Will You be Standing or Falling?

I was re-watching a You Tube video from the late David Wilkerson recently, and I was struck by his words, “We have come to a time where every man, every woman, has to get their own word from God.  You can’t get it from some great voice, you can’t get it from someone you think is holier than you, you have to get alone with God.”  He spoke of David’s experience with the Amalekites after having gone through much heartache, distress and tears – getting alone with God he, “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” 1 Samuel 30:6.  With great urgency David Wilkerson repeated, “But you have to get your own word, as David did.”

This man, himself a church pastor, spoke this message in relation to God’s forthcoming hand of judgment that’s coming upon the world for its wickedness.  The message struck me in a few ways, one of them being that he spoke the exact opposite of what is given by most pastors that I have ever encountered.  I have sat under some who have paid lip service to such a suggestion, but when any such given word conflicted with theirs it was rejected – usually ever so religiously, with a smile … that is, until it became too threatening.  Equally, for years I sat under church leadership that told its people they were the, “human face of Jesus to you.”

The late David Wilkerson had a prophetic ministry and as a result he was ridiculed and laughed at by Christians, labelled a prophet of doom etc, fulfilling perfectly what the prophetic Scriptures declare in 2 Timothy 3:1-2, 4:3; 2 Peter 3:3.  It is a rare Christian who will “get alone with God” and “get their own word.”  Too many prefer to get a word from the pulpit – one that tickles the emotions, but by the time Monday mid-morning comes around with its troubles and commotions, that word is gone, replaced by the words and opinions of unbelieving work mates, bosses, politicians, the media etc.

I’ve known a few sick Christians.  If the illness was bad enough the first thing they did was ring to make an appointment with the doctor.  In his or her consulting room they hung off every word the doctor told them and they could remember every one of those words six months later.  Not so the word of God however, because the God of the word was not really sought.  The same applies to some who’ve made large purchases such as home, motorcar, job applications, where to send the kids to school.  No prayer at all for these things?  Yes, but from the lips more-so that the heart – and, from the lips of pastor and peers more-so than personally getting “alone with God.”

On numerous occasions I’ve heard Christians whining and complaining like unbelievers as they sat around talking about their everyday problems, and I’ve been given some strange looks when asking, “What is God saying to you about these things?”  Fact:  If a Christian can’t tell you what God is saying to them about their everyday issues and problems they are not going to have a clue what He has to say to them when we face the days that are just around the corner … days of world financial collapse, world violence, terror, (more) earthquakes and war.  And I must say here that as a result, such Christians will become the laughing-stock of unbelievers.

Too many of them are afraid to stand up for Jesus where it really counts for fear of being the laughing-stock, but those fears are going to come home to roost.  In other words, what they presently fear is going to come upon them anyhow whether they like it or not by their unbelieving friends.  For example, as both unbeliever and Christian lose their homes and jobs, the unbeliever is going to ask the Christian, “Where’s your God?”  The Christian will not respond because they won’t know how to, but in their heart of hearts they will say, “I don’t know.”  At this point he or she will either blame God and back-slide – or – they will humble themselves and start over with Him.

From what I can discern of the church in my neck of the woods there is little to no talk of the serious events taking place around the world – especially the events taking shape in the Middle East and the cursing of Israel by the United Nations, European, Eastern and Western world political leaders.  Nations are going to pay a severe price for their turning against Israel – and so are the churches who go along with it. There is a difference between them though. For the nations it will be the curse and  judgment of God upon them Genesis 12:3 – for the church it will be a time of purging and cleansing – a sorting out of who’s who and what’s what.

Right now God is showing His hand throughout the world.  Unbelievers in high as well as low places sense there is something in the wind and they’re full of fear and apprehension, but for far too many Christians it’s as though they’re on some mind-numbing drug.  Their spiritual eyes are closed – shut tight … “don’t talk about it, I don’t want to know!”  Pastors are in their pulpits smiling at their people, re-working the same tired old sermons – they haven’t a clue to the reality that this is the stuff they sent their people off to sleep with years ago. “Jesus loves me this I know, so the Bible tells me so.”  That’s about the extent of it for many in those places, and they take it all for granted.

On the other side of the coin there is another group of Christians and they’re caught up in doctrines that their leaders have taken way beyond the degree that the Lord ever intended them to be taken.  This has the same effect as the other, however. They too are asleep to these serious events taking place and about to get worse; their theology telling them that such judgments were all in the past – or perhaps up ahead, “but not at this time because this or that has to come to pass first.”  Many of these people too will be made a laughing-stock, “Where’s your God?  How good is your theology now?”  They too will have no answer, but they will ask themselves that very same question.

Whilst we must pray for our church and secular leaders they do not have THE answer to our problems nor those of the world.  They never have had THE answer – they never will have THE answer – God never intended them to have THE answer.  History is replete with holy men and women of God telling us the same thing.  We read their books, we study their biographies, we go, “Oohaaa, what a spiritual giant he/she was under such suffering.”  We then bless God, put the book away and don’t think about it until suffering comes up in a discussion somewhere down the track … suffering that we believe could never come upon us “in this country” and so, we do not prepare for it.

The late David Wilkerson was one of a few of God’s men raised up to bring warnings to the church about the days we are now facing.  The video I watched was made three years ago.  Things were bad then, but they are a lot worse today – just think of what is around the corner.  There are no governments anywhere in the world operating from sound universal principles whether these be moral, ethical, financial or whatever and the same can be said for too many corporate businesses.  Treachery, corruption, deception, lies, cheating, stealing – all now operative just as the biblical Scriptures declare – and there is no turning back, it’s too late.  That is why God’s judgment has started and is escalating.

When these things come upon the world in earnest, the Bible clearly tells us that there is no judgment for God’s people.  If the church is not removed, we need have no doubts that God’s hand will be upon us but in terms of our strength of faith to be able to stand when everyone else is falling over, that can only come about by how much we are filled with God’s word – a personal word – not simply one that comes from the pulpit to the corporate body and leave it at that.  What happens to you if your pastor and your brothers and sisters in Christ get wiped out and you’re the only one left?  Will you be standing or falling? 

What about your example to your family in that day?  Are they going to witness you shaking in your boots causing them to do likewise – or will they witness you standing strong, rooted and grounded in your personal word from God and go do the same?  THE answer lies in God and His word, the Bible.  THE answer lies in Jesus Christ.  THE answer lies in the Holy Spirit and how well we discern Him ministering Himself and the Lord’s word to us.  There are no spiritual giants really.  David proved that.  But, by getting alone with God encouraging himself in the Lord his God he was able to find the mind of God for his immediate situation.

World leaders, financial gurus and peace-making church leaders are telling us that good days lie ahead – economic recovery, peace and prosperity, “things always return to normal.”  Not so now.  Any appearance of normality is temporary.  Things may settle for a while but they will flare up again with greater intensity after each   settling. That’s why the masses get lulled into a stupor.  God does not want His people joining the masses and we won’t because He has promised to protect us from such.  But part of that protection is to come as a result of us wielding His word like the spiritual sword that it is in reality Hebrews 4:12.

In Middle Eastern, African and other Third World countries the suffering of the people is  horrendous, and Christians are caught up in it just as much as the others.  In some cases their suffering is worse because of their stand for Jesus Christ.  There is nothing in the Bible to say that it only happens to some and not to others.  It has only ever been by the grace of God that some don’t suffer as others do.  It is time for God’s people to wake up and stop taking that for granted.  David Wilkerson is no longer with us but his message is.  

The time has come for every Christian man and woman … we do have to get our own word from God, we are not to rely solely on the ministry of others.  Not only that, but for some, the word God gives you may well clash with the word of your leaders and peers. So who’s right and who’s wrong in that case?  Perhaps neither is wrong … God may well give you something different so as you can begin to practice standing on your own spiritual feet.

If that means (temporary) separation from a group, then so be it – separate.  Part of the joy of finding your own word from God is to be stripped of all other-reliance so as you can become totally God-reliant.  That was the witness of both Davids and God wants it to be ours when the judgment intensifies. “Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” Isaiah 35:4.