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Monthly Archives: November 2016

Are You Running too Fast?

07 Nov

JogI’ve been talking about the days ahead and the enemy’s plans against God’s people. His strategy never changes. We looked at this verse…

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

In my last post I said that there were two usages for the word kill in this verse. I already talked about the first on – a burnt offering.

The second meaning of this word is very applicable to this generation. The literal meaning of this word is to rush, to breathe hard. This is one of the greatest temptations in our society.

We have a tendency to want to do everything – to be everywhere. We end up with full schedules and no time left over at the end of the day.

We have to live our lives aware of the enemy’s tactics. If he can get us running so hard, doing so many things, then we’ll never have enough time for the Lord and His work.

Please realize that I’m not talking about you doing anything evil. We can fill our day with good things. They’re just not the things that God’s called us to do. Living like that can rob us of God’s blessing.

Jesus spoke to His disciples about the Last Days. Listen to what He said we would have to look out for.

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.”
Luke 21:34-35

In looking forward to our time in history, Jesus said that if we weren’t careful, our hearts would be weighed down with dissipation. Dissipation – that’s the ongoing process of the word dissipate. That’s like evaporation – things like water just vanish into thin air.

Do you find that the things in your life are dissipating? Are your time, money, and resources vanishing too quickly, and you don’t know why? The problem may be dissipation.

When we don’t spend time in the presence of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to order our lives, we get into trouble. We end up doing things we were never meant to do. Good things, noble things; but they weren’t in God’s plan for us. At the end of the day they’re robbing us of our life.

It’s time for the people of God to get back into order – the Lord’s order. This may mean cutting some things out of our schedule. It may mean saying “no” to some people that are asking you to do things with them.

Then, your life will be clear for God to move in you. You’ll find that He has plenty for you to do, only without the grief. You’ll no longer have a life where you seem to be on a treadmill with no forward progress. Your life will be fulfilling – the way God planned it to be.

Spend time seeking God’s order for each of your days. You won’t regret it.

Question: How have you seen dissipation work when you’ve neglected God’s leading?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2016 in Ministry, Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Times and Strategies

04 Nov

KeyIn my last post I talked about understanding the times that we live in. I hope that it wasn’t a “downer,” because we actually live in very exciting times – spiritually speaking.

I made reference to the book of Daniel as a good resource for understanding what we’re facing today. We are being given the same choices that Daniel and his friends had.

We can either compromise and accept the luxuries of the world, or stand up for Christ and face possible ridicule. We live in a country that’s no longer a Christian nation. Our leaders are taking us, step by step, into a society we would have never thought possible.

We need to understand what’s happening. First of all, we must not start blaming people. To be victorious, you must know who your true enemy is.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12

The Bible makes it clear that our biggest struggle is not against people. It’s not about who’s in power, or what government official gets elected. There’s no vote that could ever bring about a move of God in our nation.

We have to fight this war in the spirit. It can only be won as we enter God’s presence.

But there are some other issues that we face. We need to not only know our enemy, but his tactics as well. I think that’s where we fall short sometimes. We let the devil trick us into giving him the victory.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

Here we have been given the enemy’s objectives. He uses the same ploys over and over again. Of the three listed in this verse, the middle one – kill – is the least understood. It’s the one we fall victim to on a regular basis.

The word translated kill has a couple of usages. It doesn’t mean to kill in the general sense. The first usage is to offer up as a burnt offering. The devil wants to sacrifice you on the altar of the world.

He wants to get you to burn up all of your time, energy, and resources chasing after the world’s goods. If he does that, then the devil has effectively knocked you out of the battle. You’re of no use to the Kingdom of God.

…his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15

I don’t want to see anyone suffer this loss. To be saved, entering the future Kingdom, yet having nothing to show for your time on earth. Everything you accomplished, sacrificed on the world’s altar.

Don’t let that happen to you. Be a part of what God is doing right now. Pray for a spiritual awakening in our culture.

Question: How have you seen the enemy using this strategy in people you know?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on November 4, 2016 in Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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Election Thoughts

02 Nov

FlagcrossHere in the USA it’s getting close to Election Day, when we choose a new president. It has me thinking about where we are as a nation and as the church.

I’ve noticed that, more than ever before, people are asking me how they should vote. It’s as though they’re asking me to tell them who to vote for. Of course, that’s not my place, especially in this election.

The more I think and pray about it, the more I realize that we’ve come to a unique place in our history. Unfortunately, it seems that very few believers actually understand where we are.

Scripture talks about the men who came to support David and make him king of Israel. It lists the strengths that each group had to offer.

…men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do – 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;
1 Chronicles 12:32

Obviously, knowing the times that you live in and then applying that knowledge goes a long way. It’s what we need in the church right now. Contrast that to the leadership of Israel when Christ came on the scene.

He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
Matthew 16:2-3

I’m worried that so many in the church are in this condition – not seeing the signs of the times. It will be a crucial strength if we’re to navigate the uncertain waters ahead.

This is because of what I see happening all around us. For the first time, a large percentage of people don’t particularly like any of the candidates we’ve been given. To go even further, no matter who’s elected, we will not have a leader with a strong Christian worldview.

I believe that we’re living in an age a lot like what Israel faced in their Babylonian captivity. They were removed from their land and placed in a totally new environment where those who ruled had no knowledge of Biblical truth.

“But we haven’t been taken into captivity,” you may say. Think about it. The nation we live in right now is not the same nation that our grandparents were born into. We may not have been taken to another country, but this is definitely not the same nation that was founded in 1776.

Please realize, I’m not talking about technology and education. I’m talking about attitudes toward Christ. What’s accepted as a devoted believer today is miles from where it had been.

I don’t say any of this to frighten anyone. That’s not the point. As a matter of fact, this could actually bring an increase in the manifestation of the power of God. It could even trigger a national revival. (Read the book of Daniel)

I want to take a few posts to talk about the times that we live in; and how we should act. You might not agree, but it may get you thinking about it.

Question: In your opinion, what is the spiritual condition of the USA right now?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on November 2, 2016 in Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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