This morning, I sat down to start in on my morning ritual with my cup of coffee, my bible, and my book of prayers. My mind has been distracted by the national news and world news in light of bible prophecy. I sat down and hugged my bible and began to cry for the lost and hurting in this world. I prayed, “This really is IT, Lord. Your return is closer than we think. And yet, here we are, in the last days of this world, and all of humankind is collectively distracted, running to and fro as the bible predicted in the book of Daniel (Daniel 12:4). Knowledge is increasing as bibles of many believers collect dust on shelves.
This morning, I had the vision of a ball pinging around corner-to-corner at a rapid speed like you’d see in a pinball machine. I believe the Lord showed me the vision to say that our thoughts, actions, and pace are like that of a pinball: frantic with no clear direction or purpose other than to stay out of the gutter. Chaotic. Then the Lord spoke, “Just breathe me in”, and he began to speak these words:
“Chaos abounds but look for Me in the secret place. Be not desperate for fame, riches, or influence. Be desperate for My Presence. The famine for My Word is great. My Bread and My Water will satisfy you. It will comfort the hunger inside you. It will quench the real thirst that you’ve tried filling with everything but Me. Breathe in My Presence today. The world screams for you to gasp. To hold your breath. I say breathe the wind of My Spirit; the refreshing air of My Word, and your mind and spirit will be renewed.”
The song “Breathe” by Michael W. Smith came to mind. I wanted to share some of the lyrics and link the song for you to listen as you enter in to worship God today.
“This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I I’m desperate for you
And I I’m lost without you
This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I I’m desperate for you
And I I’m lost without you
And I I’m lost without you
And I I’m desperate for you
And I I’m lost without you
I’m lost without you
I’m lost without you
I’m desperate for you
I’m desperate for you
I’m desperate for you
(Smith. 2009.)
His Presence and Protection Is Found In The Secret Place
Psalm 91 (a book in the Old Testament of the bible) says,
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfullness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, not the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, not the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling– even the Lord who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up into their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he (she) loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him (her). I will protect him (her), for he acknowledges my name. He (She) will call on me, and I will answer him (her). I will be with him (her) in trouble, I will deliver him (her) and honor him (her). With long life will I satisfy him (her) and show him (her) my salvation.”
Within this passage lies the secret to thriving during these great and terrible days. The Bible calls Satan the ruler of the kingdom of the air here in the book of Ephesians 2:1-5:
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when were were dead in our transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.”
It’s no coincidence that Satan uses the air waves of telecommunication and social media to communicate messages of sin, fear, anger, rage, hopelessness, and tragedy.” Our devices have become our vices. Our cell phones have become our self-contained jail cells. We have become so numb, so dazed, so paralyzed, that we’ve forgotten that we have the power to press the mute button and turn the power off.
Desperate Times Call For Divine Measures
To be desperate for something means to be in great need of a thing. While some of God’s people are desperate to achieve whatever status or possession they believe will satisfy them, God is saying to be desperate for his presence. Be desperate to dwell with him. In man’s search for meaning and the quest for more, both in and outside of the church, God is saying there is a shortage or scarcity of the true Word of God, not because the Lord has withheld himself, but because we have gone off in search of other things. Other doctrines. Other philosophies and ideologies.
Amos 8:11-13 says,
“Look! The days are coming,”
declares the Lord God,
“when I will send a famine throughout the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water—
but rather a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
People will stagger from sea to sea,
from north to east.
They will run back and forth,
searching for a message from the Lord,
but they won’t find it.
At that time,
the beautiful virgins will faint,
as will the strong young men—from thirst.“
God was speaking in reference to prophets who were God’s mouthpiece before Jesus and before the bible was written. But today God is saying that there is a famine for the Word of God- meaning the preaching of the true gospel of Jesus.
I Corinthians 1:20 says, “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Paul wrote to Galatians (1:6-10), “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned. As we have already said, so now I say again: if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Feed on The Bread of Life and Drink The Living Water That is Jesus Christ
You have the power and the choice to end your famine in his presence. The book of Psalm, chapter 16 (verse 11) says that in the presence of the Lord, we experience fullness of joy. I want to use scripture to interpret what the Lord spoke.
In the book of John 6:47-51, Jesus said,
“Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
“For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Psalm 107:9).
“The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever” (Psalm 22:26).
“In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
Inhale, Exhale
When you inhale (breathe in), air enters your lungs, and oxygen from that air moves to your blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste gas, moves from your blood to the lungs and is exhaled (breathed out). This process, called gas exchange, is essential to life.
In this instance, the Lord is saying to breathe him in- breathe in the Word of God- the bible- into every cell of your being to send life, air, oxygen into your blood. Exhale the waste of the world that has been contaminating your spiritual health and wellness. That waste could be sin, fear, anger, or any other “environmental stressors” that have caused you to withhold surrender. The Lord is saying that just as breathing cleanses your body of waste, taking in the Word of God through your whole being, will cleanse your mind, body, and spirit. Let his word and his presence refresh you today and every day. Time spent in his presence is an investment, not an expense. I’m praying you allow him to refresh and renew your spiritual health, and your spiritual vision, and bring peace to the storms you face.
Reference:
Smith. M. (2009). Breath.[M. Smith]. Worship. 2001.
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