Aren’t you ready to look “UP”?

We live in a sin-sick world. It can be demoralizing and debilitating. The horrors we read about or hear about on the radio can literally knock the wind out of our lungs. So much death, destruction, hurt and pain all around us. It’s very easy to become discouraged and distressed.The earth is literally groaning under the weight of the people’s sins. I’m keeping it real this morning. People are messed up. I’ve read about a woman who killed 6 or 7 of her own newborn babies. I heard a story about a 5 year old boy who’s father and step-mother who kept him in a closet and starved him almost to death. I’ve read about a young woman in Gary who sold her 3 year old and 6 month old girls to a man for sex. MY GOD. Yet GOD. Many people ask me how I could serve and love a God that allows such tragedy to happen. I have to be honest. It took time for me to answer them. It’s a valid question. My answer is many-fold. But primarily it is because I know as bad as we are, as bad as we will become, God has given us all free will and free choice. But He still loves me. I digress. It is too easy to fall into the trap of looking at sin and it’s resulting devastation. It’s “natural” to look at the negative exploits of people around us and shake our heads at the “lack of humanity” so many possess. We have a “I can’t help but look at the accident even if it’s horrific” kind of mentality. Yet as believers and sons (& daughters) of Christ, we are called to look higher. We are to look to the Hills from where all our help comes. We are to stare at Jesus. The Word encourages us, really mandates us to look UP. We have permission to stick our heads in the sand, so to speak. God tells us to meditate on good things. God says keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. Sing spiritual songs and encourage yourself, for heaven’s sake. Why? Not because we are to ignore the sins, the evil that people perpetrate against each other. Not so we can be oblivious, unconnected nerds and narcissists. Not so we can walk around with holy, snooty noses up in the air. Not because God called us better than… Why? So that we can be ENCOURAGED. So we can be EMPOWERED. So we can be EQUIPPED. So we can be ENGAGED. Engaged? Yes, engaged with the very people we see being hurt and bamboozled by sin. The earth may be groaning under the weight of sin. But Earth is also waiting for the manifestation of the sons (& daughters) of God. Greater works. Demons demolished. Sicknesses (mental and physical) healed. Shame removed. Burdens lifted. Needs met. Death defeated. HOPE restored. LOVE fulfilled. If Father God had wanted us to not be in this earth, He would have raptured us, caught us up into Heaven as soon as we accepted Jesus as our Savior and were baptized in the Holy Ghost. We are here for a reason. Not to be of this world but to be in this world to affect and effect a change. Sin is not going anywhere. It’s here to stay. As a matter of fact, it is going to get more bold and it’s effects are going to worse. Read your Bible. A clear line in the sand was drawn when Jesus died 2,000+ years ago. Those who have chosen Jesus have POWER to overcome sin through the shed Blood of Christ. Those who have chosen to ignore His gift (and there are many, many who have openly refuted and denied the Power of the Cross of Jesus) will continue in sin, down the path of destruction. Peace on earth won’t happen again until The Prince of Peace sets foot on this soil again. (Sorry to burst your religious bubble.) But “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” God is going to show Himself so strong and mighty in these last of the last days. So. Even in the midst of EVIL, evil, twisted things happening, I am EXCITED. I see the beginnings of revival. (Not the kind we went to in the tent during the summer). I see REVIVAL of the saints of God. Moving in anointing and assignments. Walking in Power and prophetic. Singing in Praise and prayer. Wearing mantles and manifestations of God’s Presence. Revival on Azusa St. was just a foreshadowing of what God is DOING right now in His people. So. Instead of looking at the news in bewilderment, the sons and daughters are going to give people the Works of God to stare at. Instead of hearing the evil exploits of wicked men and women, God’s people are going to lift a new sound in the Earth. Aren’t you ready to look UP?