"Zero Compromise"
I just had a strange experience during worship, and I sense that it's something I'm meant to share.
It was strange because I often "see/sense" Jesus during worship. Sometimes He's standing, sometimes sitting. Sometimes He even dances or comes so near that I can almost feel His breath. He's sometimes exuding joy or peace...sometimes just a quiet expression of enjoyment on His face.
But today, He was serious. So stern and serious that my little girl self rose up for a second and thought He was angry with me, and I felt myself shrinking away from Him.
"Are you mad at me?", I asked sheepishly.
As He looked at me, His eyes softened a bit and I was shocked to the point of laughter to hear the lyrics "sweet child of mine" (Guns and Roses?!!!) No, He wasn't angry with me. He is tender toward me.
So I asked some more about what was happening since it was so unusual.
As I looked, it was as if His eyes were laser focused on something (but I couldn't see what He was looking at). There was something he was intensely focused on. He leaned forward in His seat and said,
"This is a time to be very careful about avoiding deception. Know Me. Know My voice. Stay close. Many people don't know who I really am." (I could feel a grief on that last part)
And then, He called to mind a recent conversation I had with one of my children about college life. I encouraged my child to explore and have fun, to try new things, to really stretch and grow. "But", I said, "food, and friends, and clothes, and hairstyles are all fun...but it's important that you hold fast to the truth of Jesus. You must allow for zero compromise in the things of God."
"ZERO COMPROMISE" rang like a bell in my ear.
And then, there was grief again, "So many don't know who I really am".
There was one final shift. He called to my memory a very vivid dream I had about 3 1/2 years ago. In the dream, I looked out a window and I saw God the Father strolling casually (sort of casually pacing) in my back yard, and every now and then He'd lift His arm and look at the watch on His wrist...all while continuing to casually stroll. I asked Jesus what was happening, and He replied, "He's the Keeper of time". I understood that not even Jesus really knew the "time"...only the Keeper of time.
But this time, as I looked, the Father stopped dead in His tracks and was inspecting His watch VERY intently. It was almost like he was counting the seconds. There was no causal stroll, no casual glance. He was watching as if every single little millisecond counts.
As Jesus shared all of this with me, I had the sense that He was entrusting something to my care and that I should not delay in acting.
My takeaways:
1. I was supposed to share this
2. It's a uniquely intense time in the spirit
3. The church must allow ZERO compromise in the things of God - this is not a time to entertain or worry about numbers. The Gospel of Jesus. The person of Jesus. Worship in Spirit and truth. People must know the truth of who Jesus is... to their salvation and His glory.
4. We must be on guard agains deception
5. God is the Keeper of time - we don't have to worry about it...but we should watch and be wise about discerning the times. Milliseconds matter.
Stay close to His heart, brothers and sisters. Be in your Bible every single day. Worship in spirit and truth. Get into that secret place with Him like your life depends on it. Share the gospel and love people well...with zero compromise!
