Springtime
1 Kings 20:22
The prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him,
"Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and determine what you should do,
for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you."
Everything has changed – All of our systems
Health
Employment
Finance
Education
Politics
Sociology
Communications
Entertainment
Athletics
I don’t believe that we will go back to what we call “Normal”
The kingdom of God has not been shaken – Heb 12:26-28 NCV
God is not in shock – like we are
He is not dumbfounded – not knowing what to do
He has not had to alter His plans
Jer 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
God’s plans for us have not changed
There’s a question every believer should be asking, which should not have changed
How do I fulfill the purposes and plans of God, even in this time?
Gen 26:1. There was a famine in the land
12. Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold;
and the Lord blessed him.
God still wants to bless you even in this famine
This is the famine that we see in our land:
· Empty grocery store shelves, people in face masks staying away from each other
· People losing jobs
· Uncertainty – no end to the problem
· Fear – an idea that the worse will happen
Isaac sowed in the land that same year and reaped 100-fold
If we focus on the land I will be afraid to do anything
I’m concerned that fear will cause us to miss in the Springtime
Some things you must do in certain seasons to get results
What are you going to do when you come out of this & the world has changed?
Prov 22:13
The sluggard claims, "There's a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!"
Some actions are ESSENTIAL
Problem: Too many of you were afraid before you ever heard of COVID-19
Now, You laid down those fears & picked up a fear of getting Corona virus
When the fear of COVID-19 is over, you’ll pick up those old fears
The Lord calls us to function from faith
Soldiers train away from the battlefield
What were you doing in peace-time, when God was trying to build your faith?
Our faith has to be active in this time
Not talking about Faith against the Corona virus
Faith is not getting God to do what we want – it’s us doing what God wants
This is a critical Springtime for believers
We’ve been so busy listening to the land, that we haven’t been listening to God
You’ve been quoting “God has not given me the spirit of fear…”
That’s not listening to God, that’s talking to yourself
Isaac listened to God, not the land
Sowed & got results
Time for us to look up and tune in
Don’t make spiritual decisions based on the world’s indicators
· Stop listening to the land
· Stop listening to the circumstances
· Stop listening to your fears
Faith & Obedience cannot be determined by circumstances – “famine in the land”
We don’t know what the world will look like on the other side of this
Instead of just waiting on your check from the government
You need to be giving God something to work with
I’m not talking about money – what’s the one thing you have more of these days?
Time
You need to be working on the things that have been in your heart
That you’ve been putting off
Don’t want us to miss this Springtime – it will affect future seasons
The enemy attacks in the Spring to mess with your future
God gave them a strategy
We have a future on the other side of this
It will be determined by the decisions we make in this “Spring-Time”
God wants to bless you in this famine
God wants to direct you in this famine
Hebrews 10:36
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Gal 6:9
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
In terms of Seasons – it’s Harvest Time
In terms of Battles – it’s Spoils