“There Is A Future!”

26 Aug “There Is A Future!”

I was praying in the Spirit in the living room of our home. Lifting up with volume the sound like none-other on this planet, the heavenly language given by the precious Holy Spirit to His people.

I was standing, peering from the kitchen island into the living room praying aloud, when I began to experience the presence of God. The hairs on my arms stood on end with a swirling sense of heaven invading our home. The room was becoming bright with an Illuminating mist suspended in the air. Chills ran down my back. I was immediately aware of an area in my life in need of repentance. I dropped to my knees and corrected my heart. The Lord required an area of me and I gave it. I stayed there until He was done. His presence then saturated our living room.

I looked deeper into His presence and began to see movement, there was activity going on. I stood to my feet and respectfully watched. The shapes quickly became clearer. The buzz of activity filling our home was Kingdom business in full form. The persons in the bright essence that surrounded them were messengers doing the bidding of God. Angels were on task. They were smooth, confident and not at all hurried. They were focused, but not pressed. They were given assignments and off they went to perform them. 

The man stood in luminance, but the mist was around him and upon him, it was not coming from within him. I knew he was not deity. I asked the Lord who this person was and it was revealed to me that it was Moses. 

The one directing and sending the angels was Moses. He stopped and looked at me. Suddenly, this commanding, bright white bearded individual was looking squarely at me. Everything paused in the room. It was as if the walls had disappeared. I was taken back. I froze, auditing my behavior and actions to be sure I honored this moment. Certainly I did not want to say something I would regret later. I stood like a stone statue. He then said these words verbatim, “Tell them there is a future.” The second part was “God will have His way.” In other words, He’s got this. Moses then went back to dispersing assignments to the messengers going about Kingdom business on the earth. 

 There is a future. Tell them. How am I to tell you? 

Jesus said there was only one thing necessary (Luke 10:42). Once in scripture it is mentioned in this way and it is here. Mary was seated at Jesus’ feet and Mary’s sister, Martha was not. Martha was busy. Jesus told Martha that what Mary was doing was better, in fact necessary–required.

 What Jesus said in that moment was necessary. Mary was receiving Jesus’ counsel and it was necessary in order to move forward–into the future. Oh, that we would do the same. If ever there was a time to embrace the counsel of Jesus it is now.

Will you do what is necessary? It has been said the reason we don’t pray as we could is that we think we can do it ourselves. This kind of “prayer delay” shapes a kingdom cultural deficit we learn to live with in our hearts. Many have learned to live in a deficit of prayer. It’s frightening to consider the predominant sound in their prayer-less soul is themselves!  

I have met with and prayed with folks in approximately 3,000 prayer counseling sessions. I learned early that a moment in His presence does more than hours of counseling! Our chief intention was to enter His presence and hear what He was saying for this particular person’s life. We were seeking His counsel. Jesus’ perspective is remarkable, often different than ours. Not only what He says, but even the way He says it has power to correctly align.

There’s a pastor in our great state of Washington who shared how his counseling load noticeably dropped when he started requiring folks to go into the church’s sanctuary and seek God one hour prior to meeting with him. He was asking them to first take time to sit at Jesus’ feet before meeting with him and the results were profound! Many even left without seeing this pastor because their answer came in that hour. Jesus is our counselor. He is all wise and He is closer than a friend! Jesus’ counsel is necessary.

 Mary was on point! How did Mary become the one to pour oil on Jesus’ feet, a prophetic gesture of Jesus’ burial? It was worth a year’s wages (Luke 7:36-50). How is it that her actions triggered Judas into the ultimate betrayal? This proper passion postured her to honor and demonstrate His Kingship publicly. Being part of these precise moments, these game changing moments came from being in step with Jesus’ cadence, His timing. 

Mary probably didn’t notice anyone else in the room at that precise moment. It was just her and her King as she gave a valuable gift to Him. It was simply Mary giving of her highest value to Jesus. How did she come to express and have providence usher her into this tremendous exhibit between God and a redeemed love?

We must go back to Mary sitting at His feet. This is our example of what is necessary for intimacy with our King and Savior. Mary immersed herself in the counsel of Jesus. It changed her. She began to have His mind and her perception was altered and redeveloped. She was changed. As a result of this paradigm-shift within her whole existence, she found herself in step with, catapulted into her future. 

‘Tell Them There Is A Future!’ 

You will know what it is as you sit at His feet and receive His counsel. Take time to receive His wise counsel for this hour. We need His counsel during this unprecedented time we are facing in our personal lives, as a church, as a nation. 

Please allow me this last point. I am disturbed at the upsurge of talking heads claiming to have the necessary insight for your decision making, attempting to be your guide. Social Media is log jammed with myriads of opinions and conclusions.  

It has been said another type of terrorist that has hit America is the Newscaster. The proliferation of pandemic information without hope has placed this country on its ear. Anxiety and fear have gripped Americans. Literally touted is the narrative that death is in the air. Americans have never grappled with this weighty inertia of concern for their personhood and loved ones. “We don’t know what to think because we don’t know who or what is accurate anymore” is common dialogue. “We just don’t know, but one thing we do know is it can kill you.” 

Be careful of the many siren voices. The voices that keep shifting and casting an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear. These are like the prophets of Baal. Amazingly these voices come across certain, full of confidence, but the outcome is dire. 

King Ahab was surrounded with 400 voices that were not speaking accurately and Ahab let them (2 Chronicles 18). Jehoshaphat asked Ahab if he had a voice of truth. Ahab kept one voice of truth in prison. Jehoshaphat asked Ahab to call for the prophet Micaiah. After being threatened by the other false prophets to echo their rhetoric, Micaiah delivered truth to Ahab. Because Ahab did not want truth, get this… what did He not want? Truth. He sent Micaiah back to prison with bread and water rations. The unwillingness to listen to truth, cost Ahab his life. 

It will cost us too! If you don’t want truth you won’t have it. If you ignore, delay or imprison truth, it will cost you. Truth is not a thing, it’s a person! “I am the way the truth and the life,” Jesus said. It’s not horizontal, its vertical. “I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven” (Psalm 123:1). Truth is to be sought after–SoughtOut!

Loved ones “There is a Future.” Go be with Jesus, sit at His feet. This is necessary for you to perceive His future for your life. It is probable things will not be exactly the same when we come to the other side of this pandemic. In Jesus we will be strong. It may not be easy, but it will be profound because we will be closer to Him, operating in the power of His counsel. 

Now go sit at His feet.

Love you all,

Herb Marks