Remembering, Zeal and Recovery

Between the words to key segments of the Church given to John the Revelator and the answer given to Daniel’s humble request to understand, are insights revealing a profound glimpse into the times now upon us. For each, there was a need, a reality to be faced. In doing so, came a path of recovery, based on the fortitude, the zeal required to clean up defiled thinking by remembering key aspects of former days. 

Over the centuries the pattern with God’s people has been repeated again and again. Having yielded to the subtle enticements of the world’s standard, they have found themselves progressively separated from God’s protection. Then with the recognition of being in bondage to the world’s entrapments, there has come humility, a crying out to God, as deliverance has been actuated. With repentance and deliverance has come God’s peace and blessing. However, with the distancing of the generations has again come the waning of the zeal for God’s standard so needed for not just the recovery, but for its maintenance.

This dynamic bears on the core of the instruction accompanying both the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants: of the importance of proactively remembering the testimonies and standards, from one generation to another.
“God established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, to arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God.” Ps 78:5-7

As the world and within it, the remnant of God’s people, now face unprecedented times it has become imperative to give priority to looking beyond the thresholds that constrain us. It is vital to remember the glory-days along with their accompanying standards, to recover the unencumbered focus and zeal needed for the role of God’s people in advancing this process of restoration across the generations. Sometimes this simplicity can be misconstrued as perfunctory religion, despite within the simplicity being the power over evil’s consistent intent for the destruction of those who are the carriers and reflectors of God’s DNA.

Recovery and Seasons of Higher Dimensions
So, understanding the times in previous generations of God’s people offers key insights for the season we have now entered. Whether in John’s, Daniel’s or Jesus’ day, one of the most pervasive challenges has come from religious spirits. Religious spirits mask the higher dimensions of spiritual realities, undermining God’s perfect will with activities of far lesser importance. In essence, they seduce believers into majoring in minor issues, while either minoring or even completely missing the vital, strategic ones.

Jesus provides a clue, a basic truth to avoid the snares of religious spirits which mask and trigger the loss of the true standard. It embodies a major difference in thinking and identity held by those who truly know God. It is a clue from the framework from when Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders. He said (John 8:54): “If I glorify or try to bring honor to myself, it will mean nothing. It will be my Father who glorifies me.”

Jesus had no need to defend Himself. His identity was irrefutable. It was hidden in His Father. Access to His authority and power and subsequently to the power available to us, His followers, requires maintaining that identity in Him. It is trusting that our defense is really the domain of the Father. Jesus’ comment about the Father being the giver of Jesus’ glory is within the context of His words in John 5:44: “How can you believe, since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from God?” This truth points to the seductive, erosion of power that comes from the need for the approval of men rather than God.

Jesus again unveiled the importance of this perspective in His high priestly prayer: “The glory You’ve given Me, I’ve given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.” (John 17:22) It is the community-maturity that Paul wrote the Ephesians about that actuates unity.

The Dynamic and Maintenance of the Assignment
So it was with Daniel and with John. Their identity within both the household of faith and with unbelievers was undeniable. Each operated in the reality of God’s realm, the spiritual. It is the spirit-realm that controls the natural. Jesus spent three years grooming His inner circle to operate on this premise. Doing so became what defined who they were and their post-resurrection assignments.

Yet, even within the same generation of those whose mantles were described by the world as “those who are turning the world upside down,” there came a weakening of the standard that had once so uniquely defined them and set their assignments in motion.

For the believers of His day, John the Revelator offered the course corrections needed to be overcomers in the toxic, occult-dominated world around them. The insights into the future revealed to Daniel gave glimpse into a world even more turbulent than that in which the people of God in his or for that matter, in John’s day, had lived. Despite the noxious, spiritual atmosphere in which he lived, Daniel responded to his role as God’s ambassador, with such prophetic wisdom to the spiritual framework of Nebuchadnezzar’s reality that this erratic, egotistic king was able to see and embrace the reality of God.

Both John and Daniel each uniquely understood the province of need that those they were addressing had to adjusting their thinking and response to the reality around them. It is the critical requirement of staying alert to the priority of avoiding the subtlety of religious spirits and the maintenance of their assignment.

The Balance for the Power Required
Daniel referred to and drew heavily from the words of Jeremiah. These words provided keen insight into the balance of serving God when the engrained context involves occult, religious spirits. (Jer 51:20, 23, 24): “I am Your battle-axe and weapon of war: for with me You will break the nation in pieces; with me You will destroy kingdoms and strongholds; and with me You will break in pieces governors and rulers.  And You, O God, will repay Babylon and Chaldea.” The spiritual controls the natural.

Whether with Daniel, Moses’ leadership or in Jesus’ corrections given through John to key communities of the early Church, there has always been a balance between the standard required for the assignment and what adhering to the standard would trigger in terms of God’s intervention … with the authority and power in which they themselves operated.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying to me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.’” Ex 14:15-16  

To the community of believers in Ephesus, the resurrected Jesus noted their positive efforts, while simultaneously stating it was not enough. He then admonished them to remember the place from which they had fallen and to adjust their thinking in order to recover the zeal they had once had. It is a word for ones who become too comfortable and complacent with their assignment.

With the believers at Sardis was the same admonition to remember. In this case, that remembrance was to recover how they had both heard and received, and then acted in carrying out their assignment from the Lord. It was a word that spoke to the need for diligence and watchfulness in holding fast to their thinking and with that, their doing. Implied in each of these cases was again the seemingly impossible reality faced by Moses when the Egyptians were fast approaching his rear guard while before him lay the Red Sea: “Why are you crying out to me? Lift up your hand over the sea and divide it!”

The Season and the Changes
We have entered a time, a season unprecedented for this generation. There has come a globalization and interconnectedness to the Church. With it is a growing awareness of the significance of the timetable tied to God’s initiatives and the converging parallel between developments in the Church and Israel. The prophet Hosea saw a time coming, in the latter days, when Israel would turn with great zeal to the Lord. It would follow an extended time marked by them, as a people, following a path largely without Him.

The Convergence of Israel and the Church. We live in a generation in which the Church is becoming uniquely aware of its Jewish foundations and God’s priority with the restoration of Israel; while Israel is progressively recognizing its identity, purpose and destiny in God. In the words of Hosea: “Afterward the Bnei-Yisrael, the children of Israel, will seek the Lord their God and David their King. So shall they come in the fear of the Lord to His goodness in the latter days.”

The process underway, this parallel course, this convergence of Israel and the Church can be strikingly seen in the year 1948 when against all odds, Israel again became a nation. In that same year, the church experienced the start of more than 250 healing ministries with droves being drawn to the Lord, as the supernatural again began being recognized as a normal part of God’s nature. Then in another milestone year, 1967, with many prophetic overtones, for the first time in many centuries Israel regained control of Jerusalem, the city of David. That same year marked the beginning of two significant movements in the Church: the Charismatic Renewal and the Messianic Jewish Revival, as God began restoring the Jewish roots of the faith and the vibrancy of prayer to everyday people in the Church.

Again, each of these highlights represents the process of convergence underway for this parallel purpose and identity tied to what God has long been preparing for the latter days in bringing together Israel and the Church. As Paul wrote the Romans: “Now if their rejection brings reconciliation to the world, what then will their acceptance be, but life from the dead?” Before us, in this season, is still another, and perhaps even greater iteration of these dramatic convergences being orchestrated from on High.

The Path of the Remnant. The path and role of the remnant can be better understood prophetically, by looking at the reality faced by Israel during the days of Hezekiah when the Assyrians had come to conquer the city. King Hezekiah described the situation by saying: “The children have come to birth with no strength to bring them forth. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” With those words, he sent for the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah then, despite the dire appearances, spoke these words from the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words you heard blaspheming Me. I will send a spirit upon them. They will hear a rumor and return to their own land and will fall by the sword.” Isa 37:3-7.

Over the course of the history of God’s people, God has intervened dramatically with His supernatural power at critical junctures as stalwart remnants of his people, against all odds, have faced the realities posed by the dark forces of the world, paving the way for those who would follow, by standing fast in faith. Then again, the word of the Lord to Hezekiah: “The remnant of the house of Judah who have escaped shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” Isaiah 37:31-32

Within both Israel and the Church is a remnant of forerunners for this season. These are those who are paving a parallel converging course with overflows, both unexpected and remarkable.
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’” Zech 8:6 “The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.” Zeph 3:13

A Shift of Power and Unity. This convergence of Israel and the Church, together with this remnant-led pathway is triggering a Godly-initiated shift of power and unity: a Divinely-orchestrated mobilization-thing. This shift of power will manifest spiritually, economically and across cultural barriers. It will be immune to the infiltrations and dark parameters being revealed that heretofore were hidden in the world’s system, intent on the destruction of those who bear God’s DNA and identity.

Not to be confused with what some within pop-Christian culture have tagged as the wealth transfer, this shift will be much more and will take place from within some of the most unlikely settings, involving some of the most unlikely of God’s peoples. Its efforts will have unique ties to the restoration of Israel and to the growing unity of those recognizing the God-initiated alternate systems and alliances of those intently focused on this process of restoration.

Favor from Unexpected Places and Positions. While many have been expecting and indeed will see the favor and key roles to be played by modern-day Pharaohs, Cyruses and Nebuchadnezzars, there will be those from within the ranks of even the persecutors serving God’s purposes; not unlike that of the respected member of the council, the Pharisee named Gamaliel, who spoke against persecuting the leaders of the believers in Acts 5:39 with the words: “Let them alone. For if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” 

The expectation is that during difficult times that God will always provide safe havens and respite from unexpected places and persons. 

The Amassing of Spontaneous Prayer. At the core of these changes will be the spontaneity and amassing of simple, interactive gatherings for prayer. At their core will be the humility and hunger of God’s people for more of Him. These are participatory times of prayer in which there are no spectators, with the spiritual gifts in strong operation. From gatherings in homes to those that take place across continents via video calls, there is a momentum underway. It is another reflection of the convergence of the Church and Israel with the restoration of the caliber of small group minyans, the foundational basis of Jewish community; and the Early-Church home-group based prayer that actuated the angelic intervention that freed Peter from prison (Acts 12:7-10).

In a world, now interconnected across national and continental boundary-lines is coming the restoration of the prayer-authority that dispersed the Syrians during the days of Hezekiah. It incorporates the type of anticipatory prayers reflected in Rev 12:14 when the woman was given the means of escape from the enemy’s intent and was taken to a place of safety, provision and nourishment in what scripture describes as “her place” in the wilderness.

It is the amassing and spontaneity of prayer that represents a pathway for the supernatural and the sensitivity to the Spirit that anticipates with action the steps needed for the restoration and recovery that will so mark this season.

Amassing of Zeal to Penetrate the Barrier
Genuine Kingdom assignments in this season are not for pew-sitters or the faint-of-heart. In remembering, what is being triggered for us is a time of a great mobilization of out-of-the-box purposes and assignments. These are Kingdom assignments for those willing to operate as being doers of the word in making the necessary adjustments in both the natural and spiritual realms to be able to face the realities of the darkness being revealed within the world’s infrastructures.

These assignments are what accompany the Kingdom pathway, which Jesus warned would be hard and difficult. Maintaining the zeal to face the realities and stretch out our hands over the sea to divide it, to do what is needed to stay the course of this pathway involves a place beyond our human capabilities.

At the heart of the revelation received from John’s sojourn on Patmos, the reality of the path is that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. These two key dimensions actuate the spiritual realm: first, the blood of the Lamb as the community matures, in together, depending on what God alone can do, as in the words of Jeremiah: “And I [the Lord] will repay Babylon and Chaldea.”

Yet with that is the trigger to that divine authority; that place in Him with the access to the supernatural: the word of our testimony, the importance of remembering as the basis of the faith for the actions to be taken.
“For with me You break the nation in pieces; with me You destroy kingdoms and strongholds; and with me You break in pieces governors and rulers.”

Recovery with the spiritual power needed to face the realities of this season begins with the zeal that readjusts the thinking, as the barrier is penetrated by voicing our remembrances of both what He has done, and the word of our testimony of what He has done through us.

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Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and voice for the higher dimensions of spiritual game-changers and intercessors since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God’s Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program and the Jewish Business Secrets YouTube series, Mr. Ruddick equips economic community builders with strategy where God’s light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.

He is author of “The Joseph-Daniel Calling;” “Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;” “The Heart of a King;” “Something More;” “Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;” “Leadership by Anointing;” and “Mantle of Fire,” which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.

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