The Bible says that God desires for his followers to demonstrate a tenacious faith, a faith that will not let go.  He requires from us a faith that is manifested by swift decisive actions. Today’s serious issues are such that it is definitely no time to be on spiritual cruise control.  Those who choose to cruise will hydroplane on the slippery wet road that has been drenched by the cares of this world, the deceit of riches, and the lack of perseverance.  As the cruising Christians spin out of control on the slick slippery surface, the enemy cleverly robs them of their solid bountiful inheritance.  I truly believe God spoke to my spirit that He is calling for His Body to purposely manifest acceleration and get on down the road to His destination.  It is time to accelerate our drive forward with a God ordained purpose and stop wasting time looking out the windows as we simply cruise along.   Time that should be spent accelerating growth in the Body of Christ wastes away while multitudes in the Body of Christ remain lifelong spiritual babies.  The Apostle Paul says, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:1)   No natural caring parent desires for their child to stay a baby, but rather aims for the child to grow, produce and succeed.  Just like any caring parent, so much the more so, God yearns for his children to grow.  We need to be concerned with where we are at on God’s spiritual growth chart.  Oswald Chambers said, “Measure your growth by your sensitiveness to sin.”  Children are not sent out to war, nor would they be of much value in the fight. God’s army needs mature battle hardened Christians. We each have a responsibility to equip ourselves as well as to train and help to mature the baby Christians around us.  We who belong to God are not vacationing on a Cruise Ship, but rather we are actively serving on a Military Battle Ship commandeered by our Savior to fight in the colossal war between good and evil. There are opposing forces that hate us and are determined to sink us in our fight to advance God’s Kingdom’s lines.  If we are not advancing God’s Kingdom, our life is meaningless.

When Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, He made it clear that possessing the Kingdom is not easy. Taking the Kingdom requires running, pressing, and even violence.  “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt.11:12).  Some argue that Jesus is not talking about the necessity of taking the Kingdom by violent effort, but that in the hour when the Kingdom was announced many carnal people sought by the violence of carnal effort to seize the Kingdom for their own ends.  Matthew writes that since the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Luke records that since John the Baptist, the Kingdom is preached and men press into it. (Luke 16:16)  The back drop to the Gospels is the conquest of Canaan, the Old Testament expression of our possessing our inheritance in Christ. When Israel went in to possess their inheritance, Canaan suffered violence. The descriptions of the actions of the Israelites in the Old Testament combine with the New Testament Gospel writers’ use of the words suffers, violent, violence, and force, to depict God’s definition of an active accelerating faith that manifests itself in vital energy and the active forcing or crowding of oneself into something.  God’s People did not operate on cruise control when they pressed their way into the Promised Land and violently took it by force. 

Throughout this month the headlines are screaming that our nation is at a crossroads.  As we are facing a Presidential election, we as Christians must face the Bible’s mandates that we are to actively exercise our faith.  We have allowed the erosion of our values and beliefs because we ignorantly or lazily refuse to act, completely disregarding the ongoing Spiritual war.  In these serious times, God’s People have the choice once again of whether to take a stand, or continue to sit idle as our values and freedoms pass away.  As we read, listen, and observe the news, each of us at Shiloh steadfastly pray for God’s man to emerge and ascend into office.  As believers, we hang on each word the candidates speak during the televised debates.  We are asking God for clear guidance in this crucial year. God’s People must not be ignorant, idle, immature, impious, impotent, or impulsive. The people of God must exercise spiritual alertness and must pray with fervency. We are in a Holy War at home and abroad. We cannot afford for our Nation’s leader to be spiritually deaf and unable to discern.  Our Commander in Chief must be a man that fears God and receives his revelation only from Heaven. 

Rocky and I experience warfare in a very tangible way as we battle each day for the souls of the men we are entrusted to work with here at Shiloh.  What we deal with here, although sometimes on a magnified scale because of the substance abuse issues, gives us a stark vivid daily picture of the very real Spiritual War that rages in each of our flesh and our spirit.  It is time for the Body of Christ to grow up and to do so at an accelerated rate.  I realize that all growth is a process. I also know by The Spirit that God can cause us to miracle grow if we will but cooperate. By Miracle Grow, I mean that it will take a Divine intervention by God for us to accelerate in growth, (to speed up in the growth process.) God is looking for people who are willing and who will get dog eared determined to do whatever it takes to place their spiritual foot on the pedal in forced, God centered, and God directed acceleration.  It is later than we think.  It is urgent for the manifestation of acceleration to happen among God’s people.

Debbie Fondren