The video is here
I am amazed at the sudden changes in Ukraine. It feels like there may be no place for corruption to hide. Friends over there are proud, cautiously optimistic, and determined. Here is a translation of a face book reflection from one of our friends who is politically active.
“Looking back, we must admit that the current scenario in Ukraine would have remained only our wildest dream if on January 19th the Right Section and other radical Protestants had not gone on the offensive. They went when there was almost no chance to win. They went despite disapproval of the so-called opposition. Unfortunately, the experience of Ukraine once again proved that pacifism does not work against dictators.”
The Kingdom is being built and nations are being blessed by determined, God-fearing people who aren’t afraid to pay the price. It is a scary time for corrupt government officials to cover their tracks and find a place to hide… in Ukraine and around the world.
We have to learn to expect such victories on every front. This outlook of optimism has three simple components.
Expect God to Win – We are not headed for persecution, defeat and escape via a rapture; it’s not Biblical or practical. We’re here to stay, build the Kingdom, and bless nations so that when Jesus does return, He will be welcomed by a spotless bride. We believe in victories, not defeats. We expect them!
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor 2:9 KJV
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us… Eph 3:20 NIV
I expect to win – The next truth is that if God wins, so do His people. We are not here to cultivate losing and defeats. We are called to be more than conquerors in every mountain. That is our destiny. My belief that “God wins” has this caveat: I expect to win with Him. He is building his Kingdom through “His power that is at work with us.” That’s the whole point of Christ in us, the hope of glory. The victories are glorious!
Prepare for battle – Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of all, yet when we look around there is still poverty, corruption, enslavement, and decay all around us. That’s why we’re here – to clean it all up. It really is a huge challenge and we must be prepared for a fight. 100 people gave their lives in Kiev to insist upon remaining a free people with integrity in government. Brave people challenged a stronghold, and it fell. That’s our job around the world. The whole world is proud of Ukraine. God is also.
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor… Heb 2:8-9 NIV
Christian Pacifism – There is another lesson to be learned in conflicts like Ukraine. Many believers find it hard to balance obedience to authority with confronting corruption. Ukraine has had a great breakthrough in getting rid of a corrupt administration. Sadly, this initiative found many church leaders on the sidelines or on the wrong team. Our identity as sheep can be very misleading. The captain of our salvation is the lion of the tribe of Judah. There is a time to fight. Our first priority is to obey God, not men and not traditions. Freedom is a very spiritual and Godly and Biblical. These values are maintained at a price; courage, blood, sweat and tears. Dictators, demons and corruption do not leave at the command of sheep.
Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead — whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. Acts 5:27-33
Note – watch Harold’s video discussion of the roots of our pacifism. http://worldcastministries.com/e-books/living-and-dying-with-the-king-james-bible-e-book/
It’s easier than we thought – Many believers are locked into a day-to-day lifestyle, and their expectations are focused on the status quo. There is something new in the Kingdom. God is encouraging His people to have big dreams in their hearts, optimism in their words and determination in their actions. We are being invited to repent of our low expectations and our apathy, and take on the enemies of the Kingdom and occupy the land with our name on it.
Here is the simple reality of the Kingdom of God on this earth. When we have the right attitude coupled with the right actions, Kingdom victories can come very quickly. When we do our part, God does His, and powers and principalities have to move. We’ve been given that level of influence through what Jesus did on the cross.
God is personally interested in your well-being! Think about it – If God is for you, who can stand against you? The earth will get very uncomfortable for evil in the future… and it will feel like a great victory for God’s people in every mountain.
…may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” Ps 35:27 NIV
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:31-39 NIV
