Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!
—Psalms 68:19 (NKJV)
The Hebrew word for “load” in this Scripture is “paqad.” This word appears 302 times throughout the Old Testament and conveys the notion of purposeful and unwavering oversight. The Lord intervenes in our lives, revealing our hearts, guiding us, protecting us, and giving us assignments designed for us that will benefit His Kingdom.
This Hebrew word for “load” reveals the deeply covenantal relationship we have with God. It illustrates the Lord’s daily presence in our lives, taking our burdens, continuously infusing us with His wisdom, power, and discernment, and revealing Himself to us to fulfill His purpose. Many believers are experiencing a spiritual famine, not a physical one like hunger or thirst, but a lack of hearing the Lord’s words (Amos 8:11). They are missing out on His benefits. They are starving for Him when they could be nourishing themselves on the revelation of His Words, discerning His actions, and fulfilling their purposes.
Some Christians only recognize God’s actions when He miraculously reveals Himself with immense power. However, God doesn’t always manifest in an undeniable display of power. Often, He comes in ways that we fail to perceive. When we overlook these subtle signs, we miss His presence and end up treating what is sacred as ordinary.
We are in the last of the last days. God is visiting us. However, many are missing what He is doing. When we miss His visitation—when we miss His intervention, His reckoning, His examination, and His assignment, we forfeit our place in the body of Christ. Paul said not to give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). But when we can’t discern what God is doing, we forfeit our place—we forfeit our assignment; we give place to the devil.
The Greek word for “place” is “topos.” The word “topography” comes from this word. A topographical map has natural markers to delineate different locations. God has given us natural markers to know our assigned places. We need to discern His markers in this world, what He is revealing to us, and how we need to respond. If we aren’t seeing and hearing and understanding what He wishes, we will only be stirred by what He’s doing and unable to discern what is coming. If we are not spiritually careful, we will be deceived.
There’s no reason for any Christian to be deceived. You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you possess all knowledge in your born-again spirit (1 John 2:20). To comprehend the Lord’s actions and avoid deception, you must grow spiritually, continuously renewing your mind with the Word and conforming to it (Romans 12:2).
We live in a world where evil is called good and good is called evil (Isaiah 5:20). These are days of uncertainty, of change, upheaval, and increase. God’s desire is to reach His creation with the message of redeeming Grace. But He needs His children, the church, to awaken to His voice and rise to the challenge. If we choose, this time of uncertainty can be an opportunity for our spiritual growth. However, we don’t just need a temporary boost of faith; we need lasting spiritual strength.
To possess great physical strength and endurance, core muscle strength is absolutely essential. In these times of uncertainty, core spiritual strength and endurance are equally crucial. You can either develop your core spiritual muscles to stand firm, or you can succumb to fear in the face of the destruction these times reveal. Fear stems from a lack of core spiritual development and inner strength. Many Christians lack the core muscles of their faith, but this is what is necessary to endure.
David, a shepherd boy, faced an overwhelming evil. Despite the situation and the trembling fear of others, he stood firm and declared, “I’ll do it.” His unwavering faith in God had strengthened his spiritual core muscles, making him resilient and confident. David’s deep understanding of his identity and his relationship with God empowered him to overcome Goliath.
Just as David, we must strive for spiritual growth and strength in the Lord. We must understand our identity in Him and comprehend God’s true nature, avoiding distractions that are not of Him. Furthermore, we should not treat anything He is doing or anything He asks of us as mundane. If we spiritually grow strong and perceive what God is truly doing, He will guide us in discerning what is necessary during these challenging times.
The church of Jesus Christ isn’t common. It’s not ordinary. It has been called to be God’s restraining power against darkness in this world. The church should be prepared for spiritual warfare. The Lord said that upon His rock, He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Much of the body of Christ has been deceived, not discerning what is happening. The gates of hell have been prevailing.
The Lord is giving us another opportunity to build His church. This redemptive uncertainty is causing the “ekklesia,” the true church, to wake up. When seeing the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb saw the giant size of the grapes and not the great size of the enemy. We need to focus on our God, who daily loads us with benefits, and not on our enemy. We need to see His Promise and trust Jesus as Lord. He defeats the gates of hell. He raises up the true church to reveal His light and punish the darkness.
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
This is a time when the Lord is looking at the motives and hearts of His people. Pray and seek His face. If the Holy Spirit reveals something to you, repent. Don’t wallow in that failure. Don’t dwell on it. Move on in Him. The Lord will hear, forgive, and heal you. Through His revelation to those who hear His voice, the church will rise, and He will restore our land.
The signs of these times are clear. It takes a David, a Joshua, a Caleb, an Elijah, an Esther. It takes those with core strength. Are you one for such a time as this? Those who hear the revelation of the Word and believe it in their hearts face nothing that cannot be overcome. Jesus is their Lord.
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