In Part One here I brushed lightly on preparation, mainly for those who profess faith in Christ, and for this second part I’ll be touching on that again among other aspects.

NOW THAT SOME weeks have transpired since the current American President has actively taken office, the dust and excitement has somewhat settled. We are well on the way to prospering… well, as so many assume.

I firmly believe that God in His mercy has looked upon The United States of America again with compassion, and it is a miracle that the latest administration has returned once again despite a plethora of unseen and highly intelligible influences gaining sway in acute opposition.

We have not been dealing with just years of corruption but decades of unprecedented crimes of the highest order, and it is far from over yet as more deep exposing surfaces. It all began when the 2020 world PLANdemic arose. Scores of people worldwide have begun to awake since then, and there are few who believe that the tide is turning. We may call this an awakening, and to what ends? That’s the question. Is it a secular awakening, or is it the beginning or the roots of a spiritual awakening? I earnestly pray it’s the latter, for in what direction this all may lead to, I do not know. One thing I can be sure of is that we cannot go on spiritually malnourished as we are.

The beginnings of true spiritual awakening and revival will carry the invitations of Christ’s words to the church of Laodicea, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” – Revelation 3:18. And why would such words apply to our generation? Because we are in no different standing as to why the Son of God originally spoke them, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” – verse 17. Yes, these words are to a body of believers, a church that was once ablaze for God! Even Isaiah felt his world came apart when he saw God in His majesty and holiness, and if God were to move mightily again in our day among our churches, we would encounter the same. How many would say, “I thought I knew God, but now I see Him!” Are they not the words of righteous Job? These words may seem so unfair or even judgemental, but are they when we put our hands on our hearts in all honesty in the light of God?

We may be witnessing so much exposure of all the government’s evil and corruption to shocking degrees, but oh! at the house of the LORD, where we have turned His place of prayer and worship into a hideout of sin – we have yet to see! No true reform starts with the government but at the house of God – with us who profess allegiance unto Christ. This is not to negate individuals who are walking with God; this is generally speaking. Did not the prophets of old count themselves in among corrupt Israel and Judah of old and pleaded for God to have mercy; did they not repent on their behalf?

If, as professors in Christ, you feel secure due to the promise of a sound financial economy under a desired elected president, then you have embarked on a road of spiritual suicide; if unshakable confidence is not first and foremost in God, then you have forfeited the route to sound spiritual prosperity.

I utilised an image of President John F. Kennedy with His quote, for his words ring alarmingly true, and with greater urgency in our day, “This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.” I hardly hear of anyone saying we must earnestly seek God. Now is the time while we excitedly embark upon financial liberty and prosperity. We have completely missed the entire picture and scenario if we have become lax and are now at ease because our preferred president won the election – as if that was the only work and effort we laboured for as opposed to praying and fasting for the spiritual destitute state of our nations.

There have been statements of the 47th president being the anti-Christ. Is Trump the antichrist? “Of course not… how absurd to even think that”, I can hear many say. Is he like a saviour at present? Many deem him so. The man with all the good he’s doing still needs to be born again by the Spirit of God, no matter how sympathetic, or how many Christian principles he’s endorsing and pushing, or how he invites certain Christian leaders to lay hands on and pray over him. I’m not knocking his current presidency; it’s unprecedented! To rule out, though, that he could NEVER be the antichrist is unwise and demonstrates we have put this man on a podium of worship. The antichrist is not going to manifest himself in ways that are overtly evil, for indeed, the devil transforms himself in to an angel of light. Now, I’m not of the opinion or mindset that Donald J Trump is the anti-Christ, neither am I ruling out that he could be – I don’t know, but the point I’m aiming to drive home is, where is our faith; in whom are we really trusting?

Working my way through the sixth volume by the renowned Puritan, John Owen, I reached this timely point in reading just the other day that is so pertinent to our consideration, “There is a hardness, an insensible want of spiritual sense, gathered in prosperity, that if not watched against, will expose the heart to the deceit of sin and baits of Satan. “Watch and pray” in this season. Many men’s negligence in it hath cost them dear; their woeful experience cries out to take heed. Blessed is he that feareth always, but especially in a time of prosperity.”

In context, the word fear used by John Owen is in conjunction with mortifying sin in our lives, in not allowing it to have sway in our lives for we – as believers –  are no longer under its dominion but under grace. If we allow sin to entangle us, then we face the consequences of having our communion/closeness with God marred, which inevitably and subsequently affects everything in our lives as a downward spiral; get that wrong and the ship begins to sink. 

I want us to consider for a moment Joseph in Genesis (chapters 41 – 47) where he interpreted Pharaoh’s alarming dream of the seven years famine that was to arise seven years later. For seven years, under Joseph’s lead, preparation was made in gathering supplies of food in varied forms in order to sufficiently withstand numerous harsh years. Those seven years indeed were severe. Ill preparedness would have been their undoing of generations being wiped out from the face of the earth.

I compare that event to our day spiritually. I believe the next four years are a season of spiritual preparation. Now is the time to set your house in order with God; this imperative time are the mercies of God to either be squandered or safeguarded. The subsequent four years of a prosperous economy – as many are believing for – are going to be far more dangerous than the previous administration’s recklessness; these upcoming years of ease will be a trap and downfall for many.

This is a time to return unto our First Love – our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, to earnestly pursue God and His ways over and beyond our own dreams, careers and other ambitions that many have mistaken to being God’s callings, thoughts and ways. We need a baptism of longing after God Himself – forget about what’s preoccupied our minds and hearts for years; we need to be taken up with the Kingdom of God – His interests (Matthew 6:33).

“I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it had brought us to our present low estate. The stiff wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe to all spiritual growth.  Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.” – A.W. Tozer

It is always to be our aim as professing Christians to be spiritually rich over and above material prosperity – ALWAYS to be that. Longing after and wilfully pursuing God is the road to spiritual prosperity where all spiritual riches in Christ become heart-treasures, realised, encountered, our cups (our beings, souls) running over, touching the lives of others around us – where real communities are established and share in such a rich spiritual heritage. That’s New Testament Christianity. It has been witnessed before and it can be again. How serious are we?

What shall transpire after these four years of sound spiritual preparation – whatever may be, for good or bad – may we be found ready with our hearts securely established in God, acquainted with His ways, immovable, victorious – more than conquerors in all circumstances through Him Who eternally loves us.

In Whom Is Our Trust? – Part Three here