The human nature and the flesh has a natural tendency to fall away from God. It has the natural tendency to drift and be led astray. It is the sin nature. It is the flesh nature. Many of you remember that first day when you first met the LORD. It was a day that you may have been on FIRE!
Revelation 2:3-5 (Amplified Bible)
3I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name's sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary. 4But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].5Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God's will) and do the works you did previously [when first you knew the Lord], or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.
When you got set on FIRE for the Lord, sometimes what is suppose to be good turned out not to be so good. Many might have found a church and in your excitement, you wanted to learn, you wanted to run for the Lord, you wanted to jump for Him, and you wanted to Live for HIM FULLY. But the church you found, instead of discipling you, they covered you with their man made religion and traditions. And some old fart might have had figuratively doused a bucket of water and quenched your FIRE. He might have said, "slow it down buddy." They tell you to follow their authority. They have the term right but that is not what they really mean. They didn't teach you about authority, they attempted to control you instead.
You may have been exposed to other religious Christians who could care less about pleasing the Lord, they wanted to please themselves. And as a result, through the years, their bad habits had corrupted on you and through the years, you had drifted away.
When we do not continue to put fuel into the Fire, it will die. The Fire will dissipate. And as your FIRE dissipated, you may have started to pray less. You started to read less. You started to worship less. You started to go to church less. Then within time, you only went to church on Christmas and Easter at best.
The problem was that you were being led astray and some wolf would tell you that you still got Jesus. That is true to some degree because He is calling you back to your first LOVE!!!!! But the truth was you were drifting farther away from Him. You may have been drifting back into alcohol, drugs, lonliness, depression, and chaos.
Once you have met the Lord, you must continue to drink from the river of Life. You must continue to eat the Bread of Life. You must continue to pray more, you must continue to read more, you must continue to worship more. You must continue to OBEY. YOU MUST CONTINUE TO MOVE FROM GLORY TO GLORY. YOU MUST CONTINUE TO GROW IN HIS GRACE. Otherwise, you will, by the nature of sin and human flesh, fall away and start drifting. Yes, God will call you and He will call you!! But will you answer?
Or will you say to Him, "Ok, Lord, I will return to you after I get settled in with my job. I will return to you after I get married. I will return to you after I have my business stabilized. I will return to you after my 401k is built up. I will give to you and help you build your churches after I have made my millions."
All you have done through the years was harden your heart. Because when He starts sending His servants to give you messages, it becomes more difficult to listen. The devil has his ropes tied around your neck and he is dragging you to HELL!! A rope might be your business. A rope might be your job. A rope might be your children in which you idolize too much. A rope might be your TV. A rope might be your favorit sports because you rather watch sports than go worship the Lord. What other idols may be in your life?
Are you out of your mind!!! When will the rat race ever get settled down? What you know as Life in this world will get you more busier and more distracted away from the Lord. And because there are too many bondage and distractions, the Lord must now bring the crumbling of what you knew was your comfort. In a short time, the world as you know it will change.
Return to Him now while there is still time to know Him in your comfort. Return and store up your prayers, your anointing, your gifts, your spiritual weapons, etc. Return to Him NOW or you may lose your life before you have a chance. The Father grieves!!!! He is grieving because so many are deceived and being led astray.
Revelation 3:16-18 (Amplified Bible)
16So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!
17For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.(A)
18Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.
We are living in the last church age of Laodicea. The majority are living lukewarm. How do you know you are not lukewarm? You must ask the Lord if you lukewarm. Do you have the humilty to ask?
Revelation 3:2-5 (Amplified Bible)
2Rouse yourselves and keep awake, and strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done [any work of yours] meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight.
3So call to mind the lessons you received and heard; continually lay them to heart and obey them, and repent. In case you will not rouse yourselves and keep awake and watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know or suspect at what hour I will come.
4Yet you still have a few [persons'] names in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, and they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy and deserving.
5Thus shall he who conquers (is victorious) be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out his name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge him [as Mine] and I will confess his name openly before My Father and before His angels
A Christian will go through many trials and tribulations to enter the Kingdom of God. It is not vacation. You must learn to persevere and endure in all things. You must learn to press forward and not be offended at those around you or at God. He said it is finished but you must carry your own cross for He will be your strength. You must finish your journey home. You will be tested. Everyone can say they believe. Everyone can say they have faith. You will be tested on those words. THE MINUTE YOU DROP YOUR CROSS TO REST BECAUSE IT IS TOO HEAVY OR BURDENSOME, YOU WILL START TO DRIFT AWAY.
Acts 14:22 (Amplified Bible)
Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Luke 14:33 (AMP) So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, [a]say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:27 Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple.
Fire of God!
Steve Yong Kim
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