The Outpouring

Outpouring (def) - an outburst of strong emotion. I can't go very long in a day without something weird, unholy, or just plain wrong being done either by some people who call themselves leaders or by compromised people in powerful positions. I think "What will come of this?" The prophet Joel spoke of God's judgment coming like an army of locusts, and the end result will not be good. He also speaks of the wonderful forgiveness that only God can give to restore and make right the world we live in. The Holy Spirit will pour out on God's children, and an awakening of the Lord's church will have a much-needed freshness that will impact our world.

An army of half-truths has invaded our land, and we have been duped by the god of this world, and our God is going to move, and we will see that He is the Lord God and no one compares to Him. When God spoke to His prophet Joel, He was calling for repentance for all who would listen and respond. His call is still fresh today in a world that has long since left the Lord and lived in disobedience. How are we to respond? With repentant hearts and lives that once again fall before our God in true, heartfelt worship, God will respond. I know that born-again believers mourn over the things we see in our world, but it only clarifies for me that God is our only hope and our best hope. Be encouraged, our God is on His throne, and He still moves in the midst of His people, but we must be faithful to His Word and to His ways only.

Joel prophesies that the "day of the Lord" is coming and God's judgment is going to come through like an army of locusts, leaving no stone unturned with complete judgment for the sins of the world. What should our response be to the "day of the Lord?" As born-again believers, we see only hope in the midst of the day the Lord comes. We can be assured that the day our Lord comes will be our time of rapture as we depart this world and Jesus takes us home for eternity. The old world that has been running from God and living for evil will be left out, so we need to share the message wherever we go, and not only in church buildings. Jesus calls us the "sent", not the static. Even in Alabama, we know there are lost people who need Jesus, and today is the day of salvation, but they need to hear the message.

Jesus proclaimed the message as He was walking and moving among the people, and His ready-made message was what they needed. Matthew 9:³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

To coin a phrase well used by the brand Nike. "Just do it!!" Let the outpouring begin,

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren