Spiritual Declension Defined / Renewal Explained
June 8, 2014Over the last few years I have come to realize a measure of decline in my determination and drive to take the message of the cross to our lost and dying world. At the outset of my call to preach I had so much fire in my belly I could not but preach, sadly, as the Word predicts, decline comes and the passion fades.
Back in 2012 I asked the Lord to reveal to me the state of my heart. We had moved back to NJ, I was tired physically and emotionally, and I knew I was spiritually sleepy to the needs of the world around me.
My oldest daughter Jenna just asked me to come and speak to her college bible study group. At the point of her invitation I realized that the Lord put it on her heart to make this request for reasons I had yet to discern.
As I
meditated on what to say to these kids I came to see that I was sliding away
from my original calling. The scriptures command us to preach the Word in
season and out of season, clearly I sensed I was out of season. So I started to fan the
flame a bit. This led to a series of revelations that I want to share today.
These words come from a man who experienced much spiritual revelation from 2004 – 2010, during this period I was very sensitive to the impulse of the Spirit of God, whatever He said to my spirit I did, for the most part.
After some serious financial setbacks from 2008 – 2011, my heart grew tired and faint toward this radical way of being. I stopped caring so much and went into a place of hiding.
Today I want
to share with you the contrast of spiritual life and spiritual death as the Lord revealed
them to me:
When awakened, God is everywhere and present.
Declension starts with distraction from God’s call and leads
to a cold heart
When the work of grace touches your heart it burns white hot
In decline, the fire turns into a smoldering wick.
At the height of the revelation you sense you are high atop
the mountain.
Decline comes when you perceive your weakness, overwhelmed, you willingly allow the enemy to mire you in the sea of despair.
When you are alive to God, your way is clear to you, black is black
and white is white.
Declension comes when you entertain a middle ground, ending
in bad choices.
At the apex of your call into ministry you see and discern
need easily.
In decline you simply walk by clear need and spiritual
opportunity.
When the call comes, revelation rolls into your heart without
bound.
On the backside of your awakening God’s word seems distant
and disconnected from your life.
When God awakens you Mountains move at your command.
In the depths you see an ant hill of Satan’s work and you
leave it be.
Satan and Hell are confronted in the days of life and
vitality.
When you are tired and in decline you hide and retreat from
any confrontation
Today as I seek the Lord for the full restoration of my call to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, my prayer is that the Lord would use these words to help you in whatever place you find yourself.
When your heart is hot, realize that coldness will come at some point in the future. It is here in the cold you have to reach into the treasure chest of God's Word, seek out those precious promises that the Lord has revealed to you in your new birth.
Renewal is experienced in these steps:
Starts with stopping – pulling away from the way you are headingPresumption is set to the side – self justification is put away
The process of peeling back the onion of your life begins
Re-release all your worldly possessions plus your time
You are willing to start all over again
Re-educate yourself in all that pertains to God
Establish a new way to fulfill your original calling
Seek connection only with life-giving things
Re-recognizes the momentary nature of time
Urgency is reestablished in your life with purpose
Clarity emerges – murky waters become more clear
Order is created in your life – a process – step by step
Start to re-enter the front lines of the battle
Fear starts to abate
Positive motion – no wasted effort much less futility of thought
Miracles start to manifest again
Confirmations pop up all around you
Your world starts to change to the positive – new faith filled thoughts are established
May the Lord
bless you today. I share these things with you from a heart that has been tested and tried over a 30 plus year walk with our succoring Savior and King.
Time reveals that we will experience many
afflictions, some of our own making, but the Lord promises to deliver us from them all.
Even our own bad choices can be turned around into a blessing.
Abram felt so desperate when famine struck the Land of His promises that he fled to Egypt. There is did nothing but put himself and his precious Sarah into harm's way. But the Lord delivered him miraculously, eventually he found his miracle babyIsaac in the womb of his post-menopausal wife.
So let's keep our
eyes fixed (turn away from other things)
on Jesus the author and finisher (perfect or) of our faith.
The word here for “finish”
or “perfect” of our faith is only used here in this verse. It would do us good
to focus on the true meaning of this word. I leave that to your personal study.
Shalom,
Jonathan
Posted by Jonathan Keener. Posted In : Sanctification
Our call is to be true "christ" ians. Those little christ's who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Who spread God's fame by proclaiming His message of reconciliation to our world. Playing our part in the epic work of the regathering of the Body of Christ in the Last Days.
livinlattes@gmail.com
