Cling to God

Disclosure: When God gives us warnings, fear will try to hijack the real message. But we have authority over fear. Alarms are intended to wake us up or alert us to something. In the cases below, the message is to cling to God. He is faithful. He is everlasting. He reigns above it all, and we have a home in him. I pray we hear the alarms the Holy Spirit is sounding throughout the church in this hour. I pray we ready ourselves with the armor of God, root even deeper in the Rock of Ages, and with great joy invite others into the Kingdom of God.

Here are three things I’ve sensed/seen/heard recently. Be encouraged.

ONE — In a recent dream, I believe the Lord was speaking this word: As we get closer to Jesus returning, there will be trouble across the globe, and a side effect of the trouble will hit close to home. Like a flood, it will start with a stream but will rise quickly. There is no stopping it. There is nothing we can do to help except pray, warn our neighbors, and get in the Father’s house. Do not fear. There is peace there. If we are not in the Father’s house, we will get swept up in the trouble. This is a time to invite people to Father’s house, not out of fear, but unto peace.

The short version of the dream: I woke up in the dream and looked out my window to see that an underground pipe had burst and started to flood the street in our neighborhood. I went to put my overalls on to help my Father. For a second time, I looked out the side window to see the water had become a muddy, murky river. I had trouble getting my overalls on because they were tangled up. I looked out the side window again, a third time, and water was rushing, breaking up asphalt, and flooding the neighbor’s yard. There was dark orange smoke in the distance. The yard of my Father’s house was untouched, and the house was safe. (I think there are other interpretations, insights into this dream, but this one is the major emphasis.)

I’m reminded of Noah’s Ark and Psalm 91. There is a covering provided for us in the Father through Jesus.

Let’s encourage ourselves with these verses:

• Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood….The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. Genesis 7

• Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-27

• And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Luke 10:2

• He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say[a] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. Psalm 91:1-2

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TWO — I had a vision during prayer a couple of weeks ago where I was being asked to denounce Jesus and the Word of God, or my son would lose his life. I came out of the vision ready to fight, but before I could rebuke the devil or cry out to God, I heard the Lord say, “Adrienne, it’s Me. Don’t fear.” After I caught my breath — yikes — I asked the Lord, “What are you saying? Is this going to be reality?” He replied, “This is already reality. My children are being held captive by thoughts/mindsets that go against my Word and my kingdom. If people (parents) concede to the deception for the sake of children’s happiness or in an effort to not disrupt the relationship, it won’t save their lives. It puts lives in greater danger. I Am Life.”

The truth is, we face this type of decision all of the time because of the onslaught of worldly messages and mindsets that go against God’s Word. We want our family to be happy, we want our kids to have a good life, and we want to keep the peace. But bowing to the lie, conceding to deception instead of standing firm in Jesus, is a form of denouncing the God. And it doesn’t save anything. As a matter of fact, when we come off the Word of God for any reason, more lives get put in danger, including ours.

In Genesis 25, Esau exchanged his birthright for a bowl of soup that was gone in minutes. But we have a promise of wisdom and strength, to be built on the rock, when we hear and do his Word (Matthew 7:24-27, again). We can’t exchange that promise for temporary peace. Cling to the Word of God and stand firm.The Word of God is pure, right, unshakable, and the surest thing we could ever imagine. He is worthy of our trust.

Holy Spirit, we need you. Open our eyes to see and ears to hear.

Let’s encourage ourselves with these verses:

• Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

• The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8

• And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

• We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. Psalm 78:4

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THREE — This may seem disconnected from the other two, but I don’t think it is. And I’m working on a more thorough article on grieving. Meanwhile, I hope we can hear this.

There is no difference to processing grief and loss from any other part of life. It has to be processed, and it has to be done so with the Lord first and foremost — and then with community or counselor if needed. (There is nothing wrong with needing help.)

What sets grieving apart from other traumas, in my experience, is that every possible emotion is activated and warring with each other, and they rush over us like a tsunami. That is no small thing. I’ve written before that grief is the most beastly thing I’ve ever encountered. That is why it has to be processed. It can’t be ignored or suppressed. We will self-medicate if we don’t process it. And friends, that process starts with God, our Maker. He knows us, and sheltering in him is safe, strength, peace, healing, and even joy. For some, one of the first things to work out is not being offended by God because of the loss.

Like I said, I hope to have a more complete thought in the future about grieving. For now, cling to the Lord. I heard a pastor say recently that it is better to shut in with God (get alone with God) for a couple of days and work through offense, pain, etc. than to drag it out for years. At least get with God until something shifts and hewing can begin. That may sound impractical, insensitive even, but I also believe/know it’s a solid strategy that benefits every area of life.

• The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

• But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God. Psalm 73:17

• Jesus is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
• I am the God who heals you. Exodus 15:26

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