Responding to the Season Change

When the season changes, targeting and responding to reality represents a greater challenge. Discerning what’s real; and doing so at the highest levels. It then is maintaining the standard, that is higher still. The lure is in underestimating and ignoring the change, its implications … and subtle connections to both encroaching darkness and opportunity.

It extends far beyond self, power or depravity although each has their tripping points. Being targeted as a standard bearer doesn’t make it any easier. Yet, with an identity of being made in His image, as reflectors of His radiance carries the responsibility of being alert, of reaching higher … and getting it right, especially in the view of the dark claims and perversions of truth amassing and influencing those whose eyes have not yet seen these realities.

There has not been a time, since the late 1930s, when the change and such false narratives have been on such a grand-scale; and with the subtleties, has been more complex and intense. And it is accelerating.

Having returned from an assignment in Israel, it has been in recognizing that the challenge lies in recognizing and responding to the shifts and unexpecteds. More of the same harder represents a snare. Understanding the times is one thing, processing the quantum, accelerating change and emerging narratives is another. We’re facing the basis for strategies that shape nations, economies and seasons. Yet, there is nothing new under the sun.

The prophets of old caught the glimmers and were distinguished by their grasp and response to the dynamics and shifts in the seasons, by sharply discerning and yielding to the heart of God …. employing the right filters to discern the big picture needed to understand the strategy the Lord was unfolding in anticipation for the impeding season.

The glimmers and strategies that resulted …. pushed many of those, whose words are still pregnant with expectation and authority, beyond themselves. These were those who understood the times on a level that made them game-changers.

Discerning the Filters
For those serious about their identities in God, the response to change first must accurately discern the filters. The filters that influence and impact the change. In today’s world we have a choice of the filters we are exposed to. While it has always required fervent discernment, for the people of God, more than in any previous time, the framework must begin with consistent and serious exposure to Spirit and Truth, from the Word of God.

Alarmingly, the alternative filters have not only become anti-Biblical, but have the seeds of being a higher morality contrary to the foundations of sound values and the infrastructures upholding civilized society. A steady diet of mainstream media leans toward subtle precepts in line with destruction and anarchy. During the rise of Nazi Germany, Hitler took complete control of the communication systems, resulting in only the most fervent and discerning getting a realistic grasp of reality and truth. His inner-circle strategy, labeled the Big Lie, was based on the presentation of issues so preposterous that people would tend to believe.

Another very key filter to this grasp of reality is reaching for a clear understanding of God’s heart; God’s priorities and how He thinks. This is why exposure to God’s Word is vital. It cannot be abbreviated or reduced to a selected slice of dogma. God’s perspective is outside the realm of time. As the prophet Isaiah observes, His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. His is a big-picture, big-picture perspective.

When Jesus, with His identity hidden, appeared to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24), they were confused over the crucifixion, as were most other of His followers. They grappled with Jesus’ death being the conclusion of the movement they had become a part of. Yet, in the short journey on that Road, Jesus was able to explain from Scripture and the prophets of old the big-picture perspective of the reality of what had been in process. As it has been unfolding in this hour, it was only the beginning.

Mysteries, Covenants, Judgment and Restoration
In the history of God and His people, the consistent big-picture filters unfolding over time …. have included four key driving factors: Mysteries, Covenants, Judgment and Restoration.

The mysteries tap the fact that reality must be interpreted from the stance that God’s ways and priorities are higher than ours, beyond our grasp …. until God chooses to connect the dots. With no “second-guessing” allowed.

Likewise, our grasp of covenant as a filter defines …. again over time …. God’s response in terms of His relationship with those who have transcended the natural realm to be transformed by His Presence. God’s covenants have matured over time and extend from Abraham to Moses to David to Jesus.

It explains the expectation God has for both individuals, but more importantly for the community of faith, those whose identities are in Him. The book of Hebrews offers a glimmer of that underlying expectation describing Jesus as being the exact radiance of God’s glory. Being made in His image, means we were designed to be reflectors of His Presence, which is somewhat captured in our grasp of the anointing.

Probably the factor believers tend to be most short-sighted on is that of judgment. Judgment is the correction to align the mystery of covenant to have its full purpose, which Paul noted to the Corinthians indicates that we will one day emerge to judge angels. Jesus stated: “For judgment I have come into the world, that those who do not see may see and those who see may be made blind.” John 9:39

God being righteous and His people being reflectors of His nature; this process over time …. extends to include the judgment of wickedness. Wickedness goes beyond sin and evil-doing.

It is the entrenched rebellion against God that has been manifesting since the time in Genesis 6 of the Nephilim. Wickedness is the outcome from the perverse efforts of the fallen angels to override God’s intention for the pinnacle of His creation in integrating their nature with human nature. Wickedness is what results when sin and evil-doing go unchecked.

Wickedness is the age-old divine conflict, the source of anti-Semitism and the expulsions and holocausts against God’s people that have manifested over the course of history. Before there can be complete restoration, there will be the judgment of the wicked.

Pop-culture’s spin on segments of Scripture describing the birth-pangs of season-changes, such as in Matthew 24, has resulted in abbreviated views …. such that the judgment of wickedness is to be a dire time of bare survival experienced by God’s elect. Yet, Malachi projects such times as being when God will distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

While the study of end-times is highly controversial, accurately unfolding the mysteries should be approached with caution and humility …. requiring a bedrock cost to know the Lord and His ways, realizing our inability to get more than a progressive unfolding of the glimmers of these higher ways. Isaiah, who was not hesitant in describing that even when encroaching darkness comes, that the light of God’s people will shine even brighter ….. resulting in them “going out in joy and being led forth in peace.” Isa 55

Do Not Despise Small Beginnings
So, we’re talking about the filters needed for God’s people to get an accurate glimpse of reality, of the unfolding events around them. Aside from a balanced foundation of God’s ways and priorities through Spirit and Truth, grasping reality involves what has come to be described as the Issachar context: an understanding of the times, to know what to do.

As a young believer, one of my two very spiritually-seasoned mentors gave me wisdom on this factor of responding to reality. He explained that if we can get the door opened sufficiently …. through the veil separating the natural and spiritual worlds …. to get a glimpse, it will be enough. It underscores the importance of what may seem as small-things, in the glimmers we get from on-High. Throughout the history of God’s people, more often than not, it has been the simple things that have confounded the wise.

There is enough of a glimpse of understanding the times and the chaos and anarchy now happening on a global scale against God’s people to conclude that Israel and the Jewish people are the pivot points in terms of God’s priorities. It bears on those whose identities are in God, taking a stand against the forces of anti-Semitism.

Very close to this priority of His heart is that of the plight of persecuted believers.

Aligned with these realities is the importance of the unfolding strategy that is mobilizing the marketplace, impacting the emerging economic structures and opportunity. It is the assignments of those prepared as modern-day Josephs and Daniels.

Within context, these priorities each bear on the restoration underway and the shift from the influence of spiritual institutions into movements.

The Response to Change and a War-Time Mind-Set
A realistic grasp of the quantum change now underway should trigger the need to embrace a war-time mind-set.

We know from the Centurion Jesus met, that this doesn’t mean belligerence, but rather the identity, authority and planning mind-set of a warrior-leader with the faith that accounts for being a game-changer.

A war-time mind-set results in an alertness and foresight to the signs and a constant preparedness and readiness. That includes understanding the realities of the spiritual atmosphere ….. which can make you a target … as the gloves have been taken off by the practitioners of wickedness.

During my recent visit to Israel I went to the Gaza border, to the site of the October 7, 2023 massacre. The reality of the loss, the rise in the global anti-Semitic response and the looming threat have caused a shift spiritually across the Jewish population. Soldiers carry Bibles and are reading them. Many are asking spiritual questions.

The October 7th Massacre was pure wickedness, reflecting a death cult whose practitioners delighted in the merciless torture and slaughter of innocent, unarmed women, children and elderly, as well as all others …. going from one bordering kibbutz to another, hunting down unsuspecting, innocent victims …. with gleeful Gazan civilians following the murderers to ravage the possessions of the victims.

The utter travesty of the October 7th event is only superseded by the world’s response; shaped and activated by propaganda whose source could only have been the pit of hell. Distortions of reality which side with victimizers over victims, attackers over defenders …. promoting lies over truth. All of which is requiring a reality check and mobilized responses on many levels.

The call for a reality check for those with eyes to see and ears to hear is not an option. It bears a foundation that recognizes that this day was planned and took place without repentance or remorse …. or with any hesitation in doing it again. The age-old theme is the destruction of God’s covenant people.

It is a theme that has happened against God’s people in other parts of the world, that propaganda wars exploiting the information systems …. have ignored or convinced far too many among the righteous to simply sweep under the rug in response. Shall we call that response as it is: without judging the wicked, it ignores responsibility. Of course, the justification is in the “name” of peace.

There’s nothing new under the sun. During the advance of Hitler’s unprovoked conquests, there was the “appeasement crowd” …. voices of the elite and people of influence, one’s whose response to the realities was shaped by the trapping of not being directly impacted …. and wanting to keep it that way. Indeed, nothing new under the sun.

Responding to Underlying Strategies
The rampant secularization of values and morality is Replacement Theology in its highest form. It begs the issue of the vital nature of the spiritual response of God’s people.

The level at which wickedness and secularization operate is a strategic alliance …. between Babylon and Chaldea …. that gives power to both the link between them and the process that results.

On the other hand, scripture has examples of righteous alliances, that despite differences had common ground and faith in their foundations. The Gibeonites are one example. Jesus indeed stated that (Mark 9:40 and Luke 9:50) “he who is not against us is for us.” Such has been the case with the voices emerging in the movements based on shared values. We need to embrace and capitalize on the potential of such strategic alliances.

The need is to not be silent. The need is in exposing the reality of the hidden undercurrents of anarchy, hate and death …. that have Israel, the Jews, but also Christians and Western Civilization in its cross-hairs. The parallel of when Jesus labeled the Pharisees as being blind guides is startling …. ones with the influence who should have been voices, but who were seduced by the trappings and comforts of prominence and power …. coddling up to and cooperating with the aggressors …. actually becoming a part of the threat to their way of life.

So when the season changes, as Jesus described in Matthew 24, the role of the righteous is in supporting and upholding what God is birthing …. while not being silent concerning the realities that call black white and white black …. of recognizing the potential of being reflectors of His Presence …. and of the sensitivity and resolve in tangibly standing in prayer against the darkness.

Taking a Stand Against Wickedness
So, judging wickedness and the voices of wickedness is not optional. It is vital in the process of the push-back gleaned by John on Patmos. Not to be approached recklessly, it requires honor and maturity in its execution. That means consistent consecration. It also needs to be unified. Wickedness is entrenched and cruel. It incorporates a fierce stand against the Lord and His people. It is consistently evidenced with manifestations of hate, anarchy and chaos. It tears down rather than building. It is a cult that draws its power from death. It operates far beyond that sin and evil-doing. God loves the sinner but judges the wicked.

So it is that honor must be employed in the execution of judgment. Honor is a higher standard that when demonstrated is typically beyond self. It is a response of esteem, respect and reverence for God and others, especially brethren and the personal and societal standards that are bedrock to faith and community. It is the converse of the spirit of wickedness.

Honor is the overflow when virtues such as love, humility and faith are in evidence. Despite the level of evil-doing that Saul digressed into, when given the opportunity to put a stop in his attempts to kill David, David responded with honor, refusing to touch God’s anointed. It bears a fine-line distinction in the conflict between darkness and Light, but an important one tied to being instruments of God’s purpose, reflectors of His radiance and nature.

Jesus was astounded at the Centurion’s grasp of the dynamics of faith. This was a man whose combat experience and leadership gave him an intimate grasp of the realities between Life and death …. yet who extended honor to both his ailing servant and to Jesus in his request for Jesus’ authority that he recognized would heal his servant.

Judging wickedness begins with mobilized intercession. Jesus sent His disciples out two by two …. with the authority commensurate with the assignment. There is exponential authority where two or more are gathered in His Name.

God activated Jeremiah’s authority to confront the wickedness of that hour with: “You are My battle axe and weapon of war. Through you I will break nations in pieces. Through you I will destroy kingdoms and strongholds.” (Jer 51:20) Yet, with Jeremiah’s mantle made clear, the Lord revealed His parallel judgment: “And I will repay Babylon and Chaldea.” (v 24). Employing God’s authority begins and ends with embracing the Holy Spirit’s Presence.

Knowing what to do taps a right response to the spiritual atmosphere. In longing for God’s intervention, like the mandate to Jeremiah, it follows a role that begins with the righteous.

David, knowing the difference between judging the wicked and touching God’s anointed, was not hesitant in employing his part of the process in both crying out to the Lord and in battle. As it was with David and the great cloud of witnesses describing our predecessors, so it will be with our steps of completion.

Let us join with David as he cried out to the Lord (Ps 83:1-5; 13-18) “Oh God, do not remain silent and do not be still. For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people and conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, ‘Come and let us wipe them out, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.’ For they have conspired together with one mind; against You they make a covenant. Oh my God, make them like the whirling dust. Like fire that burns the forest, so pursue them with Your tempest and terrify them with Your storm. Fill their faces with dishonor, that they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth .”

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Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner of the Joseph-calling and God’s economy message, being an international voice for the higher dimensions of spiritual game-changers and intercessors since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation, the Strategic Intercession Global Network [SIGN] and designer of the God’s Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program and the Jewish Business Secrets YouTube series, Mr. Ruddick’s messages equip leaders and 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.

Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to 3838 South Wabash Street, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at https://strategic-initiatives.org/donate/

Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For more information go to https://strategic-initiatives.org

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