A Call to the Church for Instant Obedience

This past week the unthinkable happened to a family I know. A drunk driver lost control of a vehicle and plowed into their young daughter’s bedroom. The room was completely destroyed. Seconds before this happened, they called their daughter to come to dinner. She instantly obeyed and left the room seconds before the vehicle hit her room. Because she instantly obeyed her parents and did not ignore their instructions, or say, “I’ll be there in a few minutes”, her life was spared. Instant obedience saved their precious young daughter from being a victim of this unexpected tragedy. Her room could be replaced; her life could not. Her instant obedience to her parents made the difference between life and death.

We as believers can all learn a great lesson from this. As we approach the end times, God is sounding an urgent alarm for the body of Christ to wake up and instantly obey! No more excuses. No more ignoring the call. No more “I’ll do that later” or “There’s plenty of time”. God is calling the Church to repentance, holiness and instant obedience. No more “partial” obedience. As my senior pastor Dr. Jamie Morgan always says, “Partial obedience is disobedience”.

Partial obedience to God led His people into bondage, slavery defeat and destruction time and time again. Throughout the Bible we see where Satan deceived people into not fully obeying God.

1. Partial obedience drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and introduced death into the world. “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)

2. Partial obedience kept Moses and the first generation of Israelites delivered out of Egypt out of the Promised Land. “For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Joshua 5:6).

3. Partial obedience led Lot’s wife out of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah but into a pillar of salt. “But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26).

Partial obedience is sin, and sin leads to death.

However, we also know that those throughout the Bible who obeyed God fully and quickly were saved and used by Him in the darkest hours.

1. Despite persecution and not one indication of the pending doom about to unleash on the earth, Noah instantly obeyed God, and built the ark. “And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. “(Genesis 7:5) Noah and his family were spared.

2. Despite feeling of dread and grief, Abraham instantly obeyed God when He asked him to sacrifice His only son, and his son’s life was spared. “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:16-18) Abraham became the friend of God and the father of nations.

3. Despite years of betrayal, Joseph instantly obeyed God and was able to save the world from starvation. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20) Joseph became second highest in command of all of Egypt.

4. Despite fear of losing her own life, Esther instantly obeyed God’s voice through Mordecai, and approached the king to expose Haman’s plans to destroy the Jews. “Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish”. (Esther 4:16) Esther, and her people were saved from total destruction.

5. Despite what seemed impossible in the natural, Mary instantly obedient to God. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Through the conception of the Holy Spirit Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world.

6. Despite being so anguished He sweated tears of blood and asked that the cup of death be passed from Him, Jesus instantly obeyed God to endure the cross. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:7-9) Jesus saved mankind from eternal destruction.

Instant obedience is not based on feelings.

Many throughout the Bible felt heartache, fear, hopelessness and hopelessness. They suffered persecution, hardships and unfair treatment. However, they decided to obey out of their love, commitment and reverential fear of the Lord.

The time is now to listen to God’s voice and do whatever He says whenever He says it. There is no more time to waste on foolish and selfish worldly desires. The spirit of Antichrist is running rampant throughout this world, and God is looking for His people to shine brightly through the darkness and speak louder than the voice of compromise and distractions. It’s time to redeem the time God has given us, “for the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)

Followers of Christ who currently have one foot in the world and one foot with God have a critical decision to make­­--complete and instant obedience to God, or complete and blatant disobedience to God. Both yield eternal consequences. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

God is pleading with to His people to repent and obey because of His great love and desire for fulfillment of the very specific and predestined calls that He intended for His children to fulfill for His Kingdom.

There is not one person in this entire world who is exempt from obeying God fully. If Jesus did it during His time on earth, and His Holy Spirit is now living inside of His followers, there are no excuses.

Those who instantly obey will experience new levels God’s glory and power to fulfill their call in these last days to gather the harvest.

God in His mercy and grace is warning His people to listen to His voice and instantly obey! The Holy Spirit will give you the strength, courage and ability to carry out what God has called you to do! “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love”. (John 15:10)

Just as like the precious little girl who was spared from the destruction of the drunk driver because she instantly obeyed, may all in Christ be willing and ready to obey God and those he placed in spiritual authority over us in this critical hour.

Dr. Meg Hart founded Restored Women in 2015 and Restored Global in 2018, both ministries birthed into her heart from God as a result of the great revelation, redirection and restoration she experienced through Jesus.

She is an ordained pastor through Global Ministries and Relief Inc. and holds an EdD in Performance Improvement from Capella University

She is the proud mother of one daughter, Mackenzie, and serves at Life Church in Williamstown, New Jersey.

She recently published her first book, Falling in Love Again: Redirecting Your Earthly Rejection to Eternal Restoration by Amazon.com Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1705397336/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_7fhSEb11KA6S6

This article originally appeared at restoredwomen.com.

10 Powerful Ways to Pause... in God’s Presence

As many people around the world remain on the stay-at-home order during this pandemic, it is easy to feel as life is at a standstill. Some believers are growing weary, stagnant and disheartened! There is no time for that Church! It is time to wake up and expectantly wait on the Lord! This is not the time to give up and give in to distractions and hopelessness!

God always used the dry and unexpected times to reveal His glory and power on the earth. He is looking for His children to rise up during this time and receive His strategy for the outpouring of revival that is about to be unleashed around the world. He is looking for voices to loudly proclaim their unshakable faith during the great shaking that is happening right now. It’s time to praise Him for His grace, mercy and favor upon us as we are living in this very moment to share the Gospel, call ourselves and others to repentance and prepare for an outpouring of revival like the world has never seen, as we eagerly awaited the return of Jesus!

How can we do that during this pandemic?

We need to pause... in His Presence.

God is using this pause, this short time, to clean us up, reset us and prepare us for the next season.

Here are 10 confessions from Psalm 62:5-8 (TPT) we can pray as we pause… in His presence.

1. I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for Him to rescue me.

Go before God to your secret place of prayer. Focus your attention, heart, mind and spirit on Almighty God. Feel His Presence as He makes Himself know to you. Express your great love for Him by being still in His Presence.

2. Only God is my Savior, and He will not fail me.

Praise Him for His unfailing love and promises. We need to take this time to repent for any areas where we blamed God for the bad things happening, and reignite our trust in Him.

3. For He alone is my safe place. His wrap-around presence always protects me as my champion defender.

Remember that God is with us always, even when everything around us is out of control. He will defend and protect us against the attacks of the enemy, because we already have the victory in Jesus.

4. There’s no risk of failure with God!

The government may fail, people may fail, but those who trust in the Lord have the unshakable faith that with God on our side, we cannot fail!

5. So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me?

Read and live out Psalm 91! There is no fear in God. We are sons and daughters of the Most High God! We know who we are and Whose we are! We need to repent for any fear that has gripped our hearts and keep our eyes on Jesus.

6. God’s glory is all around me!

As we pause in His Presence, His glory fills every area of our lives. Our spiritual senses are tuned in to His hand in everything taking place, and we receive a deeper revelation of how God is using His glory and power to once again take what the enemy used to bring death and destruction and use it for His good.

7. His wrap-around presence is all I need, for the Lord is my Savior, my hero, and my life-giving strength.

Pausing in His presence will replace our weariness with His strength, and the world’s fear with Kingdom courage. His Presence brings life and healing to all of the dead and broken areas in our lives.

8. Join me, everyone! Trust only in God every moment!

As we pause in His Presence, surrender to and trust in God for every area of our lives, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us His wisdom, discernment and knowledge for every moment of every day!

9. Tell Him all your troubles and pour out your heart-longings to Him.

God knows everything about us, but longs for each of us to pause in His presence and share our hearts, dreams, cares and concerns. As we share with Him, He will give us His perspective, insight and strategies. He will reveal His heart and plans in His perfect timing. Pausing in His presence assure us that when He is ready to speak, we are positioned to listen!

10. Believe me when I tell you—He will help you!

He wants to use us this very moment to reach others for His Kingdom. However, we cannot pour from an empty and broken vessel. Each day let’s pause in His Presence and allow Him to heal us, strengthen us, restore us and fill us with a fresh anointing so we can pour out what God prepared for us to others!

People without the hope of Jesus are watching us. This is not the time to give up or give in to Satan’s schemes of apathy, lethargy and worldly distraction. Pause… in His presence now and every day with extraordinary faith because God is ready to us mightily for worldwide revival!

Dr. Meg Hart founded Restored Women in 2015 and Restored Global in 2018, both ministries birthed into her heart from God as a result of the great revelation, redirection and restoration she experienced through Jesus.

She is an ordained pastor through Global Ministries and Relief Inc. and holds an EdD in Performance Improvement from Capella University

She is the proud mother of one daughter, Mackenzie, and serves at Life Church in Williamstown, New Jersey.

She recently published her first book,

Falling in Love Again: Redirecting Your Earthly Rejection to Eternal Restoration by Amazon.com Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1705397336/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_7fhSEb11KA6S6

This article originally appeared at restoredwomen.com.

7 Ways to Protect Your Kids from Eternal Destruction

We are living in the last days, and we are seeing the great falling away of the Church. As prominent pastors, worship leaders and artists are walking away from their faith and denying Christ, they are taking with them entire generations of fans and followers, especially the younger generation. We are seeing record high suicides among children, and the internet has brought a new level of compromise and bullying that we as parents and caregivers did not have to deal with previously. The enemy has been relentless in deceiving and attacking our kids.

The Lord is sending out the alarm to His Church to be prayerful, vigilant and obedient to do whatever it takes to save our children from eternal destruction. With access to every evil portal into hell through the internet, social media, television, music and relationships, we as Christian parents cannot be naïve into thinking that our children have not been exposed, tempted or engaged in sin and compromise.

No matter how much we shelter and protect them, they still open access to evil through these outlets, and many times do not want to hurt or disappoint their families, so they keep the sin hidden, and it festers into their adult years. Many times, parents are unaware of their children’s struggles because they are either not paying attention to what their kids are watching and doing online, unaware of who they are hanging out with or want to be the cool and accepted parents, so they allow a little bit of compromise to stay “relevant” and often turn a blind eye to sin. Others assume that since their kids are being raised right, attend church and youth group regularly and think they know what friends they are associating with daily, they do not have to worry. I was one of those parents.

A few years back, when I discovered that my own teenager was struggling with hidden sin, it was like the rug was pulled out from under me. Through anger, I asked God how this could happen when I thought I was so resolute in protecting her. Where did I miss it? He reminded me of a prayer I prayed over her not too long before everything was revealed. I prayed that God would expose anything in her life that would affect her eternity and the call He had on her life. Although I was not prepared in any way for what was about to be exposed, He faithfully answered my prayers.

We went through a long season of pain as roots were revealed. I relentlessly tried to send the alarm to other Christian parents and pastors whose kids were also in trouble. Many ignored the call and swept it under the rug. Many ostracized and mocked me. I was resented by many and felt the sting of rejection. However, I was going to what it took to help my child and any others who were struggling. Even though the journey to healing was painful, I realized that I was not alone, and that God would help me stand and fight for my child and for this generation.

Our children are being granted open access to sin right under our noses! They are being overtly exposed to adult content and expected to handle it as an adult. As we witness record high addiction, promiscuity, suicide, murder, pornography and human trafficking rates skyrocket among children, it is time to wake up and do something! God gave us the care of His children, and we need to take it seriously!

Here are 7 ways you can help protect your kids from eternal destruction.

1. Pray ask God to reveal anything He needs you to know about your children. This is one of the most powerful prayers you can pray. It can also be the most painful. However, through His Holy Spirit, God is there to bring the peace, healing and strategy to start the steps in helping them. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come”. John 16:13 ESV

2. Be a parent, not friend! When is the last time you looked at your children’s phone, social media accounts, browsing history or what they are watching on television? When is the last time you went into their rooms and looked around? Do you really know the friends and their parents well enough before sending them over for sleepovers and outings? If you think that your child would never be engaged in sin through these mediums because they are strong and godly, you are being deceived. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” 1 John 1:8 ESV Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything you need to know and be vigilant to find and deal with it! “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions”. Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV We are called to be the stewards of these kids for God. While we can have friendship as part of the parent/child relationship, we are to be parents and God’s caregivers first and foremost.

3. Set and adhere to Holy Spirit-led rules, boundaries and consequences. If your child is struggling, ask God to show you the steps to take to help them as their spiritual authorities. Remove what needs to be removed and set what needs to set according to God’s strategy to protect and help our kids. Watch who you allow your kids to be around. Make them accountable for their decisions and actions by correcting and disciplining them! As painful as it may seem at the moment it is vital for their spiritual well-being. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 ESV

4. Do not be a bystander parent. If we see our own or other kids mistreating, gossiping or compromising, we need to address it immediately in love. Bullies are not the only perpetrators to the victim. Bystanders are as well. Do not be a bystander parent and do not allow your children to be bystanders to evil. Teach them to stand up for God’s Word, Christ’s examples and go reach out and those who are hurting and in trouble. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6 ESV

5. Ask God to reveal the root of the sin. When you pray, ask the Holy Spirit to show you the root and the open door where the enemy was allowed in. Something may have happened to them that you did not know, or they may have willingly chosen to sin. No matter what the root is, once it is exposed, walk your children through the Word and prayer to seek forgiveness and help. This may take time and much persistence, but do not give up, no matter how much pushback you get. The enemy wants to wear you down and make you give in or give up. We do not have to handle this on our own! The Holy Spirit is here to help! “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT

6. Do not allow disappointment in your children or even in you change your perceptions on their God-given identities and your roles as parents and caregivers. When you discover that your child is struggling with hidden sin, remind them that you are displeased with the actions but not them. The enemy will immediately try and bring shame and hopelessness when sin is exposed. Point them immediately to the Word and to God’s and your forgiveness. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy”. Proverbs 28:13 ESV. Also accept God’s grace and mercy when the enemy tries to bring guilt to you for not knowing, and thank Him for revealing it. Just as we are not perfect, neither are our kids. Just like we are exposed to sin, they are too. You are not a failure!

7. Speak life into your children! The enemy attacked your kids and now it’s time to fight back in prayer, worship and thanksgiving! Pray without ceasing for your kids to have hearts of repentance and be ready to return to, serve and honor God. “But now this is what the LORD says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the LORD. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” says the LORD. Jeremiah 31:16-17 NLT

Remember, we will one day stand before Jesus and give accounts for how we raised His children. When choosing to be godly, vigilant, wise and uncompromising parents or caregivers, one moment of resentment from our kids and others who choose to turn a blind eye to sin and compromise will be well worth the eternal safekeeping of our children and future generations.