To believers who are the least bit observant, it is clear that there's a shaking going on within the world's systems, the church's systems and individual believers. The shaking we are experiencing today is a move of God, who wants to live and move and have His being through His people. He wants to change the world through us!
God is bearing down on established systems of men, whether they be government institutions or institutional churches. He is truly shaking all things so that the only place we can find security is in Him. He is making it clear that He is a jealous God, jealous for our love, our affection and our very lives. During this season, He is giving us a tremendous opportunity to go a better way, to walk in His eternal ways, and to love with His supernatural and transforming love.
Because we have continued to make the wrong things the main things, He is causing us to have to face and accept this important truth: It's all about Him. We have relied on government systems, yet Jesus paid very little attention to Caesar and made it clear that Caesar was to be given only that which was his. Certainly we are not to entrust ourselves to these systems or rely on them for sustenance that can come only from Him.
Nor are we to depend on our church structures, because at best they are inadequate in light of who He is. This is not to diminish our need for gathering with one another or making sure we engage with those whom God has ordained as teachers and nurturers of our souls. But He wants our attention to be focused on Him and not on the peripherals of this world. His original design did not call for religion but for a people freely willing to be called unto Himself.
We are seeing so many looking here and there, for "this" and "that," while expecting the deceptive "this" and "that" to be the keys to finding Him. Our Father desires for us to come to Him so He can show us this, that and the next thing He has for us.
If you are spiritually unsatisfied, don't remove yourself from your faith community to search for a better one; seek Him first, and He will point you to all the right places and all the right faces. Don't expect that by moving from one system to the next, you are going to find what you are looking for. Our Father knows best, so ask Him what you must do.
The Lord is bringing a mighty shaking to man-made religious, government and other structures in this hour. He is beckoning us to be free. He does not want anyone or anything to interfere with His personal guidance for each of His children.
In other words, He desires for us to be in the world, but not of it. Our divine priority should be not to so much establishing organizations that grow but establishing people who grow in relationship with Him and with each other while pursuing Christlikeness.
I like the way The Message describes the shaking we are experiencing: "‘One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.' The phrase ‘one last shaking' means ‘a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered'" (Heb. 12:26-27).
We have seen various movements and church systems come and go through the years, and many have been ineffective in producing lasting spiritual fruit that releases people into God's directive destiny. We have institutions that have done little to impart to, empower or release God's people so that we can have a genuine impact for the kingdom of God.
None of these organizations is necessarily wrong, but often they point to men or methods rather than releasing people to hear from the Father themselves. Scripture-inspired control that is described as "protection," "covering" or "obedience" often enslaves those whom Christ has set free.
When we become free from systematic controls and false "coverings," Jesus can rule and reign within us and guide us into all truth. But we will continue to chase experience, chills and frills as substitutes for the real thing until we decide to use our brains, common sense and at least an ounce of discernment. A friend of mine recently made a profound comment about what we are seeing. He said, "We have taken a quart of His Spirit and three quarts of humanity and called it a gallon of God."
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not issuing a call for believers to leave a system or institution to go to another form; I am calling forth a revolutionary people who will not settle for what was, or even what is, but who will engage in what the Father wants. His desire is for us to relate to Him personally, outside our larger gatherings, while going to another level in relating to and loving one another within them. As we live as His disciples, we can take His love and presence into the marketplace and into every area of society in which the Lord has released us.
The shaking we are experiencing today is a move of God, who wants to live and move and have His being through His people. He wants to disciple and transform nations through us! He is working a divine exchange by demanding that His plans prevail over ours.
The rumbling we hear will continue until our revelation of Him increases to the point that we begin to walk powerfully in the reality of His purposes for each of us. As we yield our will to His, He will empower us to present His supernatural kingdom to the world. His power and love will pour out of us as we allow Him to use us to bring about His purposes. Let us now choose to embrace the shaking, examine ourselves and shake more of the flesh away to reveal His Spirit.
About the author: Robert Ricciardelli is co-founder with his wife, Joyce, of Visionary Advancement Strategies (vision2advance.com) and the Converging Zone Network, a global effort to release God's presence by encouraging relational cohesion among individuals and communities. He ministers at churches and conferences worldwide, teaching practical ways to advance God's kingdom into every sphere of society.
Prophetic Insight is a weekly bulletin offering timely and relevant messages for the body of Christ from recognized prophetic voices. It is prepared by Maureen Eha, features editor for Charisma magazine. If you'd like to share a message with Maureen, send it to
1 comment:
Weve needed something like a 9-11 or another disaster to shake people up a bit (the economy). Too much self-faith rather than faith in God. I just hope the people of God are ready and don't drop the ball: again. Dont talk the game, live the life and show it. Salvation by guilt isnt going to work this time. For things to stick, its gotta go deep.
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