Being anxious is a natural occurrence but being overly anxious is not good. I mentioned that 2020 was the year of transition but that doesn’t mean it will be necessarily pretty. For those of you going through a higher level of anxiety during this time, I pray this message helps uplift you.
How do we follow God during a transition?
There are times in our life that you must follow God with a degree of uncertainty because we clearly don’t understand what the Lord is doing. As you walk with God there should be a certain level of respect, reverence, and a progressive revelation as you walk with God and He begins to unfold Himself to you and the word of God becomes clearer to you as we go from glory to glory and faith to faith. So if you’re going through something and don’t see everything clearly, that’s ok because God doesn’t always give us all the details. He only gives us enough to get by for the day.
Let’s look at John 16:1-6
All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.
Those of you that have grown children can understand that there are things you didn’t tell them when they were children but only once they became older or adults. It wasn’t time to tell them. The relationship has to grow and develop.
When you read this passage, it let’s you realize that even during the time of Jesus, change brought anxiety. Anytime anything changes from our norm brings anxiety because we are out of our comfort zone. Jesus is ministering to the disciples because they are heavy of heart because they know he is leaving them.
Remember, following Jesus was controversial to begin with and we are coming to a time that following Jesus now will also be controversial. Remember, what was at the the beginning so shall it be in the end.
To leave the traditional orthodox judaism religion and follow Jesus, you were ridiculed and looked on as a cult. Yet they were motivated to follow Jesus because they thought he was bringing the kingdom. John the Baptist had preceded him by saying repent, the kingdom is at hand. Understand that the Orthodox Jew was already being oppressed by the roman Empire so when you talk about the kingdom coming and the king coming, they are looking for Jesus to setup his kingdom then and now on earth. They could see the kingdom, the crown but could not see the cross.
They are following Jesus in anticipation of the crown and then as they began to mature, he started to tell them about the cross. He did this by telling them about tearing down the temple and raising it up in 3 days. Jonah being in the whale 3 days etc… They couldn’t fully grasp the full measure of what Jesus was saying.
They were following in the fog. The true test of faith is following God in the fog.
If everything was clear. Your bills paid, everything in order, you wouldn’t need faith. Walking with God means walking with him in the fog. We go on to know, it’s progressive knowledge. God doesn’t reveal everything at once. We only see glimpses.
They are sad not only at his departure, but at their inability to fully understand that God didn’t do everything they expected Him to do. Read my blog God does the unexpected.
During the next few weeks and months you will be tested to see can you follow God when he doesn’t do what you expect him to do. Anyone can follow God in the good times and everything is running on all cylinders. The question is, can you follow and trust God when things are not going good and serve Him during disappointment.
Can you follow God with a broken heart and say like Job ” Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.
Can you follow God when your vision and His vision creates a di-vision? Because you had in your mind how you expected things to go but God has a higher purpose that deviates from our purpose. Are you humble enough to to submit your vision up under His vision and let His vision reign. If not, then there is no sense of saying Jesus is Lord because He is not truly Lord in your life. If you’re going to boss him and treat him like your butler or maid then He’s not Lord at all. The real proof of Him being Lord and submission, is not obeying when God ask you to do what you want to do anyway. The real test of faith is to obey even though your heart is broken or your disappointed and there is a di-vision between God’s vision and your vision. We need to bring our our vision up under subjection so we can get to the point of His will and not our will.
Jesus told his disciples, follow me and I will make you… Just because you start with Jesus doesn’t mean that you are what He intends for you to be.
When you read John 16: 7-8
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:
This is a transition of authority. In the Old Testament we saw the Father reining and ruling and only on certain occurrences did we see a manifestation of the son. It’s when we get to Mary and she is told that she is highly favored and will bring forth a son… Now we begin to behold the wonder of His glory full of grace and truth.
The hardest thing to do is to follow God in transition. We testify real good in church but how about in the middle of the night when your wondering how you’re going to pay your rent/mortgage. Or feed a crying baby. It’s easy to give praise and honor at church but when God destabilizes your life, that’s the real test of faith.
So remember even though the apostles were following Jesus they were still troubled in their heart. And Jesus says if I don’t go the comforter can’t come, that’s a transition.
When you look at Acts 2:1
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
This is the only time you see so much drama coming with the Holy Spirit coming; The transition.
You don’t see this in Acts 10, or 19 We don’t see a mighty gushing wind, or tongues of fire because Acts 2 was bigger than them being filled with the Holy Ghost, this is the Inaugural reign of the Holy Spirit as He sets up residence in the earth realm to rule and control. Anytime you go to an Inaugural service, there is a processional.
The kingdom slipped from the physical to the spiritual. Many miss this. The kingdom they were looking for in the physical, came in the spiritual.
The Temple, a place of worship now transitioned to our body is now the temple. God has moved inside of us. This is a transition, a paradigm shift.
Folks I will continue to tell you 2020, is the year of Transition and paradigm shift. God is doing magnificent things this year. And for those paying attention will receive a might blessing and not be allowed to fall into fear and anxiety of the unknown. Trust in God and know he has you under his wing and everything is taken care of. I know sometimes he waits until the very last moment to sweep in to save the day but he does sweep in and save the day and that is what makes God AWESOME!!!
