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THE LAND BENEATH OUR FEET
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Posted by: Elijah
THE LAND BENEATH OUR FEET
July 28, 2000
Pastor Francis Frangipane
www.inchristsimage*****
email: RiverofLifeMailer*InChristsImage*****
As a speaker in citywide and regional prayer conferences, I am often
asked to unmask the "spiritual power" opposing the body of Christ in
the conference region. City leaders and intercessors have even asked
if I knew the "name" of the principle spirit that is resisting the
church in their area.
"Do you want to know the name of the most powerful spirit opposing
most Christians?" I ask. Eager faces respond affirmatively.
"It's Yahweh."
My questioners, who suddenly look like a tree full of owls, are always
bewildered by my answer. They are sure I misunderstood their
question. Then, I explain. I remind them that, according to the
Scriptures, God "is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the
humble" (Jas 4:6). So, if we are divided in our hearts from other
churches, if we instinctively look down on other Christians or if we
are at all self-promoting in attitude, we are walking in pride. As
such, the Spirit that stands to resist our endeavors is not demonic;
it's God.
PRIDE IS NOT EXCUSED
The Lord will not excuse our pride just because we sing three hymns on
Sunday and consider ourselves "saved." God resisted Lucifer's pride
in heaven and He will oppose our pride on earth. What is most sad, is
religious pride has been so homogenized into our Christian experience
that we don't even perceive it as being wrong. Yet it is without
doubt the most offensive sin manifested in the church.
The Lord does not want the lost added to churches where they must
assimilate the poison of pride at the same table as salvation.
THE ONE WHO SEEKS AND JUDGES
Jesus said of Himself, "I do not seek My glory. . ." Yet, how many
of our actions are expended doing the exact opposite of the nature of
Christ! Our choice of clothes and cars, homes and roles in life so
often have self-exaltation working in the background. Jesus
continued, "there is One who seeks and judges" (Jn 8:50). Listen
carefully to His words, for every time we seek to exalt ourselves we
run face to face with God. One dimension of the Father's heart is
that He "seeks [glory] and judges" those who, through pride, exalt
themselves. Indeed, my friends, consider with godly fear our American
tradition of self-promotion. Though it is highly esteemed among men,
it is actually "detestable in the sight of God" (Lk 16:15).
The Old Testament is replete with examples documenting the Almighty's
opposition to man's pride. Time after time it was not Israel's
enemies that thwarted national prosperity, it was God. From
generation to generation, the Lord allowed Israel's adversaries to
humble His people, to drive them toward desperation, humility and
finally repentance. There, in brokenness and honesty, God could deal
with their sins and finally lead them into national revival.
I WOULD QUICKLY SUBDUE THEIR ENEMIES
Listen how the Lord pleaded with Israel: "Oh, that My people would
listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would quickly
subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries"
(Psalms 81:13-14).
So also with us. We need the might of God to be unleashed against our
foes. For truly, terrible powers of darkness have invaded our land
and our adversary stalks our streets seeking whom he may devour. Our
hope, however, is not merely in confronting the enemy, but in allowing
God to confront us. Our victory over the enemy is directly attached
to our full surrender to God.
If we truly learned of Him, we too would be "meek and lowly of heart"
(Matt 11:29). And God, who gives grace to the humble, would rescue us
from the spiritual enemies of our nation.
HEAL OUR LAND
The promise of the Lord is familiar. He says, "If My people who are
called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (II Chron7:14). You say,
"But I'm humbling myself and praying." Yes, but our humility to God is
not complete until we learn to humble ourselves to one another.
The fact is, because of pride, we have yet to accept what the Lord
means in His words, "If My people." We still interpret His phrase "My
people" to mean "our people"--our limited circle of friends, relatives
and Christians whose culture or style of worship is, more or less,
like our own.
THE LORD'S PEOPLE
However, when the Lord thinks of His people, He sees a more expansive
group. He includes all who have been born again in a city. All of us
who "are called by [His] name," though we are diverse in gifts and
assignments, must find unity of spirit before Him. And this begins
with an amazing strategy: we must humble ourselves.
I know this goes against the grain of our historic church
relationships.
Satan has not only divided us from others, he has made us proud that
we are separate. We think being separate is a virtue. But consider:
only one group of people consistently found the Lord confronting and
resisting them in the New Testament: the Pharisees. Literally
translated, the word "Pharisee" meant "the separate." Of all the
religious groups in the first century, it is the pride of the
Pharisees that, today, the church most resembles.
BENEATH THE FEET OF THE HUMBLE
We pray, Lord, "heal our land." But the land He intends to heal first
is that which exists beneath the feet of the humble. It is the world
of the praying meek, who find the transforming power of God as their
companion.
The Lord's remedy for our society is hidden within the
life-relationships of Christians. We are always so mindful of what
others have done wrong to us, but where have we failed others? What
can we do to heal the land that exists between us and those whom we
have hurt?
ASKING FORGIVENESS FROM AFRICAN AMERICANS AND NATIVE AMERICANS
You see, as we become those who "humble themselves and pray" about
what we have done wrong, healing from God begins to flow. When white
Christians humble themselves and ask for forgiveness from African and
Native Americans, God begins to heal the land under their feet.
If God resists the proud, remember also, He gives grace to the humble.
Grace is more than being covered; it is being cleansed and changed by
the power of God. Grace is God's transforming power doing in us what
we cannot do for ourselves.
When we pray, "heal our land," it is the land beneath the feet of the
humble that God promises to touch and restore to blessedness.
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