheritance.

We’re in Christ. So there is an inheritance in Christ. Everything that Christ did in the past is ours and all the future is available to us in Christ Jesus.

So the person who is born by the Holy Spirit into the family of God and thus becomes a “partaker of the divine nature,” is not only entitled to the future inheritance of a child of God, but to all the past experiences of Christ.

Jesus bore it all. He bore every sickness, every disease. He took our sin upon Himself. So we get to experience all of that by virtue of being in Him.

Christian experience is the making real in our life of what is true as to our standing in Christ, and means that we are to make actual in practice that which we in the Scriptures are declared to be. That is, we are to act in accordance with our standing. A king will act like a king, a millionaire like a millionaire, a beggar like a beggar, a child of God like a child of God.

He goes on to say we should bear fruit. So we’re looking for fruit to be born. This is part of being in Christ, but there is not only fruit bearing that depends on being in Christ, but here is another part of it. This is our prayer life.

…If you abide in Me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. Here are two conditions of prayer and one promise. The conditions are “If you abide in me,” and “my words abide in you.” The promise is “you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” Here is the Magna Carta of prayer. The first condition then of answered prayer is that we be IN CHRIST “If you abide in me.” The second is that Christ be in us. “My words abide in you. The apostle John tells us that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. Now how can we know the will of God or the mind of Christ or the mind of the Spirit unless we know the word of God, the holy Scriptures.

Now I want to read a little from Rees Howell’s Intercessor. This is one of the things that propelled me down this abiding road.

One night when Rees Howells and his friends were returning from the village, they passed a group of women who never came to the meetings. They could tell by their voices that they had been drinking. One of the party exclaimed, “Where is the power to change these people?” It was a challenge, and Rees Howells took it. There and then the Spirit gave it to him that he was to pick out the ring leader of those women, who was a notorious character and a confirmed drunkard, and pray her into the kingdom by Christmas day.

This was something new! He had seen many drunkards converted, but the Lord had worked through his personal contacts with them; in this case, however, he had no connection with the woman and the Lord told him that he was to use no personal influence, but to reach her by way of the Throne.

As I was thinking about these past weeks and the events with the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh, I thought about that. And I thought about what a marvelous demonstration of the power of God reaching the throne of God concerning that situation. Because we had no ability to go in there and actually do anything about it. But I could sense the power of God that was being used and displayed through the Church regarding that, because you just had to watch a little bit to know that it was only God.

It would be a real test of strength. Could the Holy Spirit through him use the power of the atonement to break the devil’s dominion in her life and fulfill the Savior’s word in Matthew 12:29 about binding the strong man and stealing his goods? He saw that if he could get this one visible proof of the devil’s defeat, the Holy Ghost could apply the victory through him on a larger scale.

So as the Church’s victory we gained through the position with Judge Kavanaugh to get him where God wanted him to be, we from this victorious position, we can go on and continue to pray for these upcoming elections. Right? If the Church will maintain her position of abiding in Him and His Word abiding in them. And we’re one and he offers up the prayer. Is this making sense?

To do this, the Spirit gave him John 15:7, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask that you will and it shall be done unto you.” It would all depend on his abiding. And this abiding was to take a central place in his future life of intercession. It is important to see what the Holy Spirit taught Mr. Howells about it. This key text, John 15:7, makes it plain that the promise is unlimited, but its fulfillment depends on the abiding. That is why in all cases of intercession, Mr. Howells constantly spoke of guarding this “place of abiding.”

The scriptural key to abiding is in 1 John 2:6, He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.” In other words, it meant being willing for the Holy Spirit to live through him the life the Savior would have lived if He had been in his place.

As believers, we are to enter into this place of abiding where He is in us and we’re in Him. It’s all mingled up and we are the living manifestation of Jesus. Not somebody else. Not doing some thing but being who we’re called to be.

The way Mr. Howells maintained this abiding was by spending a set time of waiting upon God every day during the period in which the intercession lasted.

Waiting is not a popular word. But if you want to be who the Father has created you to be, you better be waiting.

Prayed…

Father, we thank You for Your Word, that Your Word is truth and life, help and hope and everything to us. We treasure and esteem Your Word. We allow that Word to abide in us. We thank You that a great work is being done in the Church. We’re not going away from You or Your Word, but we’re drawing more closely to you and Your word. We’re filling our very selves with the holy Word. You and Your Word are one. We believe You are working in the Church, causing her to do Your will… the church stepping more into this place of abiding in Christ… never departing from that… not being drawn away… or deceived in any regard… to see the unwrapping and the unveiling and opening up of the gifts of God in the church… stepping into her place in the realm of the spirit… operations and manifestations of the Holy Ghost… to display the distinguishing marks of a Christian … the living Christ manifested, going about and doing good and healing all that are oppressed of the devil… we stand in agreement for this nation… one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all… to bring back and restore those things that have been damaged and broken… we plead the blood over the President and his family, staff, members… no weapon formed against them shall prosper… strengthen them… to resist evil… we will be participants in these mid-term elections… in prayer but we also will make our votes count… we will rally one another … we ask that You would stir and raise up and awaken the Church to her full responsibilities that belong to her… more and more who say yes to the call… the public realm… civic duties… we are the living hands and feet of Jesus… mobilized… compelled by compassion… to share the good news… in truth and in deed… five-fold ministry gifts… equip the saints… strength … abiding with You and Your Word…

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