Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
I believe the Church of Philadelphia is important to us this year. Several years ago a long time friend, David Harwood, ministered in our church and gave us a word that we were like the church of Philadelphia. I believe in 2011 this word is coming into fullness. In particular these verses stand out to me.
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Rev. 3:7-8
I believe this year many will see important doors begin to open. Although no man can shut these doors there are some things that can hinder us from going through those doors. First, we must keep in mind that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19-20). That may be the true meaning of the key of David. If we try to open the door then we will only become frustrated and confused because only the Lord Himself can open these doors. The right thing birthed at the wrong time is not healthy and sometimes dies. So the key to open the door is John 5:19-20. Waiting on the Lord is critical this year (Isaiah 40:27-30).
The second thing that will try to hinder us is religion. A religious spirit is guarding the door, but the deceptive thing is it does not appear to be religious but instead, friendly and helpful. The religious spirit will try to get us to open the door prematurely. On the other hand when the Lord does open the door it will try to convince us to not go through the door! It will take discernment to know this is a religious spirit. If you do not have much discernment, find someone who does and befriend him or her.
Another hindrance that we must deal with are economics and that is why I believe creativity is important to us. Creativity is vital in every area of life as it is essential to solving problems, dealing with complex circumstances, keeping our relationships real and viable, and not falling into a rut and routine in our worship and callings.
Like the church in Philadelphia we have a little strength and that especially applies to us economically. We must develop creative ways to finance the opportunities the open doors bring. When we became RiverLife the Lord showed me two things that we should cultivate; evangelism (missions) and creativity. We have made progress in terms of missions both locally and into the nations. However, we have not done so well with the creativity. Little did we know when the Lord gave us the word about creativity that the economy of this nation would melt down as it has. But the economic melt down may be a blessing in disguise if we will begin to breakaway from an unrighteous dependence on Wall Street. I believe the creative mind of the Lord will help us to tap into the resources on the Streets of Gold!
Many Blessings, BW