Strengthen What Remains

Strengthen What Remains

Surely this phrase brings to mind Revelation 3 in the letter to the church at Sardis. Verse 2 reads: Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 

While in prayer the other day I asked the Lord what He wanted to say to me. He spoke: “Strengthen what remains.” I know this scripture in its context which led me to a gasping, “Oh know” as my mind was flooded with thoughts from Revelation 3's Sardis. Its context immediately anchored my thoughts melding them with what the Holy Spirit had spoken. However (and thankfully), immediately another thought flowed through my mind “don’t add to My words” watermarked with a scripture from Luke 22.  

We all know that things have shifted since early January of 2020. We have both the election and Covid-19 to thank for this. Then there is our porous southern boarder, Afghanistan, the national debt, rioting, looting, shootings, harassment of peace-loving people, and on the list goes. Yet, there is another realm at work, the spiritual realm, where both the evil and the Holy are at work. Whatever the outcome of all the world's upheaval both God and Satan are using this time to promote their agendas. (There will be a day when the purposes of God allow and even empower the rise of the antichrist.) 

Now back to the title of this blog. 

Remember when Jesus told Peter (you is plural, so this was spoken to all the apostles) that they would be sifted? It is found in Luke 22. Satan demanded permission to sift the apostles and Jesus implied He granted him permission to do so. (Aren’t you glad he has to ask God for permission?) The word sift is from the word sieve. A sieve holds back the larger items and lets the smaller particles flow through. In the Luke 22 scripture Jesus uses the example of wheat being sifted. And even though Satan had in mind to destroy the apostles faith,  Jesus had already prayed for them. He knew what was coming. He was using Satan's sifting for His very own purpose. This is the backdrop the Holy Spirit gave me as He said not to add to His words "Strengthen what remains."  

What remains in you that was given by God: your vision, your gifts, your passions? These are the things to strengthen. Let the other stuff fall by the wayside. Don't pick them back up. They are dead weight. A hinderance to what God has truly given to you. Someday we will really stand before the King of kings to receive a reward for things done in the body. In that day you'll be glad you left the dead things behind.

And how about your church? What things that used to soak up finances and time have become far less important? Let them drift away down the river of irrelevance. 

As I write this, I know that some of His church in 20/21 has become more spiritually lethargic and dull. Wow (!) this not a time to be dull and lethargic! If this is you, get back in the battle, you have become a prisoner of war. Some likely need to hear the entire scripture: Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 

But for those of us that this word speaks to, set aside some time to ask the Lord what remains, if you don’t already know. Know that it is God Who has removed things that are like dead wood in your garden. Don’t try to carry forward what God has marked as dead. Then strengthen by the power of the Holy Spirit what has remained through this season of sifting. Let the Lord fully blow the chaff from your wheat. 

…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith… Hebrews 12 

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9  

Sometimes as we walk through life God brings a season of reset. 

This is such a time.