IT'S A PERCEPTION THING

     God has a viewpoint on everything, a perspective that is different than ours. It is part of what He means when He says that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. But He is not saying or even suggesting that His thoughts and His ways cannot become our thoughts and our ways. Perhaps it is easier to assume that His ways and thoughts cannot become ours because then we think to ourselves that we are not responsible for what happens or what doesn't happen. However, God has that kind of thinking trumped by His words in Galatians 6. "God is not mocked.” He goes on to say there are consequences for intentionally sowing bad seed.

      Moving on to the topic at hand, spiritual breakout, let’s press in.

     Breakout is not a term we have heard commonly used in the Kingdom of God. Especially within the community of those who pray, a more common term is breakthrough. Breakthrough suggests that God is trying to penetrate INTO something that He is shut out of. "We expect a breakthrough in the peace negotiations at any time..." says the TV journalist (Not for the Gaza strip though, today).

     Or, “breakthrough” suggests a letting up of something that is adverse, like the weather. "We expect a break in the heat wave by the weekend..." says the weatherman.

     Or the believers pray for new vitality in the church and they talk about a breakthrough that is coming. The word breakthrough comes out more in prayer than almost anywhere else. But I think God has another perspective.

     If God is pushing for anything, I think it is a breakout. He has basically been held hostage within His own house in a lot of ways. Not the least of them is in worship, fellowship and love for the brethren. He has been studied, examined, tested, defined, and... CONFINED. But He is planning a breakout and He is rallying help. He does not NEED help, but it has always been His way to limit Himself to the agency of humanity. It has also been His way to involve sons and duaghters of God in the affairs of His family business.

     He is brooding over His house and a divine discontent for church au natural or church a la carte is percolating. Some of us are catching on and running to enlist in the rank and file militia that He is raising.

     Now lest you think that this means the church is declaring war on itself, let's back up and take a look at US history for a moment. There is an informative observation there. 

     As discontent with British oppression of the colonials grew in the 1700s, the sentiment for revolution grew. More and more of the rank and file found themselves volunteering to resist and to mount a vigorous resistance. The British turned the heat up to scare off the faint hearted, the weak, the old and young and to strike fear into the hard core rebels.

     There were some colonials who were vocal in the beginning and maybe even stepped up to be counted who subsequently withdrew, shut up and disappeared. Some of them even advocated for patience and peace and leaving well enough alone. They resisted the resistors though they were not friends of the King any more than they were friends of the devil. They were victims who had become used to the status quo.

     Others steeled themselves even more to fight and die for liberty and freedom. For many of them, their strength and resolve came from God Who forged their backbone in the fires of His righteousness. It was crucial that they keep their focus on the real enemy or they would make unnecessary enemies of their scared friends and find themselves fighting each other. Not good.

     Now pay attention here.

     The valiant rebels did not turn their attentions from the British oppressors to focus on the retiring, unwilling, scared, uncertain colonials. If anything, the internal disquiet only stoked the fires of the valiant ones because they were ALL being victimized by the oppressors from without and within. They raided the enemy camp. They would not be held in the prison of oppression. They broke out of the hold of their captors and jailers and abusers.

     God is not held captive in the church, but in the world systems that have invaded the church by the craft and subtlety of The Perpetrator, Satan. The church is victim here and God is the liberator, the Captain of the Hosts.

     He will not be caged, nor will He suffer His own to be caged by the oppressions of darkness that have shut down worship and fellowship and devoted love of the brethren.

     Understand what is going on here and if you have the heart for it, take up the call to daring praise, breaking new ground in what your personal worship life has been. Take up the call to fearless worship and brave the contrary tides that resist drawing nearer and nearer to The One who loves your soul.

     I don't know what to tell you specifically to do different than what you have been doing, but I am urging you to find out from God where fear or preference has drawn confining lines around you and make a plan to break out of that captivity. God is with you and you are surrounded by a new breed of believer that is doing the same thing. Band with them in accord and unity and draw around you the company of those who are reaching for worship and fellowship and devotion for the brethren as they exist in the heavenlies. You can be part of making heaven touch the earth.

     Be assured that God is doing His part. He is gathering the governors and leaders of His Kingdom and bringing new coordination to the Bride by way of the accord and unity they are forging together. You are not alone. We are not alone. The quest for new ground and breakout is a worthy one. Let’s pray…

     Father, strengthen my friends whom I have not met yet to rise in answer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who comes in the name of The Lord. Open the spirit of their mind to receive the knowledge of the Lord and bring understanding of Your perspective to their heart of hearts. Out of a renewed mind, make Gideons of all of us, willing to defend to the death those whom you sent home from the fight against the oppressor without holding them up to any ridicule and disdain. Strengthen us in Your love and let the breakout that You are calling for reach magnificent proportions throughout the camp of those who love you.

Towards the will of God...

Bill Word, Facilitator

Fellowship of Brothers

www.fellowshipobrothers.org

wmwordjr@yahoo.com