March 30: SHAKING!

He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven.” Now this “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Hebrews 12:26b-27

The essence of our faith is unreserved trust in the Word of Almighty God. From the get-go, we are divinely warned of an enemy who works through deception. This deceiver is the father of lies whose manipulations create strife and division. The declared people of God are the most desired targets of the great deceiver, and he accomplishes his evil work through proxies. Ezekiel pointed directly to the selfish shepherds of Israel (see Ezekiel 34) who fouled and polluted the gospel message (vv.18-19). Indeed, the religious leaders persisted in seeking power and control over the people at large by burdening them with heavy rules that obscured the true message, and at the same time incorporated pagan ideas, creating a wilderness of confusion.

To clear the way for the ministry of the Messiah, John the Baptist came, saying “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3) The ministry of John the Baptist was a shaking of sorts, and certainly removed – or at least loosened – some of the boulders of bad ideas that were causing people to stumble.

Our world is headed for another shaking in preparation for the second coming of the LORD. How do we stand the test of this shaking? We must know that He equates Himself with His Word (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13), which we have in written form (Matthew 4:4; John 6:45; Acts 24:14; Romans 1:17; 15:4; James 1:21; 1 John 2:26; Revelation 1:3). In a world of weakened minds and forgetfulness, we can rely upon divine authority by finding Biblical answers to false doctrines placed before us by proxies of the enemy. Starting now, you can allow false teachings to be shaken out of your thinking even as you solidify in your mind the things which cannot be shaken. The true and faithful God of love shakes what can be shaken even as He preserves what is unshakable. He is at work to purify His people, not to destroy them but to restore His image in them. Spread the hope!

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Hebrews 12:28

Isaiah 2:2; 3:12; 8:20; 9:16; 24:1-6; Jeremiah 23:28-29; Acts 16:26; 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 3:3; 5:21; 1 John 4