Echoes From Zion

This morning I was praising God and thanking him for the advancement of His kingdom. What a day and hour in which we are living! God is moving all over the globe in demonstrations of power and might. I am amazed at the reports I hear from various ministries and individuals about what God is doing in our day. While pondering this, my heart was led to a friend of mine who tends to speak negatively about the church. Now, I will confess: there is a lot of stuff in church that is disorderly, rotten, and just plain discouraging. It's easy to see the problems and to feel like the church is perishing, especially if the environment one is in personally is NOT seeing the advancement of the Kingdom as desired. This view point usually leads people to talk about 'the remnant' in Christianity; how only a few will really stand in the last days. Is my friend and people in this camp not seeing what I see? Do they not see that His Spirit will be poured out on all flesh? Do they not see that

Psalm 17:4 - it's one that caught my eye this morning. When you put it in context with my Psalm 17:3 challenge, it's really interesting. "I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer." (Psalm 17:3b-4) How do I keep my mouth from not sinning? David says here it comes by the word of God's mouth - by having HIS word in my mouth I'm guaranteed NOT to transgress! Oh, isn't the Kingdom life one of great exchange? It's so marvelous! At the cross, we exchange unrighteousness for His righteousness, sorrow for joy, fear for peace. And here we see that we exchange our human words for divine words - natural, powerless conversation for supernatural, powerful conversation! In our everyday living in the kingdom, we have the opportunity to enter this great exchange. The temptation that comes our way is for us to look upon 'the works of men;' in ot