New Year's Revelation

As we look forward to a new year with its uncertainties, challenges and potential, the Spirit quickened to my spirit Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:16-20.

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”

In his research into community transformation, George Otis identifies the perception of three major people groups in society.

1.      Conditions are stable and prosperous.

2.      Conditions are troubling but not unmanageable.

3.      Conditions are desperate and unmanageable.

Your perception of your condition and the condition of your community will determine your level of pursuit of God. Accordingly, your level of pursuit of God will determine the level of revelation you will receive. God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for us can only be fulfilled as we come to realize that our condition is desperate and unmanageable, causing us to become desperate for more of God. That desperation brings us to a place of yielding and surrender to His will and plan no matter what the cost. This Christmas season I was reminded of the cost Joseph and Mary paid to be vehicles of ushering in the King of Glory. It was not convenient, and it turned their life and plans upside down.

As we look forward to a new year may God by His Spirit birth desperation in us for more of Him -- not desperation for a job or better job, a nicer home or a new car, or a greater ministry. May the Spirit of God drive us to our knees in prayer and surrender to His will. May our spiritual eyes be opened to see what God sees and to be moved by what moves Him.

My prayer for you is that as you search for Him with all your heart that He will grant you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him and you will come to understand the awesome calling He has on your life, the riches of His inheritance and the greatness of His power that is available to you. As we become desperate for Him, God wants to move us from the natural to the supernatural that He might be glorified and, like Joseph and Mary, we can be vehicles of ushering in the King of Glory.

Andy Clark

Merry Christmas

An Enduring Kingdom Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this.

This is a wonderful promise! In the midst of the political turmoil and uncertainty of our day there is a kingdom in the hearts of millions of believers whose government is firmly established on the strong, unchanging, stable shoulders of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

God is calling His people to transfer their entire focus and trust from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. He is the source of everything that we need. Our economy is based firmly on His kingdom and economic principles set out in His Word. In such rapidly changing times, He is our Wonderful Counselor to whom we go and depend upon for all our advice. He is our Everlasting Father who loves us passionately and to whom we can turn in every situation and know that He is always there for us. As the Prince of Peace, peace is His nature, and as we take on His nature we can walk in constant peace no matter what our circumstances.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty WILL accomplishes this. We are not the ones to do it. He will finish the good work He has begun in you. He will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He will establish His kingdom, and no political force or military might can stop it. He simply calls us to trust Him and to become a part of what He is doing in these last days.

This Christmas season and New Year, may we rejoice that the King is born, and “of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” May you find refuge, counsel, grace and strength in His everlasting arms.

Love,

Andy and Emily Clark

The Great Adventure

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

As with Abraham, God calls each of us on a great adventure with Him. Sometimes this adventure is thrust upon us by events and circumstances beyond our control. The road of security on which we have been walking is suddenly wiped away by the loss of a loved one, an unexpected sickness, the loss of a job, the collapse of an investment, a divorce, a child who has made some bad decisions, the care of an aging parent. Maybe you are not facing a challenge or tragedy, but you simply find yourself at a juncture in your life where you need to make some decisions and some changes that take you out of your comfort zone of familiarity into the unknown of the future.

Whatever the situation, God begins to stir our nest urging us to step out of the place of security we have now, off the solid branch upon which we are standing, and trust the wings of faith He has given us, no matter how small and feeble they may seem, and do what seems impossible and fly.  Flying for the first time can be scary, and there is the chance of an occasional crash landing, but it is also very exhilarating and greatly increases our vision and potential.

Like Abraham, God is constantly calling us from the security of the known into the unknown, for it is in the place of the unknown where we receive our inheritance. In Ephesians 1:18, Paul prays for the Ephesians and for us that “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Abraham, as he “dwelt in the land of promise ---waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

If we will allow the Holy Spirit to enlarge our vision, there is something God has which is much greater than we have now. Whether what we have now seems good or bad, it is temporal, and God has something which has an unshakable foundation that is designed, created, and built by God himself for you and me. So today, spread your wings of faith, do something you have never done before, and enjoy the buoyancy of the wind of the Spirit underneath your wings. Let the great adventure begin.

Andy Clark

Living With Purpose

These days in which we are living, I believe God is calling us to live life with a greater sense of purpose. So often we get caught up in the routine of life, whether it is in ministry, our job, marriage, or family. God is calling us to be more intentional in serving Him, loving our wife and family, serving our church, at work, or in our community.

To enter the promises of God we need to live intentionally. We need to intentionally hear God’s voice in the small daily decisions and activities of our life. We need to purposefully take ownership or act on the prompting of God’s Spirit. We need to purposefully meditate on God’s Word and allow it to shape our character, values, decisions, and lifestyle. We need to live on the edge, where the supernatural happens in our marriage, family, church and career. Supernatural -- such that God invades these areas and does things beyond our capabilities and we begin to see that supernatural wisdom and favor of God in our daily lives. 

I like the way Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24        “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

25        Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

26        Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

27        No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

“Run in such a way.” There is an art to running correctly to enhance speed and endurance. There is an art to swinging a golf club. Every aspect of the swing must be intentional to be able to hit the ball right where you want it. You can not excel without first developing your skill in whatever you do and doing it God’s way. He is prepared to coach us by His Spirit.

“Strict training.” This is the discipline to achieve the goal or purpose. The New Kings James uses the word “temperate,” which has the sense of balance in what you do. We tend often to succumb to the tyranny of the urgent and fail to do that which is most important.

“Running aimlessly and beating the air.”  In the midst of the endless distractions in life we have to keep focused on the purposes of God in our lives, whether immediate or long term. Satan loves to get us caught up in daily, small challenges and activities that take our eyes and our efforts off of God’s purposes.

Let us endeavor not to run aimlessly or beat the air, but to run with God’s purposes, both daily and long term, so that we may enter into His promises for us.

Andy Clark